Form 4 English Language Midyear Exam 2016

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Section A [15 marks] [Time suggested : 25 minutes]

MISSING! 5-month-old female puppy Light brown fur with black patch on left eye. Answers to “Molly” Will give reward. Contact Mr. Lim (Owner)

1. From the information above, we know that A. Molly likes being lost. B. Molly has been found. C. Molly belongs to Mr. Lim. D. Molly is a girl with light brown hair

Dear Siti, I have gone out to the market to get some groceries for tomorrow’s breakfast. Please keep in mind that you have to take the clothes out of the washing machine and please complete your school homework.

2. In the letter above, the phrase “keep in mind” can best be replaced with A. forget. B. initiate. C. consider. D. remember.

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3. According to the conversation above, what does “my cup of tea” mean? A. Ahmad does not like hockey. B. Ahmad would like a cup of tea. C. Ahmad is drinking tea at the hockey match. D. Hockey tournament must be watched with tea.

Panda Watch The giant panda is a species of bear originally from south central China. It is identifiable from distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears and across its round body. A giant panda’s diet mainly consists of bamboo and sometimes meat. Giant pandas are considered as endangered species and are protected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 4. Which of the following statement describes the giant panda? A. Giant pandas eat plants and meat. B. They are not an endangered species. C. Giant pandas originated from Africa. D. All bears have distinctive black patches.

Flights delayed due to bad weather 5. According to the headline above, A. It was a sunny day. B. Flights were postponed. C. Planes cannot fly in the rain. D. Planes were having problem starting.

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Ingredients Storage

: Fish paste, wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt and sugar : Please store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight and high temperature.

6. The label given above is probably an advice for A. Shampoo. B. Plastic cups. C. Packed food. D. Tissue paper.

8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

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Morning assembly and briefing 100 m sprint event 400 m sprint event Recess

7. From the information above, which event best describes the agenda? A. Career seminar B. TV Programme C. School’s sports day event D. Opening of new book store

I play computer games once in a blue moon 8. What does the phrase “once in a blue moon” mean? A. Very rarely B. Sometimes. C. The moon is blue. D. Computer games with blue moons.

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Question 9 to 15 are based on the following passage. Choose the best answer to fill in each blank. A roller coaster is 9__ amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. The first patent ___10___ roller coasters was obtained on January 20, 1885 and it was made of wood! Until today, the origins of roller coasters are still largely undetermined. Roller coasters are essentially a specialised railroad system which ___11___ of a track that rises in designated patterns meant ___12___ thrill the rider. These patterns may include multiple inversions such as vertical loops that briefly turn the rider upside down. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in ___13___ passengers are seated and restrained in for safety purposes. The tallest roller coaster in the world is known as Kingda Ka and is located at the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, United States. This ‘train’ ___14__ a top speed of 206 kilometres per hour and climbs ___15___ 139 metres in height. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted!

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A. in B. an C. on D. the

10. A. to B. for C. with D. from 11. A. comes B. consists C. happens D. represents 12. A. is B. to C. are D. the

13. A. who B. what C. which D. whom 14. A. got B. has C. have D. does 15. A. to B. as C. on D. from

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Section B [10 marks] [Time suggested : 25 minutes] Questions 16 to 25 Read the following book review and answer the questions that follow.

The book, First They Killed My Father, is a novel written by Loung Ung, a Cambodian author who survived the Pol Pot regime, and is published by Harper Collins. It is the first-person narrative that makes readers feel as if they are living her life. The story revolves around Loung, a five-year-old girl in a middle-class family living in Phnom Penh, the capitol city of Cambodia, when the Khmer Rouge took over the country. Loung was fearful and confused as to why the soldiers forced her family and many others out of the city. Forced to live in small villages, Loung was told not to speak of her past as her father worked for the old government, and they would be killed if the soldiers found out. Many people around them died of disease and starvation, her family tried to cling to each other for support, but they were slowly torn apart from each other. Her eldest sister was sent away and died. Her father was also taken away, never to be seen again. As time went on, her mother sent the three of her four remaining children away because she could no longer look after them. Loung and her sister travelled to a girls’ work camp. Even though she was young, Loung was sent to another camp in order to become a soldier. While stationed there, she was occasionally allowed to visit her sister and mother. However, during one of the visits, she found out that both of them had been killed. The entire book is a powerful and moving story. I learnt about how terrifying life was during the Cambodian civil war and the effects of the regime on families.

