G.C.E.

A/L Examination November - 2016

Conducted by Field Work Centre, Thondaimanaru
In Collaboration with
FWC Zonal Department of Education Jaffna.

Grade :- 13 (2017) General English Time :- Three hours

(01) GRAMMAR
[A] Select the answer that best completes the sentence and circle it.

(i) Muralitharan is one of ................................................................... cricketers in the world.

(a) the most best (b) better (c) the best

(ii) I don’t have ..................................... money, but I’II lend you some to buy your lunch.
(a) many (b) much (c) any

(iii) I will not be able to watch many television programmes ............................................. I

finish my exams.
(a) since (b) until (c) because

(iv) The teacher spoke ........................................................................................... to the students.

(a) kindly (b) kind (c) kindest

(v) The librarian showed me the section ............................. the English novels are kept.
(a) where (b) which (c) that

(vi) People who suffer ......................... fever should seek medical advice without delay.
(a) of (b) from (c) with

(vii) The Zonal Director ................................ as the chief guest at our school sports meet.
(a) has invited (b) been invited (c) was invited

(viii) Everybody in my family enjoys eating ........................................................................ food.

(a) spice (b) spicy (c) spices

(ix) If the Doctor had diagnosed the illness earlier, he .................................... the patient.
(a) had saved (b) could have saved (c) will have saved

(x) ....................................................................... it was raining hard I decided to go to school.

(a) despite (b) although (c) when
[10 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 1 General English
 [B] Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. Use only one word for each
blank.
All of us communicate non - verbally as well as verbally. If irritated we may
tense (i) .................................... bodies, press our lips together, (ii) ....................................
gesture with our eyebrows. With (iii) .................................... gaze, a glance or stare
(iv) ................................ can communicate intimacy, submission (v) ................................
dominance. Most of us are good (vi) .................................... “reading” non-verbal
cues to understand (vii) .................................... emotions in an old silent film. We
(viii) .................................................... especially good at detecting non-verbal threats,
(xi) ..................................... a crowd of faces, a single angry face (x) ..................................
“pop out” faster than a single happy one.
[10 Marks]
(02) READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below.

Youth is a time of exuberance and strength in the life of a human being. Youth
is also a time during which an individual gradually leaves behind childhood and
commences the completion of developmental stages. Youth represents the
transition from childhood to adulthood and it is the most valuable period of an
individual’s life.

Throughout history, there have been disputes and disagreements between

adults and youths regarding the behavior of youths. A papyrus from ancient Egypt
describes youth as being of no consequence. The papyrus also records the doubts
expressed by adults as to the fate of society when the youths become adults. Later
during the time of Socrates, the potential of Athenian youth was also devalued.

However, it has to be acknowledged that in the past as well as at present, the

way in which the youths think and act have an influence on the social, economic and
political development of a country. At present Sri Lanka is undergoing many social,
economic and political changes in the context of globalization. If the youths, as a
progressive generation, recognize the transformations that are taking place and
strengthen their abilities and overcome their weaknesses they would have the
opportunity to develop themselves as well as the country.

In 1990, the Presidential Commission on Youth in its report stated that during
the past century youth unrest was caused by a rapid growth of population without
an accompanying growth in the economy. When we consider the total educated
workforce we can see that Sri Lanka possesses a young labour force that can
contribute to the production of goods and services. However, unemployment is most
acute among youth.
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 2 General English
 According to the Report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, although unemployment
had declined from 10.5% in 1997 to 8.8% in 1999, there is still a high level of
unemployment. If it is possible to utilize this valuable human resource
systematically, it would be possible to expect a high level of development in the
country. In the Sri Lankan, political, economic and social context. discontent
increases when youths are unable to realize their aspirations of finding
employment that is in keeping with their educations.

A survey carried out by the Arts Faculty of the University of Colombo in 2000
revealed that the youths in this country are dependent on elders and parents for a
long period of time. The survey also showed that the period of dependence of youths
on their parents increased with increasing education. For example, while 75.9% of
those who were following a degree programme were dependent on their parents,
only 47.4% of non-schooling youths were dependent on their parents. The survey
also showed that there were interesting differences in dependency levels based on
where the youths were located. 73.6% of rural youths were dependent on parents
where as only 65.1% of youths on estates were dependents.

(i) What is this passage about?

