SECTION C

[15 marks]
[Time suggested : 25 minutes]
Exercise 1
Questions 21 - 27 are based on a newspaper report.
A bear pounced on a 60-year-old woman and dragged her into a jungle not far from where she
was tapping rubber in Kampung Pasir Hitam in Jengka, Pahang.
Aminah Yahaya's painful screams caught the attention of her husband, who threw a sickle at the
beast and hit it with a tree branch to force it to release her, Metro Daily reported.
Recalling the horrifying incident from her hospital bed in Pekan, Aminah said she and her husband
Manan Othman,63, had gone on their usual routine to tap rubber in their estate on Thursday morning.
At about 8.30 in the morning, a huge black bear, almost six feet in height, suddenly came from
behind. It attacked and dragged her for several metres into the thick jungle. At first, she was too
stunned to react but after the initial shock, she decided to fight back.
"I struggled and screamed but it did not let go. It bit into my head and neck. I screamed louder
and said a little prayer."
The sight of blood from her wounds and the intense pain almost made her lose hope.
Fortunately for her, her husband was not far away. Manan said he shuddered at the thought of what
could have happened if he was not nearby to hear his wife's screams. As their plantation was in a
remote area, there was no one else to help them.
Terengganu Wildlife and National Parks Department had received a report on the incident and
would set up traps to prevent wild animals from encroaching into plantations. The department also
warned that encounters between humans and animals are bound to increase, as hungry and
threatened wild animals face a shrinking habitat.
Adapted from The Star
Questions 21 24
Read the newspaper report carefully and answer the questions below.
21
22
23
24

Name the village where the incident happened.

___________________________________________________________
How did Manan force the bear to let go of his wife?
___________________________________________________________
What were Manan and Aminah doing in their plantation on Thursday morning?
___________________________________________________________
a) Did Aminah fight back in the beginning when the bear attacked her?

[1 mark]
[1mark]
[1 mark]
[1 mark]

___________________________________________________________
b) Aminah nearly gave up fighting the bear. Why?
___________________________________________________________
c) Why didn't others help Manan and his wife?
___________________________________________________________
d) According to the newspaper report, what do the authorities plan to do to
stop encounters between humans and animals?

[1 mark]
[1 mark]
[1 mark]

___________________________________________________________
25

Fill in the table with appropriate words/phrases from the newspaper report.

Meaning
a) frightening
b) great
c) surrender
26

27

Word/Phrase
[3 marks]

State 2 possible reasons why the bear attacked Aminah.

i.
_________________________________________________
ii.
_________________________________________________
List 3 precautions people can take when they work near the jungle.
i.
_________________________________________________
ii.
_________________________________________________
iii.
_________________________________________________

[2 marks]
[3 mark]

Exercise 2 - Questions 21 -27 are based on this article

CHILDHOOD- the best time of your life?
Some people say that childhood is the best time of your life. However, being a child has both its
advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you have very few responsibilities. For example, you
dont have to go to work, shop, cook or pay bills. This means you have plenty of free time to do
whatever you want - watch TV, play computer games, go out with friends, involve in sports and pursue
other hobbies. Public transport, cinema and sports centres also cost much less for children. In short,
being a child is an exciting time in life.
However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing, you have to spend five days a week, from
Sunday to Thursday at school. Studying usually means you have to do a lot of homework, attend extra
classes and sit for exams. On top of that, you need to fulfil your parents expectation and pass with
flying colours.
What is more, you may have a lot of free time but you are rarely allowed to do whatever you want. You
usually have to ask your parents permission before doing anything - from shopping in town to staying
out late.
Last but not least, although there are often cheaper prices for children, things are still expensive. Some
parents are not always generous in giving pocket money. The reality is that sometimes there is not
enough money to satisfy a childs need.

To sum up, some people see childhood as the best time in their lives. However in reality children do not
have choices to do what they want. As children grow up, they will soon realize that they have more
responsibilities to bear.
(Adapted from QUEST MAGAZINE MARCH 2009)

Read the article carefully and answer the questions below based on the article.
21. List two responsibilities given in the article which a child does not have to carry out.
i. _____________________________________________________________[1 mark]
ii. _____________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
22. What privilege does a child get when he/ she visits a recreational centre ?
__________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
23. Why parents are not generous in giving more pocket money to their children?
__________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
24. Fill in the table with the appropriate word/ phrase from the article.
PHRASE
to engage

MEANING

seldom
turn up for
a disadvantage

Questions 25-26: Complete the table with the advantages and the disadvantages of being a child as
mentioned in the text.
25. Advantages
( i )________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
( ii ) _______________________________________________________________[1 mark]
26. Disadvantages

( i )________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
( ii ) ________________________________________________________________[1 mark]
27. Suggest other ways, which are not stated in the text; how children can show their responsibilities
towards their parents.
i. ____________________________________________________________[1 mark]
ii. ____________________________________________________________[1 mark]
iii. ____________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

Exercise 3 - Read the extract below.

