HOTs Questions + Answers

Poem A Poison Tree: HOTs Questions + Answers

1.    What does the persona do with his/her anger of the enemy?

The persona just keeps it inside and lets it get worse.

2.    “I told it not, my wrath did grow.”

     Unstable emotion should never be kept inside. How can you release it? Provide a reason for your answer.

     Method: Talk to the people involved

     Reason: Talking can resolve the problem.

3.    What would you do if you had a misunderstanding with your foe?

I would talk to him/her to find out the root of the matter.

4.    Why do you think the persona did not tell his foe about his wrath?

He found it difficult to talk about the matter.

5.    What two things can you learn from this poem?

Hatred breeds hatred/We should not suppress our anger./ We should talk about our anger or our feelings./We should forgive and forget.

6.    “Till it bore an apple bright”

      Do you think revenge solves problems? Give a reason for your answer.

      Opinion: No. It is pointless.

      Reason: revenge does not solve any problem, it just makes it worse.

7.    How does the persona feel about his/her foe lying under the tree in the morning. Give a reason for your answer.

He felt satisfied/happy because his/her enemy is dead/ something terrible happened to his/her

enemy./ His/her enemy is defeated.

8.    ‘I was angry with my friend.’

     How would you avoid getting angry with a friend. State a good effect of your action.

Method: I would not listen to rumours so easily.

Reason: Because rumours can be wrong and can bring bad consequences. /Because rumours can destroy friendship.

9.    ‘I was angry with my foe’

State one bad effect of anger and suggest a solution to manage anger.

Effect: Anger can make you lose your judgement.

Solution: Make sure you get the right facts about an issue before you get angry.

10. What is the poem about?

The poem is about the bad effects of holding one’s anger./ It is about anger management.

11. What lessons have you learnt from the poem? State two.

a.        Communication is important to avoid misunderstanding.

b.       We must also learn to forgive and forget.

12. Why does the foe want the apple?

It belonged to someone else and it was tempting.

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1.    In stanza 1, what happens to an anger that is not settled?

It grows. / It becomes bigger than it actually is.

2.    What does the word “deceitful” mean?

Lies

3.    In stanza 2, which phrase suggests that the persona pretended and used tricks?

“Soft deceitful wiles”

4.    In stanza 3, which phrase tells you that the persona kept his anger all the time?

“grew both day and night”

5.    What does the tree symbolise?

It symbolises growing anger.

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Questions + Answers

HOTs QUESTIONS

1. Suggest two ways to protect your country?

    i) Be patriotic.

    ii) Cherish these natural wonders/cherish the natural resources/ cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage for your children and your children's children. 

    iii. Be loyal to one's country.

1.    How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.

      I dislike war. Many people die in the war.

2.    Many soldiers fought for our country’s independence. Suggest two ways we can show our appreciation to these soldiers?

     We should give them medals./The government should protect their families at home./The government should give them aids so that they can live comfortably in old age./A documentary can be made on their struggles so that the younger generation will appreciate them.

3.    How do you think soldiers feel when they go to war? Give a reason for your answer?

     They feel afraid because they are not sure if they will survive./The feel proud because they have been trained to defend the country at all costs.

4.    Name one moral value you have learnt from this poem and how can it be applied in your life?

     Moral Value: loyalty

     How to apply: I will always be loyal to my country and defend Malaysia no matter what.

5.    Are wars worth fighting for? Give a suitable reason for your answer.

     Response: Yes, some wars are worth fighting for

     Reason: we need to fight for justice and for our rights.

6.    Is there a better way than going to war? Suggest a reason.

     Yes. We can always have a discussion to solve the problems rather than go to war.

7.    Do you think following orders without questioning is a good thing? Give a reson for your answer.

     No. we must question first so that we do not make a mistake.

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1. Where is the setting of the poem?

    The battlefield.

2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?

    "theirs not to reason why"

3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the poems?

    To emphasise that the 600 soldiers sacrificed  their life on that day in the battlefield 

4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.

    Loyal as they follow orders.

5. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence from the poem.

    Many soldiers die. The phrase into the jaw of death shows that many of them will die in the battle.

6. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?

    The leader/captain/the commander.

7. Why do you think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?

    Some of the soldiers are not courageous and have weak heart/ will/spirit.

8. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a job that requires bravery.  Provide reason for your answer.

    Policeman. They need to fight for justice.

9. What is the Light Brigade?

    A division in the army./A cavalry.

