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2010 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre — Classical Hebrew

Contents

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 course in Classical Hebrew. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2010 Higher School Certificate examinations, indicating the quality of the responses and highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses.

This document should be read along with the relevant syllabuses, the 2010 Higher School Certificate examinations, the marking guidelines and other support documents which have been developed by the Board of Studies to assist in the teaching and learning of Classical Hebrew.

Continuers

General comments

Teachers and candidates should be aware that examiners may ask questions that address the syllabus outcomes in a manner that requires candidates to respond by integrating their knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.

Candidates need to be aware that the marks allocated to the question and the answer space (where this is provided on the examination paper), are guides to the length of the required response. A longer response will not in itself lead to higher marks. Writing in excess of the space allocated may reduce the time available for answering other questions.

Candidates need to be familiar with the Board’s Glossary of Key Words which contains some terms commonly used in examination questions. However, candidates should also be aware that not all questions will start with or contain one of the key words from the glossary. Questions such as ‘how?’, ‘why?’ or ‘to what extent?’ may be asked or verbs may be used that are not included in the glossary, such as ‘design’, ‘translate’ or ‘list’.

Most candidates were well prepared for this examination and their responses reflected a sound understanding of the material covered. However, it was evident in responses to the grammar questions that some candidates did not approach the examination as the study of an ancient language. Some candidates misread the more detailed questions and provided irrelevant responses.

Section I – Prescribed text – Tanakh

Part A – Torah

Question 1

  1. In the better responses, candidates provided full details of the ‘construct state’. In the weaker responses, candidates confused the ‘construct state’ with the ‘infinitive construct’. Candidates are advised that when providing examples of the construct state, they should provide the second word of the grammatical feature.
  2. In the better responses, candidates provided full sentences and some explanation from the commentary.

Question 2

  1. Many candidates provided two explanations correctly. However, in weaker responses, candidates did not fully understand the simplest, habayit, meaning ‘the’.
  2. In the better responses, candidates demonstrated a good knowledge of the commentary.
  3. In the better responses, candidates discussed aspects of the usage of vayehi. However, in the weaker responses, candidates did not provide ‘multiple’ uses and instead, simply provided translations of the examples from the text. Candidates are reminded that there are more uses of the word other than for introducing new, unusual, negative events. In the best responses, candidates identified the six instances from the text, provided the usage and explained fully the link between the two.

Question 3

In the best responses, candidates answered in detail, referred to the commentary and included the historical background. They also inferred from the text.

Question 4

  1. For questions such as this, which asked about the malach in Hebrew, candidates are advised that they should provide information about this person in English to indicate that they know who is being mentioned.
  2. Although the question required candidates to ‘refer’ to the text provided, qualities and characteristics of an Israelite leader that appear elsewhere in the chapter were accepted. Some inference was required for this answer as well as reference to the commentary.

Question 5

In the better responses, candidates demonstrated a thorough understanding of the commentary and responded with details. In the best responses, candidates explained that the parable was a warning about appointing Abimelech as king. Although many candidates knew their Hebrew vocabulary well, they are advised to answer in English only, as stated before each question.

Question 6

    1. In the better responses, candidates gave the translation of the kaf and explained its function correctly. In the weaker responses, candidates did not recognise it as an inseparable preposition.
  1. Better responses referred to both text and commentary.

Question 7

The answers to the questions on the Book of Ezra indicated some confusion about the people and events involved in the history.

  1. In the better responses, candidates included some historical background.

Question 8

  1. In the better responses, candidates identified that the inseparable preposition was omitted. In the weaker responses, candidates did not understand what was required in this question and wrote about the verb in the plural and the noun and its adjective in the singular.
  2. Most responses indicated confusion about why the two men were mentioned in verse 15.

Part B

Question 9

In the better responses, candidates demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the topic of dreams, using both text and commentary. Some responses focused on the description of the dreams, providing a great deal of unnecessary detail, rather than indicating the ‘significance’. In the best responses, candidates summed up the dreams, provided the background to the dreamers and where they were and also wrote about the significance of the dreams. These responses demonstrated how each set of dreams led to the next event. In the best responses, candidates did not rely on memorised essays and provided relevant details to the question asked.

Section II – Prescribed text – Mishna

Question 10

  1. In the better responses, candidates were guided by the wording of the question which clearly stated that information on ‘the time and method ...’ was required.

Question 11

  1. In the best responses, candidates included both possible interpretations of Bet Shammai.

Section III – Unseen text – Tanakh

In this section, candidates are reminded that they should refer only to the content of the text provided and not rely on previous or general knowledge.

Candidates are also reminded to answer questions in English in the Unseen section and to transliterate all names into English.

When parsing, all required aspects except the root should be written in English, ie the tense/aspect and the binyan.

Question 13

  1. In the better responses, candidates provided the three possible answers. Candidates are advised to ensure they provide all the information, especially when a particular verse is indicated.
    1. Some candidates incorrectly wrote that the tense in tanchil is the ‘jussive’. This aspect is not a requirement of the syllabus and is therefore not required as a response.
  1. In the better responses, candidates identified all three components. The third component was the noun around which the other two components revolve.
  2. In the best responses, candidates used information which came directly from the text only. Many responses indicated that candidates had studied this book of the Bible in previous years and provided general knowledge.

Question 14

  1. In the best responses, candidates were able to identify the tense/aspect.
  2. In the better responses, candidates identified that the word et appears before a definite direct object, in these two cases being a proper noun and a noun with a pronominal suffix.
  3. In the better responses, candidates explained correctly the functions of Qeré and Ketiv. In the weaker responses, candidates were unable to identify the use of both of them in the context of verses 5 and 9.

Extension

Question 1

    1. In the better responses, candidates commented on both the idolatry and on the punishment that would follow, to which the prophet was referring.
  1. In the better responses, candidates referred in detail to the commentary.

Question 2

  1. In the better responses, candidates mentioned that Rava held the view that not blowing the shofar on a Shabbat was a rabbinic decree. In the weaker responses, candidates failed to mention specifically the significance of taking a shofar to an expert.
  2. In the best responses, candidates included all facts and reasons for decisions. This included for example, that a decision could not be rescinded lest the court’s status is affected.

Question 3

In the better responses, candidates provided detail on both the historical background and the situation of the people. Candidates are reminded to respond with relevant information only. Marks are not awarded for rote-learned material that does not relate to the set question. Candidates were not required to provide a biographical essay on the prophet Jeremiah.

Question 5

  1. In the best responses, candidates identified all the literary features and explained their use.

Question 6

  1. In the better responses, candidates demonstrated a good understanding of parsing.

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