for CSEC® Examinations

2ND EDITION

Julia Sander

ADVISERS

Jaishreet Ramlagan Head of Department, Guyana

Jillian George-Douglas Acting Head of Department, Trinidad & Tobago

Sandra Thomas Language Arts Consultant, Grenada

Caprece McCleary, Jodey-Ann Falconer and Nacene Thomas (joint review)

Head of Department and teachers, Jamaica

CSEC® is a registered trademark of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). English Matters for CSEC® Examinations 2nd Edition is an independent publication

and has not been authorised, sponsored or otherwise approved by CXC.

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Table of Contents Scope and Sequence ivPreface for Students viii

Units 1. Families 1 2. Life Skills 17 3. Sports 32 4. Role Models 47 5. Relationships 62 6. Tricksters 76 7. Folk Traditions 90 8. Communication 104 9. Health 11910. Discipline 13411. Nature 14812. Dreams 16313. Gangs 17714. Discrimination 19315. Advertising 20716. Media 22117. Space Exploration 23518. Environment 24919. The World of Work 26320. Review 273

School Based Assessment (SBA) 300

Reference Section 326Writing letters 326Acknowledging your sources of information 328Punctuation guide 329Sentence structure 330Grammar guide 332Spelling guide 337Glossary of terms used in language and literature 341

Listening transcripts 345Acknowledgements 352Index 353

A Practice Examination Paper, audio files for the Listening Exercises and Answers can be found online at www.macmillan-caribbean.com

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Reading and Responding Graphic information

HealthIn this unit you will• examine expository, graphic and visual material on the topic

of health• comment on information displayed in a map• use the following punctuation forms correctly: dash, hyphen, brackets• form new words using Latin and Greek prefixes• conduct collaborative research into a health-related topic• present the results of your research creatively• summarise informative discourse (expository writing)• write a report on a health issue.

O B J E C T I V E S

Analysing graphic informationDo not try to absorb every detail. Survey graphs and tables• to observe trends, e.g. an increase or decrease

in the total number of people infected with the Zika virus.

• to find specific facts, e.g. in which parts of the world can the zika virus be found?

The KWL strategy practised in earlier books in this series is a good way of approaching graphic information. Consider the first two questions before looking at the information, and the third question after studying it.

Study Tip

UNDERSTANDING: Analyse information presented graphically. KWL strategy.

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K: What do I Know about this subject?

W: What do I Want to know about this subject?

L: What have I Learnt about this subject?

Consider these questions:• What do you know about mosquito-borne diseases?• Are there any cases of mosquito-borne diseases in your country?• What are the symptoms?

BEFORE YOU READ

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Mosquito-borne Diseases – a New EpidemicMalaria, the mosquito-borne disease which claims more victims than any other, has all but disappeared from the Americas, but is still prevalent in Africa and South-East Asia. It is some years since any cases were recorded on any of the Caribbean islands. Due to intensive prevention programmes in affected regions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted a decline in the number of cases of malaria over the past 15 years.Figure 1

Figure 1Estimated cases of malaria 2000–2015 (000s) % change

2010–20152000 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

271 000 266 000 245 000 235 000 224 000 21 000 212 000 212 000 -14%

-22%

Estimated malaria deaths 2000–2015 (000s)2000 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

864 741 554 511 474 452 435 429

WHO World Malaria Report 2016

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12

EXPRESSION: Study the use of personal pronouns and possessive determiners.

Work in pairs or groups.

a Discuss how to use pronouns or possessive determiners (e.g. ‘his’, ‘her’) to make this text more concise.

1

Reference Section (page 336)

Language Matters Pronouns

Pronouns stand in place of nouns and noun phrases. They are used to avoid a sense of repetition and to give a text a sense of cohesion. Pronouns generally refer to a noun or noun phrase which has already been mentioned.It is important to refer back to the noun or noun phrase the pronoun replaces so that you understand its function in the sentence. This will tell you which pronoun form to use, e.g. subject / object, singular / plural.

Troubleshooting: pronoun errorsStudy the following common pronoun errors. Try to avoid making them when you speak or write in Standard English.1. Inconsistent use of pronouns in the same sentence:

One can only truly appreciate a play if you have acted in it yourself. ✘One can only truly appreciate a play if one has acted in it oneself. ✔

2. Using a plural verb with a singular pronoun:Everyone want to stop now. ✘ Everyone wants to stop now. ✔

3. Using subject and object pronouns incorrectly:

My sister and me often quarrel. ✘

My sister and I often quarrel. ✔(‘My sister and I’ is the subject of the sentence, so a subject pronoun must be used.)

4. Using the wrong pronoun form after a preposition:

My sister watched the DVD with my friends and I. ✘My sister watched the DVD with my friends and me. ✔

(Object pronouns are used after prepositions.)5. Using an apostrophe with a possessive adjective or pronoun:Is this book your’s? ✘ Is this book yours? ✔6. Using the wrong possessive form with indefinite pronouns:Everyone should try to do their best. ✘

Everyone should try to do his or her best. ✔‘Everyone’ is a singular pronoun. It should be used with ‘his’ or ‘her’. In American and British texts, you will often find ‘their’ used with pronouns like ‘everyone’. This is NOT generally acceptable in the Caribbean.

