South_Africa_Solutions_2

South Africa – Worksheet Solutions

Solutions in the same task order as the worksheets. Open discussion and writing tasks contain model answers.

Visiting South Africa

Page 1 – Visiting South Africa

Watch the video about Mpumalanga in South Africa. What did you see?

Landscapes	Activities
Mountains	Taking photographs
Wide, flat plains	Kayaking
Waterfalls
Rivers

Now read the transcript and choose a word/phrase in bold to match the definitions.

No.	Answer	Meaning
1	plains	Large areas of flat land
2	big game	Large wild animals, sometimes hunted
3	sense	A feeling or understanding
4	vastness	Great size or extent
5	dimension	An aspect or feature
6	rugged	Rocky, rough or uneven

Discuss

1. Which two contrasting landscapes does the narrator mention?

   The narrator contrasts rugged mountains with vast plains.

2. What does he think is unique about this part of South Africa?

   The combination of varied scenery and large wild animals makes the region special. He also describes the unusual light at sunset.

Page 2 – Visual guide

Match the names to the images.

The published lesson gives this picture order. Use the descriptions to identify the pictures if their order was changed in your worksheet.

Picture	Place	How to recognise it
1	Swartberg Pass	A winding road through rocky mountains
2	Boulders Beach	Penguins on a beach with large rocks
3	Cape Point	A rocky coastal headland
4	Three Rondavels	Three rounded mountain formations
5	Table Mountain	A mountain with a flat top above Cape Town
6	Kruger National Park	Savannah with wild animals

Page 3 – Visual guide

Match the underlined words with their definitions.

No.	Word	Matching meaning
1	rondavel	A round traditional hut, usually with a pointed thatched roof
2	savannah	Open grassland with relatively few trees
3	cape	A piece of land projecting into the sea
4	boulder	A very large rock
5	cable car	A passenger vehicle carried by a suspended cable
6	landmark	A recognisable feature that helps people identify a place

Work in pairs and discuss these questions.

1. Would you like to go on a safari? Why/why not?

   I would like to go on a safari because I want to see wild animals in their natural habitat.

2. Would you consider driving on the Swartberg Pass?

   I would consider driving along Swartberg Pass because of the views, but I would drive carefully on the narrow mountain road.

3. Would you prefer to hike or take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain? Why?

   I would take the cable car up Table Mountain because it would be easier and would give me a good view of Cape Town.

Page 4 – Part B: African Mammals

Read the descriptions of the animals and choose a word in bold to match each definition.

1. herd
2. horn
3. camouflage
4. prey
5. predator
6. species

Use the words from above and discuss the animals.

Animal	Predator or prey?	Groups	Camouflage and species
Cape buffalo	A plant-eater that can be prey for lions	Usually herds	Its colour can help it blend into the surroundings. Cape buffalo are a subspecies of African buffalo.
Antelope	Plant-eaters; prey for large carnivores	Many live in herds	Brown coats often blend into grassland. There are many antelope species.
Hippopotamus	Mainly a plant-eater; young hippos can be prey	Usually groups in water	Hippos spend much of the day partly submerged. They are not normally classified as predators.
Zebra	Plant-eaters; prey for large carnivores	Usually herds	Their stripes may confuse predators and help deter biting flies. There are three living zebra species.

Page 5 – Reading for the main idea

Subjects	Mentioned?
The first people in South Africa	Yes
Where to learn more about history	Yes
A former South African leader	Yes
A popular dance style	No
How people communicate	Yes
South Africans living in other countries	No

Focus on vocabulary

Match the words to their definitions.

No.	Word	Meaning
1	segregation	Separating groups of people and treating them differently
2	multicultural	Including several cultures, languages or traditions
3	uncover	Discover something previously hidden
4	lingua franca	A common language used by people with different first languages
5	constitution	The basic laws and principles of a country
6	commemorate	Honour or remember a person or event
7	texture	How a surface or substance feels
8	crunchy	Firm and making a crisp sound when bitten

Page 6 – Exploring the Rainbow Nation

Choose one of the above words to fill each gap in the text.

1. uncovered
2. segregation
3. commemorated
4. multicultural
5. lingua franca
6. constitution
7. texture
8. crunchy

Page 7 – Reading comprehension

1. Who were the original people of South Africa?

   The San were the original inhabitants mentioned in the text.

2. Which other people are mentioned in the text?

   It also mentions Bantu-speaking peoples, Dutch and British settlers, and the Zulu.

3. How was the theory of apartheid different from reality?

   Apartheid was presented as separate development with supposedly equal treatment. In practice, it gave white people power and privileges while discriminating against the non-white majority.

4. How many of South Africa’s eleven official languages come from Europe?

   Two: English and Afrikaans.

5. Why is South Africa’s food so varied?

   Its food reflects the different communities that settled there and the cultural exchange encouraged by its coastal location.

6. According to the text, which food will probably be offered to you at a South African party?

   Biltong, a snack made from dried, seasoned meat.

