TEST CODE 01218010

FORM TP 2019062 MAY/JUNE 2019

C ARIB B EAN E XAMINA T I O N S C OUN CIL

CARIBBEAN SE CONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE®
EXAMINATION
ENGLISHA
Paper 01 - General Proficiency
1 hour 30 minutes

( 14 MAY 2019 (p.m.) )

READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.

1. This test consists of 60 items. You will have 1 hour and 30 minutes to answer them.

2. In addition to this test booklet, you should have an answer sheet.

3. Each item in this test has four suggested answers lettered (A), (B), (C), (D). Read each item you
are about to answer and decide which choice is best.

4. On your answer sheet, find the number which corresponds to your item and shade the space having
the same letter as the answer you have chosen. Look at the sample item below.

Sample Item

Choose the word or set of words that BEST completes each sentence.

Someone who is suffering from influenza needs to be isolated as the disease is

(A) lasting Sample Answer

(B) serious
(C)
( D)
contagious
destructive
@@•@
The best answer to this item is "contagious", so (C) has been shaded.

5. Ifyo{i want to change your answer, erase it completely before you fill in your new choice.

6. When you are told to begin, turn the page and work as quickly and as carefully as you can. If you
cannot answer an item, go on to the next one. You inay return to that item later.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

Copyright© 2018 Caribbean Examinations Council

All rights reserved.

Ol?lROlO/MT/<:�Fr. ?OlQ
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Items 1-5

Instructions: Each sentence in this section has ONE underlined word or phrase. Choose from
the four suggested answers, the word or phrase which is closest to OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word or phrase.

1. We found her appreciative of the help that 4. They always displayed a lackadaisical
we had given her on this matter. approach to their studies so no one was
surprised at the results.
(A ) unhappy about
(B) displeased at (A) keen
(C) ungrateful for (B) calm
(D) intolerant of (C) casual
(D) careless

2. Their actions showed that they were firm

in their reiection of the new law. 5. As a result of the available evidence, the
accused was apprehended and no fiuther
(A) ignorance action was taken.
(B) application
(C) acceptance (A) evicted
(D) understanding (B) released
(C) cautioned
(D) summoned
3. Constructive criticism is neither appreciated
nor encouraged by some of our peers.

(A ) Sound
(B) Negative
(C) Valuable
(D) Unsatisfactory

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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.

6. After two years of probation he was .......... 9. The journalists were impressed by the
in the job because his employer found him .......... ofthe statesman whose speeches had
to be an .......... worker. a profound .......... on all who heard them.

(A) resigned .......... efficient (A) presence .......... result

(B) retrenched .......... adept (B) eloquence .......... effect
(C) confirmed .......... industrious (C) emotion .......... sensation
(D) employed .......... unskilled (D) appearance .......... reaction

7. When parents display a .......... for one child, 10. Are you trying to .......... that all along he
the others are likely to feel .......... . knew of the plot to oust the committee?

(A) concern .......... unsympathetic (A) clarify

(B) dislike .......... indifferent (B) accuse
(C) fondness .......... lonely (C) identify
(D) preference .......... jealous (D) insinuate

8. .......... people are likely to be afraid to take

risks in life.

(A ) Selfish
(B) Wealthy
(C) Cautious
(D) Knowledgeable

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Items 11-15

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.

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

(A) It is important to provide good hotel accommodation and facilities for tourists.
(B) Good hotel accommodation and facilities are crucial ifwe want to develop tourism.
(C) We are doing a great deal to boost tourism by providing good hotel accommodation and
facilities.
(D) Ifwe do not provide good hotel accommodation and facilities, tourists will not come to
our country.

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

(A) His task was so difficult that he did not observe his sister's entry.
(B) He did not hear his sister enter the room because ofthe job he was doing.
(C) His sister's entry did not attract his attention because he was enjoying what he was doing.
(D) He was so preoccupied with what he was doing that he was unaware ofhis sister's entry.

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

(A) John boasted to his parents that he was going to university as soon as he left school.
(B) John told his parents that they should permit him to go to university after he left school.
(C) John made it quite clear to his parents that when he left school he would go to university
immediately.
(D) John's parents were told that it was obviously his desire to attend university immediately
after leaving school.

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

(A) The bright colours ofthe bird contrasted with the pale sky while it was flying.
(B) The pale sky made the birds noticeable while flying as they had bright colours.
(C) The pale sky made the birds distinguished, particularly the one with the bright colours.
(D) The bright colours against the pale sky made the bird stand out among those flying by.

