Nature

NATUREBy H.D. Carberry

We have neither Summer nor WinterNeither Autumn nor Spring.We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields –Magnificently.The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofsAnd there is no sound but the swish of water in the gulliesAnd trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.Also there are the days when the leaves fade from guango treesAnd the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.But best of all there are the days when the mango and logwood blossomWhen the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow starsAnd beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

Moral Values:

Siti Salimi Shafie

From the exciting poem that is Nature written by H.D. Carberry, the moral values that I have learnt are we should be grateful and appreciate nature and we should take good care of our nature well as it is beautiful and lovely as described by the poet that buttercups paved the earth with yellow stars, bushes dilled with sounds of bees and the mango and logwood trees blossom. This scenic beauty can calm us and we can release our stress by looking at these colourful flowers, green trees, and others in our surrounding. Therefore, we should take good care of our nature as it is important for our earth as when trees are gone, the beauty fades too.

Nur Hamizah

We must appreciate nature. Nature consists of green trees that supply oxygen for us. Appreciating nature is very essential for living as no one can thrive without breathing in oxygen longer than a few minutes. In this hectic and busy millennium, nature has been destroyed in certain countries. This poem teaches us to cooperate with each other in order to warn these countries to stop activities such as open burning, using unleaded petroleum and many other activities that lead to pollution. Secondly, we must love our nature and maintain it. Our future generations have the right to experience the lovely nature as we do. So, it is essential to maintain a green environment.

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Nurul ‘Izazi Bt M.A. Alias

From the poem titled Nature by H.D. Carberry, I have learnt two moral valuesThe first one is we must keep our nature green. The importance of keeping a good condition of our environment is so that flora and fauna will not go extinct. Our future generations also may have a chance to experience the biodiversity. Besides, we also will be rewarded with fresh fruits and honey for food. Next, we should be grateful for living in our country. Although our country is not that special like others that experience four seasons, we also have our own advantages. Tropical climate in our country is suitable for all flora and fauna here. It is no wonder we can have one of the richest biodiversity in the world. Last but not least, there are so many other values that we can gain from this poem.

Noor Ziha Ab Ghani

From the poem, I have learnt that we must love nature. This is because human and nature are very dependent on each other. We we breathe out, we give out carbon dioxide to plants and as a return plants will provide us oxygen for our respiration. We must prevent pollution so that the existing nature would not be harmed as they are living creatures like us too. Moreover, without plants we could not get enough oxygen to stay alive. Nature also brings peace to us. To maintain and get peace, it is important to have our nature.

Nor Fitriah Mat Hassan

Based on the nature poem by H.D. Carberry, I have learnt some moral values. Firstly, we should appreciate and love our nature. All seasons are great. In this poem, we should feel grateful because on rainy days, water will make the soil become fertile for the sugar cane fields. Besides, sunny days will help the sugar cane plants perform photosynthesis process. By te end, we could take sugar cane as our food supply. This shows that humans and nature are interdependent. Nature is very beautiful and unique just the way it is. When we enjoy the the scenic nature we will feel all sorts of relaxing feelings.

Siti Nurul Afirah Azhan Shah

Based on the poem Nature by H.D. Carberry, there are a few moral values that I have learnt. First and foremost, we should accept the natural cycle of nature. This is because at a particular time there is growth and richness when everything starts to bloom. But sometimes, nature brings rain and we can’t see the beauty of nature anymore. When the rains have gone, we can see it again. So, we must accept the natural cycle of nature. Besides that, we should appreciate nature. When the buttercups have paved the earth, they give us some peace and relaxing moments.

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SYNOPSIS

The poem tells of the weather conditions in Jamaica although it does not have the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The weather conditions of golden sunny days and wet rainy days are just as good and are almost equivalent to the four seasons.

VOCABULARY

WORD MEANING

Lush Healthy growth

Magnificently Wonderfully, grandly, beautifully

Swish The sound made by moving water

Gullies Channels cut out in the earth by persistent rainfall

Struggling Fighting to survive; moving with great physical effort

Fade Lose their colour

Fallow Left bare (in order to recover natural fertility)

paved Covered

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM

Lines 1 to 10

The poet tells about his homeland , Jamaica and rejoices the beauty of this island. Jamaica has no seasonal changes. It has a tropical climate which is hot and wet throughout the year. The days of golden sunshine are glorious and magnificent. The are many canefields in Jamaica as sugar is one of the main exports in this country.

