P5 English SA2 2023 — Maha Bodhi | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: Mother ____ cookies all morning for the charity drive.

C. has been baking. The time marker 'all morning' indicates an action that began in the past and is still continuing, so the present perfect continuous tense 'has been baking' is required. 'Mother' is singular, so 'has' (not 'have') is used.

Q: "Pat will travel to China, ____?" asked Mrs Ong.

B. won't she. Tag-question rule: a positive declarative statement ('Pat will travel') takes a negative tag in the same tense. 'Will' becomes 'won't'; 'Pat' (female) is replaced by 'she'. Hence 'won't she'.

Q: Neither Peter nor his classmates ____ the project that was due yesterday.

B. have completed. In 'neither…nor' constructions, the verb agrees with the noun closer to it (proximity rule). 'Classmates' is plural, so 'have' is used. 'Due yesterday' indicates a completed action by a past time, so the present perfect 'have completed' fits.

Q: Harry is going ____ a difficult time and needs our help.

D. through. The idiomatic phrasal verb 'go through' means to experience or endure (often something difficult). The other prepositions do not collocate naturally with 'a difficult time'.

Q: Larry will join us for the movie ____ he has to attend his enrichment class.

C. unless. 'Unless' means 'except if / if…not'. The sentence means Larry will join us only if he is NOT required to attend his enrichment class. 'If' would give the opposite meaning, 'since' gives a reason, and 'despite' is followed by a noun phrase, not a clause.

Q: While Ali was admiring the scenery, a pickpocket ____ his wallet.

A. stole. The past continuous ('was admiring') sets a background action that is interrupted by a shorter completed action; the interrupting action takes the simple past — 'stole'. 'Was stolen' is passive and ungrammatical with 'a pickpocket' as the agent subject.

Q: I take my vitamins daily to prevent myself from ____ a cold.

C. catching. After the preposition 'from' the verb must be in the gerund (-ing) form. 'Prevent (someone) from doing' is the fixed pattern, hence 'catching'.

Q: Jay was in the laboratory when he saw his classmate ____ the beaker.

A. break. After verbs of perception such as 'see', the bare infinitive (without 'to') is used when the speaker witnessed the entire action from start to finish — 'saw his classmate break the beaker'.

Q: Mary's close group of friends ____ for her at the courtyard just now.

C. was waiting. The subject 'group' is a singular collective noun, so it takes a singular verb. 'Just now' refers to a past time, so the past continuous singular form 'was waiting' is correct.

Q: Peter did not have ____ homework today. He only had to finish one piece of Math worksheet.

C. much. 'Homework' is an uncountable noun, so 'many' is wrong. In a negative sentence describing a small quantity of an uncountable noun, 'much' is the natural choice — 'did not have much homework'. 'Little' (without 'a') would be used in a positive sentence; 'any' would require 'at all' to match the contrast that follows.

Q1 MCQ 1 mark

Mother ____ cookies all morning for the charity drive.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

"Pat will travel to China, ____?" asked Mrs Ong.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

Neither Peter nor his classmates ____ the project that was due yesterday.

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

Harry is going ____ a difficult time and needs our help.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

Larry will join us for the movie ____ he has to attend his enrichment class.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

While Ali was admiring the scenery, a pickpocket ____ his wallet.

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

I take my vitamins daily to prevent myself from ____ a cold.

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

Jay was in the laboratory when he saw his classmate ____ the beaker.

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

Mary's close group of friends ____ for her at the courtyard just now.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

Peter did not have ____ homework today. He only had to finish one piece of Math worksheet.

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

The basketball finals had to be ____ to a later date due to the storm.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

Science fiction and mystery are some book ____ that you can borrow from the library.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

Within seconds from the explosion, the wooden hut was ____ in flames.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

Even the doctors were surprised at David's sudden ____ of fever and could not find the cause.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

Justin is ____. I wish he would stop harassing me!

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

COVID-19 has changed life for people everywhere. People adjusted to new norms like social distancing, routine temperature checks and washing their hands more. Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'adjusted'.

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'routine' in 'routine temperature checks'.

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

A few companies around the world took their response to the virus in an unexpected direction. Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'unexpected'.

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

These companies then decided to manufacture goods or equipment that can help the fight against COVID-19. Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'help'.

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

The French government warned the public that hospitals in Paris might face hand sanitiser shortages. Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'warned'.

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Why is the word LOLA written entirely in capital letters in "LOLA is back!"?

Q22 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which of the following statements is true about the LOLA event?

Q23 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

In which activity is it compulsory for the child to be accompanied by an adult?

Q24 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which of these is a similarity between the two programmes "How Do You Feel?" and "Be a Vet for a Day!"?

Q25 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

How often is LOLA held in Singapore?

Q26 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Bob is 10 years old. He loves watching the television and listening to his favourite DJs on the radio. Which program should his parents sign him up for?

Q27 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the brochure, which of the following is not true of the programme "How Do You Feel?"

Q28 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

What is the main purpose of the brochure?

Q29 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze. Choose the most suitable word from the word list (A) and, (B) are, (C) does, (D) for, (E) have, (F) has, (G) in, (H) is, (J) of, (K) on, (L) or, (M) than, (N) the, (P) to, (Q) will. Fill blank (29): 'While South America ____ the largest rainforest in the world, known as the Amazon, our part of the world is also home ____ a similar habitat.'

Q30 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (30): '…our part of the world is also home ____ a similar habitat.'

