proficiency specimen paper 2

Choose the word that best fits each of the blanks in the following passage.. Another advance was the development of miniature cameras in the late 1920s, which made it possible for sports

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

EDUCATIONAL EXAMINATION

EXAMINATION OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

SPECIMEN PAPER 2

Concerned Subject: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Approximate Time: 180 minutes

Examination Date: …… / …… / ……

Student Name: Class: School:

 No further explanation may be asked or given

 Examinees are strictly forbidden to use other materials, including

dictionaries Violation of this rule may result in instantaneous

disqualification

MARK

SECTION ONE LEXICO–GRAMMAR

Part 1 Choose the word that best substitutes for the underlined word or phrase in each sentence Write your answers in the numbered box

1 You may catch a ……… of the deer galloping in the forest

2 He is on ……… with you, I really do not know who to promote to manager

3 The squirrels are ……… nuts into their homes for the winter

4 Animals with thick fur are well ……… in winter

5 Have you ……… the sale sign in front of your shop yet?

6 I am sure that you are ……… enough to afford a luxurious car like that

7 The accountant ……… the company fund and ran away to another country

8 She goes for a ……… once a week to ensure that her hands and nails are in good condition

9 It is impossible to miss the ……… of the Generation X in America

10 How are we going to reach you when you are staying in that ……… village?

11 The government has been criticised for its new economic ………

12 The spendthrift has been ……… money out of his old parents

13 He has a strong ……… to succeed

14 Henna is still very ………, unaware of the cruel world outside

15 He ……… his head as he listens to her approvingly

Your answers

Part 2 Fill in each blank with one suitable preposition or particle from the following box Each word can only be used once Write your answers in the numbered box

16 If you draw ……… income from your investment too quickly, it may not last long

17 They agreed to the policy ……… the understanding that it would be to their benefits

18 Pack it ………, will you? Your guitar playing is getting on my nerves

19 Further ……… the road, some more policies are sure to be introduced

20 Clever people never bite ……… more than they can chew

21 I think it would be fun to swan ……… Europe in the summer

22 That old, crazy man once claimed he was descended ……… William Shakespeare

23 Without any information to bank on, we landed ourselves ……… the most boring job of the lot

24 She gets so nervous at the thought of examinations that her mind completely blanks ………

25 She gambled ……… the house even though it was not hers

Your answers

Part 3 Match the verbs in column A with the appropriate prepositions in column B to fill in the blanks Note that there are two extra pairs of verbs and prepositions Make sure that the verbs are in the correct form Each word may be used only once There are two extra words in each column Write your answers in the provided space

26 We could not move fast because we were ……… by bags of shopping

27 When he first tried to ……… for the basketball team, he harshly failed

28 He is always ……… young women I wonder when he will get serious

29 After she tried to ……… divorce and the husband did not show up, the court granted her that wish

30 What do you ……… your success ……… to, luck or hard work?

31 He can always ……… his conversation ……… whoever he is with

32 Just make sure you ……… the tower ……… sight That way, you will not get lost

33 The man always ……… before seven o’clock to avoid traffic jams

34 How are you ……… in your new work? I hope everything is fine

35 Do I know Fred Smith? No, I have never ……… him

Your answers

Part 4 Read the letter below and look carefully at each line Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there If a line is correct, put a tick () by the number If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word on the left

I am writing to complain about our recent holiday, which involved several last-minute changes to the

arrangements, despite the fact that we had made our booking for several months in advance The journey to the

coast took four hours longer than your brochure suggested The coach which took us was far too much old and

the last part of the journey was terrifying, as if the driver tried to make up for the time we had lost However,

this was nothing compared with our horror when we arrived at the hotel Your advertisement promised to us

large rooms with colour television In fact, our bedroom was hardly that big enough to lie down in and the only

television was in the lounge We did not go downstairs for an evening meal, but decided instead to go to the bed

straightaway It was quite clear that we could not enjoy our holiday in this hotel Your representative was no

help at all, so we had to find somewhere else to stay at for the rest of the week ourselves I expect you to return

the money we paid for this trip, which it totally failed to live up to the claims in your brochure

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Part 5 Fill in each blank with the most suitable form of the word in brackets Write your answers in the column on the right

FAST BRAIN WAVES

Over half a century ago, scientists found that they could record the electrical signals of the brain at

work What at first appeared a random hotchpotch of activity became a pattern of elegant waves (46

RHYTHM) determined Ever since, scientists have wondered whether the secrets of our thoughts, (47

PERCEIVE) and even (48 CONSCIOUS) itself might be hidden in the patterns of our brain waves

The question of why we have brain waves is, (49 ARGUE), as hotly debated today as it was when the

patterns were discovered But the meaning, and even the existence, of fast rhythms in the alert brain is

highly (50 CONTROVERSY)