7. What influence has South African politics had on music, according to the article?

   Political developments and struggles helped inspire new forms of music.

The language question

The worksheet refers to eleven official languages. This reflects the text’s date; it is not intended as an up-to-date count.

South Africa — Exercises

Historical source

This text was written before the 2010 World Cup. Its population figures, economic rankings and health statistics should be treated as information from that older text.

1 – Answer the questions in your own words!

1. Which countries are South Africa’s neighbours to the north?

   Northern neighbours: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, now called Eswatini.

2. Which country lies completely within South Africa?

   Country completely surrounded by South Africa: Lesotho.

3. Which two oceans surround South Africa?

   Oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

4. Which is the biggest river in South Africa?

   Biggest river: the Orange River.

5. Name two famous deserts of South Africa.

   Deserts: the Kalahari and the Namib.

6. Which mountains in South Africa are the highest? Which height do they reach?

   Highest mountain range: the Drakensberg. The text gives a height of 3,350 metres.

7. What kind of climate does South Africa have?

   Climate: generally moderate, with mild temperatures. Some regions receive little rain and experience droughts.

8. Name the four ethnic groups in South Africa and their proportion of the population.

   Population groups, using the text’s categories and approximate figures:

   • Black South Africans: about 80%.
   • White South Africans: about 10%.
   • Coloured South Africans, the text’s term for people of mixed ancestry: about 9%.
   • Asian South Africans: about 2%.

9. What are the descendants of the Dutch settlers called?

   Descendants of Dutch settlers: Afrikaners. The term Boers is also used, particularly in historical contexts.

10. Which part of the country do most of the people live in?

Most people live in the eastern half of the country and along the southern coast.
11. Name at least three big cities in South Africa.

Three major cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
12. South Africa has three capitals. Parliament meets in , the government gets together in and the court is in ___.

Capitals: Parliament meets in Cape Town, the executive government is based in Pretoria, and the worksheet’s judicial capital is Bloemfontein.
13. Which raw materials does the country produce?

Raw materials: gold, diamonds, coal and copper.
14. Who were the first Europeans to sail around Africa?

First Europeans mentioned: Portuguese navigators, particularly Bartolomeu Dias, who rounded the Cape in 1488.
15. What was the Great Trek?

The Great Trek was the movement of Dutch-speaking Boers from the Cape towards the interior and northern regions. They established settlements in areas such as the Transvaal and Orange Free State.
16. What was Apartheid about?

Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and white minority rule. Laws separated racial groups and denied the non-white population equal rights.
17. Who became South Africa’s first black president?

First black president: Nelson Mandela, elected in 1994.
18. What are South Africa’s problems today?

Problems mentioned: HIV/AIDS, crime, corruption, high unemployment and the emigration of educated and skilled people.

Source details

The percentages are rounded and therefore do not add up to exactly 100%. The source also incorrectly refers to a prime minister in its description of modern government.

2 – Multiple choice exercise — Choose the correct answer

No.	Letter	Correct answer
1	a	Football World Cup
2	c	Leave the country and go abroad
3	d	Gold and diamonds were discovered
4	a	The language associated with Dutch settlers
5	a	1912
6	b	Mandela was imprisoned for many years
7	b	Other countries criticised apartheid
8	a	The Mediterranean climate
9	d	Durban is the country’s major harbour in the text
10	b	It separates the interior plateaus from the coastal lowlands
11	d	About 80%
12	b	People hire security companies

3 – Match the words with the definitions

Read the right-hand definitions from top to bottom:

F, O, R, P, I, N, A, L, C, T, B, J, S, G, E, Q, K, H, M, D.

Letter	Word	Meaning
A	announce	Say something officially
B	copper	Reddish-brown metal used in wires and pipes
C	deposit	A layer or concentration of minerals in the ground
D	drought	A long period with very little rain
E	government	The people who govern a country
F	iron	A metal used to make steel
G	majority	The larger part of a group
H	retire	Stop working, usually because of age
I	servant	Someone employed to do household work
J	settler	Someone who moves to establish a home in another territory
K	wheat	A crop used to make flour and bread
L	spread	Extend or expand
M	release	Set free
N	race	The worksheet’s term for a group classified by shared physical characteristics
O	fence	A barrier around a property
P	mine	A place where minerals are extracted
Q	issue	A topic or problem
R	arrest	Take someone into police custody
S	cattle	Cows and bulls
T	descendant	Someone related to an ancestor from an earlier generation

Vocabulary correction

The source’s definition of “descendant” is reversed. A descendant comes after an ancestor, not before them. Race is also a social classification, not simply a matter of identical skin colour.

4 – In the following text there are 6 sentences that do not belong there! Underline them!

Underline these exact sentences:

1. “There are separate beaches for the black and white population.”
2. “It got its name because it has orange water after it rains a lot.”
3. “Their huts are made up of leaves.”
4. “The Dutch queen also visited South Africa.”
5. “Factories give Whites more money than Blacks.”
6. “Many Bantu tribes live in homelands near the city.”

