Section A [10 marks]

Carefully read the text below, consisting of 12 lines about gold. The first line and last lines
are correct. For the remaining eight lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. There
are two more lines with no errors.

If there is no error in a line, put a tick ( ✓ ) in the space provided.

If the line is incorrect. circle the incorrect word and write the correct word in the space
provided.
The correct word you provide must not change the o·riginal meaning of the sentence.

Examples:

I arrived @ my destination at 2 pm. ...at ..............

My mother always wears sensible clothes. ...✓............... .

Gold is a metal that is durable, easy to work with and will not

tarnish or corrode. It is also quite rare, and so is high prized and 1 ..............................

valuable. From the earliest times it is found in river sand. Its 2 ..............................

presence was detected by the gleaming grains of metal washed 3 ..............................

down from mountains, bit on bit. Further search sometimes led to 4 ...............................

the discover of nuggets of gold of various sizes. Primitive men 5 ...............................

and women used the precious metal to deck a body with 6 ...............................

ornaments or beads string together. Later, people learnt how to 7 ...............................

melt gold and cast it into moulds to form jewellery. In ancient 8 ...............................

Egyptian tombs, archaelogists had unearth exquisitely fine gold 9 ...............................

necklaces and bracelets, as well as furnitures, coffins and other 10 .............................

objects finely inlaid with gold.

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 Section B [30 marks]

You are advised to write between 250 and 350 words for this section.

You should look at the result of a poll conducted and some students' suggestions on page 4
carefully and plan your answer before beginning to write.

There is an increasing trend among students choosing to stay behind in school after lessons
and Co-Curricular Activities. An idea of having a recreation room as a space for students to
enhance their school experience was brought up during a Student Council meeting.

You are the Head of Student Welfare of the Student Council in your school. Write a letter to
your principal to explain the need for a recreation room in your school. You should include
the following:

• what two problems students face in your school

• what is one item you suggest should be included in the recreation room
• how your chosen item can help resolve the problems faced by students

Your letter should have a respectful tone, and be written in clear, accurate English. You
also need to be persuasive and convincing.

You may add any additional details to make your letter more convincing.
You should use your own words as much as possible.

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 Poll resu It on how the recreation room
should be equipped
■ Item 1: Computers {50%) ■ Item 2: Game Consoles {33%) ■ Item 3: Board Games {17%)

"More computers! Those in the

library are always being utilised." -
Kayne, Sec 4

:; I
"l had such a good time playing
.
board games with my friends
whenever we are at a chalet'' - '
-��,-
Hui Ping, Sec 2

"Some hi-tech game consoles

would be perfect!" - Jamie, Sec I

. . - _,. _____ 4

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 Section C (30 marks]

Begin your answer on a fresh page.

You are advised to write between 300 and 450 words on� of the following topics.

At the head of your composition, write the number of the topic you have chosen.

1. What are the advantage and disadvantage of being an only child in the family?

2. "A friend in need is a friend Indeed." Write about an occasion which made you realise
that friendship is valuable.

3. "Students should participate in outdoor activities more often." Discuss the advantage and
disadvantage of engaging in outdoor learning.

4. What are the things you like most about school?

End of Paper

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 Section A

Text 1

Study the poster below and answer Questions 1-4 in the Question Booklet.

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 Section B
Text 2

The text below is about Jane Goodall, a scientist, where she describes some of her early
experiences when trying to study the 'chimps' in the wild. Read the text carefully and answer
Questions 5- 14 in the Question Booklet.

1 I remember feeling very excited when I first came across a group of chimpanzees
feeding in a large tree. But I was also very disappointed, for although they remained
there for two hours while I crouched - cramped and hardly daring to breathe - I saw
little except an occasional glimpse of a hairy arm reaching out from the thick foliage and
pulling branches of fruits out of sight. When I tried to move nearer, the large males 5
hooted in a hostile way and shook the branches aggressively while the whole group
climbed down and vanished into the forest.

2 In the days that followed, I searched constantly for the chimpanzees. However, the
undergrowth was often thick, and while the noise of the stream certainly drown any
noise I made, it also effectively obliterated the sounds which might have told me of the 10
whereabouts of the chimps. Those which I did see were usually so close by the time I
came upon them that they fled instantly. I can well imagine, now, how many times they
must have seen me coming and silently disappeared without my even being aware of
their presence. In between the disappointing days when I only saw chimps too far off to
observe properly or for a few minutes close by before they fled, there were even worse 15
days when I saw no chimps at all. The more I thought about the task I had set myself,
the more despondent I became.

