P6 English SA1 2016 — Raffles Girls

Q: The children are quarrelling ____ who should have a larger share of the cake.

D. over. The collocation 'quarrel over' is used to indicate the subject of a dispute, so 'over' correctly links the quarrelling to who deserves a larger share.

Q: I ____ not have accepted Sam's dinner invitation as I just realised that I have a prior appointment.

D. should. 'Should not have accepted' expresses regret about a past action that was a mistake, which fits the clash with the prior appointment.

Q: Was that James ____ worksheets were torn?

D. whose. 'Whose' shows possession — the worksheets belong to James — so the possessive relative pronoun is required.

Q: Mandy used to paint in the mornings and ____ in the evenings.

A. cycle. The structure 'used to paint ... and [used to] cycle' requires the base form 'cycle' to stay parallel with 'paint'.

Q: The choir members ____ asked to wait at the back of the auditorium while the group of dancers was dancing on stage.

D. were. 'The choir members' is plural and the action is in the past, so the plural past 'were' agrees with the subject.

Q: Anika never tells lies, ____?

B. does she. The statement is negative in meaning ('never tells') and present tense, so the question tag is the positive present 'does she'.

Q: ____ having many failed attempts, Issac Newton continued working on his inventions until he succeeded.

A. Despite. 'Despite' is followed by a noun phrase ('having many failed attempts') and shows contrast, fitting that he succeeded in spite of failures.

Q: Never before ____ there been so many complaints about the hotel's services.

D. have. With the inverted 'Never before' structure and present perfect, 'have ... been' agrees with the plural 'complaints'.

Q: Our swimming coach told ____ and ____ that we had to wait indoors until the thunderstorm blew over.

D. him ... me. Both words are objects of the verb 'told', so the object pronouns 'him' and 'me' are required.

Q: Jessie asked, "____ either of the twins coming?"

A. Is. 'Either' is singular and the context (coming) is present continuous, so the singular present 'Is' is correct.

P6 English 2016 SA1 80 questions 95 marks

Source: Raffles Girls, 2016

This P6 English SA1 paper from Raffles Girls (2016) covers comprehension, editing and spelling, cloze passage, vocabulary, sentence synthesis and transformation and visual text and situational writing across 80 questions worth 95 marks. Practise English the way it's tested at P6 level in Singapore, with step-by-step answers on LearnBuddy.

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Q1 MCQ 1 mark

The children are quarrelling ____ who should have a larger share of the cake.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

I ____ not have accepted Sam's dinner invitation as I just realised that I have a prior appointment.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

Was that James ____ worksheets were torn?

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

Mandy used to paint in the mornings and ____ in the evenings.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

The choir members ____ asked to wait at the back of the auditorium while the group of dancers was dancing on stage.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

Anika never tells lies, ____?

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

____ having many failed attempts, Issac Newton continued working on his inventions until he succeeded.

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

Never before ____ there been so many complaints about the hotel's services.

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

Our swimming coach told ____ and ____ that we had to wait indoors until the thunderstorm blew over.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

Jessie asked, "____ either of the twins coming?"

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

I do not understand your explanation as it is too ____. Can you repeat?

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

The villagers had to flee their homes as the flood had ____ the entire town.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

In order to ____ his fuming father, he finally promised to turn over a new leaf.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

The angry workers ____ the streets to protest against the poor working conditions.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

The man wrongly accused of murder was finally ____ after evidence that proved his innocence was found.

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

I stood there, astounded, as I took in the amazing sight. (____) Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'astounded'.

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

It was incredible what nature could create with just one night of continuous snow. (____) Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'create'.

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

The peace and tranquility was quickly interrupted by the cacophony of children's laughter and parents' voices. (____) Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'cacophony'.

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

As the lift slowly inched its way up, so did my fear. (____) Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'inched'.

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

However, there was no time to ponder. (____) Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'ponder'.

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

The building of the National Gallery Singapore comprises ____.

Q22 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

The National Gallery Singapore aims to ____.

Q23 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the brochure, which one of the following statements is true?

Q24 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

If a visitor wants to enjoy The Facade Show and the Art Carnival at The Padang, when should he attend the opening celebrations?

Q25 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

John was reprimanded for not following gallery etiquette. Which one of the following did he do?

Q26 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which one of the following events at the opening celebrations will allow visitors to have a hands-on learning experience?

Q27 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the text, which one of the following statements does not explain why the gallery used a timeline calendar to display the events during the celebrations?

Q28 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

The main purpose of this brochure is to ____.

Q29 Open-ended 1 mark

She would practise outrageous stunts (29) ____ her skates whenever there was an opportunity.

Q30 Open-ended 1 mark

On one occasion, she flew past a busy traffic intersection (30) ____ a dizzying speed while performing dangerous stunts, incurring the incense of two screaming ladies.

Q31 Open-ended 1 mark

She woke up in a hospital (31) ____ a doctor told her she should not be alive.

Q32 Open-ended 1 mark

It was possible that he was complimenting her heart's determination to keep pumping when she was so badly hurt, (32) ____ more likely, he was scolding her for roller-skating into traffic the way she had.

Q33 Open-ended 1 mark

(33) ____ what it looked like, she had been paying attention — she saw the red light ahead and the cars.

Q34 Open-ended 1 mark

She merely failed to realise (34) ____ quickly she was approaching them.

Q35 Open-ended 1 mark

(35) ____ she saw one of those cars, she would shout, "Bug-buggy, Zoo-buggy!"

