CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 6.
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Section A: Reading
READ AN EXTRACT FROM. ‘FIRST, BUY YOUR PACK ANIMAL’ THEN ANSWER QUESTIONS 1–8
In this digital age it’s harder than ever to truly escape … but not impossible. Dervla Murphy, who has
ventured to the ends of the earth with only the most basic provisions, explains how.
The individual traveller’s ‘age of adventure ’has long since been ended by science and technology.
Now our planet’s few remaining undeveloped expanses are accessible only to well-funded expeditions
protected by mobile phones and helicopters – enterprises unattractive to the temperamental
descendants of earlier explorers such as Mungo Park and Mary Kingsley. Happily, it’s still possible for
5 such individuals to embark on solo journeys through little-known regions where they can imagine how
real explorers used to feel.
Reviewers tend to describe my most exhilarating journeys as ‘adventures’, though to me they are a
form of escapism – a concept unfairly tainted with negative connotations. If journeys are designed as
alternatives to one’s everyday routine, why shouldn’t they be escapist? Why not move in time as well
10 as space, and live for a few weeks or months at the slow pace enjoyed by our ancestors? In recent
decades everything has become quicker and easier: transport, communications, heating, cooking,
cleaning, dressing, shopping, entertaining. However, statistics show increasing numbers of us
developing ulcers, having nervous breakdowns, eating too much or too little … It’s surely time to
promote the therapeutic value of slow travel.
15 There is, of course, a certain irony here: technology has rendered the traditional simple journey
somewhat artificial. Previously, those who roamed far and wide had to be isolated for long periods;
now isolation is a deliberately chosen luxury. Had I died of a burst appendix in the Hindu Kush or the
Simiens or the Andes, it would have been my own fault (no two-way radio) rather than a sad
misfortune. Therefore, in one sense, escapist travelling has become false – but only in one sense. The
20 actual journey is for real: whatever happens, you can’t chicken out. You’re alone where you’ve chosen
to be, and must take the consequences. (I prefer to forget that nowadays the solitary traveller may be
observed picking their nose in the middle of the Great Karoo.)
Dervla Murphy
1. How does the author use irony in line 12 when talking about choosing isolation to show how travel
has changed?
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Williams, Rees-Bidder & Elsdon © Cambridge University Press 2021
CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 6.1
2. What question does the author ask in lines 11, and how does it make the reader think about
escapism?
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3. How does the paragraph in lines 10–14 explain why escapism can be a good thing?
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4. How does the paragraph starting in line 12 show the difference between travel in the past and travel now?
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5. Find a word in line 6 that means "peace or freedom from stress."
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6. In lines 16–20: What is the purpose of the paragraph that begins with “There is, of course, a
certain irony here: technology has rendered the traditional simple journey somewhat artificial”?
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7. How does the use of short sentences in " Therefore, in one sense, escapist travelling has
become false – but only in one sense " (line 19) create suspense?
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8. In line 17: Which text feature is most evident in the line “Had I died of a burst appendix in the
Hindu Kush or the Simiens or the Andes, it would have been my own fault (no two-way radio)
rather than a sad misfortune”?
• A. Anecdote
• B. Statistical Evidence
• C. Metaphor
• D. Hypothetical Example. [2]
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Williams, Rees-Bidder & Elsdon © Cambridge University Press 2021
CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 6.1
Section B: Writing
Write a 150-word article about being a teenager in the digital age. Talk about how technology has
affected your age group, and what would happen if you did not have technology. Be sure to plan
accordingly, do not exceed the word limit.
[25]
Space for your plan:
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Williams, Rees-Bidder & Elsdon © Cambridge University Press 2021
CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 6.1
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Williams, Rees-Bidder & Elsdon © Cambridge University Press 2021
CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 6.1
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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Williams, Rees-Bidder & Elsdon © Cambridge University Press 2021
