GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours

Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

Answer all questions on this paper itself

PART A- GRAMMAR
I. Complete each sentence with a verb (in the correct form) and an adjective from the
boxes.
awful
fine
interesting
feel
look
seem
smell
sound
taste
nice
upset
wet
1. Ann ........................ this morning. Do you know what was wrong?
2. I can't eat this. I've just tried it and it ........................................................
3. I wasn't very well yesterday but I ..................................... today.
4. What beautiful flowers! They ............................................. too.
5. You ............................................................ Have you been out in the rain?
6. Jim was telling me about his new job. It ..................... quite .......................,

much

better than his old job.

II.

Read the postcard and write the missing words, Use one word only in each space.

We're having a great time here. It's beautiful, and the sun (l) ...................... ............. shining:
Yesterday I went water-skiing! What (2) ...................................you think of that?
I'm (3) ................................... at a table in our hotel room and writing a few postcards. The
room is fine, but we (4) ................................... like the food very much. But it (5)
................................... matter because we (6) ................ .................. out to a restaurant every
evening.

We're both (7) ................................... very lazy at the moment. I (8) .................. ................ up
quite late in the morning, and Tom (9) ................................... up even later. You know of
course how much Tom's work (10) ................................... to him and how he's talking about
it. Well, the holiday is so good that he's forgotten all about work. So it's the perfect holiday.
The only problem is that it (11) ................................... us a lot of money. But we'll worry
about that later.

III. Complete the following questions so as to get the answers given below each of them.
(l) Where..............................................................................................................................
I go to school in Kandy
(2) How many .....................................................................................................................
We have two cars.
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

(3) Whom .............................................................................................................................

I called Mary last night
(4) Which ............................................................................................................................
The black dog is hungry, but the white dog isn't hungry.
(5) What ..............................................................................................................................
I eat rice and vegetable for lunch.
IV. Complete the following sentences with suitable words given below.
(lending, burned, hearing, running, disturbing, leaving,
burning, threatened, laden, thinking,)
1. I saw a house ............... to ashes.
2. All the trees are............... with fruit.
3. I saw him ...............the money.
4 ...............the loud cries, we woke up.
5. We saw the thief ...............
6. The principal caught many students ...............
7. I smell something ...............
8. He kept me ...............
9. We noticed some one ...............
10 ...............by the forces, the guard surrendered
V. Fill in the blanks in the suitable word in the brackets.
1. I need to buy..................................
a) a bread

b) a loaf bread

c) a loaf of bread

d) breads

2. My father is not only the town mayor, he runs ..................................too.

a) a business b) a piece of business c) business

d) some business

3. The ..................................produced at our factory in Scotland.

a) good are

b) good is

c) goods are

d) goods is

4. I'm looking for ..................................to cut this string.

a) a pair of scissors

b) a scissor

c) a scissors

d) some scissors

5. I was watching TV at home when suddenly.................................. rang.

a) a doorbell b) an doorbell

c) doorbell

d) the doorbell

6. I've always liked ..................................

a) Chinese food

b) food of China

c) some food of China d) the Chinese food

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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

7. In England most children go.................................. at the age of five.

a) school

b) to school

c) to some schools

d) to the school

8. We haven't had a holiday for ..................................time.

a) a so long

b) so a long

c) such a long

d) such long

9. Our friends have a house in..................................

a) a West London b) the West London

c) West London

d) West of London

10. They wanted to deceive ......................

a) a enemy

b) enemy

c) the enemy

d) an enemies

PART B - COMPREHENSION l
I.

Of the options given below each sentence in bold print, underline the one that best
expresses its meaning.
(1) Ravi isn't here today Saman isn't here either.
a) Ravi isn't here today but Saman is here.
b) Both Ravi and Saman are here today.
c) Neither Saman nor Ravi is here today.
d) Saman isn't here today but Ravi is here.
(2) You are mistaken, or else he is
a) Either he or you are mistaken
b) Both of you are mistaken
c) You are mistaken and he is mistaken too
d) You are mistaken but he is not
(3) Even though I didn't understand a word, I kept smiling.
a) I understood everything and was smiling
b) I was smiling because I understood everything
c) I didn't understand anything but I was smiling
d) I understood something so I was smiling
(4) I am alternately happy and depressed
a) I am neither happy nor depressed
b) I am happy and not depressed
c) I am either happy or depressed
d) I am happy and depressed at the same time
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

(5) The strongest argument, though, is economic and not political

a) The strongest argument is political
b) The strongest argument is economic
c) The strongest argument is both economic and political
d) The strongest argument is neither economic nor political

