Most Important Lesson You Have Learnt

Novel, Catch Us If You Can – Most Important Lesson You Have Learnt

From the novel you have studied, what is the most important lesson you have learnt? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

SAMPLE ANSWER

From the novel “Catch Us If You Can” by Catherine MacPhail, an important lesson I learnt is to be persistent and determined when facing challenges.

Often, persistence leads to better results than losing hope easily. Two characters in the novel, Rory and Granda, handled challenges with determination. Rory knew that he must be strong and determined in order to withstand the rigours of the escape. There was never a time he felt like giving up and turning in to the police. It was the strong sense of perseverance that helped him bear all the hardships. It was the same with Granda. When things got difficult, he was even more persevering even though it was hard for a man his age to be on the run. He knew he needed to be strong so that he could be together with Rory.

The escape got very arduous and tough at times. The police were always after Rory and Granda. There was a wide TV coverage on them. But Rory and Granda were determined to pull through. They knew they would be together and not be separated as long as they continued to run. From the way they went through their escape, I learn that challenges should be dealt with determination. One must not easily give up hope and accept defeat. As long as one has the chance, one must keep on going till success is met.

Love, Compassion and Family Relationship Are Important in One’s Life

Novel, Catch Us If You Can – Love, Compassion and Family Relationship Are Important in One’s Life

“Love, compassion and family relationship are important in one‟s life.”
Using the evidence from the text, explain how this is true. Support your answer with close reference from the text.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Catherine MacPhail put the elements of love, compassion and family relationship in her novel, „Catch Us if You Can‟. From the beginning to the end of the story, those three elements hold the story together.

The love between generations shows that love is continuous and never ending. For example, Rory‟s love for his Granda is unconditional and vice versa. He is ready to sacrifice anything so that he remains united with his grandfather. The grandfather, in turn, has devoted his life to bring up the child from birth and his whole life revolves around him.

Love in a family and the power of love among family members are also portrayed in this story. For example, Sammy, his wife, Ruby and son Tyrone portray a warm and loving family. Besides that, Bernie, his wife and daughter are equally warm-hearted and helpful. Rab and Annie are loving and caring too.

Love and respect among Rory‟s friends also keep him from troubles. They look upon Granda with great affection. Darren, the one who is the weakest in the class, shows much compassion for Rory and helps him as much as he can. Mrs. Foley also shows sincere, love and care for Rory. She shows her concern towards Rory when Granda is admitted into the hospital. She realizes that Rory should not be in the children‟s home.

As a conclusion, the concept of the elements of love, compassion and family relationship bring beauty to the story.

Teenagers Don't Smoke

Smoking is one of the worst things teenagers can do to their bodies. Yet every day,almost 5000 teenagers under age of 18 try smoking for the first time. 

No wonder, tobacco companies spend billions of dollar ever year on advertisements and other ways to make sure that these young people start smoking and buying their product. The companies count on them to become hooked for it keeps in them in business.

The nicotine in cigarettes is a poisonous drug. It even be used to kill insects. Nicotine and dozens of other poisonous chemicals in tobacco can cause illness like heart problems and certain kinds of cancer. Some of these illness take years to develop but others can show up right away.

Generally, smoking makes a teenager's body less fit and more susceptible to infections. For example, teenagers who smoke are much more likely to get a cold on pneumonia. Each time they like up, it hurts their heart, lungs and brain. And the longer the smoke, the worse the damage becomes.

Smoking has such a long list of bads points that wonders why teenagers smoke. Along with bad breath and stinky hair and clothes, smoking makes it harder to run and to play sports. It also cause a difficulty for blood to move around in the body.

Smokers often feel tired and cranky and cannot think quickly, not surprisingly, there are more likely to get in trouble in school and get lower grades. There are also more likely to lie to their friends or their parents about their activities; what they do and how they spend their money.Smoking therefore not only brings about health problems but may also develop undesirable traits. Teen smokers can become lazy, irresponsible and dishonest.

An Important Moral Value You Have Learnt

Novel, Catch Us If You Can – An Important Moral Value You Have Learnt

From the novel you have studied, write about an important moral value you have learnt. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

SAMPLE ANSWER

From the novel „Catch Us If You Can‟ by Catherine MacPhail, an important moral value I have learnt is that family relationships should be nurtured and not taken for granted. Granda looked after Rory after Rory‟s father walked out on them. Since Granda was old and forgetful, Rory took it upon himself to look after Granda. Nobody forced or told him to do it but Rory felt it was the right thing to do. He was willing to forego things that teenage boys should be doing. He did all the household chores, made sure Granda took his medication and had his meals. He even kept Granda‟s pipe to make sure there wasn‟t any untoward incidents. Granda and Rory did not take their relationship for granted. Granda, on several occasions, had expressed appreciation to Rory for always being there for him while Rory felt proud to have Granda as his grandfather. Rory was protective and defensive of Granda. They nurtured their relationship right up to the end even when they had a family, Jeff and Karen.

Sammy, Ruby and Tyrone also showed a strong family relationship. Sammy and Ruby were free and easy but respectful with each other. Ruby would tease Sammy and vice versa. But, when it came to making decisions, Ruby left it to Sammy, showing him respect as the head of the family. Tyrone was respectful and obedient to his parents, Sammy and Ruby.

All in all, I have learnt from the novel that family relationship should be nurtured and not taken for granted as family happiness and stability depend on this positive attitude.