Q31 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (31): '…the forests of Malaya have something even the Amazon ____ not — tigers.'

Q32 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (32): 'Four out of nine species of tigers ____ now extinct.'

Q33 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (33): 'There are fewer ____ 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild.'

Q34 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (34): 'They are considered close to extinction, ____ critically endangered.'

Q35 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (35): 'Unless forest habitats are protected and deforestation stops, the Malayan tiger ____ become extinct, sooner rather than later.'

Q36 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (36): 'Even though poaching is illegal, it ____ still ongoing as there is a high demand ____ tiger parts.'

Q37 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (37): '…as there is a high demand ____ tiger parts.'

Q38 Structured 1 mark

Grammar cloze blank (38): 'One main challenge to the conservation of tigers is that wild tigers are not all found ____ just one place.'

Q39 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'they sat side by side, went for recess together and even went out together in weekends.'

Q40 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'Annie was the new girl who had just transfered to the school in the second half of the year.'

Q41 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'Cassie's family had been living in New Zealand since 2017 despite of her mother's job.'

Q42 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'They had only recently moved back from Singapore four months ago.'

Q43 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'Cassie's form teacher had placed her in charge of introduce Annie to her classmates.'

Q44 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the spelling of the underlined word — 'Cassie would always try to begin a konversasion with her.'

Q45 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the spelling of the underlined word — 'Annie could not be sepereted from her books.'

Q46 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the spelling of the underlined word — 'The moment Annie got used to her new enviromen…'

Q47 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the spelling of the underlined word — '…Cassie did not have to akompani her anymore.'

Q48 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'They started to getting to know each other better.'

Q49 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the spelling of the underlined word — 'Both realised they had simmiliar interest.'

Q50 Structured 1 mark

Editing: Correct the underlined word — 'As a result, they choose to remain friends.'

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'Mr Ong Teng Cheong was a remarkable man. He was elected ____ the fifth President of the Republic of Singapore on 1 September 1993.'

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'Born in Singapore, Mr Ong entered school late because of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. He was an outstanding ____ during his school days.'

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'After completing his secondary education, he enrolled at the University of Adelaide, ____ he was awarded the Bachelor of Architecture in 1961.'

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'Mr Ong had a varied career before becoming President. He ____ the Ministry of National Development in 1967 as an architect.'

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'He was then transferred to ____ department to lead a team.'

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'In 1971, he ____ the civil service and set up his own company.'

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'During this period, Mr Ong made many ____ to the nation.'

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'Many Singaporeans were fond ____ him as his sincerity towards the people could be seen through his actions.'

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'He always made ____ that the people of Singapore came first.'

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'During his time as president, he started ____ other charitable projects, the largest of which is the President's Star Charity.'

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'The ____ raised from these charitable projects have gone a ____ way in helping the aged, needy and less-fortunate.'

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: '…have gone a ____ way in helping the aged, needy and less-fortunate.'

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: '____ serving for six years, Mr Ong stepped ____ as president at the age of 63.'

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: '…Mr Ong stepped ____ as president at the age of 63.'

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: 'Mr Ong ____ not to run for a second term as president, partially because of the death of his wife.'

Q66 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis/Transformation: Rewrite as one sentence using 'Both'. 'Jason takes the school bus every day. So does Jack.'

Q67 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis/Transformation: Rewrite as one sentence using 'who'. 'My uncle works as a bus driver. My uncle is very hardworking.'

Q68 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis/Transformation: Rewrite as reported speech beginning 'The teacher told us that…'. 'The teacher told us, "Your project is due tomorrow."'

Q69 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis/Transformation: Rewrite as one sentence beginning 'I prefer…'. 'I love watching movies. I love playing computer games more.'

Q70 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis/Transformation: Rewrite using 'due to'. 'The clothes will dry very quickly. The weather is hot.'

Q71 Open-ended 1 mark

Why did the doctor advise Tobey to walk for at least thirty minutes a day? (1m)

Q72 Open-ended 1 mark

Pick out a four-word phrase from lines 5 to 8 which shows that Tobey really wanted to play football again. (1m)

Q73 Structured 3 marks

Which three words from lines 9 to 13 best describe how Tobey felt? Do not tick more than three boxes. Options: depressed, angry, relieved, cheerful, grateful, worried. (3m)

Q74 Structured 2 marks

Which two actions from lines 14 to 20 did Tobey take to retrieve his card from the pond? (2m) a) 1st attempt: ____ b) 2nd attempt: ____

Q75 Open-ended 2 marks

What did Tobey do to prevent himself from falling into the pond? (2m)

Q76 Structured 3 marks

Look at the table below. What do the words in the left column refer to in the passage? a) 'they' (line 4) b) 'one' (line 17) c) 'the same' (line 41) (3m)

Q77 Open-ended 2 marks

What did Tobey discover about his card after he retrieved it from the pond? (2m)

Q78 Structured 1 mark

Write 1, 2 and 3 in the blanks below to indicate the order in which the events occurred in the passage. (1m) ____ Tobey injured his right ankle. ____ Tobey saw some boys playing football. ____ Tobey sat on a bench.

Q79 Structured 3 marks

Based on the passage, state whether each statement in the table below is true or false, then give one reason why you think so. (3m) a) Mr Lim was in the park to get some exercise. b) Mr Lim was a selfless person. c) Tobey and Mr Lim cared about what other people thought of them.

Q80 Open-ended 2 marks

What action did Tobey truly regret and why? (2m)

P5 English SA2 2023 — Maha Bodhi

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