The task asks which sentences were inserted into the summary; it does not mean every removed sentence is necessarily false in every historical context.

5 – Put the most important South African cities into the map below.

Use these positions to label the map:

City	Position
Cape Town	Southwest coast
Johannesburg	Northeastern interior
Pretoria	Just north of Johannesburg
Bloemfontein	Central interior, southwest of Johannesburg
Durban	East coast
Port Elizabeth / Gqeberha	South coast, east of Cape Town
East London	Southeast coast, northeast of Gqeberha
Kimberley	Interior, northwest of Bloemfontein

The main cities named in the reading are Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Bloemfontein.

6 – Crossword

Grid-dependent entries

The clues were readable, but the grid could not be inspected. For clues with several valid answers, the alternatives and letter counts below let you select the one that fits. These entries are not presented as a verified completed grid.

Across

No.	Answer
1	Pretoria (8), Cape Town (8 without the space), or Bloemfontein (12) — select by crossings
4	WITWATERSRAND
9	APARTHEID
11	ZULU (4) or XHOSA (5) — select by length
12	AFRIKAANS
13	DRAKENSBERG
14	CAPETOWN

Down

No.	Answer
2	ORANGE
3	NAMIBIA (7), BOTSWANA (8), ZIMBABWE (8), MOZAMBIQUE (10), or SWAZILAND (9, the historical name in the text) — select by crossings
5	TABLEMOUNTAIN
6	BOER (4) or AFRIKANER (9) — select by length
7	MANDELA, or NELSONMANDELA if the grid requires the full name
8	AIDS (4), CRIME (5), CORRUPTION (10), or UNEMPLOYMENT (12) — select by length and crossings
10	LESOTHO

Write multiword answers without spaces. The worksheet sometimes misspells Drakensberg as “Drakenberg”; use the correct spelling unless its grid forces the typo.

7 – True or false?

Answers follow the supplied reading. Corrections explain false statements.

No.	Statement topic	Answer	Explanation or correction
1	Most of the country lies on a plateau	True
2	The Orange is the biggest river	True
3	Government meets in Durban	False	The executive government is based in Pretoria.
4	Johannesburg developed as a nineteenth-century gold-mining town	True
5	The north receives a lot of rain	False	Much of the north and west is dry.
6	Many black people work for white mine owners	True according to the text
7	White people form the majority	False	Black South Africans form the majority.
8	Apartheid forced white people to return to Europe	False	Apartheid protected white minority power and discriminated against non-white people.
9	The Boers defeated the British	False	The British defeated the Boer republics in 1902.
10	Boers moved north during the Great Trek	True
11	Most Asian South Africans live on the east coast	True according to the text	It particularly mentions Durban.
12	Wine is produced in Mediterranean-climate regions	True
13	Table Mountain overlooks Cape Town	True
14	The ANC wanted white people in charge	False	It fought white minority rule and sought political rights for black South Africans.
15	Mandela was the first black president	True
16	The colonies united in 1902	Expected true in this worksheet’s simplified sequence; historically false	The war ended in 1902. The Union of South Africa was established in 1910.
17	Gold was found near Cape Town and Durban	False	The text places the major discovery in the Transvaal.
18	Countries increased trade during apartheid	False	Many imposed sanctions or restricted trade.
19	South Africa has the largest number of people with HIV	True according to the old text	Treat this as a source-based answer rather than a current statistical claim.
20	South Africa hosted the 2010 Olympic Games	False	It hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
21	Skilled people emigrate to Europe or the USA	True according to the text

8 – As a black South African write a letter to your government in which you ask for the better treatment of blacks in society.

Model letter, written from the perspective requested in the exercise:

Dear Members of the Government,

I am writing as a black South African to ask for equal opportunities and fair treatment for everyone in our country.

Although apartheid has ended, many families still experience poverty, unemployment and unequal access to education. Our rights must lead to real improvements in everyday life.

Please invest in schools, especially in disadvantaged communities. Every child should have qualified teachers, learning materials and a safe place to study. Affordable training would also help young people find work.

We need fair recruitment, decent wages and protection against discrimination. Better housing, healthcare, clean water and reliable public services should be available to all communities.

I also ask you to fight corruption and make sure that public money reaches the people who need it. Citizens should be able to report unfair treatment and have their complaints investigated.

Our country’s future depends on cooperation and respect. Please help build a society in which a person’s race does not determine their opportunities.

Yours faithfully,

A concerned South African citizen

Sources and scope

• Supplied worksheet: ws_Visiting South Africa.docx.
• Supplied reading: south-africa-text.pdf.
• Supplied exercises: south-africa-exercises.pdf, exercises 1–8.
• Published copy of the Visiting South Africa lesson, consulted to recover image-based task content. Letter arrangements vary between editions; use the word-to-meaning tables above.
• The Trevor Noah and Chris Rock links are introductory viewing in the assignment. No additional written questions about those clips were supplied in the readable worksheet text.