3 Nevertheless, those weeks did serve to acquaint me with the rugged terrain. My skin
became hardened to the rough grasses of the valleys, and my blood immune to the
poison of the tsetse fly. I became increasingly sure-footed on the treacherous slopes 20
that were equally slippery whether they were bare and eroded or carpeted by dry,
trampled grass. Eventually I found that some of the chimpanzees would tolerate my
presence provided they were in fairly thick forest and I sat still and did not move closer
than seventy metres. Because I always wore similar. dull coloured clothes and because
I never tried to follow or harass them, the chimps began to realise that I was not, after 25
all, so terrifying.

4 But when the· rainy season came and the grass shot up until it was over four metres
high in places. 'vVhen I left the tracks which I had used previously - if, indeed, I could
now find them at all - I could not tell where I was going, and had to stop every so often
and climb a tree to get my bearings. Also, when I came across a group of chimpanzees, 30
I was no longer able to sit down wherever I happened to be or wherever was convenient,
for usually my view would then be totally obscured by grasses. I have never been able
to work with binoculars for long periods of time while standing, so I had either to bend
down hundreds of grass stems or else climb a tree. This was unsatisfactory for I lost
time in looking for a suitable tree and in breaking away branches that obstructed my 35
view of the chimps. When there was wind, which was often, I couldn't keep the
binoculars still anyway.

5 I found it difficult, also to shield my binoculars from the rain. I made a sort of tube from
polythene, which kept out much of the wet, and pulled a large piece of plastic forward
over my head while watching the animals. Even so, there were many days when I 40
couldn't use my binoculars because they were clouded over inside with droplets of
condensed moisture. Even when it was not actually raining, the long grass remained
drenched nearly all day and there were periods when I seemed to be wet through for
days on end.
3

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6 But, on the whole, I preferred rainy season. Gone was the heat which distorted my long 45
distance observations. I have always loved to feel myself as much a part of nature as
the animals. In the dry season the crunching of my feet on the cracking leaf carpet of
the forest floor bothered me. But when the leaves became soft and damp during the
rains, I.could move through the trees as silently as the ani,mals, catch more than fleeting
glimpses of the shyer chimpanzees, and continually learn more about their behaviour. 50
I found that I could usually get closer to a group of them when it was cold and wet; it
was though they were too fed-up with the conditions to bother with me.

Adapted from:
In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

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www.geniebook.com
hope is that vertical gardens can increase food supply in Bangladesh. In the past, the
villagers had to be frugal in their food expenses because they had to eke out a living
on a few dollars a day. With the vertical gardens, a lot of extra food is now produced,
which goes a long way for the rural poor in Bangladesh.

Adapted from:
Scientific American (January 2015)

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 Section A [5 marks]

Text1 For
examiner's
use
Refer to the poster (text 1) on page 2 of the Insert for Questions 1 to 4.

1 V'vho is the target audience of the poster?

·····························••••·····••·····•·•·•··••••·· ....................................................................[ 1]

2 V'vhat do you find effective about the use of quotation marks in the poster?

...................... ··············.................................................... ········ .............................. (11

3 'You are teaching your children a lesson'. What lesson can children learn?

........................ ································································ ............•.....••••. ···············l11

4 Later on in life, it could be YOUR TURN!' Explain fully what the poster means by
this statement.

................................................................................................................................................
································..............................................................................................(2]

[Turn Over

-----·---------------
!

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 Section B [20 marks]

Refer to Text 2 on page 3- 4 of the Insert for Questions 5-13. For

Examiner's
Use
5 In paragraph 1, the writer expressed disappointment in seeing 'little except an
occasional glimpse' of the chimpanzees. Why was she unable to see the chimpanzees
clearly?

•••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••····•··· ·················· ·······

......................................................................................................... ······ (1)

6 Which two separate words in the same paragraph suggest that the chimpanzees were
ready to attack the writer when she tried to move nearer to them?

................................................................................................................(21

7 Why did the chimpanzees shake the branches (line 6)?

.......................................... ······ ................................. ......... ······ ... ............ [1]

8 The 'noise of the streams' (line 9) was both a hindrance and a help to the writer.
Explain why this is so.

The noise of the stream was because...

a ...

hindrance

help

[2]

[furn Over

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9 The chimpanzees were more willing to 'tolerate' the writer's presence provided they For
Examiner's
were in fairly thick forest (line 22). Why do you think this is so? Use

................................................................................................................( 2]

10 In paragraph 3, the writer became acquainted with the 'rugged terrain'. Pick out two
pieces of evidence from the paragraph and show in what ways the writer had become
more accustomed to her environment.

