SELF - STUDY GUIDE

Grade 7
ENGLISH
LEARNERS SELF STUDY GUIDE
Support for National
Examinations
ZIMBABWE
2020 First Edition

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 World Vision International

All rights reserved. Photocopying or any form of reproduction of this book is illegal
under the copyright Act.

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PREFACE
Dear Grade 7 Learner!

We are very glad that you have received a copy of this Self-Study Guide to help you
through this very challenging school year.
The COVID-19 crisis has had a big impact on the entire world and on our lives. Everyone
has had to make big and small adjustments. Everyone is called on to be cautious but
also to be smart, creative and kind. People and institutions like schools and hospitals
are making frantic efforts to stay safe and protect each other and our loved ones. The
government, World Vision (IGATE-T), teachers and administrators are working hard to
ensure that learners continue learning in safe environments at home until the situation
stabilises.
By coming up with a study guide, we hope to bridge the learning gap and ensure that you
pass your Grade 7 Examinations.
We are proud of all the efforts that you have made so far and want to see you progress as
much as you can. We are with you and wish you much success.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
World Vision (IGATE-T) developed these materials in collaboration with the Ministry
of Primary and Secondary Education to help support learners to continue studying and
learning at home or beyond. It is our hope that this self-study guide will help you prepare,
practice and succeed in your Grade 7 Examinations. IGATE-T wishes to acknowledge the
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE), Curriculum Development and
Technical Services (CDTS) department for reviewing and editing the study guide. Special
mention goes to Pheobe Musakana-Education Research Officer and Ishmael Mujaji -
Materials Evaluation Officer for editing and evaluating this study guide.
A lot of time and devotion was put into this document and IGATE-T wishes to extend
its most sincere gratitude to the group of dedicated teachers for devoting their time and
expertise to produce this study guide. Special thanks goes to our cluster resource teachers
for Binga Mr Mtandavari, Mrs. T.k Sibanda (Insiza) ,Mrs. M.Nare(Lupane) Mr. B.Ncube
(Mangwe) ,Mrs.S. Ncube (Mangwe) who worked in tandem with the IGATE-T Whole
schools development project coordinator. Special gratitude goes to IGATE-T project
management, and the whole IGATE-T team in making this project a success.

May God bless you all for your contributions and your heart for learners.

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Table of Contents
Preface......................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................iii
Table of contents.....................................................................................................iv
Develop great learning habits................................................................................vii
Build your study skills.............................................................................................x
Using this study guide...........................................................................................xiv
How to study for the Grade 7 examination............................................................xv
How to avoid examination anxiety .......................................................................xx

UNIT 1. Journaling and diary..............................................................................1

Mini lesson...............................................................................................................1
Nouns.......................................................................................................................4
Pronouns..................................................................................................................5
Verbs........................................................................................................................8
Auxiliary verbs.......................................................................................................10
Penmanship............................................................................................................12
Examination practice.............................................................................................13

UNIT 2. Personal dictionary...............................................................................19

Mini lesson.............................................................................................................19
Homophones..........................................................................................................19
Homonyms.............................................................................................................20
Synonyms...............................................................................................................21
Autonyms/ opposites..............................................................................................22
Similes...................................................................................................................24
Spelling strategies..................................................................................................25
Examination practice.............................................................................................29

UNIT 3. Fiction.....................................................................................................33
Mini lesson.............................................................................................................33
Inference................................................................................................................36
Characters .............................................................................................................36
Adjectives..............................................................................................................39
Adverbs..................................................................................................................39
Punctuation............................................................................................................42
Examination practice.............................................................................................44
Revision practice test 1..........................................................................................46

UNIT 4. Instructions............................................................................................53
Mini lessons...........................................................................................................53
Instructions on the road..........................................................................................54
Medical instructions...............................................................................................55

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Prepositions............................................................................................................57
Quantifiers..............................................................................................................59
Examination practice.............................................................................................62

UNIT 5. Non-fiction and informational texts....................................................66

Mini lesson.............................................................................................................66
Direct and indirect speech......................................................................................66
Skimming and scanning.........................................................................................70
Question tags..........................................................................................................71
Examination practice.............................................................................................75

UNIT 6. Informal or friendly letters..................................................................78

Mini lessons...........................................................................................................78
Conditional clauses................................................................................................78
Conjunctions..........................................................................................................80
Language registers.................................................................................................83
Friendly and informal letters..................................................................................85
Examination practice.............................................................................................88
Revision test 2........................................................................................................91

UNIT 7. Announcements...................................................................................101
Mini lesson...........................................................................................................101
How to understand a announcement....................................................................103
How to make a announcement.............................................................................105
Examination practice...........................................................................................107

UNIT 8. Formal or business letters.................................................................. 110

Mini lesson........................................................................................................... 110
Formal letters....................................................................................................... 110
Intensifiers............................................................................................................ 115
Phonic sounds...................................................................................................... 116
Examination practice........................................................................................... 118

UNIT 9. Application forms................................................................................121

Mini lesson...........................................................................................................121
Completing forms................................................................................................121
Examination practice...........................................................................................126

UNIT 10. Media and website.............................................................................128

Mini lesson...........................................................................................................128
Job advertisement.................................................................................................133
Examination practice...........................................................................................135

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Revision test3......................................................................................................137
Paper1..................................................................................................................137
Paper 2.................................................................................................................142

Revision test 4.....................................................................................................144

Paper 1.................................................................................................................144
Paper 2.................................................................................................................152

Revision test 5.....................................................................................................154

Paper 1.................................................................................................................154
Paper 2.................................................................................................................161

Revision test 6 ....................................................................................................163

Paper 1.................................................................................................................163
Paper 2.................................................................................................................169
Answers for revision test 1 to 6 ..........................................................................171

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 DEVELOP GREAT LEARNING HABITS
STUDY SMARTER ---NOT HARDER!
IF YOU WANT TO DEVELOP GREAT LEARNING HABITS:

1. FIND A COMFORTABLE LEARNING SPOT

a. Find or make a place where you can work comfortably.
b. Ask a parent/guardian to recommend a spot if you have trouble.
c. Make sure it is quiet or free of distractions and has good lighting.
d. Find a hard surface to work on (table and chair is ideal) but you can also work
on a mat and use a sturdy piece of wood, place it on your knees or between two
bricks.
e. Be resourceful!

2. COLLECT WHAT YOU NEED

a. Notebook, paper, pencil, eraser, sharpener, Study Guide!
b. Ask for replacements before they run out.
c. Keep them in your study spot if you can.

3. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE
a. Find time within your day and the routines of your family to be alone and
uninterrupted. The ideal time is the same time everyday.
b. Complete your other chores or duties.

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 c. Work in small sessions of 30 minutes to 1 hour, several times a day if you can.
d. Make yourself a schedule at the beginning of your notebook (a sample is in the
Annex). Change the time blocks, as you need. Schedule the routines of your
family that you must take part in (for example meals, chores, prayers). Then
schedule in the tasks that are required of you (sweeping, washing, tidying and
others).
e. Study one subject per session. Plan your study sessions and the subjects in the
timetable.

4. SET GOALS

a. Start by setting time goals during the first week, for instance committing 2-3
hours of schoolwork a day (this could be broken up into 2 sessions). Increase
the time the following week.
b. Another alternative is to set yourself a page or task number of goals for each
session.

5. GET SUPPORT FROM OTHERS

a. Tell people how important school is for you and your future. Your education
benefits you, the quality of your life now and in the future. You and your family
will reap benefits.
b. Get help where you need it: like sticking to a schedule and meeting your goals!
It is ok, everyone forgets, everyone loses motivation. Self-motivation is a habit
and needs practice, so get help! Success means building self-discipline and
focus. Ask your parent/caregiver/guardian, older sibling, aunt/uncle for help
staying on track by giving yourself reminders.
c. Ask! Older siblings or neighbours, your teacher, a parent or a family friend. If
you are stuck or need help keep asking different people until you are satisfied!
If possible call them on the phone asking for help.
d. Find a study buddy. Do you have a sibling, cousin or neighbour who also
needs to study?

6. BALANCE YOUR TIME

a. Schedule time for play, fun, exercise and relaxation!
b. Spend time with people you love.

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c. Read for 30 minutes to 1 hour each day for pleasure. Find a book, a text of something
that interests you. Write in a notebook or diary. If you don’t have books then write
your own! Write with a friend! Mini books, Baby Books or diary chapter by chapter!
7. Reward yourself when you stick to your plan.

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BUILD YOUR STUDY SKILLS
Problem-Solving Techniques
a. Be sure you understand what you are supposed to do.
b. Re-read all instructions.
c. Say the problem out loud (this helps!).
d. Break it down into steps.
e. Try working the problem backward.

READING SKILLS
Reading takes up more homework time than anything else. Boring, some people might
say. Sure, if we are just moving our eyes back and forth across the page, doing nothing
else. No wonder lots of people fall asleep, even with a good book! But reading doesn’t
have to be tedious or dull.

HOW TO START READING?

Find a topic or story that interests you! To find one easily you need Skimming and
Scanning techniques.

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HOW TO SKIM AND SCAN A SHORT STORY/PASSAGE

If you find something interesting, read a few paragraphs. Is there a library nearby or at your
school? Do you have friends or family that you can borrow, barter or trade reading
materials with? Read newspapers, magazines and books. Anything and Everything!!!
The more you read, the easier it will be for you to understand. The more likely you will
find something that you really enjoy.
You can often use your “fun” reading for schoolwork too. The articles you have been
reading about in the newspapers or other books can give you ideas to connect with when
you are asked to write about things in your school work.

Beat the Boredom: Try active reading!

Talk to your book in your head. Ask it questions! Tell

it what you think. Active reading gives you the edge. It
keeps you alert and helps even not-so-favourite subjects
come alive. Step up to the challenge when it is time to
write an examination or test.

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The key is concentration. This means focusing on what you are doing, getting “inside” the
material you are reading, keeping your eyes on the ball.

a. Active reading will help you focus on learning. Active reading means thinking about
what you are reading before, during and after the act of reading.
i. BEFORE- Ask yourself about what you are reading and why? (for pleasure,
knowledge or to complete a task?) Ask yourself who wrote the text and whom
they were writing for. Scan the cover, Table of Contents, Headlines and Index.

ii. DURING – Stop and pause while reading. Connect to what you were reading in
the previous paragraph. Ask yourself what are the important points to remember.
Ask yourself what you think will come next. Visualise what you have read. Ask
yourself the words you do not know.
Read the paragraph before and after and guess (infer) what the word might mean for
the whole passage to make sense.
iii. AFTER – Summarise the text in your mind and in your own words. Did you get
the information you were looking for? Do you need to re-read the last section?

READING A TEXTBOOK: The Silent Coach

If you have a textbook at home or if you are able to borrow one, here are some tips on how
to read it! What is in a textbook? Take a look. Your book is one of your most important
study aids. So spend a few minutes getting used to the books for all your subjects.

THE SQ3R METHOD

Survey : Quickly skim the assignment

Read headings, captions, and many others.
Question : Ask what you want to learn.
Ask questions teachers might ask.
Read : Stay busy. Take notes
Look up words you do not know.
Recite : Answer the question you asked.
Say the answers out loud.
Review : Look over what you have read.
Relate class notes to your reading

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Title Page: What is this book about?
Introduction: This is a note to readers. Skim this section to find out what the editors say
about using this book.
Table of contents: How is the book organised? What is in it?
Index: The quickest way to find the page where your book discusses a specific event,
person, place, idea or organization.
Glossary or vocabulary: This is where to look for the definition of unfamiliar words
used in the book. If you do not find it, go to a dictionary.
Appendixes. Maps, charts and lists: See what is there. These special tools at the back of
your book can be a big help as you study.

Everything You Read Makes You a

Better Reader and a Better Student!

THINK LOGICALLY AND COMPLETE

• Do not sabotage yourself by being careless or sloppy!

• Take care and take time.
• Write clearly. A neatly written answer usually makes it easier for the marker/grader
to go through your work.
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USING THIS STUDY GUIDE
a. Skim and scan the whole Study Guide as described above.
b. Set yourself goals as described above.
c. Skim the assignment you have planned to complete before you tackle them to get an
idea of length and determine the amount of time it will take. You’ll get a general idea
from skimming, too.
d. Work through the exercises.
e. Make note of the subjects or topics that you have difficulty with and go back to them
regularly. Give these areas special attention for review before your examination.
Ask someone to re-explain the concepts and show you how to do it (Even if you feel
that you know how).
f. Ask classmates how they are doing, discuss problems, share what you know and ask
them for help.

We want you to succeed!

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HOW-TO STUDY FOR THE GRADE SEVEN
EXAMINATIONS
BEFORE THE EXAMINATION
• Begin Early
Start at least 2 weeks before your final examination, to better prepare.

• Identify areas that are difficult to understand

Give more time to challenging areas and seek help.

• Study in Segments
Several one-hour reviews are much more effective than one marathon session.

• Be Tricky
Find ways to remember things that are not sticking in your mind. Come up with
abbreviation or formulas to tackle difficult areas:
-  Make up a sentence (or word) with the same initial letters as the list you need to
memorise. For example, “Roy G Biv” = red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo,
violet.)
-  Make ‘flash cards’ with the definition, formula, features or steps that you are
trying to remember.

• Be Active
Activate different parts of your brain by drawing, saying things out loud, writing
them out, moving while thinking. Outline, diagram, re-word, and condense main
ideas, recite lists aloud. The more different ways you see and use the information, the
better you’ll remember it.

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• Index It
If there is something you just cannot get, write it down on an index card. Make
yourself ‘flash cards’ from paper, construction paper or cardboard of a hand size.
Carry the card with you everywhere and go over it every chance you get – between
classes, on the bus, just before bed.

• Make Up Your Test

Do and re-do practice examination questions from past exams. There are some in
this guide and there are some online.
• Do It All
Go through all materials, especially the concepts you struggle with the most, at least
once the night before and skim your notes just before the test.

• Sleep On It
Do not study all night. You will do much better after a good night’s sleep. Sleeping
helps your brain sort, organize and store information so that you can remember it
better!

DURING THE EXAMINATION

• Read and listen to all the directions first!

Listen to the Invigilator. Read all parts of the test carefully before you start. If you
have any questions, ask them before you begin working.

• Respect the time allocated for each question or section

These are usually provided. If not, the scoring system will tell you how much each
question is worth. More points mean more time to place on it.
If you can get through some questions fast. Go back and review the ones you skipped
or had doubts.

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• Read the question again all the way through before starting.
While you complete the test look to see if the test gives away some answers. Most
long objective tests will. Re-read the question again while answering.

• Answer ALL the questions to which you definitely know the answers first.

• Do not leave any questions blank!

• Leave the more difficult questions until after you have gained all the points you can
from the areas of your strongest knowledge.

• Re-read the directions after you have finished the test to make sure you have done
what was asked. Make sure you have given your name, class, candidate number, paper
number, subject and other required information.

• Look over your answers to make sure you have not made silly mistakes, which could
pull your score down.

• DO NOT change any answers unless you are absolutely certain the change is correct.

Answer ALL the QUESTIONS! YOU to SUCCEED!

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AFTER THE EX AMINATION
• Congratulate yourself for making it through.
• Ask yourself what went well, what did not go so well. What would you do
differently next time?
• Afterwards: Make a Plan to do better.

HOW TO ANSWER MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

• Read the whole question twice.
- Think as you read; multiple-choice questions can be tricky.
- Answers may appear all correct but choose the most appropriate answer.
• Answer the question or solve the problem yourself first before looking at the
options.
-  Pretend that you are not provided with answers. Some answers will be
tricky answers.
• Answer all the questions you are sure of first. These are your strong response
answers.
• Eliminate the obviously incorrect answer, choose the one which is correct.
- Your first choice will usually be the best, if you are in doubt. Trust it.
-  Never change an answer on multiple choice unless you are positive your
first answer was wrong.
• Do not leave any question unanswered.
• Beware of words like ‘often,’ ‘sometimes,’ and ‘always.’ Select the most
appropriate. Even wrong answers may be partially true.
• Do not take too much time on multiple choice questions. The longer you
ponder, the more possibilities you will think of and the more confused you will
get. Usually, only two of the four or five choices are good possibilities.
• Answer ALL the QUESTIONS! -- Even if you have no clue.

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HOW TO ANSWER COMPLETION AND SHORT ANSWER
QUESTIONS
• Fill in all blanks. You will be penalised for wrong answers (this means you will
be deducted points instead of just getting a zero).
• Fill in all blanks logically, even if you are not sure. Frequently, a number of
answers may be correct and instinctively you may choose one of them. Try to be
as specific as possible. When in doubt, ask for clarification.
• Budget your time. Do the easiest questions first.
• Do not dwell on any particular question. You may come up with the answer to
one question as you work on another different question.
• Look for clues in the question. Words such as ‘define’ or ‘describe’ can point
you in the right direction.
• Always use the full time — never leave early.

HOW TO ANSWER COMPOSITION OR ESSAY QUESTIONS

• Read all the questions first.
• Underline key words, such as ‘summarise,’ ‘evaluate,’ and ‘compare.’ Then, jot
down initial thoughts.
• Follow directions and answer the question being asked.
• Begin with the easiest question to build confidence.
• Some prefer to begin essay answers with a written outline. This is a good
practice, if you are sure your answer is the correct one. Remember, the outline
is “bare bones” - if your answer is wrong, your teacher will know it. An outline
will help you to be organised, clear and precise.
• If you don’t have confidence in your answer, consider a mental outline, or one
written on scratch paper. Remember, it is always better to write MORE, rather
than less on an essay response — the teacher will look for detail.
• Do not ever leave an essay question blank! It is the surest way to get a zero! Put
something down, make it sound as plausible as you can and you will get SOME
points for trying. Never just quit.
• Proof read at the end. Correct any errors. Make changes as neatly as possible.
• Remember, these are all the ways to make the structure of the test work for you.
They are little tricks that may help you out, but they are no substitute for good,
solid preparation!

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HOW TO AVOID EXAMINATION ANXIETY
• What is examination anxiety?

It is worry or fear caused by having to take examinations. It may include mental
distraction, physical symptoms, and mental blocks. Building your examinations-
taking skills can help reduce examinations anxiety so you can feel better and do
better.

• Who is affected?
Every learner who takes a examination feels some anxiety. But for some
learners,
The feeling is so intense that it affects their performance — with serious results.
Some students can rise to the challenge, others view tests as threats. Students
who have failed in the past often fear they will fail again. An examination
anxious student may do poorly on an examination even if he or she knows the
material better than a classmate who is able to control the anxiety.

• You can learn to control your anxiety!

• Think positively.
- Say calming, encouraging things to yourself when any emotional,
frightening thought comes to mind.
- For instance, replace, “I could never study enough for this test,” with, “I
have a lot to study, but if I stick to my schedule and concentrate, I can do
it.”

• Do not let your imagination go overboard! Anxiety is sure to follow.

• Visualise yourself remaining calm and in control, seated at a desk and writing

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 the exam with all that you studied coming back to you.
• Cast yourself in the role of a winner, not a loser!
• Use your imagination in a positive way!
• Have a healthy diet, exercise regularly and get a good night’s rest!! These can
help you sleep better and handle pressure better.
• Use relaxation techniques: breathing slowly and deeply. Taking a quiet moment
to quiet a nervous mind and clear the negative thoughts from your head.
- If your mind is blocked during an examination.
• Close your eyes, take a long, deep breath and let it out slowly.
• Concentrate on your breathing — feel and hear yourself breathing.
• Do not allow yourself to worry about the time, test or tension.

YOU CAN DO IT!!! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!

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Using the above template, make your own personal study timetable.

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 Unit 1. Journaling and diary

Vocabulary Box
Bevy – A group of quail
Entrance – an opening used for entering or finding one’s way into a certain place or
building.
Exit – it is the way out.
Gaggle – a group of geese.
Leaps – a group of leopards.
Pride – a group of lions.
Tour – a journey through a particular place of interest.

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson

Have you ever had an adventure? Have you ever told someone else about your adventure?
How did you tell it? How did you start? How did you end? We usually tell stories in an
order of events, or in the order that the story occurred.
When we tell a story in chronological order, we start with what happened first. Below are
some key words to use when telling a story in chronological order:
First, next, second, then, after, following that, lastly, finally
Read the following story, paying attention to the order of the events in the story.

My Adventure on Shamba Mountain

I will never forget Friday the thirteenth of April 2019, it was the day that I had the most
terrifying experience of my life.
My friend Jacob and I decided to set for the most feared Shamba mountain in Filabusi.
There are many myths about this mountain, but one thing for sure is we had seen it on
numerous occasions burning up early in the morning just before sunrise yet it remains

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so green in the afternoon. This puzzled us
When we tell a story, we want to
giving us the urge to find out the cause of
include the following information:
such an experience.
Going up the mountain was not a hustle When did the story take place?
at all. We did not even take an hour to get
Where did the story take place?
up the mountain. Surprisingly when we
got up the most feared mountain there was Who is in the story?
nothing surprising or odd up there. It was What happened in the story?
as if we were on any other mountain that What did the characters see?
we had been to when herding our cattle. We What did the characters do?
were so disappointed and decided to return
How did the characters feel about it?
to the paddock.
How did it end?

I remember vividly that we left the mountain top just before noon. Funny enough our way
down was way different from our way up. We heard funny animal sounds that frightened
us as some sounded so close to us. We saw funny shadows that we failed to describe to
anyone even now. We ran for our dear lives using the same track we had used going up,
however we never reached the bottom of the mountain.
In no time, dark clouds started to form and it rained cats and dogs. We failed to walk as
we could not see our way down the mountain. We decided to squat next to this big tree
as we both shivered like reeds in the Zambezi River. We do not know how but we both
fell asleep only to be woken up the next day by a search team from our village who had
come to rescue us.
This was the most terrifying adventure of my life.

An adventure is a detailed account of events that took place when one

went on a visit, an exploration, or a journey.

Events of an adventure have to be in chronological order from the beginning to the end.
This will assist us when writing compositions of any kind as events have to be in order.
Adventures assist us to be creative in composition writing.

1. Have you ever had an adventure before?

2. Have you ever recorded any of your adventures, incidences or experiences?
3. Why is it important to record such events in a chronological (order of occurrence) for
future use or reference?

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 An Adventure
Characteristics of an Essay or Write up

Every write up needs to have a title

Title for example. ‘An Adventure to …’
This gives the reader an idea of what the story will be about.

This is the most important part of any write up, it should always
capture the attention of the reader and leave the reader with questions
such as:
Introduction
How? when? where? who? why?
For events to be in chronological order it is best to express your
feelings in the introduction. This also assists to capture the interest
of the reader.

