P5 English SA2 2023 — CHIJ | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: It was Mr Tan, and not Miss Lee, who painted the wall all by ____.

B. himself. The subject of 'painted the wall all by ___' is Mr Tan (male, singular), so the reflexive pronoun must be 'himself'.

Q: I wanted to buy the toy but it cost too ____ money. I could not afford it.

D. much. 'Money' is an uncountable noun, so the quantifier must be 'much' (not 'many'). 'Too much money' fits the context of not being able to afford the toy.

Q: Grandmother ____ for her medical check-up annually as she has several health issues.

B. goes. The adverb 'annually' signals a habitual/routine action, which requires the simple present tense. The subject 'Grandmother' is singular third person, so 'goes' is correct.

Q: All the flights were either postponed or cancelled ____ the heavy snowstorm.

D. during. 'During' indicates the time period in which the flights were postponed or cancelled because of the snowstorm.

Q: If Sally ____ litter on the floor, she will pick it up.

B. sees. This is a first conditional sentence (If + simple present, will + base verb). 'Sally' is third person singular, so the verb must be 'sees'.

Q: The girl ____ the principal praised during the assembly is my sister.

B. whom. The relative pronoun refers to a person and functions as the object of 'praised' (the principal praised the girl), so 'whom' is correct.

Q: My elder sister studied law ____ Nanyang University before she graduated.

B. at. The preposition 'at' is used with the name of an institution (e.g. 'studied at Nanyang University').

Q: Our runners have qualified for the upcoming semi-final round, ____ they?

D. haven't. The statement is positive ('have qualified'), so the tag must be negative. The subject 'runners' is plural, so 'haven't' is the correct tag.

Q: ____ we change our habits, we will continue to pollute the environment.

A. Unless. 'Unless' means 'if … not'. Unless we change our habits (= if we do not change), we will continue to pollute, which fits the logic of the sentence.

Q: My cousins ____ in Australia since they were born.

D. have been living. 'Since they were born' refers to an action that started in the past and continues to the present, which requires the present perfect continuous: 'have been living'.

Q1 MCQ 1 mark

It was Mr Tan, and not Miss Lee, who painted the wall all by ____.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

I wanted to buy the toy but it cost too ____ money. I could not afford it.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

Grandmother ____ for her medical check-up annually as she has several health issues.

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

All the flights were either postponed or cancelled ____ the heavy snowstorm.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

If Sally ____ litter on the floor, she will pick it up.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

The girl ____ the principal praised during the assembly is my sister.

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

My elder sister studied law ____ Nanyang University before she graduated.

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

Our runners have qualified for the upcoming semi-final round, ____ they?

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

____ we change our habits, we will continue to pollute the environment.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

My cousins ____ in Australia since they were born.

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

Winning first place in the tennis tournament was easy for Peter as all his ____ were not as skilful as he was.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

The girl did not stop crying until her mother ____ and bought her the toy.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

The town was completely ____ by the earthquake. All the buildings collapsed and people were left homeless.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

His description of the incident was such an ____ that everyone found it hard to believe him.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

The first few months in the army was tough for Jack but once he got used to the rigorous training, it was ____ from then on.

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'preference' in the passage about cats and boxes.

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'naturally' in the passage about cats and boxes.

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'significant' in the passage about cats and boxes.

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'confined' in the passage about cats and boxes.

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'preserve' in the passage about cats and boxes.

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

The main purpose of the poster is to ____.

Q22 MCQ 1 mark

Why is an exclamation mark used in the heading, "Explore Singapore with these outstanding offers!"?

Q23 MCQ 1 mark

Lina and her parents are planning to visit Universal Wonderland. Which of the following statements is true?

Q24 MCQ 1 mark

Sarah enjoys cold temperatures but is afraid of heights. Which attraction would be the most suitable for her?

Q25 MCQ 1 mark

What can visitors stand to win when they sign up for one of the online offers in the poster?

Q26 MCQ 1 mark

Based on the poster, visitors who choose Winter Magic can look forward to ____.

Q27 MCQ 1 mark

Mr Tan would like to find out more about the special deals and promotions. Which of the following is not a way for him to get more information?

Q28 MCQ 1 mark

John is wondering whether to sign up for the Boat Tour. According to the poster, he should sign up if he wishes to ____.

Q29 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage (Booklet B, blanks 29–38): choose the most suitable word from the list (A about, B after, C along, D and, E be, F but, G by, H had, J has, K however, L since, M to, N with, P without, Q would) for blank (29): 'When they passed ____ the palace, the queen often gave each of them a loaf of bread.'

Q30 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (30): '____ fail, the beggars would give the same responses.'

Q31 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (31): '"Oh Queen! You are so kind ____ generous," said the young beggar.'

Q32 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (32): '"Praise be to God, who ____ been generous to the queen," said the old beggar.'

Q33 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (33): 'One night, she devised a plan that ____ teach the old beggar to give thanks to her instead.'

