Week 7 Y4 English Trial Test

Read the extracts below then answer the questions that follow.

Extract A: Crow Talk By Johnny Gruelle

“Caw, Caw, Caw,” one old crow cried as he faced the other two crows. “Caw?” asked the second old crow as he plumed his feathers and screwed his head around to get a better view of the little boy lying under the tree. “Caw-AAAAH! Ca—aaaaw!” replied the first crow.

“Those crows must be talking to each other!” Duckie Dorn thought to himself, as he lay upon his back under the big oak tree and watched the three crows. The third crow now cried, “Awww! Ca-ca-caw!” Duckie jumped up and ran down the hill to where Granny lived. It was a tiny little house, not much larger than a piano box, but it was plenty large enough for Granny, for Granny was only two feet high. Some people even thought Granny was a witch. Of course Duckie knew that Granny was not a witch, for Granny was very good and kind. So Duckie knocked at Granny’s tiny front door. “Come in!” Granny cried. “Good morning, Duckie!” she said, as Duckie crawled into the tiny living room.

When Duckie took a seat on a tiny sofa he did not know just how to ask Granny for what he wanted, so he twiddled his thumbs. “Why do you twiddle your thumbs, Duckie?” Granny asked as she smiled through her glasses at him. “I was wondering what the three crows were talking about!” Duckie replied. Granny went to her tiny cupboard and brought out a little bottle of purple fluid. She dropped three drops of this into a tiny spoon and held it to Duckie. “Am I to take it, Granny?” Duckie asked. “Yes, my dear, and you will be able to understand what the three crows are talking about.”

Duckie swallowed the purple fluid, for he was very anxious to return to the big oak tree and listen to the crows. Granny watched him for a few moments with her eyes full of twinkles, then she told him to run along to the tree. And Duckie thanked Granny and ran as fast as he could to the tree where the three crows were still talking.

“I know where there is a box filled with golden pennies!” the first crow cried. “Ah, my brother, where?” asked the second crow. “In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!” replied the first crow. “I know where there is a box full of candy!” the third crow cried. “Ahhhh! Where is it, my brother?” asked the first crow. “In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first.” replied the third crow. “I know where there is a box full of ice cream!” cried the second crow. “Aha! My brother, where?” asked the third crow. “In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!” Then the crows went on talking about other things, but Duckie did not hear them, for he was running in the direction of the great meadow as fast as he could. And when he came to the middle of the great meadow there was a large box, and in the large box were three other boxes. One contained the golden pennies, another the candy and the third was full of ice cream.

“I found it first!” Duckie cried and he took a pencil stub from his pocket and, with much twisting of mouth and thinking, he printed his name upon the box. Then Duckie ran home as fast as he could and told Daddy Dorn. Daddy Dorn hitched up Dobbin Dorn and Duckie and Daddy went to the middle of the great meadow and put the big box in the wagon and took it home. Then they called Mamma Dorn and they all ate some of the ice cream and candy. Then Duckie took some of the ice cream and candy and some of the golden pennies to Granny. Then Duckie ran back home and had some more ice cream and candy, and asked Daddy if he might take some of the golden pennies downtown and buy something, and Daddy Dorn said: “Of course, Duckie Dorn, for they are your golden pennies.” So Duckie took two handfuls of the golden pennies downtown and bought a fine little pony with a little round stomach, and he bought a pretty pony cart and harness. Then Dicky drove the pony back home.

By the time Duckie reached home he was hungry for more ice cream and candy, so he went to the box to get some. “Oh Mamma and Daddy!” he cried, “Come see! The box is full of candy and ice cream!” And sure enough, that was the case, for although they had eaten almost all of the ice cream and candy before now the two boxes were filled again. Then Daddy Dorn took two large handfuls of golden pennies from the golden penny box and they watched the box fill up with pennies again. “Whee!” cried Duckie Dorn. “Whee!” cried Mamma Dorn, and “Whee!” cried Daddy Dorn. “We will throw a party!” So Duckie drove around to everybody’s house in his pony cart and invited everybody to come to the party.

And they all had such a nice time they ate the ice cream box empty sixteen times and it filled right up again, and they ate the candy box empty seventeen times and it filled right up again, and Duckie and Mamma and Daddy Dorn gave everybody all the golden pennies they could carry home and emptied the penny box eighteen times, and whenever they emptied the golden penny box it filled right up again.

And everyone felt very grateful to Duckie Dorn and thanked him for such a nice time, and Duckie brought Granny out of a corner where she was eating her eighth dish of ice cream and told everybody that it was Granny who had really given the party, and he told them how Granny had helped him to learn crow talk.

So the people never called Granny a witch after that, for they knew she was very good and kind. And Duckie put the three boxes—the candy box, the ice cream box and the box with the golden pennies—out in front of his house so that whenever anyone wished candy or ice cream or golden pennies they might walk up and help themselves.