What is problematic is that you cannot perceive these rhythms directly, they are so well hidden in the

noise created by other brain activity, but many (51 SEARCH) now hold the (52 CONVINCE) that the

significance of these brain waves should not be (53 ESTIMATE)

The latest suggestion is that the rhythms could be (54 DECIDE) in detecting progresses going on in

different regions of the brain Some believe that these rhythms might even interact, and in doing so help

the brain to package information into (55 COHERE) thoughts How we bring together these related

signals of the brain is a puzzle as yet unsolved

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SECTION TWO READING

Part 6 Choose the word that best fits each of the blanks in the following passage Write your answers in the numbered box

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Sport as a spectacle and photography as a way of recording action have developed together At the turn of the 20th century, Edward J

Muybridge was experimenting with photographs of movement His pictures of a runner (56) ……… in every history of photography Another milestone was when the scientist and photographer Harold Edgerton (57) ……… the limits of photographic technology with his study of a (58) ……… of milk hitting the suffice of a dish Another advance was the development of miniature cameras in the late 1920s, which made it possible for sports photographers to (59) ……… their cumbersome cameras behind

The arrival of television was a significant development in the transmission of sport Paradoxically, it was of benefit to still photographers

People who watched a sports event on TV, with all its movement and action, (60) ……… the still image as a reminder of the game

Looking back, we can see how (61) ……… sports photography has changed Early sports photographers were as interested in the stories behind the sport as in the sport itself Contemporary sports photography (62) ……… the glamour of sport, the colour and the action But the best sports photographers today do more than simply tell the story of the event, or make a (63) ……… of it They (64) ……… in a single dramatic moment the real emotions of the participants, emotions with which people looking at the photographs can (65) ………

Your answers

Part 7 Read the following passage and answer the questions following the instructions given

Inflation is a dreaded situation among everyone all over the world It normally occurs after a long period of changes but there are also

intervals at which large and sudden increases in prices take place When the supply of well-traded goods falls suddenly, the prices of the

goods will rise Whether inflation is to happen depends on the nature of the demand and supply of the goods When demand increases, the prices of the goods will rise, especially if supply cannot keep up with the demand It is common to see the price of fuel increasing when the

supply of oil is disrupted

The supply and demand of a good determines the price at which it is sold How many times have we seen items that have been collecting dust on shop shelves given a discount? When an item is popular, the price naturally increases Suppliers increase the price when people are willing to pay more for the goods they want Inflation is usually most pertinent in everyday items These are usually necessities, like food, soap, shampoo and even clothes and shoes It might be surprising to discover that such common items, most of which fetch an average of ten dollars, will be the hardest hit when changes occur in the economy Luxury goods are only demanded by a small portion of the population and will hardly be affected by inflation However, as more and more goods become part of everyday items, inflation begins to

affect a wider spectrum of goods sold in the market For example, in the past, air-conditioners and washing machines could only be found

in homes for the rich Today, they are a necessity in almost every household

Tribal groups are the hardest hit when inflation occurs in the country that they are residing in For many of them, the opening up of their societies has exposed them to the different goods available in the world In a bid to obtain these goods, many of them have to leave their homes and work in the city For the less fortunate ones, they usually remain in the mountains and countryside, producing traditional handicraft on a massive scale The only way for them to obtain goods sold in the towns is to earn money from the sale of their handicraft Some of them have even opened their homes to tourists for a fee

When inflation occurs, goods that are affected are usually those that the tribal groups have set their sights on Hence, the price of spices, material and household tools like cutlery become more expensive On the other hand, the price of handicrafts remain the same The situation

is worsened when the tribes produce more handicraft to earn more The uniqueness of such handicraft is the draw for many buyers and when produced on a massive scale, becomes less desirable

Inflation therefore affects different people differently Besides the relationship between the type of goods that are desired and the type of goods that one has to offer for sale, inflation usually affects those in the lowest rungs of society The little that they own can now buy much less than they could before

Answer the questions that follow by choosing A, B, C or D Write your answers in the numbered box

66 It can be inferred from the passage that ………

A tribal groups are the sole affected group of people during inflation B items needed by less people are less affected by inflation

C people in the city find it harder to obtain goods D inflation can be prevented by supplying more goods

67 Why does the writer mentions “items that have been collecting dust on shop” in the second paragraph?

A To show the extent to which demands affect prices B To demonstrate how the supply of goods is important

C To state how difficult it is to find antiquities in shop D To exemplify the cause of inflation

68 The word “disrupted” used in the first paragraph can best be replaced by ………

A permitted B perceived C obstructed D precognitive 69 The word “spectrum” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to the word ………