Q34 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (34): 'She instructed the baker ____ hide jewels in a loaf of bread.'

Q35 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (35): 'she gave a plain loaf to the old beggar and carefully handed the one ____ the jewels to the young beggar.'

Q36 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (36): '"This loaf is too heavy - it must be poorly baked!" thought the young beggar, ____ noticing the weight of his bread.'

Q37 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (37): 'Eager to ____ helpful, the old beggar agreed.'

Q38 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze blank (38): 'When the queen learnt ____ the exchange, she was displeased.'

Q39 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'Many of these people lie on peices of cardboard.'

Q40 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'A nationwide studying on the homeless in Singapore indicated that most of them are poor…'

Q41 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: '…most of them are poor and have weak sosial support.'

Q42 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'The plight of these homeless people deeply sadened Mr Yeo.'

Q43 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'The plight of these homeless people deeply sadened Mr Yeo.'

Q44 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'In July 2014, he founds the organisation called "Homeless Hearts".'

Q45 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: '…to help the homeless people be part of the comuniity again.'

Q46 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'Every fortnight, a team of dedicated voluntiers from "Homeless Hearts"…'

Q47 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: '…a team of dedicated volunteers from "Homeless Hearts" conduct night walks…'

Q48 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: 'They begin by give food and drinks to the homeless…'

Q49 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: '…to the homeless whom are sleeping in the street.'

Q50 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — correct the underlined word: '"…They are people to be love."'

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (51): 'How did they know which food was ____?'

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (52): 'To understand the evolution of food, we have to travel ____ in time to thousands of years ago.'

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (53): 'They moved from place to place daily, hunting animals and ____ plants for food.'

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (54): 'Day and night, they were ____ search of food…'

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (55): '…this practice left them with ____ time to do other activities.'

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (56): 'Finding food ____ a time-consuming and an energy-draining task…'

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (57): '…not to ____ dangerous.'

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (58): 'If they were not injured by animals ____ a hunt…'

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (59): '…there was always the ____ of starvation when food was scarce.'

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (60): 'Over the years, gatherers used trial and ____ to decide which plants were edible.'

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (61): 'They ____ note of the plants that the animals were eating and followed suit.'

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (62): 'Should one person ____ sick after eating a plant…'

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (63): '…that was a warning sign not to ____ it, but to spit it out.'

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (64): 'They no longer needed to move ____ searching for food.'

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (65): 'With more time on ____ hands, they began exploring ways to make their food taste better.'

Q66 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite the given sentence(s) using the word(s) provided, keeping the meaning the same: 'He stopped at the market to buy vegetables. Then, he went home.' Begin: 'Before ____.'

Q67 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'David decided to go home early. He was not feeling well.' Begin: 'Feeling ____.'

Q68 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'He remained calm even though the dog was barking at him.' Begin: 'Despite the fact that ____.'

Q69 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: '"Do you want to go on a staycation this holiday?" Mother asked me.' Begin: 'Mother asked me if ____.'

Q70 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'Sumei hid her friend's book in the locker as she was mischievous.' Begin: 'Out of ____.'

Q71 Open-ended 1 mark

Why did the author have lunch alone in the library? [1m]

Q72 Open-ended 1 mark

Which 2-word phrase from paragraph 1 tells us that the author was feeling nervous? [1m]

Q73 Structured 3 marks

Look at the table below. What do/does the word(s) in the left column refer(s) to in the passage? Write your answers in the column on the right. [3m] Words: 'her' (line 5), 'that kind of food' (line 16), 'it' (line 32).

Q74 Open-ended 2 marks

Based on lines 5-8, describe clearly how Mother had put in effort in baking the cookies. [2m] Begin: 'Each peanut butter cookie was ____.'

Q75 Open-ended 2 marks

"…I thought Mother was rather unthoughtful…" (lines 11-12). What led the author to think so? [2m]

Q76 Structured 3 marks

Based on the passage, state whether each statement in the table is 'True' or 'False', then give one reason why you think so. [3m] Statements: (i) Mother looked messy after she had finished preparing the grilled chicken. (ii) The author had made known to Mother that she wanted hamburgers for dinner. (iii) The author was touched to see the plate of hamburger on the kitchen table.

Q77 Open-ended 2 marks

From lines 16-22, give two examples that show Mother had 'hit her limit'. [2m]

Q78 Open-ended 2 marks

Which two of the following words best describe how the author felt in lines 23 – 27? [2m] Options: afraid, discouraged, relaxed, fatigued, remorseful, appreciative.

Q79 Structured 2 marks

Based on the information from the passage, fill in the blanks to show the reasons for the actions. [2m] Actions: (i) The author left her bedroom. — Reason: The author was curious about ____. (ii) The author pushed the plate of hamburgers away sheepishly. — Reason: She felt that she had not ____ her mother well.

Q80 Open-ended 2 marks

Did the author's mother forgive the author? Support your answer with evidence from lines 28-37. [2m]

P5 English SA2 2023 — CHIJ

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