READ THIS
A young boy is placed in charge of the farm while his parents journey to Cape Town for his father to have
surgery.
While they are gone, a lynx attacks the animals. The boy must investigate and, if possible, destroy the
dangerous predator.
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE:
And now she must leave all this and go with her husband to Cape Town, to the hospital. The doctor had
said she must be there, just in case. Besides, she knew that Jan would not be happy if she was not near
him. Like a big black-bearded baby was this bold husband of hers. Kaapstad, Cape Town she said
to herself. And in a motor-car. She had never been in a car. Besides, the horses had never been
in a town any more than she had. And though she could drive them in the open veld and over the
mountains, she would be as frightened as they in a great town.
A bed had been moved into the kitchen because it was easier to take care of her husband there. A man
put his head through the half-door and said, "It is here." That was the motor-car.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
The farmer and his wife are going to Cape Town.
- What is the purpose of their visit? (4)
[Need help?]
The horse on which the man had been riding had slipped in the mud and had fallen, landing on top of the
rider and injuring him.
Their doctor had recommended that he go to a hospital in Cape Town to repair the damage.
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- Explain in your own words why the woman needed to accompany her husband. (4)
[Need help?]
The woman was needed at the hospital in case there were any complications, in which case they would
presumably need her permission for any further surgery.
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The husband is presented in this passage as a wonderful contrast of strong and weak.
- Explain how this is achieved. (4)
[Need help?]
The husband is presented as a strong, resolute man. Yet, due to his injury, he has become helpless and
needs his wife's constant support.
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- What is going to happen to their farm during their absence? (4)
[Need help?]
The couple have decided to leave their son, Japie, in charge of the farm. He is just twelve years of age.
He will be able to carry out all the daily chores, like milking the cow and herding the sheep. A neighbour
will come across regularly to check on Japie.
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A question of vocabulary.
- Why does the narrator write the words "Kaapstad, Cape Town"? (4)
[Need help?]
The story was published in 1952 in America's Saturday Evening Post.
It is clear that the family is Afrikaans speaking, yet Stuart Cloete has written this story for an English
readership.
He therefore portrays the language of the family by using Afrikaans words, but each time he translates
the words into English for the sake of his readers.
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- Apart from "Kaapstad", what other indication is given that this story is set in South
Africa? (4)
[Need help?]
In the passage above, one finds the word "veld" , which is a typically South African word.
In other parts of the story there are other Afrikaans words, like "tot siens" and "baie dankie",
"dorp" and "kraaled".
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What type of people are they?
- What indication is given that the couple are very unsophisticated country people? (4)
[Need help?]
For a start, their farm is very basic. They are certainly not in any way wealthy people.
Secondly, the woman at least seems to have never travelled in a motorcar. Indeed, she seems never to
have travelled much beyond the region in which they live -- and knows nothing of life in the city.
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- Are the couple wealthy? Provide reasons for your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
Certainly, they are not wealthy. They own no motorcar but rely entirely on horses and a cart.
They have a wood-burning stove in the kitchen and floors are made from cow dung.
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