Short Stories

Question 33 Read the extract from the short story Looking for a Rain God below and answer the questions that follow. People in the village soon noted the absence of the two little girls. They had died at the lands and were buried there, the family said. But people noted their ashen, terror- stricken faces and a murmur arose. What had killed the children, they wanted to know? And the family replied that they had just died. And people said amongst themselves that it was strange that the two deaths had occurred at the same time. And there ( a ) Who were the parents of the two little girls? Ramadi and Tiro ( b ) “They” in the extract refer to The two grand-daughters / Ramadi’s daughters / Ramadi and Tiro’s daughters / the two children/ Mokgobja’s grand-daughters / Neo and Boseyong /Boseyong and Neo / the two little girls ( c ) Guilt was shown on the faces of the family when they returned to the village. Give an example. “ashen, terror – stricken faces” “unnatural looks of the family” “great unease” ( d ) Do you agree with the ritual that was carried out by Mokgobja to the Rain God? Give a reason to support your answer.

si tenggang’s homecoming i The physical journey that i traverse is a journey of the soul, transport of the self from a fatherland to a country collected by sight and mind, the knowledge that sweats from it is a stranger’s knowledge, from one who has learnt to see, think and choose between the changing realities. ii it’s true i have growled at my mother and grandmother but only after having told of my predicament that they have never brought to reason. the wife that i began to love in my loneliness, in the country that alienated me, they took to their predecisions, i have not entirely returned, i know, having been changed by time and place, coarsened by problems estranged by absence. Muhammad Haji Salleh

( a ) The words stranger’s knowledge in line 6 refers to new knowledge / new experiences ( b ) Which word in the poem tells us that angry words were uttered? “growled” ( c ) Where did the persona travel? overseas / abroad / foreign countries / foreign land / [1 mark] another country ( d ) In your own si tenggang / He si tenggang / He si tenggang / He

words, explain the meaning of line 7 of the second stanza. has changed. knows that he is not the same person. knows that he has changed.

Read the extract from the short stort The Sound Machine below and answer the questions that follow. “I’m going to tell you something, Mrs. Saunders,” he said, “something that you won’t believe.” He put his hands on top of the fence and peered at her intently through his thick spectacles. “You have, this evening, cut a basketful of roses. You have with a sharp pair of scissors cut through the stems of living things and each rose that you cut screamed in the most terrible way. Did you know that, Mrs. Saunders?” (a) What was meant by living things in line 6? The flowers / Flowers / The roses / Roses (b) Which object gave out a cry of pain? The flower / Flower / The rose / Rose (c) How did Klausner feel while talking to Mrs. Saunders? “breathing heavily … control his excitement” / could not contain his excitement / very excited (d) Based on the story, did Mrs. Saunders believe in what Klausner had said? Why? No,