Good L~

mati@M@ Exam ia1i jft) Short Texts;

Read the text carefully in each question. Choose the best answer A, B or C.
;
F
Apparentl!f, a common Sa!fin9 among \
the elc.ler 9eneration, having the broom Many superstitions we grew up with
originated from old wives' tales. but a few
brush over !fOUr feet is supposed to be bad
if not all of them are generally just tokj t.o
luck. We believe it is because brooms are ensure our safety and weH-betng. Believe it or
used to sweep up dirt and mess, so !fOU don't not, there are still many superstitious peopfe
want to come into contact with 'unclean around today and the best way t.o get around
enir9!f'· If horror of horrors, !fOU should l them is just not t.o do anythmg that would
cause alarm - respect the superstitions. In
feel the brush of bristles a9alnst !fOUr to~j Malaysia, where we are known for our racial

.~.'.",Pf,°,~~.~":~.'.'.-t~- -•~
-'..~" ii-··. •.. diversity, we have certamly got no shortage
of urban legends and scare st.cries passed
down by our parents!

1 According to the extract, we should not let the 3 The writer is of the belief that most
ends of the broom superstitions were created as a way
A pat our head. A to keep children safe.
B touch our feet. B to discourage bad eating habits.
C come into contact with our skin. C to frighten children intentionally.

r- ,. , ·- ~

✓ Ask fa- fcrgiveness before relieving let's talk. about tetraphobla; ln simpler t
\P,II'8elf. It is said to be disrespectful to
terms. the fear of the number 4 Espectally t
common among the Chinese cammunlty, it r
the jungle spirits if you don't. If you think '
Is a U9Jal 9l~ht to see elevalor:S and houses
about it. \PU are basicaily soiling their
being labelled as 3A or 13A. rather than 4 or
home. so the least you can do is say
14. The pronundalioo o.f the number four
sorryl . sounds IJke the word for death In 1\6.andaflln
✓ Don't use \PUI' real names. Not usmg your and cantonese. Hence, 11 Ls not exaaly
real name is meant to prevenr spirits p1acucal to live In a mouse labelled as 'death'.
from impersonating your friends lo yeH Thts Is part!oularly lnteresttnQ to Westerners
. I
out your name and lure you .deeper Ullo l \-\f\O would go out of their \-\lay to avoid ~he
the jungle by making you think you
ansvering their call.
are L~~ ber :13 • •

4 As a result, the Chinese

2 The extract above is about A avoid using the number four where
A moral codes. possible.
B jungie etiquette. B believe the number four is good luck.
C the laws of nature. C say no to the number 13.

45
II ~ ie• English Form 2 Unit 8

~ ·ieadlitlJ . Student's Book: p.85 I

_.,
pBD Module DSKP Prloiii] J■HIii llJffi

Read the article below and answer the questions that follow.

a Cricketers are a superstitious lot. As if their skills with bat and

~ ball are not enough, they have some very specific superstitions
v~1c,(e,t _,,, _ that they believe help them win matches. ___ 0
-------------------------------------------------- -----
Here are some o~ India's ~amous cricketers and their superstitions:

_.9nd his le~t pad ~irst char~T

Despite all his talent, even the Master Blaster believes that putting on his left pad before the right one
brings him luck.

r- and his ~a~ urite pair o~ gloves]

He used to keep wearing the same pair of gloves with which he wore when
he started scoring well.

_ and his birthday number on his ~!rse~ j

Yuvraj Singh's birthday falls on 12th December and he believes that to be his lucky number. He also
sports a kalava, which is a black thread that he wears on his wrist.

f - --~i~ ~i! l~:~_bag d~ri~g t~e Wo~9 q_up ·;r

1 R Ashwin carried a bag which he believed was not only lucky for him, but for the entire Indian
team as well. Even though he only played two games during the World Cup, he carried it fo.r all the
matches which India ended up winning.
-~--,-,,. --~--- ---·- -----···--- . ---- ----z
and the photo o~ his aurt.tlli in his pocket J
.. i

They call him the God of the Offside, thanks to his grace and he believed in pocketing his luck. He
always made sure his guru's photo was in his pocket whenever on the field. He also wore rings and

moo~ w~kh -~: bel~ved were lucky: • • _ _ _ _ ( ~ -

~ --~:.._hisluc~ number on the back i ~ - ~

·---· __.....,__..-.. ... --.•·..,_ - .............. _, ____ ·• J

He has surely been an amazing captain and if luck has played Its part, then he surely has the number
7 to thank. He was born on 7th July and hence sports that number on his jersey.

Adapted from: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/sportslsuperstltions-ln-crlcket/#.l2egzfq3y

49
~ 111<1 English Form 2 Unit 8

t What is the article about?

2 Why did Sachin Tendu lkar put on his left pad first before t he ri ght one in any cricke t match ?

3 What made Virat Kohli keep wearin g his favourite pa ir o f glove s when playin g cricke t?

4 What do Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni have in commo n where supers ff ·s concer ned?
I
ion 1 •

s What was the effect of R Ashwin carrying his lucky bag during cricke t match es?

