Section A: Grammar MCQ (10 marks)

Circle the correct option (a) – (d).

1. Mrs Tan told the guests to distribute the chocolates among __________.

a. himself
b. ourselves
c. yourselves
d. themselves

2. Neither Ken nor the boys in his class _____________ willing to participate in the
singing contest next month.

a. is
b. are
c. was
d. were

3. _____________ boxes over there are a fire hazard! They are obstructing the fire
escape.

a. This
b. That
c. These
d. Those

4. Upon seeing that we were out of breath, the teacher allowed Jacob and
____________ to take a break at the canteen.
a. I
b. me
c. my
d. mine

5. My father decided to entrust his dog _____________ my care while he was away
on holiday in Spain.
 a. in
b. to
c. on
d. into

6. Mr Goh Chok Tong served as the second Prime Minister of Singapore

_____________ 1990 to 2004.
a. from
b. since
c. during
d. between

7. John likes drawing cartoons, _____________ he?

a. isn’t
b. didn’t
c. wasn’t
d. doesn’t

8. Mother told me to wash the plates _____________.

a. myself
b. herself
c. ourselves
d. themselves

9. One week ago, we _____________ the museum before it closed for renovation.

a. visit
b. visited
c. have visited
d. were visiting

10. I helped my friend _______________ the crossword puzzle.

a. solve
 b. solves
c. solved
d. solving

Section B: Vocabulary MCQ (5 marks)

Circle the correct option (a) – (d).

11. The four-year old boy was considered a/an _______________ because he could
play the piano like a master pianist.

a. prodigy
b. scholar
c. eccentric
d. intellectual

12. During the concert, the choir sang a beautiful _____________ of a song from the
soundtrack of the famous movie, “Mary Poppins”.

a. audition
b. rendition
c. illustration
d. substitution

13. We should demonstrate ________________ towards the poor and needy.

a. gifts
b. donation
c. subsidies
d. compassion

14. James is a/an _____________ boy who is always concerned with his appearance.

a. arrogant
b. proud
c. snobbish
d. vain
15. The ______________ took out their mobile phones to take pictures when the fight
broke out in the supermarket.

a. audience
b. onlookers
c. spectators
d. competitors

Section C: Vocabulary Cloze (5 marks)

Circle the correct option (a) – (d).

The majie were a group of women who worked as domestic helpers in

Singapore between the 1930s and 1970s. They were easily (16) identified by their
plaited hair or hair buns and distinctive black and white outfits. Most (17) hailed from
a district in China’s Guangdong Province and (18) took vows never to marry.

A majie was responsible for all aspects of household chores, including cooking,
cleaning, washing and taking care of the children. The list of chores for a majie was
rather extensive, catering to every (19) whim of her employer. Many of them served
their employers faithfully for a long time and were generally treated as part of the
family.

The only (20) respite a majie would get from her duties was when she spent
time with her fellow domestic helpers at the end of a work day. Despite the poor
living conditions, most of these women treated each other like family as they had no
one else to rely on during these trying times.

Adapted from National Library Board Singapore Infopedia

16.
a. marked
b. accepted
c. associated
d. recognised

17.
a. started from
b. showed up at
c. were natives of
d. burst forth from

18.
a. promised
b. permitted
c. confirmed
d. acknowledged

19.
a. call
b. desire
c. opinion
d. impression

20.
a. relief
b. pause
c. space
d. pleasure
Section D: Comprehension MCQ (8 marks)
Circle the correct option (a) – (d)

INLINE SKATING
CLASS
NEW CLASSES
AVAILABLE NOW!

Ever dream of learning how to do inline skating? Dream no more! Learn how to
skate the fun and safe way. Our team of professional and friendly skate
instructors from FUN Skaters Pte.Ltd. can help you. The class is open only to
children from 8 to 12 years old. Sign up for one of the following weekly
sessions before it is too late! Limited places available!

