DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management

Educational Assessment Unit

LEVELS
5-6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2

ENGLISH
LISTENING COMPREHENSION

TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHERS PAPER
Instructions for the conduct of the Listening Comprehension Examination
The teacher should instruct the candidates to answer the questions on the paper provided. The
following procedure for reading the Listening Comprehension passage is to be explained to the
candidates immediately before proceeding with the examination.

You have been given a sheet containing the Listening Comprehension

questions. You will be given three minutes to read the questions based
on the passage. The passage will be read at normal reading speed.
You may take notes during the reading. After this reading there will
be a pause of another three minutes to allow you to answer some of
the questions. I shall read the passage a second time and you may
take further notes and answer the rest of the questions. After this
second reading you will be given a further three minutes for a final
revision of the answers.

a.

3 minutes

Students read questions.

b.

3 minutes

Teacher reads passage aloud for the first time while students take notes.

c.

3 minutes

Students answer questions.

d.

3 minutes

Teacher reads passage for the second time. Students may answer more
questions.

e.

3 minutes

Students revise final answers.

English Listening Comprehension Teachers Paper Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-6-7 2014

Page 1 of 2

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management
Educational Assessment Unit

LEVELS
5-6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2

ENGLISH
LISTENING COMPREHENSION

TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHERS PAPER

You are going to listen to the news on Radio Gandhi.

And now for the latest item in the news today.
At least 19 people have been killed in a fire in an illegal market in the eastern Indian city of
Calcutta. The market was in an old building in the crowded area of the city.
Several people were also seriously injured, and others are still trapped inside the building. The fire
was controlled in three hours and rescue operations are still going on. The fire started early on
Wednesday morning while some people were sleeping inside.
The head of the fire services Gopal Padman said that they found dozens of people lying
unconscious with severe burns and that most of the victims had died in their sleep. Poisonous gases
were also released from the flammable materials in the building, which made the rescue operations
more difficult.
State Fire Services Minister Javed Khan said: "The market has only one exit and those who stayed
in the market at night were trapped after the fire broke out."
Meanwhile west Bengal chief minister Banerjee, visited the scene and promised a full investigation.
She said there were many illegal buildings in the city and that no-one follows any safety norms.
She announced compensation amounts of 200,000 rupees for the families of those who died and
50,000 rupees for the injured. 25 fire engines were sent to the scene and the injured were taken to
nearby hospitals.
The reason for the fire is not known, but a short circuit due to faulty electrical wiring could be to
blame. There have been several major fires in Calcutta in recent years. For example, in December
2011, 90 people died in a blaze at a hospital. 43 people died in a fire at the historic St Stephen's
Court building on the city's Park Street in 2010. A huge fire at one of the city's largest markets
destroyed 2,500 shops in 2008 but luckily no one was injured.
That was the last item of the news. Please join us again this evening at 11pm for the last news
bulletin of the evening.

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English Listening Comprehension Teachers Paper Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-6-7 2014

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management
Educational Assessment Unit

LEVELS
5-6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2

ENGLISH
LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Name:_____________________________

1.

TIME: 15 minutes

Class: _____________________

Tick () whether these statements are TRUE or FALSE.

(2 marks)
TRUE

a.

The fire broke out in Calcutta.

b.

The fire broke out in a new building.

c.

Nobody was inside the building.

d.

The fire broke out on Wednesday morning.

2.
a.

Underline the correct answer.

The fire was put out after:
2 hours.

b.

3 hours.

c.

4 hours.

3.

FALSE

(1 mark)

Underline the correct answer.

(7 marks)

a.

The building had (one exit / two exits / three exits).

b.

(2 fire engines / 15 fire engines / 25 fire engines) were sent to put out the fire.

c.

There have been (many / few / no fires) in the last years.

d.

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

e.

St. Stephens building is on (New Street / Park Street / Bone Street).

f.

The number of shops destroyed in 2008 was (2,500 / 1250 / 150).

g.

The last news bulletin is at (9 pm / 10 pm / 11 pm).

10 Marks

English Listening Comprehension Students Paper Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-6-7 2014

Page 1 of 1

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management
Educational Assessment Unit

LEVELS
5-6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2

ENGLISH
COMPREHENSION TEXTS

SECTION 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 was the first to form a circus.
Astley performed on horseback in a large ring. He added music, clowns, and acrobats to
his show.

10

Today, performances on horseback are still an important part of the circus. Horses are
carefully chosen for their beautiful colour, shape and elegant movements. When we watch
animals like horses, dogs, chimpanzees, lions and tigers perform in circuses we are
amazed by their intelligence and skill.
All circus performers need to practise hard. The sound of drums that announces the start
of a difficult act increases the audiences fear. Everyone feels afraid for the trapeze artists,
for example, when we watch them leaping from one swinging bar to another.
You need courage and skill to perform on the trapeze. It was invented by a Frenchman,
called Leotard. He also designed the one-piece costume named after him. One day,
Leotard saw cords hanging from the roof of his fathers swimming pool and he tied bars of
wood to the cords and began to practise there. Falling down, of course, meant getting wet!

