WISE OWL HIGH SCHOOL WEEK 2 CONCEPT TEST

Form 4

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500 /12

You must answer on the enclosed answer on the question paper

INSTRUCTIONS
• Answer all questions.
• Use a black or dark blue pen.
• Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
• Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
• Do not write on any bar codes.
• If additional space is needed, you should use the lined pages at the end of this booklet; the question
number or numbers must be clearly shown.
• Dictionaries are not allowed.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 15
• The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
• The insert contains the reading texts.

Going An Extra Mile

Text C: The Night Circus

The text is taken from a longer narrative. At this point in the story, a mysterious circus has suddenly
arrived in town, much to the intrigue of the local people.

The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or
advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen. No colour at all, save
for the neighbouring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields. Black-and-white stripes on grey sky;
countless tents of varying shapes and sizes, with an elaborate wrought-iron fence encasing them in a
colourless world. Even what little ground is visible from outside is black or white, painted or powdered, or
treated with some other circus trick.

But it is not open for business. Not just yet.

Within hours everyone in town has heard about it. By afternoon the news has spread several towns over.
Word of mouth is a more effective method of advertisement than typeset words and exclamation points on
paper pamphlets or posters. It is impressive and unusual news, the sudden appearance of a mysterious
circus. People marvel at the staggering height of the tallest tents. They stare at the clock that sits just inside
the gates that no one can properly describe.

And the black sign painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, the one that reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

“What kind of circus is only open at night?” people ask. No one has a proper answer, yet as dusk
approaches there is a substantial crowd of spectators gathering outside the gates.

You are amongst them, of course. Your curiosity got the better of you, as curiosity is wont to do. You
stand in the fading light, the scarf around your neck pulled up against the chilly evening breeze, waiting to
see for yourself exactly what kind of circus only opens once the sun sets.

The ticket booth clearly visible behind the gates is closed and barred. The tents are still, save for when they
ripple ever so slightly in the wind. The only movement within the circus is the clock that ticks by the
passing minutes, if such a wonder of sculpture can even be called a clock.

The circus looks abandoned and empty. But you think perhaps you can smell caramel wafting through the
evening breeze, beneath the crisp scent of the autumn leaves. A subtle sweetness at the edges of the cold.

The sun disappears completely beyond the horizon, and the remaining luminosity shifts from dusk to
twilight. The people around you are growing restless from waiting, a sea of shuffling feet, murmuring
about abandoning the endeavour in search of someplace warmer to pass the evening. You yourself are
debating departing when it happens.
First, there is a popping sound. It is barely audible over the wind and conversation. A soft noise like a
kettle about to boil for tea. Then comes the light. All over the tents, small lights begin to flicker, as though
the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. The waiting crowd quiets as it watches
this display of illumination. Someone near you gasps. A small child claps his hands with glee at the sight.
When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.

Stretched across the top of the gates, hidden in curls of iron, more firefly-like lights flicker to life. They
pop as they brighten, some accompanied by a shower of glowing white sparks and a bit of smoke. The
people nearest to the gates take a few steps back.

At first, it is only a random pattern of lights. But as more of them ignite, it becomes clear that they are
aligned in scripted letters. First a C is distinguishable, followed by more letters. A q, oddly, and several e’s.
When the final bulb pops alight, and the smoke and sparks dissipate, it is finally legible, this elaborate
incandescent sign. Leaning to your left to gain a better view, you can see that it reads:

Le Cirque des Reves

Some in the crowd smile knowingly, while others frown and look questioningly at their neighbours. A
child near you tugs on her mother’s sleeve, begging to know what it says. “The Circus of Dreams,” comes
the reply. The girl smiles delightedly. Then the iron gates shudder and unlock, seemingly by their own
volition. They swing outward, inviting the crowd inside.

Now the circus is open.

Read Text C, The Night Circus, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question paper.
Question 2

(a) Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words underlined:

1. (i) There are no notifications beforehand.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
. [1]

2. (ii) It was all black and white, except for the trees nearby.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
. [1]

3. (iii) Endless tents of all configurations.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
. [1]

4. (iv) The news is remarkable and strange.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
. [1]

(b) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:
Word of mouth is a more effective method of advertisement than typeset words and exclamation points on
paper pamphlets or posters. It is impressive and unusual news, the sudden appearance of a mysterious
circus. People marvel at the staggering height of the tallest tents.

(i) effective
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

(ii) mysterious
………………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

(iii) marvel
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests your thoughts and feelings as
you stand outside the gates.

Use your own words in your explanation.

Your curiosity got the better of you, as curiosity is wont to do. You stand in the fading light, the scarf
around your neck pulled up against the chilly evening breeze, waiting to see for yourself exactly what kind
of circus only opens once the sun sets.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]

(d) Re-read paragraphs 13 and 17.

• Paragraph 13 begins ‘First there is a popping sound …’ and is about the moment when the circus
lights come on.
• Paragraph 17 begins ‘Some in the crowd smile knowingly …’ and gives the crowd’s reaction to the
light display.

Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs. Choose
three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should
include the use of imagery.

Write about 200 to 300 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.

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