P6 English SA2 2017 — Raffles Girls | Singapore Past Year Paper

Q: If I ____________ not ____________ so careless in the Science test, I would have passed with flying colours.

C. had ... been. This is a third conditional describing a past unreal situation ('I would have passed'). The 'if' clause requires the past perfect: 'If I had not been so careless'.

Q: John, along with his teammates, ____________ hard for the upcoming inter-school competition now.

C. is training. The subject is singular 'John' ('along with his teammates' is a parenthetical phrase, not part of the subject), and 'now' signals the present continuous, so 'is training' is correct.

Q: I have no experience with drama auditions so I am ____________ a disadvantage when it comes to getting a role in the play.

A. at. The fixed prepositional phrase is 'at a disadvantage', meaning in an unfavourable position.

Q: The exchange student spoke ____________ English and that made it almost impossible for me to communicate with her.

C. little. English is an uncountable noun, and the negative sense ('almost impossible to communicate') requires 'little', meaning hardly any.

Q: The climate in the South is hot and dry ____________ the North is mild and cool.

A. while. 'While' is used to contrast two simultaneous situations (the South versus the North).

Q: Mr. Tan has been working hard for twenty-five years in the company and he is doing well. He is now at the ____________ of his career.

D. summit. After working hard for many years and doing well, Mr Tan is at the highest point of his career; the answer key gives 'summit' (the highest point of achievement).

Q: Sarah wishes that she could be at two different places ____________. That way, she can complete many chores at the same time.

C. simultaneously. 'Simultaneously' means at the same time, which matches 'complete many chores at the same time'.

Q: Parents who attended the meeting ____________ the principal of their full cooperation in all matters regarding their children.

A. assured. 'Assured' takes a person as object ('assured the principal of...'), meaning to tell someone confidently to remove doubt. 'Ensured' and the others do not fit this 'someone of something' structure.

Q: The fight between the two brothers was ____________ when their mother stepped in to resolve their differences.

A. averted. 'Averted' means prevented or avoided; the mother stepping in prevented the fight from happening.

Q: The victim was able to ____________ her attackers from the photographs the police showed her.

B. pick out. 'Pick out' means to identify or recognise someone from a group, which fits identifying attackers from photographs.

Q6 MCQ 1 mark

If I ____________ not ____________ so careless in the Science test, I would have passed with flying colours.

Q7 MCQ 1 mark

John, along with his teammates, ____________ hard for the upcoming inter-school competition now.

Q8 MCQ 1 mark

I have no experience with drama auditions so I am ____________ a disadvantage when it comes to getting a role in the play.

Q9 MCQ 1 mark

The exchange student spoke ____________ English and that made it almost impossible for me to communicate with her.

Q10 MCQ 1 mark

The climate in the South is hot and dry ____________ the North is mild and cool.

Q11 MCQ 1 mark

Mr. Tan has been working hard for twenty-five years in the company and he is doing well. He is now at the ____________ of his career.

Q12 MCQ 1 mark

Sarah wishes that she could be at two different places ____________. That way, she can complete many chores at the same time.

Q13 MCQ 1 mark

Parents who attended the meeting ____________ the principal of their full cooperation in all matters regarding their children.

Q14 MCQ 1 mark

The fight between the two brothers was ____________ when their mother stepped in to resolve their differences.

Q15 MCQ 1 mark

The victim was able to ____________ her attackers from the photographs the police showed her.

Q16 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'Yet, the tranquillity that lingers over the city is unusual.'

Q17 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined phrase in the passage: 'Even as the people who regularly travel between home and work start to roll into the city...'

Q18 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'an iconic aspect of life in many of Southeast Asia's sprawling metropolises'.

Q19 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the passage: 'Since 2003, fuel-powered motorcycles have been banned city-wide...'

Q20 MCQ 1 mark

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined phrase in the passage: 'six downtown townships also block off access of pedal-powered vehicles and e-bikes'.

Q21 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Why is the word "MASQUERADE" in capital letters and in a different font from the other words on the page?