15

20

It is the clown who makes us laugh in the circus. He also fills the time when the stage is
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.
Barnum was the first American circus owner to become world famous. Barnum attracted
peoples interest by using exaggerated language. Everything was the biggest, or the
greatest. In the 1880's, with James Bailey, he set up the 'Barnum and Bailey Circus, The
Greatest Show on Earth' which became famous for its fantastic attractions. In fact, Bailey
was the first to introduce an elephant in a circus. "Old Bet", the elephant, became so
popular that from that time onwards, every circus had to have an elephant.

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English Comprehension Texts Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-6- 7 2014

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

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English Comprehension Texts Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-6- 7 2014

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management
Educational Assessment Unit

LEVELS
5-6-7

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2014

FORM 2

ENGLISH

Name: _________________________

TIME: 2 hours
Class: _________

Marks
Oral Assessment

Listening
Comprehension

Written Paper

Section A Language

Total

(15 marks)

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of make or do. The first one has been done for you.
(5 marks)
A few days ago Ruths teacher ( 0. made, was
making, did, was doing) a phone call to
explain that Ruth (1. make, was doing, was
making, did) a lot of mistakes in her school
work. Mrs Abela, Ruths mother, told her
daughter to (2. do, make, did, made) an effort
to improve her work.

She (3. made, was making, was doing, did) a plan to help her daughter

find more time to (4. was doing, make, do, did) her work better. Mrs Abela (5. make, made,
was doing, did)

a list of things that Ruth spent a long time doing. For example, she noticed

that Ruth spent too much time (6. making, made, doing, did) her hair. So Mrs Abela told Ruth,
I am ready to (7. do, made, was making, make) an appointment for you at the hairdressers if
you are willing to (8. do, make, doing, making) the dishes after supper. You must also promise
to (9. make, making, do, doing) your best not to waste time on your hair. Mrs Abela hoped that
her plan would (10. make, do, will do, making) a difference.
English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

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2. Fill in each blank with the correct word from the box. Use each word only once.
The first one has been done for you.
like
heart
alive

past
there

attention
older

carefully
details

(5 marks)

pieces
listener

Storytelling
We are all storytellers. We tell stories about our dreams,
our fears and our experiences. As we grow (0) older, we
talk about things that have 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) _____________.
Its 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.

3. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. The first one has been done for you.
(5 marks)
Last night Maria (0) was walking 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 ran to the pond and leaned on the ice around it trying to reach the

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English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

ball. Maria dashed over, but when she (2) _____________________________ (reach) them the
ice (3) ______________________ (crack) and Julia (4) _____________________ (fall) into the
freezing water. Maria (5) ___________________ (grab)
a broken branch and (6) ____________________ (try)
to pull Julia out, but the girl was too far into the pond.
So Maria started to wade into the icy water and
(7) __________________ (struggle) to pull Julia to
safety.
Later, Julias mother, Mrs Sarah Wilson, said , Maria
(8) _____________________ (save) Julias life. I (9)____________________ (can) never
thank her enough. I (10) _________________ (be) so glad no one got hurt.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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 to show that the statement is TRUE (T) or
FALSE (F).
2 marks
T
a.
b.
c.
d.

2.

Both adults and children enjoy going to the circus.

There were horses in Astleys show.
Astley had an elephant in his show.
Leotard trained in a swimming pool.

Tick ( ) the THREE correct statements.

1 marks

What do circus trainers consider when choosing a horse for their show?
a.
Its age
b.
The colour of the horse
c.
The way the horse moves
d.
How intelligent the horse is
e.
How friendly it is
f.
The appearance of the horse

English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

Page 3 of 10

3. Complete the following sentences by writing ONE word in each blank space.

3 marks

The sound of ___________________ announces the start of a _________________ act.

This

sound makes the audience feel ___________________. Three circus performers who have a
dangerous act are the lion ___________________, the __________________ riders and the
___________________ artists.

4. Write ONE thing Leotard invented.

1 mark

______________________________________________________________________________

5. According to the passage, what do clowns do?

Tick ( ) the THREE correct statements.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

1 marks

Clowns tame lions.

Clowns make people laugh.
Clowns ride horses.
Clowns help the audience to relax after a difficult act.
Clowns entertain us while the ring is being prepared for the next act.
Clowns introduce dangerous acts.

6. Complete the following sentences by writing ONE word in each blank space.
3 marks
Barnum was a famous __________________ circus owner. He attracted peoples interest in his
circus by saying that everything in his circus was the __________________and the
__________________. His partner was called __________________.

He was the

__________________ circus owner to include an __________________ in a circus.

7. Match Column A with Column B by putting the correct letter in the box to form a complete
sentence. The first one has been done for you.
2 marks

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Column A
Old Bet
Astley
Barnum
Leotard
There were acrobats
There were elephants

Page 4 of 10

a.

Column B
even in the first circus.
was an elephant.
rode horses.
in the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
was famous around the world.
was a trapeze artist.