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

(A) Since Mark means a lot to you, the reason for your action is puzzling to me.
(B) Since you tell me that Mark means a lot to you, he cannot understand why you have done
this.
(C) You tell me that although Mark means a lot to you, you did this.
(D) Mark cannot mean a lot to you or else I know you would not have done this.

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Items 16-20

Instructions: Some ofthe following sentences are unacceptable because ofinappropriate 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.

16. We could reach the survivors neither by boat or by plane, and so we abandoned our search as
(A) (B) (C)

futile. No error
(D)

17. I believe that if his attitude improves his general performance will also improve. No error
(A) (B) (C) (D)

18. She was not feeling well at the beginning of the journey, and sitting at the front of the car made
(A) (B)

her feel worse. No error

(C) (D)

19. Overcome by fear, I ran passed my home without realizing that I had done so. No error
(A) (B) (C) (D)

20. The better of the two athletes claim never to have used the dangerous drugs found in his possession.
(A) (B) (C)

No error
(D)

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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.

21. It was impossible to rectify the error 24. A citizen is expected to show complete
made by the computer since inaccurate allegiance to his native land.
information had been fed into it.
(A) loyalty
(A) alter (B) respect
(B) erase (C) homage
(C) correct (D) obedience
(D) determine

25. For the first time in a decade the company

The bank teller indicated that our account
•
22. disclosed a deficit in its account.
was dormant.
(A) error
(A) inactive (B) defect
(B) inadequate (C) balance
(C) transferred (D) shortfall
(D) overdrawn

23. The news story revealed the squalor of the

old prison cells.

(A) security
(B) strength
(C) ambiance
(D) filthiness

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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 29. "When bats break a calm lake/like scissors
on a warm fabric" (lines 10-11) is an
When a single kite is left example of
in evening sky
and I stand (A) simile
black against its saffron (B) assonance
s pulling in the night-covers (C) onomatopoeia
with a single thread (D) personification
I think of you.
When chickens search the warmth
of a hen's wings; 30. The poet speaks of each of the following
10 When bats break a calm lake EXCEPT
like scissors on a warm fabric
where a lone fisherman waits (A) a single kite that is flying
alone, on the hill, (B) a lone fisherman waiting
I think of you. (C) bats breaking warm fabric
Source unknown (D) the hen's wings that are warm

26. There is a "single kite" (line, I) left in the 31. Which of the following literary devices is
sky MOST likely because used in line 4?
(A) it is late Contrast
(A)
(B) the lone fisherman waits Metaphor
(B)
(C) night covers have descended Hyperbole
(C)
(D) the other kite flyers are asleep
( D) Assonance

27. What aspect of the sky does the poet focus 32. The poet's intention is to
on?

(A) Size (A) describe nature

(B) Shape (B) describe the sunset
(C) Colour (C)' tell us of the lone fisherman
(D) Distance (D) tell someone he/she is missing him/
her

28. Of whom is the poet MOST likely thinking

in the poem? 33. Which word BEST describes the poet's
tone?
(A) An artist at work
(B) An enemy in hiding (A) Bitter
(C) A lonely old man (B) Serious
(D) Someone he/she loves (C) Regretful
(D) Nostalgic

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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, challengin g
thrust ofthe chin when she issued an opinion, and a great one she had always been for issuing
s 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
10 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
15 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 herselfbadly when, running up from the cellar oven with the
20 ceremonial turkey, she tripped on the stairs and tumbled back down ending on the bottom
in the debris of giblets, h·ot 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.

Adaptedfrom Russell Baker, In MvDay. Retrieved 23 February 2015

from http:lf!VWT¥. douban.com/note/173685719.

34. The mother's "thrust of the chin" (line 4) 35. The son cautioned his mother about telling
is done in people exactly what she thought because he

(A) fear (A) was affronted by her arrogance

(B) hatred (B) thought others would be offended
(C) defiance (C) found her behaviour aggressive
(D) contemplation (D) was upset that she would not
change

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36. Why does the writer choose the expression 39. T h e b e h a v i o ur s t h e m other finds
"A formidable woman" (line 13) to describe contemptible include
the mother?
I. timidity
(A) He is intimidated by her. II. laziness
(B) Her words often provoked anger. III. cowardice
(C) The difference in style shows the
constancy of her character. (A) I and II only
(D) He emphasizes her strength which (B) I and III only
he finds admirable. (C) II and III only
(D) I, II _and III