10. What does the Valley of Death symbolises?

     A battlefield/a place where battle/ war takes palace/ a place where army fight enemies/ a place where armies  fight enemies and many of them die.

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Poem The Living Photograph: HOTs Questions + Answers

HOTs QUESTIONS:

1.    Why do you think the grandmother wore flat shoes?

Most probably because she is aging and cannot wear heeled-shoes.

2.    Why do you think the grandmother became small?

She became small because she had aged and her back had hunched.

3.    Why did the grandmother’s back become round and hunched?

This is because she is aging and her bones are weaker.

4.    According to the persona, where has the grandmother gone and why ‘there she is still’?

Her grandmother had passed away and gone to the awful place.

5.    Why is the smile described as still living and breathing?

Most probably the photograph is very well taken.

6.    Why did the grandmother go to that awful place?

She became old and passed away.

7.    Why was the place described as awful?

No one has been there and persona can no longer see or talk to her grandmother.

8.    How do we know that the grandmother looked prim and proper?

She was properly dressed in white broderie anglaise shirt with pleated skirt and flat shoes.

9.    ‘white hand in black hand’

     What other feature mentioned in the stanza tell us the grandmother’s race? Provide reason to support your answer.

Feature: Blue eyes

Reason:  The persona is black and the grandmother is white

10.   ‘Her soup forgot to boil’

       What other thing do you think the grandmother was likely to forget to do? Give a reason to support your   

       answer.

Thing: Where she placed her spectacles or forgot to turn on the kettle

Reason: As one gets older, its normal to be forgetful.

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1.    Why do you think her soup forgot to boil?

She was old and forgetful/absent-minded

2.    Quality                                              Evidence

       Kind                                    " a kind old smile"

       Protective/caring               " her big hands holds mine"

       fearless/ courageous         " look her own death in the eye"

       friendly                                 " the crinkled smile is still living"

3. 'she went to the awful place grandmothers go...'

      Do you think the persona understands about death? Provide a reason for answer,

     

          Understanding: No, I don't think she understands death.

Reason: She mentions the place as awful, unknown and unthinkable when normally heaven is  described as beautiful.

4.  'But there she is still'

     How do you think the persona feels when she looks at the photograph? Provide a reason for your answer.

Feeling : She feels happy and loved.

Reason : She mentions that the grandmother's crinkled smile is still living and breathing as though her grandmother is still standing beside her

5.    Give one moral value one can learn from the poem.

     The poem teaches us that we must spend time with our loved ones because when they pass away,

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Soalan Novel Bahasa Inggeris SPM (SPM 2008 → SPM 2016)

SPM QUESTIONS:

2008	Based on the novel that you have studied, describe what happens at the end of the story. Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad.
2009	Write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters. Do you think this was the right decision?
2010	Write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you remember the incident.
2011	Which part of the story do you like most? Give reasons for your choice.
2012	Write about an event that makes you angry. Give reasons why the event makes you feel this way.
2013	Write about an important decision made by one of the characters. Explain how it affects the other character(s).
2014	“One has to struggle to improve one’s life.” How far is this true of the novel you have studied?
2015	Describe a life-changing event that happens to a character and what it has taught you.
2016	Describe a scene that makes you either happy or sad. Give reasons why you feel this way.

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Novel Sing To The Dawn (Form 5) : Chapter Summaries

