Maryknoll Convent School

(Secondary Section)
Form 6 Mock Examination February 2020
English Language
Paper 1 – Reading

Name:___________________________( ) Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

Class: Form 6 ( ) Weighting: 20% of subject mark

Question – Answer Book

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Write your name, number and class in the spaces provided.

2. Answer ALL questions using a pen.

3. Write your answers clearly and neatly in the spaces provided. Answers written in the
margins will not be marked.

4. For multiple-choice questions, mark only ONE answer to each question. Two or more
answers will score NO MARKS.

5. Please note: there are no questions numbered 17-43

Marker’s Use Only

Part A / 41
(Questions 1-17)

Part B2 / 42
(Questions 44-64)

Total: / 83

Converted to 20%

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Part A
Read Text 1 and answer questions 1–16. (41 marks)

Text 1

1. The writer describes algorithms as a ‘black box’ (line 3) because most people …

A. are influenced by algorithms.

B. do not really understand algorithms.
C. realise how useful algorithms are. A B C D
D. think algorithms are a cool technology.    

2. What is the main purpose of paragraph 2?

3. Give ONE example of an action that requires an algorithm mentioned in paragraph 2.

4. What does ‘it’ (line 9) refer to?

5. Complete the following summary of paragraph 4 by writing a word or phrase taken from paragraph 4 in
each blank below. Your answers must be grammatically correct. (6 marks)

— Nowadays when people pick a book to read, a film to watch or even someone to
(i) _______________________, they are probably using an algorithm.

— Other (ii) _______________________ examples of common algorithms include those in

Google’s search engine and Amazon’s (iii) _______________________ system.
— Algorithms are used in law, medicine and education, where they make lots of
(iv) _______________________ to help people do their job.

— Algorithms are becoming (v) _______________________ important and quietly changing the
way (vi) _______________________ works.

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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 6. Below is a summary of paragraph 5. In five of the lines, there is ONE mistake. If you find a mistake,
underline it and replace the word with one that expresses the correct idea. Write the word in the box on
the right. Both grammar and spelling must be correct. In one of the lines there is no mistake; put a tick
() in the box. The first has been done for you. (6 marks)

Summary Correction
e.g. The way that people relate to machines is simple. They can put too complicated

i) much doubt in machines and their algorithms. As a result, people

ii) are willing to lead whatever decision an algorithm makes without

iii) giving it another thought. However, their confidence in a machine

iv) lasts only until the first time they discover a change. After that,

v) people will keep trusting the algorithm’s decision-making abilities

vi) and consider the machine to be useful on the whole.

7. According to paragraphs 5–6, what are TWO ways in which algorithms are ‘not perfect’ (line 27).
(2 marks)

i)

ii)

8. According to paragraph 7, what flaws do humans have? Tick () the statements that apply.

They are inconsistent.

They are too emotional.

They have biases.

They struggle to understand context.

9. According to paragraphs 8–9, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or
Not Given (NG). (6 marks)

Statements T F NG
i) Computer engineers do not care about the effects of their algorithms.   
ii) Google used to be more careful about its creations than Facebook.   
iii) Most tech companies had the same attitude as Facebook to their own creations.   
iv) All social media platforms use algorithms.   
v) People in developing countries are not affected by algorithm technology.   
vi) Tech companies’ attitudes towards algorithms have changed over time.   
Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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 10. How are ‘machine-learning algorithms’ (line 47) different from regular algorithms?

11. What does Hannah Fry compare ‘electricity’ (line 51) to?

12. Explain why Fry has never ‘come across an algorithm that was 100 percent bad or good’ (line 54).

13. Find a word in lines 50–61 which has a similar meaning to each word given below. (4 marks)

i) ‘endless’

ii) ‘reducing’

iii) ‘removed’

iv) ‘imperfect’

14. Use ONE word to complete each blank. (2 marks)

Fry hopes that (i) _______________________ and algorithm-based machines will be able to work
(ii) _______________________ in the future.

15. i) What is Fry referring to with the statement, ‘We can’t just move fast — and we can’t break
things.’ (lines 70–71)? (1 mark)

ii) Why does she end the interview with this statement? (1 mark)

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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 16. Two friends are discussing the extract from the interview with Hannah Fry (paragraphs 4–13). Use the
information from the text to match each statement in the speech bubbles with a paragraph that contains
similar ideas. Write the number of the paragraph next to the speech bubble. Each paragraph number can
be used once only. Some paragraph numbers are not used. The first two have been done for you as
examples. (5 marks)
Karen Tony

Sapann Design. Shutterstock

I can’t live without algorithms,

Paragraph but they also drive me crazy
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e.g. ______ when they don’t work properly!
They help us do all the things
Paragraph we’re not good at, don’t they?
(i) ______ But still, there are some things
which only humans understand
that algorithms can’t.
I know! We’ve become so Paragraph
dependent on them. I bet 4
e.g. ______
most of the small decisions I
make every day involve
algorithms.
Even so, algorithms have Paragraph
become a big part of our lives (ii) ______
nowadays. It’s scary to think
that they now have the power
to change all of humanity.

