STANDARD for public examination is what examiners want-380 words, 6 paragraphs, idioms, varied sentences, powerful ending.
Poverty reveals the true character of relatives. It is undeniable that wealth attracts many friends, but poverty tests them. Before my father’s retrenchment, I believed that blood is thicker than water. I was wrong. Poverty taught me that not all family are relatives. It is a litmus test of true love.
In the days of abundance, our house in Nkulumane was a hive of activity. Every weekend, uncles, aunts and cousins flooded our home. They ate mother’s food and drank my father’s beer. They called my father “the generous one”. They showered us with praises. We were blinded by this false love. We thought it would last forever.
Then the dark cloud descended. My father lost his job at the mine. Suddenly the phone calls stopped. The visits ceased. When my mother called her brother for help with school fees, he said, “We are also struggling, we cannot make ends meet. Another aunt turned a blind eye and said we are lazy.
They added insult to injury by spreading rumours that my father had been fired for theft. When the chips were down, they cut ties with us. Poverty had unmasked them. It revealed that their love was conditional, based on what we could offer.
However, in the midst of this lack, we found abundance in kindness from unexpected, Aunt Thando, who sells vegetables at the market, stood by us through thick and thin. Though she had little, she shared her tomatoes and her time. Our neighbour, Khulu Moyo, a retired teacher, paid my school fees for a term. He told me, “Education is your inheritance now.” Ironically, those we least expected became our pillars of strength.
This painful experience was a blessing in disguise. It taught me a lesson I will never forget. True character is not revealed when pockets are full, but when they are empty. Wealth had covered the truth, poverty uncovered it. I learned to be self-reliant and to value genuine people over a large, fake crowd.
In light of the above, I now understand that poverty is not a curse but a teacher. I t separates the chaff from the grain. It shows who will clap for you when you have nothing. I learnt to appreciate the few who stayed and to forgive those who left, because poverty did not create their character, it merely revealed it.
Why this gets 20/20 from public examination marker
Content 8/8: very relevant, original story, emotional, clear lesson.
Language 7/7: 3 perfect idioms –blood is thicker than water, make ends meet. Through thick and thin, when the chips were down, blessing in disguise –varied sentences; correct tenses.
Structure:5/5: 6 paragraphs, strong introduction with definition, logical, powerful conclusion with proverb.
Comprehension passage
When my father lost his job at the mine, everything changed. Before, our house was always full. Uncles, aunts and cousins visited every weekend. They praised my father as generous.
After retrenchment, visits stopped. Phone calls were not answered. One uncle said, “We are also struggling.” My father became quiet. We had no money for fees, electricity or food. But not everybody left. Aunt Thando, who sells, who sells vegetables, came every morning. She brought tomatoes. Malume Moyo, our neighbour paid my school fees for one term. He said, “Education is your only inheritance now”. That is when I understood. Poverty is a teacher. It does not create hatred, it reveals it. Wealth had covered true character. Poverty uncovered it.
Questions: Where did writer live? Why was house full before? What happened after job loss? Who helped? Meaning: retrenchment = loss of job, inheritance =legacy/what is left for you.
Summary Task (15marks)
Instruction: Summarise how poverty revealed true character in 80-100 words. Model summary answer.
When the father lost his mine job, relatives who visited every weekend stopped coming and ignored calls, saying they were struggling or calling the family lazy. The family suffered without fees and food. However, Aunt Thando who sells vegetables helped daily and neighbour Khulu Moyo paid school fees. The writer learned poverty is a teacher that reveals true hatred and true love hidden by wealth.
Part 1: Comprehension –How to get full marks. What is it? They give you a story passage. You must prove you understood it.
5 Rules from public examination markers: Read twice. First time fast to understand story. Second time slow with a pen, underline names, places. Answer in full sentences. Wrong: Nkulumane Right: The writer lived in Nkulumane. Use your own words for “in your own words “questions.
If passage says, “Wealth had covered true character” Do not copy that. Say, “When we were rich people pretended to love us, so we could not their real feelings”.
For “Give meaning questions – explain to a Form 1 or Form 2. –retrenchment=when a worker loses his job/is fired from work, inheritance= something valuable left for you by family.
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