After reading about the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, Craig and I discussed how the Workshop influenced the development of drama in the Caribbean. Craig and I both thought that the Workshop had been a great help to local dramatists. The plays of local dramatists were first performed there, which allowed local dramatists to become better known. Our English teacher, Mrs Patel, promised to lend Craig and me a DVD of a production of one of Derek Walcott’s plays. Mrs Patel said that the DVD would help Craig and me to appreciate the play more. Mrs Patel said that she would like to hear our opinion of the play, so Craig and I are planning to watch Mrs Patel’s DVD this evening.

b Read the text aloud using pronouns and possessive determiners where possible. What difference do they make?

Before attempting the pronoun exercises, revise the notes on the use of pronouns in the Reference section.

PT I

UNDERSTANDING: Identify devices used in advertising techniques. EXPRESSION: Create own advertising devices.

Identify examples of hyperbole, paradox and pathetic fallacy in these advertisements.1

Which devices are used in these excerpts from a tourist brochure?2

Create your own persuasive devices to advertise the following items. Choose from the list.

a. hyperbole c. slogans e. memorable phrases b. similes or metaphors d. paradox f. pathetic fallacy.

1. a new beauty product 2. a beach bar 3. a drink

4. a vehicle 5. a musical instrument 6. a cell phone

7. a tourist resort 8. a concert 9. a new clothing range

3

1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

From the top of the mountain, you will see a view to die for.

As the sun goes down, sip a cool drink on

the terrace. It doesn’t get better than this!

Our simple menu is the result of hours of loving preparation.

At night, the stars light your way as you wander along the beach.

Wake to the joyous sound of

the birds greeting the morning.

The view from the lookout point stretches to the ends of the Earth.

In springtime, a million colourful

flowers dot the hillside.

We will pamper you and give you things you didn’t even know you wanted.

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ReviewIn this unit you will• answer exam style questions on the use of language• answer comprehension questions on a variety of text types• summarise informative discourse• write informative discourse, e.g. letter, report, article• write stories and argumentative compositions.

O B J E C T I V E S

REVIEW: Practise answering multiple-choice vocabulary questions.

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E X AM T I PBefore the examination:• Make sure you know exactly what is expected: the types of questions you are likely to

find, how long you will have to answer each question, the number of words you will be asked to write. Don’t assume the questions asked will be exactly the same as those you have practised.

• Time yourself when you practise answering exam-style questions.• Revise the information given in the Study Tips included in earlier units of this book

E X AM T I PThese are some of the types of vocabulary-based questions you may find in the examination.1. Identifying synonyms: here you are asked to find the word NEAREST in meaning (NOT exactly the same meaning) to an underlined word in a sentence.

Clark was praised for persevering despite the adverse conditions.A. obscure B. unfavourable (✔) C. reluctant D. conflicting

If the word is unfamiliar, look for clues in the sentence and try out each of the options. Here ‘persevering’ indicates the conditions were difficult. There are usually one or two options you can rule out at once – this narrows your choice. Remember that the option you choose must fit the sentence grammatically.2. Finding antonyms: Approach this type of question in the same way as you would if asked to identify synonyms. A word of warning: one of the options may be a synonym of the word you are asked to replace. Don’t get caught out by choosing this answer.3. Finding missing words: in this type of question, you are asked to find the word(s) which BEST complete the sentence. More than one word may fit the context, so take care to select the best option. Again, the option you choose must fit grammatically.

It is difficult not to ______ a sinister motive to his conduct.A. interpret B. refer C. ascribe (✔) D. accept

NOTE: Even if you are unsure of the answer, never leave a blank. Make an educated guess.

Paper 1 Vocabulary questions

Select the options NEAREST in meaning to the underlined words.

1. Rochelle conceded that the results were disappointing.a. rejected b. refused c. admitted d. surrendered

2. Ariel lacked the tenacity to solve difficult problems.a. perseverance b. obstinacy c. reserve d. attitude

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School Based Assessment (SBA)

sba: Introduction to School Based Assessment. Select topic and plan research.

IntroductionEvery student taking CSEC English examinations is required to submit a School Based Assessment (SBA), worth 21% of the total assessment. Your SBA will be assessed on the basis of• your individual contribution• your work as a member of a group.

In your groups, you will work in a group of 4 or 5 students to share your research, discuss and solve problems, explain your ideas and interact with one another to reach conclusions. Pair and group work is practised throughout this book as preparation for your SBA.

The marks assigned to your SBA will be allocated as follows:

• your individual mark based on the following components: Plan of Investigation, Oral Presentation, Reflection, Group Participation

• the mark for your group based on Quality of Group Interaction and Written Report.

Organisation of the School Based AssessmentEach student group selects a research theme which must be approved by your teacher. Your theme should be one which allows you to conduct meaningful research, and for which suitable resource materials are available. Indicators of your research should be presented in your individual portfolio. You will, in addition, be expected to give an oral presentation of three to five minutes on your research.

Contents of the PortfolioEach student in the group must produce a portfolio containing the following components.

1. Plan of InvestigationAn introduction to your chosen topic of around 100 words, which answers these questions:

1

This chapter contains the following sections:

1. Introduction: an overview of the SBA and its requirements

2. Select the theme for your SBA and plan your research

3. Select information sources and create a plan of investigation

4. Conduct your research

5. Work in groups

6. Present the results of your research: your portfolio and your oral presentation

7. Schedule for School Based Assessment

School Based Assessment (SBA)