English
Final Exam Practice
Paper 1: Reading
Sumatran Tigers
There were once many more subspecies of tigers than exist today. As the human
population has expanded, the number of tiger subspecies has drastically declined. In
Indonesia, the Balinese and Javan tiger subspecies are now extinct and the last of
Indonesia’s tigers, the Sumatran tiger, ___(1)____ to be less than 400, is on the brink.
Two factors are driving the process of extinction for the Sumatran tiger: direct competition
for land between humans, the tiger and its prey, ___(2)____ deforestation for farms, palm oil
plantations and settlements; and poaching for tiger parts to supply the black market in
Asia. Poaching is believed to be responsible for almost 80 percent of Sumatran tiger deaths
annually.
Sumatran tigers are legally protected in Indonesia, ___(3)____ the efforts to protect them,
their numbers are dwindling. It would be a sad day for Indonesia and indeed the world if the
roar of a wild Sumatran tiger can no longer be heard.
1. The most suitable to fill in blank (1) is …
a. who has numbers today estimated
b. which numbers today are estimated
c. whom has numbers today estimated
d. whose numbers today are estimated
2. The most suitable connector to fill in blank (2) is …
a. after all resulting from
b. especially the result of
c. particularly as a result of
d. considering the results of
3. The most suitable conjunctional clause to fill in blank (3) is …
a. but despite
b. in addition to
c. in whatever way
d. nonetheless after
4. ‘it raises the perennial question’
What does the word ‘it’ refer to in this quotation?
a. the boundaries of animal longevity
b. the recent finding about the Greenland shark’s longevity
c. the research on extreme longevity in some animals
d. the estimated lifespan of vertebrates
5. The main point of the first two sentences in the second paragraph is that individuals of a
species …
a. reduce the size of the species if they face illness or attack during their life.
b. lengthen their lifespans in isolation from the rest of the species.
c. kill their enemies to ensure extreme longevity for the species.
d. boost the longevity of the entire species by living for extended periods of time.
6. In the second paragraph, which connector replaces the words ‘and not’ and retains the
meaning of the sentence?
a. instead of c. in fact
b. if not d. and only
7. Which option best describes the situation of the giant tortoise in relation to predators?
a. It wears a suit of armour which can defeat any predator it encounters.
b. It moves without caution because there are no predators that can harm it.
c. It possesses a strong form of protection even though it has no predators.
d. It stops and shrinks inside its shell in order to avoid predators.
8. Which of the following is NOT a given fact in the text as a factor that helps animals to
achieve extreme longevity?
a. regular exposure to cold environments
b. resistance to age-related degeneration
c. having effective defences
d. slowing down their metabolism
9. Which idea from the text regarding extreme longevity could be considered the most
unexpected?
a. Members of a species live longer in areas with fewer predators.
b. Longevity allows a species to reproduce only during the most optimum times.
c. The Greenland shark has a longer lifespan than the giant tortoise.
d. Members of a species can live longer in areas where nutrients are limited.
10. The narrator used a figure of speech to describe himself as ‘a kind of centaur’
because …
a. he felt that the bike was a part of himself.
b. he enjoyed riding his bike in a reckless manner.
c. he used his bike to escape from his family in the evening.
d. he knew that the Professor was watching him as he rode his bike.
11. Which of the father’s actions demonstrates that he was trying to gain the Professor’s
approval?
a. He would make a display of his parental skills.
b. He followed the Professor on his evening walks.
c. He pretended to be interested in observing the stars.
d. He boasted to the Professor about his son’s riding skills.
12. The writer chose summer as the setting for these events in order to …
a. locate the action during the school holidays.
b. highlight the sense of community felt by being outdoors.
c. draw a parallel between the weather and the boy’s feelings.
d. include descriptions of the flowering plants in the suburban gardens.
13. In the fifth paragraph the expression ‘the nights quivering with expectancy’ is an
example of …
a. a simile.
b. a metaphor.
c. a hyperbole.
d. personification.
14. This text is written from the point of view of …
a. an adult reflecting on his boyhood.
b. a boy recounting his summer holiday.
c. an outsider observing life in the suburbs.
d. an adolescent describing his community.
15. The character of the narrator shared in the story is …
a. sociable and restless.
b. shy and moody.
c. quiet but physically active.
d. strongheaded and strong-willed.
