2015 SASS EL TYS P2 Ans

O level 2015 TEXT 2 This narrative piece skilfully builds up the account of the writer’s bus journey by recounting his reactions to some of the characters on the bus and to the changing landscape outside. The overall structure is carefully controlled and, by the end, the careful reader has understood some of the unexpectedness and the vastness of the country. 5. (i) Repetition of ‘he wanted to know’ to show that the man asked about many things. (ii) The writer uses a list which ends with an ellipsis (…) to indicate an endless list. Note: The strongest candidates were able to notice features of language used by the writer. (Style and technique of writing) 6. ‘demanded’ (Some students forgot the single quotation marks.) Note: Almost all candidates answered this correctly 7. (i) ‘incessant questioning’ shows that the engineer was asking questions continuously/non-stop (ii) ‘would no doubt have enlightened me, (if I had been foolish enough to ask him.)’ shows that the engineer was a know-it-all/ flaunting or showing off his knowledge (iii) ‘shut up and poke his long nose elsewhere’ shows that the engineer was meddlesome/ interfering/ a busybody [don’t use ‘nosy’] Note: A number of candidates were successful in identifying the correct phrases, but then gave similar generic explanations for all three, often repeating in slightly varying words that the foreigner talks too much and so is irritating. But the description is carefully constructed so that each paragraph adds another, different facet of the irritation, and the strongest candidates were able to convey this with more differentiated explanations for each of the three phrases. 8. He refers to Marco Polo by his first name as if he knew him personally. (Marco Polo lived from 1254 to 1324. He would not have known him personally.) Note: Some just commented on the informal tone of the ‘Oh?’, without adding anything specific, while others were misled by the term ‘classmate’ and the reference to history books to suggest that the candidate had learnt about him at school.

9. (a) From paragraph 5 the passage switches emphasis to the changing view through the windows of the bus and the writer’s reactions to it. (i) The word ‘teased’ made it seem like the road was playing a game of hide and seek, poking fun at those looking at it. (ii) The road seemed to be an illusion like a ‘mirage’ is. It kept disappearing and appearing so those looking at it were not sure it was really there. Note: Question 9(a) directed candidates to the image at the beginning of paragraph 5, that the road ‘teased like a mirage’, and asked in what two ways this expression is particularly effective. Many of the candidates conveyed their understanding of the co re idea; rather fewer were able to explain what it seems like to the writer. A large number of candidates went too far into the paragraph and tried to relate the image to the following change of scene which is the focus of Question 9(b).