Name: ( ) Class: _______

CHIJ KATONG CONVENT

END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATIONS 2022
SECONDARY TWO NORMAL (ACADEMIC)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Paper 2 Comprehension October 2022

INSERT
1 hour 50 minutes

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

This insert contains Text 1, Text 2, Text 3 and Text 4.

This document consists of 4 printed pages.

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CHIJ Katong Convent EOY Examinations 2022 English Language Secondary 2NA
Section A

Study the poster (Text 1) and the extract from a blog (Text 2) and answer Questions 1 – 4 in the
Question Paper.

Text 1 is taken from a campaign to stop industrial practices that harm the environment.

Fashion should not cost the earth.

The consumers of today are becoming more aware of the environmental impact
of the fashion industry. To gain more consumers, make the switch to become
a sustainable fashion brand!

Text 2 is taken from a blog which comments on issues affecting the environment.

Cheap fashion is really far from that! You may think it’s cheap because you pay so little, but it
is expensive when it comes to the environment. Do you know that globally, the fashion industry
is the 2nd largest polluter of clean water? From the manufacturing process, toxic chemicals and
microplastics are released into the water. The fashion industry releases more greenhouse
gases than all international flights & maritime shipping combined. It also encourages excessive
consumption which indirectly contributes to 92 million tonnes of solid waste being dumped into
landfills. As consumers, you and I have so much power to change the world by just being
careful with what we buy.

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CHIJ Katong Convent EOY Examinations 2022 English Language Secondary 2NA
Section B
Text 3
In the text below the writer describes her experience growing up in the Somali desert. Read it
carefully and answer Questions 5-14 in the Question Booklet.

1 I ran as fast as my skinny little six-year-old legs could carry me. My heart pounded in my
ears, and twigs snapped underneath as my feet skimmed the scorching desert floor.
Before me, I saw nothing but vast, open land littered with rain-starved trees. The hot
East African sun played tricks on my eyes, shimmering and dancing on the horizon. A
glimmer of hope erupted as I glimpsed my grandmother’s hut through this mirage. Would 5
I make it to my grandmother’s before I was torn to pieces? I was afraid my body was
already too tired.

2 My grandmother’s warning echoed in my ears even more loudly than my beating

heart: Leave those warthogs 1 alone if you want to live.

3 An hour before, I had been the one in power. When I spotted the herd grazing nearby, I 10
had an urge to chase them. They broke into a trot, escaping with their tails up in the air
and their young trailing behind. Encouraged, I followed, throwing stones and twigs at
them. My grandmother told me warthogs would run from me until they reached their
home, but then would quickly fight back viciously. I was curious. Would they really turn
vicious? I felt excited to see them scared of little me. I continued my assault, targeting 15
the small ones falling behind. Mother warthog warned me against bothering her young,
sometimes circling back to intimidate me. But the whole herd was running, two by two,
away from me. I did it! I won!

4 Then, suddenly, as if they heard my thoughts, all the adults turned, with their young
tucked safely behind them, and charged at me. I was now the prey. 20

5 I scanned the landscape as I fled, looking for a way to escape. Trees and bushes were
few and far between in this dry desert; I was better off looking for a hole to hide in than a
tall tree to climb. I desperately glanced over my shoulder and saw nothing but savage
eyes, hooves pounding in the dust, and very long tusks, closing in fast. My lungs burned,
my legs shook, and my red tunic clung to my body, drenched in sweat. Just when I 25
thought all was lost, I felt a final surge of adrenaline; I practically flew into the hut, leapt
up, and threw myself against its inner wall, clinging to it like a frightened monkey. For a
moment, I hung suspended, gasping for air and trembling. My eyes were glued on the
entrance, expecting the warthogs to rush in. But I didn’t need that last desperate
acrobatic move: the warthogs had given up chasing me. 30

6 Now that I was safe, I examined my damaged feet. A long, thick thorn was deeply and
painfully embedded in one sole. All I could do was wait for my family to return from
animal herding so my uncle could pull it out with his hunting knife. The sun was directly
above me so I knew it was midday; they wouldn’t return until nightfall. It would be a
long wait. My misadventure hadn’t deterred me from wanting to explore, but every time I 35
tried to walk, the pain in my foot intensified, so I distracted myself with one of my favorite
imaginary games. I built little huts made of twigs in the sand, pretending I had my own
goats and sheep, and practised calling them the way my grandmother did.