37. What does "In that time when I had known

her best" (line 14) say about the mother­ 40. The incident at Thanksgiving shows the
son relationship? mother's own attitude to be one of

(A) They had grown apart. (A) hastiness

(B) They admired each other. (B) aggression
(C) They had always had a close (C) impudence
relationship. (D) determination
(D) The son had forgotten things about
his mother.
41. The final sentence of the extract implies
that the mother has
38. What literary device is used in lines 14-15,
"my mother had hurled herself at life"? (A) become lazy and sleepy
(B) lost her physical strength
(A) Irony (C) hurt her leg in the hospital
(B) Imagery (D) died leaving the son to reminisce
(C) Repetition
(D) Onomatopoeia

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Items 42-47
Instructions: Read the following passage carefully and then answer Items 42-47 on the basis of
what is stated or implied.

At one time, if you wanted a picture, you had to paint or draw it. Tourists took sketch pads, not
cameras, on vacations. Cameras are a lot quicker and easier to use. Have you ever wondered
how they came to be?

The first camera was used in the sixteenth century and was so large that the artist sat right inside
s it. The huge 'camera obscura', as it was called, was a clumsy instrument. It worked on the same
principles as our cameras today. A tiny hole in one wall admitted light. On the opposite wall,
an image was projected upside down. The artist would sit inside the camera and trace the image
until the picture was done. In the 1800s, a demand for quick and inexpensive portraits led to the
improvement of this camera.

10 Many inventors contributed to the improvement of the image and the camera itself In the 1700s,
the German physicist Johann Schulze discovered that an image can be made by exposing silver
salts to light. The problem was that the image did not last. The first permanent image was obtained
by Joseph Nicephore Niepce, a French physicist. He exposed a metal plate to light, then engraved
the image onto the plate. The earliest actual photograph still in existence was made in this way
1s in 1826. It is a view from Niepce's room, and it took eight hours to expose!

A partner of Niepce, Louis J. M. Daguerre, invented the first practical photographic process.
Exposing a silver plate tp light, he made an image that did not have to be engraved. Instead,
he created the image by using chemicals. After his invention was announced in 1839, modern
photography took off.

20 The camera has come a long way from its beginnings. It is now possible for anyone to use a
camera and get good, clear photographs. The inventions that made this possible are the result
of many different minds working on the problem: :first to get the image, then to make the image
permanent, and finally to make the process practical. Next time you see a snapshot, remember
the achievement of those early artists and inventors.

Source unknown

42. This passage is primarily based on 43. The word "principles" (line 6) means the
same as
(A) facts
(B) opinions (A) leaders
(C) statistics (B) instruments
(D) inferences (C) moral standards
(D) laws or precepts

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44. The writer uses an exclamation mark at the 46. According t o the writer, "modern
end of paragraph 3 (line 15) in order to photography took off'' (lines 18-19) when

(A) scare the reader (A) Daguerre was introduced to Niepce

(B) create an effect of shock (B) Niepce's photograph was made
(C) command the reader's attention public
(D) dispel any doubt in the reader's (C) Daguerre made his discovery by
mind using chemicals
(D) Schulze made his discovery by
using silver salts
45. The events of the passage are recorded in

(A ) a logical order 47. Which of the following is the MOST

(B) the future tense suitable title for this passage?
(C) an illogical order
(D) the present tense (A) Artists and Their Inventions
(B) The Invention of The Camera
(C) The Importance of Photographs
(D) The Camera and Its Development

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56. According to the information provided, the 59. How can those who want to participate
MAIN theme of the symposium is register for the event?

(A ) youth (A ) Call the Ministry of Youth and

(B) drug abuse speak to Yvonne Dalton.
(C) adolescent health (B) Contact Yvonne Dalton and call the
(D ) sexually transmitted diseases Ministry of Education.
( C) Telephone the Ministry of Youth
and the Ministry of Education.
57. Which of the following groups is NOT a (D) Complete a registration form and
sponsor of the symposium? return it to the Ministry ofHealth.

(A ) Ministry of Youth
(B) Ministry of Health 60. All of the following groups are specifically
(C) Conference of Churches invited to attend EXCEPT
(D) National Council on Drug Abuse
(A) youth groups
(B) members of the public
58. Which of the following words can BEST (C) parents of young people
replace 'symposium' in the advertisement? (D) doctors, nurses, and other health
care workers
(A) Exhibition
(B) Conference
(C) Discussion
(D) Conversation

END OFTEST

IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, CHECK YOUR WORK ON TIDS TEST.

01218010/MJ/CSEC 2019