Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PAPER 1
Directed Writing
[35 marks]
Your younger brother/sister who is in boarding school has been chosen to take part in a
Survival-Leadership Training Programme (SLTP) and is worried about going for it. You
have decided to write a letter to tell him/her about the benefits of this programme and to
encourage him/her to attend.
good opportunity
exciting
build strength and endurance
improve health
respect the environment
learn safety rules
learn survival skills
strengthen relationship with others
build team spirit
develop positive personality
1
PAPER 2
Section A
[ 15 marks ]
[ Time suggested: 25 minutes ]
Questions 1 – 8
For each of the questions, read the question first and then study the information given to
find the best answer. Then, darken the answer A, B, C or D on the answer sheet provided.
There was a terrible storm last Friday. A tall tree fell on Mariam’s house.
No one was hurt but the house was badly damaged. After the storm,
Mariam’s neighbours helped to remove the fallen tree. They felt sad for
Mariam’s family. The next morning, they came to repair her house.
Mariam bought some building material and her neighbours repaired the
house for her. Mariam and her family were thankful to their kind
neighbours and invited them all to dinner.
2
Petaling Jaya: It is not a piece of cake for the local town council to keep
the rat population in check. However, pest control is one of the
measures. The council would also set up booths at health exhibition to
educate the public on leptospirosis. At the same time, the public can go
hand-in-hand to keep leptospirosis at bay. They can make it a habit to
clean the top surface of a soda can properly before drinking at stalls or
restaurants. The public should also keep away from stagnant water
when visiting waterfalls as it may contain rat urine.
Be safe…
Make sure you are never alone with someone who
has been drinking or taking drugs. You don’t know
when he will turn violent.
3
Dear Editor
An Elderly Person
I was wondering….
4
Questions 9 – 15 are based on the following passage. Choose the best answer to fill in
each blank.
According to a new report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK, Instagram is____9____as
one of the most detrimental social networking app for young people’s mental health.
The report states that Instagram draws young women to compare themselves against unrealistic,
largely edited versions of reality.______10______ the images with special layers of skin tones are
common. A teenage girl feels as if her body is not good enough as people add filters and edit her
pictures in order for her to look ‘perfect’. In order to tackle this problem the report has called for social
media platforms to take action. This is to help combat young _____11_____the feelings of inadequacy
and anxiety by placing a warning on images that have been digitally manipulated.
Instead of banning Photoshop or filters it is better to let young people get _______12______
with the fact that technology has an impact towards everything in editing. When images have been
altered the users do not take the images on face value as real_____13_______ they find it difficult to
understand at first. Young people should be equipped with the tools and the knowledge to be able to
navigate social media platforms in a positive way. Furthermore, it should promote good mental on
health.
Additional features have been updated and Instagram is available for free
_______15_______IOS and Android devices.
( Adapted from www.bbc.com )
9 A state 13 A when
B states B while
C stated C whether
D stating D although
10 A filter 14 A has
B filters B had
C filtered C have
D filtering D having
11 A users 15 A in
B rookies B on
C novices C at
D freshman D off
12 A on
B in
C along
D across
5
Section B
[10 marks]
[Time suggested: 25 minutes]
Questions 16 - 25Read the following book reviews and answer the questions that
follow.
6
Questions 16 – 20
Using the information of the different novels, select the most suitable novel for the
following people.
[5 marks]
Questions 21 – 25
Based on the information given, complete the sentences with short answers.
21 The oldest book that had been published among all the books reviewed is
____________________________.
[1 mark]
[1 mark]
7
Section C
[10 marks]
[Time suggested: 20 minutes]
Questions 26 - 31 are based on the following passage.
1 Small beginnings can certainly lead to grand experiences. My trip to London began with
The Star’s article promoting a public speaking competition. “Should I take part?” I asked
myself. With a trip to London as its main prize, instinctively my answer was yes. Even
upcoming exams could not make an all-expense paid trip to London any less attractive. So to
eventually emerge as runner-up in the national finals and winning that coveted trip was 5
indeed a dream come true. Finally, I had reason enough to renew my passport.
2 A rather cold reception was in store as I stepped out of Heathrow Airport to 10°C. I was
no longer in hot and humid Malaysia but had become a foreigner, a tourist in bustling
London. I was but one of many excited student tourists who had descended on this
cosmopolitan city. Imagine 64 participants from all over the world clamouring for pictures 10
with the ubiquitous black London taxis, red phone booths, elderly tour guides and the
London Metropolitan Police. I am sure we turned a few English heads.
3 Typical tourists, we were constantly snapping away with our cameras and it would not
surprise me if some had very tired facial muscles from smiling too much. We rushed to
Buckingham Palace in time for the changing-of-the-guard ceremony, imitated Egyptian 15
mummies at the British Museum and had four days of vegetable-free English breakfasts (some
eventually resorted to fibrous grapes to prevent constipation).