Duckie Dorn calls it an “All-The-Time Party,” for there is always someone out in front of Duckie Dorn’s house eating from the candy and the ice cream box and filling their pockets with golden pennies.

Extract B: The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater

The day the antlered ship arrived, Marco wondered about the wide world. He had so many questions. “Why do some songs make you happy and others make you sad? Why don’t trees ever talk? How deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea?” But when he posed these questions to other foxes, they grew silent. “What does that have to do with chicken stew?” they would ask.

So Marco went down to the harbour to see the ship. Three deers greeted him at the gangplank. Marco wasn’t surprised to learn that they were lost. “We hope to hire a seaworthy crew,” explained Sylvia, the captain. “I’m afraid we aren’t very good sailors,” she added. “I will join you,” Marco said. He thought to himself, “I will search the seas for foxes who know the answers to my questions.” A pigeon named Victor volunteered along with the entire flock. “We want to have adventures,” they cooed.

“Welcome aboard,” Captain Sylvia said. “We’re going to a wonderful island with tall, sweet grass and short, sweet trees. When we get there, we’ll eat a delectable dinner.”

But the voyage was more difficult than anyone expected. It rained. Waves crashed over the sides of the deck. “Why is water so wet?” Marco wondered. The pigeons weren’t used to the hard work of raising and lowering the sails. After the first day, they went below decks to play checkers and stayed there. The deer worried about sharp rocks and fierce pirates and feeling seasick. They huddled in the bow and waited for something bad to happen.

After days of drifting and dining on crackers, the animals were damp and cranky. “We should have stayed in the woods, deers aren’t supposed to go to sea,” Sylvia said. “We should have stayed in the park, pigeons aren’t supposed to do hard labour,” added Victor. Marco eyed the deer and the pigeons. “Foxes aren’t supposed to be vegetarian,” he said. “Still, we must do the best we can.”

That evening, Marco found a recipe book in the galley and cooked a warm and reviving stew. “Should we look at the charts?” he asked after everyone had eaten.

“We might find adventure here,” said Victor. “And trouble here,” said Sylvia. “But… we’ll find the island with tall, sweet grass and short, sweet trees here.” “And perhaps foxes too. Foxes with answers,” Marco thought. As they plotted their course, the wind picked up. The storm clouds thinned into marvellous swirls. “Raise the sails!” Sylvia cried.

In the morning, they came to the Maze of Sharp Rocks, each one large enough to tear the bottom from the boat. But the pigeons flew ahead, tracing a path through the shoals and sharp rocks to the safety of the open sea. The next afternoon, a pirate ship bursts from a rocky island. “Turn over yer treasure!” the pirate captain bellowed. “Or we’ll put a hole in yer helm!”

“Lower the antlers!” Sylvia commanded. The ships clashed and crashed and smashed until the pirates turned and fled.

That evening, an island appeared on the horizon with tall waving grasses and short swaying trees. “We’ve found it!” Sylvia cried. “We’ve triumphed,” Victor cooed. “Do you see any foxes?” Marco asked. The deer grazed the grass and nibbled the trees. The pigeons told stories of their adventures to a flock of admiring seagulls. Marco scoured the island for foxes. But he didn’t find any. “I have failed,” Marco told Victor and Sylvia. “No foxes. No one to answer my questions.”

“What questions?” Victor asked. Marco took a deep breath. “Do islands like being alone? Do waves look more like horses or swans? And what’s the best way to find a friend you can talk to?”

“That last one’s easy,” Sylvia said. “You make friends by eating together,” she added. “I disagree, you make friends by having adventures together,” said Victor. “Maybe you’re both right,” Marco said. “But I think you make friends by asking them questions.”

“Well then, should we head home tomorrow? Or should we visit the island of scrumptious shrubbery?” mused Sylvia. “Are two adventures enough? Or should we have at least one more?” asked Victor. “Is it better to know what’s going to happen?” wondered Marco. “Or is it better to be surprised?” There were so many questions left to answer. And so many more to ask.

So in the morning, they raised the anchor and hoisted the heavy sails. They knew now that the wind would come and go, the clouds would sometimes make marvellous swirls and sometimes make them wet, and that everything they hoped to find could be found aboard an antlered ship on the way to wherever they were going.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

1. Which best describes the characteristics of Duckie in extract A and Marco in Extract B?

A. Duckie is a curious boy who is intrigued by the birds he sees in his yard while Marco is a curious fox who is fascinated by the world around him and has many questions about it.
B. Duckie is a brave boy who is not afraid of the birds he sees in his yard while Marco is a cowardly fox who avoids exploring the world around him.
C. Duckie is a careless boy who does not pay attention to the details of the birds he sees in his yard while Marco is a meticulous fox who analyses everything he observes in the world around him.
D. Duckie is a pessimistic boy who sees the birds in his yard as a nuisance while Marco is an optimistic fox who sees the world as full of wonders and opportunities.