Day Time Venue

Mondays 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ang Mo Kio West Park
Wednesdays 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. East Coast Park
Saturdays 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. West Coast Park

You will learn how to:

 Balance 12 LESSONS FOR
 Fall safely
 Move forward
 Brake and stop
$90 ONLY!
 Make turns Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be
added to the final bill

HOW TO REGISTER
1. Registration forms can be obtained online at www.funskaters.com.sg
2. Submission of the registration form and payment must be made at the
reception counter at FUN Skaters Pte. Ltd. Headquarter, No.3, Toa Payoh
Hub, #03-33, Singapore 310480
3. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or NETS. Cheque payment must
be made payable to FUN Skaters Pte.Ltd.
4. For enquiries, call 67773232
 The History of Inline Skating
1760 The first known invention of an
inline roller skate was John Joseph
Merlin. He was born on September 17,
1735 in Huys, Belgium. He was a
musical instrument maker and an
accomplished mechanical inventor. One
of his inventions was a pair of skates
with a single line of small metal wheels.
He wore the skates as a publicity stunt to
promote his creation. Alas! He had
problems stopping, and one of his
ballroom stunts ended in a dramatic
crash into a mirrored wall.
1789 The inline skate idea made its way to France in 1789 through Lodewijik
Maximilian Van Lede with his skate that he called the patin a terre which
translates from French to “land skates” or “earth skates”. Van Lede’s skates
consisted of an iron plate with wooden wheels attached. He was a sculptor at the
Academy Bruges in Paris. People who knew him found him eccentric as his
ideas were very queer.

1823 Robert John Tyers, a London ice skater, created a skate called the Rolito
with five wheels in a single row on the bottom of a boot. However, a skater
wearing the Rolito still could not stop by braking and could only travel in a
straight path.

1892 Walter Nielson of New York got the patent for a “Combined Ice and
Roller Skate.” His 14-wheel skates had the beginning of using “a pad of rubber,
leather, or like material so that when the skater desires to stop, it is only
necessary to press the pad against the floor or ground.” This suggestion for
stopping pads was ahead of its time.

Adapted from “The Evolution of Inline Roller Skates – 18 th Century Beginnings’

by Carlesa Williams
 BENEFITS OF INLINE SKATING
Inline skating is a great fitness activity that benefits your body in a fun way. It is
an excellent aerobic activity that promises these benefits:

1. Increases muscle endurance and strength building

2. Improves body flexibility
3. Increases cardio and respiratory endurance
4. Improves balance and coordination
21. To register for the inline skating class, one can _______________________.

a. call 6777 3232

b. send a cheque to Fun Skaters Pte.Ltd.
c. send an email to www.funskaters.com.sg
d. head down to the Fun Skaters Headquarter

22. Amy wants to attend the class at East Coast Park. Which of the following is not
compulsory for Amy?

a. sign up immediately
b. fulfil the age requirement
c. know how to fall safely while skating
d. be available on Wednesdays, 4.30 p.m.

23. Look at the phrase ’12 lessons for $90 only!’ on page 8. It is used to convince
readers that it _________________________.

a. is a good offer
b. includes only 12 lessons
c. lasts for a limited period only
d. has a limited number of places

24. Some of the statements in this flyer are facts; others are opinions. Which one is
a fact?

a. Inline skating is a fun fitness activity.

b. All participants will learn to skate in a fun and safe way.
c. Participants will learn different types of inline skating skills.
d. The instructors from FUN Skaters Pte. Ltd. are all professional and
friendly

25. According to the ‘The History of Inline Skating’, the word “eccentric”
describes Van Lede as someone who _______________.
 a. behaved weirdly
b. was very intelligent
c. was extremely creative
d. succeeded in everything he did

26. Which one of the following is not an advantage of inline skating? It helps one
to __________________________.

a. be strong
b. be friendly
c. become flexible
d. coordinate movements

27. Based on the flyer, which of the following is true?

a. John Joseph Merlin had only one invention

b. The inline skating classes are available at two venues
c. Each participant of an inline skating class needs to pay more than $90
d. Payment for the inline skating classes can only be made by cash or
cheque

28. The main aim of the flyer is to _____________.

a. Inspire everyone to exercise outdoors

b. Inform the public about the benefits of inline skating
c. Educate the public about the history of inline skating
d. Encourage children aged 8 to 12 years old to join the inline skating class
Section E: Grammar Cloze (10 marks)
Fill in the blanks with a correct word from the box.

(A) along (D) in (G) since (K) to (N) was

(B) by (E) into (H) these (L) till (P) were
(C) behind (F) on (J) those (M) up (Q) with

A natural disaster struck the country. Powerful winds from Hurricane Irma

whipped through southwest Florida (29) ___________ Sunday. It damaged properties

and left a trail of debris (30) ___________.

