Day 5 Y5 English Trial Test

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How do the main characters’ emotional responses to their environments differ in both stories?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How do the settings of the supermarkets in Extract A and the forest in Extract B serve as important elements in the characters’ lives?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

What contrasting motifs are evident in Extracts A and B?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How do the characters in Extract A and Extract B find solace or escape from their surroundings?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

What theme is common to both extracts?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How do the main characters in both stories react to their surroundings?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How do the characters in Extract A and Extract B cope with their emotional struggles?

Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: From “Checkouts” by Cynthia Rylant

Her parents had moved her to Cincinnati, to a large house with bevelled glass windows and several porches and the history her mother liked to emphasise. You’ll be lonely at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll make friends fast. And as an impulse tore at her to lie on the floor, to hold to their ankles and tell them she felt she was dying, to offer anything, anything at all, so they might allow her to finish growing up in the town of her childhood, they formed their mouths and spoke from their chests, and they said, It’s decided.

They moved her to Cincinnati, where for a month she spent the greater part of every day in a room full of bevelled glass windows, sifting through photographs of the life she’d lived and left behind. But it is difficult work, suffering, and in its own way a kind of art, and finally she didn’t have the energy for it anymore, so she emerged from the beautiful house and fell in love with a bag boy at the supermarket. Of course, this didn’t happen all at once, just like that, but in the sequence of things that’s exactly the way it happened.

She liked to grocery shop. She loved it in the way some people have to drive long country roads, because doing it she could think and relax and wander. Her parents wrote up the list and handed it to her, and off she went without complaint to perform what they regarded as a great sacrifice of her time and a sign that she was indeed a very nice girl. She had never told them how much she loved grocery shopping, only that she was “willing” to do it. She had an intuition which told her that her parents were not safe for sharing such strong, important facts about herself. Let them think they knew her.

Once inside the supermarket, her hands firmly around the handle of the cart, she would lapse into a kind of reverie and wheel toward the produce. Like a Tibetan monk in solitary meditation, she calmed to a point of deep, deep happiness; this feeling came to her, reliably, if strangely, only in the supermarket.

Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, and that is how she fell in love.
He was nervous—first day on the job—and along had come this fascinating girl, standing in the checkout line with the unfocused stare one often sees in young children, her face turned enough away that he might take several full looks at her as he packed sturdy bags full of food and the goods of modern life. She was interested in him because her hair was red and thick, and in it she had placed a huge orange bow, nearly the size of a small hat. That was enough to distract him, and when finally it was her groceries he was packing, she looked at him and smiled, and he could respond only by busting her jar of mayonnaise on the floor, shards of glass and oozing cream decorating the area around his feet.

Extract B: From “Me Cheeta: The Autobiography” by Tony Parsons

You’ve never seen a rain dance, have you? They were us at our best. For hours beforehand you’d feel the electricity building in the air. You’d climb up into the lower canopy to escape the humidity, and it would slither up the trunk behind you. So you’d climb higher, until finally you’d be perched in the topmost branches, high over the rest of the forest, panting and sticky with moisture, too tired even to reach for one of those fizzing yellowy-green fruits whose name, dammit, escapes me.
From across the forest you’d hear the low coughs given out by other tree-climbers. No birds. No insects. Only our low, muffled coughs, echoless in the wet air. Then the first pant-hoots: the long low hoots, the shorter higher breaths. Mama and the others in our tree would respond with their own hoots, counting themselves in, and then the pants would climb higher, flowering into screams, and the screams would link into a continuous long chorus, and as the rain began to leak a few drops Mama would start pounding on the trunk, shaking the branches, like she was trying to wake the tree up too, and you could hear us all through the forest, drumming up the storm. And over it all, our alpha, Kirk, summoning us to gather for the dance.

We’d climb down from our tree and follow his call through the forest. In my memory it’s always dusk as we sight Kirk, walking upright at the apex of a long-grassed ridge and howling in the strengthening rain, looking terrifying up close, twenty times my own size. He seems to be coaxing the thunder towards us, reeling it in. The other grown-ups, like Cary and Archie, are quieter but also in a trance and visibly shaking. The thunder swings through the upper canopy, approaching in huge, looping leaps until finally it’s upon us, above us, all over us, and the air suddenly turns into rain. The mothers clear themselves and us children away into the sloe trees to watch. We’re absolutely rapt. Kirk, illuminated by lightning, charges down the ridge at an astonishing speed. Then Cary, who’s clever, discovers rocks can be made to bounce up and smack satisfyingly into the foliage. Cary can always do certain things Kirk can’t. Archie is smaller than the others and finds a branch to whack against a tree-trunk, leaving a series of white scars. They are our heroes, and Victoria and I are too enthralled by it all to eat our sloes.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

What does the act of grocery shopping in Extract A and the rain dance in Extract B symbolise in the context of each story?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

What does the speaker’s use of the phrase “fierce confrontation” suggest about the relationship described in the poem?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

In the line “the tight Red rope of love which we both Fought over,” what does the red rope symbolise?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How does the speaker describe the environment where the struggle took place?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

What does the speaker mean by “We want, we shouted, To be two, to be ourselves”?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

According to the poem, what effect did the struggle have on both individuals?