Q36 Open-ended 1 mark

Then, she would punch (36) ____ she happened to be with, twice, on the arm.

Q37 Open-ended 1 mark

Hence, still speeding (37) ____ the direction of the intersection, she turned her head back to yell "Bug-buggy, zoo-buggy" at her friend, Tabitha.

Q38 Open-ended 1 mark

... she turned her head back to yell ... at her friend, Tabitha, who was on a scooter right (38) ____ her.

Q39 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: correct the spelling or grammatical error in the underlined word. 'It is the remain of a dinosaur ...' (underlined word: remain)

Q40 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: '... that has intack bones.' (underlined word: intack)

Q41 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: '... it also has preserved feathers and tissue, include skin.' (underlined word: include)

Q42 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: '... a dinosaur called Ornithomimus ... that lived from 100 million to 66 million years since.' (underlined word: since)

Q43 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Sciencetists believe that dinosaurs and modern-day birds are related.' (underlined word: Sciencetists)

Q44 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'The new discovery could shed more light on the link among these two groups of animals.' (underlined word: among)

Q45 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Just a few speciments with feathers have ever been discovered.' (underlined word: speciments)

Q46 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Palaeontologists at the university analised the fossil ...' (underlined word: analised)

Q47 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'They believed it had larger, long feathers on its arms ...' (underlined word: long)

Q48 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Ostriches today have these kind of plumage ...' (underlined word: these)

Q49 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'The feathers trap heat and the exposed skin on their legs realeses it.' (underlined word: realeses)

Q50 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: '... strengthening the avidance that dinosaurs and birds shared a common ancestor.' (underlined word: avidance)

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: The colour purple has been associated with royalty, power and wealth ____ (51) centuries.

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: In fact, Queen Elizabeth the First forbade anyone ____ (52) close members of the royal family to wear it.

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Purple's elite status stems ____ (53) the rarity and cost of the dye originally used to produce it.

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Purple fabric used to be so outrageously expensive that only rulers could ____ (54) it.

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Fabric traders obtained the dye from the mucus of sea snails that ____ (55) only found in the Tyre region of the Mediterranean Sea.

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: ____ (56) to Greek mythology, it was Hercules who discovered it.

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: ... it was Hercules who ____ (57) it — or rather, his dog did, after picking up a sea snail off the beach and developing purple drool.

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: A lot of work ____ (58) into producing the dye, as more than 9,000 sea snails were required to create just one gram of Tyrian purple.

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Purple also came to ____ (59) spirituality and holiness because the ancient emperors, kings and queens that wore the colour were often thought of as gods or descendants of the gods.

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Sometimes, however, the dye was too expensive ____ (60) for royalty.

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: Third-century Roman emperor, Aurelian, famously would not allow his wife to buy a shawl made from Tyrian purple silk because it literally ____ (61) its weight in gold.

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: ... everyone in England had to ____ (62) by the law, which strictly regulated what colours, fabrics and clothes could and could not be worn by different classes of people.

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: ... which strictly regulated what colours, fabrics and clothes could and could not be ____ (63) by different classes of people within the English society.

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: In 1856, 18-year-old English chemist, William Henry Perkin, accidentally created a synthetic purple compound ____ (64) attempting to create an anti-malaria drug.

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension cloze: He patented the dye and manufactured it under the name, Tyrian purple, making a ____ (65) in the process.

Q66 Structured 2 marks

Transformation / Synthesis: Rewrite as one sentence. They were committed to the project and this allowed them to complete it on time. Their ____

Q67 Structured 2 marks

Transformation / Synthesis: Rewrite as one sentence. The pupils fled when they saw the prefect. Upon ____

Q68 Structured 2 marks

Transformation / Synthesis: Rewrite as one sentence. Tim insisted that he did not break the vase but his mother did not believe him. Despite Tim's ____

Q69 Structured 2 marks

Transformation / Synthesis: Rewrite as one sentence. Kelly asked me if I could lend her my dress for the dinner the next day. Kelly asked me, "____?"

Q70 Structured 2 marks

Transformation / Synthesis: Rewrite as one sentence. The buildings obstruct the beautiful view of the lush tropical trees. The beautiful view ____

Q71 Open-ended 1 mark

What was the main reason the writer liked autumn?

Q72 Open-ended 1 mark

What was the writer's "prized possession" in line 5?

Q73 Structured 2 marks

73a. What "prejudice" (line 12) did John have against country music? [1m] 73b. What effect did he think it had on others? [1m]

Q74 Open-ended 3 marks

List 3 other 2-word phrases that the writer used to refer to the raccoons.

Q75 Open-ended 2 marks

How was the effect of opera music on raccoons similar to the effect it had on the writer?

Q76 Open-ended 2 marks

Why did Tom laugh at the author in lines 22-23?

Q77 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. Statements: (a) The raccoons are active at night. (b) Playing country music did not stop the raccoons from stealing the corn at all. (c) It was not the writer's first experience having his corn stolen by the raccoons.

Q78 Open-ended 2 marks

Why did the writer insist on growing his own corn rather than buying them from the farmer's market?

Q79 Structured 2 marks

In the boxes below, state what the raccoons did to overcome the obstacles the writer had put up to deter them from reaching his corn. Obstacles: (a) Electric fence; (b) Electric fence and pieces of coal under it.

Q80 Open-ended 2 marks

Who do you think had "the last laugh"? Support your answer based on information given in the passage.

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