Jurong West Secondary School End-Of-Year Examinations 2019: English Language 1128/02

Class Index Number
Name:
Jurong West Secondary School

End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 50
ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1128/02
Secondary Two Express 1 October 2019
Paper 2 Comprehension 1100–1250
1 hour 50 minutes
INSERT
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST
Write your name, class and index number on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
Answer all questions.

Write your answers in the spaces provided on the Question Booklet.
The Insert contains the texts for all the sections.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part
question.
After checking of answer script

Checked by Signature Date
Student
This document consists of 6 printed pages.

______________________________________________________________________
Setter: Ms Sunita & Mdm Magdalene Chia

2
Section A
Study the webpage below and answer Questions 1−4 in the Question Booklet.
JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

3
WWF International
https://savetherhino.wwf.com
Rhino horns do not cure illnesses. If this fact is new to you, consider this: rhino horns
are largely made of keratin, the same stuff that makes up your fingernails and
toenails. Do not use rhino horns; it is as useless as swallowing your own fingernails.
For more information, visit Vietnam.panda.org

SAVE A RHINO, SAY NO TO RHINO HORNS.
Adapted from: https://www.worldwildlife.org

Section B

4
Text 2
The text below recounts a young woman’s experiences in the Sahara desert. Read it
carefully and answer Questions 5–16 in the Question Booklet.
1 I was in the Sahara Desert, travelling with a group of people I neither knew nor
liked especially well. We were on the way to a Saharan wedding, moving via
Jeep during the day and sleeping under the stars at night. The travel was
endless and intolerable. The daytime heat was oppressive and the drives were
long with nothing to do but stare moodily at the passing desert. 5
2 I would wait for the nights with their cooling air, the moon hovering huge and
the Milky Way all aglow. Each evening, after my companions finished their
dinner and retired to their mattresses, I would leave for a walk.
3 One night I left camp at about nine, foolishly dressed in a thin cotton shirt and
light trousers only. The sky was inky and the moon had arched high, casting a 10
meek metallic light on the ground. The desert seemed radiant and inviting, and I
was overjoyed to be alone and moving in this amazing place.
4 After an hour of carefree wandering, I finally turned back towards camp. It was
not until that moment that it dawned on me how far I had gone and that I had no
idea where I was. I looked for footprints, but beneath my feet was hard baked 15
earth. With horror, I realised there were no landmarks and I had left no trail.
5 Resisting panic, I looked to the sky as I imagined one is supposed to do in such

situations, and found myself utterly clueless about navigating by the stars. I had
broken the fundamental rule of the desert. I was a city girl who fancied herself
an adventurer, and now I was lost with no water, no food, and no warmth. It 20
was almost comical.
6 The cold had descended and I shook – Sahara nights being as brutally chilly as
the days are blisteringly hot. As I lurched over the featureless land, I knew my
fellow travellers would be sleeping and there would be no light coming from our
campsite. I could stumble within ten metres of it without knowing it. 25
7 I had been searching for a good hour when I saw a smudge of fire glowing in
the distance. After an initial rush of relief, I froze, realising my situation. Here I
was, a young woman alone at night, lost and desperate. However, having little
choice, I walked towards the glow with as much courage as I could muster. As I
came closer, I recognised the figure of a Wodaabe tribesman. As I approached, 30
the man looked up in surprise. I must have made a shocking vision: a lone
woman staggering from the darkness in safari pants and hiking boots.
8 I extended my hand to the man, mumbling, “Foma, foma, foma,” the Wodaabe

5
Fulfude greeting that means, “Hello, how are you, your family, your goats, your
camels, your donkeys?” I spoke again in hesitant French. He shook his head 35
indicating he did not understand, but took my hand and led me to the fire,
gesturing for me to sit on the ground. He poured me a glass of sweet tea,
speaking soothingly in Fulfulde. It was my turn to shake my head.
9 Nearby a gargling sound came from the dark. I looked over and made out the
figure of a camel lying down beneath an Acacia tree. The man rose and went to 40
the camel, returning with a cotton cloth, which he placed round my shoulders.
1 After some time drinking tea in silence, he rose, checked the tether on his
0 camel and signalled to me. I followed the soft whiteness of his robes into the
night. We walked in quiet, although at times I would burst into speech, feeling
awkward with such great silence. He would turn and smile but say nothing. 45
Within thirty minutes, a cluster of mosquito nets loomed not three metres in
front and then the humped shapes of familiar figures sleeping beneath them.
His finding this small campsite in the dark seemed to me utterly miraculous.
I turned to him, put my hand over my heart and said the only other word I knew
1 in Fulfulde, “Abarkidi” (Thank you). 50
1
Adapted from One night in the Sahara by Amanda Jones

6
Section C
Text 3
The article below is about the world’s plastic pollution. Read it carefully and answer
Questions 17–22 in the Question Booklet.
1 Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental

issues, as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products
overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Plastic pollution is most
visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection
systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. However, the developed 5
countries, especially those with low recycling rates, also have trouble
properly collecting discarded plastics.
2
Plastics made from fossil fuels are just over a century old. Production and
development of thousands of new plastic products accelerated after 10
World War II, plastics revolutionised medicine with life-saving devices,
made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets—saving fuel and
pollution—and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment for
clean drinking water.
3
The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture 15
that reveals the material’s dark side. Many of these products, such
as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to
hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.
Today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced
4
every year. 20
Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land.
Trash is also carried to sea by major rivers, which act as conveyor belts,
picking up more and more trash as they move downstream. Once at sea,
much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters and is transported 25
around the world by ocean currents. Scientists found plastic items from
Russia, the United States, Europe, South America, Japan, and China on
an uninhabited atoll halfway between Chile and New Zealand. They were
5 carried to the South Pacific by the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean
current.
30
Once at sea, sunlight, wind, and wave action break down plastic waste
into small particles, often less than one-fifth of an inch across. These so-
called microplastics are spread throughout the water column and have
been found in every corner of the globe, from Mount Everest, the highest
6 peak, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest trough.
Microplastics are breaking down further into smaller and smaller pieces. 35

7
7 Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking

water systems and drifting through the air.
Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to
other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones,
8 are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of
40
seabird eats plastics.
Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation.

Seals, whales, turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned
fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings. Microplastics have been found in 45
more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels
destined for our dinner plates. In many cases, these tiny bits pass
through the digestive system and are expelled without consequence.
9 However, plastics have also been found to have blocked digestive tracts
or pierced organs, causing death. Stomachs so packed with plastics
reduce the urge to eat, causing starvation. 50
10 Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including

elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large
mammals, and in some cases, cause death.
55
Tests have also confirmed liver and cell damage and disruptions
to reproductive systems, prompting some species, such as oysters, to
produce fewer eggs. New research shows that larval fish are eating
nanofibers in the first days of life, raising new questions about the effects
of plastics
Adapted onhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/plastic-pollution
from fish populations.
End of Insert

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Class Index Number

Jurong West Secondary School

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Answer all questions.

After checking of answer script

This document consists of 6 printed pages.

Setter: Ms Sunita & Mdm Magdalene Chia

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

For more information, visit Vietnam.panda.org

Adapted from: https://www.worldwildlife.org

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

5 Resisting panic, I looked to the sky as I imagined one is supposed to do in such

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

1 Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

7 Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking

Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation.

10 Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including

JWSS End-Of-Year Examinations 2019 English Language (1128/02) Secondary 2E

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