Read the poem below, then answer the questions that follow.

Catrin by Gillian Clarke

Turn at the traffic lights.
I can remember you, our first
Fierce confrontation, the tight
Red rope of love which we both
Fought over. It was a square                                         5
Environmental blank, disinfected
Of paintings or toys. I wrote
All over the walls with my
Words, coloured the clean squares
With the wild, tender circles                                       10
Of our struggle to become
Separate. We want, we shouted,
To be two, to be ourselves.

Neither won nor lost the struggle
In the glass tank clouded with feelings                    15
Which changed us both. Still I am fighting
You off, as you stand there
With your straight, strong, long
Brown hair and your rosy,
Defiant glare, bringing up                                         20
From the heart’s pool that old rope,
Tightening about my life,
Trailing love and conflict,
As you ask may you skate
In the dark, for one more hour.                               25

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

How does the speaker describe the daughter’s physical appearance

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #15

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #16

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #17

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #18

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #19

Read the article below then answer the questions that follow.

“You have desert, desert, desert—then the Nile Valley, which is very green,” says Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, AM’06, a doctoral student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and guest curator for the Oriental Institute Museum exhibition Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. 15._______ “Avid observers of nature,” the ancient Egyptians were deeply affected by these “spectacular” visitations and showed it in their religious beliefs, philosophy, art, and crafts. Researchers have provisionally identified some 211 different bird species represented in Egyptian artefacts from about 4000 BC through AD 395.

Key figures in the Egyptian pantheon were traditionally depicted as birds, notably the falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth. 16._______, capturing and breeding thousands for the purpose each year, especially after the fall migration coinciding with the Nile flood. Birds’ “ability to fly high in the sky led the ancients to believe that they could join the gods,” Bailleul-LeSuer writes in the exhibition catalogue, “and thus act as divine messengers, if not as receptacles of the divine themselves.”17. _______, “so it’s actually a conquest of death when the birds come” each migration season.

Hunting, fowling, and breeding birds were important facets of the ancient Egyptian economy. Artists covered temples and tombs with carvings and paintings of both indigenous species (hoopoes, kestrels, grey herons) and migratory ones (quail, storks, house martins, lapwings). 18._______

19._______, Between Heaven and Earth displays 35 of the hundreds of avian artefacts in the OI’s collection, many of which have never been shown, as well as a few standout pieces loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, which runs through July 28, 2013, concludes with a look at the state of today’s avian Egyptian population. Environmental changes—more cities, more people, the damming of the Nile—have proven less hospitable to some birds than others. Without quick interventions, writes Field Museum research associate Sherif Baha el-Din in the exhibition catalogue, “20._______.”

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Fill in Gap #20

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract discusses the significance of a river in ancient Egypt’s prosperity?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract mentions the complex system of governance, majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and religious belief system mentioned?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract talks about the construction of iconic pyramids and the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract is the Great Sphinx discussed as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract mentions hieroglyphs as a system of writing employed by ancient Egyptians?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract discusses the annual flooding of a river and its significance to ancient Egyptian civilisation?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract can you find information about the system of governance in ancient Egypt?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract mentions the importance of hieroglyphics in decoding ancient Egyptian beliefs and achievements?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract mentions the carving of a colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh?

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A:
Ancient Egypt, nestled along the banks of the Nile River, flourished as one of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated civilizations. From the construction of the iconic pyramids to the intricacies of hieroglyphic writing, Egypt’s rich history is a tapestry of innovation and cultural marvels. The pharaohs, believed to be divine rulers, commissioned colossal monuments and temples, leaving an enduring legacy that captivates historians and archaeologists to this day.

Extract B:
The Nile River, often referred to as the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, played a pivotal role in shaping the civilization’s prosperity. Its annual flooding bestowed fertile soil, supporting bountiful harvests, and sustaining a thriving agricultural society. Egyptians developed a complex system of governance, complete with majestic pharaohs, skilled artisans, and a deeply ingrained religious belief system that permeated every aspect of daily life.

Extract C:
Hieroglyphs, the intricate system of writing employed by the ancient Egyptians, adorned the walls of temples and tombs, offering a glimpse into their language and culture. From the mystical symbols representing gods and goddesses to detailed accounts of historical events, hieroglyphics served as a bridge to the past. Decoding these inscriptions has unveiled a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals, and achievements.

Extract D:
The Great Sphinx, with its enigmatic gaze and majestic presence, stands as a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering prowess. Carved from a single limestone block, this colossal creature with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh symbolises strength and wisdom. Surrounded by mysteries yet to be unravelled, the Sphinx guards the entrance to the Giza Plateau, inviting exploration into the heart of ancient Egypt’s architectural marvels.

Answer the questions by choosing the letter of the correct answer.

Which extract emphasises the enduring legacy left by the pharaohs through colossal monuments and temples is: