P5 English SA2 2023 — Maris Stella High | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: The twins have worked very hard for their examinations but __________ of them has won the scholarship.

D. neither. The singular verb 'has' indicates a singular subject. 'Neither' is singular and fits the contrast introduced by 'but', meaning none of the twins won.

Q: After __________ effort, the elderly lady succeeded in climbing the long flight of stairs.

C. much. 'Effort' is an uncountable noun in this context, so the correct quantifier is 'much'.

Q: Not realising that two passers-by __________ the accident to the police, Andrew ran to the nearby police station.

D. had reported. The reporting happened before Andrew ran, so the past perfect tense 'had reported' is used to indicate the earlier action.

Q: Susan was dizzy. The teacher asked the monitor to go __________ her to the General Office.

D. with. 'Go with' means to accompany someone, which fits the context of the monitor accompanying Susan to the General Office.

Q: Wallus did not visit his grandparents in Australia last holiday, __________?

A. did he. Tag questions reverse the polarity. The main clause is negative past tense ('did not visit'), so the tag must be positive past tense: 'did he'.

Q: My grandfather took my sister and __________ for a swim last week.

C. me. The pronoun is the object of the verb 'took', so the object pronoun 'me' is correct.

Q: Mr Tan reminded John, "To be able to leave Singapore, you __________ have your passport with you."

D. must. Having a passport is a necessary requirement to leave Singapore, so 'must' is used to express obligation/necessity.

Q: "Stop blaming __________ for what happened. It was an accident," Mr Malek comforted his son.

D. yourself. Mr Malek is speaking directly to his son, so the second-person reflexive pronoun 'yourself' is used.

Q: The heel of the shoe gave way __________ the usual wear and tear.

D. resulting from. The heel breaking was caused by the wear and tear, so 'resulting from' correctly shows the cause-and-effect relationship.

Q: Worried about his mother, Peter could not sleep __________ he was very tired.

A. although. 'Although' introduces a contrast between being very tired (which should cause sleep) and not being able to sleep due to worry.

Q1 MCQ 1 mark

The twins have worked very hard for their examinations but __________ of them has won the scholarship.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

After __________ effort, the elderly lady succeeded in climbing the long flight of stairs.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

Not realising that two passers-by __________ the accident to the police, Andrew ran to the nearby police station.

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

Susan was dizzy. The teacher asked the monitor to go __________ her to the General Office.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

Wallus did not visit his grandparents in Australia last holiday, __________?

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

My grandfather took my sister and __________ for a swim last week.

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

Mr Tan reminded John, "To be able to leave Singapore, you __________ have your passport with you."

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

"Stop blaming __________ for what happened. It was an accident," Mr Malek comforted his son.

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

The heel of the shoe gave way __________ the usual wear and tear.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

Worried about his mother, Peter could not sleep __________ he was very tired.

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

Rani and I saw the bully beat up the timid boy. The bully's behaviour was __________.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

Jenny frowned in __________ when Dan could not understand what she was trying to tell him.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

The hikers were lost and hungry. They faced a __________ when they had to choose between staying put and continuing to hike.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

The pampered princess lived so __________ that she squandered away all her family's wealth.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

Everyone applauded when the last runner __________ across the finishing line despite the excruciating pain from a fall.

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'After several months of futile (16) attempts, I finally succeeded in capturing a Riverine rabbit which was thought to be extinct.'

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'Far from looking for the rabbit, I had other worries and was walking down a narrow pavement, feeling a bit (17) downcast.'

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: '(18) Stealthily, I advanced, fearing at each moment that it would take flight.'

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'It did not flee but kept still, with the sole exception of the silver tuft of feathers that shook as if to (19) challenge me.'

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'When I got close, I took off my shirt and in one swift (20) move, I had it over the rabbit.'

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

The purpose of the exclamation marks for the two statements in the box under the main heading "Weekly Nature Feature: Our Beloved Busy Bees" is to __________.

Q22 MCQ 1 mark

Which of the following is not true of a bee's community?

Q23 MCQ 1 mark

According to the article, bees have the ability to __________.

Q24 MCQ 1 mark

In the section "The Importance of Bees", which word best describes the uses of the substances produced by bees?

Q25 MCQ 1 mark

The section "The Threats to Bees" is included in the article for all the following possible reasons except __________.

Q26 MCQ 1 mark

In the sentence, "The nectar is stored in a second stomach – also known as the honey stomach", the dash is used to present the second part as __________.

Q27 MCQ 1 mark

Bees turn nectar into honey by __________.

Q28 MCQ 1 mark

What is the main purpose of this article?

Q29 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (29) with the most suitable word from the list (A above, B are, C at, D between, E by, F for, G from, H however, J in, K is, L more, M on, N to, P when, Q while). Each word can be used only once. Context: 'Do you pay attention (29) __________ the food labels before purchasing your food items?'

Q30 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (30) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'According to a public survey conducted last August, only one (30) __________ five Singaporeans checks the food labels when buying packaged food.'

Q31 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (31) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'Many others read labels only in specific situations – for example, (31) __________ buying something for the first time or for their children with dietary needs.'

Q32 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (32) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'Young adults, in particular (32) __________ increasingly guilty of careless shopping.'

Q33 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (33) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'The number of young adults today checking labels (33) __________ lower than in the past decade.'

Q34 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (34) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'According to a report (34) __________ our local agriculture department...'

Q35 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (35) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: '...52 per cent of those aged (35) __________ 29 years old, read food labels.'

Q36 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (36) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: 'This was a 10 per cent drop (36) __________ the previous year.'

Q37 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (37) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: '(37) __________, shoppers who read food labels tend to have something in common.'