(i) .................................................................. ..................... ....................... .

...... ......................................................................................................... (1)

(Ii) ............................................................................................................

... ........................ ..................... ......... ... ............ .................. ......................(1)

11 The writer always wore 'similar, dull-coloured clothes (line 24 ). How did her clothes
make her appear less 'terrifying'?

........................................................................ ........................................(2)

12 (i) Why did the writer have to 'bend down hundreds of grass stems' (line 34) to
watch the chimpanzees?

······ ········· ··· · · · · ····· · · · ······ · ·· ·• · ·• • ·••••• • • • • • • • • • • •••••• • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • •••••• • • • ••• • ••••• ••••••

................................................................................................................ (2)

[Turn Over

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 (ii) Wny did the writer find climbing a tree 'unsatisfactory? For
examiner's

............................................................................................................... [2]

13 In this text, the writer went through different stages in her study of the chimpanzees in
the wild. Complete the flow chart by choosing one phrase from the box to summarise
the main focus of each stage of the text. There are some extra phrases in the box you
do not need to use.

Main focus

expecting a close defending against using the fending off the

encounter the attack of the binoculars in rainy elements of nature
beasts season

adapting to the disheartening close encounter

region search with the animals

Flow chart

I
Paragraphs 1 (i) ••.••..••......···•····· ... ······ ................. .................

l
Paragraph 2 (ii) .............................................................. .

1
Paragraph 3 (iii)

l
Paragraphs4-5 (iv) ...................................................................

[4]

[Turn Over

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 Section C [25 marks] For
examiners
use
Refer to Text 3 on page 5-6 of the Insert for Questions 14 - 19.

14 The situation became considerably more acute after Cyclone Alla In 2009, which brought
storm surges that broke embankments and flood farmland.' (fines 5-7)

(i) What does 'the situation' in the sentence above refer to?

.................. ..................................................................................................[1]

(ii) How did 'the situation' affect farming in later years? Answer in your own
words

......... ......_......................................................... ........................................... [1}

15 With reference to paragraph 3, why ls Bangladesh naturally prone to flooding and

water-logging? Answer in your own words .

.................. ... ... ...... .................................... ......... ·················· ................... (31

16 Here is a part of a conversation between two students, Alicia and Alex, who have
read the article.

I don't agree. With

Growing enough fo od
vertical gardens,
for a country like
crops can grow and
Bangladesh is
there will be enough
difficult.
food for everyone.

Alicia Alex

(i) Identify one detail from paragraph 4 to support Alicia's point of view.

................................. ................................. ................................................. (1)

[Turn Over

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 (ii) Identify one detail from paragraph 5 that explain Alex's position. For
examiner's
use

.................................... ................................................................................[1]

17 \/Vhich phrase in paragraph 6 provides evidence that vertical gardens are not difficult to
build?

•·••••••· ••••·•••••••••·•·•••••·••••·••••• ••••••••••••.•...• ······ ·•···· .........................................(11

18 From paragraph 8, explain the difference in the way the people in Bangladesh manage
their food supply in the past and now.

In the past

Present

(2 1

[Turn Over

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19 Summarise the steps taken by the villagers in Bangladesh to build vertical
gardens, and how these gardens can be used as a solution to existing
problems.

Use only material from paragraphs 6 to 8.

Your summary must be in continuous writing (not note form). It must not be longer than
80 words {not counting the words given to help you begin).

To build a vertical garden, .................................................................................

For
examiner's
use

Word Count:_____
(15)

-End of Paper-
8

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 Answers - Editing

Gold is a metal that is durable, easy to work with and will not

tarnish or corrode. It is also quite rare, and so is high prized and 1 ......highly ............

valuable. From the earliest times it Is found in river sand. Its 2 ......was ............

presence was detected by the gleaming grains of metal washed 3 ......... ✓.......... ..

down from mountains, bit Q!1 bit. Further search sometimes led to 4 .........by ..........

the discover of nuggets of gold of various sizes. Primitive men and 5 ......discovery.......

women use<! the precious metal to deck� body with ornaments or 6 ......the...................

beads string together. Later, people learnt how to melt gold and 7 ......strung .............

cast it into moulds to form jewellery. In ancient Egyptian tombs, 8 ............✓ .............

archaelogists had unearth exquisitely fine gold necklaces and 9 .........unearthed ....

bracelets, as well as furniture.s, coffins and other objects finely 10 ......furniture ..

inlaid with gold.

