CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2012 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

The journalists were impressed by the __________ of the statesman whose speeches had a profound __________ on all who heard them.

appearance .......... reaction

presence .......... result

emotion .......... sensation

eloquence .......... effect

Because she had worked all day, the maid was __________ the task of preparing supper.

Parents should try to __________ their children so that they may eventually become __________.

discipline .......... timid

train .......... intelligible

pamper .......... acceptable

educate .......... self-sufficient

Justice must be seen to be done, for __________ treatment can cause great __________.

unfair .......... resentment

pronounced .......... anger

unlawful .......... surprise

unrewarded .......... bitterness

There are many who would try to __________ your efforts because of their jealousy.

Items 6-10 Instructions: Choose the word or phrase that is almost OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase.

The headgear worn by the factory worker is made from <ins>artificial</ins> material.

His character was such that he was always <ins>daunted</ins> by a challenge.

The tourist brochure gave <ins>verbose</ins> accounts of the Carnival festivities of last year.

Having thought about it, I find the idea quite <ins>repugnant</ins>.

The candidate was <ins>oblivious</ins> of our plans.

Items 11–15

Instructions: Some of the sentences in this section are unacceptable because of inappropriate grammar, idiom or vocabulary. Some sentences are acceptable as they stand. No sentence contains more than one inappropriate element. Choose the ONE underlined part A, B or C that is inappropriate. If the sentence is acceptable as it stands, choose D.

He divided the sweets $\underline{\text{among}}$ Sasha and $\underline{\text{me}}$ .

Peter $\underline{\text{now have}}$ influenza and so $\underline{\text{is unable}}$ to $\underline{\text{participate}}$ in the Inter School Games.

The rest of the team $\underline{\text{was not in no mood}}$ to $\underline{\text{continue}}$ the game and $\underline{\text{went off}}$ the field.

$\underline{\text{Too much}}$ students entered the competition; only one of them $\underline{\text{was good enough}}$ $\underline{\text{to}}$ reach the quarterfinals.

The biased reporter is concerned $\underline{\text{not so much with}}$ the truth $\underline{\text{of what}}$ he writes, $\underline{\text{as with}}$ its credibility.

Instructions: Each sentence in this section is followed by four alternative sentences. Choose the one NEAREST IN MEANING to the original sentence.

When Mr. Peets was transferred on promotion from South Point to Maraval, Mrs. Adams succeeded him.

Mrs. Adams worked at Maraval after Mr. Peets left on promotion.

Mr. Peets was succeeded by Mrs. Adams when he was promoted to a post at Maraval.

Both Mr. Peets and Mrs. Adams were transferred on promotion: Mr. Peets to Maraval and Mrs. Adams to South Point.

In order to get promotion, Mr. Peets had to be transferred to Maraval to allow Mrs. Adams to work at South Point.

The result of the flooding was some financial loss to those farmers whose crops were destroyed.

The flood destroyed crops and caused some farmers to lose money.

After the flood, all the farmers suffered financially because of the destruction of their crops.

When the flooding was over, the financial destruction of the farmers and their crops was evident.

The financial loss which the farmers suffered was not helped by the flood which subsequently destroyed their crops.

The budget speech was undoubtedly one of the briefest in years.

The budget speech was without doubt a very brief one.

This budget speech was among the briefest we have had for a long time.

For a long time the budget speeches have been too long.

This year the budget speech was better than all others.

It took the construction firm nearly three years to complete the new highway because of the uneven terrain and inclement weather.

Because of the uneven ground and very bad weather, the firm took over three years to complete the new highway.

The construction firm took three years to finish the new highway because of the uneven ground and very bad weather.

The new highway was finished in just under three years because the construction firm was faced with uneven ground and regular bad weather.

For nearly three years the construction firm encountered uneven grounds and consistently bad weather when they tried to complete the new highway.

The Minister said that the members of the Opposition had acted very irresponsibly because they were not in full possession of the facts and were constantly misleading the people.

