Question

⑧ sociable and inquisitive, they resented being kept off the verandah at the end of the day, and would press their noses to stare and to eavesdrop as we sat with our sundowners.* ⑨ when they held back one evening i felt something was wrong, and went to investigate. ⑩ once again their instincts were at work: a red spitting cobra was slithering along the foot of their wire.
⑪ the timing of the cubs arrival was ideal from joys point of view. ⑫ until now her energy had been almost continuously absorbed by her paintings. ⑬ as soon as she had handed over her pictures of the tribes to the government — in the end there were more than five hundred — she had started to concentrate on writing and photography.

• sundowner(s) an alcoholic beverage drunk at sunset

⑧-⑩ i felt something was wrong one evening when the cubs held back from eavesdropping as we sat on the verandah with our sundowners, and discovered 3)__________________ at work again, this time over a red spitting cobra. ⑪-⑬ before the cubs arrival, joys energy 4)*__________________.

__________________________________________________.

• marking box for 4)

key words -10 composition -10

Explanation:

For question 3), sentence 10 of the passage states, "Once again their instincts were at work: a red spitting cobra was slithering along the foot of their wire." The summary sentence requires the phrase that fits before "at work again," which is "their instincts were."

For question 4), sentence 12 of the passage states, "Until now her energy had been almost continuously absorbed by her paintings." The summary sentence starts with "Before the cubs' arrival, Joy's energy," which corresponds directly to "Until now her energy," so the blank is completed with "had been almost continuously absorbed by her paintings."

Answer:

1. their instincts were
2. had been almost continuously absorbed by her paintings.