II. Read the following passage taken from a book and do the activities that follow.
MONDAY.--This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always
hanging around and following me about. I don't like this; I am not used to company. I wish it
would stay with the other animals.... Cloudy today, wind in the east; think we shall have
rain.... WE? Where did I get that word-- the new creature uses it.
TUESDAY.--Been examining the great waterfall. It is the finest thing on the estate, I think.
The new creature calls it Niagara Falls-- why, I am sure I do not know. Says it LOOKS like
Niagara Falls. That is not a reason, it is mere waywardness and imbecility. I get no chance to
name anything myself. The new creature names everything that comes along, before I can get
in a protest. And always that same pretext is offered--it LOOKS like the thing. There is a
dodo, for instance. Says the moment one looks at it one sees at a glance that it "looks like a
dodo." It will have to keep that name, no doubt. It wearies me to fret about it, and it does no
good, anyway. Dodo! It looks no more like a dodo than I do.
WEDNESDAY.--Built me a shelter against the rain, but could not have it to myself in peace.
The new creature intruded. When I tried to put it out it shed water out of the holes it looks
with, and wiped it away with the back of its paws, and made a noise such as some of the other
animals make when they are in distress. I wish it would not talk; it is always talking. That
sounds like a cheap fling at the poor creature, a slur; but I do not mean it so. I have never
heard the human voice before, and any new and strange sound intruding itself here upon the
solemn hush of these dreaming solitudes offends my ear and seems a false note. And this new
sound is so close to me; it is right at my shoulder, right at my ear, first on one side and then
on the other, and I am used only to sounds that are more or less distant from me.
FRIDAY. The naming goes recklessly on, in spite of anything I can do. I had a very good
name for the estate, and it was musical and pretty-- GARDEN OF EDEN. Privately, I
continue to call it that, but not any longer publicly. The new creature says it is all woods and
rocks and scenery, and therefore has no resemblance to a garden. Says it LOOKS like a park,
and does not look like anything BUT a park. Consequently, without consulting me, it has
been new-named NIAGARA FALLS PARK. This is sufficiently high-handed, it seems to
me. And already there is a sign up:
Extract from Adms Diary, by Mark Twain, A.K.A. Samuel Clements
1. Who is not used to company?
....................................................................................................................................
2. Who is referred by the word it in the second line?
....................................................................................................................................
3. What is the name of the great waterfall?
....................................................................................................................................
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

4. What made by Adam in the rainy season?

....................................................................................................................................
5. When eve was refused to enter the shelter what was the reaction?
....................................................................................................................................
6. What is the name of the Garden?
....................................................................................................................................
7. What is the word used by Adam to speak about eve except "it"?
....................................................................................................................................
III. Read the following poem and do the activities that follow.
The only joy
of his old age
he often said
was his grand son
their friendship
straddled
eight decades
three generations
they laughed, played, quarreled, embraced
watched the television together
and while the rest had
little to say to the old man
the little fellow was
a fountain of endless chatter
When death rattled
The gate at five
One Sunday morning
Took the old man away
Others trumpeted their
grief in loud sobs
and lachrymose blubber
He never shed a tear
Just waved one of his inimitable goodbyes
to his grandfather
and was sad the old man
could not return his gesture
by : Cecil Rajendra
1. Who was the only joy of old man?...................................................................................
2. How old is the old man? ..................................................................................................
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

3. Mention few things done by the old man and the child?
..........................................................................................................................................
4. When did they take the old man away? ...........................................................................
5. Why was the little fellow sad? ........................................................................................
6. While they were taking the dead body away, what did the child do?
..........................................................................................................................................

PART C - SUMMARIZING (10 marks)

I. Write a summary of the following text. You may use any number of sentences but do
not use more than thirty (85) words. Write only one word in each cage.
The invention of the process of printing from movable type, which occurred in Germany
about the middle of the fifteenth century, was destined to exercise a far-reaching influence on
all the vernacular languages of Europe. Introduced into England about 1476 by William
Caxton, who had learned the art on the continent, printing made such rapid progress that a
scant century later it was observed that manuscript books were seldom to be met with and
almost never used. Some idea of the rapidity with which the new process swept forward may
be had from the fact that in Europe the number of books printed before the year 1500 reached
the surprising figure of 35,000. The majority of these, it is true, were in Latin, whereas it is in
the modern languages that the effect of the printing press is chiefly felt. But in England over
20,000 titles in English had appeared by 1640, ranging all the way from mere pamphlets to
massive folios. The result was to bring books, which had formerly been the expensive luxury
of the few, within the reach of all. More important, however, was the fact, so obvious today,
that it was possible to reproduce a book in a thousand copies or a hundred thousand, every
one exactly like the other. A powerful force thus existed for promoting a standard uniform
language, and the means were now available for spreading that language throughout the
territory in which it was understood. (Baugh, A History of the English Language)
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

PART D - WRITING
I.

Imagine that you are invited to deliver a speech about the founder principal in your
school. On the 75th anniversary of your school. You may use following guidelines.
1. appearance of the principal
2. qualities of the founder principal
3. the service he had done to the school

II. Read the following letter in which Richard Anderson had asked the finance
manager opportunities. Imagine your are Mr. John Smith and write suitable reply.
and answer the question given below.
Richard Anderson,
1234, West 67 Street,
Carlisle, MA 01741,
(123)-456 7890.
Date: 13th Aug, 2008.
Mr. John Smith,
ABC Entertainment,
257, Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 12345-6789.
Dear Mr. John Smith
As per your advertisement in the American Express Newspaper, you are seeking a finance
manager. According to your need for a finance manager position, enclosed is a copy of my
resume.
Following are my strengths:

Exceptional background in M & A with tremendous contacts in the investment

analysis, investment banking community and deal structuring.

Operational and strategic experience in the field of finance impacting on the bottom
line results.

Team and project leadership for accomplishing business goals.

Distribution, sales, and manufacturing assignments to build multi-site enterprises.

I am looking for the positive feedback from you. Waiting for a call or email regarding finance
manager opportunities. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Richard Anderson.
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GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (ADVANCED LEVEL) EXAMINATION,

General English - I - Three Hours
Model Paper
Prepared by Supun Jayasinghe

1. Where does Mr. Richard Anderson live?

..........................................................................................................................................
2. Mention two sections Richard Anderson capable of.
..........................................................................................................................................
3. What is the position applied by Mr. Anderson?
..........................................................................................................................................
4. Write similar words
enclosed

- ...........................................................

resume

- ...........................................................

accomplishing

- ...........................................................

manufacturing

- ...........................................................