P6 English SA1 2017 — Raffles Girls

Q: It was Mrs Teo and not her husband who painted the room all by ____.

A. herself. The subject 'Mrs Teo' (singular, female) emphasised by 'and not her husband' requires the singular feminine reflexive pronoun 'herself'.

Q: This ancient temple ____ in ruins on top of the desolate hill, a symbol of a bygone era.

C. lies. The singular subject 'This ancient temple' in the present tense takes the intransitive verb 'lies' (to rest/be situated).

Q: Tricia is holding ____ a piece of important information from us. She is not telling us the whole truth.

C. back. The phrasal verb 'hold back' means to withhold or keep from revealing information, which fits 'not telling the whole truth'.

Q: Betty felt a shiver ____ up her spine when she heard the howl of a wolf in the dead of the night.

B. run. After the verb 'felt', the bare infinitive 'run' is used to describe the perceived action (felt a shiver run up her spine).

Q: ____ and ____ went for a coffee break after the meeting.

B. Sam ... I. Both words are subjects of the verb 'went', requiring subject pronoun 'I'. Politeness convention places the other person first: 'Sam and I'.

Q: A bouquet of pink roses ____ vibrancy and a sweet scent to the room.

C. lends. The singular subject 'A bouquet' takes the singular present-tense verb 'lends' (gives/adds).

Q: Faris persevered and never gave up ____ difficult his problems were.

C. however. 'However' followed by an adjective ('difficult') means 'no matter how', correctly linking the clauses.

Q: My sister would have fared better in the test if she ____ her teacher's advice to start her revision early.

C. had taken. This is a third conditional (would have + past perfect), so the 'if' clause requires the past perfect 'had taken'.

Q: My teacher saw ____ of our classmates, Lin and Norah, at the cinema.

A. both. Exactly two classmates are named (Lin and Norah), so 'both' (referring to two) is correct.

Q: Yesterday, everyone in the group, except Tom, ____ willing to apologise for bullying the new student.

C. was. 'Everyone' is singular and the time marker 'Yesterday' requires past tense, giving the singular past verb 'was'.

P6 English 2017 SA1 80 questions 95 marks

Source: Raffles Girls, 2017

This P6 English SA1 paper from Raffles Girls (2017) covers editing and spelling, comprehension, vocabulary, visual text and situational writing, cloze passage and grammar 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

It was Mrs Teo and not her husband who painted the room all by ____.

Q2 MCQ 1 mark

This ancient temple ____ in ruins on top of the desolate hill, a symbol of a bygone era.

Q3 MCQ 1 mark

Tricia is holding ____ a piece of important information from us. She is not telling us the whole truth.

Q4 MCQ 1 mark

Betty felt a shiver ____ up her spine when she heard the howl of a wolf in the dead of the night.

Q5 MCQ 1 mark

____ and ____ went for a coffee break after the meeting.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

A bouquet of pink roses ____ vibrancy and a sweet scent to the room.

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

Faris persevered and never gave up ____ difficult his problems were.

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

My sister would have fared better in the test if she ____ her teacher's advice to start her revision early.

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

My teacher saw ____ of our classmates, Lin and Norah, at the cinema.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

Yesterday, everyone in the group, except Tom, ____ willing to apologise for bullying the new student.

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

The siblings managed to ____ their differences and made an effort to get along.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

I am making a shopping list. I have already ____ bread, cheese and butter on it.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

Bob is always willing to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for himself. For always putting others before self, he is known for his ____.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

With the new vaccine, the disease that once claimed millions of lives can now be ____.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

Mr Tan is a philanthropist who gives ____ to the poor and downtrodden.

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

Vocabulary cloze (choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word). Passage: 'Away from his zealous fans, it was a private arrival greeted only by his personal entourage.' Choose the word closest in meaning to 'zealous'.

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word(s) closest in meaning to the underlined phrase 'a far cry' in: 'This was a far cry from the swim star's first trip home in August...'

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'clinching' in: '...after clinching the 100m butterfly gold in Rio de Janeiro.'

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'inconspicuous' in: 'While his arrival at Changi Airport was inconspicuous, he was unsurprisingly the centre of attention...'

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word 'staunch' in: '...he was the centre of attention at various stopovers with his staunch entourage, which included his parents.'

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the synopsis, the play is ____.

Q22 MCQ 1 mark

What is a matinee show?

Q23 MCQ 1 mark

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

Q24 MCQ 1 mark

Some of the information in this brochure is factual whilst others are opinions. Which of the following is not an opinion about the play, Hansel and Gretel?

Q25 MCQ 1 mark

The mission of The Players Theatre is to ____.

Q26 MCQ 1 mark

Based on the information found in the brochure, one way that an individual can support the outreach work of The Players Theatre is by ____.

Q27 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which organisation is not a sponsor for TPT Educational Fund?

Q28 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the information found in the brochure, which categories of membership can enjoy complimentary and discounted tickets?

Q29 Open-ended 1 mark

Section E: Grammar Cloze. Choose the most suitable word (A–Q) for the blank. 'She complained so much about having to walk me (29)____ and from school that Nai Nai (Grandmother) finally told Ah Mao, the rickshaw puller, to pull...'

Q30 Open-ended 1 mark

'...Nai Nai finally told Ah Mao, the rickshaw puller, to pull (30)____ there and back.'

Q31 Open-ended 1 mark

'Father had bought the shiny black rickshaw three years earlier as a fiftieth birthday present so that Nai Nai (31)____ visit her friends and play mah-jong.'

Q32 Open-ended 1 mark

'...my brothers were forever begging Ah Mao to let (32)____ pull each other back and forth in the garden,'

Q33 Open-ended 1 mark

'...to let them pull each other back and forth in the garden, (33)____ Ah Mao was fiercely protective and would refuse.'

Q34 Open-ended 1 mark

'I loved everything (34)____ my school; be it the young girls dressed in identical starched white uniforms...'

Q35 Open-ended 1 mark

'...be it the young girls dressed in identical starched white uniforms (35)____ the French Franciscan nuns in black-and-white habits...'

Q36 Open-ended 1 mark

'In this place, (36)____ made me feel as if I belonged.'

Q37 Open-ended 1 mark

'Unlike my siblings, who looked (37)____ me with disdain, here in this beloved school...'

Q38 Open-ended 1 mark

'...here in this beloved school of (38)____, nobody looked down on me.'

Q39 Open-ended 1 mark

Section F: Editing for Spelling and Grammar. Each underlined word contains a spelling or grammatical error; write the correct word. '...more than halve of the world's coral reefs...' Correct the underlined word 'halve'.

Q40 Open-ended 1 mark

'...are in risk of vanishing in the next 25 years.' Correct the underlined word 'in'.

Q41 Open-ended 1 mark

'Rising temperatures throughout the world are a major threat to the servival of the reefs and their inhabitants.' Correct the underlined word 'servival'.

Q42 Open-ended 1 mark

'Coral reefs are sometimes call underwater tropical rain forests...' Correct the underlined word 'call'.

Q43 Open-ended 1 mark

'Reefs act as habitat, or homes, to dozens of species of animals.' Correct the underlined word 'habitat'.

Q44 Open-ended 1 mark

'Coral reefs grow very slow over time as the shells and skeletons of these animals build up.' Correct the underlined word 'slow'.

Q45 Open-ended 1 mark

'...as the shells and scaletons of these animals build up.' Correct the underlined word 'scaletons'.

Q46 Open-ended 1 mark

'Soon, many of these reefs may become things of the pust, scientists say.' Correct the underlined word 'pust'.

Q47 Open-ended 1 mark

'Many experts belive it is part of a larger trend...' Correct the underlined word 'belive'.

Q48 Open-ended 1 mark

'...it is part of a larger trend know as global warming.' Correct the underlined word 'know'.

