1

Section A

Carefully read the text below, consisting of 12 lines, about the endangered vultures. The first
and last lines are correct. For eight of the 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 original meaning of the sentence.

0
Examples:
at
I arrived my destination at 2 pm.

My mother always wears sensible clothes.

Vultures, with their big, ungainly wings, beaky faces and fondness for

scavenging on dead meat, has a terrible, undeserved reputation. These birds 1.

actually offer the vital service by feasting on decaying flesh, protecting us 2.

from diseases spread by rotten meat and saving us the expense for cleaning 3.

it up. In other words, they were natural cleaners. Their ability to eliminate 4.

bacteria is useful, if not crucial, in countries such as India, where cattle are 5.

valuable asset and are kept until they die of natural causes. As eating beef 6.

is not accepting in much of this subcontinent on religious grounds, vultures 7.

have perform an important role in disposing of dead cattle. However, there 8.

are no longer enough birds to do this effectively but the consequences are 9.

significant: an estimated 65 million cattle die in India each year, and must be 1 o. . ................ .
properly disposed of. Now, it is a tough battle to save the birds.
 Sectio n B

You are advised to write between 300 and 350 words for this section.

You should look at the printout of the brochure on page 3, study the information carefully and plan
your answer before beginning to write.

Every year, your school hosts students from China as part of its cultural exchange programme.
Your Principal has asked you to plan an educational and fun day trip for the teachers and students
who will be coming to Singapore in term 3. You have seen a brochure detailing three places of
interest you can consider for the day trip. As the President of the Student Council, you have been
tasked to submit a proposal to the Principal.

In your proposal, you should:

• give the date and time for the day trip

• suggest one out of the three places of interest for the day trip
• give reasons to explain why this place of interest will be educational and fun for both
teachers and students
• explain briefly how you plan to organise the day trip.

You may add any other details you think will be helpful.

Write your proposal to your Principal in clear, accurate English. Your tone should be persuasive and
polite, showing your enthusiasm for this day trip.

You should use your own words as much as possible.

 4

Section C

Begin your answer on a fresh page.

You are advised to write between 450 and 500 words on 2!!! of the following

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

1 Write about a time when you had to resolve a conflict. What did you learn about
yourself through this incident?

2 'Better late than never.' Write about some of the occasions when you found this to be
true.

3 'Not much has been done to support the elderly in Singapore.' Do you agree?

4 'Technology has made learning more enjoyable.' What are your views?
 5

Section A
Text 1

Study the poster below and answer Questions 1-4.

.. '.•·. . a Video

. $lnsJ,l!poreans
·· to
rp;r -st�
pote
>> >

·''vifflhtie 11ietmt
·... to Wlll4K'lbiu
·.!ftitv.l'iur
>up·to
f
>
.•
 Section A
Text 1

Refer to the poster (Text 1) for Questions 1 to 4.

1 Who might find the poster interesting?

.. ... . ..........................................................................................................................

[1]

2 What do the organisers hope to achieve by creating this poster?

. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .. ... . . .. ... . . . .. . ..... .. .. .. .. ... . .. .. . .. .. . . ... . .. .. . .. .. .. . . . .. . .. . . ... .. . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . .. ..... .. ... .. .. . . [11

3 How does the table containing information about the prizes support the purpose of the
poster?

[2]

4 How has the organisers made signing up for this competition convenient for interested
participants?

··························································--··--··············--···--········--··--························· [1]
 7

Section B

Text 2
The text below is about a young couple who head to the woods for a peaceful holiday but
meet with an unexpected turn of events. Read it carefully and answer Questions 5-16 in
the Question Paper.

1 They had had too much of people, and too much of city hubbub, and even too
much at last of the books and papers and the pursuit of ideas which made up
their usual lives. Now in the high country of pine and mountain, they revelled in
simplicities. She was awed by the craggy perfection of rock upon rock, mounting
in dazzling angles and planes of its own building. She marvelled at the hard 5
cirque of peaks rearing and knifing upward into the great magnanimous sky. She
stood dazed under the intensity of light that raked that stretching sky, moving
with the earth's turning from silvered white mornings to brassy noons and on into
the incomparable purple nights.

2 But Allen was at home here. He was changed, but he was at home. The wild 10
place seemed to awaken a wildness in him. As if he were a creature native to
mountain country, he drew the energy of the place into himself. Earlier, in the
emerging light of the new day, he sprung from sleep. His face was ruddy from
sunburn. All day he roamed, skipping stones at the river's wild surface, and by
the time he turned back to camp even he was limply weary. As for Laurie, she 15
was tired, sore, exasperated with weariness even after the long night's sleep. He
knelt beside her, holding a plastic mug near her face so that the fragrant steam
of coffee rose up about her. "Why do you get up so early?" Laurie murmured and
smiled. "Early? Why, it's day, Laurie. Look at that, the sun's already up." He
swept one arm in a wide area, spreading out the golden world for her view. "We 20
have to start, Laurie."

3 "You go," Laurie said quietly. "I'll stay here and read and sleep." He looked at
her sharply, and then, as if he had been released, he said, "All right," breathed
deeply of the sharp air, pulled his arms back like creaky hinges, stretched, and
grinned. She lay under the arch of pine and waited for the sun's light to touch the 25
morning air with warmth. She listened to the stream tumbling within its rock walls,
to the stirrings and twitterings of the small, dun-coloured birds that invaded the
camp clearing.

