MYE_PracticePaper

8/7/2019 MYE_PracticePaper

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SECTION A: LANGUAGE USE [20 MARKS]

CLOZE PASSAGE [10 MARKS]

I remembered my father telling me how in former times, the secret society members had at

(1)least some code of honour. These thugs I had met with Third Brother seemed to be entirely

(2)different. There was nothing noticeably good to be said of them.

In the olden days, my father (3) would say, if anything of yours was stolen in any part of

Singapore, you had only to go to the secret society head of that particular area, and tell him

what you had lost, at what time and where. He would send out his underlings, and within seven

hours or so, the lost article would be (4)returned/found , or else information would be given

about what had become of it.

But with the present-day (5) gangsters/thugs (x hooligans), in similar circumstances, if you

should by chance know who the right head of the gang was and ask him for help, the first

question (6)put/posed to you would be, Are you paying protection money to our group? And,

whether in fact you had paid or not, that would be the end of that. Worse, gangster reputation

was so bad that (7)none (x few) of them could obtain employment in commerce or government

service. My father said that in the old days, the secret society members were all fully employed,

even if only as wharf coolies.

Third Brothers friends were not (8)actually/really gangsters themselves, but they emulated

them and followed a kind of gangster cult, refusing to either study or work, living in a

(9)dream/imaginary/fantasy/delusionalworld in which they considered themselves charmed

beings, with no need for social responsibility. And of course they had no (10)future/prospect (x

money x salary x hope) of any kind, being unemployable.


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SECTION B: EDITING [10 MARKS]

small

From very smaller beginnings, our farm slowly grew, until by this time there were a hundred

pigs, two thousand ducks, large and small, and about seven hundred (1)hens. My mother

looked (2)afterthe hens when I was at school. But as soon as I was back from school, I had to

feed the chickens and collect the eggs. In the evening, when the hens went back to their huts

the seven hundred hens lived in seven attap huts I had to count them to see if any were

missing.

In (3)additionto the seven hundred hens, we had six cocks and on any day on the farm, one

could see them (4)fighting. If they fought, they would fight to the death. Whenever I saw two of

them fighting, I would take one of them up and (5)remove him as far away as possible. But

however far one removed a cock, it seemed to me he would always come back to find and fight

his enemy. I often wondered how it was that (6)enmity could be as deep as this.

At school sometimes, when two boys were fighting each other, I would try to (7)separate them

and stop the fight. But always both of them would become furious with me, telling me to mind

my own business and (8) leave them alone. On returning to the farm after school, (9) I could not

help comparing the fighting boys with our fighting cocks and I sometimes wondered whether the

cocks were as angry with me as the boys were (10).


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SECTION B: COMPREHENSION [25 MARKS]

FROM PASSAGE A

1. Match each of the statements below to its relevant paragraph and write theparagraph number in the bracket provided.

[3]

(i) The idea was for the group to ambush stagecoaches and hold up the passengers. ( 3 )

(ii) According to Tom, not carrying out the plans according to what was written in thebooks would only cause confusion.

( 4 )

(iii) Ben Rogers was not in favour of Toms plans. ( 6 )

2. Write the appropriate letter (A, B, C, D) in the brackets provided. [3]

(i) Another word for ignorant (line 40) is

AuneducatedBunsureCunappreciatedD uninformed

( D )

(ii) According to Ben Rogers, holding someone for a ransom wouldpresentdifficultiesfor the group because

Athe prisoner would be trying to escape all the time.Bthe law would catch up with the group sooner or later.Cthe group wouldonly attract unwanted attention from the public.D the prisoner would only fall in love with them. ( A )

(iii) The group could not fix a day for their first attack as

Athey were hesitant about the stagecoach robbery plan.Bthey needed more time to prepare for the robbery.Cthey could not agree on a suitable date for the robbery.D they needed to elect their captains first. ( C )


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From Paragraphs 1& 2:

3. Whattwopieces of evidence indicate that Tom was the head of the gang offriends?

[2]

Any 2 of the following points:

y He named the gang Tom Sawyers Gang after himselfy He had come up with the group oath.y He initiated the forming of the band of robbers.y He decided on the groups initiation rite.y He spelled out the punishment for betraying the group.

4. What bodily harm would be inflicted on a member if he told on the group? [1]

He would have his throat cut/sliced.

From Paragraph 4:

5. Tom insisted on carrying out their plans according to the books. What does thissuggest to you about the way Tom did things?

[1]

Suggested Answers:

y He liked to carry out his plans in a systematic/methodical way.y He preferred the tried-and-tested method of doing things.y He liked to play it safe by sticking to a plan of actions.y He was gullible as he did not question the books.

(Accept other reasonable suggestions)

From Paragraph 6:

6. According to Tom, what is likely to take place when women are held captive?Answerusing your own words.

[2]

Original Phrase: by and by they fall in love with you and never want to go home

Over time/eventually/in due course/sooner or later/ along the way [2

1 ] they

develop feelings for the captors [2

1 ] and refuse / do not wish [2

1 ] to return [2

1 ]

home / leave.


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11. Explain fully what you think caused the sounds. [2]

The girls were probably tickled/amused [1] by the joke that Sandy had shared [1].ORThe girls probably found the joke that Sandy shared [1] funny/amusing [1].ORSandy was cracking a joke about smoked herring [1] and the girls probably foundhis joke funny/amusing [1].

From Paragraph7:

12. Explain fully why the writer described the contents of the note pinned on hispillow as mocking.

[2]

It made fun of / ridiculed / poked fun at / derided / teased him about [1 ]

his attempts at imitating a bear [2

1 ] and the fact that he was undressed at that

time [ 21

].

From the whole passage:

13. For each of the words below, give one word or a short phrase (of not more thanseven words) which has the same meaning as it is used in the passage.

[3]

(i) take refuge (line 17) take cover / hide / conceal oneself

(ii) dignity (line 32) self-respect / self-esteem / pride / respectability /

(iii) burn (line 52) turn red / go red / redden (x blush x flush)


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SECTION C: SUMMARY WRITING [15 MARKS]

14. Using your own words as far as possible, describe what the writer did as he practised forhis role as a bear in the room and what happened to him the moment he realised he wasbeing watched.

USE ONLY THE MATERIAL IN PASSAGE B FROM PARAGRAPHS 4 TO 6.

Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not note form), must not be longerthan 130 words, including the three words given to you below.

Begin your summary as follows:

The writerfirst

[15]

Original Point Re-expressed PointThe writerfirst

1 undressed / stripped to the skin and beganmy practice

2 I capered back and forth from one end ofthe room to the other on all fours

3 I walked upright and growled and snappedand snarled

4 I stood on my head

5 I flung handsprings

6 I danced a lubberly dance with my pawsbent

7 and my imaginary snout sniffing from sideto side

8 I did everything a bear could do / manythings which a bear could ever do / and nobear with any dignity would want to do

9 When he realised he was being

watched,10 All the strength went out of me

11 I toppled forward

12 and brought the screen down with myweight

13 burying the young ladies under it.

[Content: Any 10 points10m, Language:5m]

END OF ANSWER KEY

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