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 Answer Scheme

Secondary Two Express MY P2 2016

Text1 For
examine
Refer to the poster (text 1) on page 2 of the Insert for Questions 1 to 4. r's use

1 \/Vho is the target audience of the poster?

[1]

Cat owners /People who are interested/considering owning a cat or

pet/ considering abandoning their cat or pet

2 \/Vhat do you find effective about the use of quotation marks in the poster?
[1 J

It is effective as it highlights/emphasizes/
indicates that these are the actual excuses said/uttered by people
when they abandoned their cats/pets.

(The word 'said' or 'uttered' must be present in order to be awarded the

mark)

3 'You are teaching your children a lesson'. What lesson can children learn?
[1]
Responsibility
(accept any reasonable answers)

4 'Later on in life, it could be YOUR TURN!' Explain fully what the poster
means by this statement

You could be abandoned by your children later on in life/in [21

future [1] when you become 'old'/ 'a burden'/ 'not useful
anymore' [1].

[Need to include the underlined phrase in order to be awarded the

mark}

l
[Turn over

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 Section B [20 marks] For
examine
Refer to Text 2 on page 3 - 4 of the Insert for Questions 5 - 13. r's use

5 In paragraph 1, the writer expressed disappointment in seeing 'little except (1)

an occasional glimpse' of the chimpanzees. Why was she unable to see
the chimpanzees clearly?

They were hidden behind the thick foliage by the tree they were in.

6 Which two separate words in the same paragraph suggest that the [2]
chimpanzees were ready to attack the writer when she tried to move nearer
to them?
'hostile' and 'aggressively'

7 Why did the chimpanzees shake the branches (line 6)? [1 l

They wanted to� Jane to back off/not to move too close to

them/to frighten her. [1]

8 The 'noise of the streams' (line 9) was both a hindrance and a help to the [2]
writer. Explain why this is so.

The noise of the stream because...

was a ...
hindrance It obliterated any sound that might
indicate to her the whereabouts of the
chimpanzees
help It concealed any noise she might make
which would give away her presence to
the chimpanzees.

9 The chimpanzees were more willing to 'tolerate' the writer's presence [2]
provided they were in fairly thick forest (line 22). Why do you think this is
so?

2
[Turn Over

7
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 They would most probably feel more secure [1] as they could easily
escape to the safety of the thick forest should the need arise [1]

10 In paragraph 3, the writer became acquainted With the 'rugged.terrain'. Pick

out two pieces of evidence from the paragraph and show in what ways had
the writer become more accustomed to her environment

[2]
(i) 'my skin became hardened to the rough grasses of the
valleys' shows that her skin had become thicker and was
not so easily cut/hurt by the sharp grasses as before.
(ii) 'my blood immune to the poison of the tsetse fly' suggests
that she was no longer susceptible to the poison of the
tsetse fly/poison had no effect on her.
(iii) 'became increasingly sure-footed on the treacherous
slopes' shows that over time, she was less likely to
stumble/slip/fallnearn to balance herself on the slippery
slopes.

11 The writer always wore 'similar, dull-coloured clothes' (line 24). How did her
clothes make her appear less 'terrifying'?

The similarity in her clothes enabled the chimpanzees to

identify/recognise her [1] as in time, they had grown accustomed to
her presence. The dull colour could easily blend with the environment
[1]. [2]

12 (i) Why did the writer have to 'bend down hundreds of grass stems'
(line 34) to watch the chimpanzees? [2]

She was trying to flatten them [1] as the tall/over four

metres tall grasses were obstructing her view of the
chimpanzees [1].
(2)
(ii) Why did the writer find climbing a tree 'unsatisfactory?

She lost time in looking for a suitable tree [1] and in

breaking away branches that obstructed her view of the

3
[Turn Over

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 chimpanzees [1).

13 In this text, the writer went through different stages in her study of the
chimpanzees in the wild. Complete the flow chart by choosing one phrase from
the box to summarise the main focus of each stage of the text. There are some
extra phrases in the box you do not need to use.

expecting a close defending using the fending off the

encounter against the binoculars in elements of
attack of the rainy season nature
beasts

adapting to the disheartening close encounter

region search with the animals

Main focus

Flow chart

Paragraphs 1 (i) expecting a close encounter

l
Paragraph 2 (ii) disheartening search

l
Paragraph 3 (Ill) adapting to the region
I

Paragraphs4-5 (iv) fending off the elements of nature

[4]

[Turn Over

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 Section C [25 marks]

Text3 For
examine
Refer to Text 3 on page 5-6 of the Insert for Quest.ions 14- 21. r's use

14 The situation became considerably more acute after Cyclone Aila in 2009,
which brought storm surges that broke embankments and flood farmland.'
(lines 5-7)

\Nhat does 'the situation' in the sentence above refer to?

