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SOLOMON ISLANDS SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

2000 ENGLISH

QUESTION BOOKLET

TIME: 3 HOURS PLUS

MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 8 A.M THE FIRST 15 MINS
READING TIME.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

2. THIS PAPER IS MADE UP OF FIVE (5) PARTS : READING

COMPREHENSION, FILL IN THE BLANK SPACES, GRAMMAR,
WRITTEN COMPOSITION A AND WRITTEN COMPOSITION B.

3. EACH PART WILL TAKE A CERTAIN LENGTH OF TIME TO

COMPLETE. THE TIME IS CLEARLY GIVEN FOR EACH PART.

4. BEFORE YOU BEGIN EACH PART, READ THROUGH ITS

INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY.

5. DO ALL YOUR ANSWERS IN THE SPECIFIED SPACES PROVIDED IN

THE ANSWER BOOKLETS 1 & 2.
YOU MAY COMPLETE QUESTIONS 1, 2 AND 3 IN ANSWER BOOKLET
ONE. QUESTIONS 4 AND 5 ARE TO BE COMPLETED IN ANSWER
BOOKLET TWO.

THIS BOOKLET SHOULD CONTAIN ……… NUMBERED PAGES.

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QUESTION ONE

READING COMPREHENSION (25 MARKS)

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SPEND 40 MINUTES ON THIS PART.

READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLY AND THEN ANSWER

THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE AND SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS ON IT.

THE SHARK: Splendid Savage of the sea.

His entire form is fluid, weaving from side to side. The thousand silky
creases in his skin emphasize each pattern of incredible muscle. His head
moves slowly from left to right, right to left, timed to the rhythm of his
speed through the water. Only the eye is fixed, focused on me, in order not
to lose sight for a second of his prey or, perhaps, of his enemy. 5

There is something of the miraculous in the suddenness of his appearance as

well as in his infinite grace. That the surface of the water is far above adds
to the magic of the moment. His silent circling is a ballet. There is no
threat, no movement of aggression and yet he generates fear. Murder is the
real function of this ideal form, of this icy-blue camouflage, and of that 10
enormous, powerful tail.

One hundred and then feet down in the clear, deep water of the Indian
Ocean, the great blue shark approaches in the unchanging manner which has
been that of his race throughout its existence. He is really a superb animal,
almost seven feet in length. And I know, since I have often seen it before, 15
that his jaw is lined with seven rows of teeth, as sharp as the finest razor.

He can swim at a speed of more than 30 knots, but he is circling slowly

around me as I begin to ascend toward the surface. I know that the circles
are growing smaller and smaller and, although I will probably succeed in
repelling his first attack if it comes, I also know that this will not discourage 20
him. His attacks will become more and more frequent, and in the end he
will break through my feeble defense and his jaws will close on the first bite
of my flesh. Drawn by invisible signals, other sharks of the open sea will
appear, and then it will be a frenzy of hunger, blood, irresistible strength and
horror. For this is the way of the great sharks of the open sea. 25

I climb back into our boat, after a last glance at the perfect silhouette and the
great staring eye, cursing my weakness and yet grateful for my fear. I look
at the others, companions in dives like this one. They look at me and
understand: there is a shark beneath us.
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Man has eliminated from the surface of the earth most of the animals and 30
many of the insects that could endanger his life. The shark need have no
fear of such an end. All species are perfectly adapted to their way of life,
and their great number makes their extermination difficult, if not impossible.
This means that the shark, one of the most dangerous predators, is still
uncontrolled by man. 35

Wherever man ventures on or under the sea, it is possible to encounter him.

Almost every species and even very small sharks, two feet in length, can be
dangerous or deadly. The first sharks appeared on earth about 400 million
years ago. Yet there still is no effective form of protection that is easily
carried by one man. 40

The shark is a killing machine. Often from the shelter of a steel or

aluminum diving cage and at a distance of only a few feet we have seen the
awesome mechanism by which he bites his prey. His jaw is located far back
beneath his long snout but this does not prevent him from biting directly
into the flesh. When he opens the jaw, the lower jawbone is thrust forward. 45
At the same time the snout is drawn back and up, until it makes almost a
right angle with the axis of his body. At this moment, the mouth is located
forward of the head and no longer beneath it. It resembles a large wolf, trap
with numerous sharp and gleaming teeth.