The body of your write up must include details of events from the
beginning to the end in their order of occurrence. The body answers
questions created in the introduction.
Events have to be in the past tense. They should never be in the
Body present tense. Correct use of grammar is important as one should
include similes, proverbs, comparatives and all language structures
for marks. Correct paragraphing and use of correct punctuation is
important.

The conclusion usually has feelings or opinions of the events in the

Conclusion body. It ends the story or adventure It is usually short.

Exercise 1.1
1. What is the title of the story?
2. Can you identify the body and conclusion?
3. Write your own adventures for an example;
My Adventure on………………. ( include the introduction, body and conclusion)

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Nouns

1. Tendo went to buy some flour

A noun is a word which refers to a
from the shop.
person, place or thing. It is a naming
2. My sister lives in South Africa. word

1. Tendo is a noun.
2. On number 2, … and ….. are also nouns.

Exercise 1.2

Underline all of the nouns in the paragraph below:

In June, Simon asked his mother if she could buy him a dog. Simon had always wanted
a dog named Charlie and now that he was fourteen years old, he thought that he was old
enough to have his own pet. Simon’s mother told him that if he babysat his little brother
Jack the whole summer and showed responsibility; then she would let him get a dog when
the next school year started. Everyday since then, Simon woke up early every morning and
went on his paper route. He then came home and babysat Jack until his mother returned
home from work in the evening. After the summer ended, Simon’s mother was impressed
with his dedication and decided to get him a dog. Simon wanted to adopt a dog from the
shelter, so they went together to look for a good dog. After looking at a few dogs, Simon
decided to adopt a small Jack Russell Terrier. Simon finally fulfilled his wish of having a
dog named Charlie.

Common nouns are general people, places,

or things. Common nouns always begin father, man, pen,
Common Nouns
with a lowercase letter, unless it is the first surgery, teacher, book
word of the sentence.

Proper nouns are specific people, places, David, Limpopo,

Proper Nouns or things. Proper nouns always begin with Lupane, Zimbabwe,
a capital letter. Africa

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Exercise 1.3

Circle C (Common) or P (Proper) depending on whether the underlined noun is a common

or proper noun.
1. Jack borrowed his bike. C P
2. He lives in the forest. C P
3. He adopted a cat from the shelter. C P
4. Lily was leaning over the counter. C P
5. He wants to go to Paris. C P
6. The jar crashed on to the ground. C P
7. Ted bought an apple. C P
8. He lives near the lake. C P
9. She put her things in a basket. C P
10. Her birthday is in February. C P

Pronouns

Pronouns can be used to avoid repeating A pronoun is a word used in place

the same noun over and over again. of a noun
They can function by themselves as a
noun.

For example:
1. She was very friendly.
2. The book is his.
3. They are not around today.

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Below are three types of pronouns.

Type Description Singular Plural

I, me
we, us
Personal Used to represent you
you
pronouns people or things
he/him, she/her,
they, them
it

These pronouns mine ours

Possessive express
yours yours
pronouns possession of
something his/hers, its theirs

Refers to people
who/whom/
whose Refers to animals, plants or
Relative Starts an
things
pronouns adjective clause what/which
Refers to people, animals,
that
plants or things.

Exercise 1.4
Replace the words in bold with the correct personal pronouns.
1. Mark is very clever.
2. My aunt is a hairdresser.
3. I am talking to my friends.
4. Fiona wants a few dresses.
5. My sister and I often fight.
6. Pete’s friend is very nice.
7. Sue threw the ball to Adam.
8. The teacher is looking at Mike and me.
9. The Greens are moving.
10. The elephant splashed water onto Jake and Bill.

6
Below are examples of the three different kinds of pronouns shared above:

Personal pronouns: Possessive pronouns: Relative pronouns:

I am going to the shops. Our school is painted in She gave me a book which I
white. had not read.
This is his car. Whose dog is barking very
He saw them playing loudly?
outside.
That is the tree that fell due to
You are very quiet today. Is this book yours or not? lightning.

Exercise 1.5
Rephrase these sentences using possessive pronouns.
Example:
a) These are my boots these boots are mine.

1. This is her ballpoint. ..................................................................................

2. Those are our books. ..................................................................................
3. That is their car. ..................................................................................
4. These are your shoes. ..................................................................................
5. This is his school bag. ..................................................................................
6. That is our kite. ..................................................................................
7. That is my dog. ..................................................................................

7
Verbs

A verb is the most important word in a

sentence. Without it, we are not able to
make a meaningful sentence.
A verb is an action or a doing word.
For instance:
You will eat this food.
Eat this food.
Eat food.

Eat is the verb which makes the sentence meaningful. Without the verb eat, the sentence
will lose the meaning.

There are four types of tenses:

1.
Type Description Singular Plural

I read We read
Refers to action
Present tense You read You all read
happening now.
He/she reads They read

Exercise 1.6
Fill the following questions using the correct present tense.

1. I ……. to school everyday. (go/went)

2. We…… games every winter. (played/play)
3. Tanya …….. text books to school daily. (brings/brought)
4. Bothwell …… well in Mathematics. (performs/performed)
5. The head ……. all sitting candidates to work very hard every year. (encouraged/
encourages)
6. They….. soccer every Thursday. (watch/ watches)

8
2.
Type Description Singular Plural

I helped We helped
Refers to action
Past tense that has already You helped You all helped
happened.
He/she helped They helped

Exercise 1.7

Fill in the following sentences using the correct past tense

1. Mr Ncube…….his bag and went home. ( took/ take)

2. The kite……… over the house. (fly/flew)
3. Yesterday I……my young brother. (fight/fought)
4. I ……my new bicycle along the highway. (ride/rode)
5. Last year she….her final year examination at Grade 7 level. ( write/wrote.)

3.
Type Description Singular Plural

I will sleep We will sleep

Refers to what is yet
Future tense You will sleep You will all sleep.
to happen.
He / she will sleep. They will sleep

Exercise 1.8
Fill in the following questions by choosing the correct future tense.
1. Chido will...….her home work in the evening. (do/does)
2. Schools will……. this year. (opened/open)
3. Who will ……. my class next week? (teach/taught)
4. I wonder who will…… her because of her bad behaviour. (marry/married)
5. John will....(come/came)(yesterday/tomorrow)

9
 I would help We would help
Refers to what may You would help You all would help
4. Conditional
happen if something
tense He / she would help They would help
else happens

Exercise 1.9
Complete the following conditional sentences.
1. I ….. come if I get the bus fare.(will/would)
2. He…. pass if he studies hard. (will/would)
3. She …. sleep if it is quiet. (will/would)
4. They ….marry if the families agree.(shall/should)
5. We ….. overcome if we work as a team. (can/would)

Auxiliary Verbs

An auxiliary verb accompanies the

main verb in a sentence in order to
change the tense.

For example: An auxiliary verb is a helping verb

I was helped by Pam.

Mother is helping me with
homework.
I can help you.
I will help you.

Be, do, and have can be conjugated to fit the sentence. When these verbs are used as
auxiliary verbs, they will become part of a verb phrase.

10
 be do have

am, is, are, was, does, do, did has, have, had,
were, being, been having

Verb phrases:
1. The car has gone.
2. When we arrived at the bus stop, the bus had just gone.
3. She is having health problems.

Exercise 1.10
Auxiliary verbs

Use the above auxiliary verbs to construct 5 sentences of your own.

Find different words from the table below, these can be horizontal, vertical, across but
not backwards. These words refer to professions only.

ELECTRICIAN
AUTHOR
OPTICIAN
MAILMAN
DENTIST
ACTOR
ENGINEER
PORTER
PLUMBER
PILOT
SURGEON
TEACHER
TAILOR
BAKER
NURSE
FLORIST
SAILOR

11
 REVIEW PRACTICE: Penmanship

Exercise 1.11
Penmanship Practice

Copy the passage below using proper penmanship.

12
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Read the following passage, and then answer the questions.

An Adventure at Hwange National Park

It became a dream come true when mum told us to prepare for a visit to the Hwange
National Park, as I had always desired to go to a game park.

It was on the first of June 2018 when I woke up to a cheerful family who were excited
about visiting the Hwange National Park. In no time at all, everyone was ready for the
trip. We left home just after sunrise and by eight o’clock sharp we were already at the
entrance of the park where we paid our entrance fee. We were given a tour guide and
advised never to leave the car as there were dangerous animals around the game park.
We saw giraffes as tall as they are. As we moved around, we saw a pack of wolves and a
pride of lions with their cubs. On a hilltop were leaps of leopards enjoying the sunshine.
There was also homemade shelter for different animals. Housed in these were a bevy of
quails, a gaggle of geese, nest of rabbits and different kind of snakes. We were all excited
by troops of monkeys that swayed from one tree to another. Around the dam, elephants

13
were drinking water using their trunks, birds and a few zebras drinking from the far
corner. These zebras were as beautiful as the rainbow with their black and white stripes.
As we set back to the exit there were different birds ranging from doves, woodpeckers,
owls, guinea fowls and eagles. These were singing beautifully creating a melodious
rhythm that lasts long in one’s mind. The tour guide dropped us off at the exit gate. We
left the park at three o’clock in the afternoon as we returned home.
I will never forget the wonderful experience we had as a family at the Hwange National
Park on that day.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer based on the story above.

1. The family visited the game park in the month of -------
A. July
B. January
C. June
D. April

2. A word used in the passage that means the same as zoo is ----.
A. game park
B. game
C. park
D. Hwange

3. What danger would befall the family if they left the car?
A. Animals fear cars
B. The zoo was too big
C. They could not walk
D. They would be attacked by dangerous animals

4. The writer was ----- about their visit.

A. terrified
B. pleased
C. frightened
D. angered

14
5. If you were the author, what could you have taken to the zoo, which would help you
have lasting memories of the trip?
A. video recorder
B. pictures
C. video
D. animals

Comprehension
Answer the questions below based on the story above. Give your answers in full using
correct grammar and punctuation.
6. What is the name of a group of monkeys?
7. What is the meaning of the word ‘melodious’?
8. About how long did it take them to get to the park?
9. Given the author’s impression of the game park, where else do you think he or she
may want to visit?
10. If you were on this visit with the author, would you have felt the same as the author?
Why or why not?

Multiple choice
Choose the correct answer
1. The teacher shouted at ------------ for making noise.
A. him
B. which
C. whom
D. that

2. This is the dog----------- chased us.

A. that
B. whose
C. which
D. who

3. They cleaned the classroom. The classroom was cleaned by-----------.

A. them
B. us
C. we
D. they

15
4. ---- of these bags belongs to you?
A. Which
B. What
C. Whose
D. Who

5. At home ---- live as a family.

A. we
B. you
C. us
D. he

6. I ---- all the cereals yesterday.

A. ate
B. eaten
C. eat
D. eating

7. The fire is ---- brightly.

A. burning
B. burnt
C. burn
D. burned

8. Last week we ---- swimming in the big lake.

A. went
B. go
C. going
D. gone

9 We will ---- at the party.

A. enjoy
B. enjoys
C. enjoyed
D. enjoying

16
10. The children are ---- outside.
A. playing
B. play
C. plays
D. played

11. The ----- was barking.

A. donkey
B. dog
C. cat
D. elephant

12. Mother bought ------ at the butchery.

A. bread
B. clothes
C. books
D. meat

13. Mr Shumba is a ------.

A. man
B. boy
C. woman
D. girl

14. A bird lives in a ----- .

A. nest
B. kennel
C. granary
D. burrow

15. The highest mountain in Africa is mount ------ .

A. Kilimanjaro
B. Shamba
C. Inyanga
D. Vumba

17
Guided Composition
Write a composition describing a famous person that you know. Your composition should
be between 80-120 words. You can use some or all of the following points. You can add
other points that you wish.
• Name of the person.
• Age of the person.
• Where he/she lives.
• Description of the person.
• What is the person famous for?

18
 Unit 2. Personal dictionary

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
In this unit, we will explore different parts of speech that enhance our language.
Homophones, homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, and similes are all parts of speech.
Similes can be used to make a comparison clearer, while homophones, homonyms,
synonyms, and antonyms are all words that describe the relationship that words have
with each other.

Homophones

For example: aunt ant

hear here
Homophones are words that have sent scent
different spellings and meanings, heir air
but share the same sound. flour flower

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Homophones table
accede exceed bight bite hey hay
brayed braid flower flour lain lane
berth birth due dew leak leek
been bin cruise crews nay neigh
blue blew pear pair new knew
born borne claws clause none nun
coarse course crawl kraal allowed aloud
bury berry feint faint nose knows
cent scent four fore main mane
sail Sale fowl foul maul mall
cession session find fined pane pain
coo coup hair hare piece peace
kernel colonel hart heart peel peal
cue queue incite insight plum plumb

Exercise 2.1

Homophones
1. My father’s sister is my aunt/ ant.
2. We are hear/here.
3. The sent/scent from the kitchen is sweet.

Homonyms

left Direction
left Verb meaning ‘to go’
Homonyms are words that have the bark The sound a dog makes
same spelling and usually sound bark The outside of a tree
alike, but different meanings and bear An animal
origins. bear To carry

20
Homonym Table
tyre car wheel seat a chair
tire get exhausted seat representation in parliament
wind moving air robot traffic lights
a machine that can do work by
wind a curve or bend in something robot
itself.
well a source of water pick choose
well being fine pick a digging tool
can asking permission rose a flower

can Metal container rose past tense verb meaning go up

Exercise 2.2

Homonyms
Write five sets of homonyms and use them in sentences to show their differences.

Synonyms

answer solution

mean unfriendly
Synonyms are different words that gigantic huge
have similar meanings. They sound
different and are spelled differently, old ancient
but their meanings are the same.
rich wealthy

anxious worried

21
Synonym Table
results outcomes happy glad delighted
task job surprise amaze astonish
luck fortunate slaughter Kill slay
angry hurt notice See realise
tired exhausted abhor hate loathe
elaborate explain cry sob weep lament
fatal deadly big gigantic enormous
small tiny little microscopic miniature

Antonyms/Opposite
guilty innocent
congested spacious
Antonyms are words that are boastful meek
opposite in meaning. urban rural
frugal extravagant
expensive cheap

Antonym Table
near far, distant Weep laugh
kind cruel collect disperse
empty full youth age
ever never modern ancient
bless curse former latter
adult child least greatest
north south slender stout
east west robust feeble/delicate
high low good bad
upper lower big small
higher lower smart/clever Foolish/stupid
better worse here there
entrance exit first last
active passive early late
noise silence fat thin/lean

22
 light dark unite separate
inner outer light heavy
lend borrow day night
go come many few
hard soft all none
old new often seldom
junior senior fresh stale
live die straight crooked
long short weak strong
enjoy dislike deep shallow
gay grave open shut/closed
rejoice mourn, grieve black white
pleasant disagreeable praise blame
success failure this that
harmony discord these those
blessing curse morning evening
generous mean, selfish summer winter
valour cowardice young old
bravery cowardice giant dwarf
advance retreat, retire wild tame
arrive depart profit, gain loss
difficult easy hot cold
rich poor happy sad
light dark wet dry
pretty ugly Tall short

Exercise 2.3

Look for antonyms of the words in the table below ;

Word Antonym
sad
girl
enemy
rarely
tall

23
Similes
A simile is a part of speech used to compare two things. A simile contains the words ‘like’
or ‘as’ when making comparisons e.g. He is as hungry as a lion.

A good simile goes with good writing. It is not always easy as ABC to come up with
a strong simile, but it is usually worth the effort.

The phrase “as easy as A B C” is an example of a simile. Similes makes our writing more
interesting. A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare one thing with a different
one in order to create a vivid picture to the reader.

Below are examples of some common similes:

The girl’s beauty is being compared to the beauty of

She is as beautiful as sunset.
a sunset.
Bees are always flying around, busy pollinating
The boy is as busy as bee. flowers and making honey. This is saying that the boy
is very busy.

Lions are known for their bravery. The boy’s bravery

He is as brave as a lion.
is being compared to the bravery of a lion.

Similes
As cute as a kitten As cool as a cucumber
As happy as a clam As hard as nails
As light as a feather As innocent as a lamb
As blind as a bat As tall as a giraffe
As bold as brass As tough as nails
As shiny as a new pin As white as a ghost
As cold as ice As sweet as sugar
As common as dirt As black as coal
As light as feather As desolate as a tomb
As audacious as the sun As dirty as a hog
As ancient as the stars/sun As dizzy as a goose

24
Exercise 2.4

Making Similes

Try making some similes using the adjectives below. Remember to use the words “like”
or “as”. Work individually first, and then share the similes that you have made with each
other.

red hot sad strong young

silly curly slippery hard crazy

Spelling Strategies
Spelling words correctly is important in order to get our message across, especially when
we are working with words that sound the same

Below are some strategies you can use to help spell words correctly:
• Sound out the word
- Words are made up of letters and these letters represent phonic sounds.
Some sounds can be shown by single letters (h-a-d ), while other sounds
are shown as a group of letters, (wh-ere)
- We can identify sounds as single units or you can blend or chunk them i.e (
blends or syllables and identify vowel sounds)
- Use your dictionary to identify sounds and syllables if you are not sure.

Exercise 2.5

Double Vowel Sounds

• “oo” and “ue” These vowel combinations result in long sounds. Complete the words
by adding either “oo” or “ue”. 1
1. sp _ _ n gl _ _ 2. t _ _ th 3. f _ _ l 4. iss _ _
2. bl _ _ m sn _ _ ze 6.p _ _ l 7.m _ _ n 8. bl _ _

25
• How the word looks.
a) This helps you to identify incorrect spelling.
b) This can also help in recognizing possible letter sequences and developing
visual memory, for example the word ‘que-ue’, and ‘ a-cc-o-mm-o-d-a-tion’.

• Consider the origin of the word.

c) English has borrowed words or parts of words from other languages and this can
explain how words are spelt.

• How has the word been built?

d) Look for prefixes like unwise, unkind, impolite, improper and others
e) Suffixes for example like looking, cooking.
f) Plurals for example like boys, oxen, cattle and many others

Read the comprehension passage and answer the questions.

Providencia Khandlela is a girl who resides in Bulawayo with her father and mother. She
was also named Thandeka by her mother. Her younger brother is Handel. Thandeka’s
friend is Minenhle, a short cute girl who is in Grade One. They usually like to play hide
and seek together. They are always in a jovial mood. You rarely notice them fighting.

Exercise 2.6
Find synonyms for these words from the passage:

Word Synonym

lives

normally

fond of

find

jovial

see

26
Exercise 2.7

Synonyms
Complete the sentences by choosing the correct words to match the underlined synonyms.
1. If the answer is false, it is ____________. [correct, untrue]
2. You can buy items at a shop or ________. [school, store]
3. Pack your things in a sack or a _________. [bag, car]
4. When you reply to someone, you ____________ them. [hurt, answer]
5. To be loyal means to be ____________. [scary, faithful]
6. At a birthday, you can bring a present or ____________. [test, gift]
7. If you are under the bed, you are ____________ it. [below, on]
8. A clown is funny and ____________. [mad, silly]
9. You can put sand in a bucket or ____________.[pail, book]
10. When you want to leave, you ____________ the building. [jump, exit]

27
Exercise 2.8

Spelling Puzzle

All of the words below have been broken apart. Try to piece them back together and write
them down.
For example pro+duct= product forgav+e=forgave

1. 5. 9.

2. 6. 10.

3. 7. 11.

4. 8. 12.

28
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Fill in the blank. Choose the correct word to fill the space below.
1. We were not __________ to use our cellphones inside the bank. (allowed / aloud)
2. She is still __________ her two-year-old son who died in an accident last month.
(morning / mourning)
3. We went to the temple __________ to see the monk. (site / sight)
4. It was __________ an easy task. (quite / quiet)
5. At the zoo we saw a male lion with a beautiful __________ . (mane/main)

Multiple choice
Find the opposite/antonym of the underlined word.
1. The woman was absent at the Annual General Meeting.
A. away
B. present
C. outside
D. in

2. Moses was such a proud man.

A. dear
B. bold
C. humble
D. jealous

2. The man was looking feeble.

A. weak
B. worn out
C. dizzy
D. robust

3. He considered him her best friend.

A. pal
B. colleague
C. adversary
D. classmate

29
4. Her grandmother is lazy.
A. jealous
B. hardworking
C. stingy
D. tired

Synonyms. Find synonyms to these words and write them in the table below.

Word Synonym
abandon
abundant
adore
ally
ascent
anxiety
blessing

Similes. Write the simile that is in each sentence and underline the two things being
compared.
1. The marker was as dry as a desert.
Simile: ____________________________________________________________
2. The boy smiled like a clown.
Simile: ____________________________________________________________
3. The river ran as wild as a pack of horses.
Simile:___________________________________________________________
4. The girl’s ice cream was as cold as an ice cube.
Simile: ___________________________________________________________

Write the meaning of each simile and underline the two things being compared.
1. The drink was as cold as a ice.
_______________________________________________________________
2. The orange was as sweet as honey.
_______________________________________________________________
3. Henry’s book was heavy like a rock.
_______________________________________________________________
4. The candle shown as bright as a flood lamp.
_______________________________________________________________
30
Guided Composition
Use the pictures below to help you to tell a story. The sentences in the first two paragraphs
are mixed up(jumbled) Re-arrange them and complete the last paragraph and give the
topic to the story. Then complete the last paragraph on your own.

First picture second picture

First paragraph Second paragraph

Suddenly a boy ran across the road. The Others were to help the second driver out
second car braked hard. The second car of his car. Some ran to the car by the shop
also lost control. One Saturday morning to get the driver out. People that had seen
I saw terrible accident. Two cars were the accident began to help. Someone in
approaching the crossroad. The first car the shop telephoned the police and the
skidded and crashed into a shop. When it hospital. A policeman came at once in a
tried to avoid him. It skidded hit a tree. Land-rover and began asking questions

31
Third picture: Finally the ambulance arrived……..

32
 Unit 3. Fiction

Vocabulary Box
Adjectives - are words that explain or describe a noun
Adverb- are words that explain a verb or adjective.
Character analysis – a thorough review of a person or animal and the traits that
define him, her, or it
Character- a being involved in the action of the story
Fiction - writing that uses imaginary events and people
Folk tales – usually traditional stories that are told again and again often for
generations
Inference – an unknown truth drawn from information given
Flat characters – characters that do not have much detail
Novel - a long narrative work which is published as one unit/ single book
Personality –something said or written which refers to the person or conduct
Plot - the course or events of a story
Round characters – characters that we have a lot of information about
Setting- the time, place and circumstances in which a story is taking place
Short story - stories that are written down and have fully developed theme but are
short and less elaborate
Theme – the underlying message of a story

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
Types of Fictional Texts
Fictional texts are found everywhere, and are common in every culture. They include folk
tales, short stories, and novels. You have most likely become very familiar with some

33
fictional texts without even knowing it! Has your grandmother, grandfather, mother, or
father ever told you a story that has been passed down for generations? This is a folk tale.
A folk tale is a story that often has a moral, lesson, or explanation in it.

