Comprehension: short answers

COMPREHENSION: 

SHORT MODEL ANSWERS FOR CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXT

EXAMPLE 1.

Text a	Text b
The Titanic was a huge ship. 1,513 lives were lot when it hit an iceberg during its first voyage in April 1912. The sea was very cold. Men, women, children and babies drowned in the icy waters.	You would have to have been very brave not to be really scared. It was dark and everyone was screaming and panicking. So many people just jumped into the icy water. The yelling. The shouting. It must have been awful.... terrible!

 If one text (a) consists of a number of verifiable facts, such as numbers, names of places, while the other text (b) consists more of a description enhanced by exclamation marks and questions to the reader, you could say

I choose (a) over (b) because it consists of  facts that could be checked for its authenticity, and that would add to my personal KNOWLEDGE, that I could actually use scientifically.

OR: 

I choose (b) because I want to write movie scripts one day.  For that, I would need to gather information about the emotional experiences of those who were on the boat.

OR: I choose (b), because I am going to be an actor/ actress and actors have to focus on emotions. Movies do not always stick to facts anyway.

EXAMPLE TWO. __________________________________________________________________________

TEXT a	Text b
Once the tuna are excited into a frenzy by the baitfish, they try to swallow everything they can – including the hooks. When the fish are hooked, they are hauled overboard.	When the tuna have started eating the baitfish, they will swallow anything in the water, including the hooks. When the fish have eaten the hook they are pulled into the boat.

If one text (a) uses detailed descriptions with lots of adjectives that could or could not be appropriate, while the other text (b) uses straight forward words, you could say:

I choose a, because the descriptions add to the emotional experience (inherent in expressions such as “excited into a frenzy” and “hauled”) of those involved.

OR:

I choose b, because I would rather focus just on the essentials of what is taking place and stick to a clear expression without any emotional overload.

Commendation for vacation study period.

Dear Amazing-Kidz

Die commendations will work as follows:

1. Handing in the vacation pack, max. 5 min 1 commendation, depending on how much you did.
2. Vocab quiz:  Full marks: 3 commendations,  80%: 2 commendations, 50%: 1 commendation.

I will address questions in class.

Warm greetings
Teacher Elma

FUN TIME

What is the past tense of William Shakespeare?

Wouldiwas Shookspeared...

Vacation End

Dear Kids

I've been missing you lots!

I hope that you had a wonderful time doing revision and working on the items in the vacation pack.  Hopefully you have finished by now, because there are only two days left before we start again.
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A. I include answers to the grammar. These will be discussed in full in class, so please don't fret if something is not clear to you.  

GRAMMAR, ROOKE AND LAW, PP.40-41.

(Other options with their explanations are provided. If you do use one of these, then you have to justify and explain it in the same way as I have done.)

The answers will also be explained in class. 

p.40 LAST BOX.

1.     The football manager said, “I am disappointed with the score.”  (*Strictly speaking, it could also be “was”, if the manager had changed his position after some time, but, since the preference is for present tense in direct speech, I’d rather stick to the first option if I were you.)

2.     The fan exclaimed, “The goal is superb!”  (*To be honest, I would say “was”, because when the speaker describes it, it would be in the past already.)

3.     Owen said, “I do not like watching TV all day.”

4.     “Go to the park to play football,” suggested his mother.

5.     “Do you know the way to the hospital?” asked the injured man.

P. 41 TOP BOX

1. Tim yelled at them both to stop it.

2. Priya said that she couldn’t help it, because she was so scared. (*It is a tricky one. If it relates to something that she is doing all the time, and to a constant state of being fearful, the answer could be: Priya said that she can’t help it, because she is so scared.)

3. Hannah suggested that they should buy a cat.

4. Bill said that it was a good idea.

5. My father declared that those mountains were too dangerous. (*The examiners generally want everything changed to past tense. However, the mountains are probably still a danger, because mountains don’t change much in a person’s lifetime.  And, they could still be the mountains closest to the speaker. Therefore, the answer could also be: My father declared that these mountains are too dangerous.)

p. 41. SECOND BLOCK.

1. The criminal snarled at the policeman that he might have to arrest him, but that he can’t prove anything.

2. Mrs Smith moans, “The neighbours are just too noisy since they bought their son a set of drums for Christmas!”

3. The detective smugly claimed that he thought that gang was going to get a big shock.

4. “Why are there so many fouls in the game?” the reporter asked.

5. The team captain replied that there was a lot of bad feeling in the tunnel between the players before the match. 

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B. The answers to the riddles are:  "light" and "rust". 
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C. I apologise for not sending you more puzzles. Something went wrong with the software, and I am in the process of trying to upload again, which is a struggle because it is Apple. 

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D. I also include a section of the comprehension that we should pay a lot of attention to. Basically, the question could be re-phrased as, "Which text do you prefer, and why?"  

Vacation pack:  comprehension.

A: From Pupil Book by Rooke and Law, p.p. 39-41. Basic answers.

P.40, Top Block (2) . 

Your answer could then be, as per the text above:  I prefer report A, because the author gives equal attention to all goals. He also uses adjectives to a minimum, and his language is calm (or, if you want, tempered) in describing England's loss. He also doesn't give his personal opinion, but rather sticks to facts that can be verified (checked to see if they were true). 

As I understand, in the exam, you could get two texts to choose from.  We will practice that in class in the coming week. 

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I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday!  

Warm regards from your teacher

Elma