The shark plants this mechanism in the body of his victim. In a frenzy of 50
motion, he uses the weight of his own body to transform the teeth of the
jawbone into powerful saws. The force is so great that it takes no more than
an instant to tear off a large morsel of flesh. When the shark swims off, he
has left a deep and perfectly outlined hole in the body of his victim. It is
terrifying and sickening to watch. 55

One of the mysteries of nature is animal communication. Creatures of the

sea moves through their liquid element without any audible sound. Yet they
are able to sense the silent passing or attack of others of their kind. This is
because bodies moving in water create a pressure wave, something like the
puff of wind produced by a passing automobile. A narrow sensor system 60
running along each side of the shark, from eye to tail, receives and interprets
these pressure waves. I have seen sharks appear swiftly, obviously drawn
by the motion of a diver’s hands, which had sent out strong waves.

One might think it impossible to distinguish odors in water. Yet sharks,

surprisingly, are able to follow a scent across miles of ocean and arrive at its 65
exact source. A diver who spears a fish and attaches its bloody body to his
belt, and then goes on with the hunt, becomes a natural prey to the shark. I
have seen sharks follow a scent exactly like the dogs of a hunting pack.
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It is no wonder that the Greeks gave them the name “hounds of the sea.”
70
One of the most widely believed and dangerous legends about the shark is
that he has poor eyesight. On the contrary, the shark is well equipped to see
at a distance and to distinguish among forms. This fact was proved to me
one day when I went into the water off the coast of Africa. I sighted a shark
at some distance from me as I was floating at a very shallow depth. Since I 75
was making no movements, the sound of bubbles from my aqualung would
be confused with the light splashing of the water on a reef. I turned my eyes
away for a few seconds, to study the symmetrical design of a giant ray just
beneath me. I am not sure now whether it was simple instinct or a feeling of
movement but I turned back abruptly toward the location of the shark. And, 80
immediately, every muscle of my body tensed. He was no more than 30 feet
away, launched toward me as hard and swift as a missile.

The sight of a shark coming at you head-on is strange. Obviously it is from

this angle that he seems most formidable the very symbol of evil, with that
slit in the half opened mouth and the three regularly spaced fins. When the 85
shark had approached to within two feet of the rubber fins I had thrown at
him as a gesture of self-defense, he turned suddenly and swam back toward
the depths. There had been no sound, no scent. It appears certain that sight
alone was responsible for this approach.
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (10 MARKS)

THE SHARK: SPLENDID SAVAGE OF THE SEA.

1. What feature of the shark is emphasized in the first two paragraphs. (1)

A. movement
B. colour
C. appearance
D. size (C)

2. A shark can be as long as (1)

A. two feet
B. five feet
C. seven feet
D. thirty feet. (C )

3. When a shark bites a man, other sharks will appear as a result of signals
that are: (1)

A. seen
B. given off
C. unseen
D. noisy (C )

4. The word ‘eliminated’ (paragraph) __) means to: (1)

A. reduced
B. removed
C. excluded
D. lessen (B)

5. The pronoun ‘it’ (paragraph __ ) refers to the shark’s: (1)

A. head
B. mouth
C. trap
D. teeth (B)
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6. The word ‘ordors’ in the passage can be replaced by a simpler word such as
(1)
A. blood
B. smells
C. noice
D. colours (B)

7. The shark is said to have a good

A. hearing system
B. sense of sight
C. sense of smell
D. sensor system

8. The phrase ‘hounds of the sea’ is a comparison of the shark to the dog on the
land. This is an example of figurative language and is called a (2)

A. simile
B. metaphor
C. proverb
D. personification (B)

9. The passage is written from the point of view of the (2)

A. first person
B. second person
C. third person
D. the omniscent (A)

B. Short Answers

1. What might happen if the shark’s attack becomes more frequent ? (1)
2. What type of shark is the author writing about in the passage. (1)
3. What particular features would qualify the shark as a superb animal ? (3)
4. Define in your own words (2)
a) camouflage and b) enormous
5. Give a reason as to why the shark is still uncontrolled by man. (1)
6. Describe in your own words how the shark would use his mouth whenever he
attacks a prey. (2)
7. Explain what the phrase ‘distinguish the forms’ mean and give at least two
examples of forms. (2)
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8. Write down the main points under the two sub-headings given in the passage.
(4)

9. What is meant by the word ‘extermination’ as used in the passage ? (1)

10. The shark is sometimes referred to as the ____ and the ____ (2)

Each question has four suggested answers. Complete the questions by circling the
letter of the most appropriate answer in Answer Booklet 1 on Page 1.