They are often passed on by word of mouth through oral tradition.

For example, a common folk tale is “The Tortoise and the Vulture.”
The folktale of the Tortoise who flew:
The tortoise always thought about how he would fly one day. He watched the birds such
as vultures, storks and doves. He envied them with all his heart. “If they can fly why I
can’t?” he would cry.
During the next few days, Tortoise wondered and looked for some kind of wisdom that
would help him learn to fly. One morning he thought of a plan to use his friend the vulture
to carry him as a big bundle raped tobacco leaves.
He wrapped himself neatly and was tied up tightly with twine. Mrs Tortoise handed over
the big parcel to the vulture. The vulture didn’t know the contents of the parcel. As the
Vulture flew the Tortoise smiled because he was able to fly. As the Vulture flew the Tortoise
began to fell more miserable. “Hey!” He called at last, “lets land, can’t we please.” Before
he could finish his plea the Vulture was startled he opened his mouth and the bundle fell
towards the ground. The poor Tortoise cried and its shell cracked in a thousand pieces.
His wife laughed at him. “I told you never to sell using someone else’s star and never to
fly using someone’s wings.
Ever since that day, all tortoises have a pattern of cracks on their shells.

Exercise 3.1
1. Who are the main characters of the folktale?
2. Who was the cleverest in the story?
3. Where is the story taking place?
4. What is the moral of the folk tale?

34
Another form of fiction is the short story. These are written down and have a fully
developed theme. They are not very long, hence the name categorisation of ‘short story.’
Finally, a novel is a story that is told in narrative form and that is book length. It is a long
narrative work. It is published as one unit/ single book.

Inferring Meaning
Inferring means how we can make meaning from a text when it is not clearly written. We
need to use clues from the text, as well as our own knowledge and experience in order
to infer something that is not directly said. When we read works of fiction, authors often
rely on the reader’s ability to infer meaning from the text, rather than writing out each
and every detail. This is a literary technique that encourages the reader to use his or her
imagination, creativity, and critical thinking skills.
Let’s use the following scenario and see what we can infer:
A little boy’s bike has been stolen but there is a witness. The statements below are from
the witness. What can we infer from what was said?

Statements from the witness to

What we can infer
the crime
What time of day did the crime happen? Was it
“Most people in this street had morning, afternoon, or nighttime? Think about what
already gone to bed so there was said, “most people had already gone to bed”.
was nobody around.” What time of day does this usually happen at? We
can infer that it was nighttime because we know that
this is when people go to bed, even though this was
not said in the text.
“All of a sudden, I saw a Was the criminal most likely a man or a woman? We
tall, thin person with a beard know the thief has a beard, so this is most likely a
coming around the corner.” man.
“I thought it was strange How many wheels would the bicycle have it you
because the person grabbed the found it now? We know that a bicycle has two wheels,
little boy’s bike and removed and there are also two training wheels placed on the
the training wheels.” bicycle for support. If these two training wheels were
removed, the bicycle would have two wheels.

“The person picked the bicycle If the criminal hid the bicycle in a building, what
up and ran away but I think type of building might that be? What kind of building
they took it to the cemetery.” would we usually see in a cemetery? We would
probably find a church.

35
As you can see, what we inferred from the text was not written down. We used the clues
from the text and what we knew already in order to infer other information that was
helpful to us as the reader.

Exercise 3.2

Inference
Read the passage below and answer the questions using inference.
It was a hot, sunny day and Edward was playing in the sand with his friends. This was
Edward’s favourite type of day out because he always loved riding the donkeys, building
sand castles and swimming in the salty sea. After Edward and his friends finished their
game they ran over to Edward’s Mom because they heard the music from an ice cream
van nearby.
1. Where was Edward?
2. How did you find this out?
3. Was it a special treat for Edward to be there?
4. How did you find this out?
5. What did Edward and his friends hope to get when they ran over to his Mom?
6. How did you find this out?

Characters
What is character? If I asked you who the characters in a book were, you would probably
be able to name them. For instance, you might know that Takadini is the main character
in Takadini. You probably also know who the characters are in television shows or movies
that you have seen. For example, Sabhuku Vharazipi is a character on the drama Sabhuku
Vharazipi.
Stories need a plot (the series of events that happen), setting (the places where they occur),
and characters (the people or animals who are affected by the plot and setting).
Character development is the collection of features that bring
the people (or animals) to life. It is not just their physical
features, but their mental features, their personalities, their
appearance, and so on. Character is something you can figure
out by paying attention to what they do, what they say, what
they think and feel, and what others say about them.
The degree to which a character is revealed classifies
characters into flat and round ones. We know the most about
round characters – they are well-rounded. Flat characters are
usually less detailed.
36
Sometimes characters are very predictable. Think about the following kinds of characters.
the hero/heroine, class clown, bully, brain, athlete
For most of them, you can think of specific features that they’re likely to have. In a good
piece of writing, the characters go beyond the obvious features. They might have an
unusual or surprising feature. Look at not just the person’s outer qualities, at what the
character looks like, but also at the inner qualities.
How often have you seen a movie after reading the book it was based on and said “That’s
not how I pictured _____, she should be [taller, meaner, funnier]”? Readers often see
themselves or others they know in the fictional characters (human or animal) they read
about in books. When we think about all the features that make up character, what the
readers bring to the story is just as important as what the author wrote.

Character Analysis
Character analysis the process of evaluating a character’s traits. It includes physical traits
(what the character looks like), as well as any mental and emotional traits we can gather.
Character analysis also looks at the actions done by the character and infers meaning from
this.
For analysing a character you need to evaluate the traits, identify the role of a character
in the story.
We can look at the following when doing a character analysis:
 What is the character’s name, personal information, hobbies and interests?
 Look at their role in the story - What are they doing? What is his or her role in
the book and relationship with others?
 What are they doing or experiencing in the book? Are there any challenges or
conflicts? How do they handle these and work through them?
Adjectives and adverbs are helpful when conducting a character analysis. Character maps
help us with a character analysis. The graphic below is an example of character map.

37
 How do I feel about the character? What does the character say?

Do I like or dislike the character? What from the text gives us clues to the
Why? What about the character do I traits of the character? Is the character
identify with? pleasant? Rude? Friendly?

What is the character’s name and what

does the character look like.

Is the character short, tall, have long

or short hair, well dressed, dirty, etc
What do others say or feel about the
character? What does the character do?

Do other characters in the story like

What actions does the character do?
or dislike this character? Why? Give
How and why does he or she do them?
examples

Exercise 3.3

Character Analysis
Identify a character from a story or TV show you are familiar with. Complete the character
map below with information regarding this character.

How do I feel about the character? What does the character say?

What is the character’s name and what

does the character look like?

What do others say or feel about the

What does the character do?
character?

38
Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs are used to describe or explain a character or an action.
Adjectives are words that explain or describe a noun. For example “big”, “heavy” and
“tall”.
Lets say our character is a bully. The adjective ‘big’ describes this particular bully, so in
this case our character is a big bully. The more descriptive the adjective, the better picture
we as the reader will get.
A sentence with no adjective for the character would look like,
The bully took my lunch.
But, the adjective ‘big’ gives us a better mental picture of what the bully looks like.
The big bully took my lunch.
Adverbs are words that explain a verb or adjective. An adverb is a part of a speech that
provides the greatest information about a verb or adjective in a sentence. They also help
to explain and further show a character’s actions.
Let’s use the sentence from above: The big bully took my lunch.
How did the big bully take the lunch? He took it easily.
The big bully easily took my lunch.
We now have a clearer idea of what the bully looks like and the action that he took.
Adjectives and adverbs help paint a more detailed picture of what a character looks like,
thinks like, and acts like.
Below are two charts showing some adjectives and adverbs that can be used to describe
characters and their actions.

39
Exercise 3.4

Adjectives and Nouns

Adjectives are usually close to nouns because they help to describe nouns. Underline the
adjectives and box in the nouns.
1. I just heard the news, it made me very happy.
2. Birch is the type of wood we used to build our house.
3. I used tape to fix the ripped paper.
4. We used Sarah’s old camera to take all of the pictures.
5. The floor moved as the earthquake took place.
6. Roger’s gloves are big and blue.
7. First prize is for the race is a wonderful vacation to Florida.
8. The phone rang very loudly.
9. My good friends call me Tommy.
10. The orange paper is the best paper for writing.

40
Exercise 3.5
Fill in the gaps using the adverbs below:

1. He drove______to work.
2. We need to walk_____ to get to school in time.
3. We waited_______ for the phone call.
4. She removed the lid of the pot______
5. The picture was______ painted.

quickly slowly joyfully colourfully carefully

41
Punctuation
Punctuation is used to make the story come to life and make the story more interesting. It
helps us be able to read what is written and gather meaning.
Here are some common punctuation marks and their meanings:

Punctuation
Name Meaning/Use Example
sign
Used to express
! Exclamation
point
excitement or add
emphasis
I did not know that
would happen!

? Question mark Used to express a question

When did it start to
rain?

Used at the end of a

. Full stop sentence to signify the end
of a thought or statement.
I am finished with my
work.

Used to separation of
, Comma ideas or elements within a
sentence
We like the red, blue,
and green ones.

Used after a word In school, we learn the

: Colon
introducing a quotation,
between independent
following subjects:
Mathematics, Science,
clauses, or for emphasis. and English.

I did not like going

; Semi-colon
Used to connect
independent clauses
to the zoo; I had been
bitten by a dog before
and despise animals.

Used to indicate the I have seen that one

‘ Apostrophe
omission of a letter or
letters from a word, or
before.
possession of something That is Simon’s.

My parents told me
Used to contain further they had gone out to a
() Parenthesis thoughts or qualifying
remarks
meeting (even though
I knew they went
elsewhere).
“We can go outside
Used to mark the
“” Quotation
marks
beginning and end of
words spoken
after everyone has
finished,” said the
teacher.

42
 “The process of solving
this math problem
… Ellipses
Used to indicate an
omission
begins with this step…”
said Ruby as she helped
me.

Exercise 3.6

Punctuation
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. someday I want to travel to Italy and eat lots of spaghetti
2. Don’t even think about getting in that boat without a lifejacket! his father warned.
3. the hot tea is too hot and I burned my tongue
4. Can we go fishing again this summer
5. Don’t run so close to the edge of the pool
6. Angela’s little sister screamed Give me back my dolly!
7. can we all have some more bread with some peanut butter?
8. if you get your homework done early everyone can go outside to play
9. We won the football player yelled as he jumped up and down.
10. stop teasing your little brother

Exercise 3.7

Punctuate the following text.

in zimbabwe we have a lot of towns like chegutu gokwe bindura
mazowe there are a lot of different people like the shona tonga
Ndebele peopledo you come from this country do you
As you can see, having proper punctuation helps the reader. It is important to re-read what
you have written to ensure that the proper punctuation has been used.

43
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answer from the multiple choice options below.
1. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
A. are you coming home today Tanya.
B. Are you coming home today tanya.
C. Are you coming home today Tanya.
D. Are you coming home today Tanya?
2. Which statement shows a person shouting?
A. John!
B. John?
C. ‘John’
D. (John)
3. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
A. My Mother said, Go to the garden
B. My mother said go to the Garden.
C. My mother said, “Go to the garden.”
D. My Mother said “go to the garden”
4. Which inference is correct from those given below.
She goes to work with a white uniform and she looks after sick people she is a…..
A. policeman
B. driver
C. nurse
D. teacher
5. Which adjective best finishes the sentence below….
The robbers stole the…… painting.
A. expensive
B. tall
C. quick
D. running
Which adverb best completes the following sentence
6. The soldier was …… dangerous.
A. big
B. faster
C. extremely
D. kindly
44
Guided Composition
Write a composition on the topic the thief. Your composition should be between 80-120
words in length. You may include the following points or any other you may think of
to write your composition. Be sure to use adjectives and adverbs in order to explain the
characters actions, thoughts and behaviour traits.
- name, description of the theft
- the thief, incident, how the thief was arrested
- moral lessons learnt

Punctuation
Punctuate the following passage.
the grade six teacher at nagangala primary school was early to school but to his surprise
the whole class was full. The class came early to revise the end of year test. the teacher
said thank you for coming early to school. a girl called boonse shouted you are welcome
sir then the class revised the test
Education is the passport to the future, For tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it
today

45
 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 1

English Paper 1
Read the passage and answer questions that follow.

At sunset Elise saw eleven wild swans with golden crowns on their heads, fly towards
the land. They flew one behind the other, looking like a long white ribbon. Elise climbed
the slope from the shore and hid behind a bush. The swans came close down to her and
flapped their white wings. As the sun sank beyond the water the swans’ feathers fell off,
and beside her stood eleven handsome princes, her brothers.

1. What time of the day was it?

A. sunrise B. sunset C. morning D. dark

2. The swans wore ___ crowns on their heads.

A. good B. silver C. golden D. shiny

3. Elise did not want to be seen and she hid behind a ___
A. slope B. bush C. tree D. wall

4. What happened when the sun went down?

A. the swans’ feathers disappeared B. the swans’ feathers grew big
C. the swans’ feathers fell off D. the swans’ feathers became bright

5. How many swans were there?

A. eleven B. twelve C. ten D. eleven thousand

Complete with the best word or phrase.

6. Sam was __ tired to go for a walk.
A. to B. two C. too D. very

7. Peter and Praise went there with ___ father.

A. there B. their C. they D. them

8. Look after my dog___ I return.

A. if B. as C. until D. unless

46
9. The boy read the story _____.
A. allowed B. aloud C. big D. cent

10. Because the weather was chilly we all __ with cold.

A. swerved B. sweated C. bounced D. shivered

Read the following passage and answer questions that follow.

A crow, having stolen a piece of meat, flew to a tree where she could eat in peace. A
fox saw her and longed for the meat. “How beautiful the crow is!” he cried. “She has a
beautiful form. If only her voice was equally good, she would be the queen of birds.”
Wishing to show that she could sing, the crow opened her mouth in a loud “caw.” The
meat fell to the ground and the cunning fox quickly snatched it up. “Madam Crow”, said
the fox, “ your voice is good enough, but you are not very clever.” Then the fox ran off,
leaving the crow to think how cleverly she had been tricked.

11. How did the crow get the piece of meat?

A. she hunted for it B. she stole it C. she got it from fox D. she bought it

12. The crow opened her mouth because she wanted to ___
A. sing B. play C. cry D. laugh

13. The meat fell to the ______________.

A. birds B. ground C. branches D. dogs

14. The cunning fox __ it up.

A. left it B. smelled C. ignored D. snatched

15. The crow was ___ by the fox.

A. laughed B. loved C. tricked D. kicked

Choose the correct plural word.

16. goose A. gooses B. gueses C. goose D. geese

17. child A. children B. childs C. child D. childies

18. mouse A. moses B. mice C. mousse D. mouse

47
Fill in the collective nouns.

19. A __ of lions. A. troop B. swarm C. pride D. fleet

20. A __ of keys. A. bunch B. group C. swarm D. pride

Give young ones of the following.

21. Frog ____ A. frog B. puppy C. fish D. tadpole

22. Pig _____ A. piglet B. pigs C. puppies D. owlet

Read the passage and answer questions.

Bill and Harry stood looking at the broken vase with tears in their eyes. “Mother told
us not to play with a ball in this room,” said Bill. “Yes,” replied Harry, “I wish we had
listened to her. It was her favourite vase too. Is Daddy not going to be very angry?”

23. Bill and Harry were ___

A. cousins B. friends C. enemies D. brothers

24. They were playing with a ___

A. stick B. ball C. vase D. pet

25. They had __- their mother.

A. disobeyed B. honest C. pleased D. good

26. Mother__ the vase.

A. did not like B. wanted to sell C. loved D. sold

27. Bill and Harry had tears in their eyes. It means they were__
A. laughing B. smiling C. crying D. giggling

Choose the correct opposite word.

28. gentleman - A. girl B. woman C. man D. lady

29. kind - A. cruel B. sad C. lazy D. smile

30. easy - A. perfect B. lovely C. difficult D. cheap

48
Which sounds do these animals make?

31. eagle A. laughs B. buzz C. bray D. screams

32. mice A. neighs B. mews C. squeaks D. moo

33. lion A. roars B. trumpets C. boom D. hiss

Give the correct prepositions.

34. The oranges are __ the fruit basket.

A. among B. in C. at D. to

35. Rudo is sitting __ Taurai and Mike.

A. across B. under C. over D. between

36. James kicked the ball __ the fence.

A. across B. to C. between D. over

Select the list of names that are written in the correct alphabetical order.
37.
A. Primrose Prisca Priscilla Prudence Prince
B. Primrose Prince Prisca Priscilla Prudence
C. Prince Primrose Priscilla Prisca Prudence
D. Prudence Prisca Priscilla Primrose Prince

38.
A. plum pear pill pork
B. pill pork plum pear
C. pork pill pear plum
D. pear pill plum pork

Read the following passage and answer the following questions.

Alice was getting very tired sitting by her sister at the bank and of having nothing to do,
once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures
or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures
and conversations?”

49
39. Alice was sitting___
A. at house B. at the bank C. at the hospital D. at school

40. Who was with her?

A. sister B. brother C. mother D. father

41. What was the person doing?

A. nothing B. peeping C. pictures D. reading

42. Alice was beginning to get tired of _______________.

A. reading B. pictures and conversations
C. sitting D. doing nothing

43. Which word in the passage means she was not doing anything?
A. peeped B. sitting C. once or twice D. nothing

Give the feminine of the following.

44. bridegroom A. bachelor B. bully C. bride D. maid

45. waiter A. waitress B. wait C. witch D. wizard

46. bull A. cow B. bully C. buck D. bee

In each sentence below insert the past tense of the verb in bold.

47. Tom and John _____ a gruelling fight. fight

A. fighted B. fought C. fighting D. foughted

48. Dad _____ his hand with an electric drill. hurt

A. hurting B. hut C. hurt D. hit

Choose the correct word to complete the following.

49. My uncle took the maize to the grinding_____
A. meal B. mill C. mealie D. millet

50. We went to _____ Mary at the station.

A. meat B. mit C. meeting D. meet

50
English Paper 2

Section A.

Choose one topic and write about it.

A. Write a composition about your favourite teacher. Your composition should be

between 80-120 words: You can use some or all of the following points:
 the name
 the dressing
 favourite food
 likes and dislikes
 where he/she lives
 what makes you like him/her
You can add any other points of your choice.

Or

B. Write a letter to a friend inviting him/her to your birthday party. Your

composition should be between 80-120 words. You can use some or all of the
following points.
 When is the party?
 Where is the party?
 Activities that will be done during the day
 Any special instructions
 You can add any other points of your choice

Section B.
Read the comprehension carefully and answer all the questions that follow.

The Moon.

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall. She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
on streets and fields and harbour quays and birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.

51
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, the howling dog by the door of the house. The
bat that lies in bed at noon, all love to be out by the light of the moon.
But all of the things belong to the day cuddle to sleep to be out of the way and flowers and
children close their eyes till up in the morning the sun shall rise.

1. Find a word in the passage, which means the same as robbers.

2. What are flowers and children doing when the moon is out?
3. Give one animal sound in the poem.
4. Where is the dog?
5. What shines on thieves?
6. What lies in the bed at noon?
7. Give one animal, which loves to be out by the light of the moon.
8. Why does the moon look like a clock?
9. Where are the thieves?
10. Write one round thing in the first line of the poem.

52
 Unit 4. Instructions

Vocabulary Box

Clinic- a place where sick people are treated

Directions - a route/way that is followed to go somewhere or do something
Ingredient - a list of items that is required to make something
Instructions - a direction or order
Medicine - a drug or other preparation for the treatment or prevention for the
treatment or a disease
Procedure - a particular method for doing something
Recipe –instructions on how to make things, usually food
Road sign - symbols which are found along the road which control vehicles and
people on the road
Speed limit - the fastest speed that a vehicle can move or is allowed to move on a
given road

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
How good are you with reading and following instructions?
Do you have challenges with understanding instructions?
Do you remember a time when you regretted not reading instructions?
Did you get into trouble for not reading instructions?

Once there was a man who bought a pair of lovely trousers and he washed it without
reading the care labels. When he tried to wear them the next day, they were so small that
he could not fit in them! Do you know why? The trousers had shrunk because the care label
had said do not wash in hot water. The man had not followed the instructions. That’s why

53
we should always follow instructions wherever we are. When certain types of instructions
are not followed, we can lose time, money and experience other inconveniences. It can
even be dangerous!

Can you think of situations when ignoring instructions and directions can be dangerous?

Instructions are found everywhere you go. We have

instructions for traveling on the road, for how to use a car,
for how to operate a radio, for how to use medicines and
many other things. In this unit we are going to learn where to
find some instructions on the road and medicines and follow
them.

Instructions on the road

One day Tinashe went on a journey by bus from Harare to Mutare. Along the way, he
saw some strange things along the road and he did not know what it was. So he asked his
mother what the things were and what they meant. Mother explained that the things on
the road were called road signs and the driver should follow them on the road to be safe.
Mother explained that all road signs should be followed for all those who use the road to
be safe.

Below are some of the road signs that they saw and what they mean:

Beware school children crossing ahead.

The driver needs to reduce speed and move carefully. If there
are school children about to cross, the driver should stop and
allow them to cross the road.

Speed limit control.

The driver cannot drive his car/bus above 100 kilometers per
hour.

54
 Beware train crossing ahead
A driver should reduce speed, move carefully and stop at the
railway crossing. Then, check for the train and move on if it
is safe to do so.

Next town ahead in that direction

The next town is Rusape.

Medicine Instructions
Have you ever taken medication before?
Have you given medicine to another person before?
Did the medicine bottle or paper have anything written on it?
Think of some of the consequences that could go wrong if you
take medications incorrectly. Be very careful with medicines
because they are very dangerous. Ask a parent at home if
they could show you a medicine box with instructions on the
side.
Below is one example of a medical box and the instructions
written on the box.

A medicine box has a lot of information on it. It has the name

of the medicine, what illness it treats, what is found inside
the medicine, how to use the medicine, as well as warnings.

55
On the front of the box, we can see the name of the medicine, the symptoms it helps
treat, some additional descriptive information and the amount contained in the box.

On the side of the box, we see the following:

56
 • Warnings/precautions to consider when taking this medicine
• How to store the medicine safely
• Manufacturing and expiry dates
• Other legal information

This side of the medicine box contains the following information:

• Serving size
• Ingredients of the medicine and in what quantity
• Inactive ingredients in the medicine
• The recommended dosage and frequency by age
• The directions of use
• Other manufacturer information

Can you answer the questions below to find out some of the items on the medical box.
• What is the medicine used for?
• Which group of people is this medicine intended for?
• When was the medicine made?
• When will it expire?
• Can you see all the parts of the medicine box? If you cannot, ask an adult to help
you find this on the box.
• This last part of the medical box shows us how to take the medication for
different age groups. Can you find this part on the medical box?

