MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, HUMAN RESOURCE

DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT

MINIMUM COMPETENCY TEST

2017

GRADE FIVE (5)

NAME:
SCHOOL:
GENDER: M F

STRAND SCORE
Composition
EDUCATIONAL TESTING AND MEASUREMENT UNIT
Comprehension
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, HUMAN
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Grammar
BOTANICAL GARDENS
TANTEEN
ST. GEORGE’S
Vocabulary
GRENADA
Spelling
Punctuation
TOTAL
 Instructions

1. The examination will be conducted in the

evening session of the school day.

2. Write (PRINT) your name and the name of your

school in the spaces indicated on the front page.

3. You must attempt all questions.

Total marks possible on this test is 100

Good Luck in your Exams!

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 PART 1 –COMPOSITION (25 MARKS – TIME: 45 MINUTES)

Write a composition of about 150 words on ONE of the items listed below.

Give your composition a name or title. Use approximately ten (10) minutes

to write a plan for your composition. Do all your writing in the appropriate

spaces provided.

A. Use the picture below and any of the following words to help you write a
story entitled, “Hero the Rescue Dog”.

uniquefacts.net

saves rescues drowning paddles shore

swiftly carefully grateful speed current

OR
B. Write a story that ends like this:-
The next time I go to a sleep over at my friend’s house, I must bring my
flashlight!

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 OR
C. Write an article for the school’s newspaper explaining step by step, how to
play your favourite game.

OR

D. Write a letter to your best friend, inviting him or her to your birthday
party. Remember to include some details that will encourage him or her to
come.
You may plan your composition in the box below.

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Begin your composition here and continue on the page(s) provided. Give
your composition a title.

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PART 2 - READING COMPREHENSION (TIME: 30 MINUTES)

PASSAGE A - (15 MARKS)

In this part of the test, you are going to read and answer questions.
First, read the following story carefully.

It was a dark and stormy night. I was alone at home and about to go to bed,
when I saw a scary shadowy figure at my window.

"Who’s there?" I shouted. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of lightning

followed by a loud clash of thunder. Then, to my great surprise, I saw a lion’s
face! Immediately, I heard a scary thunderous roar at the window. The lion’s
face looked like the lion from the local circus, which was announced missing on
the television news channel. I felt very scared so I ran to my bed and pulled
my blanket over my head. I began to shout for my parents, but there was no
reply. Then I remembered that they were at a late night function.

I peeped out from my blanket but it was too dark to see anything. The
grandfather clock struck 12. I curled back up in my bed and tried to sleep.
However, I felt too frightened to sleep as my mind was filled with scary
thoughts. After some time passed, I finally fell asleep.

Next morning, I woke up after eight and quickly switched on the television to
watch the news. I was relieved to see that the lion had been trapped and
caught by the ring master of the circus. I felt very happy and excited after
seeing the news.

Later that morning, I narrated the whole incident to my parents. They were
astonished and decided never to leave me alone at home ever again.

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Now answer these questions about the story. Read each question
carefully before circling the correct letter or writing the correct answer.

1. The little boy was afraid. Give TWO reasons why he was afraid.

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(2 marks)

2. Why didn’t the boy’s parents answer when he called?

__________________________________________________________

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(2 marks)

3. Where did the missing lion come from?

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

4. A word that can BEST replace the word narrated in the story is

a) drew

b) told

c) laughed

(2 marks)

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5. Write TRUE or FALSE for each statement below.

a) It was a stormy night. __________

b) The lion attacked the little boy. _________

c) The boy’s parents saved him. __________

(3 marks)

6. The parents were astonished when they heard what had happened.
A word that can replace astonished is ______________________
(2 marks)

7. What do you think is a suitable title for the story?

_______________________________________________________

(2 marks)

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READING PASSAGE B (15 MARKS) TIME: 30 MINUTES

You are going to read and answer questions. First, read the following
passage carefully.
Earthquakes and Volcanoes

The Earth's crust is constantly moving throughout the world. It moves in

some places more often than in other places. The Earth's crust moves when
blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. This results in
an Earthquake.

An underwater earthquake can cause a tsunami. A tsunami is a large ocean

wave, which can reach the coastlines. Earthquakes may also be the cause of
some volcanoes becoming active and eruptive.

A volcano is a rupture on the crust of the Earth that allows hot lava, volcanic
ash, and gases to escape from below its surface.
Scientists have classified volcanoes into three main categories: active,
dormant, and extinct.