Q49 Open-ended 1 mark

'Ecosystems where animals and plants live in balance together—like coral reefs—is beginning to disappear...' Correct the underlined word 'is'.

Q50 Open-ended 1 mark

'...because the higher temperatures can affact food supplies.' Correct the underlined word 'affact'.

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Section G: Comprehension Cloze. Fill in each blank with a suitable word. 'Indeed, museums can tell us a much (51)____ interesting story than the static words and images in our history (52)____.'

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

'...than the static words and images in our history (52)____.'

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

'Museums have traditionally been the place (53)____ objects of the past are preserved and displayed for public exhibition.'

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

'They (54)____ as a place where history "speaks" to us.'

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

'Impressive sculptures and detailed friezes (narrow pieces of decorations along a wall) (55)____ running narratives, while fascinating antiques reveal most fascinating insights.'

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

'Indeed, history comes (56)____ when someone is able to not only read about the past, but is (57)____ able to examine the artefacts...'

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

'...when someone is able to not only read about the past, but is (57)____ able to examine the artefacts and appreciate the images.'

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

'...there is a feeling of (58)____ travel, of being transported back to the ancient times.'

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

'For (59)____, impressively carved, white marble sculptures from the famous Parthenon in Athens (60)____ us about the power and wealth of Athens...'

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

'...white marble sculptures from the famous Parthenon in Athens (60)____ us about the power and wealth of Athens at the height of its empire.'

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

'The twenty three blocks of friezes that depict a scene from the battle (61)____ the Greeks and Amazons take us back in time...'

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

'...take us back in time, as if we (62)____ onlookers in a live battle, in which we are detached (63)____ so involved.'

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

'...in which we are detached (63)____ so involved.'

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

'Today, museums increasingly play an important (64)____ in the development of communities, shaping community identity...'

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

'They provide a stimulating public space (65)____ people to come together, interact and be inspired.'

Q66 Open-ended 2 marks

Section H: Transformation / Synthesis. Rewrite the sentence(s) using the word(s) provided; the meaning must stay the same. 'Mr Lee asked his wife, "Did you take the dog for a walk this evening?"' Begin: 'Mr Lee asked his wife ____'

Q67 Open-ended 2 marks

'The students painted the mural in the school hall yesterday.' Begin: 'The mural ____'

Q68 Open-ended 2 marks

'The children have to finish their homework first. Then, they can go to the playground.' Begin: 'Before ____'

Q69 Open-ended 2 marks

'No planet in the entire solar system is bigger than Jupiter.' Begin: 'None of the ____'

Q70 Open-ended 2 marks

'Sally will sleep over at her friend's house if her mother approves.' Rewrite using '...with her ____'

Q71 Open-ended 2 marks

Section I: Comprehension (Open-ended). Which two words from lines 1–5 suggest to you that the writer's suitcase was heavy? The words are found in two separate sentences.

Q72 Open-ended 2 marks

Why was the writer's uncle upset with her?

Q73 Structured 2 marks

Provide two pieces of information to show that the writer's uncle was upset with her. What did he say and do?

Q74 Open-ended 2 marks

The writer believes now that "Their reaction was all out of proportion" (line 13). Why did she not think so when she was 22 years old?

Q75 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. (a) The writer had not graduated from England when she was crying uncontrollably at the London underground. (b) The writer deliberately said something to upset her aunt. (c) The writer drove to a family friend's house after writing an apology note.

Q76 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. ____ The writer made a foolish remark. ____ The writer wept as she spoke to a family friend. ____ The writer was struggling to get her suitcase up the steps.

Q77 Open-ended 1 mark

What does "It" in line 28 refer to?

Q78 Open-ended 2 marks

The writer remembered that "many different people helped" (lines 29–30) her. How did these people help her?

Q79 Structured 3 marks 🖼 Visual

Choose words in lines 33–39 which have similar meanings to the words below. Write only one word in each box. clearly; upsetting; excellent

Q80 Open-ended 2 marks

Do you think the writer regretted going to England for her studies? Support your answer with information from the passage.

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