4 However, I was not just a tourist. I was a participant at the English Speaking Union’s
International Public Speaking Competition 2005. It still amazes me to know that there were a
total of over 60 participants from 37 countries. Never before have I seen a congregation of 20
representatives from so many countries come together for a competition outside the
Olympics. Some were university debaters and some were high school students. Some were
teachers or human rights activists in their home country.
5 Some were as young as 16; others turning 21. We had various political leanings, family
backgrounds, skin colour and even perspectives on why the chicken crossed the road. Yet in 25
spite of our differences and diversity, we had one thing in common: we were all English
speaking public orators.
6 Our programme included two major events – a mock parliamentary debate and of course,
the competition itself. At the debate, we were divided into three political parties – the Liberals,
Socialists and Nationalists – and we became Members of Parliament in the mythical country of 30
Alocos, an island in the middle of the Atlantic. The issue at hand was whether English should
8
be introduced as the official language, replacing our traditional Alocosian language. I was a
Socialist backbencher.
7 Sad to say, I did not get through the heats. Although a little disappointed, I knew that
sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I learnt to accept defeat graciously and pick 35
myself up from there.
8 The English Speaking Union’s motto is to “create global understanding through English”,
a goal which was successfully achieved through this competition. My Danish roommate, Babak
Vakili’s love for rap and hip hop and Fernando’s love for British rock band U2 showed me that
music transcends borders. 40
9 Krijn from Holland taught me to sing Happy Birthday in Dutch. Xia Peng taught us
Chinese grammar over breakfast. Listening to Italian finalist Valentina’s speech made me
realise that Italy is not just about “spaghetti, pizza and the mafia”. Anna Laskai from Hungary
taught us how to eat an avocado and briefed us on the varieties of avocado. Lithuanian
participant Vladimir shared how it felt to be an under-21 freestyle wrestler representing his 45
country.
10 In return, I taught Boris from Bulgaria how to say “I love you” in Bahasa Malaysia and told
my Dutch friends about the influence their country has had on Malaysia’s history. To say that I
had a great time is still an understatement. The experience of being a tourist in London, the fun
I had together with my new friends throughout the competition and the lessons I learnt from 50
others cannot be quantified. It was a fulfilling trip and indeed, one that I would never forget.
Adapted from The Melting Pot by Au Yong Wai Nyan in The Star, June 12, 2005
26 From paragraph 1, what kind of competition did the writer take part in and what was
the main prize?
………....……………………………………………………………………………………………
[2 marks]
27 From paragraph 2,
a) explain what the writer meant by using the phrase cold reception?
……..….………………………………………………………………………..................
[1 mark]
b) why did they turn a few English heads?
….………………………………………………………………………....................
[1 mark]
(i)...........………………………………………………………………………………………
[1 mark]
(ii)...……………………………………………………………………………………………
9
[1 mark]
29 From paragraph 9, state two examples cited by the writer that exemplifies that the
goal of the competition has been achieved?
(i)...…………………………………………………………………………………………
[1 mark]
(ii)........……………………………………………………………………………………..
[1 mark]
30 From paragraph 10, in what way did the writer provide information about Malaysia.
Give two examples.
(i)...………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
[1 mark]
(ii)...………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
[1 mark]
10
Section D
[15 marks]
[Time suggested: 15 minutes]
31 Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.
The Living Photograph
My small grandmother is tall there,
straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt,
pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old smile round her eyes.
Her big hand holds mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.
Jackie Kay
(a) From stanza 1,
(i) describe what grandmother was wearing?
_______________________________________________________________
[ 3 marks ]
(ii) What was the colour of the grandmother’s hair?
___________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]
(ii) Which word in the poem indicated that grandmother’s back is bent forward?
____________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]
(iii) Which line in the poem indicated that grandmother had passed away?
____________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]
11
(c ) The writer admires her grandmother for her personal qualities.
State one quality and support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Quality : __________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]
Evidence :__________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]
(d) Give three activities that you can do with your grandparents to show your love for
them?
i. _____________________________________________________________
ii. _____________________________________________________________
[ 2 marks ]
(e) Aside from taking photographs, what can you do to keep the memory of a loved
one alive?
Suggestion : _________________________________________________
Reason : ___________________________________________________
[ 2 marks ]
ii. _____________________________
[ 2 marks ]
1. A B C D 9. A B C D
2. A B C D 10. A B C D
3, A B C D 11. A B C D
4. A B C D 12. A B C D
5. A B C D 13. A B C D
6. A B C D 14. A B C D
7. A B C D 15. A B C D
8. A B C D
12