CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2019 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

We found her appreciative of the help that we had given her on this matter.

Their actions showed that they were firm in their rejection of the new law.

Constructive criticism is neither appreciated nor encouraged by some of our peers.

They always displayed a lackadaisical approach to their studies so no one was surprised at the results.

As a result of the available evidence, the accused was apprehended and no further action was taken.

Items 6-10 Instructions: Each sentence has either one or two words missing. Choose from the four options the word or pair of words which BEST completes the meaning of the sentence.

After two years of probation he was .......... in the job because his employer found him to be an .......... worker.

resigned .......... efficient

retrenched .......... adept

confirmed .......... industrious

employed .......... unskilled

When parents display a .......... for one child, the others are likely to feel .......... .

concern .......... unsympathetic

dislike .......... indifferent

fondness .......... lonely

preference .......... jealous

.......... people are likely to be afraid to take risks in life.

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

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

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

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

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

Are you trying to .......... that all along he knew of the plot to oust the committee?

Instructions: Each sentence in this section is followed by four sentences, A, B, C and D. Choose the sentence NEAREST in meaning to the original sentence. Read all four sentences before you choose your answer.

Much is being done to develop tourism in our country by providing good hotel accommodation and facilities.

It is important to provide good hotel accommodation and facilities for tourists.

Good hotel accommodation and facilities are crucial if we want to develop tourism.

We are doing a great deal to boost tourism by providing good hotel accommodation and facilities.

If we do not provide good hotel accommodation and facilities, tourists will not come to our country.

So engrossed was he in his task that he did not hear his sister enter the room.

His task was so difficult that he did not observe his sister's entry.

He did not hear his sister enter the room because of the job he was doing.

His sister's entry did not attract his attention because he was enjoying what he was doing.

He was so preoccupied with what he was doing that he was unaware of his sister's entry.

John told his parents in no uncertain terms that he was going to university as soon as he left school.

John boasted to his parents that he was going to university as soon as he left school.

John told his parents that they should permit him to go to university after he left school.

John made it quite clear to his parents that when he left school he would go to university immediately.

John's parents were told that it was obviously his desire to attend university immediately after leaving school.

The bright colours of the bird distinguished it from the others flying across the pale sky.

The bright colours of the bird contrasted with the pale sky while it was flying.

The pale sky made the birds noticeable while flying as they had bright colours.

The pale sky made the birds distinguished, particularly the one with the bright colours.

The bright colours against the pale sky made the bird stand out among those flying by.

I cannot understand why you have done this since you tell me that Mark means a lot to you.

Since Mark means a lot to you, the reason for your action is puzzling to me.

Since you tell me that Mark means a lot to you, he cannot understand why you have done this.

You tell me that although Mark means a lot to you, you did this.

Mark cannot mean a lot to you or else I know you would not have done this.

Instructions: Some of the following sentences are unacceptable because of inappropriate grammar, idiom or vocabulary. Some sentences are acceptable as they stand. No sentence contains more than one inappropriate element. Select the ONE underlined part that you feel is inappropriate and choose the corresponding letter, A, B, C. If the sentence is acceptable as it stands, choose D.

We could reach the survivors neither by boat or by plane, and so we abandoned our search as futile.

I believe that if his attitude improves his general performance will also improve.

She was not feeling well at the beginning of the journey, and sitting at the front of the car made her feel worse.

Overcome by fear, I ran passed my home without realizing that I had done so.

The better of the two athletes claim never to have used the dangerous drugs found in his possession.

Items 21-25

Instructions: Each of the sentences in this section has one underlined word. Choose from the four options the word which is NEAREST IN MEANING to the underlined word.

It was impossible to rectify the error made by the computer since inaccurate information had been fed into it.

The bank teller indicated that our account was dormant.

The news story revealed the squalor of the old prison cells.

A citizen is expected to show complete allegiance to his native land.

For the first time in a decade the company disclosed a deficit in its account.

Items 26–33 Instructions: Read the following poem carefully and then answer Items 26–33 on the basis of what is stated or implied.

Taste of Endless Fruit

When a single kite is left in evening sky and I stand black against its saffron 5 pulling in the night-covers with a single thread I think of you. When chickens search the warmth of a hen's wings; 10 When bats break a calm lake like scissors on a warm fabric where a lone fisherman waits alone, on the hill, I think of you. Source unknown

There is a "single kite" (line 1) left in the sky MOST likely because

the lone fisherman waits

night covers have descended

the other kite flyers are asleep

What aspect of the sky does the poet focus on?

Of whom is the poet MOST likely thinking in the poem?

Someone he/she loves

"When bats break a calm lake/like scissors on a warm fabric" (lines 10–11) is an example of

The poet speaks of each of the following EXCEPT

a single kite that is flying

a lone fisherman waiting

bats breaking warm fabric

the hen's wings that are warm

Which of the following literary devices is used in line 4?