Lines 11 to 15

In the ending of the poem, the poet tells us his favourite time – days when the flowers of mango trees and logwood blossom. He uses imagery of sound and smell to illustrate abundant life and activity in the bushes when the ‘sound of bees and the scent of honey’ add to the charm and beauty if Jamaica. He describes the fields filled with lovely yellow buttercups. All this happens when the rains have stopped and the beauty if nature emerges once again.

THEMES

Beauty of nature

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Appreciation of one own country Appreciate nature

MORAL VALUES

We should appreciate what we have in our own country We should not long for what we do not have. We should appreciate our homeland. We should appreciate the beauty of nature.

TONE,MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

Appreciative and happy Carefree and light-hearted Sense of beauty

POINT OF VIEW

Third person point of view

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

Simple and easy to understand the language Clear and descriptive Simple style with no rhyming scheme

POETIC DEVICES

Imagery – e.g. ‘gold sun’, ‘lush green fields’, ‘trees struggling’ Alliteration – e.g. ‘sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air’ Symbols – e.g. ‘gold sun’ – symbol of summer, ‘rains’ – symbol of winter Contrast – e.g. ‘beauty’ or summer is compared with ‘rains’ or winter Figurative Language  – Simile – ‘rain beats like bullets’ Metaphor – e.g. ‘the buttercups paved the earth with yellow stars’ Personafication – ‘buttercups have paved the earth’ …  buttercups have been

personified as having laid tiles Onomatopeia – e’g ‘swish’

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SPM ENGLISH PAST YEAR PAPERS - SECTION B

Descriptive

2003  : A day you wished had never happened

2004  : Describe a festival celebrated in your area

2005  : Describe the biggest challenge in your life

2006 : Describe an enjoyable weekend you have experienced

2007 : Describe an embarrassing experience in your life

2008 :  Write about a person who has worked hard to succeed in life.

2009 : Describe an unforgettable incident that you saw on your way

home from school.

2010 : Describe the most popular student in your school.

2011 : A famous person you admire.

2012 : Describe an outing with friends

Opinion / Argumentative

2003 : You have been given a chance to visit a country of your choice. Which country would you choose and why?2004 : How can we help promote tourism in Malaysia?2005 : If you were given a chance to be anybody, who would you want to be and why?2006 : How can television help students in their studies?2007 : ‘Teenagers today are only interested in entertainment.’ Do you agree?2008 : Examinations – good or bad?2009 : School children should not have long holidays. Do you agree?2010 : “The Internet is mostly a good thing.” Do you agree? Support

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your opinion.2011 : Should school students have part-time jobs? - Discuss2012 : Should parents give children more freedom

Reflective

2003 : An invention you cannot live without

2004 : My ideal school

2005 : How to keep one self healthy

2006 : What changes would you like to see in your life in the next ten

years?

2007 : My early years.

2008 :  My perfect future husband or wife

2009 : My favorite day of the week

2010 : What we can do to save the environment?

2011 : The best things in life are free

2012 : Saving money for future

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Story Telling / Narrative

2003  : Write a story that ends with: If only I had listened to

his/her advice

2004  : Write a story ending with: “We had never laughed so much

in our lives.”

2005 : Write a story with the title: An Unexpected Visitor

2006 : Write a story ending with: “If only I had been more careful,

that wouldn’t have happened.”

2007 : Write a story beginning with: Kim was nervous when the

door opened

2008 : Write a story ending with: “Now I realize the value of a

true friend.”

2009 : Write a story ending with: “...We said our goodbyes and

went our separate ways.”

2010 : Write a story beginning with:“It had been raining all

day...”

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2011 : Write a story that ends with: "...They looked at each other

and smiled meaningfully."

2012 : Write a story beginning with : "The teacher walked into the

classroom. It was the first period...."

One Word

2003 : Friends

2004 : Clothes

2005 : Music

2006 : Food

2007 : Tomorrow

2008 : Stars

2009 : Beauty

2010 : Home

2011 : Peace

2012 : Cleanliness

 * I have arranged all the questions according to the style/type used to write them. Students are advised to master at least three styles of writing mentioned above.It will help you to write the essay you choose properly by using the correct style or technique. Remember, you can't simply use any style to write an essay. You must see the requirements of the question or title of the particular essay.

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SPM 1119/2 Past Years Novel Questions (2002-2009)

Here are the Novel questions of the SPM 1119/2 English Language Paper from 2002-2009 for your reference.

