Levels

6-7

SECONDARY SCHOOLS
HALF YEARLY EXAMINATIONS 2015/2016
FORM: 4 20 Marks

Name:___________________________________________ Class:__________________

20 MARKS

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs.

put up with, turn over, take over, check out, drop off, put in for, take after, turn off,
check in, drop in.

Mark: Ann! It is so late already! They are expecting us to __________________ at the airport
at six.

Ann : Will soon be there! I’m packing the last few items. In the meantime, don’t forget to
__________________ the mains switch in the garage.

Mark: That’s already been done. Please could you hurry up?!

Ann: Oh I can’t __________________you any longer! You are such a grumpy old man! By
the way, we’ve got to __________________ the dog at my mum’s.

Mark: The dog! Oh, bother! Why is everything so complicated? How can you be so calm?
You are just like your mum; I can’t believe how much you _____________________her.

(5 marks)

2. Complete the following sentences with a word formed from the one in capitals.

a) Scientists wanted to learn more about the _______________________ of the animal’s

brain. DEVELOP

b) The headmaster asked for an _____________________ when the boy came late to
school. EXPLAIN

c) After hours of thinking, the professor found the _____________________ to the

problem. SOLVE

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d) After ten years on the run, he was arrested and ___________________. PRISON

e) Old people are sometimes very ___________________. FORGET

f) Our neighbour bought a very ____________________ car. EXPENSE

g) ___________________ were expected to finish their crossing of the English Channel

by eight o’clock. SWIM

h) John had to work very hard to earn a _______________ for himself and for his very big
family. LIVE

i) Our committee met early in the morning but could not come to a __________________
before late in the evening. DECIDE

j) The Army held a concert in the village square to raise money to ___________________
food for the poor. PROVISION
(5 marks)

3. Put the verb in brackets in the correct form. The first one (0) has been done for you.

Every decade or so, a film (0) passes (pass) from box-office hit to cultural phenomenon.
That’s what happened with the Dark Knight, the latest Batman film (1)
__________________ (release) last summer. Although, as expected the film (2)
__________________ (attract) a large number of teenagers, nobody can quite believe how
successful the second Batman movie (3) __________________ (become). Some critics are
certain that by next week, Dark Knight (4) __________________ (surpass) the original Star
Wars (5) __________________ (make) in North America. Currently, its distributor, Warner
Bros (6) __________________ (play down) the possibility that it (7) __________________
(exceed) the $600m made by Titanic. The studio claimed that it (8) __________________
(take) several measures to prevent piracy. In a press conference held last week, Warner Bros
_________ (9) (claim) that they were satisfied that the first pirated copy (10)
__________________ (not release) until 38 hours after the film.

(5 marks)

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4. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence.
The first one (0) has been done for you.

1. He doesn’t find it difficult to cook elaborate meals. He is used to cooking elaborate

meals.

2. She’s not very confident on passing her exam.

She doesn’t think ___________________________________________________.

3. You must finish reading this chapter before you leave.

This chapter____________________________________________________.

4. He wished he had visited his late uncle before he passed away.

He regretted ________________________________________________________.

5. I don’t think I’ll be invited to my cousin’s wedding in May.

I doubt ____________________________________________________________.

6. Why don't you stay in and watch television this afternoon?

If I were you, _____________________________________________

(5 marks)

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FORM: 4 20 Marks

The Transfers
Loren had been sneakily moving money from the accounts of his bank’s wealthiest
clients to one he created for himself in the Cayman Islands for over 8 years. He had
every reason to believe that no one suspected a thing, and he knew the money would
be safe in an offshore account.
(5)

He had been cautious with all the money he had stolen from ‘Hills Bank’. He wore
second-hand suits to his job as a bank teller there. He rode his bike from Anacostia—
the dirty, ruined neighbourhood he called home— to his DuPont Circle branch each
day.
(9)

