Question 1

The clinic _______ at 9 p.m. every Wednesday.

Accepted Answer

B. closes. The sentence describes a habitual action ('every Wednesday'), so the simple present tense is required. Since 'the clinic' is a singular third-person subject, the verb takes an -s ending: 'closes'.

Question 2

We _______ go home before dinner or else Mother will get angry.

Accepted Answer

A. must. 'Must' expresses obligation or necessity. The phrase 'or else Mother will get angry' shows a strong consequence, so the strong modal of obligation 'must' is most suitable.

Question 3

_______ bag that I am carrying was given to me by my parents on my ninth birthday.

Accepted Answer

A. This. 'Bag' is singular and the speaker is carrying it, so it is near to the speaker. The correct singular near demonstrative is 'This'.

Question 4

I recognise that old lady because _______ has a big mole on her cheek.

Accepted Answer

D. she. The pronoun must refer back to 'that old lady' (a female person) and act as the subject. The correct subject pronoun for a female is 'she'.

Question 5

Mei Ling did not _______ the dress as it was too expensive.

Accepted Answer

A. buy. After the auxiliary 'did not', the main verb must be in the base/infinitive form. The correct form is 'buy'.

Question 6

Ahmad injured his leg so he found it hard to climb _______ the flight of steps.

Accepted Answer

C. up. To climb a flight of steps, one moves upward. The preposition 'up' correctly indicates this upward motion along the steps.

Question 7

The boys _______ to help the man when they saw him falling off his bicycle.

Accepted Answer

C. stopped. The action 'saw him falling' is in the simple past tense, so the main clause must also be in the simple past. 'Stopped' is the correct past simple form.

Question 8

We asked Alan if he wanted to _______ us for lunch on Saturday.

Accepted Answer

B. meet. After 'to' (a to-infinitive), the verb must be in the base form. The correct form is 'meet'.

Question 9

Mrs Tang hid the spare key _______ the floor mat.

Accepted Answer

D. under. A spare key is hidden by being placed beneath an object so it is not visible. The preposition 'under' best fits this meaning of concealment beneath the mat.

Question 10

My mother was worried about me _______ I returned home late from school.

Accepted Answer

D. because. The second clause gives the reason for the mother's worry. 'Because' is the correct conjunction to introduce a reason or cause.

Question 11

The _______ has predicted rain for the rest of the week.

Accepted Answer

D. meteorologist. A meteorologist is the specialist who studies the weather and makes forecasts such as predicting rain. The other professions study living things, rocks and ancient remains respectively.

Question 12

Without her glasses, Mary is as blind as a _______.

Accepted Answer

B. bat. The fixed English simile is 'as blind as a bat', used to describe someone with very poor eyesight.

Question 13

The _______ managed to solve the case based on the evidence found at the crime scene.

Accepted Answer

C. detective. A detective investigates crimes and solves cases by examining evidence at crime scenes. Judges, lawyers and magistrates work in court, not at the crime scene.

Question 14

Wei Ming was feeling _______ after a good night's sleep. He was full of energy and all ready to start the day.

Accepted Answer

B. refreshed. After a good night's sleep and being full of energy, Wei Ming feels 'refreshed'. 'Lethargic' and 'exhausted' mean the opposite, and 'ambitious' does not describe how a person feels physically after rest.

Question 15

This plate of fried chicken looks so _______. I am salivating just looking at it.

Accepted Answer

C. appealing. 'Salivating' shows that the food looks attractive and makes one want to eat it. 'Appealing' means attractive or tempting, which fits. 'Appalling' and 'disgusting' are negative; 'exciting' does not collocate with food appearance.

Question 16

Ben was waiting _______ for the concert to start as he could not wait to see his favourite idol perform on stage.

Accepted Answer

D. excitedly. 'Could not wait to see his favourite idol' shows great anticipation and excitement, so 'excitedly' is the most suitable adverb.

Question 17

Ron is a reckless boy. He is bound to _______ trouble one day.

Accepted Answer

B. run into. The phrasal verb 'run into trouble' means to encounter or get into difficulty unexpectedly, which fits a reckless boy. The other phrasal verbs do not collocate with 'trouble' in this sense.

Question 18

Professor Lim is as wise as a/an _______. You can ask him for advice on your project.

Accepted Answer

B. owl. The standard English simile is 'as wise as an owl'. Owls are traditionally associated with wisdom.

Question 19

He was sleeping like a _______ and did not wake up although there was lightning and thunder.

Accepted Answer

A. log. The fixed simile 'sleeping like a log' means sleeping very deeply, which matches not waking up even during a storm.

Question 20

I am _______ like a leaf because it is so cold in the room.

Accepted Answer

D. trembling. The simile 'trembling like a leaf' describes shivering or shaking, which is what one does in the cold. The other options do not describe shaking from cold.

P3 English CA1 2025 — Catholic High

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