4 She took a book, went to the stream's edge and sat down upon a large, smooth
ledge, resting her back against a great rock. She could not read. She was greatly 30
conscious of her loneliness and greatly conscious of ancient dominance of the
place in which she silently sat. She felt quite lost, lost from the sense of herself,
as if in the presence of such largeness there was neither possibility of, nor need
for, human significance. There was no sound but that of the rushing river, no
motion but that of water that poured through its rock bed in such furious purity. 35
The sun's vertical heat struck through her entirely. The unread book fell from her
hand. She slept.

5 But all at once, abruptly, as if she had heard someone call, she knew someone
was near. As if she had even heard the sound of that imagined call, she turned
her head slowly, immediately, accurately, in the direction where he was. The 40
stranQe man stood directly across the stream from her. A tall man. Extraordinarily
 Section B
Text2

Refer to Text 2 for Questions 5-16.

5 "They had had too much of people, and too much of city hubbub, and even too much
at last of the books and papers and the pursuit of ideas which made up their usual
lives." (lines 1-3)

What is the effect of the repetition of the phrase "too much"?

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

6 At the beginning of the text, the young lady was mesmerised by the surroundings. Pick
out and write down three expressions from lines 4-9 and explain in each case the
characteristic that makes the surroundings mesmerising.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)
................................................................................................................. [3)

7 What does the word "knifing" (line 6) suggest about the way the mountain peaks
appeared?

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

8 "Earlier, in the emerging light of the new day, he sprung from sleep" (lines 12-13).

What is the writer trying to tell us about how Allen was feeling?

[2]
• • • • • • • • ■ ••• ••• ••• ••• ■ .. .. ■ • • • - •• ■ ■ • - •• •• • • ■ •••••• • • • • • • • •• •• •• • - • •• •• • • • •• • • • • •• • • • • • • •• • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • - • • - . .... .. .. . . . . . . . .
 11

16 The structure of the text reflects the main stages in the narrative. Complete the
flowchart by choosing one phrase from the box to summarise the main focus of each
stage of the narrative. There are some extra words in the box you do not need to use.

Main Focus
from Anticipating an escape Becoming passionate
I Recuperating
. adventures
Growing solitude Escaping from hectic lives Intensifying thoughts

Flow Chart

Paragraph 2: (i) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1
Paragraph 4: (ii) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ···

1
Paragraph 5: (iii) . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ... [3]
 Section C

Text 3

The text below is about effects of drinking energy drinks. Read ;t carefully and answer
Quest;ons 17-22.

1 Energy drinks belong to a class of products, in liquid fonn, that typically contain
caffeine, with or without other added dietary supplements. Energy drinks are
designed to give an "energy boost" to the drinker by a combination of stimulants
and energy boosters. The major constituent in most energy drinks is caffeine.
Most of the brands on the market contain large amounts of glucose while some 5
brands offer artificially sweetened versions.

2 The first energy drink appeared in the United States in 1949. Since then, the
energy drink market has grown dramatically, with various brands released
worldwide. The annual consumption of energy drinks in 2013 exceeded 5.8
billion litres in around 160 countries. Manufacturers recently have shifted their 10
consumer focus from athletes to young people and are aggressively marketing
them to teens and young adults. Approximately, two thirds of energy drink
consumers are 13--35 years old, and boys are two thirds of the market.

3 Currently, significant concerns have been raised about the safety of these
products. There have been several reports that showed adverse health effects 15
associated with energy drink. Despite this, manufactures of energy drinks claim
these products are suitable for consumers and that they are safe. In fact, the
adverse health effects associated with energy drink remains controversial
among scientists. There are limited comprehensive literature reviews that
illustrate in detail the suitability and safety related to energy drink consumption, 20
particularly among young adults.

4 Several studies have shown an increase in heart rate and arterial blood pressure
after energy drink consumption. In addition, significant cardiac related issues
have been documented following energy drink overconsumption. Recently,
energy drink consumption has been related to heart attacks in healthy 17-and 25
19-year-old boys. This observation has been supported by the findings that
consuming energy drinks reduces the body's ability to circulate blood.-Recent
reports have demonstrated a relationship between energy drink
overconsumption the rupturing of large arteries.

s Energy drinks usually contain large amounts of sugar ranging from 21 g to 34 g 30

per oz. The sugar content is mainly in the form of sucrose, glucose or high
fructose com syrup. Therefore, high energy drink intake may increase the risk of
obesity and type 2 diabetes. In addition, the high sugar content in energy drinks
may reduce the activity, diversity and gene expression of intestinal bacteria 35
resulting in increased risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

6 Apart from the physical effects on the body, the individual also suffers
neurological and psychological effects. Individuals usually develop symptoms of
caffeine intoxication in doses equal to or above 200 mg. Symptoms include
anxiety, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, muscle twitching, restlessness, and
periods of inexhaustibility. In addition, high caffeine intake is associated with 40
acute and chronic daily headaches. Four caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders
have been recognised and they are caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced
 Section C

Text3
Refer to Text 3 for Questions 17-22.

17 (i) According to Paragraph 1, what effect is the energy drink supposed to have on the
drinker?

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

(ii) How is this effect achieved?

······························································""''''"""'"·'"··"""'"""""""·····""'""""""""""""""""""" [1]

18 Which two consecutive words in Paragraph 1 tell us that energy drinks are largely
made up of caffeine?

............... ···············································"'································ ··············--·--···--··· [1]

19 How do we know that young people did not use to be the target audience of the
manufacturers of energy drinks? Answer In your own words.

[2]

20 (a} Which word in Paragraph 3 tells you that it remains debatable if energy drinks are
good for our health?

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

(b) Why is it debatable?

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