He rarely travelled outside of the Washington, DC area. He did nothing at all to raise a red flag. He
appeared as nothing more than an 18-dollar-an-hour bank employee in a town where many made millions.
He was sure no one had ever examined the countless transactions that had taken place – dozens, sometimes
hundreds of small transfers that amounted to $9,000 every other week. Otherwise, the truth would have
surely come to light a long time ago. (14)

“Nine thousand dollars every other week is just a drop in the bucket to these rich folks,” Loren reasoned.
This eased his guilt. In Loren’s mind, it was the greedy people who got caught doing these things and the
guys who built multi-million dollar homes with 24 rooms on a pauper’s salary.
(18)

To him, the bank was jam-packed with idiots; no one was capable of sorting out his master plan. No – it
was too late for them. Today was the day Loren would begin acquiring the benefits of all his patience and
cunning planning to start a new begin living a luxurious life far away from all the people he knew. After an
ordinary day at work, Loren got on his bike and road over the river to the National Airport. As the plane
lifted off the runway for the Caribbean, Loren watched attentively out of the window. He had close to €2
million collecting interest in the bank and had managed to pull it off, unnoticed.
(25)

As the plane landed, Loren finally allowed himself to fully dream of the carefree life he was about to begin.
He moved down the airplane steps, across the tarmac and headed toward the airport. The pleasant air felt
comforting to his skin. He breathed in slowly and deeply with excitement, and then he was surprised to hear
a familiar voice. “Hey, Loren. Not so fast.” (29)

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 1. Select the correct meaning of these words which are found in the passage:

a) Sneakily (line 1) being attentive

b) Suspected (line 4) poor person
c) Cautious (line 6) relaxed
d) Examined (line 12) without being caught
e) Countless (line 12) noticed
f) Pauper (line 17) a lot
g) Carefree (line 26) studied

2. Choose the correct meaning to the phrasal verb “jam-packed with” (paragraph 5, line 1) means
according to the sentence:

A. Filled with
B. few of
C. lead by
D. stay with

3. Find another phrasal verb in paragraph 5

4. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE by underlining the correct answer and give
proof of your answer from the passage.
a) He loved to travel outside of the Washington, DC area for small vacations. True/ False.

Reason: __________________________________________________________________________

b) He could never feel safe that his plan would work out. True/ False.
Reason: __________________________________________________________________________

c) Lauren tried his best to keep acting as though he was a normal worker with the average wage his co-

workers earned. True/ False.

Reason: _________________________________________________________________________

d) He was looking forward to escape from work with his stolen money to spend as a rich man.

True/ False.

Reason: _________________________________________________________________________

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5. Match these two idioms to their correct meaning within the context of the story from the list of possible
answers below:
Idiom a) to raise a red flag (line 10)
Idiom b) “just a drop in the bucket” (line 15)

1) To be calm

2) To get noticed and cause alarm

3) To earn money

4) So little it would not be noticed

5) Wave a flag about

6) A whole heap

Answer:
Idiom a)

Idiom b)

6. “…he was surprised to hear a familiar voice. “Hey, Loren. Not so fast.” In your opinion what was the
reason this familiar voice stopped him?

7. What made Loren feel confident his crime would not be discovered?

8. In your opinion, what happened to Lauren as soon as he was caught running away with the stolen money?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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 LITERATURE
Answer all the sections 20 marks

Part 1: Poetry – Unprepared Text (10 marks)

Sea Fever

I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the sea again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume*, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the sea again, to the vagrant* gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted* knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn* from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s* over.

by John Masefield

*spume – froth, foam

*vagrant – wandering, homeless
*whetted – sharpened
*yarn – story
*trick – a turn of duty steering the ship

Questions:
1 Fill in the blanks using the following words. (2 marks)

quatrains lines rhyme scheme stanzas

The above poem is made up of three __________________ each consisting of four

___________________. Such stanzas are called ____________________. The
___________________ of the first stanza is aabb.

2 Which phrase is repeated in every verse? (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

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3 Give an example of personification in the first verse. (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

4 What figure of speech is “the wind’s like a whetted knife” in the third stanza? (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

5 Mention TWO sounds that can be heard in the poem. (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

6 In the speaker’s imagination what sign of the wind is visible? (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

7 Although the speaker talks of “the lonely sea“, the poem suggests that he might have
company on the voyage. Quote the line that suggests that he will not be setting sail
alone. (1 mark)

______________________________________________________________________

8 In the last line, the poet mentions “and a sweet dream when the long trick’s* over”. In your
own words explain what the poet means by this. (2 marks)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Part 2: Prose – Unprepared Text (10 marks)

Read this extract taken from Matilda by Roald Dahl and answer all the questions.