7 As the sky turned orange behind the acacia trees, I heard the sound of bleating goats
approaching. I had managed to fence the young ones, knowing my grandmother would 40
not be happy to see the goat’s kids empty their mother’s udders before the goats were
milked. Now, I saw her walking behind her goats, a herding stick in her hand. Turning, I
saw our camels approaching from the left and heard the wooden clacking of bells worn
around their necks. My uncle, my mother’s oldest brother, followed, singing to his herd,
casually holding a long stick behind his neck with both hands. The air thickened with 45
music. I knew my family had come home.
adapted from ‘The Last Nomad’ by Shugri Said Salh

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warthogs: wild members of the pig family found in Africa
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 CHIJ Katong Convent EOY Examinations 2022 English Language Secondary 2NA

Section C
Text 4

This text is about the importance of zoos. Read the text carefully and answer Questions 15 - 19 in
the Question Booklet.

1 A zoo is a place where animals live in captivity and are put on display for people to view.
Zoos contain wide varieties of animals that are native to all parts of the Earth.

2 The first zoos were created as private collections by the wealthy to show their power. These
private collections were called menageries. Wall carvings found in Egypt and Mesopotamia
showed that rulers and aristocrats created menageries as early as 2500 BCE. There were also 5
records of expeditions to distant places to bring back exotic animals such as giraffes, bears,
elephants, dolphins, and birds for exhibitions.

3 With time, zoos grew and changed. The model of the modern, public zoo became popular in
the 18th century. During this period, scientists wanted to research animal behaviours and their
physical bodies. To do this, scientists and zookeepers had to keep animals in places that were 10
close to, or resembled, the animals’ natural habitats. The first modern zoo, built in 1793,
opened in Paris, France. The animal collection of French aristocrats, including the king and
queen, were taken by leaders of the French Revolution, and relocated to the Ménagerie du
Jardin des Plantes. The facility is still a busy and popular zoo in downtown Paris. Many early
zoos were more like museums of living animals. Animals were kept in small display areas, with 15
as many species as space would allow. Often, animals may not breed well in zoos due to
overcrowding and staff members do not have sufficient knowledge in handling them.

4 Today, urban zoos, located in large cities, are kept in relatively small enclosures that resemble
the smaller zoos made popular 200 years ago. Often, these zoos sit in the middle of cities,
making expansion difficult. There is little room for urban zoos to grow, and many of the zoo’s 20
buildings are historic landmarks that cannot be destroyed or redesigned. Some animal activists
argue that keeping animals in urban settings is cruel because of cramped conditions, noise,
and pollution. Critics say that living in captivity takes away wild animals’ natural behaviour and
instincts. Animals trapped in such unnatural environments exist only for profit-maximisation
purposes. Indeed, most animals in this set-up may alter their behaviours and suffer from 25
mental problems. The life expectancy of animals is shortened even when it becomes almost
impossible to return animals to the wild.

5 Zoos are meant to entertain and educate the public but have a strong emphasis on scientific
research and species conservation. Zoos have become a favourite destination for school
excursions and family trips. There is a trend toward giving animals more space and recreating 30
natural habitats. In safari parks, there are areas where tourists can drive their own cars to see
non-native wildlife living in large, enclosed areas. Fuji Safari Park in Japan offers night tours,
so visitors can see nocturnal animals, or animals that are active at night. At the park, visitors
can also feed some animals, such as lions, from bus windows. Some safari parks in Europe
include golf courses and fairground attractions, such as games and rides. Game reserves 35
have large swaths of land whose ecosystems and native species are protected. The
protections allow animals to live and reproduce at natural rates as animals are allowed
to roam freely. Animals in all game reserves are also protected from illegal hunting, which is a
threat to many endangered species. Zoos extend education to the public and make it their
place to raise awareness about animal protection so that people become more conscious of 40
the moral deed to protect animals from becoming extinct.

6 Captive breeding of endangered species makes zoos valuable places for animal survival and
prevent animal extinction. Besides, zoos provide an important income source for many local
communities all around the world. People may become more eco-friendly after going to the
zoo. Hence, zoos are forever popular even in this time and age. 45

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CHIJ Katong Convent EOY Examinations 2022 English Language Secondary 2NA

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