The eruption of volcanoes can be very destructive. Erupting volcanoes have

been known to destroy forests, cause tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes,
mudflows, mudslides, and rock falls.
However, volcanoes that erupt can also create new islands once the hot lava
cools off, especially those near the coast or below the ocean's surface.

The ash that comes from volcanoes is nutrient-rich and good for plant growth.
This is why farmers usually return to the fertile slopes of volcanoes to begin
growing crops again. Most Caribbean islands including Grenada have been
formed as a result of volcanic eruptions.

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Now answer the following questions based on the passage. Circle the
correct option where necessary and write the answers on the lines where
spaces are provided.

1. The passage is about __________________________.

a. earthquakes and storms

b. volcanoes and earthquakes

c. hurricanes and volcanoes (2 marks)

2. According to the passage, a tsunami is a _______________________

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(2 marks)

3. What are the THREE (3) categories of volcanoes?

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(3 marks)

4. State TWO (2) harmful effects of erupting volcanoes.

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(2 marks)

5. Say how volcanoes can help farmers.

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(2 marks)

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6. Which of the following statements is true?

a. The earth’s crust does not move

b. The earth’s crust can move.

c. The earth has no crust

(1 mark)

7. Write the name of ONE volcanic island.

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(1 mark)

8. The word classified as used in the passage means ________________.

a. stated

b. grouped

c. learned

(2 marks)

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 PART 3 – LANGUAGE ARTS SKILLS (45 MARKS)

GRAMMAR (10 Marks)

(A) USING VERBS (5 marks)

Read each sentence and circle the correct verb to complete it.

1) Everyone (is, are) going to the sporting event.

2) Many children (know, knows) how to use computers.

3) Nobody (want, wants) to fail the Science exam.

4) The choir (hopes, hope) to sing at the concert.

5) All students will (write, writes) about the accident.

(B) PARTS OF SPEECH (5 marks)

Read the following sentences carefully. For each underlined word, identify
and then write the part of speech in the space provided.

verb noun adjective pronoun conjunction

Sentences Parts of Speech

He prepared his work carefully.

The girl was not allowed to attend

the concert because she left her
ticket at home.
His friends welcomed him with
open arms.
The audience watched the
dancers with breathless interest.
We usually walk to church.

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VOCABULARY (15 Marks)

(C) SUITABLE WORD OR PHRASE (5 marks)

Circle the most suitable word or phrase to complete each sentence.

1) The students (made, maid) some interesting books for the

Young Author’s Programme.

2) This road is (to, too, two) rough for the young children (to, too, two) travel.

3) (May, Can) my friend come to our picnic?

4) There are eleven boys on the team (besides, beside) me.

5) Yesterday afternoon, the principal (complimented, complemented) the

students.

(D) OPPOSITE IN MEANING (5 marks)

Write a word in each space in column B that is opposite in meaning to the

one in column A.

Column A Column B

escape

broad

make

repair

entrance

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(E) SYNONYMS (5 marks)

Choose a word from the list below that is similar in meaning to the
underlined word in each of the following sentences. Write the word on
the line provided.

delicious unusual simple leave located

1) Mrs. Black was scheduled to depart at 10 o’ clock to attend the

conference. _________________

2) The angry neighbours found the lost animals under the abandoned

building. __________________

3) The restaurant served a tasty meal. _________________

4) All the written directions were easy to follow. ____________

5) The taxi driver heard an odd sound coming from the front of his vehicle.

_________________

(F) SPELLING (10 MARKS – 2 marks each)

In each of the following group of words, one word is not spelt correctly.

Circle the incorrect word and write it correctly on the line that is

provided.

1. shelves librarys baby ___________________

2. smiling hiking swiming ___________________

3. acheive receipt relieve ___________________

4. applied envied replyed ___________________

5. pianos videos heros ___________________

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(G) CAPITALIZATION AND PUNCTUATION

(10 Marks - 2 marks each)

Rewrite the sentences on the lines below. Put capital letters and
punctuation marks where they are needed. Each sentence has two errors.

1) does your bus leave after nine o’clock

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2) Aunty karen gave the children cake sandwich and juice.

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3) Mary and June live in trinidad with uncle harry.

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4) My favorite day of the week is Thursday

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5) Where is Sandra going? asked Peter.

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(10 marks)

END OF EXAMINATION!!

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