Naturally Matilda was put in the bottom class, where there were eighteen other small boys and
girls about the same age as her. Their teacher was called Miss Honey, and she could not have
been more than twenty-three or twenty-four. She had a lovely pale oval Madonna face with blue
eyes and her hair was light brown. Her body was so slim and fragile one got the feeling that if
she fell over she would smash into a thousand pieces, like a porcelain figure. (para.1)

Miss Jennifer Honey was a mild and quiet person who never raised her voice and was seldom
seen to smile, but there is no doubt she possessed that rare gift for being adored by every small
child under her care. She seemed to understand totally the bewilderment and fear that so often
overwhelm young children who for the first time in their lives are herded into a classroom and
told to obey orders. Some curious warmth that was almost tangible shone out of Miss Honey’s
face when she spoke to a confused and homesick newcomer to the class. (para.2)

Miss Trunchbull, the Headmistress, was something else altogether. She was a gigantic holy
terror, a fierce tyrannical* monster who frightened the life out of pupils and teachers alike. There
was an aura* of menace* about her even at a distance, and when she came up close you could
almost feel the dangerous heat radiating* from her as from a red-hot rod of metal. When she
marched – Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like a storm-trooper* with long
strides and arms aswinging – when she marched along the corridor you could actually hear her
snorting as she went, and if a group of children happened to be in her path, she ploughed right on
through them like a tank, with small people bouncing off her to left and right. Thank goodness
we don’t meet many people like her in this world, although they do exist and all of us are likely
to come across at least one of them in a lifetime. If you ever do, you should behave as you would
if you met an enraged rhinoceros out in the bush – climb up the nearest tree and stay there until it
has gone away. (para.3)

From Matilda by Roald Dahl

*tyrannical – cruel and domineering

*aura – atmosphere, feeling
*menace – threat
*radiating – glowing, burning
*storm-trooper – aggressive attacker

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Questions:
1 Underline the correct statement (½ mark)

The narrator is
a) Roald Dahl
b) A student
c) A teacher

2 Quote ONE phrase from paragraph 1 that shows Miss Honey’s “Madonna face”. (½ mark)

___________________________________________________________________________
3 Give ONE reason why the children “adore” Miss Honey. (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________

4 Find a simile in paragraph 1 and explain it. (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

5 From paragraph 3 find FOUR words or phrases that are used to describe Miss Trunchbull’s
character.
(2 marks)

a) _______________________________ b) __________________________________

c) _______________________________ d) __________________________________

6 “snorting” in paragraph 3, is an example of: (1 mark)

Underline the correct answer.
a) simile b) onomatopoeia c) metaphor

7 If the children heard someone “snorting” they knew that Miss Trunchbull was approaching.
What other sound is referred to that might tell them that she was coming? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________

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8 According to the writer, what should we do to avoid people like Miss Trunchbull? (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

9 List TWO contrasts between Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull. (2 marks)

Miss Honey Miss Trunchbull

___________________________________ __________________________________

___________________________________ __________________________________

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 COMPOSITION
(20 marks)

Write between 180 and 200 words on ONE of the following:

1. Your best friend has just moved house and will start attending your school next term. She
would like to know more about your school. Write an informal letter to your friend
explaining the usual school routine, time-table, activities, what you’ve covered so far in
certain subjects etc.

2. Write a descriptive essay entitled: Carnival in Malta and Gozo.

3. I was spring-cleaning my wardrobe when suddenly I noticed that it had a false bottom. I
curiously lifted up the board and .................Continue the story and give it a title.

Composition title no: ____

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