Prepositions
Prepositions are words that show relation. They
tell us when or where something or someone is in
relation to something else.
For example, in the picture, we can see that the
leaves are on the tree. The word ‘on’ is the
preposition giving us the location of where the
leaves are in relation to the tree.
Here is a list of prepositions:

57
 aboard because of into next to than
about before far from of through
above behind following off without
across below for on till
after beneath from on account of to
against Beside In on behalf of toward
ahead of besides in accordance with on top of under
along between in addition to onto underneath
amid beyond in case of opposite unlike
amidst but in front of out until
among by out of up
as by means of in place of outside upon
as far as near in spite of over versus
as of during since past via
aside from despite inside plus with
at down instead of prior to with regard to
regardless within

Read the following sentences carefully. The prepositions are underlined. Pay
attention to the location the preposition is giving us.
Examples:
a) Jenny placed her lunchbox inside her bag.
b) Craig left the house before sunrise.
c) Ben saw Daisy playing across the road.
d) Hannah keeps all of her teddy bears on top of her wardrobe.
e) Claire hid the sweets behind her back.

Exercise 4.1
Complete the following sentences using the correct prepositions.
1. Lisa fell over……… her basketball game.
2. Thomas checked to see if his keys had fallen…. .….his chair.
3. Mrs. Monroe asked the children to go ………. her classroom.
4. ………. lunch, the children were allowed to play.
5. Ryan climbed ……… the donkey.

58
Exercise 4.2
Prepositions
Complete the following sentences using the best prepositions from those given in the box
below.
up before on top above after until over across next to behind

1. Simon could have plenty of milk with his cereal because the milkman had arrived
__________ sunrise.
2. The little boy could not go home __________ his mother arrived.
3. Jessica should not have ran __________ the road without looking.
4. The line was very long and Gemma stood __________ a really smelly old man.
5. Ken was so happy to get home __________ he finished school.
6. Donald placed his toy cars on the shelf __________ his bed.
7. The birds fly __________ the houses every day.
8. She let the two best friends sit ___________ each other.
9. To keep the scissors out of reach of children, Claire placed them __________ the
cupboard.
10. Natasha ran __________ the hill as fast as she could.

Quantifiers
Quantifiers are words that tell us the quantity, or amount of something. Below is a list of
quantifiers. They can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns are individual people, places, and things. Therefore, they can be counted.

For example:
dog, plate, bag, chair, box, tree, apple
You can have one, five, three hundred, or a thousand of these
objects. These are countable.

59
 These quantifiers can be used with countable nouns:
many, a few/few/very few, a number of, several, a large number of, a great number
of, a majority of

Uncountable nouns are not individual people, places, or things.

Therefore, they cannot be counted.

For example:
time, beauty, water, air, cheese, dust, golf

You cannot have one or twenty of these things. You cannot

count them. Therefore, they are uncountable.

These quantifiers can be used with uncountable nouns:

much, a little/little/very little, a bit, a great deal of, a large amount of, a large
quantity of

These quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns:
all, enough, more/most, less/least, no/none, not any, some, any, a lot of, lots of,
plenty of

Here are some examples of using quantifiers with countable and uncountable nouns.
The quantifier is in italics and the noun is underlined.

• Lucy only had a little time before she had to go to class.

• The farmer grew a lot of tomatoes last season.
• I need to get some fresh air.

60
Exercise 4.3
Fill in the blank with either ‘some’ or ‘any’.
1. There are _______________ students in the dining room.
2. Would you like _______________ tea?
3. There are not _______________ interesting people at the meeting.
4. Are there _______________ tomatoes left?
5. Do you have _______________bread?
6. Could I have _______________ bread, please?
7. There is _______________ sugar on the table.
8. Are there _______________ girls in the class?
9. I do not think I have _______________ milk left, would you prefer _______________
fruit juice?
10. Julie can speak _______________ French but she can’t speak _______________
Spanish.
11. I can lend you _______________ money if you want.
12. We do not have _______________ eggs.

Game Instructions
Tulumbeleza is new in your area and you have invited her over to play a game. She does
not know how to play the game. You decide to write down the instructions of the game so
that you can play together.
Write down the instructions of a game that you know and explain the instructions to
someone. Play the game with friend according to instructions.

61
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Read the following passage. Answer the questions that follow.

THE JOURNEY TO THE CLINIC

Ararat is in grade seven at Nagangala Primary School in Binga. She did not go to school
on Friday because she was not feeling well. Ararat’s sister Rutendo, took her to the local
clinic, which is in the next village. On the way, they took a short cut to the clinic and they
got lost along the way as none of them were used to the way. Out of nowhere, an old lady
could be seen walking towards the girls and the girls asked for directions to the clinic.
The old lady gave the two girls directions to the clinic. She said go back to the main road
and walk two kilometers, then turn right by the bridge and continue walking straight until
you see a deep tank. Then when you reach the deep tank, you can see the clinic. The girls
thanked the old lady warmly and followed the directions to the clinic.
Ararat went to the clinic and was treated by the nurses. At the end of her visit, the nurse
gave Ararat some medicine to take at home. The nurse forgot to tell Ararat and her sister
how to take the medicines because she had a lot of patients that day. The girls took their
journey back home with no short cuts this time. It is better to be late and safe than lost.
When the girls got home, they did not know how to use the medicine, so they waited for
their parents to get home. When their parents turned, they read the instructions on the
medicine box. These were the instructions on the medicine box.

Take one 5ml spoonful four times a day. Take an hour before food or on an empty
stomach. Shake the bottle before use.

62
After reading the instructions, Father shook the bottle and took a spoon and poured the
medicine in the spoon. Father then gave Ararat a spoonful that evening. Ararat noticed
that the time was 6 o’clock in the evening when she was given the medicine. Ararat was
wondering when she will take the next spoonful.

Multiple Choice
1. ________ learned at Nagangala primary school.
a. The girls
b. The old lady
c. The Nurse
d. Ararat
2. The directions to the clinic was given by________.
a. the teacher
b. the old man
c. the old lady
d. the sister
3. According to the directions given what were the girls to do first?
a. Walk for two kilometers
b. See the tank
c. get into the deep tank
d. go back to the main road
4. Who understood how to take the medicine?
a. Father
b. Nurse
c. Sister
d. Girls
5. Where were the instructions on how to use the medicine?
a. At the clinic
b. At the village
c. With father
d. On the medicine box
6. The medicine was to be taken after every….
a. four times
b. four spoonful’s
c. six hours
d. six minutes

63
Comprehension
1. Name the two sisters in the passage.
2. Which word in the passage means “to get help for a illness that one has”?
3. Do you think the girls will ever get lost again when going to the clinic? Why?
4. When father goes to work the next day, who do you think will continue to give Ararat
her medication?
5. What would you do if you were Ararat and your sister wants to take a short cut to the
clinic?
6. If the next spoonful was taken after 6 hours, at what time would Ararat take the
medicine next?

Guided Composition
Have you ever cooked a meal for yourself or someone at home? Did you use a recipe? Do
you think you can teach someone how to make a meal by giving them a recipe?

Here is an example of a recipe:

Dombolo Bread
Ingredients:
I cup of flour 1 egg
2 tablespoons of sugar an air tight plastic paper
A pinch of salt

Recipe:
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Pour water in small quantities, mixing the dough into a thick mixture.
3. Knead the dough until smooth.
4. Pour contents into the airtight plastic paper and secure it so that water or air cannot
get in or out.
5. Place it into the boiling water on the stove and let it cook for about 30-45 minutes.
6. Remove from the boiling pot, and let it cool while in the airtight plastic paper.
7. Later remove the plastic paper.
8. The Dombolo bread is ready for feasting preferably with tea or relish as a main
meal.

64
Write a composition about how to make your favourite meal. The composition should
be between 80-120 words. Before writing the recipe, write a brief introduction. Include
the name of your favourite meal and who makes it for you. For the recipe, include the
following:
- Ingredients for the recipe and the quantities
- How do you make the meal
- Time taken to make the meal
- And any other points that you may think of

65
 Unit 5. Non-Fiction and
Informational Texts
Vocabulary Box
Direct speech – reporting speech by repeating the actual words of someone
Indirect speech – reported speech
Non-fiction – writing passed on facts, real events and real people

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
Direct and Indirect Speech

When people speak, we can easily identify who is speaking and who said something.
However, when writing, we use direct speech and indirect speech to tell the difference
between words that are spoken by different people.

 Direct speech: The writing of speech,

using the exact words of the speaker, The teacher is
usually between quotation marks. Example coming.
of direct speech:

1. Tanya said, “I am not coming to school the

next day.”
2. “John are you cooking breakfast today.”

 Indirect speech: Reported speech. Words

of another person said by another person.
Example of indirect speech:

1. Tanya said she will not be coming to school

tomorrow.
2. John was asked if he is cooking breakfast today.

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Statements:
a) Tinashe said, “Life at our school is exciting and interesting”
Tinashe said (that life at their school was exciting and interesting)

b) Eve said, “Tomorrow we will make a plan to go on holiday.”

Eve said (that) on the following day they would make a plan to go on holiday.

c) Prio said, “I spent three years in that school.”

Prio said(that) he had spent three years in that school.

Instructions:
“Don’t steal the books,” the librarian said to the students.
The librarian told the students that they should not steal the books.

Questions:
Chipo asked Sipho, “Do you know they have found Buhle’s purse?”
Chipo asked Sipho if she knew that they had found Buhle’s purse.

“Where is the purse?” Chipo asked Buhle.

Chipo asked Buhle where the purse was.

Reporting verbs
It is not a good style to repeat the verbs ‘said’ when you report a speech. Different reporting
verbs show slightly different meanings about the speakers attitude.

For example:
1. He commented that people who had plenty to eat were very fortunate.
2. He emphasised that he liked reading.
3. Chipo concluded that she wanted to go back to school.
4. He argued that the high accident rate was caused by excessive drinking among
drivers.

Remember the changes we have especially in verbs when changing direct to reported
speech

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Below are some more examples of direct and indirect speech.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

Present simple: Past simple

“I like tomatoes” He said he liked tomatoes.

Present progressive Past progressive

“Are you sweating” He asked if he was sweating.

Past simple Past perfect

“You have burnt the child” She screamed that I had burnt the child.

Note these other changes:

Shall, I will Should, I would
“We will be there” They said they will be there.
“Can, I may” Could, I might
“I can dance well” She boasted that she could dance well.
“It may rain” She said that it might rain.
Must, Must, I had to
“I must do the laundry” She said she had to do the laundry.
She said she must do the laundry.

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 Direct Speech Indirect Speech

“I really enjoy going to the beach”, David David said that he really enjoys going to
said. the beach.

“Don’t forget that tomorrow is the exam!” Our teacher told us to not forget that the
said teacher. examination is the following day.

After I ate lunch, I asked my mother “May After I ate lunch, I asked my mother if I
I go outside to play now?” might go outside to play.

Exercise 5.1
Change the following passage from direct to indirect speech.
“ I want to thank you for the support you have given our school,” said the head.
“Our school library did not have enough books for the different disciplines we follow,” he
continued. “We really do appreciate what the donors have done for us. We hope the staff
and the pupils of this school will make full use of the batch of books.”

Exercise 5.2
Change the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.
1. “I am coming tomorrow, “said Boonse.
2. “I am not good at athletics, “said Rutendo.
3. “Stop making noise!” said the teacher.
4. “Are you coming to school next week?”asked Tatenda.
5. “How much is the price of petrol today?”asked the motorist.

Exercise 5.3
Change Indirect Speech to direct speech.
Place open and closed quotation marks in the correct places.
Change these statements from indirect to direct speech

69
Remember:
• The words spoken by a person are direct speech, we put them in open and closed
quotation marks “”.
• The words reported by someone are indirect speech.

1. Charity looked at the sky and said it is hot.

2. Charity ran to the shade of the tree.
3. Peter walked all the way to school.
4. I am going to walk to school today said Peter.
5. Freeman told uncle that he does not eat pork.
6. Uncle I am sorry but I don’t eat pork.

Skimming and Scanning

Have you ever searched for a word in a dictionary? Did you read each and every word to
find what you were looking for? Or you read some words and skip to another location?
How about a newspaper? Have you ever read one? Sometimes when you are looking
for something like a phone number in a directory you don’t read all the names. You race
through the pages looking for that which you want, this is called scanning or skimming
through the pages. Skimming and Scanning to pass lightly over something, to brush the
surface of something, to read quickly skipping some details.

Give this a try:

Which of the following starts with an ‘s’: cat, pot, rat, go, ink, son, mother, ocean.
Did you read all the words? Or did you scan the beginning of each word and find some
in the given list.

70
Look at the following picture quickly.
What was the main story on this page? But what interested the reader more on this page
than anything else?
When answering the above question did you read all the stories on the newspaper?
No, you most likely did not. You scanned through the paper very quickly.
Skim through the following story and answer questions that follow:
Chenai had never visited the rural areas before. When her mother told her that she would
spend the first term school holidays in Chihota rural area, Chenai was delighted. Now
she would get the chance to see where her grandmother lived. She knew her grandmother
would be happy to be with her there. She had asked Chenai many times before to visit her
during the holiday. She complained that she always visited her in Mufakose high density
suburb but Chenai never visited her.

Exercise 5.4
Exercise 5.4.

1. Who had never visited the rural areas before?

2. Where was the rural area?
3. Who complained in the story?
4. Which high density suburb did Chenai’s grandmother live in?

Question Tags

Question tags are used to check information that we think we know is true. Question
tags turn a statement into a question. They can be negative or positive. If the statement is
positive, we use a negative question tag (meaning, use ‘not’ in the tag).
She can go to the store, can’t she?
positive statement negative question tag
Likewise, if the statement is negative (meaning, it uses the word ‘not’), we use a positive
question tag.
She can’t go to the store, can she?
negative statement positive question tag

71
Question tags are made using the following formula:

an auxiliary verb + a subject pronoun

(be, have, can, would, should) + (I, you, she, he, it)

Use the chart below to learn more question tags.

NB: These constricted forms for an example ‘isn’t, wasn’t weren’t are used in
conversations that are informal.

72
Exercise 5.5
Question Tags
Choose the correct question tag.
1. He is your friend, (aren’t/isn’t/can’t) he?
2. She was in London, (won’t/weren’t/wasn’t) she?
3. His father drives a car, (don’t/won’t/doesn’t) he?
4. You can play the guitar, (couldn’t/can’t/can) you?
5. Liz won’t come, (is/doesn’t/will) she?
6. Sam went to the zoo, (don’t/didn’t/doesn’t) he?
7. Pat has a sister, (haven’t/hasn’t/hadn’t) he?
8. Mike can’t drive a car, (could/can/can’t) he?
9. They didn’t go there, (do/does/did) they?
10. Bob doesn’t like football, (do/does/did) he?

There are four main types of writing: expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive.
• Expository – Writing in which author’s purpose is to inform or explain the
subject to the reader.
• Persuasive – Writing that states the opinion of the writer and attempts to
influence the reader.
• Narrative – Writing in which the author tells a story. The story could be fact or
fiction.
• Descriptive – A type of expository writing that uses the five senses to paint a
picture for the reader. This writing incorporates imagery and specific details

We use these types of writing for different purposes, audiences and occasions.

Expository writing is writing that seeks to explain, illustrate or expose something. This
type of writing can include essays, newspapers and magazines articles, instructions
manuals, textbooks, encyclopedia articles and other forms of writing, so long as they
seek to explain something.

Take a look at the following pie chart and try to answer the questions below based on the
data that is presented.

73
 Soil compnents 2019

When looking at a diagram to interpret, pay attention to the following information:

• The title or topic:
• What information is presented:
• The units of measurement in the diagram or graph:
• Where the information or data is from:
• Compare the different groups presented. You can use comparing language such
as: like, more, less, bigger, smaller, most, or least.

74
Exercise 5.6
Word Scramble
Rearrange the letters in the words below to make meaningful words.
1. yot
2. atbo
3. sedo
4. rdee
5. learn
6. tdsoo
7. iewrt
8. ideeoanm

EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Multiple Choice.
Use the following short story to answer the questions below.

Daniel and Hope

Daniel is a young man. He lives in Harare with both his parents. He is only seven months
old. He was born last year in October. He has two sisters. His family is an extended family.
He also lives with his uncle and aunt.
Hope is a young lady. She is a girl in Grade Seven. She is the only child in her family.
Hers is a single parent family. Her father passed away when she was very young.
Hope is Twelve years old. She lives in Sinmpande area in Siabuwa area.
The following questions are based on the passage titled “The Two Children”. Scan and
skim through the passage once again and answer the following questions

75
1. The two stories are about….
A. Daniel
B. Hope
C. Boys
D. Daniel and Hope

2. Which of the two was a girl?

A. Seven months
B. Hope
C. Daniel
D. Sinmpande

3. Daniel lived in…

A. Extended family
B. Single parent family
C. Harare
D. Sinmpande

4. What age is Hope?

A. Hope is in grade seven
B. Hope is a girl
C. Hope is 12 years old
D. Hope is in Harare

5. An extended family is a family with….

A. Mother and father only
B. Grandfather and grandmother
C. Children and friends
D. Parents and relatives

Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct question tag.

1. You don’t have a car,………….
A. Do you?
B. Are you?
C. Will you?
D. Had you?

76
2. They weren’t late ……………..
A. Is he?
B. Were they?
C. Did you?
D. Would you?

3. Nobody went to the meeting,……

A. Is that?
B. Must we?
C. Did they?
D. could you?

4. You shouldn’t be so busy, ……….

A. Is it?
B. Must we?
C. Have you?
D. Should you?

5. Nothing is ready, …………………..

A. Is it?
B. Will it?
C. Might it?
D. Should it?
Change the following direct sentence to indirect speech.
6. The teacher said, “ Bring all your books for marking tomorrow.”
Change the following indirect speech to direct speech
7. Father instructed the children to do their homework in time.

77
 Unit 6. Informal/ friendly Letters

Vocabulary Box
Apologise- to make an excuse to accept some fault with expression of regret for it.
Ashamed - feeling shame or guilt
Convince - to make someone believe or feel sure of something
Formal - means official or being accord with regulations
Friendship - the condition of being
Incident - an event that may cause or causes an interruption
Informal - not in good accord with the usual regulations.
Misbehaviour - action or conduct that is in appropriate, improper, incorrect or
unaccepted.

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
Conditional Clauses
A conditional sentence tells the conditions in which something happens. It shows a
possible cause and effect situation in the form of “if…then…”. Conditional sentences let
us express things that might or could have happened, could still happen, we wish could
happen or always happen in a specific way.

Conditional Sentence Type 1: It is possible and very likely that the condition will be
fulfilled.

Form: If + Simple Present, Future (= will + bare infinitive)

Example: If I find her address, I will send her an invitation.

Conditional Sentence Type 2: It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be
fulfilled.

78
 Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional (= would + bare infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

Exercise 6.1
Conditional Sentences
Complete the conditional sentences by putting the verbs into the correct form.
if + Simple Past, Conditional (= would + bare infinitive)
1. If I (be) _______________ rich, my life (change) _______________ completely.
2. I (invite) _______________ all my friends if (have) __________ a house by the
beach.
3. If we (have) ____________ enough resources, we (throw) _________ a very big
party.
4. If they (tell) _______________ their father, he (be) _______________ very angry.
5. We (help) _______________ you if we (know) _______________ how.
6. My brother (buy) _________a sports car if he (have) __________the mon
ey.
Conditional Sentence Type 3: It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because
it refers to the past.

Form: if + Past Perfect, Conditional II (= would + have + Past Participle)

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Exercise 6.2

Conditional Sentences
Complete the conditional sentences by putting the verbs into the correct form.
if + Past Perfect, Conditional II (= would + have + Past Participle)
1. If you (study) _______________ for the test, you (pass) _______________ it.
2. If you (ask) _______________ me, I (help) ______________you.
3. If you (speak) _______________ English, she (understand) _______________.
4. I (write) _______________ you a postcard if I (have) _______________ your
address.

79
5. If it (not start) ______________ to rain, we (walk) _______________ to the museum
6. If she had (look) ____ for her phone before the party dismissed, she would have (see)
_______ it.
7. If Diana had (call) ____ her friend, they could have (settle) _______ the matter
easily.
8. If Diana had not (write) _____ an apologetic letter to her friend, their friendship
would have (broke) _____.
9. If Selena had (see) ____ the phone, she could have (give) ________ it to the owner.
10. If Diana had not (miss) ____ her phone, the party would have (proceed) ___ till late.

Exercise 6.3
Conditional Clauses
From our previous unit we did exercises on conditional clauses and we also learned how
and when they can be used in language work. Let us use what we learned to attempt the
exercise below.

Using can, could, must, will and would, complete the sentences.
1. If I had time, I ______ have gone to the party.
2. You ______ definitely attend the wedding.
3. Mary said she ______ bring your book tomorrow.
4. What _______ I do for you?
5. I ________ love to have a part time job over the weekend.

Conjunctions
Let us look at the following sentences and try to join them to form one long sentence.
These two sentences can be joined together using the simple word ‘and.’

Wash your hands. Eat your lunch = Wash your hands and eat your lunch.

The word ‘and’ has been used to join the sentences. Such words are called conjunctions.
A conjunction is a word that joins together or connects phrases, clauses, or sentences.

80
 The most common junctions include: and, if, unless, but although, since, until, for,
either…or / neither…nor, or, despite and a lot more.

Below is a table showing common conjunctions and how they are used:

Conjunction How it can be used + Example

When two sentences are related together, or happening after the other
and
He won the race and was given a prize.
Used to introduce a different statement, usually negative to what you
but said before.
He is very rich but his children wear torn clothes.
Used to say that something may happen depending on something
else.
if
I may give you book if you visit me today.

Used to mean ‘that’, ‘except’, ‘if’, or ‘only if’

You won’t go to the state house unless you are related to the first
unless
family.

Means ‘despite the fact that’

although Although he is the strongest man in the village, he could not push
the huge rock.

Exercise 6.4
Conjunctions
Complete each sentence with ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or.’
1. The school marching band practiced hard ______ they still did not sound very good.
2. The two brothers went camping ________ swimming every summer.
3. Would you like to play cards _________ read a book?
4. The race car rounded the track for the last lap ___________ ran out of gas before it
made it to the finish line.
5. Our mother said we could have either pancakes _________ waffles for breakfast on
Saturday morning.
6. The book was over 300 pages long ________ I read the whole thing.