For a more detailed analysis and answering tips, please go to:

http://learnteachlove.blogspot.com/2010/11/1119-english-literature-analysis.html

Hope you will find them useful for analysis of what may probably be tested for 2010.

Any intelligent guesses?

Rodney Tan--------------------------------SPM 1119 Past Years Novel Questions

2002 - Write a detail account of an event in the novel you have chosen which teaches

you an important moral lesson. In your account, you must make clear what

the moral lesson is.

2003 - (a) Which character do you sympathize with in the novel you have studied?

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(b) Explain why you sympathize with this character.

Support your answer with evidences from the novel.

2004 - Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most

memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with reference from the text, discuss

the event.

2005 - “Love is important in a family”.

How is this shown in the novel you have read?

Support your answer with close reference to the text.

2006 - The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using the

details from the novel that you have studied write about:

• Some instances that show the character’s determination

• How the determination affects his/her family.

2007 - “It is important to have a person you look up to in your life”.

From the novel that you have read, write about one character that you look up to.

Give reasons why you choose him/her

2008 - Using the detail from the novel that you studied

• Describe what happened at the end of the novel

• Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad

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Support your answer with close reference to the text.

2009 - Using the details from the novel that you have studied,

write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.

With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Poetry and Short Stories

YEAR SHORT STORY POETRY2004 The Lotus Eater Sonnet 182005 Looking For A Rain

GodSi Tenggang’s Homecoming

2006 The Drover’s Wife The Road Not Taken2007 The Lotus Eater Si Tenggang’s Homecoming2008 The Sound Machine Si Tenggang’s Homecoming2009 The Necklace Monsoon History

Tips:  The answers to the first three items on the short story and poem can be found in the extract given while the last item requires candidate to provide personal responses with close reference to the poem/short story.  The Novel

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The Novel

YEAR ELEMENT TESTED EXAMINATION ITEM2004 Plot Choose an event in the novel you

have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.

2005 Theme ‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.

2006 Character & Characterisation

The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about:-some instances that show the character’s determination.-how the determination affects his/her family.

2007 Character & Characterisation

‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.

2008 Plot Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.

2009 Character & Plot Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the

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characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Tips:  The length of a candidate's answer does not guarantee one will receive better marks. Giving a direct and apt response with appropriate justifications will garner extra points. A candidate must also provide close reference to the text as it shows the depth of one's understanding of the chosen text.

The Novel

YEAR EXAMINATION ITEM ELEMENT TESTED

2004 Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.

Plot

2005 ‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.

Theme

2006 The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about:-some instances that show the character’s determination.-how the determination affects his/her family.

Character & Characterisation

2007 ‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.

Character & Characterisation

2008 Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.

Plot

2009 Using the details from the novel you Character

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have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

2010 Based on the novel that you have read, write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you remember the incidents.

Plot

Directed writing

SPM ENGLISH: LESSON 1By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

PAPER 1 of SPM English is largely a test of students’ writing skills. It consists of two sections – Directed Writing, which carries 35 marks, and Continuous Writing, which carries 50 marks. Both these sections add up to a total of 85 marks. In this week’s article, we will start with Directed Writing. Remember that there is only one question on Directed Writing and that this is a compulsory question. Directed Writing, as its name suggests, is “directed” or “guided” as points are provided. Typical questions include writing a speech/talk, a report, an article or a letter (formal or informal). Below is an analysis of the types of questions that have been asked in this section for the past 10 years.

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Many of you are familiar with the allotment of marks for this question — content (15 marks) and language (20 marks). The marks for content include the marks for format as well. Hence, do pay attention to the formats of the different text types. The question on Directed Writing is much easier to tackle than the one on Continuous Writing because you can easily get the marks for content if you include all the content points provided.

General guidelines for Directed Writing

Always read the question carefully and highlight what you are required to do. Use the 45 minutes wisely: 10 minutes to plan your essay and organise your thoughts (this includes what to write, how to elaborate points, etc). 30 minutes to write. Five minutes to edit. Remember to use all the content points. It is advisable to cross out the points you have used so that no point is left out. Good students have been known to make this mistake. Include your own points only if you are asked to do so. Otherwise, do not waste time doing this because you will not get extra marks. Do provide relevant details or elaborate the points given even if you are not asked to do so. Remember: a crucial aspect of this paper is language and your ability to write can only be tested if you provide sufficient language for the examiner to gauge your linguistic ability. Therefore, do write one or two sentences for each point. Vary your sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and monotonous. More about this later in the section on Continuous Writing. Do include an introduction and a conclusion, and make sure your paragraphs are well organised. Do read through your written piece and rectify grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.

