P5 English SA2 2023 — Red Swastika | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: Which picture shows what the ninth caller will get to do for free?

A. Picture 1: A man on an exercise bike with another man jumping rope (cardio fitness). The listening text mentions the ninth caller will receive a free cardio fitness session, matching Picture 1 which shows cardio activities (cycling and jumping rope).

Q: Which picture correctly shows the poster for Glow Fair?

A. Picture 1: Glow Fair on 2 and 3 December, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., 40% off stationery, 20% off clothing, Free gift box. The listening details (2 and 3 December, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., 40% off stationery and 20% off clothing with free gift) match Picture 1 exactly.

Q: Which route does the teacher intend to take the students along when they arrive at the park?

B. Route 2: Dashed arrow route. Based on the listening text, the teacher intended to take the dashed-arrow route (Route 2) through the park.

Q: Which place were the students instructed to move about with greater care?

C. Place 3: playground. The listening text instructed students to be more careful at the playground (Place 3) due to risk of injury on the equipment.

Q: Which picture shows a winner of the competition that took place the previous day?

C. Picture 3: A boy dressed as a pirate holding a skull-and-crossbones flag, with a treasure chest. The listening text refers to a costume competition held the previous day; the pirate costume in Picture 3 was the winning entry.

Q: Which picture shows what every student in Class 5C will receive?

C. Picture 3: A bag of sweets and two animal keychains (bear and rabbit). The listening text says every student receives a bag of sweets and the two animal keychains, but not the whistle; this matches Picture 3.

Q: Which picture shows where Class 5C will have a small celebration?

C. Picture 3: Classroom 5C with a whiteboard, teacher's desk and grouped chairs. The listening text states the small celebration will be held inside the 5C classroom rather than at the canteen or a restaurant.

Q: How long did it take to raise nearly $5000?

C. a few weeks. The letter (Text 4) explains that Ryan and Ivy ran their fund-raising sale over a few weeks, raising nearly $5000 in that period.

Q: Which statement gives the details in the correct sequence?

C. Ryan and Ivy organised an event after reading a newspaper article.. According to the letter, Ryan and Ivy were first inspired by a newspaper article about people in need, which led them to organise a fund-raising event.

Q: What was the main purpose of the letter?

B. to acknowledge the qualities of two students. The letter is written to praise Ryan and Ivy and recognise their kindness and initiative, so its main purpose is to acknowledge the qualities of the two students.

Q1 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which picture shows what the ninth caller will get to do for free?

Q2 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which picture correctly shows the poster for Glow Fair?

Q3 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which route does the teacher intend to take the students along when they arrive at the park?

Q4 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which place were the students instructed to move about with greater care?

Q5 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which picture shows a winner of the competition that took place the previous day?

Q6 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which picture shows what every student in Class 5C will receive?

Q7 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which picture shows where Class 5C will have a small celebration?

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

How long did it take to raise nearly $5000?

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

Which statement gives the details in the correct sequence?

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

What was the main purpose of the letter?

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

According to Mr Goh, his main duty as a school bus driver is to ____.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

What must Mr Goh sometimes do while driving?

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

What makes Mr Goh dread driving in bad weather?

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

How did the villagers feel towards Walter at the beginning of the story?

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

Based on the story, which of the following statements is true of Marie?

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

Why did Walter ask to work for Marie?

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Which statement best describes the moral of the story?

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

Which statement about Isaac is true?

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

Isaac showed his modesty by ____.

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

Based on what Isaac's mother said during the interview, what was she feeling?

Q21 Open-ended 15 marks 🖼 Visual

Part 1: Situational Writing (15 marks). The picture below shows Ivy and her father discussing an advertisement that they saw in the newspaper on 1 October 2023. Study the picture carefully. Your Task: Imagine you are Ivy. Write an email to your form teacher, Miss Pan, informing her of the promotion. You are to refer to the picture and information on page 1 for your email. In your email, include the following key information: the name of the shop having the promotion; the discount your class can get; why your father is familiar with the shop; two ways in which the staff provide good service; how Miss Pan can find out more information online. You may reorder the points. Remember to write in complete sentences.

Q22 Open-ended 40 marks 🖼 Visual

Part 2: Continuous Writing (40 marks). Write a composition of at least 150 words about a goal. The pictures are provided to help you think about this topic. Your composition should be based on one or more of these pictures. Consider the following points when you plan your composition: What was the goal? What was done to achieve the goal? You may use the points in any order and include other relevant points as well.

Q23 MCQ 1 mark

I care ____ my grandparents' health by ensuring that they take their medicine daily.

Q24 MCQ 1 mark

____ Tim does not know how to rollerblade, he cannot take part in the competition.

Q25 MCQ 1 mark

The team of scientists ____ to come up with a cure for COVID-19 within the next year.

Q26 MCQ 1 mark

Julia caught her brother ____ out of the house when she was about to enter her room.

