CLASS 9

Read The Break and answer questions 1 to 5.

The Break
Saturday morning. The room was dim. There was no sound. The tables stood silently, waiting. Strange shadows played across the walls. Elongated shapes. Solid spheres lay unprovoked. Snap! The rusted tin shades lit up like beacons, illuminating the felt. A crowd surged forward. Crack! Balls went flying. The break was made. The snooker game had begun. A tall boy bends down, eyes level with the table. Broad shoulders, feet flat. He studies the balls. You gonna hit em or what, Joey? Im working on it, Dave. Dont rush me. Dave grunts disapprovingly. Joey bends over the table, cue in hand. Slowly he draws back the cue. He jabs the white. It finds its target and pockets it. Dave grunts disapprovingly. The tall boy bends down, eyes level with the table, his face expressionless. He studies the balls. Hurry up and hit em, Joey. Im working on it, Dave. Dont rush me. An aggressive voice breaks his concentration. It was two-all at the last count, Joey. Time for the decider. Joey spins round and comes face to face with Jeremy Jackson. Come on, Jeremy. Give a guy a break. Jeremy snaps back, Ill take you up on that, Joey. The best of three gets the title. Joey chalks his cue. Youre on. Sorry Dave. Youre gonna have to sit this one out. Dave grunts disapprovingly. Onlookers approach silently, anticipation high. The game begins. Jeremy takes the opening shot. Joey the next. Back to Jeremy. The play is even. Dave shuffles uncomfortably in his seat. The crowd observes as one, eyes alert, concentrating. Joey wipes beads of sweat from his forehead. The strain is showing. Jeremy gives nothing away. He is concerned about his reputation. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in confidence. Three balls remain: the black, the pink, the blue. All perfectly positioned. Anybodys game. Joey pockets the blue followed by the pink making the score even. The black remains. For the first time Jeremys face indicates concern. The crowd holds its breath. Dave rises to his feet he can smell victory. Joey bends down, eyes level with the table, the cue an extension of his arm. The atmosphere is electric. As if in slow motion his cue makes contact with the white ball. The white rolls towards the black

International Assessments for Indian SchoolsEnglish 1

1.

Who is the tall boy? (A) (B) (C) (D) Joey Dave Jeremy an onlooker

CLASS 9

2.

The sentence Solid spheres lay unprovoked is an example of (A) (B) (C) (D) a simile. alliteration. personification. an exaggeration.

3.

Which statement best describes Jeremy? (A) (B) (C) (D) He defers to his friends wishes. He has an inflated view of his prowess. He appreciates the skills of the other players. He displays sensitivity in his dealings with others.

4.

Which sentence from the text is grammatically incomplete? (A) (B) (C) (D) Dont rush me. Balls went flying. Joey chalks his cue. Broad shoulders, flat feet.

5.

What literary technique does the writer use to build tension during the snooker game? (A) (B) (C) (D) the use of short sentences the omission of an ending the repetition of key phrases the use of colourful language

2 International Assessments for Indian SchoolsEnglish

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Educational Assessment Australia would like to thank the copyright holders who have granted permission to use the texts and graphics cited below. We would appreciate information regarding any errors or omissions in the sources. SOURCES The Break, text by Zac Moulton EAA 2006. Image FreeOnline Games.com http://snooker.freeonlinegames.com

International Assessments for Indian SchoolsEnglish 3

CLASS 9
QUESTION 1 2 3 4 5 ANSWER A C B D A DESCRIPTION OF SKILL Follow the storyline to identify a specific character in a narrative Identify the use of personification in a narrative Interpret characterisation from a characters actions in a narrative Identify the need for a subject and finite verb to complete a sentence Identify the literary technique of using short sentences to build tension AREA RL LU RL LG LU LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY Easy Medium Hard Medium Hard

LEGEND
Area refers to the particular curriculum area or strand assessed by the question. RL Reading: Literary questions which require students to comprehend and interpret texts such as stories, poems, extracts from novels, reviews, plays questions which require students to understand and interpret information and argument texts, including texts which incorporate diagrams, tables and images, from a range of curriculum areas, eg reports, editorials, advertisements, explanations questions about how language is employed in texts, eg writers style, tone, vocabulary, figurative language

RF Reading: Factual

LU Language: Usage

LG Language: Grammar questions about accuracy and clarity within whole texts or sentences, eg pronoun reference, syntax, punctuation, tense

Level of difficulty refers to expected level of difficulty for the question. Easy Medium Hard It is estimated that 80 100% of candidates will choose the correct option It is estimated that 31 79% of candidates will choose the correct option It is estimated that less than 31% of candidates will choose the correct option

4 International Assessments for Indian SchoolsEnglish