Pitfalls to avoid

Do not spend more than 45 minutes on this question. Remember the content points have been provided. All you have to do is use these points and elaborate on them. Some linguistically competent students make the mistake of spending too much time on this question and end up having less time for Continuous Writing, which carries more marks. Do not write more than two pages. Save time and energy for Continuous Writing. Do not use slang words, contractions and informal language. Do not write one paragraph for each point. If you do, your essay is going to be lengthy. We will now discuss one of the above text types, i.e., writing a speech/talk.

Talks/Speeches

Let us look at a sample question.

You are the president of your school’s Nature Club. You have been asked to give a speech to the students in your school to inform them about the Nature Club and to persuade them to join it. Write out your speech using the following points:

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Membership

Open to all students from Forms One to Five. An approved co-curricular activity. Aims To promote interest and knowledge about wildlife, forests and the environment among students. To encourage students to protect the fauna and flora. To provide opportunities for students to acquire values and skills needed to protect and improve the natural environment.

Activities

Trekking Rock climbing Photography Tree-planting

Facilities provided

Tents, sleeping bags and other equipment required for trekking purposes. Digital cameras.

Write out the speech you would give. Remember to:

Address the audience. Introduce the topic of your speech. Use all the notes given. End the talk appropriately.

Before you start writing, ask yourself these questions:

What am I required to do? What is my role? Who is my audience? How many points have been provided? Do I need to include other points?

Well, you have been asked to write a speech as the president of the school’s Nature Club and the other students in school are your audience. A total of 11 points have been provided (in bullet form in the sample question given) and the 12th point is embedded in the stimulus, i.e., you have to persuade the other students to join the Nature Club.

The marks for format are given for addressing your audience, introducing the topic of your talk and ending appropriately. You are reminded to do all three in the stimulus.

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General guidelines to remember when writing a speech

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Remember to:

Greet your audience. State the purpose of your speech/talk. Use the points given in a systematic manner – use transition markers to enable your audience to follow the flow of your thoughts. Elaborate your points with examples or illustrations. Conclude your speech by thanking your audience. Maintain a formal, yet pleasant, tone.

TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE SPM ENGLISH PAPER (PAPER 2)

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a. DIRECTED WRITING

In the first section of the SPM English Paper 2, students are expected to spend about thirty minutes, expanding on given notes. For this section, imagination and creativity do come into play because even though certain facts are given, they serve as a mere guide. You are required to do at least three major things:

1. Use the right format for your writing2. Include all the facts given in the question3. Elaborate or provide your OWN but relevant details) on these given facts.

From the total of 30 marks awarded here, 15 are for CONTENT and the other 15 is for LANGUAGE USE.

As a student, you can easily get full marks for content provided you follow the ensuing good advice.

CONTENT

There are three important aspects to awarding of marks for content.

a) Format

Marks awarded are usually in the range of 2-3. Make sure you read the instructions carefully. You may be required to write an informal letter, a formal letter, a speech, an article or a report. In each case, you must thoroughly realize how important it is that you suit the right format to the questions.

b) Inclusion of Given Facts

Certain facts are given in the question itself. Usually 6-7 marks are awarded if you include ALL the given facts in your writing do not leave even a single one. Couch each fact in a complete sentence. If you just use phrases or if the sentence you make is meaningless, no marks will be given.

c) Elaboration

Finally about 6-7 marks are awarded if you add details of your own to make your writing more intresting. No details - no marks !

Remember, one extra sentence or two is usually enough. You don’t have to write and write. Also, the details must be relevant, suitable and interesting too. You need to invest a little time and imagination here so that your writing won’t come across as "dry and dull".

LANGUAGE

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Finally, the remainder 15 marks are allocated for language use. You must try and make sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are as error-free as possible. Do take a little trouble to check through your writing. Write shorter sentences if you are not too sure about grammar. Avoid words that you do not know how to spell. But do begin from now to revise the spelling of simple words like "sincerely", "faithfully", "fine", "thank you", and other such frequently used words.

b. SUMMARY WRITING

Section B of the SPM English Paper 2 presents a question on summary writing. You are advised to spend forty-five minutes on this section.

