Exploring Language and Meaning in Text A: Education, Values, and Adaptation in Challenging Times

Question: TEXT A 5. 10 15 CHANGE THE WORLD 1. The motto of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is: “Change the World”, a noble mission inspired by the famous statement, Nelson Mandela that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. For, “it is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of a mine, that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation”. 2. True to the legacy of Nelson Mandela, this University is also a value- driven institution where social justice and equality are paramount in the endeavour to rectify the inequalities in our world. The African philosophy of “ubuntu” underpins what you aim for and do as an institution. 3. Like all universities the world over, in line with your values, you had to quickly adapt in the face of the pandemic to offer your twenty-nine thousand or more students online and mask-to-mask tuition. This has not been easy for you, especially given the gap in content knowledge between those who are privileged to have access to data, devices, and internet and those who do not. Source: Adapted from www.mandela.ac.za 1.1 Refer to paragraph 1. (a) Identify the modal verb used in paragraph 1 and explain its purpose in the context of the text. (2) (b) There is always a relationship between tone and purpose. Mention the tone used in paragraph 1 and provide a reason why (purpose) the speaker had to use this tone. Support your answer by citing an example from the text to substantiate your response. Pay careful attention to the correct use of language. (2) (c) Identify a proper noun used in paragraph 1 and support your answer by explaining why you think this is a proper noun. (2) 1.2 Refer to paragraph 2. The underlined word is formed from the root ‘equal’. Discuss the changes that occurred. (2) 1.3 Refer to paragraph 3. When listening to words, over and above the context in which a word has been used, syllabic stress also gives a clue whether a homonym has been used as a noun or a verb. Refer to the sentence “This has not been easy for you, especially given the gap in content knowledge between those who are privileged to have access to data, devices, and the internet and those who do not”. (a) State whether the word ‘content’ has been used as a verb or a noun and underline the syllabic stress. (2) (b) Construct another sentence in which the word ‘content’ shows a different meaning. Underline the syllabic stress and indicate whether the word has been used as a verb, noun or adjective. (3) Refer to the whole text (TEXT A). Language features used in a text always influence how that text is understood. Show your understanding of the following language features presented in the text by identifying each of them and giving reasons to support your answers. (a) Audience (b) Setting (4) 1.5 What listening strategy do you think listeners can use when listening to Text A? Give a reason to support your answer. (2)