....................................................................................................................................................................
[2 Marks]
(ii) Paragraph one describes youth. List four characteristics of youth as given in
this paragraph.
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[2 Marks]
(iii) What is the historical evidence cited in the passage to support the idea that
youths and adults think and act differently?
....................................................................................................................................................................
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[2 Marks]
(iv) According to the passage what aspects of youth have an influence on the social,
economic and political development of a country?
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[2 Marks]
(v) Who is the ‘progressive’ generation?
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[2 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 3 General English
 (vi) According to paragraph three how can youths help in the development of both
themselves and the country.
....................................................................................................................................................................
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[3 Marks]
(vii) What is the main reason for many of the current social, economic and political
changes in Sri Lanka?
....................................................................................................................................................................
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[2 Marks]
(viii) (a) State whether the following statement is ‘true’ of ‘false’. “Unemployment in
Sri Lanka is at its highest amongst young people.”
...........................................................................................................................................................
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[2 Marks]
(b) Support your answer with a statement from the passage.
...........................................................................................................................................................
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[1 Mark]
(ix) According to paragraph four how can Sri Lanka reach a high level of
development
....................................................................................................................................................................
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[3 Marks]
(x) (a) What was the main finding in the research study carried out by the Arts
Faculty of the University of Colombo?
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
[2 Marks]
(b) What is the evidence given to support this finding?
...........................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................
[1 Mark]
(xi) How are youths on estates different from youth living in rural areas?
....................................................................................................................................................................
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[1 Mark]
(xii) Circle the word that is closest in meaning to the word given on the left
(a) transition ; growth, change, commencement, training
(b) potential ; possible, unlikely, capabilities, happiness
(c) transformations ; changes, increases, decreases, movements
(d) workforce ; teachers, forces, occupation, workers
(e) aspirations ; efforts, problems, ambitions, breathing
[5 Marks]
[30 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 4 General English
 (03) DIALOGUE
Imagine that you have finished your A/L exam and want to follow a computer
course. Complete the telephone conversation that you would have to make to find
out more details about the course.
A : (i) ........................................................................................................................................................
B : Good morning to you too. Yes, This the New World Computer Academy, how
can I help you?

A : (ii) ......................................................................................................................................................
B : Yes, we have computer courses for school leavers.

A : (iii) .....................................................................................................................................................
B : The duration of the computer course is one year

A : (iv) .....................................................................................................................................................
B : The course will cost about five thousand seven hundred rupees

A : (v) .......................................................................................................................................................
B : No, I am sorry, but you have to pay the full amount when you register for
the course

A : (vi) .....................................................................................................................................................
B : Yes, we have branches outside Colombo as well. You can also do the same
course in Kandy, Negombo or Kegalle.

A : (vii) ....................................................................................................................................................
B : We will be starting the course for the new batch of students in September. If
you come on the 30th of September you can register and attend the first
class.

A : (viii) ..................................................................................................................................................
B : Yes, you must have at least a pass in Mathematics and English at the GCE
O’ Level Examination to register for the course.

A : (xi) .....................................................................................................................................................
B : No, we don’t have classes during the weekends for the school leaver’s
course. All the classes will be on weekdays, from nine thirty to four thirty.

B : Thank you for calling Academy. Is there anything else you would like to
know?
A : (x) .......................................................................................................................................................
[10 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 5 General English
 (04) SUMMARISING
[A] Identify the sentences that contain the main points in the following and
write them out in the space below.

The impact of armed conflicts on children is so deep and all-

encompassing that it is almost impossible to measure fully. We can estimate
the number of deaths (2 million) and serious injuries (6 million). We can also
estimate the numbers orphaned or separated from their families (1 million).
But we cannot know the exact numbers of children who are emotionally
affected by the violence that they have seen.

In armed conflict, education can serve to both heal and rehabilitate.

Keeping schools open or -opening them as soon as possible provides children
with a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos. Teachers and other
professionals can attend to the emotional effects of violence on children. They
can teach about survival and safety. They can also monitor for human rights
abuses.

To restore and protect children’s right to education in emergencies,

UNESCO and UNICEF, developed the ‘Edukit’ concept, in which educational and
teacher training materials are sent to the affected areas as soon as possible.
Children get pens and paper, chalk and erasers, notebooks and exercise books.
Teachers receive curriculum guides, teaching materials and textbooks. First
used in Rwanda and Somalia, Edukits have been sent to Afghanistan, Ghana,
Iraq, Liberia, Mali, the Republic of Moldova, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sundan,
Tanzania and Zambia.

There are also programmes to help make schools places where peace is
practiced and learned. In Lebanon, and Sri Lanka, educational approaches born
in conflict have become part of the national curricular. Children are taught
problem-solving, negotiation and communication skills. They also learn to
have respect for themselves and others. The goal is to reconcile divided
communities and prevent future conflicts.
(272 words - Flesch RES 40.00)
Adapted from - The State of the World’s Children 1999 (UNICEF)
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Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 6 General English

 03. ...........................................................................................................................................................
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[10 Marks]
[B] Using the main points you selected in Section. A write a summary of the
passage.
Your summary should not be more than 150 words and should be in your own
words as far as possible. Use the grid given below and write only one word in
each blank.

[10 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 7 General English
 (05) COMPOSITION
Either
Write an informal letter (NOT more than 3 paragraphs) to a friend giving the
following information.
(i) A terrible thing that happened in your school
(ii) The reactions of the students
(iii) What the police said and did

OR
Write an informal letter (NOT more than 3 paragraphs) to a friend giving the
following information.
(i) What happened on a class trip
(ii) The reactions of the other students
(iii) Your plans for the next trip
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[20 Marks]
Grade - 13 (2017) November - 2016 8 General English