DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION LEVELS

Department of Curriculum Management

Educational Assessment Unit 6–7
Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2 ENGLISH TIME: 15 minutes

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Name: _____________________________ Class: _____________________

1. Tick ( ) whether these statements are TRUE or FALSE. (4 marks)

TRUE FALSE
a. The fire broke out in Calcutta.
b. The fire broke out in a new building.
c. The number of victims is expected to rise.
d. The fire broke out on Wednesday morning.
e. Nobody was inside the building.
f. Poisonous gases made rescue operations easier.
g. A cigarette could have started the fire.
h. There were several fires in the last years.

2. Fill in with numbers. (3 marks)

a. The number of hours needed to control the fire.

b. The number of exits.
c. The number of fire engines sent to put out the fire.
d. The amount of rupees given to the injured people.
e. The number of shops destroyed in 2008.
f. The time when there is the last news bulletin of the day.

3. Underline the correct answer in the brackets. (3 marks)

a. In December 2011 there was a fire in a (market/school/hospital.)

b. In 2010, (43/45/48) people died in a fire in St. Stephen’s Court.
c. St. Stephen’s building is on (New Street/Park Street/Bone Street.)

10 Marks

English – Listening Comprehension – Student’s Paper – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014 Page 1 of 1
 DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION LEVELS
Department of Curriculum Management
Educational Assessment Unit 6–7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

Form 2 ENGLISH
COMPREHENSION TEXTS

B. READING COMPREHENSION

Text 1 – Read the following text and then answer the questions on the Language Paper.

The Circus
All the family enjoys going to the circus. Philip Astley is known as the father of the
modern circus. Astley performed on horseback in a large ring. He improved his show by
including music, clowns, acrobats, and a tightrope walker. His shows were so successful
that in 1772 he performed in front of the French Queen Marie-Antoinette.

5 Today, performances on horseback are still an important part of the circus. Horses are
carefully chosen for their beautiful colour, shape and graceful movements. When we
watch horses and other animals in circuses, like dogs, chimpanzees, lions, tigers and bears,
we are amazed by their intelligence and skill.

All circus performers need to practise hard to perform in public. We do not know how
10 many times they have failed while practising. Turning a somersault and landing on top of
a human pyramid three people high is not easy. Nor is juggling with several hoops, balls
or plates. The sound of drums that announces the start of a difficult act increases the
audience’s tension. Everyone feels afraid for the acrobats when we watch the flying
trapeze leaping from one swinging bar to another, for example.

15 The trapeze requires exact timing, courage and skill. It was invented by a Frenchman,
called Leotard, who designed the one-piece costume named after him. One day Leotard
saw cords hanging from the roof of his father’s swimming pool and he experimented by
tying bars of wood to the cords. Falling down, of course, meant getting wet!

It is the clown who makes us laugh in the circus. He also fills the time when the stage is
20 being changed. His most important job, however, is to help the audience relax between the
dangerous acts of lion tamers, horse riders and trapeze artists.

Phineas T. Barnum was the first American to become a world famous circus owner.
Barnum attracted people’s interest by using exaggerated language. Everything was the
biggest, or the greatest. In the 1880's, with James A. Bailey, he set up the 'Barnum and
25 Bailey Circus, The Greatest Show on Earth' which became world-famous for its fantastic
attractions. In fact, Bailey, who started his life as a farmer, was the first to introduce an
elephant in a circus act. "Old Bet", the elephant, became so popular that from that time
onwards, every circus needed to have one in it to be called a true circus.

English – Comprehension Texts – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6 - 7 – 2014 Page 1 of 2

Text 2 – Look at this old poster advertising a circus and then answer the questions on your
language paper.

Page 2 of 2 English – Comprehension Texts – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6 - 7 – 2014

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION
Department of Curriculum Management LEVELS
Educational Assessment Unit 6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2 ENGLISH TIME: 2 hours

Name: _____________________________________ Class: _______________

MARKS
Oral Assessment Listening Compr. Written Paper Total

SECTION A – LANGUAGE 15 marks

Ex. 1 – Fill in the blanks with the correct form of ‘make’ or ‘do’. The first one has been done
for you. (5 marks)

Ruth (0) was not doing (not do) her homework well. Her

teacher sent a note home saying that Ruth

(1) _________________ a lot of mistakes. Mrs Abela,

Ruth’s mother, asked her daughter to

(2) _________________ an effort to improve her work.

Mrs Abela noticed that Ruth was spending too much time

(3) _________________ her hair. She (4) __________________a decision to try and help Ruth.

She told her, “I am ready to (5) __________________ a deal with you.” Mrs Abela explained that

she was ready to (6) __________________ an appointment for her to (7) _________________ her

hair at the hairdresser’s if she (8) _________________ a promise to work harder on her homework.

Her mother’s offer (9) _________________ the trick. Ruth is now much more careful when

(10) __________________ her homework.