Q27 MCQ 1 mark

"They've already finished the project, ____ they?" the teacher asked.

Q28 MCQ 1 mark

He ____ on his project for two hours when his computer crashed.

Q29 MCQ 1 mark

"We must hurry! If we ____ our flight, we will be stranded at the airport!" Mother warned us.

Q30 MCQ 1 mark

"This is too ____ luggage for me to handle. You ought to help me!" protested Mary.

Q31 MCQ 1 mark

Susan ____ be travelling to Australia for an overseas exchange programme next week. She cannot wait to try the local food.

Q32 MCQ 1 mark

"Have you discovered what the cause of yesterday's power failures ____?" asked Janine.

Q33 MCQ 1 mark

I did not expect the new phone to be so ____! It survived the fall from the third floor.

Q34 MCQ 1 mark

The gentleman was ____ embarrassed when he realised he had entered the female toilet by mistake.

Q35 MCQ 1 mark

Mr Lim ____ the role of president of the company after his uncle, the former president, had retired.

Q36 MCQ 1 mark

Felicia watched in ____ as the magician performed the trick. She had never met anyone as talented as him.

Q37 MCQ 1 mark

The firefighters had to ____ the door of the function room to rescue the children trapped inside.

Q38 MCQ 1 mark

For each question from 16 to 20, choose the word(s) closest in meaning to the underlined word(s). Passage: Donning a yellow helmet and safety boots, Zheng Nian paved cement on the roof of yet another skyscraper. He recalled (16) how he left his hometown for the city with a heavy heart (17). The sun shone angrily down his back as cold sweat broke his slightly burned (18) skin. He peeked to see how high he was from the ground. To be exact (19), forty storeys. What an ironic situation (20) it was, he thought. He had come to the city to build a better life for his children. Yet, their lives could have become worse because he was not by their side. This thought saddened him. Question 16: recalled

Q39 MCQ 1 mark

Question 17: with a heavy heart

Q40 MCQ 1 mark

Question 18: slightly burned

Q42 MCQ 1 mark

Question 20: situation

Q43 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Section D: Visual Text Comprehension. Article 'The Importance of Plants: Appreciate the greenery around you!' by Ruth Pang. Question 21: Why is the colon (:) used in the title 'The Importance of Plants: Appreciate the greenery around you!'?

Q44 MCQ 1 mark

From the article, which of the following is not a way by which plants improve the quality of life?

Q45 MCQ 1 mark

In the section 'A Simple Tool', what did the author mean by 'the best way to learn about plants is to go outside and explore'?

Q46 MCQ 1 mark

Based on the text, which of the following statements is false?

Q47 MCQ 1 mark

Daniel collected two different leaves and wants to put them in a plant press at the same time. He must avoid ____.

Q48 MCQ 1 mark

The specimen in a plant press should be placed ____.

Q49 MCQ 1 mark

Which of the following details do botanists exclude from the label on a plant specimen?

Q50 MCQ 1 mark

What is the main purpose of this article?

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (____–38). Word list: (A) a, (B) at, (C) all, (D) and, (E) are, (F) each, (G) for, (H) from, (J) has, (K) have, (L) if, (M) in, (N) is, (P) some, (Q) when. Passage: Ants are social insects. They live together ____(29) organised communities called colonies. There are more than 10,000 different species of ants. Question 29.

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

____(30) certain times of the year, many species produce winged males and queens solely. Question 30.

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

____(31) the purpose of mating. The males and queens fly to mate, after which the males die. Question 31.

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

____(32) queen then lays eggs and establishes a new nest. Question 32.

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Most types of ants live in nests that they make ____(33) many different materials, including soil, sand, wood, and leaves. Question 33.

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

____(34) ants build anthills. Question 34.

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Within each nest, there ____(35) different types of ants - a queen, worker ants, and soldier ants. Question 35.

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

The workers are smaller females which perform tasks such as gathering food, cleaning the nest ____(36) caring for eggs. Question 36.

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Ants ____(37) warlike behaviour and different methods of defense. Question 37.

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Some bite or spit out unpleasant liquid while others flee ____(38) under attack, 'play dead,' or send sound signals to warn their colony members of danger. Question 38.