English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

8. Match the words in the box with their meanings. There is one extra word.

pool

ring

cords

acts

2 marks

bars

a. a round area where a circus performance takes place

___________________________

b. another word for performances

___________________________

c. long pieces of wood

___________________________

d. ropes

___________________________

Look at Text 2 a circus poster and answer the following questions.

9. From the poster, find FOUR words used to describe the gorilla Gargantua.
x 4 = 2 marks
a.

___________________________

b. _____________________________

c.

____________________________

d. _____________________________

10. Tick ( ) the correct answer.

2 marks

What is the name of the gorilla?

a.
Great
b.
Gargantua
c.
Creature
d.
Ringling

According to the poster, the gorilla is:

a.
the largest gorilla ever seen.
b.
the strongest gorilla ever seen.
c.
the ugliest gorilla ever seen.
d.
the first gorilla ever seen.

English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

Page 5 of 10

Section C Literature

(20 marks)

Prose Unprepared Text Answer all the questions.

(10 marks)

It was dark as I got close. In the windows, the light of a low fire began to shine. Was this the
place where I was going to begin a new life?
I lifted my hand and knocked once. My heart was beating loudly
like a galloping horse. The house had fallen into a dead silence. A
whole minute passed and nothing moved but the bats above me.
I knocked again, and listened again. By this time my ears had
grown used to the silence. I could hear the ticking of the clock
inside. The person inside that house kept still, and must have held
his breath.
I was going to run away. But I felt angry and I began to
kick the door and to shout out aloud for Mr Balfour.
Suddenly, I heard the cough from above. I jumped back
and looked up. I saw a mans head at the window.
Then I saw the mouth of a rifle.
This rifle is loaded, said a voice.

(Adapted from Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.)

1. Fill in the blanks. Choose the correct words from the box.
One word is extra.

first-person

flashback

fiction

(2 marks)

novel

character

Kidnapped is the title of a a_______________ written by Robert Louis Stevenson and it is not a
real story so it is called b________________. This is a c_____________________ narrative
because it is told from the narrators point of view and the pronoun d____ is used. This kind of
narrative helps the readers understand the narrators e_______________ more clearly.

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English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

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

3. Mention ONE thing from the first paragraph that makes the story feel dangerous.
( mark)
_____________________________

4. Underline the correct answer.

like a galloping horse
This is an example of (a metaphor, a simile, alliteration, repetition).

5. Underline the correct answers.

(1 mark)

(3 marks)

a. In the second paragraph, the narrator emphasizes (the darkness, the boys past, the silence,
the ghostly shadows).
b. TWO things that he heard were (the trees branches, the bats above him, the new friends at the
window, the creaking door, the ticking of the clock, his ears popping).
c. In the end the reader feels (shock and fear, unhappiness, optimism, anger).
6. Copy TWO short phrases from the third paragraph that describe the boys shock and surprise.
(2 marks)
a. _____________________________
b. ___________________________

English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

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Poetry Unprepared Text Answer all the questions.

(10 marks)

The Rainbow
by
Christina Rossetti
Boats sail on the rivers,
And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
Are prettier than these.
There are bridges on the rivers,
As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
Is prettier far than these.
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.

The poem is about

dreams.
bridges.
sailing boats.
rainbows.

2.
a.
b.
c.
d.

The poem is
a sad one.
a cheerful one.
romantic.
funny.

(2 marks)

3. Which TWO words are repeated in this poem?

_____________________________

(1 mark)
___________________________

4. Underline the correct word:

(5 marks)
a. When we read the first three lines we imagine that the clouds are like (aeroplanes,
boats, stars, birds) that (fly, sail, swim, walk) across the sky.
b. clouds that sail across the sky is (a contrast, repetition, a metaphor, a simile) and it
is also an example of (alliteration, rhythm, onomatopoeia, rhyme).
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English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

c. the bow that bridges heaven is the (sky, ship, river, rainbow); this line makes us
imagine that the rainbow is like (heaven, a tree, a bird, a bow).
d. In the poem, the rainbow, builds a road from earth to sky.
This is a (simile, personification, repetition, rhyme). The poetess imagines that the
rainbow can (dance, sail, sing a song, build a road).
e. as pretty as you please is (a rhyme, a metaphor, a stanza, an alliteration).
f. In this poem, the most beautiful thing is (the bridge, the sky, the boat, the rainbow,
the ship).
5. Find a pair of words that rhyme.
________________________

(1 marks)
________________________

6. Complete the following sentence:

(1 mark)
The poem helps us to imagine that the rainbow is ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Section D - Composition

(25 marks)

1. Continue the 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)
Darren:
Have you heard about the new sports club which has opened close
to the pharmacy?
Stephanie: Yes, it is called FITNESS. I saw it yesterday.

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.
(You can use the following words or phrases: gloves, sacks, rubbish, green leaders,
hard work, teams)
Copy this information:
To:
amangion@onvol.net
Subject: Clean-up campaign
English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014

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COMPOSITION NUMBER

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English Form 2 Secondary Levels 5-7 2014