81
7. Maria is not allowed to watch television ____________ play outside until her
homework is done.
8. Sarah wants to learn how to knit ___________ she doesn’t have any yarn.
The policeman catches criminals ___________ keeps everyone safe

More conjunctions.
Joining Sentences with inspite of, regardless of and despite

You have learned to join sentences using other forms of words for example words like
“and” or “but”. Parts of sentence can also be joined by using such phrases like in spite of,
regardless of and despite.

Look at this example:

The boys went out. It was raining heavily.
This could be written as: The boys went out in spite of the heavy rain.

In spite of can be used to mean the same as despite or regardless of.

Follow this example:

Mr Ncube cut a lot of trees to

make a kraal. Mr Ncube cut down a lot of trees to make
+ = a kraal in spite of the government policy
against tree - cutting.
The government has a policy against tree
cutting.

Exercise 6.5
Joining Sentences
Join the following pairs of sentences using any of these phrases: in spite of, despite,
regardless of .

82
1. Methembe married Sihle. His family disliked her.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Mr Sibanda had a poor harvest. We had good rains this year.
___________________________________________________________________
3. Honest failed the end of year examination. His mother is a teacher.
___________________________________________________________________
4. She does not feed her children properly. She receives support from the state.
___________________________________________________________________
5. Sipho stayed out late. Her exams were due to start the next day.
___________________________________________________________________

Language registers
A register can be explained as a way a person uses language differently in different
circumstances. For example, the words you choose, your tone of voice even your body
language characterise different kinds of registers. These are determined by circumstance
or situation you are in. Registers are either formal or informal.
Informal register, also called casual or intimate, is conversational and appropriate when
writing or talking to friends and people you know.
To your friend: What’s up? It’s awesome that you came to visit!
Formal register is more appropriate when talking to your head, teacher and parents.
To the head: Good morning, Head. We appreciate your visit.
You would not speak to the head of your school in the same way you would speak to your
friend.

Language activity
Look at the following sentences. They all have the same content and can be used to
achieve the same result. However, they differ in terms of level of politeness and formality.

Let us say you want to borrow a book.

To your friend you would say: Can I borrow your book?
To your teacher you would say: May I please borrow your book sir?

83
Exercise 6.6
What do you say in the following situations?
1. If you want to leave the classroom
a) To your friend
b) To your teacher
2. You arrive home late, what do you say to your:
a) Parents
b) Young brother

The way we express requests or write in general can vary. It is important to consider to
whom we are writing or talking to and how we want it to come across.

Friendly or Informal Letters

Friendly letters are letters that we write to our friends or relatives whom we do not stay
with. It is a way of connecting with them while we are not together. Sometimes we can
also write letters to our parents who work in other countries requesting or instructing
them to do something for us. Letters keep us connected to our relatives and friends
although nowadays we are living in a world of changes where there are now many ways
of communication but we cannot do away with letter writing.
Friendly letters are different from business or formal letters. Friendly letters are
characterised by the following features:
1. Includes one address
2. Uses less formal language like (my mother, my father)
3. It includes one signature (first name)
4. Can also use nicknames.

Below is an example of a friendly letter.

84
Friendly Letter
Characteristics of a friendly letter
Include your address and the date. Address can be positioned
Address and Date either on the left or right of the paper and to be the first thing
on top.

Always start your friendly letter with a greeting. The greeting

Greeting usually starts with ‘Dear’ and includes the person’s name. Make
sure you always capitalise your greeting: “Dear Sihle”

The body of the letter will include personal information. You

might choose to share a personal story and update your friend
Body on what has been happening in your life. You might also want to
ask questions during the body of your letter. Make sure you use
correct paragraphing capitalization and punctuation.

The closure of your letter is where is the writer will sign his or
Closure
her name. Closures are usually capitalised

Nyarai School
Post Office Box 578
Nyika

25 May 2020

Dear Arthur

I am writing this letter to tell you about my plans for this coming August holiday. We are
already writing our end of term test and the holidays are almost here.

My parents have promised me this holiday they will be taking the family on a trip. We
will be visiting one of the wonders of Zimbabwe. Have you ever been to Kariba Dam
because we will be going to Kariba this coming holiday.

We have already staarted preparing. Father bought fishing rods, mother bought new suit
cass and we all have good new clothes. I asked my father if you coukd come and he said
you can if your parents allow you.

85
I am so excited and i cannot wait for the holidays, How are you my friend? Can you pass
my gtreetings to your parents, Uncle, sisters and friends.

Your best friend

Calvin

When reading the friendly letter did you see that it has the following characteristics;
address and date, greetings, body and closure.
These are the characteristics of a friendly letter.
Another example of a friendly letter.
Njaravani School
Post Office Box 578
Nyika

24 May 2020
Dear Nyaradzo

Thank you for your letter, which I received some time in April. Pardon me for replying
late to your letter. I had problems with finding stamps. They were out of stock at our local
postal agency till just recently. Can you believe it?

Yes, you were correct in what you wrote in your letter. We were equally shocked to
hear that Mirirai was no longer going back to school this term following the death of
her brother who was paying fees for her. However, I seem to have heard that she is now
attending school at Kushingirira, a rural secondary school close to their home. A Ministry
of education programme called BEAM is paying for her fees.

You know what Nyari? I am working very hard this term. I want to beat my last term’s
result. Mother promised me a holiday trip to visit Uncle Jacob in Mutare if I did better.
That would be wonderful wouldn’t it? I could then meet you there during the holiday, and
then you could show me around the city.

Please try to work hard also. Pass my greetings to Thokozile and Tatenda.
What happened to the photo you promised me?

Your loving friend

Shumirai

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Exercise 6.6
Guided Composition
Write a friendly or informal letter to your cousin who lives in another part of the country.
Your letter should be between 80-120 words in length. You may include the following
points or any other you may think of to write your letter. Share the following with your
cousin:
- What you have been doing since you saw him or her last
- What your plans for an upcoming holiday are
- How your family is doing
- Anything else you would like to share or ask
• Remember the characteristics of a friendly or informal letter.

Exercise 6.7
Word search. Find the words below.

ENTIRE
INTERVIEW
MONUMENT
CONCERN
GAZE
LAWYER
RESCUE
DISTURB
HEROES
LEDGE
SOLVE
SPLINTER
WORKSHOP
TARGET
THEME
BELIEFS

87
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Read the letter below and answer the questions that follow.

2442 Gwabalanda
Post Office Luveve
Bulawayo
25 May 2020

Dear Selena,
I would like to apologise to you genuinely for the horrible blunder that happened on my
part. I really don’t know how to convince you to believe that I honestly find myself to
be at fault and that is why I want to apologise for the mistake. I have no idea what befell
me that very moment when I doubted a friend as true as you. Please forgive me for all
the wrong doings and the words that I shot at you without thinking for once how much it
could hurt you. I seriously did not mean any of the dirty things, all I said was out of some
fit of anger that took over me due to that incident.
I clearly remember you being with me throughout the party, yet I somehow doubted you
of having taken my phone. Trust me, somewhere at the back of my mind I was very sure
that you could not just do that ever; but I was out of my senses then when I could not
find the phone around me. Later when I found somebody else to be the mastermind, I
was more ashamed than angry. I was ashamed for I had suspected my best friend. I wish
I could rewind the entire episode and change the climax in a way that we recognize the
culprit there itself and I can apologise to you in public, which I will surely do the very
next time we get together.
I hope you still believe me and in our friendship. I am really, very sorry for my misbehaviour.
Please forgive \me for the last time.
Your friend,

Diana

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Multiple Choice
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer
1. The name of writer was -----------.
a. Friend
b. Diana
c. Selena
d. Dear

2. When you wrong someone you ---------.

a. don’t care
b. feel happy
c. forget
d. apologize

3. Diana ---------- that her friend had stolen her phone.

a. suspected
b. saw
c. head
d. decided

4. Diana felt -------- for her misbehavior.

a. good
b. shame
c. ashamed
d. forgiven

5. Diana lives in -------------------- town.

a. Bulawayo
b. Gwabalanda
c. Luveve
d. town

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Comprehension
Read the letter above and answer the following questions giving your answers in full.
1. Why did Diana decide to write an apologetic letter to her friend?
2. According to the letter what relationship was their between Selena and Diana?
3. Who had stolen the phone.
4. When Diana wrote the letter, she was asking for -----------.
5. What does the word rewind mean according to the way it was used in the letter?
6. If you were Diana’s friend how would you react after reading the letter. Will you
continue being friends? Explain.
7. From your own understanding, what lesson do you get from the passage?
8. From the contents of the letter, what do you think had happened between Diana and
her friend?

90
 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 2

ENGLISH PAPER 1

READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLYAND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

WHICH FOLLOW

Independence Day
On Independence Day this year we went to the Sports Stadium. There were crowds of
people. They sat on the seats around the large stadium .In the morning we watched groups
of traditional dancers and listened to choirs singing special songs. We clapped our hands
and sang some of the songs too. Everyone was happy and there was much laughter.
There was food for everyone in the middle of the day and something to drink. After that
several speakers spoke to us all. They told us to work hard to help the country develop.
Finally there was a football match, which was very exciting. Then we all went home.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Where did the writer go on Independence Day?
A. to the Heroes Acre B. to the museum
C. to the stadium D. to the party

2. What did they find at the stadium?

A. crowds of people B. cars
C. animals D. horses

3. Traditional dancers and choirs performed -----

A. in the evening B. in the afternoon
C. in the morning D. the next day

4. The food at the stadium was------

A. too little B. enough for everyone
C. for speakers D. drinks only

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5. When did the writer go home?
A. after the match B. before the match
C. in the middle of the day D. after lunch

6. Which word in the passage means a large group of people gathered in one place?
A. speakers B. match
C. crowds D. dancers

LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
GIVE THE OPPOSITE OF THE UNDERLINED WORDS
7. He departed from home yesterday.
A. went B. come C. arrived D. escaped

8. Bruce has drawn a bad picture of himself.

A. wrong B. correct C. good D. dull

9. Buses are usually cheaper than planes.

A. cheapest B. expensive C. faster D. slow

CHOOSE THE BEST WORD TO FILL IN THE SENTENCES

10. The cars stretched for a kilometre____________the street.
A. along B. on C. across D. towards.

11. His father __________the car into the garage.

A. placed B. put C. parked D. ran

12. This is the boy ________father is blind.

A. whom B. whose C. where D. who

13. The old blind man died _________hunger.

A. among B. between C. of D. by

14. We all ________the street when the cars stopped.

A. crossed B. stopped C. slept D. ran

15. If I _________rich I would help all the blind people.

A. am B. were C. was D. will

92
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLYAND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
WHICH FOLLOW

Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. In the past African leaders held
meetings on the mountain. Whenever an African leader was installed or when there is
drought, and people had to ask for rain, elders climbed up the mountain. There, they
held secret meetings. Only a few selected elders who knew the belief of the people were
allowed on the mountain.
Before visitors could climb up the mountain, they were advised to seek special permission
from the local elders. They were advised to kneel down, take off their shoes and clap
hands as they ask for guidance. They had to climb up and down using the same route.
Failing to do so would result in strange accidents.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
16. Which is the highest mountain in Africa?
A. Nyangani B. Kilimanjaro
C. Everest D. all high mountains

17. Meetings were held when there was ___________.

A. too much rain B. a serious illness
C. hunger and chief installation D. good harvest

18. What do visitors seek for from elders before climbing up the mountain?
A. rain B. special permission
C. a new chief D. secret meeting

19. There are _________things they are advised to do when asking for guidance.
A. three B. four C. five D. six

20. What would happen if one climbed the mountain using a different route? He
would_____.
A. take off shoes B. clap hands
C. kneel down D. get into strange accidents

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21. _______were allowed on the mountain.
A. many people B. only a few elders
C. young and old people D. foreigners.

LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
CHOOSE THE BEST WORD TO FILL IN THE SENTENCES
22. Mount Everest is __________than Mount Kilimanjaro.
A. highest B. higher C. high D. height

23. Children were not __________to play near the mountain.

A. allowed B. aloud C. alowed D. alloud.

24. The bees on the mountain ________round and round.

A. splashed B. buzzed C. cracked D. swarm

25. The visitors fastened their shoe laces because they were__________.
A. loss B. loose C. lose D. losing

USE THE RIGHT TENSE

26. All the money was ------by the thieves.

A. stole B. steal C. stealing D. stolen

CHOOSE THE BEST WORD OR WORDS TO COMPLETE EACH OF THE

FOLLOWING SENTENCES.
27. Please stay here---- 4 o’clock
A. at B. in C. on D. until

28. Mr Makamba cannot buy the car because he doesn’t have--- money.
A. little B. enough C. many D. few
29. We want to go ------tomorrow.
A. there B. their C. they D. them

94
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLYAND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
WHICH FOLLOW

The Bee City

Bees were on earth before man, they have lived together in well run bee cities for thousands
of years. Within the bee city there are streets. The streets are very narrow. The bees make
them just a little more than 10cm wide.
The bee city has policeman. But they never have to keep order. The only job of the police
is to keep robbers and enemies away from the hive. They are ready to fight anything or
anyone, no matter how big. If the police need help, other bees in the hive will come. It is
the worker bees that serve as police.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
30. How long have bees lived in the bee cities?
A. few years B. hundreds of years
C. thousands of years D. five years.
31. The…………… bees serve as the police.
A. streets B. worker C. enemies D. robbers.

32. How wide are the streets in the bee cities?

A. about 5cm B. exactly 10cm
C. just less than D. a little more than 10cm.

33. What is the duty of the police bees?

A. to keep away enemies and robbers B. to make honey
C. to fight the worker bees D. to bear more bees for the queen.

34. Bees live in a ………………….

A. forest B. hive C. city-centre D. street.

95
LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER TO COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES.
35. I was disturbed by a…………of bees.
A. troop B. swarm C. herd D. pack.

36. The boy who was bitten by the bees has a…………head.
A. swollen B. sore C. broken D. fractured

37. I saw the bees yesterday………………………I?

A. didn’t B. aren’t C. wasn’t D. isn’t.

38. She prefers honey…………………sugar.

A. more than B. to C. for D. but.

39. The --------- maintains order in the school

A. police B. prefect C. pastor D. referee

READ THE FOLLOWING LETTER CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

WHICH FOLLOW
Kadoma Primary School
Private Bag 35
Kadoma

03 March 2010

Dear Tendai

I am writing this letter to tell you about my teacher. She is kind and lovely. Her name is
Mrs. Msipa. She comes from Kwekwe. She is light in complexion. Mrs. Msipa is average
in height. She likes hard working pupils. Netball is her favourite ball game. She has three

96
children. The first born is fifteen years old, the other one is eleven years old and the last
born is eight years old. She lives in Weverly.
I would be very happy if you would reply telling me about your teacher.

How are you? I am fine. Pass my greetings to your parents and friends particularly Simba
and Samuel.

Your friend

Norman

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
40. To whom was the letter written?
A. Simba B. Norman C. Tendai D. Samuel

41. What is Mrs. Msipa’s favourite sport?

A. football B. netball C. ball game D. volleyball

42. Where does Mrs. Msipa live?

A. Kadoma B. Weverly C. Gweru D. Harare

43. How old is her last child?

A. fifteen years old B. eight years old
C. eleven years old D. ten years old

44. Who wrote the letter?

A. Tendai B. Norman C. Msipa D. Samuel

45. When was the letter written?

A. 03 June 2010 B. 03 May 2010 C. 03 March 2010 D. 03 July 2010

97
LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
FIND THE RIGHT WORD
46. --------enforces the law.
A. The policemen B. The teacher
C. pupils D. The parents

47. A ---------- leads a soccer team.

A. coach B. captain C. referee D. player

WHICH WORD IS CORRECTLY SPELT?

48. A. beleive B. beleve C. believe D. beleivie .

CHOOSE THE CORRECTLY PUNCTUATED SENTENCE

49. A. “Beware of the bees said mother.”

B. “Beware of the bees, said mother.
C. “Beware of the bees, “said mother.”
D. “Beware of the bees,” said mother.

50. A. Steve lots of fruits eat.

B. Steve fruits eat a lot of
C. Steve eats a lot of fruits.
D. Steve of fruits lots eat.

98
ENGLISH PAPER 2
Section A (20 MARKS)
Answer either (a) or (b)
Either (a)
(a) Write a letter to your friend telling him or her about your Sports day at your school.
Include the following points and any other you may think of:
- What was the sport?
- When did it happen?
- Which schools came?
- What time did they start?
- What was your main event you took part in?
- Who won the competitions?
- Why do you remember this day?

(b) Write a composition about your friend. Use the following points and others you may
think of:
- What is his or her name?
- How old is he or she?
- What she or he looks likes?
- Where he or she lives?
- Where he or she learns?
- What grade she or he is in?
- What is her or his favourite food?
- What is his or her favourite sport?
- His or her likes and dislikes
- What you like about your friend?

99


Section B (10 MARKS)

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow

The Bees
In Africa people have been keeping bees for many years. In Zimbabwe the main area
for bee-keeping is Manicaland. People make bee hives and the bees stay inside making
honey. The bees need honey in winter when they cannot get sweet juices of flowers called
nectar. Honey is bees’ food. If too much of their honey is taken the bees will die.

Comprehension questions
1. Name the people who have been keeping bees for years? (1)
2. Which part of Zimbabwe is best for bee keeping? (1)
3. Who make bee hives? (1)
4. Where do bees live? (1)
5. ------------- make the honey. (1)
6. When do bees need honey? (1)
7. What is the name of the sweet juices? (1)
8. Bees get nectar from ------------- (1)

100
 Unit 7. Announcements

Vocabulary Box
Advertisement- commercial solicitation designed to sell some commodity or service
Announcement – a notice
Broadcast - to transmit by radio or television, or a radio or television transmission
Editorial – a newspaper article written by the editor that gives an opinion
Headline - a heading or title of an article
Invitation - requesting of a person’s company
Journalism – the activity or profession of writing for newspapers or news
RSVP – “respondez s’il vous plait” in French, or « please respond »
Venue – the location of the event

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
How do your teachers make announcements at your school?
Can you identify any instrument used to make announcement?
Have you ever attended a birthday party? If yes, how did you get the invitation mes-sage?

There are a variety ways of making announcement. In this unit, we are going explore
a number of ways of making announcements, the information they should contain, and
practice making them ourselves.

Announcements are made to share information with a certain group of people. This
information can be about an event that will take place, an opportunity for people to apply
or participate in, showing something that is for sale, a warning or advice, or a general
sharing of important information.

101
Announcements can be pamphlets, cards, posted on notice boards, sent through emails or
advertised in newspapers depending on what is being
announced, the pur-pose, and intended audience.

Below are examples of announcements:

Ministry of Health and Child Care :
Due to the covid-19 citizens are required to wash
hands with running water for 20 sec-onds from time
to time.
An announcement that is meant to inform the
general public, raise awareness, change behaviour
and public attitudes. They can be videos or posters,
pamphlets or pictures with text.

Informational:
This announcement shows an upcoming event that the public should be aware of or
recognise.

An announcement of land for sale:

102
You have probably seen an advertisement in the newspaper or on television of things for
sale. This is a kind of announcement.
A birth announcement:
A birth announcement can appear in a newspaper or posted on a public building. It shares
the news that a new baby has been born. Marriage announcements can also be found here
as well.

Tawana Dube and Bradley Ncube of Gweru

announce the birth of their son, Luckson
Carter. Luckson was born at 4:14 p.m. on
Monday, May 4, 2020, at Presbyterian
Hospital in Gweru. He weighed 3.62
kilograms and measured 50.8 centimeters in
length. Maternal grandparents are David and
Ginnifer Dube.

Exercise 7.1
Look at the announcement above:
Read through them to see if you can identify the following information:
1. Who is posting the announcement
2. Who the announcement is for
3. What the announcement is about
4. Contact information (if applicable)

Some announcements come as written notices and can be posted on the wall of a public
building, an office building, a library. Read the notice below and answer questions that
follow:

103
 ATTENTION - WARD 3 RESIDENTS

There is a mobile registration team from the Provincial Registry Office which will be
stationed at Madabe Primary School in order to assist those without birth certificates
and National Identity Cards.
The exercise will run from the fifth to the 15th of June 2020. This is to assist those
who face challenges in accessing the District Registry Offices due to transportation
costs. Pass on the message so that it reaches everyone in the ward.
Thank you.

The Registrar General

Mat South Province

From the announcement, you are able to gather the following information:
• What is the topic of the announcement? Helping
residents obtain birth certificates and National
Identity Cards
• Who wrote the notice? The Registrar General
• Who is the announcement for? Those who cannot
access the District Registry Office
• When is the event? 5th – 15th of June 2020
• Where will the event take place? Madabe Primary
School

You will notice that some announcements can be:

• a written note and stuck on shop walls.
• a horn can be blown to announce something
• some can be verbally where a drum can be beaten
and people gather at a certain place and get the
announcement
• at school usually a bell is rung and learners gather
at their assembly point for announcement.
• announcements for birthday and other events,
invitation cards are sent to the invitees to notify
them.

104
Here is an example of a blank announcement.
What do you think this card can be used to
announce?

An announcement for an event should have the

following information:
• Name or event
• Time of event
• Location of event
• Who is organizing or hosting the event
• The phone number, email address, or
person you should respond to

On an announcement for an event, there may be a line that says “RSVP…”. This means
“répondez s’il vous plait” in French, or “please respond”. This is to whom you should
respond if you will or will not attend.
Headlines also show important news stories on newspapers
Take a look at the above newspaper sample to see what information we can gather from it.
• What is the name of the newspaper?
• When was this published?
• List the three headlines?

Exercise 7.2
Create an Announcement
Think of an event that you would like to host or that is coming up in your family. Create
an announcement for this event and share it with the people who will be invited.

105
Exercise 7.3

Design your own birthday invitations

You will need the following materials:
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Assorted coloured pencils
• Wax crayon
• Paint
• Plain hard paper (any colour)

Directions:
1. Design your own birthday invitation
cards. Use the picture above as an
example, but do not copy it. NB if
you have a ICT gadget such as a computer, laptop or smartphone you can use it to
make your birthday invitation card.

2. Your card should have all the necessary information needed by your invitees, for
example:
• Name or event
• Date and time of event
• Location of event
• Who is organising or hosting the event
• The phone number, email address, or person you should respond to
• You can include any decorations you would like.

Exercise 7.4
Creating a Newspaper
Pretend you are a news reporter. Your job is to write the news of the day. Create one news
story and write it down as if it would appear in a newspaper. Gather the news reports from
your friends and create a newspaper with all of the reports.
Take turns to read the stories before displaying them somewhere.

106
 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Multiple Choice Exercise

Read the passage and complete the sentence by choosing the correct answer.