Forecasters warned people who were (31) ___________ the hurricane’s path to

prepare for the catastrophe that followed – flooding. Flooding was caused (32)

___________ a sudden rise in the water level around coastal areas.

Hurricane Irma moved inland and on its way turned streets (33) ___________

rivers. Irma, which had killed at least 22 people in the region, was likely to cause

damage amounting to billions of dollars. Officials ordered a total of 6.3 million people

to evacuate, creating massive traffic jams on highways and bringing huge crowds to

shelters set (34) ___________ around the state. A long line of people (35)

___________ queueing up to enter an evacuation shelter, one of the hundreds that had

opened up across the state.

 However, Mrs Campana was one of (36) ___________ who chose to ignore

warnings and stay in her home. She planned to ride out the storm in her beachfront

condominium together (37) ___________ her elderly mother and other family

members. “The period for people in evacuation zones to flee is drawing (38)

___________ a close on Saturday morning,” officials said. They warned that petrol

stations would soon be without fuel and bridges would be closed in some areas.

Adapted from “Irma climbs Florida’s cost; ‘dangerous’ storm surges feared

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/10/us/hurrican-irma-florida-impact/index.html

Section F: Editing (10 marks)

Each of the underlined words contains either a spelling or grammatical error.
Write the correct word in each of the boxes.

Have you ever read Treasure Island written by Robert Louis Stevenson?

Stevenson wrote that story and then read it, a chapter a night, to his family who

(39) (40)
listened to him, totally masmerrised by the storytelling. It has became the greatest

adventure ever written.

(41)

Another intrersting storybook that Stevenson wrote is Kidnapped. It is a tale

about pirates in which he described the adventures of a Scottish boy. Stevenson

(42)

actually got the idea from a nightmare. That night, his wife heard him groaned loudly
(43)
in his sleep. She shook him awake, only to be told that she should have leave him

alone. Another classic that capteevetes the readers’ attention is The Strange Case of

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It is a story of how the evil intentions of a good man began to

get the better of him.

In many ways, the life of Stevenson was as exciting as the stories he wrote.

However, he did not fight pirates but against his ill health. He longed to be active but
(45)
instead, he spent most of his time at home write the well-known book Treasure Island.
(46) (47)

Over his life, he wrote every day and his illness could not stops him. His doctor

ordered him to lay in a dark room to stop him from writing. Totally iknorring the
(48) (49)

doctor’s advice, he scribbled on large sheets of paper. Later in his life, he penned
(50)

down poems which have enterrtayned children worldwide.

Stevenson’s classic stories and poems will always remain popular to children and

adults alike.

Adapted from www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Louis-Stevenson

Section G: Comprehension Cloze (15 marks)
Fill in the blanks with a suitable word using the contextual clues available.

The human brain is the body’s control centre. It keeps us breathing all the time

when we are awake and when we are (51) _______________ at night. It warns us of

(52) ________________ or makes us feel safe. It is also the organ (53)

________________ takes in and stores new information.

An adult brain (54) _______________ about 1.4 kg and contains billions of

special cells called neurons. Neurons send signals (55) ______________ the brain to

other part of the body.

Different parts of the brain control different things. For (56) _______________

the front left side of the brain controls speech while the back of the brain controls

balance.

Our (57) _______________ such as fear, anger, disgust, surprise, joy and

sadness are also controlled by the brain. When we are (58) _______________ with a

dangerous situation, the brain acts like an alarm bell. It (59) _______________ signals

to the body. The heart then (60) ________________ more rapidly and the muscles

tense up. Meanwhile, the outer layer of the brain, which is necessary for thinking,

decides if the situation is actually dangerous. If it is not dangerous, the brain then

signals that there is nothing to fear, and the muscles (61) ________________.
 The brain holds our thoughts as well as long-term and short-term memories.

How the memory (62) _______________ is still a mystery, but scientists do know that

the hippocampus plays an (63) _______________ role. This part of the brain helps to

form new memories. Sometimes, aging causes memory loss as information is (64)

_______________ retained in the long-term memory. Therefore, it is normal to

become somewhat more forgetful as you (65) ________________ .

The brain is indeed an amazing organ.

Adapted from ‘Amazing Brain Mysteries’ by Cynthia O’Brien

Section H: Synthesis and Transformation (10 marks)

Rewrite the given sentences(s) using the word(s) provided. The meaning of your
sentence must be the same as the meaning of the given sentence(s).

