GOZO COLLEGE SECONDARY SCHOOL. Half Yearly Exams

Transcription

1 GOZO COLLEGE SECONDARY SCHOOL Embracing Diversity Half Yearly Exams Subject: English Language Year 9 Track 3 Time: 2 hours Name: Class: Do not write anything in the space provided below. Oral Listening A B C Reading Comprehension Unseen Poem Unseen Prose Composition Total Page 1 of 13

2 SECTION A: LANGUAGE 15 MARKS A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word in brackets. The first has been done for you. (5 marks) God blessed some selected people with extraordinary talent. Some people are gifted with this (0) (magic) magical talent since their (1) (child). (2) (General) before 10 years old they show (3) (able) comparable to those of highly skilled adults. Priyanshi Somani started mental (4) (calculate) at the age of six. At the age of 11, she was the (5) (young) child to ever participate in the Mental Calculation World Cup 2010 and won the overall title. She is the only (6) (participate) who has 100% accuracy in Addition, Multiplication, Square Root till date in all five Mental Calculation World Cups. Her feats as a human calculator have earned her (7) (famous) in the Guinness Book of World Records. Priyanshi Somani, has incredible ability to create mathematical puzzles and (8) (compete) games in her mind to stay occupied in a (9) (create) way. Playing with numbers is pure fun for her and this approach Page 2 of 13

3 towards mathematics has given her a completely (10) (distinct) ability to accomplish any mathematical calculations within some minutes. B. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. (5 marks) The man who couldn t stop eating Tarrare (0) (born) was born in France in the 1700s. He (1) (join) a travelling show after being kicked out of his house as a teen. A medical mystery, Tarrare seemed to have an unending appetite - he (2) (can) easily eat his own weight in meat. Testing of his extraordinary stomach began after he suffered extreme exhaustion serving in the French Revolutionary Army. Despite (3) (be) granted extra rations, he stole and ate anything he could. Doctors learned of his (4) (eat) habits and (5) (detain) him at the military hospital. The army believed he could be put to use for France, and made him swallow a wooden box with secrets inside. Tarrare went to Germany in disguise, but couldn't speak German, so was immediately suspected and (6) (catch). At the end of his life, Tarrare contacted the old surgeon who (7) (try) to help him when he was a child, Page 3 of 13

4 and told him he was dying from a gold fork stuck in his intestines. On the contrary, the surgeon told him that he (8) (die) of tuberculosis. Tarrare suffered from a medical condition (9) (know) as Prader Willi Syndrome. PWS (10) (affect) approximately 1 in 25,000 newborns every year. C. Fill in the gaps with the suitable form of the phrasal verbs below. (5 marks) put up with break down break into switch on hold back set off live up to turn into come across look up look for I (0) came across an article the other day about a war hero who survived in the jungle for 10 days. I (1) information on the internet when I learned about Tim Howard, a Royal Air Force pilot. In 1939 Howard (2) on a rescue mission. The aim of the operation was to (3) an enemy stronghold and rescue a number of hostages. His enthusiasm quickly (4) fear when one of his engines developed a malfunction and in a short time (5) completely. In a few seconds Howard s spitfire was falling down into the thick jungle. When the plane crashed he tried (6) his radio but it was all in vain. At first he wanted to give up and he could not (7) the tears that started rolling down his cheeks. However, he wanted (8) his family s expectations. Life in the jungle was hard. He had to learn how to survive and how to (9) all the creepy sounds in the jungle. One day while hunting pigs he spotted a chain tied to a tree and that s when he realised that he was close to Page 4 of 13

5 civilisation. He kept (10) people until he spotted an old man fishing by the river and that s when he realised that his jungle experience was over. SECTION B (20 marks) Read the comprehension text which is on a separate sheet and then answer the questions. 1. Underline the correct answer. (1 mark) a) The passage is taken from i) a newspaper ii) a novel iii) a biography iv) an online blog b) Give a reason for your answer (1 mark) 2. Are the following statements True (T) or False (F)? Give a reason for your answer. (5 marks) a) The Calbuco Volcano erupted at least five times in the last ten years. Reason b) Officials were prepared for this volcanic eruption. Reason c) The city of Puerto Montt was also effected by the volcanic eruption. Reason d) In Chile one can find the largest number of volcanoes. Reason e) All the 500 volcanoes in Chile are extremely dangerous. Reason 3. Find single words that have the same meaning: (3 marks) a) not active Page 5 of 13