Announcement Letter: Change of job position and company

To Mendy and friends,

Life is always full of surprises, twists, turns, and new opportunities. Just over five years
ago, I joined Zimnat Life Assurance company. I thought I would be there for a long time.
Then out of the blue, I received a contract letter I couldn’t refuse. Old Mutual life gave me
an offer to become their Regional Sales Manager. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

Old Mutual life Assurance is a $1 billion company with around 2000 employees
nationwide. Their range of products is vast and their marketing is aggressive. My official
starting date is 22 June 2020.

One of the things I have learnt from this transition is the importance of staying in touch
with friends and associates. Therefore, I want to give you my new address and telephone
number hoping that we can stay in touch and I can introduce you and your company
to Old Mutual line of products: 24 Newmansford Avenue, Kingsdale. Bulawayo, Cell
Number +263 775230385.

Again, I want to thank you for your years of friendship and support. I will be in touch.

From Leorah

107
1. The writer was announcing her ______________.
a. new job
b. address
c. business
d. friendship

2. What was the name of the company the writer worked for before she got a new
contract?
a. zimta
b. Old Mutual
c. Zimnat life assurance
d. First mutual

3. According to the way it is used in the passage, the word aggressive

means_________________.
a. weak
b. passive
c. non profiting
d. Not afraid of opposition and able to ague powerfully

4. The writer of the announcement stays in which city?

a. Bulawayo
b. Masvingo
c. Harare
d. Gweru

5. Find a word in the passage that means the same as chances?

a. associates
b. opportunities
c. friendship
d. contract

108
Comprehension
Read the announcement letter again and answer the following questions.
1. Why did the writer write the letter?
2. What is the name of the company the writer was moving to?
3. Associates means __________________.
4. What was the writer’s new post?
5. For how long had the writer been working for Zimnat life Assurance?
6. From the letter, what tells us that Leorah did not want to lose her friends?
7. What is a contract?
8. The word refuse can mean the same as --------- from the passage.

Exercise 7.5
Imagine that you are the chairperson of the organizing committee of your school. Your
school is intending to host a cluster soccer tournament. Design and write an announcement
to notify people of the local community to come and support using the correct format.

Guidance note
You may use the following points or any other to write your announcement:
• To whom is it written?
• When will the event take place?
• Who are the participants?
• Any important people invited to attend
• Any prizes to be won

You have come to the end of this unit. You have worked hard and done well !!!

109
 Unit 8. Formal or Business Letters

Vocabulary Box
Ability - being able to do
Confident - very sure of something
Favourite - preferred or liked above all
Mention - to make a short reference to something
Open minded - willing to consider new and different ideas or opinions
Public speaking - act of speaking to a group of people in a structured manner
Quiz - a competition in and answering of questions.

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson

Formal Letters
Have you ever written a letter to someone whom you do not know? Or received a letter
from someone you do not know? You probably noticed that the way the letter was written
was different the one you would have written to your friend. There are two types of letters:
business or formal letter, and friendly or informal letter. We learned about a friendly or an
informal letter in Unit 7.
A business or formal letter is a type of letter written for business matters. When you want
to apply for a school place, permission to visit a place, request information or order a
product, make an application for employment or even complain about services, you will
need to write a business letter. This type of letter must be written in a formal way and
must focus strictly on the purpose for which it has been written.
When writing a business or formal letter, there are some general rules to be followed.
Read the following to familiarise yourself with some of these rules:

• Think of whom you are communicating with.

• Choose right words to use in order to achive desired results

110
 • The communication channel is formal.
• Keep the language as simple as possible
• Be simple and straight forward
• Be sure of what you want to communicate or talk about. Do not take long on
your draft.
• Prepare a first or draft a copy and then final copy
• Edit your letter for mistakes.
• It must have two addresses.

There are also certain styles of writing a business or formal letter. The following chart
outlines some of the ways informal letter writing style differs from formal letter writing.

Here are some examples of formal styles of writing a letter:

Formal

I have been here…

Use of
contractions (contractions are not
allowed to use)
I write to inform you that…
Formality in
phrases
(use more formal phrasing and words)
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future…
Use of slang
(use of slang is not allowed)
Your faithfully/Yours sincerely…
Words
expressing level
of familiarity (use more formal,
professional words)

111
 FORMAL LETTER

Characteristics of a formal letter

A formal letter has two addresses all positioned on one side either left
or right - your address and the address of where the letter is going. A
Address
formal letter should have two addresses, either one to the right and the
other on the left or your can have the two on the left side.

Date Should be one and written under the address after skipping a line.

Salutation write ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ because you do not know the receiver.

Can be written in capital letters or small letters. However when written

in small letters the reference should be underlined.
Reference
When the reference is written in capital letters, it should not be
underlined.

Body Letters should explain exactly what is needed.

• This is where the writer will sign his or her name.

For example ‘Yours faithfully, K Mavundla’.
Closure
• When you use someone’s name on the salutation, in the closure
you use Yours sincerly

112
Formal letters do not require the use of punctuation on the address, date and salutation.

Address of
Maninji Primary School the writer on
Post Office Box 56 top right hand
corner
Plumtree
Date under the
12 July 2015 address on the
right
Address of The Head
the institution
where the
Matshamhlophe Primary school
letter is going Post Office Box 10
on the left Plumtree
hand side

Dear Sir/ Madam/Dr/Mr/Mrs The subject in

capital letters
Salutation or small letters
RE: Request to use your premises for the upcoming zonal underlined with
(Dear Sir/
Madam) meeting the key words in
capital letter.

I am writing this letter requesting for permission to use your

premises as a venue for the upcoming zonal meeting that will
be held on the 29th of this month. The main body of
The ending the letter, block
paragraphed
(Yours Twenty seven people are expected to attend this crucial
faithfully/ meeting. We will also need a separate room where we will
Yours
put our belongings while attending the meeting.
sincerely)

I am looking forward to your kind response.

Yours faithfully
Writer’s name
and surname
Ndabezinhle Mhlanga

(School head)

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Fundakuhle School
Post Office Box 767
Nkayi

24 september 2019

The Editorial Manager

Tavonga Book Publishers

Post Office Box 223
Gweru

Dear Sir/Madam

RE: REQUEST FOR BOOKS.

I am the student librarian at Fundakuhle School. Parents at our school have recently
converted one classroom into a library and we are all excited about it.
Our problem now is where to find books to stock that library. While a sizeable number
of books have so far been collected most of the books are outdated, old, torn and
unsuitable for students.
We are kindly requesting your publishing company to donate any publications that you
may think may be useful to the students. We would also appreciate it if we could get a
set of encyclopedia for use as reference books.
We look forward to your support.

Yours sincerely

Simangaliso P Mhlanga

114
Exercise 8.1
Write a formal letter expressing your interest in applying for a Form One place at the
boarding school of your choice. Your letter should be between 80-120 words in length.
You may include the following points and many other you may think of to write your
letter.
• What is your name, age and sex
• Your favourite subject.
• Where you learn
• Your hobbies, likes and dislikes
• Why you would like to attend the school
• Why you think you should be offered a place
You can add any other points of your choice

Intensifiers
Intensifiers are used to add emphasis. They are usually adverbs or adverbial phrases.
These are the most common words used as intensifiers: Absolutely, complete, extremely,
highly, rather, really, so, too, totally, utterly, very, at and all.
See the examples of how intensifiers enhance what is being conveyed in the sentence:
a) It is too hot to play games today.
b) Tom is so tired today from the athletics competition.
c) Susan is very dirty today.

When we use an intensifier, we get a sense that something is happening a lot more than
usual, a lot less than usual, or there is a strong or weak preference or feeling for something.

Exercise 8.2

Intensifiers
Fill in the gap with the correct intensifier.

fairly quite rather so too very really

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1. This is __________ an interesting movie.
2. Why is he __________ upset with you?
3. You are __________ tall compared to your brother.
4. Why is it __________ difficult for you to tell the truth?
5. I think his projects are __________ innovative.
6. I am __________ eager to go on this trip.
7. She has __________ an elevated vocabulary.
8. I was __________ close to finding out the truth.
9. She is not __________ a bad person after all.
10. His speech was __________ boring that I left.

Phonic sounds:
A digraph is a single sound represented by two letters. For example:
ch as in church ng as in king ph as in phone
sh as in shoe th as in then wh as in wheel

Exercise 8.3
Circle the digraphs in the following words:
doing character speaking school
headmaster hereby twelve year

A trigraph is a single sound represented by three letters. For example:
sch as in schedule thr as in through spr as in spray
str as in straight scr as in scroll

Exercise 8.4
Make more words using the trigraph(make different words) :
1. sch______
2. thr______
3. spr______
4. str______
5. scr______

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Exercise 8.5
Make 5 sentences using the
a) digraphs(5)
b) trigraph (5)

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 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Luveve Primary School

Post office Box 20
Luveve
Bulawayo

19 May 2020

The Headmaster
Matopo High School
Post Office Box 302
Matopo

Dear Sir/Madam

RF: Application for a form one place

I hereby apply for a form one place at your school. My name is Thuto Thato Nare. I
am a twelve-year-old boy. My favourite subjects are Mathematics and English. I am a
good mannered boy and a prefect at the school. I also take part in sporting activities like
volleyball and tennis. I also like quiz and public speaking, which make me open minded
and confident. For character and ability, I refer you to my present Head Mr D. Ndlela.

I look forward for a favourable response.

Yours sincerely

Thuto Thato Nare

Read the following letter and answer the following questions:

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Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answer based on the letter read.
1. The writer`s name is _____
A. Thuto Thato Nare
B. Mr.D Ndlela
C. Sir
D. Madam

2. How old was the writer______

A. twelf years
B. not given
C. twelve years
D. nineteen years

3. The writer was applying for_____

A. position in a volleyball team
B. place to join the quiz team
C. place to head the school
D. form one place

4. Was the writer a male or a female______?

A. male
B. both
C. female
D. man

5. To whom was the letter addressed______?

A. Sir
B. Head
C. Madam
D. Thuto Thato Nare

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Comprehension
Answer the following questions with complete sentences and correct punctuation.

1. Who wrote the letter?

2. Who should receive the letter?
3. Where is Luveve Primary School?
4. Why was the letter written?
5. What type of letter is this and why?

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 Unit 9. Completing Forms

Vocabulary Box
Applicant – one who applies for the place or position.
C.V. – curriculum vitae, a document that lists someone’s life work
DOB – acronym for the Date Of Birth
Guardian – someone who watches, or protects, or one who is legally acting as a
parent
M – acronym for marital status
Professionals - people who earn a living from a specific kind of work in which they
trained for such as a pilot or a doctor or an author
S – acronym for sex

Mini Lesson

Completing forms
When completing a form we need to provide information that is relevant, accurate and
being requested for. For example, we may need to provide information about ourselves
for example if we are completing a passport form. It is important to follow all of the
instructions carefully. All forms should be completed truthfully providing accurate
information. It is important to complete all the requested information.

Forms are common and are usually used for the following:
• To get a place at a school or institution
• When applying for a birth certificate or a passport.
• When applying to open a bank account.
• When applying to undergo an operation at a hospital.
• When applying to join a club or a cooperative.
• Completing forms at school.
• Completing social record for learners.

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Use the following recommendations when filling out any application:
1. Read through the form first before writing anything on it.
2. Find out the meaning of any acronym or abbreviation before completing the form.
3. Complete the form using clear writing at all times.
4. Always complete the form by providing correct information as lying is a crime.
5. Always sign the application form as evidence of total agreement of the form.
6. Do not leave any blank/unfilled spaces in a form.
7. Use blue or black ink when completing a form – read the application first to see if
there is a preference for either blue or black.

Below is an example of a form to join a school club:

Often times, you will need to submit other documentation along with an application. This
can include a passport size photo, original or a photocopy of a birth certificate or other
official document, a list of references or people who would recommend you, copy of
your ID, or other similar identifying information. In some application forms, rather than
having a line to write your information on, you must write your information in boxes,
with one letter per box. Here is an example:
In this case, you must write one letter per box.
M U B A I W A

Some forms also have a space that says “For Official Use Only”. Do not write anything in
this space as it is meant for those who will process your application.

Names Referring to your first name or names as they appear in your birth
certificate
Surname As it appears on your birth certificate or national identity card.
S/Sex An acronym for Sex. It defines gender as in female or male. The
acronym M can be used for Male or F can be used for female.
DOB An acronym for Date Of Birth. This is usually written showing the
day of birth, month of birth and the year of birth such as 01-01-20
for 1 January 2020.
M/Marital Status An acronym for marital status, its either you are S …. an acronym
for Single or you are M ….. an acronym for Married.
Signature Refers to one’s mark of writing or giving evidence of endorsing
rights.
Date Refers to the date this form was complete

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When completing a form, there are usually standard things that you must provide. For example,

Form to Join a School Club

Names ………………………………………………………..................................

Surname …………………………………...............................................................

Grade …………………………................................................................................

Sex ………………………………………................................................................

DOB ……………………………………................................................................

Age ………………………………………...............................................................

Name of the club …………………………………………………..........................

Reason for joining the club …………………………………...................................

………………………………………………………………………………….….

…………………………………………………......................................................

Applicant’s signature ………………………………………………........................

Class teacher comments ……………………………………...................................

………………………………………………………………………………….…..

…………………………………………………………...........................................

Class teacher’s name ………………………………………………........................

Class teacher’s signature …………………………………………..........................

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Exercise 9.1
Complete the form
You are planning a trip to visit your older sister who is studying in South Africa. You need
a passport in order to travel. Complete the passport application form below so that you
can apply for your passport.

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Exercise 9.2
Complete the section of the application below.
Use a blue or black pen only. Use capital letters to complete this form.

Exercise 9.3
Word game.
Make as many words as possible from the letters in the table below. Use one letter once
in a word.
for example: DOG
Can you make 10 more words?

P A E T
R N C D
I S B L
F O G J
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 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Look at the following form and answer questions that follow:

Form to Join a School Club

Names : Ruth.
Surname: Ndlovu.
Grade: 7 Blue
Sex : Female
DOB: 30/11/2008
Age: 12 years old

Name of the club: Sign language

Reason for joining the club- I want to learn to speak in sign language so that
I can communicate with the deaf and dump people.

Applicant’s signature: rt

Class teacher comments: Ruth is a good and well behaved girl. She is hard
working and works well with others. She can add value to your club.

Class teacher’s name: Mrs Marumahoko.

Class teacher’s signature: marut

1. The form is for_____?

2. Who completed the form?
3. When was the person born?
4. What is the sex of the person who completed the form?
5. Which club helps learners to how to speak with the deaf and dump?

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Guided Composition
Complete the following bank withdrawal.
Received From SAVINGS WITHDRAWAL
GENERAL BANK WITHDRAWAL

Date

Dollars $

Print Name

Signature
NOT NEGOTIABLE TO BE USED ONLY AT COUNTER BY DEPOSITOR

Language is key in communication.

GOOD LUCK !!!!!!

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 Unit 10. Media and websites

Vocabulary Box
Advertisement – a notice or announcement in a public space promoting something
Bias – prejudice in favour or against one thing, person, or group that is considered
to be unfair
Email – electronic messages sent from one computer to another
Qualifications – a quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable for a
particular job or activity
Rooster- A male chicken/ cock

MY TOOLBOX FOR LEARNING

Mini Lesson
Electronic media is quickly becoming the common method of communication for news,
announcements, advertisements and general information. ICT has helped learners to
research and easily access information in the comfort of their homes.
For example, you may have heard some of the following terms:
These terms are important to know and understand when it comes to being a smart user
and consumer of media. Look at the following media stories and compare what they are
saying and how they are saying it.

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Each news source is portraying the same topic but from different angles. This shows the
bias that each news source has. They are each writing from their own perspective, or view
point. This is why we can have two different articles on the same topic, but with very
different messages. It also shows the audience who the news piece is intended for.

Part of understanding news is being able to identify facts versus opinion. Facts can
be proven. Opinions are one’s own feelings or thoughts. See the sentences below to
differentiate between fact and opinion.

Fact: Learners who will achieve highest grades at Grade 7 in the mid-years will be
recognised.
Opinion: The red velvet cake Mrs. Sibanda made was delicious.

Fact: Jethro Tull was a famous inventor.

Opinion: I really enjoyed the football match last weekend.

Being able to distinguish fact from opinion is an important skill to have. It will allow you
to read different new sources and make an informed decision as to what is factual and true
and what is simply someone’s own thoughts, or even something presented as fact but is
not. The internet has many websites that pose as factual websites, but in reality present
news that is not true.

Exercise 10.1

Compare the following two news stories.

Read the following news stories. Share how they are different and how they are similar.
• Which one is based on fact and which one is based on opinion and why?
• Which one do you think is based in factual data and why?
• Explain your arguments

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Exercise 10.2
Matching Headlines
Match the newspaper headline with the correct article summary.

There was no one ‘patient zero’ that started the

UK epidemic research shows.

Some locations on Earth, such as the UK, will be

pictured at high resolution up to 12 times a day

China removes pangolins from its official list of

trditional Chinese medicine treatments reports
say.

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Exercise 10.3
Fact or Opinion
Read each statement and then circle whether it is a fact or opinion. If it is a fact, explain
how it can be proven. If it is an opinion, simply write that it cannot be proven.
1. I can see the mountains from my window. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
2. There are too many people on the planet. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
3. My dog’s name is Danger. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
4. A rooster woke me up this morning. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
5. Earth is the third planet from the sun. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
6. My mother makes the best pancakes. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
7. Victoria Falls is located along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Fact or
Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________

131
8. My aunt is the best musician in the orchestra. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
9. My father is a mail post man. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________
10. Smoking should be illegal. Fact or Opinion
How can this be proven? _______________________________

Below is an advertisement for a job opening.

An Address of the company

Film Fellowship Officer: Magamba Network

10 Blackwall drive
Minimum
Kumusha
qualifications and
Competences required experience
30 June 2020

General duties and

Contact information for
Re: ARTS4CHANGE responsibilities
applications

Magamba Network, Zimbabwe’s trailblazing creative and digital media organisation, is

looking for a young, dynamic Project Officer.
We are launching Arts4Change, a brand new project that will use film, music and art to
creatively promote accountability. The project will house the Film Fellowship initiative
which will mentor young filmmakers to create films that promote accountability. We are
looking for a talented Project Officer who would run the Film Fellowship initiative on a
day-to-day basis, mentor young filmmakers and provide creative input to this new film
mentorship and production project. The individual would report to the Arts4Change
Project Coordinator. The individual would need to be skilled in Project Management,
have good interpersonal skills and be passionate about film. A background in film and/
or TV production is required.
The successful candidate will be a creative and experienced film professional with
a background in film, journalism and/or digital media, as well as competencies in
project management. It is key that the individual is a team player and works well in a
collaborative environment.
The candidate should be methodical, well organised and have the ability to manage
multiple priorities. This post is being offered on a fixed term contract basis.

132
If you are interested and you meet these qualifications, you can respond by writing
an application letter as a response. When responding you need to use the appropriate
business language. Furthermore, you should not use jokes but be formal and honest. It is
also essential to meet the deadline and provide all of the documentation requested.

Exercise 10.4
1. What is the name of the company offering the job in the advertisement?
2. What are the duties and responsibility for the applicant?
3. What are the minimum qualifications for the applicant?
4. What is the deadline for the application?
5. The applicant will report to who if they get the job?

Job Advertisement

A job advert is a special type of an advertisement that is intended to inform the public of a
job vacancy. People may respond if they are interested and qualified for the position. It is
special in the sense that it has a specific target group. Job advertisements can be found in
newspapers, posted somewhere in town, or online. A job advertisement has the following:
• The name of the company offering the job
• The type of job offered together with the job description
• Qualifications required
• A time frame for application
• An address (physical or email) of the company
• Contact details

Exercise 10.5

Create a job advertisement

Pretend that you work for an agency that has a job opening. Create an advertisement
for this position to post online and in the newspaper. Include the following in your job
advertisement:
• Title of position
• Responsibilities of the position
• Qualifications required
• Location

133
 • When the applications are due by
• Contact information for where to send the applications

Exercise 10.6
Create a news item
1. Decide on a topic that you will present as news on TV.
2. Present the news topic showing your bias and perspective.
3. Write a script
4. You can present the topic to your friend or anyone at home.

Exercise 10.7
Sequencing Events
In the story below, pay particular attention to the order of events within the passage. There
are many signal words that can indicate the order of events. Read the following entry and
then order the events at the bottom of sheet with the numbers 1-6; based on the sequence
of events that took place.
Cameron the Relay Machine was a star swimmer at Eldred Middle School. He had been
swimming competitively since he was five years old. He was to swim in three events
and one relay at the meet on Tuesday. As always, Cameron had his signature bowl of
spaghetti and meatballs before preparing for the meet. He also always has a Rice Krispies
bar immediately following his warm up routine. When he prepares for a meet, the first
thing that he does is stretch his muscles and warm-up by running in place, immediately
after stretching. Then, he does ten push-ups followed by a run up and down the middle
school bleachers. Cameron swam well. He placed first twice and got a third place in the
500 meter butterfly stroke. He truly dominated the relay getting his team a two-lap lead
by the time he got out of the water.

Place the events in order (1 being first) by using 1-6:

____ Cameron ate a Rice Krispies bar.
____ Cameron ran up and down the bleachers.
____ He did push-ups.
____ Cameron won his first swimming event.
____ Cameron ate meatballs and spaghetti.
____ He stretched his muscles.

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 EXAMINATION PRACTICE

Read the article below and then answer the questions that follow.

MUTARE-BASED group Royal Trumpet has produced a video jingle promoting women’s
rights to land ownership. The gospel outfit, led by Benjamin Chimoyo, produced the
video in partnership with the German organisation Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS).
The video which captures how the Zimbabwe Constitution promotes equality and non-
discrimination on the basis of gender regarding ownership of natural resources, was shot
in the scenic Mutasa district in Manicaland province.
KAS project country coordinator Goodhope Ruswa applauded Royal Trumpet for
shooting the video. “Royal Trumpet has done an excellent job. We are impressed by their
creativity and we will continue to value our partnership with them as we seek to advance
and protect women’s land rights as part of the One World No Hunger Project,” he told
NewsDay Life & Style.
“The project seeks to strengthen women’s land rights by engaging traditional leaders and
policymakers. Traditional leaders can act as mediators and advocates for women’s rights.
It is important therefore to find a balance between customary law and general law as to
strengthen women’s rights.”
Ruswa said women had been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it was
important for policymakers to ensure they had access to, and control of land to be able to
end hunger and reduce poverty.
Meanwhile, Chimoyo applauded KAS for choosing their group before urging traditional
leaders to also consider women when parcelling out land. “Women have the right to
own land and property. They have a constitutional mandate to own land, so we are also
speaking to traditional leaders to consider women when giving land; not just married
women, but even those who are widowed,” he said. Royal Trumpet recently released a
five-track album titled Royal Trumpet and several singles.