The Sultan had heard of Puteri Gunung Ledangs beauty and wanted to marry her but
she set seven impossible conditions for him. The conditions were a golden walkway for her to
walk to Malacca from the mountain, a silver walkway for her to return from Malacca to the
mountain, seven barrels of tears (specifically tears from virgins) for her to bathe. The Sultan
should also find her seven barrels of young betel nut juice from Betel Tree (Areca catechu)
for her to bathe. The fifth request from her was seven trays filled with hearts of germs, then
seven trays filled with hearts of mosquitoes, and lastly a silver bowl of the blood of the
Sultan's young son.
All the conditions were set on purpose by the princess to test the Sultan's love
towards her whereby she knew that he would be unable to fulfill it as most of the requests
were rather illogical and mostly not achievable or attainable by the Sultan. The last request
was a difficult decision for the Sultan as his son is the only descendant left to rule Malacca
during the Malacca Sultanate. The point of the story is that the Sultan was either too proud
or too blind to realize that the conditions were the princess way of turning his proposal
down.
Extracted taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_Puteri_Gunung_Ledang

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions (a) (j)
(a) What was the main reason for the Sultan to marry Puteri Gunung Ledang?
______________________________________________________________
(b) Why did the princess ask the Sultan to build a silver walkway for her?
______________________________________________________________

(1 mark)
(1mark)

(c) How much young betel nut juice needed to fulfill her request?
________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(d) Where did the princess live?
________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(e) Whose tears were needed to fulfill the conditions?
Meaning
Word/phrase
i.
unreasonable
ii.

unsuccessful

iii.

heir

iv.

notice
________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(f) Eventually, the Sultan could not meet the princess conditions. What was the main
reason?
________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(g) What was the purpose of Puteri Gunung Ledang setting all the conditions?
______________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(h) Fill in the table with an appropriate word / phrase from the passage.

(i) In your opinion, why did the last condition set up by the princess?
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
(j) From the second paragraph, how would you describe the Sultan as a father?
i.

_____________________________________________________________

ii.

Exercise 4
Read the article on how to set yourself up for success in school and answer questions (a) (i).

As a student, getting good grades in school does not come easy. You are required to
study many subjects and do well in them. You also have to participate in various extracurricular activities as well, and not to mention the amount of distractions that are out there
today. In order to be successful in school, there are a few things you can do in order to achieve
that success.
First thing to do is to have a study schedule. If you do not set yourself up to do well in
school, you are going to have a hard time going through school every day. By having a regular
study schedule, you will be able to bring up your grades and appreciate school more.
Secondly, you have to maintain a daily planner. School would not seem so
overwhelming if you keep your obligations in check. This can be done by having a daily
planner to help you keep track of what you need to do. Write down all your homework and due
dates for assignments.
Thirdly, having the habit of creating a good study environment will go a long way. If you
are working in a tight and cluttered space, you will be easily distracted by the mess around
you. By keeping a neat, spacious and well-lit study environment, you will be able to study well
and stay motivated.
Lastly, do not forget to take a break. Having a tired and worn-out mind will do you no
good. By getting enough rest, you will be able to study with a fresh mind. If you set yourself up
for success using the methods mentioned above, you are guaranteed to see improvements in
your grades.

(a) What is another thing that students have to do apart from studying?
___________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(b) What will happen if a student does not have a study schedule?
___________________________________________________________________(1 mark)

(c) List two important aspects of having a good studying environment.

i. ______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
ii. ______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(d) How would a daily planner help students to study better?
___________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(e) Fill in the table with appropriate word/ phrases from the article.
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

Meaning
easy to achieve
improve
long term benefits
a messy place or area

Word / Phrases

( 4 marks)
(f) How does studying in a cluttered environment affect a student?
___________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(g) What will happen when a student studies with a tired mind?
___________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(h) List two kind of distractions that you think are out there nowadays.
i. _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
ii. _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(i) Name two other methods that can be used to improve your grades.
i. _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
ii. _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)
[15 marks]
Exercise 5 Read the speech on how to perform well in an examination.
Good morning students of SMK Seri Muda. Examination is important and as such, you have to
be well-prepared to perform your best. As the examination period is approaching, some of you may
have butterflies in your stomach. But, do not worry. Today, I would like to share some tips on how you
can perform well in your examination.

Firstly, it is a bad habit to stay up late to catch up on your television. Another one is to revise at
the eleventh hour. These bad habits should not be encouraged. Always revise consistently, especially
after the lesson is taught.
Don't be afraid to ask questions in class. Talk to your teachers as they can provide you the
necessary guidance. Besides, you can form a study group. Group study enables you and your friends
to share ideas and opinions. This can be a valuable source of information, especially in the area you
are weak in.
During examination, listen to the instructions attentively given by the invigilator. He will tell you
the time allocated to answer the questions and will ask you to check the printed pages of the paper.
Use time given to you wisely in examination. If you are unable to answer a difficult question, do
not waste your time on it. You can come back to it later. Move on to do the easier ones first. Once you
have finished, do not leave the hall. Read what you have answered and check your work. They may be
some errors which can be corrected.
Don't forget to bring along your identity card with you on the day of the examination. You will
need it to enter the examination hall. Finally, always arrive early, at least half an hour before the paper
starts. Never arrive just in time or late for the examination.
These are some of the tips you can follow to prepare yourselves for an examination.
Remember, our performance in an examination depends on our efforts to prepare for it. Good luck and
thank you.

Read the speech carefully and answer questions (a) - (i).

(a) State one bad habit to avoid when doing revision.
________________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(b) How can talking to teachers help you?
________________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(c) Why is group study a valuable source of information?
________________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
(d) List two things that invigilators do before an examination starts.
i._ ______________________________________________________________________(1 mark)
ii______________________________________________________________________ _(1 mark)
e) Fill in the table with appropriate word/ phrases from the article.
Meaning

Word/Phrase

i. feeling nervous
ii. at the last minute
iii. given amount
iv. a person who supervises candidates during
examination
(f) Why is it necessary to check the printed pages of the paper?
________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(g) What should you do if you are unable to answer a question during the examination?
________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(h) List two important things to do on the day of the examination.
________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(i)

State two reasons why you should arrive early before the examination starts.

__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (2marks)