A Holiday I Would Never Forget

Holidays, a time everyone gets hyped up over, parents planning activities for the family to spend quality time with and school children ( as well as teachers) jumping for joy. Hello, waking up late, celebrating, goin for tuition and best of all, vacations! In myy case, a holiday I would never forget is a fruitful one I expereinced five years ago, where my family I spent six days in the land of K-Pop and ' kimchi '- Korea.

        Finally, after ages of waiting, our family arrived in beautiful Korea. Stepping out of the plane, we could feel the chilly weather to our bones. Never experiencing that kind of weather, my siblings and I were totally excited. Passing through immigration and baggage claim, we were talking animatedly about our new surroundings. Since we went with tour group, we knew we were in good hands.

        Incident number one. We were supposed to take a bus to check in at the hotel, as instructed. I guessed I was overeager and without thinking. I ran to a random bus and knocked on the door. The young bus driver opened the door and looked at me with a puzzled expression. He started asking me something in Korean, which of course I did not understand. I tried to reply in English, but before I could make the attempt, my father quickly apologized to the driver and walked me back to the tour group who was watching from afar, shaking with laughter. It turned out that the bus I was running to was not the bus we were supposed to take. I dismissed my burning cheeks. I was glad I could be the butt of everyone's jokes on my first day in a foreign country.

        It was a bit past lunch time when we were done checking in our hotel. Not doubt, everybody's stomachs were grumbling. Thank God after checking in, we were going to have our lunch and do a bit of sightseeing. While waiting for the others outside the hotel, we walked around nearby. There was a row of vending machines that sold various snacks and beverages, including Haagen Dazs ice-cream , and instant noodles. My mother had a craving for Nescafe, so she spent her first Korrean money on that.

        At the restaurant, a delicious meal was already spread out for us. That was the first time we all tried kimchi, a spicy  and sour vegetable side dish.I did not think it was horrible,  buut I preferred the fish kimchi much better. We all ate using chopsticks, so that was kind or awkward for me  and  my siblings, as we were not skilled at using them yet. Being Malaysians, we were used to rice, so it was a good thing that the Korean meal included rice and a few other side dish, eaten from a Bento box. It was weird though, the rice was stickier compared to the rice  we eat at home, mainly to make it easier to eat using chopsticks. There was also hot and scumptious miso soup together with the meal. Since my sister and my brother did not like it much, I finshed up theirs. I gulped the warm soup down my throat- a nice connntrast from the shivering weather outside.

        One of the highlights of our activities that we did in Korea was skiling. Everybody from the tour group was looking forward to that, even the 52-year old couple traveling with us. Since it was'nt fully snownig yet, the hill was coverred with artificial snow. After grobbing our ski gear, we listen to a briefing by the instructor. He was very help ful, especially with us kids annd the elderly couple.

        Feeling jumpy and hyperactive, me and my sister made our way to the cable car and successfully skied down a slope. I thought, " We're natural at this," and my sister could not agree more. When we came to see how our parents and brother were doing, my brother started to throw a snowball towards me and my sister. It hit me, and we started having a small snowball fight of our own, just like in the movies! I guessed we got a bit out of hand and my sister accidentally hit a woman's back. when she turned around, she had this angry look on her face and started to walk towards us.I hurried my siblings to continue skiing with our parents,and we ran away before she cold catch us. Breathless, we giggled innaivety as we recapped the moment.

        In a way, skiing is like swimming. Why do I say so? Well, when swimming ,you do not feel tired , but you would see the effect when you get ravenous and eat more after a session or when you aintend to tke a nap, but it is extended to long hours. The same goes to skiing. When we arrived at the hotel after skiing, we were drained out and starving. Instant noodles saved the day! We all ate curry-flavoured Maggi together, savouring the memontary pleasure. We also dozed off quite early that night , right after going for a walk to enjoy the amazing night view of th mountains, and breathing the cool, fresh winter air.

        Shopping in Korea was also different compared to Malaysia. Its malls were packed with small shops or stalla on every floor. Big boutiques were not seen as much as the quaint kiosks. Nevertheless, I found shopping at their markets more enjoyable, especially because you could haggle the price. Their specialities   were crystals, fabrics and outerwear. Apart form that, I also liked their wet markets , mainly because they were very clean and they did not have that fishy smell. I remembered a shocking incident when walking through the stalls of the wet market. A large fish jumped  out its aquarium  and onto the floor. I stared at it and suddenly, I saw a huge cutting knife slicing through the fish's neck! It was the owner of the stall's doing. Then, the owner left the fish flapping around lifelessly without a head.

        There was also a treasure trove among the stalls of the wet market- a tiny shoop which served grilled seafood. My family stepped into the shop and ordered some grilled fish and cockles.

        After saying our prayers, we devoured our mouth-watering find of the day. Dripped in a type of souce, the seafood was the best I had ever eaten, as you could taste the freshness. Or maybe I was just hungry after  a full day of activities.

        If it was up to me, there were so many things to write on my memorabe trip to Korean. Not onli we got to spend quality time together as a family, but we also learnt countless new things and even discovered hidden talents. My father always said we should travel with an open mind and an open  heart. This is when you get to see your capability to adapt to changes. Just enjoy the simple things in life and be thankful of what you have. So, do just that. Who knows you might discover a part of yourself you never know existed?