50
Name
Class
Date
Section A
5 marks
Text 1
Refer to the Visual Text (Text 1) on pages 6-7 of the National Geographic Extreme
Explorer magazine for Questions 1- 4.
1. Looking at the picture of the copperhead snake on page 6, why do you think its name
is appropriate?
[1]
2. How are the steps to make anti-venom useful to the reader?
[2]
3. How does the photograph on the top right of page 7 complement the title “Making Antivenom”?
[1]
4. In step 1, the word “milked” is used, how is this appropriate?
[1]
Section B
25 marks
Text 2
Read the article “Valuable Venom” [pages 2-7], by Judy Elgin, and then answer questions
5-13.
Number the paragraphs.
Paragraph 1 for this article starts from “For more than 30 years ….”
Paragraph 2 starts from “Venom can be deadly.”
There are 23 paragraphs in all and excludes text accompanying the picture.
5. What is effective about the opening sentence? (Paragraph 1)
[1]
6. “He often pilots small planes or rides camels to reach remote destinations.”
(Paragraph 1)
(i) What is the meaning of “remote”?
[2]
(ii) Why do you think remote destinations require Zoltan to pilot small planes and ride
camels? (Paragraph 1)
[1]
7. Explain in your own words why Zoltan’s job is dangerous. (Paragraph 1)
[2]
8. “But scientists have discovered that venom can also heal.” (Paragraph 2)
What does the word “but” tell the reader about the properties of the venom?
[1]
9. (i) Why does the writer give 2 examples of how venom affects an animal? (Paragraph
3)
[1]
(ii) What important systems in the body are affected by snake venom?
[2]
System 1
System 2
10. “Snake hunters like Zoltan Takacs collect tissue and blood samples from snakes
before releasing them back into the wild.” (Paragraph 4)
What is the purpose of releasing the snakes back into the wild?
[2]
11. “Pit viper venom incapacitates prey by causing the prey’s blood pressure to drop
rapidly.” (Paragraph 7)
(i) What is the meaning of incapacitate?
[1]
(ii) Why would the Brazilian pit viper want to incapacitate its victim?
[2]
12. “When threatened, a king cobra rears up. As much as a third of its body can come off
the ground. It flares its hood and moves forward, as if to chase down its prey. Once it
strikes, prey has little chance of survival.” (Paragraph 8)
(i) Why does the king cobra react in such a way?
[1]
(ii) In your own words, explain why the prey has little chance of survival once the king
cobra has bitten it. (Paragraph 9)
[2]
13. “King cobra venom acts fast. It quickly cripples the nervous system.” (Paragraph 9)
What are the advantages of having a fast-acting venom?
[2]
Section C
25 marks
Text 3
Read the article “Valuable Venom” [pages 2-7], by Judy Elgin, and then answer questions
14-20.
14. “Watch out!” (Paragraph 10)
(i) What is the linguistic device used in the sentence above?
[1]
(ii) Explain its effectiveness.
[2]
15. “In certain strengths, cobra venom might lessen the pain of arthritis.” (Paragraph 11)
What is the meaning of “certain strengths”?
[1]
16. Why do scientists predict that cobra venom may possibly help heal diseases such as
Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s? (Paragraph 11)
[2]
17. “A bite also paves the way for other serious infections.” (Paragraph 12, page 6)
Explain the metaphor “paves the way” with regards to a copperhead bite.
[1]
18. Explain the simile. “Getting bitten by a copperhead is still a bad idea.” (Paragraph 13)
What does the word “still” imply about the prospect of getting bitten by a copperhead
snake?
[1]
19. Here is part of a conversation between two friends Max and Sarah. Your answer
should come from paragraphs 15 and 23, pages 6 and 7.
Paragraph 15, page 6: “Scientists can’t fully explain how or why the venom seems
to fight cancer.”
Paragraph 23 (Last paragraph), page 7: “From deadly to desirable, the toxic
concoction…”
Venom has the
potential to heal
diseases. More
snake venom
should be collected.