English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014 Page 1 of 8

Ex. 2 – Fill in each blank with ONE word. The first one has been done for you. (5 marks)

Storytelling
We are all storytellers. We tell stories about our dreams, our fears

and our successes. As we grow (0) older, we talk about things that

happened to us a long time in the (1) _________________. We may

add bits and (2) _________________ here and

(3) _________________to make the stories more interesting.

Anyone who enjoys telling stories soon learns how to make them

really enjoyable – both for the teller and the

(4) _________________. It’s always easiest to tell a story which

you yourself (5) _________________. Of course, you have to know all the (6) ________________

of the story so that you can make clear pictures for your listeners. Getting to know a story you want

to tell is not simply a matter of learning it off by (7) _________________. You have to pay

(8) _________________ to the way things happen. You have to be sure how one character relates

to another, just as in a play or film. You have to choose the words you use to tell your story

(9) _________________. You have to use words which will make the story come

(10) ________________ for whoever is listening to you.

Ex. 3 – Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb. The first one has been done for
you. (5 marks)

Last night Maria (0) was walking (walk) her dog Trixie

across the park when she noticed Julia and her friend Paul,

kicking a ball across the lawn. Suddenly, the ball

(1) _________________ (land) in the pond. The two

children (2) _________________ (run) to the pond and

leaned on the ice around it trying to reach the ball. As Maria

Page 2 of 8 English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014

dashed over, the ice started to crack and Julia (3) _________________ (fall) into the freezing water.

Maria (4) _________________ (grab) a broken branch and (5) _________________ (try) to pull

Julia out but the girl was too far into the pond. So Maria started to wade into the icy water. While

Maria (6) ________________ (struggle) to pull Julia to safety, more people (7) _______________

(come) to give a helping hand. Today, Julia’s mother, Mrs Sarah Wilson, said, “Yesterday Maria

(8)_________________ (save) Julia’s life. I (9) _________________ (can) never thank her enough.

I (10) _________________ always _________________ (warn) Julia about going near the water

but she’s mad on that football.”

SECTION B - READING COMPREHENSION 20 marks

Read Text 1, “The Circus”, which is on a separate sheet, and then answer the following
questions.

1. Put a tick ( ) in the correct box according to whether the statement is TRUE (T) or
FALSE (F). 3 marks
T F
a. There were horses in Astley’s show.
b. Astley had an elephant in his show.
c. Marie-Antoinette took part in Ashley’s show.
d. It is easy to learn how to juggle many hoops.
e. Leotard trained in a swimming pool.
f. Old Bet was an elephant.

2. ‘Philip Astley is known as the father of the modern circus.’ (lines 1 - 2) 1 mark
Tick ( ) the correct statement.
These words mean that:
a. Ashley had many children.
b. Ashley came up with the idea of a circus.
c. Ashley’s son was a clown in a circus.
d. Ashley is still alive.

3. What three things are considered when choosing a circus horse? 1½ marks
a. ________________________________ b. _________________________________
c. ________________________________

4. What sound is used in a circus to prepare the audience for a dangerous act? ½ mark
________________________________________________________________________________

English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014 Page 3 of 8

5. List four acts / performers mentioned in the text that do not use animals in their performance.
2 marks
a. ___________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________________________________________
d. ___________________________________________________________________________

6. What two things did Leotard invent? 2 marks

a. ___________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________

7. What do clowns do, according to the passage? 1½ marks

Tick ( ) the three correct statements.
a. Clowns juggle balls.
b. Clowns make people laugh.
c. Clowns ride horses.
d. Clowns help the audience to relax after a difficult act.
e. Clowns entertain us while the ring is being prepared for the next act.
f. Clowns introduce dangerous acts.

8. Complete the following sentences with one word in each blank. 2½ marks
Barnum was a famous _____________________ circus owner. He attracted people’s interest in his
circus by saying that his circus was the _____________________. His partner was called
___________________ and before working in a circus, this man worked as a
____________________. He was the first circus owner to include an ___________________ in a
circus.

9. What do the following words refer to in the text? 2 marks

a. He (line 2) ____________________________________________________
b. their (line 8) ____________________________________________________
c. they (line 10) ____________________________________________________
d. one (line 28) ____________________________________________________

10. Between lines 1 – 21, find a word in the text that means: 2 marks
a. a round area where a circus performance takes place ______________________
b. an acrobatic movement where a person turns head over heels ______________________
c. tossing in the air and catching a number of objects ______________________
d. another word for performances ______________________

Page 4 of 8 English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014

Look at Text 2 – the circus poster - and then answer the following question.

11. From the poster, find four words used to describe the gorilla Gargantua. 2 marks

a. ___________________________________ c. _______________________________
b. ___________________________________ d. _______________________________

SECTION C – LITERATURE 20 marks

Part I – Prose – Unprepared Text – Answer all the questions. (10 marks)

The night had begun to fall as I got close; and in three of

the lower windows, which were very high up and narrow,
the changing light of a little fire began to glimmer. Was
this the palace I had been coming to? Was it within these
walls that I was to seek new friends and begin a new life?