1.

A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

2.

A.
B.
C.
D. . ( )

3.

A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

4.

A.
B.
C.
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D. ( )

5.

A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

6.

A. .
B.
C.
D. ( )

6.
A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

7.
A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

9.

A.
B.
C. ( )
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10.

A.
B.
C.
D. ( )

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (15 MARKS)

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN THE SPACES PROVIDED ON PAGES 2 - 4

OF ANSWER BOOKLET 1.
THE MARKS FOR THE QUESTIONS ARE CLEARLY PROVIDED.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN COMPLETE

SENTENCES. USE YOUR OWN WORDS AS FAR AS YOU CAN IN THE
ANSWERS.

11. (1 mark)

12. (2 marks)

13.
(3 marks)

14.
(2 marks)

15. (2 marks)

16.
(1 mark)
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17.

(3 marks)

QUESTION TWO

FILL IN THE BLANK SPACES (10 MARKS)

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YOU ARE ADVISED TO SPEND 20 MINUTES ON THIS SECTION.

SELECT THE MOST SUITABLE WORD FROM THE WORD-LIST FOR

EACH NUMBERED SPACE IN THE PASSAGE BELOW. ANY WORD YOU
CHOOSE MAY ONLY BE USED ONCE.

YOU MAY USE THE CONTEXT AS A GUIDE. ONLY ONE WORD IS

NEEDED FOR EACH SPACE. YOU ARE ADVISED TO ATTEMPT EVERY
POSSIBLE WORD BEFORE SELECTING THE MOST APPROPRIATE ONE.

WRITE THE WORD IN ITS CORRECT PLACE UNDER QUESTION TWO IN

YOUR ANSWER BOOKLET 1 ON PAGE 5. EACH ANSWER IS WORTH
HALF (½) A MARK.

DO NOT WRITE OUT THE WHOLE PASSAGE.

GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY

Centuries ago when a man was accused of committing a crime, he often had to go
through a strange test. In one country, a local prince 18 a pot of boiling oil.
A metal bar 19 dropped into the pot. The prisoner was then forced to put
20 hand into the oil and take out the bar. 21 prince believed that the oil
would 22 burn the hand of an innocent man. He thought that the hot oil
would burn a guilty man. 23 is no record that any prince ever plucked up the
courage to try the justice of this harsh test on 24 .

Another foolish method was used in Europe hundreds of years ago. 25 a man
was accused of a crime, 26 was taken to a pool or a river. 27 rope was
tied to the man and he was then thrown 28 the water. If he floated, the people
declared 29 he was guilty. They then took him out of the water and punished
him. Sometimes he was even killed.

30 , if the man 31 the people maintained that he was 32 .

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They pulled him out of the water quickly and released him. We do not know what
happened if he had learnt to 33 under the water.

Today our methods are 34 better. An accused man is taken to a law court.
When 35 offence is small, a magistrate 36 the case. If the offence is
serious, the people on the jury decide 37 the prisoner is innocent or guilty.
Then an innocent man is set free, while the judge decides the punishment for the guilty
man

(Adapted from ‘Objective English Tests’ by Etherton, E.R.B. (1968), Longman London.)

Wordlist

more he judges However weather

not whether There judge much
that is innocent was sank
the The A himself his
swim guilty into an used
Therefore others When sink certainly

QUESTION THREE

GRAMMAR (20 MARKS)

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YOU ARE ADVISED TO SPEND 20 MINUTES ON THIS QUESTION.

THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO THIS QUESTION – PART A, B AND C.

YOU ARE ASKED TO CAREFULLY READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR
EACH PART BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

THE TOTAL MARK FOR EACH PART IS CLEARLY INDICATED.

PART A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. (10 MARKS)

THE TOTAL FOR THIS PART IS 10 MARKS. EACH ANSWER IS WORTH

HALF (½) A MARK.

COMPLETE QUESTIONS 38 – 57 IN THIS PART BY CIRCLING THE MOST

APPROPRIATE LETTER ( A, B, C, D, OR E ) ON PAGE 6 OF THE ANSWER
BOOKLET 1.

