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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:
His mind was very clear. He knew what he must do. He knew he must do it quickly, because if he once
stopped he knew he could not go on. The cows. The cows must be allowed to run with the calves. He
would not be able to milk. The horses could run. If the kraal was left open, Wit Booi would bring in the
sheep. The poultry he would feed heavily and then they must manage for themselves.
He off-saddled the mare, letting the saddle fall to the ground with its burden. Then he washed her back
and flanks free from blood, because blood would cause her hair to come out. Then running a riem
through a pulley on one of the beams of the barn, he hoisted the dead body of the lynx and tied its end.
It could hang there, beside the sheep it had killed, till to-morrow when his father came.
The grave for Moskou was another matter. It was hard to dig with one hand. He drove in the spade,
pressed it home with his foot, and then scooped out the earth, levering the spade shaft against his knee.
It was not a proper grave. It was more of a scraping in the black ground that ended, when he had dragged
Moskou into it, as a mound beside the violet bed. That had been the only place to bury him. Here he
would be remembered, and safe.
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:
Why is the boy alone on the farm? (4)
[Need help?]
His father was injured while out riding his horse. The animal slipped in the mud and fell, landing on its
rider.
His doctor has recommended that he go to the hospital in Cape Town, presumably for surgery.
The mother has been advised to accompany her husband just in case there are any complications, leaving
the boy in charge.
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Explain what has happened to prevent the boy from milking the cows. (4)
[Need help?]
The boy has been attacked by a lynx which has severely wounded his arm.
He therefore has to do all his work using only one arm, and in great pain. Milking a cow using only one
hand is very difficult indeed.
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"The grave for Moskou was another matter."
- Who was Moskou? How had he died? (4)
[Need help?]
Moskou was the boy's dog.
He and the boy had set out to find a lynx which had attacked the farm animals. The lynx was cornered in
a cave and attacked the boy.
The dog in turn attacked the lynx and died in the process.
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Why does the boy decide to bury Moskou "beside the violet bed"? (4)
[Need help?]
The bed of violets was his mother's favourite place on the farm.
It is possible that the ground there was softer than elsewhere thereby making it easier to dig a hole, but
by burying the dog there, Moskou would be remembered as long as the violets grew.
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Quote TWO words from the passage which indicate that this story has been set in South Africa. Provide
the meaning of these two words. (4)
[Need help?]
- "kraal" -- an enclosed area where cattle can be kept;
- "riem" -- a leather thong or strap.
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The initial part of this story, where Japie has been left alone and is looking after the farm, is very slow
moving.
- Can you provide any good reasons for the narrator following this style? (4)
[Need help?]
The writer presumably wants to convey the idea of the slow passage of time while the boy's parents are
away.
He also wishes to show the reader something of the monotony of farm life.
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The father concludes that Japie is "big enough" to have been left alone on the farm.
- What evidence is there to support this conclusion? (5)
[Need help?]
- the boy has successfully carried out all the daily chores;
- he has withstood the loneliness of being alone;
- he has succeeded in destroying the lynx which attacked their animals;
- he has managed to continue working with only one good hand;
- he has managed to bury the dog and cleaned up after killing the lynx.
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