The poet's intention is to

tell us of the lone fisherman

tell someone he/she is missing him/her

Which word BEST describes the poet's tone?

Items 34-41 Instructions: Read the following extract carefully and then answer Items 34-41 on the basis of what is stated or implied.

She had always been a small woman - short, light-boned, delicately structured - but now, under the white hospital sheet, she was becoming tiny. I thought of a doll with huge, fierce eyes. There had always been a fierceness in her. It showed in that angry, challenging thrust of the chin when she issued an opinion, and a great one she had always been for issuing opinions.

"I tell people exactly what's on my mind," she had been fond of boasting. "I tell them what I think, whether they like it or not." Often they had not liked it. She could be sarcastic to people in whom she detected evidence of the ignoramus or the fool.

"It's not always a good policy to tell people exactly what's on your mind," I used to caution her.

"If they don't like it, that's too bad," was her customary reply, "because that's the way I am."

And so she was. A formidable woman. Determined to speak her mind, determined to bend those who opposed her. In that time when I had known her best, my mother had hurled herself at life with chin thrust forward, eyes blazing, and an energy that made her seem always on the run.

She ran after squawking chickens, a knife in her hand, determined on the beheading that would put dinner in the pot. She ran when she made the beds, ran when she set the table. One Thanksgiving she burned herself badly when, running up from the cellar oven with the ceremonial turkey, she tripped on the stairs and tumbled back down ending on the bottom in the debris of giblets, hot gravy, and battered turkey. Life was combat, and victory was not for the lazy, the timid, the slugabed, the drugstore cowboy, the mushmouth afraid to tell people exactly what was on their mind whether people liked it or not. She ran.

But now her running was over.

Adapted from Russell Baker, In My Day. Retrieved 23 February 2015 from http://WWW.douban.com/note/173685719.

The mother's "thrust of the chin" (line 4) is done in

The son cautioned his mother about telling people exactly what she thought because he

was affronted by her arrogance

thought others would be offended

found her behaviour aggressive

was upset that she would not change

Why does the writer choose the expression "A formidable woman" (line 13) to describe the mother?

He is intimidated by her.

Her words often provoked anger.

The difference in style shows the constancy of her character.

He emphasizes her strength which he finds admirable.

What does "In that time when I had known her best" (line 14) say about the mother-son relationship?

They had grown apart.

They admired each other.

They had always had a close relationship.

The son had forgotten things about his mother.

What literary device is used in lines 14–15, "my mother had hurled herself at life"?

The behaviours the mother finds contemptible include I. timidity II. laziness III. cowardice

The incident at Thanksgiving shows the mother's own attitude to be one of

The final sentence of the extract implies that the mother has

become lazy and sleepy

lost her physical strength

hurt her leg in the hospital

died leaving the son to reminisce

This passage is primarily based on

The word "principles" (line 6) means the same as

The writer uses an exclamation mark at the end of paragraph 3 (line 15) in order to

create an effect of shock

command the reader's attention

dispel any doubt in the reader's mind

The events of the passage are recorded in

According to the writer, "modern photography took off" (lines 18–19) when

Daguerre was introduced to Niépce

Niépce's photograph was made public

Daguerre made his discovery by using chemicals

Schulze made his discovery by using silver salts

Which of the following is the MOST suitable title for this passage?

Artists and Their Inventions

The Invention of The Camera

The Importance of Photographs

The Camera and Its Development

The writer's use of the word "brain" (line 1) is meant to

make fun of the decisions

exaggerate the traffic problems

create a comparison of streets

compliment those responsible

When the writer repeats "not them" in paragraph 1, he implies that

he is choosing someone to complain to

no one knows who is in charge of the traffic management

no one wants to accept responsibility for the traffic situation

he is searching diligently for the person in charge of traffic

"Stoke Street" (line 7), "Celestial Road" (line 9) and "Delino Street" (line 17) can BEST be considered as

assigned parking places for diplomats

examples to support the writer's case

prohibited streets for all drivers

streets that attract a lot of attention

The writer's tone can be described as

The last sentence of the letter is similar to paragraph 5 because both of them

contain rhetorical questions

The letter was MOST likely published in a

The author of this passage is MOST likely a

"Again the small man suffers!" (line 14) implies that the small man is often

the one who is wrong

discriminated against

According to the information provided, the MAIN theme of the symposium is

sexually transmitted diseases

Which of the following groups is NOT a sponsor of the symposium?

Conference of Churches

National Council on Drug Abuse

Which of the following words can BEST replace 'symposium' in the advertisement?

How can those who want to participate register for the event?

Call the Ministry of Youth and speak to Yvonne Dalton.

Contact Yvonne Dalton and call the Ministry of Education.

Telephone the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Education.

Complete a registration form and return it to the Ministry of Health.

All of the following groups are specifically invited to attend EXCEPT

members of the public

parents of young people

doctors, nurses, and other health care workers

CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2019 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

CSEC English A Paper 1 May/June 2019 Questions