Max
Sarah
But, there is still a
great deal of
research to be done
at the moment and
toxinologists are
putting their lives at
risk.
Explain in your own words, why both Max and Sarah have valid reasons for their
points of view.
Max:
[1]
Sarah:
[1]
20. Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the steps taken to use snake
venom for healing purposes and its purpose and potential usefulness. Use only
information from paragraphs 4 to 6 (page 4).
Paragraph 4, page 4: “Snake hunters like Zoltan Takacs…”
Your summary must be in continuous writing (not note form). It must not be longer
than 80 words (not counting the words given to help you begin).
Firstly, there is the need to…
No. of words
[ 15 ]
50
Teacher’s Answer Key
Section A
5 marks
Text 1
Refer to the Visual Text (Text 1) on pages 6-7 of the National Geographic Extreme
Explorer magazine for Questions 1- 4.
1. Looking at the picture of the copperhead Snake on page 6, why do you think its name
is appropriate?
The colour of the snake’s head is a rusted brown colour, similar to copper, hence it
was given the name copperhead.
[1]
2. How are the steps to make anti-venom useful to the reader?
The steps explain clearly how anti-venom is made in a simple straight-forward manner.
[2]
3. How does the photograph on the top right of page 7 complement the title “Making Antivenom”?
The picture shows a person collecting venom from a snake in a glass, which is one of
the first steps of making anti-venom.
[1]
4. In step 1, the word “milked” is used, how is this appropriate?
The word “milked” is appropriate because the toxinologist has to hold the snake in a
manner that forces the snake to bite down and release venom into the vial Just like
milking a cow.
[1]
Section B
25 marks
Text 2
Read the article “Valuable Venom” [pages 2-7], by Judy Elgin, and then answer Questions
5-13.
Number the paragraphs.
Paragraph 1 for this article starts from “For more than 30 years ….”
Paragraph 2 for this article starts from “Venom can be deadly.”
There are 23 paragraphs in all and excludes text accompanying the picture.
5. What is effective about the opening sentence? (Paragraph 1)
Readers will know at once what the article is about.
[1]
6. “He often pilots small planes or rides camels to reach remote destinations.”
(Paragraph 1)
(i) What is the meaning of “remote”?
It means out of the way.
[1]
(ii) Why do you think remote destinations require Zoltan to pilot small planes and ride
camels? (Paragraph 1)
This is because these places are very out of the way and hence there are no trains or
cars which can reach these inaccessible places.
[2]
7. Explain in your own words why Zoltan’s job is dangerous. (Paragraph 1)
His job is dangerous because he handles and captures poisonous snakes which are
deadly or can cause terrible pain and injuries.
[2]
8. “But scientists have discovered that venom can also heal.” (Paragraph 2)
What does the word “but” tell the reader about the properties of the venom?
It tells the reader that if used correctly, this poisonous venom can also cure people
with illnesses.
[1]
9. (i) Why does the writer give 2 examples of how venom affects an animal? (Paragraph
3)
This is to help the reader understand the way venom works on an animal in a clear
manner.
[1]
(ii) What important systems in the body are affected by snake venom?
System 1
System 2
Circulatory system
Nervous system
[2]
10. “Snake hunters like Zoltan Takacs collect tissue and blood samples from snakes
before releasing them back into the wild.” (Paragraph 4)
What is the purpose of releasing the snakes back into the wild?
The purpose is to allow the snakes to continue to live in its natural habitat where they
belongs.
[2]
11. “Pit viper venom incapacitates prey by causing the prey’s blood pressure to drop
rapidly.” (Paragraph 7)
(i) What is the meaning of incapacitate?
It means to be unable to move or react.
[1]
(ii) Why would the Brazilian pit viper want to incapacitate its victim?
This is because the Brazilian pit viper would then be able to catch the animal and
consume it easily.