Paper 2: Writing Skill
16. This sentence is incomplete.
The invention of the camera in the 1800s.
Use the above clause to write your own complete sentence. Use your own idea.
17. Edit these sentences and rewrite them correctly.
a. the frog moved in over a year ago during the big rains of february
A little over a year ago during the big rains of February the frog moved in.
b. its a typical tuesday morning in suburban new delhi
It's a typical Tuesday morning in Suburban New Delhi.
c. ben are you okay shouted the instructor
"Ben, are you okay?" shouted the instructor.
18. Read an excerpt about spiderweb silk below.
Spiderweb silk (consist) of a combination of proteins that, strand for strand, (be) stronger than
steel. Spiders (coat) their silk with sticky droplets to catch insects.
The correct form of verbs in brackets to agree with their subjects are:
a. consist : _______________________
b. be : _______________________
c. coat : _______________________
19. Below is how to make coffee using an instant coffee maker.
(1) Fill up the water container.
(2) Turn the coffee machine on to heat the water.
(3) Insert a selected coffee pod into the holder.
(4) Place a coffee cup in the assigned position.
(5) Press button to pour out the coffee into the cup.
Write at most two paragraphs to describe the above process.
Here is how to use an instant coffee maker.
To begin, start by filling up the water
container and turning the machine on to heat
the water. While the water heats up, select a
coffee pod and insert it into the holder. Once
done, place a coffee cup in the assigned
position. Lastly, press the button and the coffee
will be poured into the cup.
20. Change these sentences below to passive voices.
a. He looked at the huge wooden horse positioned outside the gates of the city.
The huge wooden horse positioned outside the gates of the city was looked at by him.
b. Stepping out of the ‘timeship’, we see a landscape of rock and murky water.
A landscape of rock and murky water is seen after we step out of the 'timeship'.
c. Did she return the books to the library on time?
Were the books returned to the library on time?
21. Change these sentences below to active voices.
a. Some people in the city are troubled by the monstrous creature.
A monstrous creature troubled some people in the city.
b. A thick cloak was held by a pin or brooch to protect the warriors from the cold.
The warriors were protected from the cold with a thick cloak held by a pin or brooch.
c. When was the two-handed axe first used?
Who first used the two-handed axe?
22. Read this below.
I was awakened at three in the morning by a _________ noise on the far side of the house,
assumed it was some kind of cicada, rolled over and went back to sleep.
a. What descriptive word(s) fit to fill the blank? ________________________________
b. ‘I was awakened at three in the morning…’
What type of sentence is this? Cross your answer.
(a) active simple present tense
(b) active simple past tense
(c) passive simple present tense
(d) passive simple past tense
23. Fill in the blanks with appropriate connectors.
To Stick or Not to Stick
Adhesives work for two reasons. ___________, in the course of hardening, they form physical
bridges between high and low irregularities on the surfaces involved. These mechanical
attachments often are such ___________
that separating them actually requires you to rip apart the
materials they’re holding together.
___________, adhesives rely on the convenient fact that nature is inherently sticky.
___________,
Interestingly if you took two pieces of pure copper that were perfectly smooth and
completely clean and brought them together in a vacuum, they wouldn’t slide over each other at
all! ___________,
Fascinatedly the copper atoms of one surface would bond immediately to those of the
other, and the two pieces of metal would simply merge into a single, solid chunk.
24. Fill in the blanks with appropriate quantifiers.
a little all less more many much a few
Each quantifier can only be used once.
As a Matter of Pens
“But you have ____________ pens already. Why do you want to buy more?” Thus was the
mother’s response to the little boy’s request for buying pens. “We only have ___________
money left for our lunch later.”
The boy didn’t say ____________ except some inaudible murmurs. But, he actually wanted to
let his mother knew that ____________ his pens had either run out of ink or broken.
“Maybe there are still ____________ that can still work,” the boy tried to comfort himself. He didn’t
want to confront his mom… especially not when she was hangry.
25. Improve these sentences by adding more descriptive language.
a. Jamie got a jar and managed to trap the frog.
Jamie got a colorful smooth jar and managed to trap a green frog.
b. Ben showed his dog Foxy to his friends.
Ben showed his daring, delightful dog Foxy to his friends.
Paper 3: Composition
Write a story that has a series of events that develop into a problem or complication.
Choose one setting and one object from the list below. Make choices that you can use to
create an interesting and engaging story no more than 500 words.
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