Exercise 1: Chocolate (the 2025 question)

Chocolate is made from Cocoa-beans. Chocolate with its rich velvety texture and deep complex flavours, captivates the senses and has become a symbol of indulgence.

Box Stem Answer
1 Chocolate made from cocoa beans
2 has rich velvety texture
3 has rich deep complex flavours
4 symbol of indulgence

Exercise 2: The Bicycle Movement

In Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, cycling became a social movement. Over one lakh rural women, most of them neo-literates, learnt to ride. The bicycle gave them mobility, income and self-respect. The drive was led by the literacy movement Arivoli Iyakkam.

Box Stem Answer
1 Movement in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu
2 Learners over one lakh rural women
3 mostly neo-literates
4 Gains mobility, income, self-respect
5 Led by Arivoli Iyakkam

Exercise 3: The Iroko Tree

The iroko is a large hardwood tree of the west coast of tropical Africa. Its timber is strong and resists water, so it is used for boats, floors and furniture. In Igbo villages the tree is also a symbol of opportunity.

Box Stem Answer
1 Iroko found in west coast of tropical Africa
2 Timber is strong
3 Timber is water-resistant
4 Used for boats, floors, furniture
5 Symbol of opportunity

Exercise 4: Water

Water covers nearly three-fourths of the earth's surface, yet less than one per cent is fit to drink. In many villages women walk several kilometres to fetch it. Scarcity leads to disease, quarrels and lost school hours for girls.

Box Stem Answer
1 Water covers three-fourths of earth's surface
2 Fit to drink less than one per cent
3 Women walk several kilometres to fetch water
4 Scarcity leads to disease
5 Scarcity leads to quarrels
6 Scarcity leads to lost school hours for girls

Exercise 5: Travel Writing

Travel writing records a writer's experience of unfamiliar places. It is as old as the second century and grew popular with sea voyages. Today it appears on television and the internet, and scholars study it as part of cultural studies.

Box Stem Answer
1 Travel writing records experience of unfamiliar places
2 As old as the second century
3 Grew popular with sea voyages
4 Today appears on television and the internet
5 Studied as part of cultural studies

Exercise 6: The Same Passage as Linear Notes

Exercise 5, written in the linear form in case the paper asks for headings instead of boxes.

Title: Travel Writing

  1. Nature 1.1 record of unfamiliar places
  2. History 2.1 as old as 2nd century 2.2 popular with sea voyages
  3. Today 3.1 on TV & internet 3.2 studied in cultural studies

[Exam Tip] — Notice how the linear form uses the same phrases as the boxes. Whichever shape the paper prints, the work is the same: find the phrase, shorten it, put it in its place.

Exercise 7: Fill the Boxes Yourself

Read each paragraph and decide what belongs in the numbered boxes. The answers follow.

A. Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet and critic. His novels deal with Igbo traditions, Christian influence and the clash of Western and African values. His best-known books are Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God.

Achebe was a → box 1 Novels deal with → box 2 · box 3 · box 4 Best-known books → box 5

B. The bicycle is a simple machine. It needs no fuel, causes no pollution and costs little to maintain. For the poor it is transport, and for many women it became a symbol of freedom.

Bicycle is → box 1 Advantages → box 2 · box 3 · box 4 For women, a → box 5

Answers

Paragraph Box Answer
A 1 Nigerian novelist, poet and critic
A 2 Igbo traditions
A 3 Christian influence
A 4 clash of Western and African values
A 5 Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God
B 1 a simple machine
B 2 needs no fuel
B 3 causes no pollution
B 4 costs little to maintain
B 5 symbol of freedom

A last check. Read your filled chart back as sentences. In paragraph B that gives: Bicycle is a simple machine; advantages: needs no fuel, causes no pollution, costs little to maintain; for women, a symbol of freedom. Nothing is missing and nothing is invented, which is exactly what the two marks are for.