6 What can we say about Sourav Ganguly's supers tition?

141 )
PP Module Exam Booster @ Information Transfer

Read the text below and answe r questio ns 1 to 8.

Sport s ~igures have ~allen into superstitions that they believe will put them
in a bette r
positio n to win every time. The Olympic Games have the most super
stition s and rituals.
According to some sports psychologists, superstitions and rituals attach
ed to them
give athlet es a sense o~ control over themselves and they ~eel less anxiou
s. In a sports
environment, anything can happen. They have spent day and night trainin
g to secure medals
and ~ame. 'Superstitions bring us luck and help us succeed! So, why not
do it'? Guys, it's not
going to hurt, right'?'
Tiger Woods is o~ten sighted wearing his lucky red shirt on the last day
o~ a maJor
tourna ment. 1've had a ~ew wins wearing red,' said Woods,'and it's not going
to change.' Judo ~
gold medalist, Kayla Harrison, wears the lucky socks that were a gi~ ~rom
her grand mothe r. :
Hockey player, Alex Danson, spins her stick 15 times be~ore each game. Tennis
player Ra~ael -
! ~~e/C lkes alternating sips ~rom two identical water bottles at every break b~ween _!
_!

~ Even coaches are superstitions, too. 3ust imagine a basketball coach chews
a towel ~
I during games and a ~ootball coach eats tur~ That's interesting, right? All in theonquest
~ winning! 0~ ~
I~
I
There are other less complex ~orms o~ superstitions practi sed
by sports ~gures. Such examples are having a lucky charm in the
~
i
I
l
t~:,~~:~,~~~"~';:~~~~~~:~~,:,~~~~,:" "'-" "' _.-__._,..,_11111m111111111
, 1111111m11111u1ww111
11111

50
 ~ llil,i, English Form 2 Unit 8

complete the following graphic organiser.

Choose no more than three words and/ or a number from the text for each question.

Which game that has the most superstitions and rituals?

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Reasons superstitions popular among sportspeople:

2
3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Types of superstitions practised by:

.. Alex Danson - spins stick 15 times before each game
superstitions
And Sports .. Tiger Woods - wears his red shirt on the last day of a
major tournament
.. Kayla Harrison - 5

.. Rafael Nadal - drinks from two identical bottles of

water

Coaches' practices of superstitions:

.. eat turf
6 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Other forms of superstitions practised by sportspeople:

.. crossing fingers

51
~ • English Form 2 Unit 8 i
II
1Q:j@@m@ Exam Boolter_@ Non-linear Text J I

Read the guidelines in a magazine below and answer questions 1 to 10. I

We always give gifts to our parents, friends, siblings, relatives and teachers, We give
gifts on occasions like Christmas Day, Chinese New Year, birthdays, birth of newborns.
Mother's Day, Teachers' Day and many others. Gifts are symbols and carry energy
from the giver to the recipient, affecting both.

GUIDELINES in giving gifts

rll' When giving cash, you should always give in odd amounts, $5, $1 ,
$51, $101, etc.
, rll' Offer gifts in pairs. An even number symbolises good luck and a good
ending.
rll' When giving a gift of a wallet, purse, money box or anything that is
· meant to hold money, you should put money in it, so the person will
have good luck.
rll' When you return a gift from a guest, the gift you give him in future
must be of greater value than his.
rll' Chocolates and fruits are a good luck gift. They represent that you
wish the recipient to have a sweet life, so they symbolise good fortune.

TABOOS associate d with gifts

, 00 HANDKERCHIEFS. Never give a handkerch ief for it connotes parti
with a person forever, or symbolical ly this is for wiping away tears.
· 00 UMBRELLAS. It would mean a break-up or a broken marriage . .
00 CLOCKS. Never give a clock for 'clock' sounding like the word for
'death' in Mandarin. When you give them, you remind the recipient
they have less time to live.
: 00 SHARP OBJECI'S. It symbolises breaking a relationship . Also, it is
believed that giving sharp objects will bring the recipient danger
and bad luck. .
: 00 JASMINES, PLUM BLOSSOMS, MARIGOLDS, LOTUSES. For jasmines
mean business losses, plum blossoms mean bad luck, marigolds
_mean funerals, and lotuses are used to worship Buddha image.

ft >

I
62

~
 ~ w, English Form 2 Unit 8

Answer the questions below.

Choose no more than five words and/ or a number from the guidelines for each answer.
1 Gifts are often given on _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

2 It is advisable to offer gifts in pairs because

3 Marigolds hold a strong tie to the idea of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~

4 If you want your close friends to remain a couple forever, which gift mustn't you give them?

5 It is considered inauspicious to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ as it symbolises death.

6 When you receive a gift from a friend, you must return one _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

7 Why is it advisable not to give a handkerchief to your friends?

8 In giving gifts, there are several guidelines to adhere to. This is because there are many

Questions 9 and 10
Complete the table below with a word from the guidelines.

Meaning Word

9 brothers and sisters

10 leaving