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Unit notes and practice questions

Grade 9 English unit 9: Fairness and Equity

Everything here is for unit 9 of the Grade 9 English textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.

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2
Cards
10
Practice questions on unit 9
180–202
The textbook pages for unit 9

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The Temari lesson on unit 9

A short video lesson on this chapter, made by Temari. It loads only when you press play.

Fairness words: equality, equity, discrimination · 4 min · 2 past exam questions worked through

Parts of the lesson

Tap a part to play the lesson from there.

What unit 9 covers

  1. 1.Listening Skills
  2. 2.Reading Skills
  3. 3.Grammar
  4. 4.Speaking Skills
  5. 5.Writing Skills

Short notes for unit 9

The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 9 English page. Open one at a time.

Phrasal VerbMeaning
count ondepend on or rely
count upadd or calculate total
crack down onuse more authority or enforce rules strictly
cross offdelete or remove from a list
cut backreduce production or supply
cut downconsume less or reduce amount

When you use it

Use these multi-word verb combinations to express specific actions accurately in reading and vocabulary exercises.

Watch out

Do not confuse cut back (reducing production or spending) with cut down (reducing one's consumption).

Drafted from Grade 9 English, pages 180-203, then checked twice before it went up

When you use it

Use simple past for actions completed at a definite time in the past. Use present perfect (have or has with past participle) when the exact time is unstated or when an action continues to the present.

Watch out

Do not use the present perfect when a specific past time expression such as two hours ago or yesterday is present in the clause.

Drafted from Grade 9 English, pages 180-203, then checked twice before it went up

Practice questions on unit 9

10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.

Question 1

According to the reading passage, what is the main goal of equality?

  1. A.To ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives
  2. B.To give extra resources only to students who are furthest behind
  3. C.To replace the court system with community committees
  4. D.To remove all legal rules in a free society
Show the answer and why

Answer: A To ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives

Why

Paragraph 1 states that equality aims to ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives.

Question 2

What is the meaning of the phrasal verb count on in the sentence: "You should count on yourself to improve your English."?

  1. A.Depend on or rely on
  2. B.Add up numbers
  3. C.Delete from a list
  4. D.Consume less of something
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Depend on or rely on

Why

In Activity 9.8, the phrasal verb count on means to depend on or rely on someone.

Question 3

According to paragraph 6 of the passage, what has been found so far as the best way to practice fairness and justice?

  1. A.The court system
  2. B.Military force
  3. C.Civil disobedience
  4. D.Making decisions without laws
Show the answer and why

Answer: A The court system

Why

Paragraph 6 explicitly states that the best way to practice fairness and justice found so far is the court system.

Question 4

In paragraph 2, asking whether per-student funding at every school should be exactly the same falls under the domain of which concept?

  1. A.Equality
  2. B.Equity
  3. C.Materialism
  4. D.Civil disobedience
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Equality

Why

Paragraph 2 states that making sure all students have equal access to the exact same resources is a question under the domain of Equality.

Question 5

In the example of runners sprinting on an oval track, why does making everyone start at the exact same line fail to result in fairness?

  1. A.Runners in the inside lanes have a shorter distance to travel than those in outer lanes.
  2. B.Runners in the outer lanes receive extra points automatically.
  3. C.The track is only designed for one runner at a time.
  4. D.Outer lane runners run faster than inside lane runners.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Runners in the inside lanes have a shorter distance to travel than those in outer lanes.

Why

Paragraph 5 explains that runners in the inside lanes have an advantage because their travel distance is shorter, so equal starting points give an unfair advantage.

Question 6

What does the phrasal verb cut down mean in the sentence: "I am trying to cut down the amount of coffee I drink during the day."?

  1. A.Reduce or consume less
  2. B.Increase the quantity
  3. C.Remove from a list
  4. D.Share with friends
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Reduce or consume less

Why

In the phrasal verbs matching table (Activity 9.8), cut down means to reduce or consume less.

Question 7

According to Confucius as quoted in paragraph 5, what is true in a well-governed country?

  1. A.Poverty is something to be ashamed of.
  2. B.Wealth is something to be ashamed of.
  3. C.Court systems are completely abolished.
  4. D.Runners do not compete on oval tracks.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Poverty is something to be ashamed of.

Why

The passage quotes Confucius: "In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of."

Question 8

According to the quote at the end of the reading passage, who stated that peace comes "out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds"?

  1. A.Mahatma Gandhi
  2. B.John Rawls
  3. C.Confucius
  4. D.Helen Thayer
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Mahatma Gandhi

Why

Paragraph 7 quotes Mahatma Gandhi on how true peace comes out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations.

Question 9

Based on paragraphs 3 and 4, why will giving lagging students the exact same resources as higher-income schools fail to close the achievement gap?

  1. A.Students who are furthest behind require extra and tailored resources to catch up.
  2. B.Higher-income schools refuse to share their teaching materials.
  3. C.Funding has no effect on educational success.
  4. D.Lagging students cannot be evaluated by standard tests.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Students who are furthest behind require extra and tailored resources to catch up.

Why

Paragraphs 3 and 4 explain that students who are furthest behind need more resources and access to exceptional teachers (equity) to narrow and close the achievement gap.

Question 10

In paragraph 6, why is a jury described as being theoretically fair in a trial?

  1. A.Its members are from the community and have no interest or previous disposition in the case.
  2. B.Its members are appointed directly by the ruler without citizen input.
  3. C.Its members must all belong to the defendant's family.
  4. D.Its members decide the case before listening to any evidence.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Its members are from the community and have no interest or previous disposition in the case.

Why

Paragraph 6 explains that the jury is constructed of people from the community who have no interest or previous disposition in the case, which makes it theoretically fair.

The app holds 24 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.

The textbook pages for unit 9

Unit 9 runs from page 180 to page 202 of the Ministry of Education edition.

Ministry of Education edition, English, 235 pages

Download the PDF

All Grade 9 English short notes

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