Q22 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

"You were born, you crawled and you stumbled." This sentence is meant to ____________.

Q23 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

According to the flyer, why is the Graduation Ball the most eagerly anticipated evening of a student's time at Sun Valley Girls' School?

Q24 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Susan, the valedictorian, will be addressing her peers at ____________.

Q25 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

To ____________, instructional steps for making paper mache masks are numbered.

Q26 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Which step is last done when making a paper mache mask?

Q27 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

Based on the flyer, which one of the following statements is true?

Q28 MCQ 1 mark 🖼 Visual

What is the main purpose of the flyer?

Q29 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze: choose the most suitable word (letter A to Q) from the word bank for the blank. Word bank: (A) along, (B) are, (C) but, (D) by, (E) for, (F) inside, (G) into, (H) is, (J) it, (K) less, (L) more, (M) much, (N) of, (P) since, (Q) were. — 'The Great Barrier Reef contains an abundance of marine life. It (29)____ one of the largest systems of coral reefs in the world.'

Q30 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'It stretches more than 1,400 miles (30)____ the east coast of Australia.'

Q31 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'The colourful underwater habitat provides food and shelter (31)____ countless marine animals.'

Q32 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'In March 2013, scientists flying over the reef were alarmed (32)____ how much of the corals had turned white, a condition called coral bleaching.'

Q33 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'Experts say rising ocean temperatures and pollution (33)____ mostly to blame.'

Q34 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'Coral reefs look like plants (34)____ they are actually tiny animals living in colonies.'

Q35 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'The tiny plant-like organisms called algae live (35)____ corals giving them nutrients and colour.'

Q36 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'As oceans get warmer, corals release the algae and thus bleaching becomes (36)____ widespread.'

Q37 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'Though some corals do recover from bleaching, that is getting (37)____ likely as ocean temperatures continue to rise.'

Q38 Open-ended 1 mark

Grammar Cloze (word bank A–Q): 'Although coral reefs cover less than one percent (38)____ Earth's surface, they are home to one-quarter of all marine species.'

Q39 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing for Spelling and Grammar: the underlined word contains a spelling or grammatical error. Write the correct word. 'He looked ancéint and strange in my eyes.' (underlined: ancéint)

Q40 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'He had lost more of the hair on top of his head and he wore thick glasses.' (underlined: more)

Q41 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'I soon found out why Old Chong had retired in teaching piano.' (underlined: in)

Q42 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'shouted to me and he would start to conduct his music frientically.' (underlined: frientically)

Q43 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'He would open the book and point to different things, explain their purpose.' (underlined: explain)

Q44 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Usually, I just played some nonsense but Old Chong smiled and applouded.' (underlined: applouded)

Q45 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'That was how I discovered that Old Chong's eyes were so slow to keep up with what I was playing.' (underlined: so)

Q46 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Wherever I hit the wrong notes, I just kept playing in rhythm.' (underlined: Wherever)

Q47 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'One day, Old Chong and my mother konspired to have me play in a talent show.' (underlined: konspired)

Q48 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'Schumann, but the part I liked to practise the most is the fancy curtsy.' (underlined: is)

Q49 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'My parents invited all the couples from the Joy Luck Club to witness my debue.' (underlined: debue)

Q50 Open-ended 1 mark

Editing: 'It was as if I knew that the prodigy side of me really did exsist.' (underlined: exsist)

Q51 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: fill in the blank with a suitable word. 'Food waste is created in Singapore every single day from our food cycle – production, distribution, retail to consumption. This wastage is (51)____ to several reasons, such as food spoilage, improper storage or handling, edible food thrown away or leftovers when we cannot (52)____ our food.'

Q52 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '...edible food thrown away or leftovers when we cannot (52)____ our food.'

Q53 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'Food waste is generated from many (53)____ ranging from farms, food manufacturers, restaurants and our homes.'

Q54 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'In fact, Singapore threw (54)____ about 0.68 million tonnes of food waste last year and only 10% was recycled.'

Q55 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'This means on (55)____, each person in Singapore generated about 130kg of food waste a year.'

