Section (A)

I. Fill in the blanks. (10 marks)

In this passage, insert the proper article, a or an, in each blank.

____pilgrimage is ___important journey to a place for ____ religious purpose. One who goes
on such _____ journey is called ____ pilgrim. For __ person following ___Abrahamic
religion
Jew, ___ Christian, or ___ Muslim), ____ visit to Jerusalem in the Holy Land is meaningful.

II. Write True or False for the following statements. (10 marks)

1. The Mon people were one of the first ethnic groups to live in Southeast Asia.
2. The Mon practised Theravada Buddhism continuously for a shorter period than the
Sinhalese.
3. Dhammazedi, a famous Mon king, was never a monk before becoming king.
4. Shwedagon, a significant stupa in the Mon kingdom, was originally built at the time
of the Buddha.
5. The Mon language is tonal, similar to Khmer, the language of Cambodia.
6. The Mon script comes from Brahmi, the script used by Emperor Ashoka.
7. Phra Pathom, a stupa in Nakorn Pathom, Thailand, is the tallest pagoda in the world.
8. Due to political oppression, more than one million people still speak Mon as their first
language.
9. The Mon language is not related to Khmer, the language of Cambodia.
10. Despite challenges, the Mon people continue to take pride in their history, religion,
and culture.

III. Put the correct form of the word in each blank. Adjectives ending in -ed and -ing

1. Shawna is very ________. A long flight can be very_________.(tired/tiring)

2. For some people philosophy is dry and _________, , but Marie is never_______
by her studies. (bored/boring)
3. When Dom heard about the pilgrimage to India, he became _________. (excited/exciting)
4. We were _______ with her because she missed the bus. Being late is an _______ habit!
(annoyed/annoying)

5. Cricket is an _________ sport, and many Sri Lankans are__________.(addicted/addicting)

6. The pilgrims were _________ to be able to offer flowers and incense. After they placed
them on the altar, the result was quite ____________. (pleased/pleasing)
7. It was a ________ accident, but, fortunately, no one was killed. (shocked/shocking)
8.Caroline was at the speed of the Skytrain in Bangkok. (surprised/surprising)
9. Shawna and Josh were _________ by the bus routes in Bangkok and were always
getting lost. (puzzled/puzzling)
10. A pilgrimage can be a ___________ experience. (thrilled/thrilling)

Section (B)

IV. While the six pilgrims were waiting to board the airplane to Kolkata, Josh talked
about an incident that happened on his and Shawna's flight from Chicago to Los
Angeles. Read the story and answer the questions at the end.

After we were seated, a fifty-year-old white woman arrived at her seat, across the aisle from
us, and found that a black man was sitting in the seat next to hers. Visibly upset, she called
the flight attendant. "What's the problem, Madam?" the attendant asked.

"Are you blind?" the woman cried. "I've been given a seat next to a black man. I can't sit next
to him. You have to change my seat!"

"Please, calm yourself, Madam," the attendant replied. "I believe that all the seats are
occupied, but I will check to see whether there is anything available."

The attendant left the angry passenger and returned a few minutes later.

"Madam," she said, "as I already told you, there aren't any empty seats here in economy class.
However, I spoke with the captain, and he confirmed that there is an unoccupied seat in the
first-class cabin."
Before the woman could say anything, the attendant continued, "It is unusual for our airline
to allow a passenger from economy to upgrade to first class, but the captain thinks it would
be unacceptable to force a passenger to travel next to an unpleasant person." Turning to the
black man, the attendant said, "Therefore, Sir, please bring your boarding pass, computer, and
hand-carry luggage and follow me. We have reserved a seat in the first-class cabin for you."

1. Why was the passenger upset?

2. How would you describe the passenger?

3. Why was it difficult for the flight attendant to resolve the problem for the passenger?

4. What did the attendant ask the passenger to do?

5. What did the attendant promise to do?

6. What was an unusual practice for the airline?

7. How did the problem get resolved?

8. Describe this story with only one adjective word.

9. Why did you choose that word? (word from question 8)

10. Do you think all the people in the story were happy at the end? Why?

V. Grammar
(a) In each of these sentences, use the correct form of have to, should, should not, do
not have to, or must not.

1. To become a novice, a boy …………………… get his parents’ permission.

2. You……………...eat some fruit or vegetables every day.

3. You may do what you want. You ……………………… ask my permission.

4. You ……………………… be late because the bus will not wait.

5. Students ……………………..copy their work from the internet.

(b) Use the comparative and superlative adjectives for the blanks.
1. The Taj Mahal is one of the ………………………..monuments in India. (impressive)

2. I think Shawna is …………………………now than she was a year ago. (contented)

3. That river is ………………………than the Ganges. (polluted)

4. Kolkata must be the ……………………..city in the world. (crowded)

5. What could be ………………………. than that? (difficult)

VI. Answer the questions.

1. When was the Bharhut Stupa built? (The Indian Museum and the Bharhut Stupa)

2. How was the situation of Pegu under King Dhammazedi? (Who are the Mon?)

3. How does the Mon language relate with Khmer? (Who are the Mon?)

4. When was Pegu founded? (Who are the Mon?)

5. What were the two most important stupas in the Mon kingdom? (Who are the Mon?)

6. How do you understand cause and effect? Give one example sentence.

7. How did elephant Nalagiri act as soon as it saw the Buddha? (Taming Nalagiri)

8. What stories were used in carvings? (The Indian Museum and the Bharhut Stupa)

9. Who discovered the stupa? (The Indian Museum and the Bharhut Stupa)

10. Why did the poor man spend the whole day in the jungle? (Hunger)
 Section (C)

VII. Write an essay.

“Describe your biggest dream in life?”

Outline:____Can you describe a specific moment or event in your dream that stands out to
you the most?

_____ When did you first realise that this dream was important to you?

______ How do you think achieving your dream would change your life?

______ What steps are you currently taking to work towards your dream?

______ Have you faced any obstacles or challenges in pursuing your dream? How did
you overcome them?

______ Do you believe your dream is achievable? Why or why not?

______ How do you stay motivated and inspired to continue working towards your
dream?

______ Have you had any experiences or encounters that reinforced your belief in
your dream?

_______ Creative Dreams (e.g., becoming an artist, writer, musician, etc.):

VIII. Write a letter to your friend who falls ill very often, explaining the benefits of
taking physical exercise, and encouraging him/her to take physical exercise everyday to
become healthy.You can describe your address and your identity.