Grade 11 · CAPS

Grade 11 Comprehension

English practice questions and a worked example

Grade 11 English comprehension questions come from Paper 1, at First Additional Language and Home Language level. Each set starts with a reading passage, followed by a visual text such as an infographic, an image or a cartoon. The questions here ask you to find and quote information, explain words and phrases in context, comment on the writer’s style and tone, and give and support your own view of the text. They come from the Eastern Cape Grade 11 English Paper 1 for November 2018, November 2020 and November 2022 (First Additional Language) and November 2019, November 2020 and November 2022 (Home Language), each with the answer from the marking guideline.

Worked example

SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 1): (1) Every day she sees worried and scared people in her office who, in a moment of madness or carelessness have done something regretful online. Often it is children who find themselves in over their heads, then their frantic parents turn to lawyers for help. Emma Sadleir, the country’s leading social media lawyer and author of Selfies, Sexts and Smart phones: Teenager’s Online [5] Survival Guide says that sometimes it is too late. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.1 What do those people who come to see Emma have in common? State TWO points.

Answer & explanation

They are anxious and filled with regret because they have posted information online that they should not have.
1. The question asks what the people who visit Emma have in common. According to the text, these individuals are described as worried and scared. 2. The text also mentions that they have done something regretful online, which implies they are filled with regret. 3. Therefore, the two points in common are that they are anxious (worried and scared) and regretful because of their online actions. The stored answer captures these two points accurately.

Test your understanding

Try a similar Grade 11 Comprehension question and get a useful next step based on your answer.

No account needed to start.

Comprehension

Question 1 of 3

SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 3): (3) The internet never forgets. Online posts stay forever. Even if you delete it, chances are that there is a copy somewhere. It does not matter if you are a [15] ‘tech wizard’, you do not have any hope of removing it. Even if you delete it, many people have already taken a screenshot or downloaded your images. You cannot trace all of them and ask to delete it. If you make a stupid comment and people write about it you can delete the comment, but you cannot erase the posts where people are criticising you for things said. [20] Privacy settings change every day, so there is no guarantee that posts will not become public. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.6 Refer to paragraph 3. The expression ‘tech wizard’ means ... Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence.
Choose your answer

Learn from each answer, right or wrong.

Try again before revealing the solution.

More practice questions

Explore additional Grade 11 Comprehension questions.

  • 2
    SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 1): (1) Every day she sees worried and scared people in her office who, in a moment of madness or carelessness have done something regretful online. Often it is children who find themselves in over their heads, then their frantic parents turn to lawyers for help. Emma Sadleir, the country’s leading social media lawyer and author of Selfies, Sexts and Smart phones: Teenager’s Online [5] Survival Guide says that sometimes it is too late. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.2 Selfies, Sexts and Smart phones: Teenager’s Online Survival Guide. State why these words are written in italics.
  • 3
    SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 1): (1) Every day she sees worried and scared people in her office who, in a moment of madness or carelessness have done something regretful online. Often it is children who find themselves in over their heads, then their frantic parents turn to lawyers for help. Emma Sadleir, the country’s leading social media lawyer and author of Selfies, Sexts and Smart phones: Teenager’s Online [5] Survival Guide says that sometimes it is too late. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.3 ‘Emma Sadleir, the country’s leading social media lawyer ...’ Comment on the use of the word ‘leading’.
  • 4
    SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 2): (2) There are so many ways to get into trouble online – be it cyber bullying, or an ill-advised posting. Most of the time the drama and heartache could have been avoided. In her book, Emma Sadleir teams up with Dr Lizzie Harrison, a medical doctor with a degree in neuroscience and psychology, to paint a [10] picture of what can go wrong. They agree that before children get their first cell phones, or have internet access for the first time, their parents should warn them of the pitfalls. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.4 Explain the term cyber bullying (paragraph 2) in your OWN words.
  • 5
    SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read TEXT A and answer the set questions. Extract from TEXT A, “TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEENAGERS” (paragraph 2): (2) There are so many ways to get into trouble online – be it cyber bullying, or an ill-advised posting. Most of the time the drama and heartache could have been avoided. In her book, Emma Sadleir teams up with Dr Lizzie Harrison, a medical doctor with a degree in neuroscience and psychology, to paint a [10] picture of what can go wrong. They agree that before children get their first cell phones, or have internet access for the first time, their parents should warn them of the pitfalls. [Adapted from DRUM Magazine, January 2018] 1.5 Why do you think it is important for parents to warn their children about the dangers of the internet? State TWO facts.

Common mistakes

  • Copying a whole sentence when the question asks you to quote one word or a set number of consecutive words.
  • Giving a view without a reason. A question that asks for your opinion needs a reason taken from the text.
  • Quoting the passage when the question says “in your own words”. The marking guideline gives no mark for a quotation there.

More Grade 11 English topics

Comprehension in other grades

Aligned to CAPS Grade 11 English — Comprehension. Curriculum source: CAPS for the FET Phase, Department of Basic Education.

Need more help with Grade 11 English?

Work through English one-on-one with a verified tutor.

Find a tutor

Exam preparation

Know what to work on before your exams.

Upload your exam scope and we'll match it to real past-paper English questions — including topics like Comprehension — so you know exactly what to work on before you write.

Set up my exam

Homework Assist

Stuck on a question?

Work through it with Homework Assist.

Try Homework Assist

How Homework Assist works