Q56 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'The recycling rate for food waste has unfortunately (56)____ drastically in the recent years.'

Q57 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '(57)____ any campaigns by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to reduce or recycle food waste, the food waste recycling rate would (58)____ low in the next few years...'

Q58 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '...the food waste recycling rate would (58)____ low in the next few years and NEA is likely to miss its target of 30% recycling rate for food waste.'

Q59 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'Singapore's food waste output of 0.68 million tonnes is the only official figure published (59)____ NEA.'

Q60 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '...supermarkets, food manufacturers, and food outlets are not forthcoming in revealing (60)____ much food waste they generate.'

Q61 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '(61)____ the difficulty of getting food waste data in Singapore, three journalism students from the Nanyang Technological University managed to shed (62)____ on the problem of food wastage in Singapore.'

Q62 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '...managed to shed (62)____ on the problem of food wastage in Singapore.'

Q63 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'The students found that six (63)____ ten survey respondents would buy more than what they (64)____ when shopping at supermarkets.'

Q64 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: '...six in ten survey respondents would buy more than what they (64)____ when shopping at supermarkets.'

Q65 Open-ended 1 mark

Comprehension Cloze: 'This could lead to overstocking of food at home and the food could end (65)____ not being consumed.'

Q66 Open-ended 2 marks

Transformation/Synthesis: rewrite the given sentence(s) using the word(s) provided, in one sentence with the same meaning. 'The defendant did not plead guilty. He decided to fight the case in court.' Begin with: 'Instead of ____________'

Q67 Open-ended 2 marks

Transformation/Synthesis: 'It has been a long time since I had such a delicious meal.' Begin with: 'I have not ____________'

Q68 Open-ended 2 marks

Transformation/Synthesis: 'Before I went to bed, I brushed my teeth.' Use the word 'after': '____________ after ____________'

Q69 Open-ended 2 marks

Transformation/Synthesis: 'Peter asked Jane if she had found the book she had been looking for in the library.' Begin with: 'Peter asked Jane, "____________?"'

Q70 Open-ended 2 marks

Transformation/Synthesis: 'Sam was very dishonest. He was fired from his job.' End with: '____________, as a result of ____________'

Q71 Open-ended 1 mark

Which three-word phrase in paragraph 1 tells us that the fishing trip was doomed? [1m]

Q72 Open-ended 2 marks

Describe how the Easy Rider fought against "the elements" (line 4). [2m]

Q73 Structured 2 marks

When Reedy's life jacket and boots were sucked off, what were the two things he would suffer from? [2m] (i) ____ (ii) ____

Q74 Structured 3 marks

Choose a word from paragraph 3 that has similar meaning to each of the words below. Write only one word in each box. [3m] — 'giving in' = ____ ; 'tiredness' = ____ ; 'joined' = ____

Q75 Structured 2 marks

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. [2m] — 'sounded like a jet engine' (line 7) refers to ____ ; 'It' (line 17) refers to ____

Q76 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] — (a) The crew members of the Easy Rider expected their voyage to be a disaster. (b) The Easy Rider sank instantly after its entire deck was swamped. (c) There was light to help Reedy see when he was drifting in the sea.

Q77 Structured 1 mark

Write 1, 2 and 3 in the blanks below to indicate the order in which the events occurred in the story. [1m] — ____ The Easy Rider tipped vertical and began to sink. ____ Reedy was so cold that he felt as if his body was shutting down. ____ Reedy got hold of a rope attached to the boat to help him stay afloat.

Q78 Open-ended 2 marks

"The morning ... if he could make it to morning then that was his best chance." (line 32-33) Explain clearly what Reedy meant by "best chance". [2m]

Q79 Structured 2 marks

State two things that gave Reedy hope to stay alive. [2m] — ____ and ____

Q80 Open-ended 2 marks

Do you think Reedy could make it back safely to shore? Support your answer with information from the passage. [2m]

P6 English SA2 2017 — Raffles Girls

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P6 English SA2 2017 — Raffles Girls

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