[11
(i )

It refers to extreme weather and flooding.

(ii} How did 'the situation' affect farming in later years? Answer in your
own words.
[1]

From text: "vegetable crops planted in the ground yielded only meagre
returns. Some failed completely.n

The vegetable crops produced little harvest (yielded meagre returns)

and were not successful (failed completely).
OR
Farmland Is destroyed· and growing crops is a challenge.

Answers with "meagre" and "failed" were not awarded any mark.
Answers with "ruined" and "more difficult" were not awarded any
mark.

X some returns. "meagre" does not have the same meaning as

"some".

15 With reference to paragraph 3, why is Bangladesh naturally prone to

flooding and water-logging? Answer in your own words.
[3)
Most of its rand is found to be at or below sea level (1 m), causing the
country to be very prone to drastic weather conditions [1ml
(susceptible to extreme weather), which is worsened/ aggravated by
5
[Turn Over

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 climate change (11 {exacerbated by climate change).

16 Here is a part of a conversation between two students, Alicia and Alex, who
have
read the article.

(i) Identify one detail from paragraph 4 to support Alicia's point of view.
[1]

Bangladesh is a densely populated country/ It currently faces a loss

of land due to flooding/ population Is going to Increase over the
years.

Either stem is awarded 1 m.

For
examine
r's use
(ii) Identify one detail from paragraph 5 that explain Alex's position.
Vertical gardens take up little space{ they protect the soil from being
soaked with floodwater and becoming too salty.
[1]

Either stem is awarded 1 m.

17 Which phrase in Paragraph 6 provides evidence that vertical gardens are

not difficult to build?
[1]

'Relatively straightforward process/ 'straightforward process'

6
[Turn Over

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18 From Paragraph 8, explain the difference in the way the people in
Bangladesh manage their food supply in the past and now.
(2)

In the People are frugal in their food expenses because they

past have to eke out a living on a few dollars a day.
[1]
Present Now, there i s a lot of extra food which can go a long
way to the rural poor in Bangladesh. [1)

OR
Now, there Is a lot of extra food so people do not have
to be so frugal/ so peo12le can make more profits out
of their selling.

X increase in food supply. Different from "extra food",

Having an increase in food supply does not mean a
surplus of food.

7
[Turn Over

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21 Summarise the steps taken by the villagers in Bangladesh to build vertical
gardens, and how these gardens can be used as a solution to existing
problems.

Use only material from paragraphs 6 to 8.

Your summary must be in continuous writing (not note form). It must not be
longer than 80 words (not counting the words given to help you begin).

From the passage Paraphrased

'Villagers prepare soil to use

it later for harvest in the Villagers get the soil ready for
Step 1
planting season' (lines 30- the coming planting season.
31)

'Villagers then put soil into The soil is then placed into
Step 2
containers' (line 35) vessels / receptacles.

'... and mix it with fertiliser' ...and combined / put together

Step 3
(line 35) with fertiliser.

'the containers are raised off These vessels are lifted /

Step 4 the ground on bricks' (lines elevated above the ground with
36-37) bricks

The containers 'are also

The vessels are also filled with
Step 5 packed with brick chips'
brick chips
(lines 37)

'Small holes are cut into the The sides of the vessels are
Step 6 sides' of the containers (line perforated / pierced with small
38) holes

Soluti 'to avoid water-logging' (line Prevent the soil from being
on 1 36) saturated I filled with water.

Soluti 'to improve water circulation Help water to flow and leave
on 2 and drainage' (lines 37-38) the soil.

Soluti '... where short-rooted Allow short-rooted and long-

on 3 vegetables can grow. Long- rooted vegetables to grow
rooted vegetables grow on

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 top.' Oines 38-40)

Soluti 'a lot of extra food is now

Provide more than enough. food
on 4 produced' (line 46)

'... which goes a long way for

Soluti ... that is cheap / affordable for
the rural poor in Bangladesh'
on 5 the villagers in Bangladesh.
(lines 46-47)

To build a vertical garden, villagers in Bangladesh get the soil ready for the
coming planting season. The soil is then placed into vessels. These
vessels are elevated above the ground with bricks. They are also filled with
brick chips. Their sides are perforated with small holes. These gardens
prevent the soil from being filled with water, and help water to flow and
leave the soil. They also allow short-rooted and long-rooted vegetables to
grow. They provide more than enough food that is cheap for the villagers.
(79 words]

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