135
Comprehension.
1. The video mentioned in the article was created to promote ___________.
2. When was the article published and in what news source?
3. What are the two kinds of law related to women’s rights mentioned in the article?
4. The article states that women have been adversely affected by the COVID-19
pandemic. How do you think women have been affected?
5. What is your opinion on women’s rights to own land? Why?

Composition.
You are a news reporter covering some breaking news in your community. Write a brief
article about a recent event that happened in your community. You are writing this article
in order to inform people in your region about what took place. Your article should be
between 80-120 words and should contain the following information:
• What event took place ?
• Where, when and why it took place?
• Who was involved and why?
• What the community’s reaction was?
• If there is going to be anything happening after this event
• What your opinions are on the event?

Critical thinking, problem solving and innovation are the key drivers towards success in
this world. Press on!

136
 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 3

ENGLISH PAPER 1
READ THE PASSAGE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW
Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans died during the liberation struggle. Many were
buried without honour. They still lie in unmarked graves throughout the whole country.
The liberation struggle was a bitter pill to swallow to the majority of the people .The
Rhodesian forces fought against our own brother and sisters who fought for our birthright,
the land. Finally independence came on 18th of April 1980 and Zimbabweans realised
peace after fourteen years of war against the enemy, the whites that time.

1. How many people died during the liberation struggle?

A. One thousand B. Hundreds of thousands C. many D. hundred

2. How many were buried without honour?

A. Many B. Hundred thousand C. A few D. Fifty

3. According to the passage ``a bitter pill to swallow`` means the liberation struggle
was ______________.
A. interesting B. painful C. nice D. like a pill
4. Who fought against our brothers and sisters?
A. Brothers B. Sisters
C. Rhodesian forces D. Fighters
5. When did the country attain it’s independence?
A. 18 April 1980 B.18 April 1981
C. Fourteen years D. 18 years
6. The phrase realises peace according to the passage means__________.
A. to become independent B. be at war
C. to go to war D. to chase whites
7. What did the black people fight for?
A. guns B. whites
C. land D. sisters and brothers
CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES
8. Susan ________the race on Monday.
A. wins B.win C.won D. winner

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9. He ________ the foot prints
A. See B. saw C. seen D. will see
10. I protect myself _________diseases
A. to B. from C. with D. at
11. The boy jumped ___________the fence.
A. over B. on C. against D. besides

READ PASSAGE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS

People belong to many groups. Boys are a group, and so are girls. Then there are groups
of adults and groups of children. There are different schools, clubs and teams. There are
town people and rural people. A person can belong to several groups at the same time. The
most important group is the family, but we belong to other groups too. You belong to a
group of friends, a group of classmates, school, the village and neighbourhood. One very
big group is Zimbabwe as a country.

12. According to the passage people belong to ______________.

A. many groups B. few groups C. one group D. one big group only
13. What is the most important group?
A. Zimbabwe B. club C. family D. friend
14. People who live in town belong to______________.
A. The town group B. Rural group C. school D. club
15. According to passage one very big group is______________.
A. club B. family C. Village D. country
16. Why is family the most important group?
A. People are raised from families
B. People go home every day
C. Family is like Zimbabwe
D. Zimbabwe is good as family

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER TO COMPLETE

17. It was ________ hot that Ruth got tired
A. so B. very C. to D. too
18. She walked very fast and _______ down
A. sat B. sit C. have to sit D. had to sit
19. Mother went to the supermarket and brought a loaf bread, sugar and milk._____ loaf
of bread she bought was on the kitchen table.
A. An B. A C. The D. Same

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20. Her mother said she had turned _______ new leaf.
A. on B. off C. over D. under
21. Rose was the ______ beautiful girl in the neighbourhood.
A. very B. most C. much D. more

READ THE PASSAGE BELOW AND ANSWER QUESTION THAT FOLLOW.

One day as the children were walking through a small town, Pierre fell down at the door
of a baker’s shop. He had fainted from hunger and weakening. The kind baker lifted him
up and carried him indoors to his wife. They fed him and tried to comfort him. They gave
food to the other children too, and listened with pity to their story. “The coast is a long,
long way, said the baker”. “This little Pierre will never get so far, leave him with us. We
will look after him. We will love him as if he were our own child”.
It was hard to say yes, but there might be many dangers ahead, and Pierre was so small.
The children kissed him goodbye and went on their way. There were only three of the
Portal family now Henry, William and Marie.
22. What made Pierre fell down at the door of bakers?
A. It was part of plan B. The place was nice
C. He was hungry D. He was pretending
23. How can we tell baker was a kind man?
A. He carried Pierre onto the house. B. He called his wife to see Pierre.
C. His wife prepared food for Pierre D. The baker and his wife liked Pierre
24. How did the baker listen to the children story?
A. with amazement B. with joy C. with surprise D. with sorrow
25. Where were the children going?
A. to the coast very far away B. to their home away from town
C. to their home on small town D. to a place called de Portal
26. How many children were there altogether in the story
A.3 B.2 C.6 D.4
27. Pierre was suffering ---hunger and weakness.
A. among B. with C. under D. from
28. He was walking ________ his brother and sister
A. among B. between C. under D. in
29. The children story filled them _________ pity.
A. of B. from C. with D. by
30. The baker and his wife were going to look ________ Pierre like their own son
A. at B. for C. over D. after

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31. There were going to be dangers_______
A. over B. ahead C. before D. near
32. On leaving Pierre , the children wished ________ good lucky.
A. him B. hers C. them D. its
33. They all loved him ______ much
A. so B. very C. little D. great
34. The children were travelling _______ foot.
A. by B. with C. on D. at

READ THE PASSAGE BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT
FOLLOW.
Nature is a master baker. Deep inside there in her oven, heated thousands of years ago
by masses of rising molten. In this oven she baked and with tremendous pressure turned
limestone into hard marble.
In its purest form marble is white. Different impurities often gives it shades of pink, red,
yellow or brown or form navy lines or patches in it. Different coloured crystals caught
in the marble sparkle and float in sun rays. In some marble the remains of fossils add to
its beauty.
35. Which of these is used by a baker in his trade?
A. Oven B. rock C. pressure D. marble
36. In the passage what is turned into hard marble?
A. limestone B. bread C. rock D. marble
37. Choose one colour that best describes the best colour of marble.
A. pink B. red C. white D. yellow
38. What adds to the beauty of some marble?
A. different impurities B. different colored crystal
C. the suns rays D. remains for soils.
39. Impurities give all these shades except
A. brown B. red C. white D. yellow
40. Choose one word which means the same as “tremendous.”
A. hard B. extreme C. important D. panning

CHOOSE THE ANSWER THAT BEST COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE

41. Inside the earth is ________ oven.
A. an B. the C. a D. of
42. The grinding mill turned the hard seeds_____ powder.
A. from B. by C. into D. of

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43. Fresh grain ______ always green.
A. was B. will C. be D. is
44. Nature_______ limestone long ago.
A. bake B. will bake C. is baking D. baked

45. Remains of fossil found ______ many.

A. is B. are C. was D.were
46. The smooth stone_______ in the sun yesterday
A. shone B. shines C. shine D. Shining
47. Tom moved quickly into________
A. hide B.hid C. hides D. hiding

WHICH SENTENCE IS PUNCTUATED CORRECTLY?

48. A. Theres food on your hands.
B. Theres’ food on your hands.
C. There`s food on your hands
D. There is food on your hands.
49. A. Who went away with horse.
B. Who went away with the horse?
C. Who went away with the horse!
D. “Who went away with the horse;
50. A. “I would be coming soon, said Chipo”
B. “Fire please come help me ?”shouted Peter.
C. “You will be fine,” assured the doctor.
D. “I do not think they are still coming.” said the conductor.

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ENGLISH PAPER 2
Either (a)
(a) Write letter to your brother asking for pocket money. Use the following points and
any other you may think of:
- Amount of money
- What you want to use it for?
- When you want to use it?

(b) Describe the house you know. Use the following points and any other you may think
of:
- Where is the house?
- What is it built of?
- How many rooms it has?
- What are the windows and the doors like?
- What colour are the wholes inside and outside?
- What can you see near and around the house? ( describe the surroundings)

Section B (10 marks)

Read the letter carefully and answer the questions that follow
House number 18
Mutimbanyoka Road
Budiriro
Harare

20 January 2020

Dear Bongani

My name is Brenda and I am the fifth born of Mr and Mrs Katiyo. I like my school very
much, but it is very crowded with over one thousand pupils. Our uniform is light green.
Collecting coins is my hobby and I now have more than fifty in my box. The game I like
is handball and my teacher is a good coach. Please tell me about your school, family and
hobbies.

Your loving friend

Brenda

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. When was the letter written? (1)
2. Who wrote the letter? (1)
3. Name the game which the writer likes. (1)
4. From the letter which word shows that there are many pupils at Brenda’s school? (1)
5. Who is Brenda’s father? (1)
6. What is Brenda’s hobby? (1)
7. The opposite of bad is ----------- (2)
8. How many pupils are at Brenda’s school? (2)

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 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 4

ENGLISH PAPER 1
Read the passage below and answer questions.

A Football Match
The long awaited day came. Everybody looked restless, more so the members of our
football team. The visiting team had already come dressed up for the biggest match of
the year. The spectators took up their seats around the playground, unable to guess which
team would win.
The umpire blew the whistle, and the two teams trotted, widely separated, onto the field.
The home team came on first, and then the visiting team followed; the former wearing
their famous blue uniform, the latter in white uniforms. We held our breath as the match
began.
Right from the kick-off, the two teams kept each other busy. The forwards of each side
penetrated each other’s defences and made several sharp shots from within the danger
zones. The goalkeepers performed many wonderful feats that saved their sides from early
defeat. They punched the balls away, dived to catch the balls, or kicked the balls away.
This was classical soccer.
Just before the halftime interval a slow ball came rolling towards our goal area. I signalled
to our goalkeeper to relax as I was going to clear it away, but in trying to do so, I missed
the ball and it rolled into our goal. It was a goal! The visiting team was jubilant, but we
were depressed.
After the rest, we consolidated our attack and had several scrambles for the ball at the
enemy’s goal area but it was all in vain. Just before the final whistle, I abandoned my
defensive role and moved to the front line. I received a good pass, then with the courage
of desperation, I dribbled past the opponent and hammered a goal for my side at point
blank range. The match soon ended.

Comprehension Questions.
1. The writer of this passage was
A. a player on the visiting team.
B. a player on the home team.
C. one of the spectators.
D. the goalkeeper of the home team.

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2. The biggest football match of the year
A. was won by the home team
B. was won by the visiting team
C. ended in a draw
D. ended in a bitter fighting among the players.

3. When the match began, the spectators

A. knew which team was going to win
B. knew that the match would end in a draw
C. saw that it was a dull game
D. could not foretell the end result of the match

4. What was he trying to do when he missed the ball?

A. score the ball B. clear the ball
C. to relax D. to punch the ball

5. When the match ended, restlessness began because

A. the two teams were going to play each other again
B. football is a very dangerous game
C. the match had ended soon after a score
D. someone had dribbled past the opponents

6. Spectators refer to
A. people playing soccer
B. football match
C. opponents
D. people watching a football match

Language Questions
7. I remembered it when he had ….
A. came B. comes C. come D. coming

8. It was so cold that the water …..

A. froze B. freezes C. frozen D. freezing

9. I divided the sweets …. the five boys.

A. to B. among C. between D. with

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10. Does any one of you boys have ___ money?
A. any B. some C. no D. none

11. Which word means the same as the underlined words in 11 and 12
After a long illness the old man got better.
A. died B. suffered C. recovered D. played

12. A person who doesn’t mind waiting is

A. early B. patient C. tired D. standing

13. The teacher said, “You must …… your hand if you know the answer.”
A. raise up B. raise C. have raised D. be rising

14. He wrote the letter …. pencil.

A. with B. in C. by D. of

Read the passage and answer the following questions

One day a poor woodman was cutting a tree on the bank of a river. By chance his iron axe
slipped from his hand, fell into the water and sank immediately. The woodman sat down
and began to cry about his loss.
The god who lived in the near river, feeling sorry for him, dived to the bottom and brought
out a golden axe. But the honest woodman said it was not his. The river god dived again
and this time brought up a silver axe, but again the woodman refused it.
At last, the god brought up the iron axe. “That is mine!” cried the woodman in great
delight. The river god was so pleased with the truthful way the man had behaved that
he gave him the golden and silver axes also. The woodman went home to his cottage
rejoicing.

Comprehension Questions
15. The story happened
A. in the woodman’s garden
B. on a mountain top
C. somewhere in a thick forest
D. beside a river

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16. The woodman was crying because
A. He did not like the gold and silver axes.
B. He was frightened by the river god.
C. He had just lost his useful axe.
D. He also wanted the gold and silver axes.

17. At last the woodman got the gold and silver axes. This shows that
A. It pays more to be honest.
B. This woodman was a cheat.
C. If you lose one axe you will get two more.
D. There are gold and silver axes in all the rivers.

18. The river god brought up the other axes because

A. he did not know the difference between them and the iron axe
B. he wanted to find how honest the man was
C. he did not care very much what happened
D. he was feeling very sorry for the woodman

19. The woodman went home rejoicing because he had

A. seen the river god.
B. been cutting wood in the forest.
C. no reason not to rejoice.
D. now got two more axes.

Language Questions
Replace the underlined phrases or words
20. The man ate the food in a greedy way.
A. like a lion B. like a fox C. like a pig D. like a horse

21. Of all the places I know, this is the lonely.

A. lonesome B. lonelier C. lonely D. loneliest

22. This year we had much rain than last year.

A. many B. more C. most D. little

23. When the bus was …. the passengers walked in and out.
A. standing B. travelling C. stationery D. stationary
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24. The wound took a long time to ……
A. hill B. heal C. heel D. hail

25. We bought many toys for the children. They were the …. toys.
A. child’s B. children C. children’s D. childrens’

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

The Summer Song

There are white moon daisies in the midst of the meadow,
Where the flowered grass scatters its seeds like spray,
There purple orchids by the wood-ways shadow,
There are pale dog-roses by the white highway,
And the grass, the grass is tall; the grass is up for hay,
With daisies white like silver and the buttercups like gold,
And it’s oh! for once to play through the long, the lovely day.
To laugh before the year grows old!

Comprehension Questions
26. What looks like the moon?
A. daisies B. meadow C. shadow D. grass

27. In the meadow it is …..

A. shining B. raining C. misty D. dark

28. Which flowers are golden?

A. daisies B. roses C. buttercups D. orchis

29. What is the grass doing?

A. scattering its seeds B. the grass is tall
C. is up for hay D. is near the highway

Language Questions
30. The grass scatters its seeds ….
A. happily B. aloud C. brightly D. widely

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31. He gave me the book … I had worked well.
A. and B. because C. but D. unless

32. There …. many people waiting in the queue.

A. was B. is C. are D. will

33. Neither Susan nor Margaret …. been late this term.

A. have B. has C. was D. were

34. Because it is raining heavily the cows are …… under the trees.
A. lying B. laying C. laid D. lie

35. On the hills the baboons were ….

A. chattering B. barking C. roaring D. croaking

36 He wrote many poems in many books. He is a …..

A. poet B. author C. reporter D. playwright

37. I am twenty five years old. I am a/an ….

A. parent B. father C. woman D. adult

38. Has anyone of you ever …. an elephant.

A. scene B. seen C. sign D. sin

39. The children …. interesting stories.

A. writes B. write C. written D. writing

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Fire
At the end of the night, the chief hunter had issued his orders. The youngest boys had
seized the fire with iron pikes and tallow torches and rushed off across the bush. At specific
points, they had started fires in the savanna, where dry grass-track, running under the
trees, would set the forest on fire. The bush thus kindled flared up, completely encircling
the elephants and cutting off all escape.
At the height of noon the fire was raging everywhere in the wood, a curtain of high flames
and smoke reached the sky. Trapped, Tarkwada’s tribe, charging after their leader and

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smashing the trees in their way, looked for a way out by the stream but were horrified to
see the remorseless fire still sweeping towards them.
They turned, terrified, desperately they strained up steep wooded hillsides. There was
panic in their hearts and their blood raced madly as they gasped and fought for breath,
winded with running. Fire was everywhere, in front, behind, blocking every way out of
the forest. There was no question of being able to make a way through the tiny openings
left for the lesser game, antelope, boars, and madly charging buffaloes blinded by smoke.
Hunters were posted there and struck down all that came within range of their arrows. The
young Lobis especially enjoyed this sport.

Comprehension Questions
40. The word “remorseless” means
A. encircling B. pitiless C. merciful D. frightened

41. What could not escape?

A. buffaloes B. antelopes C. boars D. elephants

42. The elephants were terrified of ….

A. smoke B. fire C. boys D. Lobis

43. The word “tribe” is used in place of

A. elephants B. hunters C. boys D. herd

44. The leader of the hunters is the

A. chief B. tribe C. Tarkwada D. Lobis

45. Which statement is true?

A. The fire started at dawn
B. The fire was started by accident
C. Tarkwada was the chief hunter
D. Many young Lobis were killed by the hunters

46. Which word would be the best to describe elephants in the story?
A. terrified B. madly C. blinded D. remorseless

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Language Questions
47. He filled the tin …. some water.
A. with B. of C. by D. in

48. Aeroplane is to fly as a ship is to …

A. water B. sail C. fleet D. walk

Give the collective noun for the following terms

49. The streets were full of cars, lorries and bicycles.
A. traffic B. motors C. travel D. vans

50. Mrs Kalasawo has a lot of spoons, knives and folks in her kitchen.
A. tools B. guns C. utensils D. plates.

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ENGLISH PAPER 2.

SECTION A.
Composition (20 Marks)

You are advised to spend 1 hour on this section.

Answer either 1(a) or 1(b)
Either (a) Write a letter to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Honourable
Ambassador, Cain Matema, agreeing or disagreeing with the decision to open schools.
In February 2020, the Government of Zimbabwe decided to close schools early because
of the dangerous Covid-19 pandemic. All schools, universities, colleges and work places
were closed for three weeks. At that time, the country had just three cases of Covid-19.
In June of 2020, the Government of Zimbabwe was debating on whether to open schools
when there was still a rise in the number of new Covid-19 cases. In some provinces, some
schools were used as quarantine centres for Covid-19.
Your letter should be between 80- 120 words. You can use some or all of the following
points and you can add any other of your choice:
- Do you support the decision to open schools or not, and why?
- What are the advantages of opening the schools?
- What are the dangers of opening the schools?

Or (b)

Write a story about the day when everything went wrong in your life. In your story
include ALL the following points and any other that you may think of.
- What happened / went wrong?
- Where and when it happened?
- What you did and how you felt about it?
- What other things went wrong?
- How they were / it was solved?
- What eventually happened?

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SECTION B

Comprehension (10 Marks)

You are advised to spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the following passage very carefully before you attempt any questions.
Answer all questions in full sentences. You are advised to write all your sentences in
good grammar and punctuate them correctly.

Iron and Steel

If you look around, you will find many great things that are made of iron and steel. How
many can you add to the list beginning - fire irons and keys, cutlery, gas stoves, rakes,
shovels, bridges, locomotives and steam rollers?
There is iron in many of the rocks lying just below the ground. A rock that has a good deal
of iron in it is called ‘iron ore’. It is usually yellow or brown in colour, and rather heavy.
This iron ore can be quarried like gravel or clay. Sometimes the ore is found deep below
the surface.
An iron mine is very much like a coal mine, but the ore is harder and more difficult to get
out. The iron ore has to be melted to extract the iron. This process requires great heat. To
make a fire hot enough to smelt the iron from ore, coke is mixed with ore and is ignited,
and then a strong blast of hot air is blown through the burning mixture. Coke is used for
fuel, and limestone is added to help in separating the iron from the ore. Smelting is carried
out in a tall tower which is known as a ‘blast furnace’

Questions
1. State one thing from the list of articles that can be made from iron or steel.
2. Where would you look for iron? (1)
3. What is meant by ‘iron ore’? (1)
4. What is the difference between mining for coal and mining for iron ore? (2)
5. What are you told about its weight? (1)
6. How is the iron taken from the rocks which contain it? (1)
7. What fuel is used? (1)
8. Why is limestone used in this work? (1)
9. What does the word “extract” mean? (1)

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 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 5

ENGLISH PAPER 1

Read the passage below and answer questions that follow.

The Lake District is a popular national park. More and more people enjoy its fantastic
scenery each year due to the increasing number of car owners and improvements to
local foods and motorways. This however, is placing an ever increasing pressure on this
beautiful and valuable environment.

Traffic jams in and around the Lake District create air pollution. Parking facilities at
most tourist sites are overflowing in the peak season causing visitors to park on grass
verge, which in turn causes soil erosion. Litter is also a problem. Although many bins
are provided, people are encouraged to take their litter home. Activities such as hiking,
camping and mountain biking, cause severe footpath erosion. The challenge faced now is
how to preserve the beauty of this area without lowering the enjoyment of visitors.
(Adapted from: ‘No Nonsense,’ by Nelson Thornes)

1. What is the Lake District?

A. A fantastic scenery B. A beautiful and valuable environment
C. A national park D. A parking facility.
2. One of the problems caused by the increasing number of visitors is __________.
A. camping B. soil erosion C. hiking D. overflowing
3. To solve the litter problem, visitors are encouraged to___________.
A. throw litter away B. carry bins
C. create air pollution D. carry their litter home
4. Which phrase in the passage describes a beautiful place?
A. tourist site B. A fantastic scenery
C. A national park D. Overflowing visitors
5. Why do visitors park their cars on grass verges?
A. There is limited parking space. B. There is traffic jam.
C. To avoid soil erosion. D. There are sheds to protect the cars.
6. Which word in the passage means the same as rubbish?
A. erosion B. pollution C. litter D. tourist

154
Choose the best word to complete the following sentences
7. There are plenty of parking facilities in town so vehicles ..............cause traffic jam.
A. seldomly B. frequently C. always D. often

8. The environment is .............beautiful that everybody admires it.

A. very B. quite C. so D. too

9. .............hiking nor camping prevents erosion.

