CSEC English A Section B Question 2 – Sample Letter

No 67 Happy View,
St James.

October 12, 2014

The Manager,
The Fair Trade Commission,
Green Hill,
Barbados.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write to complain against Best Line Supermarkets from which I purchased a box of cereal on October 10, 2014.  I have two areas of concern: the treatment I received, and the quality of the product.

The item was on sale and I paid $8.45 for it.  On arrival home I realized that the product had expired since September.  I returned the package, with the bill, and was directed to speak with the supervisor.  He simply said that it was my duty to check any product I wanted to buy.

I went to the manager, explained the issue and expressed my disappointment.  I also requested a refund but he too told me that I should have checked the date before making the purchase.  In addition, he said that their policy is no exchange or refund on sale items.  He promised to speak to his colleague, then he dismissed me and went to the telephone.  I believe this treatment is unjust and would like you to intervene to rectify this matter.

Yours sincerely,


Hadia Rogers

READING COMPREHENSION PRACTICE 2- MODEL ANSWERS

Question
(a)(i)Who is likely to have said the following lines:

'Twill rot yu' teet'! (line 3) and Study yu' book! (line 11) (ii)What effect is the writer trying to create by using them? (3 marks)
Suggested answer(a) The words would have been spoken by an adult, possibly a parent.

Question(b) In what ways is the content of the first two stanzas (lines 1 - 15) similar?
(3 marks)
Suggested answer
(b) The content of the first two stanzas is similar in that they show the views/concerns of the adult with regard to the child. Also, both stanzas offer guidance from the adult.

Question(c) Why does the poet refer to leather jacket (line 12) and ;football boots (line 13)? (2 marks) 

Suggested answer
(c) The poet refers to leather jackets and football boots, items which we associate with the male, to indicate that these attract teenage girls.

Question(d) Comment on the poet's choice of the following words:

(i)Tinkly (line 4)(ii)dim (line 31) (2 marks)
Suggested answer
d)(i) Tinkly is an example of the figurative device, ono- matopoeia; hence it appeals to the sense of hearing. Children will be attracted to the sound of the paper.
(ii) Through the use of dim, the poet maintains the contrast between childhood and adulthood, innocence and experience.

Question
(e) What do the following lines,

She'll see beneath the silver wrapper

Beneath the flashy football boots ... (lines 21 - 22) tell us about the young girl?
(2 marks) 
Suggested answer
(e) The lines tell us that the young girl realises later on in life that things are not what they seem to be. She would arrive at this position because of her maturity and experience.

Question(f)What is suggested by the poet in the last seven lines (lines 27 - 33) of the poem? (2 marks) 
Suggested answer
(f) The poet is saying that it is difficult for anyone to see why adulthood, with all its problems, should be preferred to childhood.

Total 14 marks

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE PRACTICE 1 -MODEL ANSWERS

Question
a) To whom or what does 'he' refer? (1 mark) 
Suggested answer
a) 'He' refers to the fish or Pita

Question
b) What effect is the author trying to create by using short sentences in the passage?(2 marks)
Suggested answer
b) The writer is trying to create suspense/tension/fast-moving action.

Question
c) State ONE word which could describe Pita's feelings when he realised, There were millions of holes ... but none large enough. (2 marks) 
c) Alarm/anxiety/frustration/desperation.

Question
d) Why does the author repeat 'squeezed' in line 6? (3 marks) 
Suggested answer
d) The word is repeated to show the tremendous effort the fish is making in its bid to escape.

Question
e) Who or what does the 'monster' refer to? (2 marks) 
Suggested answer
e) The 'monster' is the net

Question
f) Why does the writer use 'fateful' to describe the shore? (2 marks)
Suggested answer
f) The word is used because that is where the fate of the fish was decided/where death took place.

Question
g) Why does Pita utter a cry of joy? (1 mark)
Suggested answer
g) Pita utters a cry of joy as he was now free.

Question
h) Why was 'the sound of the breakers' a bitter memory? (2 marks) 
Suggested answer
h) It was the sound of the place where he would have died.

MODEL RESPONSE- PRACTICE QUESTION 2

Computers and Education in America

Dudley Erskine Devlin writes his own commentary of computer technology on the rise in "Computers and Education in America." While all the optimists out there push the movement of Websites and constantly flash e-mail addresses on all advertising promising simplicity for our hectic lives and education for our children, Devlin retorts by saying, "In short, the much balleyhooed promise of computers for education has yet to be realized." He believes that finding information and retrieving it from the Internet is long and tedious. The Internet is cluttered by commercialism, claims Devlin. He also points out how the information might be false when found. He believes claims that the Internet is democratic are false. The personal computer eats money and that plus the cost of Internet bills is too much for families. Although the Internet has nearly 20 million sites, there are not enough mentoring programs to lead students through the Internet. Besides, according to Devlin, kids will always prefer the TV and their friends over cyberspace. Even if kids were on the Internet they would be surrounded by commercialism and pornography. Finally, in the words of Dudley Erskine Devlin, "The cult of computers is still an empty promise for most students."