In the dim light, I lifted my hand with a faint heart under

my jacket, and knocked once. Then I stood and waited.
The house had fallen into a dead silence; a whole minute
passed away, and nothing moved but the bats above me. I
knocked again, and listened again. By this time my ears had grown so used to the quiet, that I
could hear the ticking of the clock inside as it slowly counted out the seconds; but whoever was
in that house kept deadly still, and must have held his breath.

I was unsure whether to run away; but anger got the upper hand, and I began instead to kick the
door, and to shout out aloud for Mr Balfour. Suddenly, I heard the cough right overhead, and
jumping back and looking up, I saw a man’s head in a tall nightcap, and the mouth of a rifle, at
one of the windows.

‘It’s loaded,’ said a voice.

(Adapted from Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.)

1. Underline the correct answer. (2½ marks)

Kidnapped is the title of a a (play, poem, dialogue, novel) written by Robert Louis Stevenson and it
is not a real story so it is called b (reality, fiction, fun, drama). This is a c (slow, funny, first-person,
third-person) narrative because it is told from the narrator’s point of view and the pronoun d (he, I ,
e
they, we) is used. This kind of narrative helps the readers sympathise with the (narrator, other
characters, the story, life) more closely.

2. Underline TWO correct answers. (1 mark)

In this passage the narrator feels
a. sad b. delighted c. scared d. amazed e. depressed f. angry

English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014 Page 5 of 8

3. Mention ONE thing from the first paragraph which creates a sense of danger.
(1 mark)
a. _____________________________

4. Quote a metaphor from the second paragraph which helps us understand how the boy was
feeling.
(1 mark)
_____________________________________________________________________________

5. Mention ONE sound that he heard in the second paragraph? (½ mark)

____________________________________________________
6. Underline the correct answers. (2 marks)

a. In the second paragraph, the narrator emphasizes (the darkness, his excitement, the silence,
the ghostly shadows).
b. In the end the reader feels a sense of (shock and surprise, unhappiness and despair, optimism,
anger).

7. Quote TWO short phrases from the third paragraph that describe the boy’s shock and surprise.
(2 marks)
a. _____________________________ b. ___________________________

Part II – Poetry – Unprepared Text – Answer all the questions. (10 marks)

TREES
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is 1prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

1
A nest of robins in her hair; prest : pressed
2
bosom: the chest of a human
Upon whose 2bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

By Joyce Kilmer

Page 6 of 8 English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014

1. Underline the correct answer: (2 marks)
a. In the poet’s opinion,
i. trees are like the rain.
ii. only trees make us happy.
iii. poets can make trees.
iv. trees are more amazing than poems.

b. The theme of the poem is about

i. a detailed description of a tree.
ii. the beauty of trees, nature and the greatness of God.
iii. the way robins make a nest in the tree.
iv. the way trees grow in the countryside with the soil and the rain.

2. Quote a simile from the poem. (1 mark)

________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? (½ mark)
________________________________________________________________________________
4. The poet compares the tree to a woman. List TWO body parts that the poet imagines that the
tree has. The first one has been done for you. (2 marks)
Example: “mouth” (stanza 2)
a. _____________________ b. _____________________

5. The tree “looks at God all day.” Underline the correct answers:

a. What is this figure of speech called?

It is called a (metaphor, personification, simile, comparison). (1 mark)

b. What other human action does the tree do? (½ mark)

The tree (plays, prays, sings, dances).

6. Answer the following question: Who are the tree’s close friends? (1½ marks)
Three close friends are ______________________, ___________________________,
_________________________________.

7. In the last stanza what is the comparison being made? Complete the sentences.
(1½ marks)
a. The poet compares _______________ with _______________.
b. The poet wants us to think that God is _____________ because He can make a tree.

English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014 Page 7 of 8

SECTION D – COMPOSITION 25 marks
Write a composition of 200 words on ONE of the following.

1. Write a dialogue in which you try to persuade your friend to join a new sports club which
has opened in your village. (You can use the following words or phrases: lots of equipment,
membership fee, indoor pool, fantastic offer)

2. Continue the story: The queue was very long, but we had been waiting for this so long.
Nothing was going to stop us ... (You can use the following words or phrases: excited, tired,
looking forward to, aching feet)

3. Write an email to your friend describing a clean-up campaign in the village which was
organised by the school. Your friend’s email address is: [email protected]. Fill in the grid
below with the correct information and then continue writing the email in the space
provided. (You can use the following words or phrases: gloves, sacks, rubbish, green
leaders, hard work, teams)

To:
Subject:

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Page 8 of 8 English – Form 2 Secondary – Levels 6-7 – 2014