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing (____–50). Each underlined word contains either a spelling or grammatical error. Write the correct word in each box. Passage: 'Elite virtual archers, race car drivers and other esports gamers gathered in Singapore for the first ever Olympic Esports Week this year. There is(39) an opening ceremony before the athleets(40) got down to action, playing a variety of komercial(41) video games in front of three huge screens at Suntec City. In excite(42), viewers all around cheered. Representing Singapore was Siti Zhywee, competing at(43) a contest known as 'Just Dance'. She won points over(44) matching the choreographed moves of an electrawnic(45) dancer on a screen and earn(46) extra credits from the judges for her ekspresion(47) and style. The Olympic Esports Week is part of a drive to remain rehlevent(48) to young people and embrace advances in tecknologi(49). Olympic values, like friendship, respect and excellent(50), are also emphasised. Ten sports were featured with 131 players from over 60 countries. What an exciting week it was!' Question 39: is

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 40: athleets

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 41: komercial

Q67 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 45: electrawnic

Q69 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 47: ekspresion

Q70 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 48: rehlevent

Q71 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 49: tecknologi

Q72 Open-ended 1 mark

Question 50: excellent

Q73 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze (____–65). Fill in each blank with a suitable word. Passage: 'Remember when fidget spinners were all the rage a few years ago? Well, now you have got the lato-lato. Love it or ____(51) it, this toy craze is quite literally in full swing in Singapore. Comprising two plastic balls ____(52) by a string, the toy has now become infamous for the clacking sound it ____(53) when it is swung up and down. The general rule of play among friends is that the ____(54) who maintains the clacking rhythm the longest wins. With lato-lato ____(55) the hearts of youngsters, let us take a quick look at its history as well as some interesting ____(56) about the toy. The name lato-lato is said to have been ____(57) from the Bugis word "latto-latto" which ____(58) "making clacking sounds". A common ____(59) about lato-lato is that it comes from Indonesia. The toy actually originated in the United States where it was called clackers. The original clackers in the 1960s and 70s were made with ____(60) tempered glass or acrylic. This meant that the balls would occasionally shatter and ____(61) shards flying in all directions when hit. As more and more children got ____(62) from playing with clackers, the US Food and Drug Administration established new safety standards for manufacturers. As a ____(63), clackers were removed from American stores. Of course, these days, the lato-lato is made with modern plastics that are less prone to ____(64). While today's lato-lato toys are ____(65) from just S$3.50, vintage clackers can cost as much as S$90. It is also not surprising that they are highly in demand despite being very expensive.' Question 51.

Q88 Open-ended 2 marks

Synthesis & Transformation. ____: Kumar saved diligently. He wanted to afford his dream vacation. (Begin with: '____ so as to ____.')

Q89 Open-ended 2 marks

____: Shafiq was annoyed. His brother refused to lower the volume of the radio. (Begin with: 'Shafiq was annoyed by ____.')

Q90 Open-ended 2 marks

____: 'Why were you not in school yesterday?' my teacher asked me. (Begin with: 'My teacher asked me ____.')

Q91 Open-ended 2 marks

____: Susan would rather stay home during the holidays than go out with her friends. (Use: 'prefers')

Q92 Open-ended 2 marks

____: Sarah can watch television if she finishes her homework. (Begin with: 'Unless ____.')

Q93 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension OE (____–80). Passage: A first-person narrative adapted from 'An Inspirational Story: Stephen Hawking' about the writer being born in Oxford in 1942, his thirst for knowledge, studying Physics at Oxford, his fall down a staircase, gradual loss of motor function, ALS diagnosis at 21 with two years to live, his father's encouragement, his channelling energy into research, using a computerised voice system, going on to make groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and living for 50 years after diagnosis. ____: Why did the writer's mother choose not to give birth to him in London? (1m)

Q94 Open-ended 1 mark

____: Explain clearly why the writer 'was shaken by the incident' (line 10). (1m)

Q95 Open-ended 2 marks

____: List 2 symptoms which caused the writer to feel unsettled about his health. (2m)

Q96 Open-ended 2 marks

____: How did the writer feel after visiting the doctor? Explain why he felt this way. (2m)

Q97 Structured 3 marks

____: Fill in the following table by identifying the correct word(s) in the passage. (3m) (a) Which five-word phrase from paragraph 2 suggests that the writer was a keen learner? (b) Which two-word phrase from paragraph 4 tells us that the writer's condition is worsening? (c) Which three-word phrase from paragraph 5 suggests that the writer has newfound hope?

Q98 Open-ended 2 marks

____: Explain clearly why the writer felt comforted when he 'found solace in the endless capacity' (line 24 – 25) of his mind. (2m)

Q99 Structured 2 marks

____: Which two words best describe the quality that the writer exhibited in lines 22 – 30? Tick in the boxes below. DO NOT TICK MORE THAN TWO BOXES. (2m) [ ] impatient [ ] creative [ ] resilient [ ] stubborn [ ] prideful [ ] responsible

Q100 Structured 3 marks

____: 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: The writer's father took notice of his condition immediately. Statement 2: Modern science and medicine improved the writer's quality of life. Statement 3: The doctor's prediction that the writer had two years to live was accurate.

Q101 Open-ended 2 marks

____: How did the writer's initial path of steering towards Physics in university give him a purpose in life? (2m)

Q102 Open-ended 2 marks

____: Why did the writer feel that his condition was both 'a blessing and a curse'? (line 36) (2m)

P5 English SA2 2023 — Red Swastika

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