2023 1G3 English CHIJ

CHIJ KATONG CONVENT END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATION 2023 Secondary One Express ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 2 Comprehension September 2023 INSERT 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST This Insert contains Text 1, Text 2, Text 3 and Text 4. This document consists of 5 printed pages and 1 blank page.

Section A Study the online advertisement (Text 1) and the blog post (Text 2) and answer Questions 1 – 4 in the Question Paper. Text 1 is taken from an online advertisement on cybersecurity. Choose to protect against cybercrimes. Don’t be caught off guard and left vulnerable! We provide cybersecurity to prevent against cybercrimes. We offer complete coverage protection from hackers and scammers. TRUSTED BY MORE THAN 1400 LEADING COMPANIES AND STILL COUNTING… Text 2 is taken from a blog which comments on cybersecurity. So, you think you’re safe? Don’t be too sure of that! You can never really get rid of threats posed by malware. You are your best defence against cybercrimes. Secure your online defence with the use of two-factor authentication, VPNs, secure passwords, and data protection. Hackers are simply too clever for you – they can strike when you least expect it. You need to practise good cybersecurity habits on your computers and digital devices. Prevent scammers from smiling all the way to the bank!

Section B Text 3 The text below describes a group of people on a snake hunt. Read it carefully and answer Questions 5 – 13 in the Question Paper. 1 Eventually eight of us made our way through the banana plantation. We were laughing and chattering excitedly at the thought of the treat in store when suddenly it occurred to me that I was the most inadequately dressed for the snake-hunting. I was wearing a thing pair of tropical trousers and a pair of tattered canvas shoes. Even the smallest reptiles would have no difficulty penetrating my skin with just one bite. However, before I could explain this to the group, we arrived at the edge of the pit. In the lamplight, it looked to me like nothing more than an extremely large grave. 5 2 My friend’s description of the snake pit had been accurate enough but what he had failed to tell me was that the sides of the pit consisted of dry, crumbling earth, full of cracks and holes that offered plenty of hiding places for any number of snakes. While I crouched down on the edge of the pit, the lamp was lowered into the bottomless depths of the pit so that I could see the snakes. Up to that moment, I had cheered myself with the thought that, after all, the snakes might turn out to be a harmless kind. Unfortunately, when the light reached the bottom, this hope was shattered. The pit was simply crawling with young Gaboon vipers – one of the deadliest snakes in the world. 10 15 3 I counted eight Gaboon vipers in the pit, but their colours matched the lead-mould so beautifully that I could not be sure that I was not counting some of them twice. Just at that moment, my friend trodded heavily on the edge of the pit. A large lump of earth fell among the reptiles, who all looked up and hissed loudly. Everyone backed away hastily, and I thought it a very suitable opportunity to explain the point about my clothing. My friend offered to lend me his trousers, which were of thick cloth, and the strong pair of shoes that he was wearing. Now the last of my excuses was gone and I still had not the nerve to make my descent. We went behind a tree and exchanged trousers and shoes. 20

4 Hesitantly, I approached the pit. My audience was clustered around, twittering in delicious anticipation. I tied the rope around my waist with what I very soon discovered to be a slipknot and crawled to the edge. My descent had not got the grace of a pantomime fairy. The sides of the pit were so crumbly that every time I tried to gain a foothold, I dislodged large quantities of earth. This fell among the snakes and was greeted with annoyed hisses. I had to dangle in mid- air, being gently lowered by my companions, while the slipknot grasped me ever tighter round the waist. Eventually I looked down and saw that my feet were about a metre from the ground. I shouted to my friends to stop lowering me, as I wanted to examine the ground that I was to land on to make sure that there were no snakes lying there. After careful inspection, I could not see any reptiles directly under me. I shouted “Lower away” in what I sincerely hoped was a fearless tone of voice. As I started on my descent again, two things happened at once – firstly one of my borrowed shoes fell off and secondly, the lamp, died away to a faint glow of light. At that precise moment, I touched the ground with my bare foot, and I cannot remember ever having been so frightened, before, or since. 25 30 35 5 There was one nasty moment when I bent down to pick up one of the reptiles and heard a loud hissing apparently coming from somewhere horribly close to my ear. I straightened up and found myself staring into a pair of angry silver-coloured eyes. After considerable juggling, I managed to get this snake down on to the ground and pin him beneath my stick. Overall, the reptiles were just as scared of me as I was of them, and they did their best to get out of my way. It was only when I had them cornered that they struck viciously at the stick. 40 6 I laid down in the pit for about half an hour, and during that time I caught 12 Gaboon vipers. I was not sure, even then, that I had captured all of them, but I felt it would be tempting fate to stay down there any longer. My companions hauled me out, hot, dirty, and streaming with sweat, clutching in one hand a bag full of loudly hissing snakes. 45 Adapted from ‘Encounters with Animals’ by Gerald Durrell

CHIJ KATONG CONVENT END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATION 2023 Secondary One Express ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 2 Comprehension September 2023 Candidates answer on the Question Paper Additional Materials: Insert 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, class and registration number on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black ink. Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid/ tape. Answer all questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided in the Question Paper. The Insert contains the texts for Section A, Section B and Section C. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. For Examiner’s Use Section A 5 Section B 15 Section C 15 Total 35 This document consists of 6 printed pages.

Section A [5 marks] Refer to the online advertisement (Text 1) and the blog (Text 2) on page 2 of the Insert for Questions 1 – 4. 1 Look at Text 1. Tick (ü) the statement which best summarises the main idea of Text 1. Cybersecurity prevents cybercrimes. Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Everybody needs cybersecurity. [1] 2 Identify the tone used in Text 1 which states ‘Don’t be caught off guard and left vulnerable!’ [1] 3 Text 2 refers to scammers ‘smiling all the way to the bank!’ What does it suggest about the aim of scammers? [1] 4 Look at Texts 1 and 2 and statements (a) and (b) below. Decide whether the statements refer to Text 1, Text 2, both texts, or neither text. Circle the answer you have chosen for each statement. (a) The intended reader of the text is a business owner. Text 1 / Text 2 / Both / Neither (b) The text persuades people to safeguard against cybercrimes. Text 1 / Text 2 / Both / Neither [2]

Section B [15 marks] Refer to Text 3 on pages 4 and 5 of the Insert for Questions 5 – 13. 5 In Paragraph 1, in what two ways was the writer ‘inadequately dressed’ (line 3)? [2] 6 Give two pieces of evidence from Paragraph 2 which suggest that the soil at the snake pit was da