38. This problem does not concern him, nor…. it ….. you.

A. is….. concern
B. do …. concern
C. is …. concerning
D. does…. concern
E. does ….. concerns (1/2 mark )

39. Which one of these words is spelt incorrectly?

A. rhythm
B. careful
C. description
D. bicycle
E. explaination (1/2 mark )

40. The plan…….. is quite sound. What I don’t like is the way in which it is to be
carried out.
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A. themselves
B. itself
C. oneself
D. yourself
E. ourselves (1/2 mark )

41. The businessman took advantage…… his customers’ ignorance and

overcharged them for their recent orders.

A. of
B. to
C. for
D. from
E. with (1/2 mark )

42. The swimmer will be lucky if he ……. without injury.

A. escape
B. escaped
C. is escaping
D. will escape
E. escapes (1/2 mark )

43. The visitors arrived without ……. us earlier.

A. warning
B. to warn
C. warn
D. a warning
E. warned (1/2 mark )

44. We caught the girls…. the mango fruit before they got permission from the
owner.
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A. takes
B. taken
C. take
D. taking
E. took (1/2 mark )

45. Two of the parliamentarians abstained…… voting on issues relating to the

current unrest in the country.

A. with
B. for
C. against
D. at
E. from (1/2 mark )

46. The road leading to where I live is …… than any other road in the town.

A. bad
B. worse
C. most uneven
D. roughest
E. worst (1/2 mark )

47. If the girl….. more careful, she wouldn’t have caused the car accident.

A. has been
B. being
C. had been
D. have been
E. was (1/2 mark )

48. The accident was my fault,….. I had to pay for the damage.

A. then
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B. inspite of
C. although
D. but
E. therefore (1/2 mark )

49. The club is for members only. You….. you’re a member.

A. can’t go in if
B. can’t go in when
C. can’t go in unless
D. can go in unless
E. no words are needed (1/2 mark )

50. Jane doesn’t enjoy going to school. She is easily…… by her teacher’s
uninteresting voice.

A. boring
B. bored
C. was bored
D. has been bored
E. is bored (1/2 mark )

51. I don’t like stories, ……… have unhappy endings. (Note the punctuation)

A. who
B. with
C. which
D. they
E. that (1/2 mark )

52. I am supposed to tell you where ……….me.

A. you to meet
B. you had met
C. should you meet
D. to meet
E. you meet (1/2 mark )

53. What is the name of the man ………….?

A. you borrowed his car

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B. which car you borrowed
C. whose car you borrowed
D. his car you borrowed
E. whose car you borrowed it (1/2 mark )

54. We ……….. by a loud noise last night.

A. woke up
B. had been woken up
C. are woken up
D. have been woken up
E. were woken up (1/2 mark )

55. I don’t understand this word. What………?

A. does it mean
B. it means
C. means this word
D. this means
E. does it means (1/2 mark )

56. Sade has been working here……….

A. in six months
B. since six months
C. for six months
D. six months ago
E. by the sixth month (1/2 mark )

57. Susuta said that Aitara was selfish. She accused him…..

A. for being selfish

B. of being selfish
C. to be selfish
D. being selfish
E. too selfish (1/2 mark )

PART B: REWRITING SENTENCES (5 MARKS)

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THERE ARE 10 QUESTIONS IN PART B. IT IS WORTH 5 MARKS.
EACH
QUESTION IS WORTH HALF (½) A MARK.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE SO THAT IT

MEANS THE SAME AS THE ONE IN BRACKETS. WRITE YOUR
ANSWERS ON PAGES 7-9 OF ANSWER BOOKLET 1.

For example: (WHY IS IT GOOD TO HELP OLD PEOPLE ? )

Rewritten Sentence: WHAT‘S GOOD ABOUT HELPING OLD PEOPLE ?

58. (My brother does not intend to pay my school fees.)

My brother has no intention of …………………………. (1/2 mark)

59. (Kata has a good memory for names.)

Kata is good at ……………………………. (1/2 mark)

60. (I will pass the exam. I have every chance to do so.)

I have every chance of ……………………….. (1/2 mark)

61. (We did not visit my grandmother last Christmas. We had my uncle visit us
instead.)

Instead of …………………………… (1/2 mark)

62. (Boka thinks that doing nothing is better than working hard.)

Boka prefers doing nothing ………………………. (1/2 mark)

63. (The burglars got into our house. They broke the louvres in order to get in.)
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The burglars got into our house by …………………………… (1/2 mark)

64. (My friends got married. They did not tell any of their families and friends.)