Q38 Open-ended 1 mark

Cloze passage on food labels — fill blank (38) with the most suitable word from the given list. Context: '"I only check (38) __________ fattening substances," said Ms Serene Ho, aged 25, a materials engineer.'

Q39 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — each underlined word contains a spelling or grammatical error. Write the correct word. UFO passage word (39): 'enomous'.

Q40 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (40): 'mantanned' ('Mrs Thames, has mantanned that the UFO hovered near her house...').

Q41 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (41): 'a hour'.

Q42 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (42): 'describing' ('Both she and her husband describing the object as pink and white...').

Q43 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (43): 'in' ('pink and white in orange and blue lights').

Q44 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (44): 'intanse' ('beamed pulses of intanse light').

Q45 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (45): 'blasted' ('flew just two kilometres above their home before blasted away into the night sky').

Q46 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (46): 'on' ('on an incredible speed').

Q47 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (47): 'viewed' ('to viewed the footage captured').

Q48 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (48): 'orestuck' ('All who saw it were orestuck').

Q49 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (49): 'ocurrance' ('the experts could not explain the strange ocurrance').

Q50 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing — UFO passage word (50): 'seemilar' ('They suspected that the sighting was seemilar to the one captured by their own cameras').

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (51) with a suitable word. Context: 'The number of people taking up this (51) __________ has increased tremendously ever since it was introduced in Singapore by the Sports Association.'

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (52). Context: '...ever since it was (52) __________ in Singapore by the Sports Association.'

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (53). Context: 'The term ‘Scuba’ (53) __________ for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.'

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (54). Context: 'In scuba diving, divers carry air tanks on their (54) __________ when they go underwater.'

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (55). Context: 'Before scuba diving (55) __________ invented, people dived with a heavy helmet that had an air tube attached to it.'

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (56). Context: 'Air was usually pumped from a boat at the surface (56) __________ the diver below.'

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (57). Context: 'Scuba diving is a very good and healthy (57) __________ of exercise.'

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (58). Context: 'Firstly, divers learn to control (58) __________ breathing...'

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (59). Context: 'Secondly, the air they breathe is (59) __________ cleaner than the normal air they breathe on land.'

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (60). Context: 'Thirdly, divers become weightless when they are submerged in the (60) __________. This takes away the weight from their legs.'

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (61). Context: '...it is necessary for astronauts to be trained underwater to experience being weightless (61) __________ their space missions begin.'

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (62). Context: 'Next, divers cannot help (62) __________ notice the amount of space around them when they are underwater.'

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (63). Context: 'This is especially so in densely populated Singapore where buildings (63) __________ built so close to one another due to limited land space.'

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (64). Context: 'In our daily lives, there is a lot of (64) __________ we hear that may distract us - people talking, telephones ringing, the sound of vehicles moving, the sound from televisions and radios, etc.'

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

Scuba diving cloze — fill blank (65). Context: 'People who do not dive would miss three (65) __________ of the world because only one quarter of the world is not covered with water.'

Q66 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite the following sentences using the word(s) provided. Your answer must be in one sentence with the same meaning. 'Adam is a regular blood donor. His sisters are regular blood donors too.' Begin/include: 'as well as'.

Q67 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'If you do not take a taxi to school, you will not be able to get there on time.' Begin with: 'Unless'.

Q68 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'John dislikes eating salad. His brothers dislike eating salad too.' Include: 'Neither … nor'.

Q69 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: 'Jane opened the parcel left outside the house. She was curious.' Begin: 'It was with'.

Q70 Open-ended 2 marks

Rewrite: '"Did you hand in the consent form yesterday?" Mr Tan asked Tim.' Begin: 'Mr Tan asked'.

Q71 Open-ended 2 marks

From the first paragraph, besides being new to the school, what are two reasons that caused Evan to be left on his own during lunch? [2m]

Q72 Open-ended 2 marks

Explain fully why Evan felt "a pang of envy" (line 7). [2m]

Q73 Open-ended 1 mark

Which two-word phrase from lines 9-13 shows that Evan was deeply troubled by problems at home? [1m]

Q74 Structured 2 marks

Based on lines 9-13, list two problems Evan faced because of his family's financial situation. [2m] (a) He could not __________. (b) He could not __________.

Q75 Open-ended 2 marks

Based on the passage, state two actions that Evan did to remain positive (lines 14-18)? [2m]

Q76 Structured 3 marks 🖼 Visual

Look at the table below. What do the words in the left column refer to in the passage? Write your answers in the column on the right. [3m] (a) a problem (line 6); (b) then (line 14); (c) wonderful idea (line 38).

Q77 Open-ended 1 mark

Write 1, 2 and 3 in the blanks below to indicate the order in which the events occurred in the story. [1m] ____ Mrs Lim invited Evan to join the Art Club. ____ Mrs Lim could tell that Evan was talented in Art. ____ Evan was grateful for all that Mrs Lim had done.

Q78 Structured 3 marks 🖼 Visual

Based on the story, state whether each statement in the table below is true or false, then give one reason why you think so. [3m] Statement 1: Evan was not concerned with the fees he had to pay if he were to join the Art Club. Statement 2: Evan connected well with the students in the Art Club. Statement 3: Luke was eager to learn from Evan.

Q79 Open-ended 2 marks 🖼 Visual

Which two of the following words correctly describe how Evan felt in lines 33-41? Put a tick ✓ in the box beside each of your answers. [2m] Options: amazed, touched, shocked, confident, arrogant, overwhelmed.

Q80 Structured 2 marks 🖼 Visual

In lines 40-41, Evan's father said, "I can't thank you all enough for making Evan feel so loved." State two ways how Mrs Lim and the school management had indirectly helped Evan to find his place in the school. [2m] Provide one way for Mrs Lim and one for School management.

P5 English SA2 2023 — Maris Stella High

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