Not only did the Minister say that the Opposition was irresponsible but that they were also ignorant and misleading the people.

The Minister was accused by irresponsible members of the Opposition of not having full knowledge of the facts and misleading the people.

The Minister accused the Opposition of irresponsible action because of their lack of knowledge and their persistent misleading of the people.

It was the uninformed opinion of the Opposition that caused the Minister to accuse them of acting irresponsibly and of constantly misleading the people.

When the poet says "full of care" (line 1) he means a life full of

The poet uses the idea "stare as long as sheep or cows" (line 4) because he thinks we should

relax beneath the boughs

stop being busy and relax

gaze at the beauty of the skies

stand and observe our surroundings

The poet implies that we need leisure in our life for it to be

"Streams full of stars, like skies at night." (line 6), is an example of

"No time to turn ... her eyes began." (lines 7-10), is an example of

The poet believes we will have a "poor life" (line 11) if we do not have

time to appreciate life

friends to socialize with

According to the poet we have "No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars..." (lines 5-6) because we

have no time for imagination

In which of the following lines does the poet answer the question asked in lines 1 and 2?

Items 29–36

Instructions: Read the following passage carefully and then answer items 29–36 on the basis of what is stated or implied.

The Sisters

Over the years, Marta had sent many warm and friendly messages to Elana, inviting her to visit Ilora and assuring her that she'd always be welcome. But her prodigal sister never replied. From time to time, however, traders brought news that Elana's marriage to Iyako had been blessed with two sets of twins, that Iyako had succeeded his father as ruler of the Kingdom of Horses, and that their marriage was a stormy one. For a long time there was no further news until one day, a traveller told Queen Marta that Iyako had been thrown by a wild horse and had broken his back, that Elana had lost both her beauty and her mind and, after shouting night and day that the Kingdom of Wild Horses was an accursed one, she had escaped from keepers. "They searched high and low for her, but she had vanished without a trace," the traveller said, shaking his head sadly.

The Queen immediately summoned Leha and ordered her to send search parties to all of the countries bordering on the Kingdom of Wild Horses.

"Go to the ends of the earth if you have to, but bring my sister back to Ilora. Whoever finds her will be amply rewarded," Queen Marta said to the trackers, traders and interpreters whom Leha had recruited. But after years of futile searching, the search parties returned one by one and reported that they had found no trace of Elana.

"It's as if your sister has vanished from the face of the earth," Leha said. "I hear you," Queen Marta said "and yet I feel in my bones that she's still alive."

Leha had led one of the search parties, and when she returned her hair was streaked with grey and age had mapped her rough-hewn face with lines as delicate as spider webs.

The first time that Leha stepped into the Audience Room to report about her travels to distant places in search of Elana, she was both surprised and pleased to see how Queen Marta had aged. When their eyes made four, the smiling Leha said to herself, "It's as if her face had beaten very gently against the years," for she could see quite clearly how time had changed what was once an ugly countenance into a beautiful one. When a shaft of sunlight touched the cloud of white hair on the Queen's head, it became luminous, and a welcoming smile lighting up her dark face lifted Leha's spirits and made her heart sing. And somehow, all the hardships she had endured travelling across parched savannahs, through densely wooded valleys, over mountains and down turbulent rivers, were forgotten.

Jan Carew, The Sister and Manco's Stories, Macmillan, 2003, pp. 46–47.

The style of writing in this extract can BEST be described as

"Their marriage was a stormy one" (lines 4–5) implies that

it was fraught with difficulty

they got married on a stormy day

they didn't always see eye to eye

The instruction "Go to the ends of the earth" (line 12) implies that they should search

the Kingdom of Wild Horses

every accessible land

over mountains and down rivers

through densely wooded valleys

The literary device used in the phrase "as delicate as spider webs" (line 19) is a

The writer implies that Leha was

the leader of the queen's army

Which of the following is an example of contrast?

She "had lost both her beauty and her mind" (lines 6–7).

"she had vanished without a trace" (line 8).

"her hair was streaked with grey" (line 18).

