SECTION A

READING COMPREHENSION
[MARKS 25]
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.

TEXT A

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Read Text A, an informal report in the insert, and answer Questions 1–11.
1. Find an example of onomatopoeia in the first paragraph (lines 1–4). [1]

2. Give a short quotation from the first paragraph to show that an astronaut’s job is not easy.
[1]
3. Look at this sentence: ‘If you fly straight up from Earth, you’ll get to space eventually.’
(Line 7)
What is the sentence above an example of? Tick () one box. [1]
☐an imperative

☐a past verb form

☐a conditional

☐a passive verb form

4. Look at these two phrases: ‘…there’s a blanket of gases (the Earth’s atmosphere) which gets
thinner until it fades into nothing.’ (Lines 8–9)
‘…scientists have invented an imaginary line – the Karman line – 160 kilometres above the Earth.’
(Lines 10–12)
(a) Why have brackets and dashes been used in these phrases? [1]

(b) What effect does the writer achieve by using dashes instead of brackets? [1]

5. What is the main reason most people cannot go into space? [1]

6. Give a phrase from Text A that means the same as ‘very low-priced’. [1]

7. What is the most common way to get a ride into space? [1]

8. Find a phrase from Text A that means the same as ‘it’s unlikely to happen soon’. [1]

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9. Look at the lines below from Text A. [1]

Which one of them is an example of an opinion? Tick () one box.

☐‘… our gorgeous blue planet in the distance.’

☐‘… which gets thinner until it fades into nothing.’

☐‘Some people have won tickets into space.’

☐‘… you can go into space as a tourist.’

10 (a) Text A is written in an informal style. [3]

Complete this table of the features of informal writing with examples from Text A.

(b) Why has the writer chosen to write in an informal style? [1]

11. What kind of book would you find Text A in? [1]

Tick () one box.

☐a school dictionary

☐an instruction manual for pilots

☐a biography about an astronaut

☐an information book about astronauts
(b) Why has the writer chosen to write in an informal style? [1]

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TEXT B

Read Text B, in the insert, and answer Questions 12–20.

12. Where is Alan Shepard from? [1]

13. Which one of the sentences below about Alan Shepard’s first space flight is true?
Tick () one box. [1]

☐He flew with six other astronauts.

☐He flew to the moon.

☐He flew around the Earth.

☐He flew for less than an hour.

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 14. Look at lines 13–15.

What do we learn about Alan’s character? [1]

15. How did Shepard support space exploration after leaving NASA? [1]

16 What genre is Text B? [1]

Tick () one box.

☐a recount

☐a biography

☐an information text

☐a diary entry

Text for Section A, an extract from ‘Cowboy showdown’ by Chris Blake

Read the Text in the insert, and answer Questions 1–16.

17. How does Tom feel when he arrives in the Aztec room?
Tick () one box. [1]
☐worried
☐annoyed
☐confused
☐surprised

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18. How do we know there is a lot to do before the exhibition opens to the public? [1]

19. What is ‘It was as if the drum were begging him to play it’ (lines 16–17) an example of?
Tick () two boxes. [1]
☐simile
☐rhyme
☐alliteration
☐personification
☐onomatopoeia
20. Why does Tom’s dad leave the Aztec room? [1]

SECTION B
GRAMMAR
[MARKS 10]

1. Look at the first paragraph.

Why are commas (,) used in the first sentence? [1]
_________________________________________________________________________

2. Look at (lines 1-3)

Give two examples of passive verb forms. [2]
☐___________________________________

☐___________________________________

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3. Look at (lines 1-7)
Give a conditional sentence. [1]

_________________________________________________________________________
4. Look at this sentence. [1]
“If robots were designed to aid the elderly or individuals with disabilities, they could
significantly improve their quality of life.”
Identify the result clause in the previous sentence.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Rewrite the following sentences with the correct punctuation. [2]
Show the quotation in speech marks. Change to direct speech.

Remember: to use first person voice.

a. Mitchell said that his bike is broken.

_________________________________________________________________________

b. Martha explained that her favourite colour is blue.

_________________________________________________________________________

6. Find the passive verb form in each of the sentence below. The first one is done for you. [3]
a. The haunted house is visited by curious explorers every Halloween.
Answer: is visited.
b. The ancient artifact was discovered by archaeologists during an expedition.
_______________________________________________________________
c. Many famous books have been written by this talented author.
_______________________________________________________________
d. The bus was missed by Allan.
_______________________________________________________________

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 SECTION C
WRITING
[MARKS 15]

Maisie goes into Lily’s room. Lily is not there.

Continue the story to explain what happens next.
Ideas to help you:
Setting: in the house?
somewhere else?
Plot: What does Maisie see or find?
How does Maisie feel?
What happens?
Characters: Maisie
Lily
their parents
anyone else?

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********* The End *********

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