[2]
12. “When threatened, a king cobra rears up. As much as a third of its body can come off
the ground. It flares its hood and moves forward, as if to chase down its prey. Once it
strikes, prey has little chance of survival.” (Paragraph 8)
(i) Why does the king cobra react in such a way?
This is to show the enemy that it will be ready to strike and prepare it for an attack. [1]
(ii) In your own words, explain why the prey has little chance of survival once the King
Cobra has bitten it. (Paragraph 9)
This is because the deadly venom is injected into the victim that causes the nervous
system to stop reacting with the brain paralyzing the prey, hence the prey cannot run
away and its organs fail.
[2]
13. “King cobra venom acts fast. It quickly cripples the nervous system.” (Paragraph 9)
What are the advantages of having a fast-acting venom?
The snake would not need to wait a long time for the venom to take effect before
consuming the prey.
[2]
Section C
25 marks
Text 3
Read the article “Valuable Venom” [pages 2-7], by Judy Elgin, and then answer Questions
14-20.
14. “Watch out!” (Paragraph 10)
(i) What is the linguistic device used in the sentence above?
The linguistic device is a short sentence.
[1]
(ii) Explain its effectiveness.
It is effective because the reader will be able to feel the impact of the sentence in
these 2 short words.
[2]
15. “In certain strengths, cobra venom might lessen the pain of arthritis.” (Paragraph 11)
What is the meaning of “certain strengths”?
It means varying dosages of venom.
[1]
16. Why do scientists predict that cobra venom may possibly help heal diseases such as
Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s? (Paragraph 11)
This could be because these 2 diseases also affect the nervous system similar to the
actions of the venom hence there is a possibility that with sufficient research the
venom could cure these diseases.
[2]
17. “A bite also paves the way for other serious infections.” (Paragraph 12, page 6)
Explain the metaphor “paves the way” with regards to a copperhead bite.
It means that with a copperhead bite, the person’s body is weakened and made more
vulnerable to injuries.
[1]
18. “Getting bitten by a copperhead is still a bad idea.” (Paragraph 13)
What does the word “still” imply about the prospect of getting bitten by a copperhead
snake?
It implies getting bitten is a very painful and excruciating experience and it would be
better to avoid such an incident in the first place.
[1]
19. Here is part of a conversation between two friends Max and Sarah. Your answer
should come from paragraphs 15 and 23, pages 6 and 7.
Paragraph 15, page 6: “Scientists can’t fully explain how or why the venom seems to
fight cancer.”
Paragraph 23 (Last paragraph), page 7: “From deadly to desirable, the toxic
concoction…”
Venom has the
potential to heal
diseases. More
snake venom
should be collected.
Max
Sarah
But, there is still a
great deal of
research to be done
at the moment and
toxinologists are
putting their lives at
risk.
Explain in your own words, why both Max and Sarah have valid reasons for their
points of view.
Max: Research has shown some progress in using the toxins to cure diseases.
[1]
Sarah: However, this progress is still in its infancy and a great deal of work needs to
be done, hence the toxinologists may die if they catch a snake with no anti-venom. [1]
20. Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the steps taken to use snake
venom for healing purposes and its purpose and potential usefulness. Use only
information from paragraphs 4 to 6 (page 4).
Paragraph 4, page 4: “Snake hunters like Zoltan Takacs…”
Your summary must be in continuous writing (not note form). It must not be longer
than 80 words (not counting the words given to help you begin).
Firstly, there is the need to…
collect tissue and venom samples from snakes and release the snakes back into the
wild. The samples are analysed in the laboratory. The information is then entered in a
database, and stored for future use such as to recreate the venom. The goal is to use
the chemicals found in the snake venom to create new drugs. The benefits of the
venom collected is that the mix of toxins in these venom target specific vital bodily
functions without producing side-effects.
[15]
8 marks are awarded for points. There are 10 points to choose from. 7 marks are
awarded for language.