Question 1

"Please do not ask us again. All of us ________ not interested in joining the race," said the team captain.

Accepted Answer

B. are. The subject 'All of us' is plural and the context is present tense (the captain is currently refusing), so the correct verb is 'are'.

Question 2

The librarian warned, "Anyone who speaks loudly will be ________ to leave the library."

Accepted Answer

C. asked. The passive voice construction 'will be + past participle' requires 'asked'.

Question 3

"________ Susan is my twin sister, we look very different from each other. She has straight hair while I have curly hair," Sharon explained.

Accepted Answer

D. Although. 'Although' introduces a contrast: despite being twins, they look different. The other options do not fit the contrastive meaning.

Question 4

Every Thursday, Joe and Karim attend art enrichment class as ________ favourite pastime is painting.

Accepted Answer

D. their. The possessive pronoun must refer to 'Joe and Karim' (third person plural), so 'their' is correct.

Question 5

Mr. Lim's factory could not produce ________ sugar last year due to the poor harvest of the sugar cane.

Accepted Answer

B. much. 'Sugar' is an uncountable noun, and in a negative sentence 'much' is used. 'Many' is for countable nouns, and 'little'/'some' do not fit the negative meaning.

Question 6

Mr. Hung and his daughter ________ to go to the swimming pool when it started to rain heavily.

Accepted Answer

D. were preparing. The subject 'Mr. Hung and his daughter' is plural and the action is in the past continuous (interrupted by the rain), so 'were preparing' is correct.

Question 7

"It is against the law to leave your house without wearing a mask. So you ________ put on a mask when you are in school," the principal announced.

Accepted Answer

B. must. Since it is described as a legal obligation, 'must' expresses the necessary requirement.

Question 8

"________ man over there will be our guide for the walking trail today," Mrs. Tan told the cub scouts.

Accepted Answer

B. That. 'That' is singular and used for something far away ('over there'). 'This' is for something close, and 'These'/'Those' are plural.

Question 9

James and his brother ________ the bus to school every morning.

Accepted Answer

A. take. The subject is plural ('James and his brother') and the action is a routine ('every morning'), so the simple present plural 'take' is correct.

Question 10

"Let us stand united as one ________ the COVID-19 virus," the prime minister encouraged the nation on television.

Accepted Answer

D. against. Standing united 'against' an enemy/threat is the natural collocation. The virus is the adversary to fight against.

Question 11

Noah's mother has been nagging him to check his answers after completing his work. He is as stubborn as a ________.

Accepted Answer

D. mule. The fixed simile is 'as stubborn as a mule'.

Question 12

The ________ of dancers in our school is putting up a performance at the Esplanade next Saturday.

Accepted Answer

D. troupe. The correct collective noun for dancers/performers is 'troupe'. 'Bevy' is for girls/quails, 'band' is for musicians, and 'class' is for students.

Question 13

Devi forgot to bring her spectacles to school. She could not see well so she ________ at the writing on the whiteboard.

Accepted Answer

C. squinted. 'Squinted' means to look with eyes partly closed, which is what someone with poor vision does to see better. The other words do not fit this context.

Question 14

"Ren's birthday is next week and I still have not found a birthday present for him. Please ________ for a suitable present," Caleb said in desperation.

Accepted Answer

C. keep your eyes peeled. 'Keep your eyes peeled' means to watch carefully for something, which fits the context of looking for a present.

Question 15

Many people have been offended by Hafiz's honest remarks due to his ________.

Accepted Answer

B. frankness. 'Frankness' means being too direct/honest, which matches the context of offending people through honest remarks.

Question 16

Unprepared, the pupils ________ to the nearest shelter when it suddenly started raining.

Accepted Answer

B. scurried. 'Scurried' means to move quickly with short steps, which fits running away from sudden rain. 'Trudged' is slow, 'stomped' is angry, 'wandered' is aimless.

Question 17

It took Mrs. Ng a long time to put her baby to sleep. When he fell asleep, she walked ________ out of the bedroom.

Accepted Answer

A. quietly. She walked 'quietly' to avoid waking the sleeping baby. 'Sneakily' and 'suspiciously' imply wrongdoing; 'gracefully' is about elegance.

Question 18

The security guard gave a detailed ________ of the bank robber to the policemen to help identify him.

Accepted Answer

C. description. A 'description' refers to the physical appearance of a person, used to help identify them. An 'account' is of events, an 'outline' is a summary, and an 'explanation' is a reason.

Question 19

"Please don't ________ while we are talking. Wait for your turn," advised Kate's parents.

Accepted Answer

C. interrupt. 'Interrupt' means to break into someone's conversation, which fits being told to wait for one's turn.

Question 20

"What a rude waitress! I'm not returning to this restaurant again!" Mr. Fong ________ angrily to the manager.

Accepted Answer

A. bellowed. 'Bellowed' means to shout loudly, which matches speaking 'angrily'. 'Muttered'/'whispered' are quiet; 'stammered' implies hesitation.

P4 English CA1 2021 — Catholic High

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