6 b) announced c) an opening or passage to another way d) covered e) possibly f) expelling 4. Say what the following refer to: (2 marks) a) its (line 11): b) you (line 21): c) where (line 29): d) it (line 32): 5. Which phrase from the first three paragraphs shows us that authorities believe that the area is in grave danger? (1 mark) 6. How were the inhabitants of Ensenada affected by the eruption? (1 mark) a) b) 7. What advice did the authorities give to worried inhabitants in different regions? (2 marks) a) b) c) d) 8. What two things show us that the people in Puerto Varas were very worried? (1 mark) a) b) 9. Quote a sentence which shows us that this eruption could lead to other future eruptions. (1 mark) Page 6 of 13

7 Text Give two examples of the damage the ash cloud can cause to the plane s engine? (1 mark) a. b. 11. What information does the graph give us in Figure 2? (1 mark) Section C Literature UNSEEEN PROSE 20 MARKS (10 marks) Read the text and work out the tasks below. Lightning flashed across the sky and a musty smell of humidity overpowered my nostrils. My mind raced back to that faithful meeting. It had been a chance meeting with a stranger, a meeting you only see in Hollywood movies. She had smiled and I was so lonely. How could I have ever imagined how things would turn out? I paced around the room like a trapped animal in a cage. The old grandfather s clock in the hall chimed the midnight notes and yet I could not go to sleep. How could I tell her that I had been unfaithful to her? How would she react? I was afraid of her reaction, afraid of a possible rejection! My heart sank and waves of sickness made me rush to the bathroom and throw my head into the sink. The sour taste in my mouth was unbearable. I felt so cold when my hands touched the running water. I wanted to turn back time! Jane was a one in a million type of girl. She had helped me turn my life around! She had stood by me when all my friends had abandoned me! She was the only one who really understood what it was like to lose everything! How could I tell her? How could I look into her emerald eyes? How could I pluck up the courage to blurt the horrid truth? I didn t deserve her! 1. Underline the correct answer (3 marks) a. The extract is taken from a i) Horror story ii) Play iii) Romantic story iv) Mystery Story Page 7 of 13

8 b. The extract is i) A first person narrative ii) A third person narrative iii) A dialogue iv) Told from different points of view c. The protagonist is probably i) A child ii) A boy iii) A middle age person iv) An elderly person 2. My mind raced back to that faithful encounter (1 marks) What is this figure of speech called? 3. Quote four phrases from the first paragraph that appeal to different senses. (2marks) a. b. c. d. 4. Find a simile from the text. (1 mark) 5. My heart sank and waves of sickness made me rush to the bathroom (2 marks) a. What figure of speech is found in this phrase? b. What image does this figure of speech create in the reader s mind? Page 8 of 13

9 6. Comment about the effectiveness of punctuation in the final paragraph. (1 mark) POETRY (10 marks) Autumn As summer draws its final breath to prepare its curtain call, the monarchs begin their epic threat to usher in the fall. The northern wind breathes out its chill as songs begin to hush, and paints the trees upon the hill with its artists brush. From green to red, orange and brown the trees discard their masks, and lay them gently on the ground for us to begin our tasks. Autumn makes way for winter s reign we bid farewell old friend, till summer s warmth begins to wane and fall returns again. Page 9 of 13

10 1. Underline the correct answer. (2 marks) a. The poem is i) very humorous. ii) iii) full of resentment and anger. pleasant and nostalgic at times. b. The rhythm in the poem is i) extremely slow. ii) iii) extremely fast. regular and pleasant. c. The tone used in the poem is i) very pessimistic. ii) iii) very sad and bitter. calm and pleasant. d. The poem i) is a celebration of life. ii) iii) describes the speaker s sadness that autumn and winter are on the way. is a sensory description of the changes brought about by the change in seasons. 2. What does the writer mean with the phrase curtain call in stanza 1? (1 mark) Page 10 of 13

11 3. Quote an example of run-on-lines? (1 mark) 4. the trees discard their masks, and lay them gently on the ground i) What figure of speech is found in these verses? (1 mark) ii) Explain what the speaker is trying to describe. (1 mark) 5. i) What is the rhyme pattern of the poem? (1 mark) ii) Comment on the rhyme pattern s effectiveness in this poem. (1 mark) 6. Find an example of onomatopoeia and explain its effect. (2 marks) SECTION D COMPOSITION 25 MARKS Write a composition of words on ONE of the following titles. 1. Write a story entitled A Narrow Escape. 2. The internet is really useful and entertaining however, it can also be very dangerous. Discuss. 3. Write a letter to your headmaster to complain about a school outing that went wrong and to suggest what needs to be done to avoid similar problems in the future. Page 11 of 13

12 Page 12 of 13

13 Page 13 of 13