66. The police arrested the thief and questioned him.

The thief _________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

67. James said, “Katy went to London last year.”

James said that

_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

68. The organisers will postpone the tennis match if it rains

____________________________________ unless ______________________

 __________________________________________________________________

69. Mrs Tan was shopping in London. She came across a rare painting.

____________________________________ while ________________________

__________________________________________________________________

70. Sally likes to play tennis. Her brother likes to play tennis too.

Both____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Section I: Comprehension Open-ended (20 marks)

Read the passage and answer all questions carefully.

(1) At the age of two, Dr William Tan had a serious disease, polio. He was
paralysed from the waist down. In kindergarten, he was constantly bullied and his
classmates would pull his ears daily. They looked down on him for not being able to
walk. Dr Tan became so furious that he bit their hands. In the end, he was told to leave
the kindergarten.

(2) However, Dr Tan wanted to prove to others that he was good at his studies.
While in secondary school, his ambition was to be a doctor. He studied hard and
became one.

(3) When Dr Tan was young, his family members were afraid that he would
fall and hurt himself. However, he became a wheelchair athlete after meeting Mr
Jakob. Mr Jakob used to be a police officer. While on duty, Mr Jakob was shot and
left paralysed from the waist down.
 (4) Mr Jakob recognised the talent in Dr Tan, who was a secondary student at
that time. Mr Jakob introduced Dr Tan to wheelchair sports and he became interested
in sports. Dr Tan then represented Singapore at the 1988 Paralympics. Since then, Dr
Tan has completed many marathons to raise funds for people in need.

(5) Although he came from a poor home background and is disabled, Dr

William Tan has turned challenges to successes.

Adapted from Street ‘Singapore Heroes: Dr William Tan’ at

www.singaporeheros.weekly.com

For questions 71 and question 72, refer to paragraph 1.

Decide who did the following actions. Right ‘Yes’ in the correct column.
The first example has been done for you. (2m)

Action Dr William Tan Classmates

Example was asked to leave Yes
the school
71. left bite marks on
others
72. Pulled the ears of
others

73. Which word has the same meaning as ‘every day’? Circle either (A) or (B). (1m)

In kindergarten, he was constantly bullied and his classmates would pull his ears
daily.
(A) (B)

For questions 74 and question 75, refer to paragraph 1 and 3.

Right ‘yes’ in the columns if the statements describe Dr William Tan or Mr Baba
The first example has been done for you. (2m)

Statement Dr William Tan Mr Baba

Example He is unable to
 continue working
in his job.
74. He is unable to
walk after being
shot.
75. He is unable to
walk after
catching a disease.

For questions 76 and question 78, refer to paragraphs 2, 4 and 5.

Read each statement about Dr Willian Tan and right “yes” depending on if the
statement is ‘True’ or ‘False’.
The first example has been done for you. (3m)

Statement True False

Example He became a Yes
doctor
76. He came from a
poor family.
77. He wanted to be
an athlete since he
was in primary
school.
78. He took part in the
1988 Paralympics.

79. Refer to paragraph 4.

Circle your chosen answer.

Dr Willian Tan has helped the needy by ______________. (1m)

raising funds
telling them to persevere
recognising the talents in them
80. Which word has the same meaning as ‘problems’? Circle either (A) or (B). (1m)

Dr William Tan has turned challenges to successes.

Answer Key

1. d
2. b
3. d
4. a
5. b
6. d
7. d
8. a
9. b
10. a
11. a
12. b
13. d
14. d
15. b
16. d
17. c
18. a
19. b
20. a
21. d
22. c
23. a
24. c
25. a
26. b
27. c
28. a
29. F
30. C
31. D
32. B
33. E
34. M
35. N
36. J
37. Q
38. K
39. mesmerized
40. become
41. interesting
42. groaning
43. left
44. captivates
45. writing
46. Throughout
47. stop
48. lie
49. ignoring
50. entertained
51. asleep
52. danger
53. that
54. weight
55. from
56. example
57. emotions
58. faced
59. gives
60. beats
61. relax
62. works
63. important
64. not
65. age
66. The thief was arrested and questioned by the policeman.
67. James said that Katy had gone to London the previous year.
68. The organisers will postpone the tennis match unless it rains.
69. Mrs Tan came across a rare painting while shopping in London.
70. Both Sally and her brother likes to play tennis
71. Dr William Tan
72. Classmates
73. Daily (B)
74. Mr Baba
75. Dr William Tan
76. True
77. False
78. True
79. Raising funds
80. Challenges (A)