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Question 16 to 25 Using the information from the review given, complete the table below

Title

16 ___________________________________________________________________

Author

17 ___________________________________________________________________

Type of book

18 ___________________________________________________________________

Type of story

 

Antagonist

Powerful 19 ________________________________________________________________

20 ___________________________________________________________________

Storyline : The beginning of the story takes place in 21 ___________________________________________________. When the main character’s family was forced out of the city, she felt 22 _____________________________. She was not allowed to 23 _____________________ because the soldiers would kill them if they found out. Life was hard as many people around them died of 24 ___________________________________________. The reviewer 25 _________________________________________________________________________ [10 marks]

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Section C [25 marks] [Time suggested : 50 minutes] Question 26 to 31 are based on the following passage 1

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The Bounty, made famous by the MGM film Mutiny on the Bounty in 1960, was one of the world’s most recognisable ships. She was scaled up replica of the original HMS Bounty launched in 1784. The modern Bounty did not use the prefix HMS as it had never been commissioned into the British Royal Navy. She was a classic tall ship and had three masts that rose up more than 30 m high, supporting 930 m2 of sailcloth and laced with more than 3.2 km of line. The Bounty was 9 m longer than the original, bringing her to 36 m in length and was built from Douglas fir, oak and spruce. In her final years, the ship had fallen into disrepair where she was plagued with dry rot and leaks. Her owner had a hard time keeping up with the expensive maintenance. She was tired and sagging after 50 years of sailing and dock tours. Her owner put her up for sale in 2010 but had a hard time finding a buyer. Her crew sailed her from New London, Connecticut to St Petersburg, Florida in an attempt to lure buyers while at the same time, hosting dockside tours to help raise funds for a nonorfit organisation that supported kids with Down syndrome. Little did the crew know, that the journey would be her last

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On 25 October 2014, Bounty left New London with a crew of 16, ranging from first-timers to experienced boatmen. Three members of the crew, including her captain, Robin Walbridge, 63 were licensed captains. Another four were certified able-bodied seamen, while the remaining crew were entry-level hires or volunteers who were new to the ship. Before they left port, Walbridge assembled his crew to inform them that there was a large storm off the coast. He told his crew that they could safely travel around the edge of the storm but it was not without rough seas along the way. The trip was expected to take 14 days. On a Saturday evening, Bounty sailed into one of the worst storms ever recorded in the Atlantic. It stretched about 1600 km across and had winds gusting at more than 130 km/h. Earlier that day, the ship was damaged by a huge gust which required the crew to scale the mast and stow the sheet under dangerous conditions. Things got worse as day turned to night. More than 1 m of water was sloshing about in the engine room. Lights on board flickered until the generators and engines stopped working completely. The storm caused their mobile and satellite phones to become useless. Despite the horrible conditions in which the crew had to work with, they handled their situation amicably. Everyone was calm, professional and no one panicked. Around 4:30 a.m. the following day, the ship was hit by a massive wave that caused it to roll 90 degrees. Several members of the crew were thrown into the sea. It was then, the decision was made to abandon ship.

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At the end of their ordeal, they were only 14 survivors. Among those missing were the ship’s captain, Walbridge who was nowhere to be found while another crew member, Claudene Christian was found floating near the ship. Coast Guard pilot, McIntoch recalled that even though losing two people was though, seeing the survivors being rescued by helicopter on TV caused them to feel overjoyed. He also went on to mention that even though he had not met any of the crew personally, when one went through something like that together, it felt like they were family. (Adapted from Reader’s Digest, April 2014)

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From paragraph 1, why did the modern Bounty not use the prefix HMS? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] From paragraph 2, a) why did the Bounty fall into disrepair? ______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] b) why do you think the ship was for sale for so long? ______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] From paragraph 3, a) which words mean ‘qualified to work on a ship’? ______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] b) what did Bounty’s captain tell her crew before leaving port? (i) _________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (ii) _________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] a) From paragraph 4, why do you think the crew had to scale the mast and stow the sheet? _______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] b) From paragraph 5, describe how you would have reacted to the crew’s situation. ______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

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In your opinion, if you were the captain of Bounty, would you have set sail that day? Give one supporting reason for your answer. Opinion : _________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] Reason ; _________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

The Bounty sailed into the worst storm ever recorded during her final voyage. Write a summary on the challenges faced by the crew while they were out at sea. Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning. Your summary must:  be in continuous writing form (not in note form)  use materials from line 14 to 33  not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows: The Bounty, captain by Robin Walbridge set out on a ...

[15 marks]

________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

Section D [20 marks] [Time suggested : 35 minutes] 32

Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

The charge of the Light Brigade (an extract) Cannon to right of them, Half a league, half a league, Cannon to left of them, Half a league onward, Cannon in front of them All in the valley of Death Volleyed and thundered; Rode the six hundred. Stormed at with shot and shell, “Forword, the Light Brigade! Boldly they rode and well, Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the jaws of Death, Into the valley of Death Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Rode the six hundred “Forword, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Alfred, Lord Tennyson Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs1,not to reason a) In stanza who is ‘he’?why, ____________________________________________________________________________ Theirs but to do and die. [1 mark] Into the valley of Death b) In stanza 2, which word in the poem means ‘anxious’? Rode the six hundred. ____________________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] c) Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. What do these lines tell you about the six hundred? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] d) How would you describe these soldiers’ characteristic? Provide a reason to support your answer. Characteristic : _____________________________________________________________ [1 mark] Reason : ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ [1 mark] 33 The following are the short stories studied in the literature components in English Language.

Tanjong Rhu

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Minfong Ho

Leaving

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M. G. Vassanji

Choose any one of the short stories above and answer the question below.

From the short story that you have learned, write about the theme of ambition. With close reference to the text, describe how the character(s) portray the theme.

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SECTION A ANSWER SHEET

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

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A

B

C

D