SLIDEREAD

The NBT AQL Test: Exemplar questionsA: Academic LiteracyRead the following passage on advertising and answer the multiple-choice questions that follow:The Influence of Advertising1. Advertising was initially meant to makefrom a very early age, forming our view of thepeople aware of the goods available in theworld as we grow into adults.market. It was as simple as announcing whatyou have in your store or the services youoffer in your premises. Over the years,advertising has evolved into a major industrythat goes beyond informing, to persuadingand influencing. It is a form of brainwashing3. The notion that the media are primarily inplace to give us news is not very true. If thetruth may be told, the media are there togather a large enough audience, packagethem into a pricey commodity and sell it tothe advertisers. The advertisers, on the otherconsumers.hand, are always on the lookout for a target2. Advertising has become a type of cultureaudience to persuade them that this productwith ardent followers. In the process, itor service is better than that of turers and service providers whofancy an edge over their competitors.Unfortunately, in keeping with the everincreasing demands of the manufacturers, theadvertisershaveresortedtocreatingunnecessary wants and excess consumption inmost of us. This is a craving for harmfulproducts that we are better off without. Itpreys on our minds, rendering us vision and radio advertisements target us4. In a nutshell, advertising does influencepeople. Most of the advertisements are filledwith images that equate emotional well-beingwith material acquisition and associateindependence and leisure with consumptionof alcohol. Advertising also makes peoplelavish their affect on products rather than realpeople,therebydestroyinghumanrelationships. We have become trapped in theweb of advertising where products like brands1

of beer and cigarettes take over our minds,doing away with our core family values.[Adapted hp?340. Accessed online on 20 March]2

1.The overall purpose of paragraph 1 is to do the following: (communicative function)a. introduce the reader to the basics/fundamentals of advertisingb. inform the reader that advertising is brainwashingc. indicate that advertising means announcing what you have in stored. indicate that advertising has changed to become influencing2.In paragraph 4, we read that “Most advertisements associate independence and leisurewith consumption of alcohol.” This suggests that advertisements mainly communicate themessage that (inferencing)a. independence and leisure encourage people to drink alcoholb. independence and leisure are always accompanied by alcohol consumptionc. independence and leisure enable people to relaxd. lack of independence and leisure makes it impossible for people to relax3.In the first sentence of paragraph 2, the phrase “has become” signals that the change inadvertising: (grammar/syntax)a. started in the past and ended in the pastb. started yesterday and ended yesterdayc. started in the past and is still in progressd. started yesterday and will end tomorrow4.In paragraph 2, the word “ardent” can be substituted with the word: (vocabulary)a. passionateb. obsessedc. compassionated. energetic5.In paragraph 2, we read: “This is a craving for harmful products that we are better offwithout.” In this sentence, the word “This” mainly refers to (cohesion)a. enviable attentionb. excessive consumptionc. unnecessary wantsd. increasing demands3

6.Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between paragraph 1and paragraph 2 of this passage? (discourse)a. Paragraph 2 takes over from paragraph 1.b. Paragraph 2 solidifies the point made in paragraph 1.c. Paragraph 2 corroborates the point made in paragraph 1.d. Paragraph 2 develops the point made at the end of paragraph 1.7.The main idea of paragraph 3 is that (essential/non-essential)a. The media and advertisers aim to achieve different goalsb. The media and advertisers complement each otherc. Both the media and advertisers target the same consumersd. The media and advertisers aim to outsmart competitors8.In paragraph 2, the phrase “fancy an edge over” means: (metaphor)a. take pleasure in pushing others to the edgeb. wish that someone falls over an edgec. wish to have an advantage over othersd. hope to have an opportunity to win9.The writer’s attitude towards advertising in this text can best be described as: (text genre)a. neutralb. positivec. negatived. supportive4

B. Quantitative Literacy1.Question 1: Data handlingPercentageDistribution of agricultural households by type of activity andprovince1.11009080706050403020100Animals onlyCrops onlyMixed farmingOtherApproximately what percentage of agricultural households were involved in “Crops only”activity in Limpopo?A)1.220 %B)33 %C)54 %D)80 %Approximately what percentage of agricultural households in Limpopo province were notinvolved in “Crops only” and “Mixed farming” agricultural activity?A)4%B)20 %C)50 %D)80 %5

2.Question 2: Shape, dimension and spaceThe diagram below shows the side view of an apparatus in a laboratory, consisting of a conical glassflask, a cork, and some tubing. The flask has a circular base. The diagram is drawn to scale on a gridin which each block represents 5 mm x 5 mm.CorkTubeFlask2.1What is the radius of the top end of the flask into which the cork fits?A)B)20 mmC)40mmD)80mmWhich graph represents the best relationship when fluid is pumped into the conical flask?VolumeVolumeVolumeGraph AtimetimetimeA)DCBAVolume2.210 mmB)Graph BC)Graph CtimeD) Graph D6

3.Question 3: Quantity, number and operationsA primary school has 40 teachers and 160 learners in the school. What is the ratio of teachers tolearners?A)1:3B)1:4C)2:4D)3:47

4.Question 4: Change and ratesDriverRouteTime takenCminutesWD to C30XA to D to4040 kmD30 km20 kmCYA to B35ZA to B to60A40 kmBCWhich driver travelled the fastest between the various points?A)Driver WB)Driver XC)Driver YD)Driver Z8

5.Question 5: RatiosThe table represents the number of singles tennis championships won by males.Tennis Championship (Grand Slam)TennisFrenchplayerOpenRoger1Rafael NovakDjokovicJimmyConnorsTotalWhat proportion of the Australian Open tennis championships did Novak Djokovic win?A𝟓𝟏𝟑B𝟓𝟖C𝟓𝟔𝟏D𝟖𝟓9

Question 6: Measures of central tendency98XNumber of treesNumber of trees876548765465433222111020 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65Z76543220 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65120 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65Weight of treesWeight of treesWeight of treesWeight of trees8Y7320 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 6599WNumber of trees9Number of trees6.In which distribution is the mode, median and the mean the same?A)XB)WC)YD)Z10

7.Question 7: ProbabilityA school band consists of 40 learners. Five of the learners play the drums, 10 learners play theguitar, 3 learners play the flute, 2 learners play the saxophone and the rest of the learners play thetrumpet.If a learner in the school band is picked at random, what is the probability that this learner plays theguitar?A)0.25B)25%C)0.50D)30%11