CHAPTER	SUMMARY
1	Dawan (14 years old) and Kwai(13 years old) spent the morning talking about the scholarship to study in a city school. Kwai was quite hopeful and Dawan felt that she would not get the scholarship because she was a girl. Their parents thought that it was foolish and wasteful to send girls to school.
2	The teacher asked his students what they saw beneath their houses in the morning. He had a long discussion with the students about the landlord taking away sacks of rice beneath their houses. The headmaster headed to their class and listened to the discussion before going off. The teacher and students discussed what they should do if they won the scholarship. The teacher announced that Dawan won the scholarship.
3	The classmates surrounded Dawan as soon as they heard that she won the scholarship. Kwai was unhappy and upset that Dawan won the scholarship, not him. Dawan told her family that she got the scholarship and that made her father angry. He accused Dawan of taking her own brother's chance away from him. Dawan’s mother was reluctant to give her opinion (being scared and loyal to her husband). Dawan's grandmother however supported her. Dawan and her grandmother planned to go to Noi's house. However, halfway there, Dawan's mother decided to go with Dawan instead of her grandmother - her grandmother was too old and it was a long journey (3 kilometres) to walk under the hot sun.
4	The conversation at Noi’s house - Dawan’s mother, Noi (Dawan’s cousin, 5-6 years older than her, married and had a small baby) and Ghan (Noi’s husband). Noi said that going to the city was useless, not good and not healthy. She went to the city to work, not to study but had to come back home because the city was an ugly and cruel place to work. Ghan worked in the city as part of a work crew. Noi and Ghan tried to discourage Dawan from going to the city because it would bring more harm than good. Mr Phaspras (Army officer) made a deal with Noi's family in order not to take Ghan into the army (Noi and Ghan had to pay him a lot of money) After listening to what Noi and Ghan said, Dawan was still determined to go to the city.
5	Kwai was upset when he knew that Dawan and their mother went to see Noi and Ghan. Kwai and Dawan argued over the issue of winning the scholarship. Kwai came in second in the examination but he was hoping to go to the city. At the same time, Kwai was scared of telling their father his result because Dawan might not be allowed to go. He was in a confused state.
6	Dawan's father was very unapproachable. He did not want her to go to the city. He thought that boys going to the city to study would be better than girls. Kwai was hopeful after he heard that. Dawan’s father would not listen to her reasons. She decided to see the gentle old monk of the village temple. Maybe he could influence her father to change his mind.
7	Dawan went to the busy and crowded market place alone early in the morning because she wanted to meet the monk at the temple. She met a girl, Bao who sold lotus buds and caged sparrows. Dawan wanted to buy a lotus bud but Bao gave it for free to her. She also wanted to free a caged bird to make merit but she did not have enough money (only ten cents). From their conversation, Dawan found out that Bao was Vichai’s sister (Dawan’s classmate – the boy who sat behind her in class).
8	Dawan went to see the old monk/head monk/elderly abbot in the temple. They talked in the open courtyard outside the temple. Dawan's teacher and the old monk were good friends, so he already told the monk about Dawan’s scholarship. Dawan pleaded with the monk so that he could persuade her father to let her go to study in the city (her father respected the monk and would listen to what he said). The old monk did not see the need for Dawan to go to the city school. He refused to help her because he did not believe in the idea of girls furthering their studies. He talked much about the Holy One’s teaching and Heaven. Dawan ran off in bitterness and tears.
9	Bao allowed Dawan to release a bird for free. Bao's brother, Vichai, came to the market stall and hit her because of that. Kwai stopped Vichai from hitting Bao. After realising that Bao knew about what happened between Dawan and Kwai, Kwai wanted to slap Bao. Bao accused of both Vichai and Kwai as big bullies. Kwai pushed Dawan away when she tried to stop him from hitting Bao. Dawan landed on top of a pile of broken birdcages, injuring herself. Cousin Noi helped Dawan with her bleeding ankle. Dawan limped off alone to return home.
10	In the heavy rain, Dawan went to the river to sit on the old bridge but Kwai was already there. Kwai was thinking about Dawan's words (about him being a bully). The siblings talked about what happened and expressed their feelings about the whole issue. Kwai realised that Dawan was a caring sister and he finally made his decision. Both of them returned home together.
11	On their way home in the heavy rain, they saw their father leading the buffalo home (which Kwai forgot to do). They decided to hide from him because he looked angry but later they approached him. Their father heard from the teacher that Kwai got second in the test and was angry at him for not telling him about it. Back at home, their grandmother tried to comfort the scared Dawan. Father had a good and serious discussion with Kwai and Dawan about the scholarship. Father was very reluctant to let Dawan go to the city school but Dawan and Kwai managed to convince him. He finally allowed Dawan to go. Kwai was both happy and sad at the same time about their father’s decision.
12	Dawan’s last morning at home. At dawn, she went to the top of the old wooden bridge and saw that Kwai was already there. The siblings talked about Dawan’s leaving the village. Kwai would miss Dawan because  no one would be there to watch the sunrise with him. He cried and ran off. Dawan started singing her morning song one last time before going home to get ready to go to the city.
13	At first Dawan was unsure if she wanted to leave because she would miss everything and everyone in her village. Her grandmother gave her a lot of advice and encouragement to persuade her to go. She gave Dawan a glass jar of lotus bud. When she was boarding the bus to go to the city, Kwai was nowhere to be seen. Although many people in the village sent her off, she was not happy as Kwai was not there. During the bus journey, she saw Kwai on the bridge that they usually went to, he was waving goodbye at her, singing their favourite morning song, which she continued singing until she could not see him anymore.

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