"lighting up her dark face" (line 25).

"The cloud of white hair" (line 24) is an example of

The concluding sentence of the extract

suggests they had forgotten all about Elana

indicates that they had given up the search

conveys the idea that the problems that Leha had encountered in the search were forgotten

means that Leha would be willing to continue the search

According to paragraph one (lines 1-5), which of the following results from conflict between family members?

Disorder in societies

Anxious parents and children

Disruptive behaviour in homes

High levels of tension between parents

According to the extract, all of the following threaten the existence of the family EXCEPT

the high divorce rate in western society

problems family members experience in getting along

conflicts between employers and working parents

the increase in the number of mothers of school age children working outside of the home

The word that is closest in meaning to "imperatives" (line 9) is

In paragraph two (lines 6-11) the writer compares income in the 1950s to income today to show that

a single income cannot adequately support an average family

people earned more in the 1950s than today

people today do not work as hard as people in the 1950s

people today work longer hours for the same pay as in the 1950s

According to the writer in paragraph 3 (lines 12-19), tensions in mother-child relationships can occur because I. mothers are under stress II. parents and children are under stress III. mothers are depressed and hard to deal with

The writer's main purpose is to

focus on the problems experienced by men

reveal the problems experienced by men, women and children

highlight some of the internal problems threatening the existence of the family

show that single income families function better than two-income families

The writer's main intention in lines 15-19 is to show that

men in two-income households never help in the home

two-income households always experience stress

children in two-income households are neglected

sharing of the household workload can help a two-income family to run smoothly

The tone of the passage may be best described as

The function of the second and third sentences (lines 2–3) in the extract is to

give specific examples of "a dedicated Opposition" (line 1)

explain the statement made in the first sentence

show that the Press is only good when it acts as an opposition

Why does the writer repeat the phrase "good Press" at the beginning of paragraphs three, five and six (lines 4, 15, 18)?

To emphasize the ideal characteristics of the "good Press"

To indicate contempt for the Press which is not an opposition

To stimulate greater identification

According to the writer, the MOST important function of the good Press is to

oppose the Government

represent the views of the people

increase the number of its subscribers

According to the writer, a legitimate revolution against the Press occurs by

the government closing it down

the Press being denied its freedom

someone establishing a rival press

people refusing to purchase its product

By describing the good Press as "an individualistic, opinionated knight" (line 12) the writer is emphasising

The writer states that the good Press "... depends on the people who buy it because- they like it" (line 5) and that it "... will not be influenced by those to whom it sells its opinions" (lines 13–14). These two statements taken together

argue that the Press creates popular opinions

repeat that the good Press owes its allegiance only to its subscribers

appear contradictory but support the argument that a good Press should be independent

show that the power of the Press depends upon the number of its subscribers

According to the writer, the good Press should regard Government with

In paragraph 5 (lines 15–17) the writer implies that a good Press

is sometimes inconsistent

should be open-minded

cannot always be reliable

The examples of the possible effects of the press on the politician are given to

drive fear into the politicians

show how the Press records history

illustrate how powerful the Press really is

demonstrate how uncertain the career of a politician is

Which of the following BEST describes the manner in which the writer presents his views in this extract?

The main purpose of this advertisement is to

promote lighting in the home

encourage better energy use

highlight energy use in the home

Which of the following is the meaning of the word "absorb" as used in Tip 1 of the advertisement?

How much energy do fluorescent lights use?

The same amount of light as other lights

Fifty per cent of what incandescent lights use

Seventy-five per cent more than other lights

Seventy-five per cent less than incandescent lights

The advertisement emphasizes that motion sensors are important because

they waste energy indoors

they do not conserve energy

they are efficient and provide security

Which of the following is NOT stated in the advertisement?

Low wattage uses less energy.

Lamps placed on the floor are better for energy efficiency.

Not all light bulbs are energy efficient.

Compact fluorescent lights are energy efficient.

The information in the advertisement would be MOST useful to

CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2012 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2012 Questions