For this section, a total of 3 marks are allocated. Of these, 20 are awarded for content and another 10 for language accuracy and style. Read the instructions carefully. By doing this, you ought to know very clearly:

1. Which part of the passage is supposed to be summarized (you may to be required to summarize the WHOLE passage)

2. What aspect of the content of the passage is to be summarized. (For instance, you may be asked to summarize only the advantages or disadvantages, or certain reactions of people or even the causes/outcomes of certain incident.

3. The length of your summary – i.e the number of words that you are allowed in your final summary. If it is stated that your summary MUST not be longer than 160 words, please adhere to this word limit. If you write more than 160 words, all the extra facts contained there are NOT taken into account by the examiner.

4. Take note of any starting words or phrases given and use them as instructed to begin your summary. Don’t forget the number of words in the starting line are included in counting the total number of words in your summary.

Once you have understood the question clearly, only ten should you begin to read the passage. Try to understand what the passage is all about – what its message/theme is or what the story is about.

During the second reading, begin to underline the important ideas and relevant tails. Pick these out and list them down. Do ensure that the points you are picking out are meeting the requirements of the question given. Read the passage once more to ensure that you have not left out any pertinent points.

Now, begin summarizing. Ignore irrelevant explanations and superfluous examples. Focus on the main ideas and those that support the theme of the passage. Generalize and convert lengthy sentences into shorter ones. Use one, or shorter words that can substitute the meaning of a long phrase in the passage. For example, "my mother, my father, my brother, and sister" can be rephrased as my family.

Group similar points together - for example the feelings of a person or the advantages of a certain procedure/machine. Rather than use three or four sentences to convey all of it, you ca put it all in one or two sentences. Use commas – they help. You will need skill for this, and that is why you should practice writing a lot of summaries before the real examination.

Many students grapple with summary writing because they get caught up with the words used in the passage. They want to use all of them. The reason? They feel that the author’s words are best and that almost all that is contained within the original passage is important and necessary to be included in their summary. As such, most students tend to copy the author’s words as much as possible and try to include almost everything from the original passage into the summary.

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The result is a chop cut-and-paste version of the original. It has little meaning and relevance. It is NOT even a summary and you get a few marks when you write a chopped summary like this.

Remember, you get more marks if you use your OWN WORDS. I know this is not easy, but you must try. Don’t be afraid to rearrange, reorganize and compound facts. The main issue here is whether you have understood the meaning of the passage and whether you can faithfully translate it into a passage that is made up mainly of your own words.

So, begin practicing writing a lot of summaries now. Every time you read a report in a newspaper or an article in a magazine, ask yourself – what is this repot/article all about? What is its message? Try to summarize it in your mind. Imagine that someone younger is asking you what is it that you are reading, and try to visualize the simplified answer/version that you are going to tell him/her. That is a summary.

Where marks are concerned, try to get as many as you can for CONTENT. Stick to the meaning of the passage as much as possible but do it using your own words. Do not be lazy. Secure as many points as you can by reading and scanning the passage carefully for relevant facts and details.

Jot all of these down diligently and try to incorporate them all in a simplified, summarized form. Try not to leave out important fact. Each fact left out means one less mark for you.

As for language, do take the trouble to read through your final draft and make sure that your grammar, punctuation and spelling are as accurate as you can possibly make them. Your error must be minimal and the language you use must not make it difficult for the examiner to understand what you are trying to say.

c) CONTINUOUS WRITING

Section C of the SPM English Paper 2 presents a question on Continuous Writing. Students are advised to spend about one hour on this section.

5 topics will be given and choose only ONE.

1. Recognise the type of essay you are going to attempt i.e. whether it’s a narrative, descriptive, expository, argumentative or reflective.

2. Understand the chosen topic so that you do not write out of point.3. Plan what you are going to write about.4. Include enough good and relevant points.5. Organize your points well and present each new or main point in a separate paragraph.6. Show coherence in paragraphs.7. Use idiomatic expression and include the active voice for narrative essays.8. Vary the length and structure of sentences9. Introduce your essay impressively and conclude it in a meaningful or original way.10. Check for spelling, punctuation, grammatical correctness, especially the usage of tenses and

pronouns.11. Factual topics should as far as possible be avoided. This is because the material you use must be

based on facts and not "guess work".

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Prepared By:

Judy Nur Adeena Lee

Ketua Bidang Bahasa

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