A range B power C matter D length 70 Which of the following is not stated as a hindrance to the obtaining of spices by tribal groups during inflation? A There is an increase in the price of spices B Prices of handicrafts remain unchanged by inflation C Too many handicrafts are produced leading to reduction in price D They are not allowed to go to the city For each of the following sentences, decide whether it is true, false or not given by writing T, F or NG in the numbered box 71 Inflation oftentimes affects those at the lowest ranks of the society 72 Tribal members that leave to seek jobs in the city are more likely to suffer from inflation than others 73 The only way for tribal groups to get goods sold in the towns is to sell their handicrafts or open their homes to tourists for a fee 74 Monetary negotiations are often made during inflation 75 Goods that sell badly are those not very demanded ones Your answers 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 Part 8 Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one suitable word Write your answers in the numbered box URBAN SPARROWS During the last 25 years, Britain’s urban sparrow population has declined by as much as two-thirds, and the bird has almost disappeared from many of (76) ……… former haunts The decline has been blamed on (77) ……… from cats to garden pesticides Moreover, modern buildings have far (78) ……… few nooks and crannies (79) ……… the birds can nest Factors (80) ……… these may well be involved, but alone they (81) ……… to explain the severity of the decline, or the fact that other urban birds have been less affected Denis Summers-Smith is the world’s leading expert on sparrows, so when he (82) ……… up with a theory to explain their decline, it has to be (83) ……… listening to He suggests that the culprit is a chemical added to unleaded petrol It would be deeply ironic if a policy that was intended to improve the nation’s health (84) ……… to prove responsible for the decline of (85) ……… of its favourite species (86) ……… to Summers-Smith, social species such as the sparrow require a minimum population in a specific area to breed successfully If, (87) ……… whatever reason, numbers drop (88) ……… this threshold, the stimulus to breed disappears The most dramatic example is the passenger pigeon, (89) ……… in the late nineteenth century went from (90) ……… the world’s most common bird to total extinction within fifty years Your answers 76 77 78 79 80

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SECTION FOUR WRITING Part 9 For Questions 91 – 115, write at least 150 words following the instruction below The charts below show the main reasons for study among students of different age groups and the amount of support they received from employers Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

Part 10 For Questions 116 – 150, write a composition of between 300 and 600 words on the following topic “Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no direction,” Fitzhugh Dodson once said How important are goals in one’s life? Explain your answer

THE END

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

EDUCATIONAL EXAMINATION

EXAMINATION OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

SPECIMEN PAPER 2

Concerned Subject: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

46 rhythmically 47 perception(s) 48 consciousness 49 (un)arguably 50 controversial

Part 9 For this part of the Paper, markers may refer to the following scheme of grading the composition:

Contents, Organisation and Cohesion (8 marks): The student must be able to:

- Summarise key features of both charts

- Identify clear trends and support them with appropriate figures

- Organisation is clearly clever and progressive in showing the analysed features

Command of Language (5 marks): The student employs a good range of vocabulary and a grammatical selection of appropriate

structures

Handwriting and Presentation (2 marks): The student’s handwriting is intelligible and space is cleverly used

Part 10 For this part of the Paper, markers may refer to the following scheme of grading the composition:

Contents (11 marks): The student can show clear, pondering reasons for their choice and development in their answer

Organisation and cohesion (11 marks): Clear paragraphing and coherent, compelling, expressive way of reasoning

Command of Language (11 marks): The student employs a good range of vocabulary and a grammatical selection of appropriate

structures

Handwriting and Presentation (2 marks): The student’s handwriting is intelligible and space is cleverly used

Example Answer (Part 9)

The first graph shows that there is a gradual decrease in study for career reasons with age Nearly 80% of students under 26 years old study for their career This percentage gradually declines by 10 – 20% every decade of age Only 40% of 40 – 49 years old and 18% of over 49 years old studying for career reasons in late adulthood

Conversely, the first graph also shows that study stemming from interest increases with age There are only 10% of under 26 years old studying out of interest The percentage increases slowly till the beginning of the fourth decade, and increases dramatically in late adulthood Nearly same number of 40 – 49 years old study for career and interest However 70% of over 49 years old study for interest

in comparison to 18% studying for career reasons in that age group

The second graph shows that employer support is maximum (approximately 60%) for the under–26–year–old students It drops rapidly

to 32% up to the third decade of life, and then increases in late adulthood up to about 44% It is unclear whether employer' support is only for career-focused study, but the highest level is for those students who mainly study for career purposes

Examiner’s Comment

This answer summarises the key features of both charts and integrates them well Clear trends are identified and supported with appropriately-selected figures The answer could only be improved by adding an introduction to the general topic of the charts

The information is well organised, with a clearly-signalled progression Linking words are used accurately and precisely, although there

is occasional omission Paragraphing is used well initially, but lapses in the later section

A very good range of vocabulary is used to convey the information concisely and accurately with only occasional inappropriacy Words are used precisely and there are no errors in spelling or word form

A wide range of structures is used and most sentences in this answer are accurate Errors are rare and do not affect communication in this answer