A. Both B. Neither C. Although D. Nither

10. For a school to visit any national park, the Ministry of Education must first
approve...........it.
A. of B. which C. by D. to
11. Most tourist resorts depend............. money collected from visitors.
A. by B. on C. with D. at
12. After losing my pen at the national park, my teacher – me hers.
A. borrowed B. lent C. landed D. stole

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow
The hammerkop’s name means “hammer-head.” The head of this bird is shaped like a
hammer with the beak at one end and the long brown crest at the other. One can see
the bird on rivers, streams and dams. It catches small creatures in water, mostly frogs.
Sometimes people call it a “frog eater.”
The hammerkop is a dull bird to look at because its colour is just brown. The way it builds
its nest is the most interesting thing about it. The nest is an enormous pile of sticks, grass
and all sorts rubbish placed either in the fork of a tree or on top of a rock. The nest is
hollow in the middle and the birds get into it through a doorway in the middle. The nest
is always near water. Quite often the bird chooses a place over hanging a deep pool. The
entrance faces the water so that enemies cannot get into it.
(Adapted from: Stories from many places’ Longman Penguin Africa, 1964)
13. What is a hammerkop?
A. bird B. hammer C. nest D. hammer-head

14. Where did it get its name from?

A. A hammer B. Its crest C. Its head D. Its beak
15. Why do people say it is dull bird? Because of_____________.
A. its nest B. food C. its shelter D. its colour

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16. What does the hammerkop eat?
A. Frogs only. B. Small creatures from the water.
C. Crests. D. Enemies
17. One place where the hammerkop places nest is______ .
A.iIn the fork of a tree B. on grass
C. in the river D. in the hollow of a tree.
18. As used in the passage, the word “enormous” means _________.
A. a pile of sticks B. very big C. hollow D. very small

Choose the correct word (s) to complete each of the sentences below:
19. The hammerkop ..............its nest in a hole.
A. hide B. hiding C. hid D. hidden

20. The villager won a ................for protecting hammerkops.

A. prize B. price C. present D. gift

21. It is ..........honour to be put in charge of protecting all birds in the environment.

A. an B. a C. some D. the

22. The fisherman did not know..........to ask about the importance of hammerkops in the
environment.
A. whose B. which C. whom D. who

23. The young hammerkop was ..........weak to hunt on its own.

A very B too C. so D. quite

24. The population of birds...........since last year.

A. was increased B. has been increasing
C. will be increased D. had increased

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow

Anti –poaching units in the Zambezi Valley

Anti-poaching units in Zambezi Valley have killed five poachers during the last months.
According to statement released yesterday by the Department, on March 14, armed game
wardens came across four poachers in the Chewore Safari area. In the ensuing battle, one
poacher was killed. He was found in possession of eight rhino horns.

156
Last month five poachers entered Zimbabwe and four days later a battle ensured between
them and game wardens between Mana Pools National Park and Sapi Safari Area,
resulting in the death of four poachers. One escaped injured. A pair of rhino horns from a
freshly killed rhino, two AK 47 rifles, over 100 rounds of ammunition, 10 kg of mealie-
meal, knives, an axe, a torch and its batteries manufactured in Zambia and game meat
of various types were recovered. The statement said the recent success in anti-poaching
activities was the result of the co-operation given by the Zambian government.
25. If you are eating game meat, you are eating meat from____.
A. all animals B. domestic animals C. poachers D. wild animals
26. Which word in the passage means the same as fight?
A. battle B. armed C. wild D. poachers
27. Where were the four poachers killed?
A. In the Zambezi valley
B . In Zambia
C. Between Mana Pools National Park and Sapi Safari Area
D. In the Chewore Safari Area

28. According to the passage who released the statement about the poachers who were
killed?
A. The anti-poaching unit
B. Mana Pools National Park
C. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management
D. The Zambian government

29. How many rhino horns were recovered from the poachers killed at Chewore Safari
Area?
A. eight B. five C. four D. two

30. Whose co-operation resulted in the success in anti-poaching activities?

A. The Zimbabwean government B. The Zambian government
C . The Anti-poaching Department D. The Department of National Parks

Choose the best word (s) to complete the following sentences

31. No sooner did the poachers appear...........the game rangers killed them.
A. so B. since C. because D. than

32. The game rangers have gone for ...................in shooting.

A. practise B. practised C. practice D. practising

157
33. Our ..............were nearly killed by the Zambian poachers.
A. oxen B. oxs C. oxes D. axes

34. If I were a game ranger, I................the poachers.

A. would have to kill B. will kill
C. would not have killed D. will be killing

35. The game wardens have not.............. the game park since last fortnight.
A. guarding B. been guarding C. been guards D. been guarded

36. The poachers aimed ...... killing all the game on the national park.
A. on B. in C. to D. at

Read the following passage and answer comprehension questions that follow:

Advert one
Get connected with the Flex call prepaid page. This package includes:
- Hands-free set to allow you to drive and talk.
- Ericsson rechargeable battery.
- Ericson battery charger.
- Fifty minutes free airtime.
- Free pouch.
- All for $210-00

Advert two
Ericson Mobile T28s is the smallest mobile phone developed by Ericsson to date. Its
parts require less electrical current. The battery is only 44mm in diameter. It is very thin
and light. It can be connected to your fax machine. This Scandinavian designed phone
can hold up two hundred and fifty-five names and phone numbers. It has two games and
a stylish design. It weighs only eighty-three grams and is available in a wide range of
colours. It is a bargain for only $120-00. Available at Stancom wireless, Gweru. This
offer is valid for six days only.
Adapted from: English Revision, by Shingisai Chikurume.

37. Which company is advertising cellphones?

A. Motorolla B. Stancom wireless C. Flex call D. Ericson

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38. According to the advert one, prepaid means ___________.
A. payment has already been done B. paid for afterward
C. no one has paid D. you don’t need to pay anyone

39. In which country was the Ericson T28’s designed?

A. Scandinavia B. Stancom C. Zimbabwe D. Ericsson

40. How much time can one speak on the cellphone without paying using the Flex call
package?
A. Fifty minutes B. Fifty seconds
C. Fifty hours D. Five hundred minutes

41. Find a word in the passage which is opposite to heavy?

A. available B. thin C. light D. diameter

42. What shows that the Ericson T28s is very small?

A. It can keep two hundred and fifty-five names.
B. It weighs eighty-three grams only.
C. It is available in a lot of colours.
D. It is an intelligent phone.

Choose the best word to complete each sentence

43. ___________ the athlete increased his speed, he did not win.
A. Although B. Since C. Because D. Unless

44. Sarah always _________ to school late.

A. coming B. will come C. comes D. come

45. Zimbabwe does not freeze in winter, ____?

A. can’t it B. does it C. did it D. can’t it

46. Killing of animals in game parks..........illegally by some people.

A is done B is doing C does D. did
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
47. A. “We will shoot you if you don’t surrender shouted one of the game rangers!”
B. “We will shoot you!” if you don’t surrender shouted one of the game rangers.
C. “We will shoot you if you don’t surrender!” shouted one of the game rangers.
D. “We will shoot you if you don’t surrender shouted!” one of the game rangers.

159
48. A. Some of the game rangers.
B. Not all Zimbabweans likes poaching.
C. None of the visitors are here.
D. The game rangers liked some.

49. A. The poacher with a hands-free Ericson T28s cell phone comes, from Zambia.
B. The hands-free poacher with an Ericson T28s cell phone, comes from Zambia.
C. The cell phone with a hands-free Ericson T28s poacher, comes from Zambia.
D. The poacher, with a hands free Ericson T28s cell phone, comes from Zambia.

50. Which word would come last when arranged in alphabetical order?
A. available B. adapted C. anti-poaching D. activities

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ENGLISH PAPER 2
SECTION A (20 Marks)

1. Choose question (a) or (b)

a) Write a composition of about 80-120 words describing yourself. In your writing
include the following points and any other you may think of
- your name age, sex
- your height
- your complexion
- where you live
- the school you attend
- what you like and dislike.
OR
b) Write a letter to your parents telling them about your best friend. In your writing
include the following points and any other you may think of
- his/her name ,age ,sex
- his/ her height ,complexion.
- where he/ she learns
- his/her favourite food and sport
- why you like him/ her

SECTION B 10 Marks
Read the passage and answer given questions below
A growing number of orphans now live in our country. Each day children are found who
have no one to look after them. Their parents may have died of AIDS. Some of these
youngsters will die in the same way. There are charities that try to help these orphans.
They provide shelter and food in special homes. The children are given medical care and
sent to a local school. The people who look after them try to act like parents. The cost
of caring for so many orphans is enormous. The government helps, but more money is
needed. Local and foreign aid groups raise funds, but it is still not enough. Many orphans
do not find homes. They live on the streets searching for food and begging for money.
Some will not survive. The rest will become adults.

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Questions
1. Children who do not have parents are called ..... (1)
2. What is causing the number of orphans in Zimbabwe to grow bigger (1)
3. List two things that are provided by charities. (2)
4. The word from the passage which means the same as home is..… (2)
5. Aid groups help by…… (1)
6. What happens to children who fail to find homes? (1)
7. How do children on the streets get their food? (2)

162
 REVISION PRACTICE TEST 6

ENGLISH PAPER 1
Read the story and answer questions which follow:
One of the famous wildlife species, protected in Zimbabwe’s National Parks is the
rhinocerous. It is classified as an endangered species, but Yemen and some countries in
the South East Asia import rhinocerous horns, so poaching is likely to continue. Both
black and white rhinocerous are rare. White rhinocerous came near to extinction earlier
this century, but a small number managed to survive in Umfolozi Game Reserve in Natal,
South Africa. The black rhino also suffered severely from poaching. Zimbabwe has 2000
of Africa’s 6000 black rhinocerous.
1. Which is the most famous protected wildlife specie in Zimbabwe?
A. antelope B. rhinocerous C. lion D. cheetah

2. What are the two main kinds of rhinocerous found in Zimbabwe?

A. grey and black B. species and white
C. rhino and poacher D. black and white

3. Why is a rhinoceros an endangered specie

A. they can survive B. they can be classified
C. they can be extinct D. they can be species

4. To be “extinct” means to be…..

A. to be found B. all gone C. too many D. few

5. Which of the two kinds is most rare?

A. grey rhino B. black rhino C. white rhino D. brown rhino

6. Why are Yemen and South Asia responsible for poaching…

A. rhino poaching B. they import rhino horns
C. they want to be like Zimbabwe.

7. Protected animals are kept in…..

A. Botanic parks B. Game Reserves
C. South Africa D. National Museums

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Choose the most suitable word to complete the statements.

8. A tarred road runs ….. our home.

A. across B. behind C. into D. through

9. …….. was a snake underneath the stone.

A. Their B. They C. There D. The

10. If I ….. older than you, I would tell you what to do.
A. were B. had C. will be D. would have been

11. That bird often……… into our kitchen and drink water.
A. has flown B. is flying C. flies D. fly

12. I am not …… to play with Alex.

A. aloud B. allow C. allowed D. loudly

13. Children can easily hurt …. If they play with sharp objects.
A. themself B. myself C. theirself D. themselves

14. Teachers must have a lot of …… to deal with all pupils.

A. patients B. patience C. patient D. impatients

15. The sick child did not want ….. to drink

A. anything B. nothing C. everything D. nobody

16. The doctor ….. the injured child yesterday.

A. examination B. exams C. examined D. examining

Read the passage and answer questions 21-28

The Inter city Primary School Baseball Tournament was held in Chinhoyi last weekend.
Mafakela Primary School from Luveve high density suburb was the runner up in the
tournament. It lost to Tafadzwa School of Kadoma 9 to 3 in the finals. The event was held
for players under the age of thirteen and was attended by primary school pupils from all
the provinces.
The coach for the Bulawayo team, Cribbon Ndimandi said, “It was a good tournament
for the young players and it also proved that there is plenty of talent in the provinces.
The only problem is the availability of equipment which is hindering development of the
sport”.

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17. A tournament is a ……
A. visit to many places B. along journey
C. person traveling D. competition held until the best team wins.

18. In which town was the tournament held?

A. Bulawayo B. Chinhoyi
C. Mafakela D. Kadoma

19. What was the score for the winning team?

A. 9 in favour of Tafadzwa school B. 3 in favour of Mafakela school
C. 5 in favour of Kadoma D. 9 in favour of Ndimandi

20. The word nearest in meaning to “coach” is …………..

A. tournament B. make C. trainer D. assistant

21. Where is Tafadzwa school found?

A. Kadoma B. Bulawayo C. Luveve D. Chinhoyi

22. What was hindering the development of sports?

A. provinces B. equipment was stolen
C. lack of practice D. availability of equipment

Choose a suitable word to complete.

23. Our house is old ……. It looks new.
A. when B. since C. although D. until

24. Of the two boys Chris is the …….. runner.

A. fast B. faster C. fastest D. fastly

25. I ……….soccer to rugby.

A. refer B. love C. like D. prefer

26. In alphabetical order the second word would be

A. repair B. reply C. replay D. report

27. His heart beat faster …… excitement.

A. from B. to C. by D.with

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28. I was talking to Sue on the telephone when she suddenly ………..
A. cut off B. run out C, hung up D. broke up

29. Which word is spelt correctly.

A. receve B. recieve C. recive D. receive

30. The blanket belongs to the cat. It is …… blanket.

A . it’s B. its’ C. it is D. its

Read and answer follow up questions.

House Number 60
Enterprise Road
Highlands
Harare

20 March 2009

Dear Edward

It is my pleasure to invite you to my birthday party which will take place on 25th of April
2009. I will be turning thirteen on this day. For a change we have decided to hold the party
at the hall. Everyone is looking forward to enjoying the sweet music by Oliver Mtukudzi.
A catering group has been hired to take care of all the food requirements. All sorts of food
and drinks will be there, with the exception of beer of course. The Pastor said it was going
to be a great day for the youths.

I will be very grateful if you bless my birthday party with your presence.

Your friend

Rosemary

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31. Who is being invited to the party?
A. the Pastor B. Rosemary C. the band D. Edward

32. The party will be held at ………..

A. Edward’s home B. the church C. the hall D. the youth centre

33. The word “presence” as used in the passage means………..

A. gift B. cakes C. reply D. attendance

34. The writer ……. wants her friend to attend the party.
A. certainly B. grudgingly C. doubtfully D. unwillingly

35. What was the catering group for?

A. care of clothing for Rosemary B. cake making
C. music hiring D. all the food requirements

Language Questions

36. This is the band …….. played the song.

A. who B. which C. whom D. whose

37. Jane is either coming tomorrow ….. the day after.

A. or B. nor C. neither D. and

38. The poacher saw a …… of lions near the dam.

A. troop B. herd C. pride D. kraal

39. I wish I …… not fainted during assembly.

A. have B. has C. had D. did

40. Killing animals using traps is one of the ….. things to do.
A. waste B. waist C. west D. worst

41. The opposite of “better” is ……

A. best B. good C. bad D. worse

42. You will make it to the finals ………. you?

A. will B. aren’t C. isn’t D. won’t

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43. Car is to garage as aeroplane is to …….
A. airport B. airforce C. pilot D. hangar

44. The people who were listening applauded.

A. choir B. audience C. congregation D. spectators

Choose a correctly punctuated sentence.

45. A. Oranges lemons, and nartjies are citrus fruits.

B. Oranges, lemons, and nartjies are citrus fruits.
C. Oranges, lemons and nartjies are citrus fruits.
D. Oranges, lemons, and nartjies, are citrus fruits.

46. A. “Look out!” I said, “don’t fall in that hole.”

B. “Look out!” I said, “Don’t fall in that hole.”
C. Look out I said, “don’t fall in that hole.”
D. Look out, “ I said don’t fall in that hole.”

47. A. The test is she going to write?

B. Is she going to write the tests?
C. To write the test is she going?
D. Going to write the test is she?

48. Joy’s writing is so bad that one cannot read it. It is ………
A. illegal B. illegible C. illogical D. illegitimate

49. If she had been treated, she …… not have died.

A. may B. will C. should D. would

50. The test was … easy that we all passed.

A. as B. that C. so D. very

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ENGLISH PAPER 2

Composition
Write either A or B within 180 words.
A. My House

- What does it look like?

- Where is it situated?
- What colour is it?
- How many rooms?
- How big are the rooms?
- What things are found inside?
- What things are found on its surroundings?

B. Write a letter to your friend informing him/her of the incident.

The following is what happened:

You are a student at Mahombekombe Primary School in Kariba. A classroom block was
destroyed by the rains and books, chairs, tables and charts were damaged. Telephone and
electricity lines were badly affected. There is no electricity at the school. You have been
learning under a tree for the past week. The situation is just bad.

Comprehension
Chief’s Delicacy.
Pangolins are found in Asia and Africa. They are almost entirely covered with brown
thick horny, overlapping scales. Pangolins’ thick tails make up a large part of their length
which ranges from 0,65metres to 1,75metres. For protection while sleeping, the Pangolin
rolls up in a tight ball and raise its scales, which are sharp on the edges. Female pangolins
roll up around their young ones. Pangolins are seen alone or in pairs. The pangolin is
toothless but has a long, thin, sticky tongue with which it picks up ants and termites, its
main diet. The long rake like front claws are used to rip open termites’ nests.
In some African countries cultural beliefs dictate that Pangolins are a delicacy for chiefs.
If a person finds a pangolin, he must take it to the chief. No ordinary person is allowed to
eat a pangolin.

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Pangolins in most African countries are facing extinction. As such, they have been
declared specially protected animals. Pangolins are facing extinction due to poaching.
Some people argue that they require special type of food which is scarce these days.
Others feel that the existing habitats are no longer friendly for their existence.

Questions
1. Which part of the world do we find pangolins? (1)
2. What is almost entirely covered with scales. (1)
3. What is the average length of a pangolin? (1)
4. How do female pangolins protect their young ones? (1)
5. What do pangolins feed on? (1)
6. According to the passage, who is supposed to eat the pangolins in Africa? (1)
7. Which word from the passage means the same as ‘almost finished’
8. Why are the pangolins said to be facing extinction? (1)
9. From the passage which word means a special meal? (1)

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 Answers

TEST 1

ENGLISH PAPER 1:

1 B 11 B 21 D 31 D 41 D
2 C 12 A 22 A 32 C 42 D
3 B 13 B 23 D 33 A 43 D
4 C 14 D 24 B 34 A 44 C
5 A 15 C 25 A 35 D 45 A
6 C 16 D 26 C 36 D 46 A
7 B 17 A 27 C 37 B 47 B
8 C 18 B 28 D 38 D 48 C
9 B 19 C 29 A 39 B 49 B
10 D 20 A 30 C 40 A 50 D

Test 1

Paper 2:
1. The word thieves means the same as robbers.
2. Flowers and children close their eyes when the moon is out.
3. One animal sound in the poem is squeaking.
4. The dog is by the door of the house.
5. The moon is shining on the thieves.
6. The bat lies in bed at noon.
7. The bat loves to be out by the light of the moon.
8. The moon looks like a clock because both are round
9. The thieves are on the garden wall
10. Clock face is round.

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Test 2 Test 2

Paper 1 ENGLISH PAPER 2

1. C 26. D 1. African people have been keeping bees for years.

2. A 27. D 2. Manicaland is the best part of Zimbabwe to keep
3. C 28. B bees.
4. B 29. A 3. People make beehives.
5. A 30. C 4. Bees live in beehive.
6. C 31. B 5. Bees make the honey.
7. C 32. D 6. Bees need honey in winter.
8. C 33. A 7. The sweet juices is called nector.
9. B 34. B 8. Bees get nector from flowers.
10. A 35. B
11. C 36. A
12. B 37. A
13. C 38. B
14. A 39. B
15. C 40. C
16. C 41. B
17. C 42. B
18. B 43. B
19. A 44. B
20. D 45. C
21. B 46. A
22. B 47. B
23. A 48. C
24. B 49. D
25. B 50. C

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ENGLISH PAPER 1: ANSWERS TEST 3

1 B 11 A 21 B 31 B 41 C
2 A 12 A 22 C 32 A 42 C
3 B 13 C 23 A 33 B 43 D
4 C 14 A 24 D 34 C 44 D
5 A 15 D 25 A 35 A 45 D
6 A 16 A 26 D 36 A 46 A
7 C 17 A 27 D 37 C 47 D
8 C 18 D 28 B 38 A 48 D
9 B 19 C 29 C 39 C 49 B
10 B 20 C 30 D 40 B 50 B

Test 3

English paper 2
1. The letter was written on 20 January 2020.
2. Brenda wrote the letter.
3. The writer likes handball.
4. The words very crowded shows that the school had many pupils.
5. Brenda’s father is Mr Kativo.
6. Collecting coins is Brenda’s hobby.
7. good
8. At Brenda’s school there are over 1000 pupils.

ENGLISH PAPER 1: ANSWERS TEST 4

1 B 11 C 21 D 31 B 41 D
2 C 12 B 22 B 32 C 42 B
3 D 13 B 23 D 33 B 43 B
4 B 14 B 24 B 34 A 44 C
5 A 15 D 25 C 35 B 45 C
6 D 16 C 26 A 36 A 46 A
7 C 17 A 27 A 37 D 47 A
8 A 18 B 28 C 38 B 48 B
9 B 19 D 29 C 39 B 49 A
10 A 20 C 30 D 40 B 50 C

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Test 4

English paper 2
1. Fridge.
2. I would look for iron underground.
3. Iron ore is a rock with a great deal of iron in it.
4. The difference between mining for coal and mining for iron ore is that mining for ore
is more harder and difficult.
5. Iron is heavy
6. The iron ore has to be melted to extract the iron.
7. Coke is used as fuel.
8. Limestone is added to help in separating the iron from the ore.
9. Extract means to take out from the earth.

ENGLISH PAPER 1: ANSWERS TEST 5

1 C 11 B 21 A 31 D 41 C
2 B 12 B 22 D 32 C 42 B
3 D 13 A 23 B 33 A 43 A
4 B 14 C 24 B 34 A 44 D
5 A 15 D 25 D 35 B 45 B
6 C 16 B 26 A 36 D 46 A
7 A 17 A 27 A 37 C 47 C
8 C 18 B 28 A 38 A 48 C
9 B 19 C 29 B 39 A 49 A
10 A 20 A 30 B 40 A 50 A

Test 5

English paper 2
1. orphans
2. The parents would have died of AIDS.
3. Charities provide food and shelter.
4. Shelter.
5. Aid groups raise funds.
6. They live on the streets searching for food and begging for money.
7. Children beg because they would be looking for food and shelter.

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ENGLISH PAPER 1: ANSWERS TEST 6

1 B 11 C 21 A 31 D 41 D
2 D 12 C 22 D 32 C 42 D
3 C 13 D 23 C 33 D 43 D
4 B 14 B 24 B 34 A 44 B
5 C 15 A 25 D 35 D 45 C
6 B 16 C 26 C 36 B 46 B
7 B 17 D 27 D 37 A 47 B
8 D 18 B 28 C 38 C 48 B
9 C 19 A 29 D 39 C 49 C
10 A 20 C 30 D 40 D 50 C

Test 6

English paper 2
1. Pangolines are found in Asia and Africa.
2. Pangolins.
3. It ranges from 0,65metres to 1,75 metres.
4. Female pangolins roll up around their young ones to protect them
5. Pangolins feed on ants and termites.
6. Pangolin meat is eaten by chiefs.
7. Extinct.
8. They are almost finished or all out/killed
9. delicacy.

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