My friends got married without ………………………………. (1/2 mark)

65. (Our team played well but we lost the game.)

Our team lost the game inspite of ………………………………. (1/2 mark)

66. (Did you get into trouble because you were late ?)

Did you get into trouble for ………………………………. (1/2 mark)

67. (I ran home last night. I did not stop on the way.)

I ran home last night without ……………………………….. (1/2 mark)

PART C: COUNT AND NON-COUNT NOUNS (5 MARKS)

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THERE ARE TEN QUESTIONS IN PART C. IT IS MARKED OUT OF A
TOTAL OF 5 MARKS . EACH QUESTION IS WORTH HALF (½) A MARK

COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE USING THE MOST APPROPRIATE WORD

FROM THESE PROVIDED BELOW. YOU MAY USE A OR AN WHERE
EVER NECESSARY.

YOU MAY WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE APPROPRIATE SPACE ON

PAGES 10-11 OF ANSWER BOOKLET 1.

biscuit accident question blood coat electricity

moment music sugar decision key letter

For example: I did not phone my parents. I wrote them a letter instead.

68. I did not mean to make that mistake. It was ………………………………...

(1/2 mark)

69. Do you take ………………………….. in your tea ? (1/2 mark)

70. The heart pumps ………………………….. through the body.

(1/2 mark)

71. Our lives would be very difficult without ……………………………….

(1/2 mark)

72. I could not get into the house because I did not have …………………….
(1/2 mark)

73. Listen ! Can you hear ……………………………………. ?

(1/2 mark)

74. Excuse me, but can I ask you ………………………………….. (1/2 mark)

75. We cannot delay much longer. We have to make …………………… soon.

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(1/2 mark)

76. I’m not ready yet. Please wait …………………………. for me.
(1/2 mark)

77. It’s very warm today. Why are you wearing ……………………….. ?

(1/2 mark)

QUESTION FOUR
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WRITTEN COMPOSITION A (15 MARKS)

IN MARKING THIS ESSAY, THE EXAMINER WILL BE LOOKING FOR

THE FOLLOWING:

* A CLEAR BEGINNING
* DEFINITE/ORIGINAL IDEAS OR POINTS WITH CLEAR
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
* LOGICAL ORGANISATION OF YOUR IDEAS
* LIVELY AND CORRECT EXPRESSIONS
* SMOOTH LINKING OF SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS,
AND A CONCLUSION ROUNDING OFF YOUR POINTS.

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SPEND 35 MINUTES ON THIS QUESTION PLUS

5 MINUTES TO PLAN YOUR ESSAY. YOUR ESSAY SHOULD BE ABOUT
300 WORDS LONG.

WRITE ON ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS

BEGIN ON PAGE 2 OF ANSWER BOOKLET 2.

78. The current ethnic tension on Guadalcanal is ‘killing the tourist industry’ in
Solomon Islands. Present your views, clearly stating whether or not you agree
with the ideas.

79. Nature in an angry mood! Man cannot conquer nature in an angry mood.
Discuss your view on this idea. ?

QUESTION FIVE
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WRITTEN COMPOSITION B (10 MARKS)

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SPEND 35 MINUTES ON THIS QUESTION PLUS 5

MINUTES TO PLAN YOUR ESSAY. THE ESSAY SHOULD BE ABOUT 300
WORDS LONG.

IN MARKING THIS ESSAY, THE EXAMINER WILL BE LOOKING FOR

THE FOLLOWING:

* LIVELY AND CORRECT EXPRESSION OF IDEAS

* A CREATIVE PIECE OF WRITING, WELL PRESENTED
* CLEAR DISCUSSION OF DEFINITE POINTS OR IDEAS
• POINTS THAT HELP TO KEEP YOUR DISCUSSION TO THE
TOPIC.
* CLEAR SEQUENCING OF IDEAS OR EVENTS.

WRITE ON ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS.

BEGIN ON PAGE 6 OF ANSWER BOOKLET 2.

EITHER

80. One dark night you had to walk past a haunted house alone. Imagine and write
about what you saw and the thoughts that came to your mind. How did you
eventually overcome those thoughts.

OR

81. Describe your ideal picnic spot along the shore of an island. Explain as clearly
as you can the different features that make it the most beautiful place on earth.