P5 English SA1 2025 — Red Swastika | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: Playing with my younger siblings ______________ something I enjoy doing after school.

A. is. The subject is the gerund phrase 'Playing with my younger siblings', which is singular. It also describes a present habitual action ('I enjoy doing after school'), so the singular present-tense verb 'is' is required.

Q: When our lesson was disrupted ______________ a power failure, we learnt to be prepared for unexpected situation.

A. by. In a passive construction, the agent (the cause of the action) is introduced by the preposition 'by'. The lesson was disrupted by a power failure.

Q: ______________ he have any questions about the debate competition, he can speak to Miss Tan.

A. Should. This is an inverted conditional (formal equivalent of 'If he should have any questions...'). Only 'Should' is used in this inverted first-conditional structure.

Q: With so ______________ publicity about the upcoming school carnival, it is no wonder that everyone is talking about it.

B. much. 'Publicity' is an uncountable noun, so it takes 'much'. The context ('everyone is talking about it') indicates a large amount, so 'much' (not 'little') is correct.

Q: "______________ I go to bed early, I will feel tired in class tomorrow," Alex grumbled.

C. Unless. 'Unless' means 'if not'. The condition 'Unless I go to bed early' (= 'If I do not go to bed early') logically leads to feeling tired in class. The other options would reverse the meaning.

Q: The crowd watched ______________ excitement as Yeke ran towards the finish line.

A. in. The fixed prepositional phrase to describe doing something while feeling an emotion is 'in excitement' (similar to 'in awe', 'in horror').

Q1 MCQ 1 mark

Playing with my younger siblings ______________ something I enjoy doing after school.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

When our lesson was disrupted ______________ a power failure, we learnt to be prepared for unexpected situation.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

______________ he have any questions about the debate competition, he can speak to Miss Tan.

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

With so ______________ publicity about the upcoming school carnival, it is no wonder that everyone is talking about it.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

"______________ I go to bed early, I will feel tired in class tomorrow," Alex grumbled.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

The crowd watched ______________ excitement as Yeke ran towards the finish line.

Q7 Open-ended 1 mark

He brings them back to his home in Vietnam, ______________ he lovingly restores them. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q8 Open-ended 1 mark

He now has 20 clocks – each more than a hundred years old – stored ______________ a warehouse. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q9 Open-ended 1 mark

There, the air is filled with the sounds ______________ ticking and whirring from every clock. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q10 Open-ended 1 mark

This led him ______________ befriending an owner who sold him his first Victorian clock. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q11 Open-ended 1 mark

This was ______________ start of his collection. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q12 Open-ended 1 mark

Mr Thuoc believes his collection is the largest in the world. His passion ______________ clocks goes beyond just collecting them. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q13 Open-ended 1 mark

"The thrill of building the collection was not only in looking for the beautiful old clocks, ______________ also in figuring out how they work," he said. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q14 Open-ended 1 mark

Each clock in his collection ______________ a unique story, making it even more special. (Choose the most suitable word from the list (A)–(M) to fill in the blank.)

Q15 Open-ended 1 mark

Grandpa ended his story with a smile. Savoured his coffee with his eyes closed, he looked immensely satisfied. (Correct the underlined word 'Savoured'.)

Q16 Open-ended 1 mark

Grandpa loved telling me about his childhood and my family's incredible journey that began in 1953. Back when, Grandpa was just a young boy named Ah Song. (Correct the underlined word 'when'.)

Q17 Open-ended 1 mark

He would follow his mother through crowded streets, occasional stopping to collect stones. (Correct the underlined word 'occasional'.)

Q18 Open-ended 1 mark

This drew his mother's impaysions. (Correct the underlined word 'impaysions'.)

Q19 Open-ended 1 mark

"Hurry up, Ah Song! We cannot be late!" she urjed. (Correct the underlined word 'urjed'.)

Q20 Open-ended 1 mark

Her voice showed clear signs of growing exasparasion as she glanced back at her son. (Correct the underlined word 'exasparasion'.)

Q21 Open-ended 1 mark

Pick out a word from the first paragraph which tells us that the writer cherished the moments he spent at Grandma's home. [1m]

Q22 Structured 2 marks

List two activities the writer enjoyed doing with Grandma. [2m] a) ______________ b) ______________

Q23 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] (Words from the passage: 'it' (line 3); 'a piece of paper' (line 15); 'my sanctuary' (line 23).)

Q24 Open-ended 2 marks

Do you think Grandma handled the bad news well? Explain your answer. [2m]

Q25 Open-ended 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Circle the word that best describes how the writer felt in lines 24 – 27. [1m] (Words: indifferent, nostalgic, envious, devastated)

Q26 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] (Statements: (a) Grandma was an organised person. (b) Grandma had a special ability to take care of plants. (c) The neighbourhood where Grandma used to live did not change much over the years.)

Q27 Structured 2 marks 🖼 Visual

Indicate whether each statement is a fact or opinion by circling 'Fact' or 'Opinion'. [2m] (Statements: a) Grandma was a great cook. b) The shop where Grandma and the writer bought their snacks from had become a childcare centre.)

Q28 Open-ended 2 marks

Why does the writer feel that it was important to spend more time with family and friends after seeing the changes in Grandma's neighbourhood? [2m]

P5 English SA1 2025 — Red Swastika

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