Paragraph I hope they’ll change it for the

(iii) ______ better. Like all technologies, they
can be used for good or bad.
That’s good! I don’t want to
live in a future where machines
Paragraph control us. I want to live in one
(v) ______ where we work with them to
make the world a better place.
Makers of algorithms never Paragraph
thought there would be bad (iv) ______
consequences to what they
created, but they’ve finally
woken up to the fact and are
doing something about it
now.

END OF PART A

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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Part B2
Read Text 5 and answer questions 44–64. (42 marks)

44. Explain who the following people were. (2 marks)

i) Daa:

ii) Mighty Igor:

45. What does ‘caught her fancy’ (lines 5–6) mean?

A. confused her
B. educated her
C. interested her A B C D
D. shocked her    

46. According to paragraph 1, how did Daa make her stories easier for the writer and her siblings to
understand? (2 marks)

i)

ii)

47. What does ‘with varying degrees of success’ in line 13 suggest about the people who visited the
writer’s home?

48. Which of the following does the writer NOT imply in paragraph 2?

A. Her family’s helpers struggled to learn English.

B. Her family’s helpers were allowed to speak Igbo.
C. Her grandparents’ household was Igbo-speaking. A B C D
D. Her siblings disliked speaking only in English.    

49. Who does ‘the children’ (line 18) refer to?

50. Why does the writer mention Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o in paragraph 3?

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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 51. According to paragraphs 3–5, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or
Not Given (NG). (5 marks)

Statements T F NG
i) Some people mocked the writer’s parents without their knowledge.   
ii) Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s works were successful in Kenya and abroad.   
iii) The writer is a fan of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s works.   
iv) Singapore had one prime minister before Lee Kuan Yew.   
v) Lee Kuan Yew believed that if everyone spoke English, society would be   
more equal.

52. State TWO ways in which Singapore has benefited from using English according to paragraph 5. (2 marks)

i)

ii)

53. Explain why Singapore’s transformation under Lee is often considered ‘dramatic’ (line 39)?

54. What was the main reason for the writer’s parents wanting to speak English at home?

55. The writer says, ‘A perennial issue among the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria is the battle between the
mind and the purse’ (line 45). Explain what the writer means by ‘mind’ and ‘purse’. (2 marks)

i) Mind:

ii) Purse:

56. In line 49, ‘ostentatiousness’ means having …

A. a strong desire to show off

B. a willingness to work hard
C. lots of money and possessions A B C D
D. lots of friends and influence    

57. Based on the information in paragraph 7, complete the summary by writing ONE word taken from
paragraph 7 in each blank below. Your answers must be grammatically correct. (6 marks)

In Nigeria, (i) ___________________ people can be divided into two groups in society. One group is
the well-educated who hold (ii) ___________________, often from overseas universities. The other
group consists of those who have become rich in the world of (iii) ___________________ without
having gone to (iv) ___________________. While the well-educated like to show off their excellent
(v) ___________________ speaking skills, members of the other group prefer to display their wealth
by hosting grand public events and buying lots of expensive (vi) ___________________.

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 58. Describe the irony in paragraph 8.

59. What does the term ‘not child’s play’ (line 64) suggest about the university entrance Igbo exam?

60. Which of the following does the writer NOT imply in paragraph 9?

A. Igbo is mainly spoken in the markets of Ibadan.

B. Igbo is spoken less in Ibadan than in her hometown.
C. In Ibadan, no one laughed at her when she spoke Igbo. A B C D
D. She used to be shy about using some Igbo words.    

61. Where does ‘a strange land’ (line 71) refer to?

62. According to paragraph 10, in what situation does the writer NOT enjoy speaking Igbo and why?
(2 marks)

63. Below are summary headings for the paragraphs in Text 5. Match the most appropriate summary
heading with the paragraph(s) by writing the letters (A–G) in the table below. Two have been done for
you as examples. Each letter can be used ONCE only. (5 marks)

Summary Headings

A. Growing Up Not Knowing Igbo E. The Clash Between Igbos

B. My Journey to Igbo Fluency F. Whenever I Speak Igbo Now
C. Notable Users of Mother Tongue G. Why My Parents Chose English
D. Singapore’s Shift to English

Paragraph(s) Summary Heading Paragraph(s) Summary Heading

1–2 (i) 7 (iv)

3 (ii) 8–9 (v)

4–5 D 10 F

6 (iii)

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 64. Match the person on the left with the statement which best represents their thoughts listed on the right.
Write the letter (A–F) on the line next to the person’s name. TWO of the statements are not used. Each
letter can be used ONCE only. (4 marks)

Persons Answers Statements

i) Daa A. ‘I agree with Lee Kuan Yew’s ideas.’

B. ‘I prefer writing in my native language instead of English.’
ii) Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o C. ‘I worked much harder than my classmates to learn Igbo.’
iii) The writer D. ‘It was boring to speak only English at home.’
E. ‘Success can be achieved without fluency in English.’
iv) The writer’s father F. ‘The shows are great fun to watch.’

END OF PART B2

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.