Practice Paper

2023- 2024
Subject: English Paper 2

Name: Duration: 40 mins

Grade: 6 Marks: 25
Section: A B C D Date:

TEXT A: The Dodo

Many plants and animals went extinct due to human activity. Few are as well known as
the dodo. What stories have you heard about the dodo? You may have heard that they
were - fat, slow, and silly and that humans hunted them to the point of extinction. 3
Legends and folktales do not tell the whole story.

The only place the dodo ever lived was the island of Mauritius (pronounced like "more-
ish-us"). Mauritius is smaller than Rhode Island. It is off the coast of Madagascar, a
much larger island east of Africa. There were no mammals on Mauritius before humans 6
arrived. The dodo descended from pigeons that had flown to Mauritius. These pigeons
found that this island had clean water and lots of fruit. Also, no predators lived there.
They could relax and live in peace. Over millions of years, they evolved to become big
and flightless. They became dodos.

Humans discovered Mauritius during the Age of Exploration. The Dutch colonized the
island in 1638. They tried to farm and settle the land. They wanted to produce exports.
They wanted the island to be more like their homes in the Netherlands. They brought
pigs, chickens, cats, and other animals, even deer. They also brought the rats that hid on
their ships.
15
The colonists hunted and ate many dodos. The birds had never faced predators. They
were not stupid though. They learned to run from humans. They might have even
adapted and survived, if it weren't for the other new mammals on Mauritius.

The cats and rats ate the dodos' eggs. Since dodos could not fly, they were unable to hide 18
their eggs in trees like other birds. The new pigs, chickens, and livestock on the island
now competed with the dodos for food. The dodos had to go deeper and deeper into the
forests of Mauritius to survive. At the same time, the colonists were clearing the forests
to make farmland. This total ecological attack was too much for these great birds.

The last recorded encounter with a dodo happened in 1662. A shipwrecked sailor wrote
that he and his friends had caught a dodo. He said that the bird made a great noise, and 23
all the bird's friends ran to assist … the men then captured them all. Truly this bird was
too noble for this world.

No one noticed the extinction of the dodo when it happened. The concept didn't even
exist at the time. The word "extinction" wouldn't even be used in that way for another

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100 years. People just weren't aware of their impact on the environment. They didn't 26
know about the delicate balance of life. In 1833, a study of the dodo helped to prove the
concept of human-induced extinction.

To make things worse, the Dutch colonies failed. The Dutch abandoned Mauritius in
1710. Sadly, the dodo was not the only animal that was wiped out. It was only the most
popular. Hundreds of plants and animals from Mauritius are now gone forever due to
human activity.

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TEXT B: Hiking Peaks on an Island Paradise

Cobalt, cerulean, azure, ultramarine . . . When viewed from above, the Indian Ocean is so
much more than just blue. 2

I was standing near the top of Le Morne Mountain, a basaltic monolith on the west coast
of Mauritius. From my perch, I could see a smattering of small islands, a fleet of local
pirogues, and a mosaic of corals. Kite surfers glided over the sea in a nearby bay, and sea 5
birds banked in the wind. Mauritius, I thought as I looked down, is so much more than
just a beach destination.

I had come to Mauritius to work on a photography project while my partner studied the
local wildlife for six months. After exploring the beaches and getting a few solid
sunburns, I turned my attention to the mountains, deciding to hike as many as I could 10
during my time on the island.

Perhaps most famous as the home of the now-extinct dodo, Mauritius isn’t widely known
as a hiking destination. Most of the one million tourists who visit the country never even
leave their resorts, but the opportunities for hikers are surprisingly varied. With dozens of
peaks, the highest of which is 2,716 feet above sea level, Mauritius offers a wide range of 15
great trails to those willing to go off the beaten path.

As a destination, Mauritius offers so much more than its beaches. If hiking, climbing, and
other outdoor activities become more popular, the government may have an incentive to
conserve more natural areas. 19

Now all that’s needed are some adventurous travelers willing to get off their beach chairs
and onto the trails.

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Read Text A, from an article, in the insert. Then Answer questions1-5

1) Look at the first paragraph (lines 1-11)

(a) Why is the question mark (?) used after the sentence? Tick (✓) one box. (line 2)

To give an explanation

To exaggerate

To question the topic

To pose as a rhetorical device

(1)
(b) Why is a dash (-) used? (lines 2-3)

……………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(c) Over millions of years, the dodo bird evolved into a large, flightless species.
Give two ways they did this.

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

…………………………………………………………………………………………… (2)

2) Look at the third and fourth paragraphs (lines 12 - 19)

(a) Give one word in line 17 that refers to information in the previous/prior paragraph.

……………………………………………………………………………………………. (1)

(b) Give one word that means to transport something from one region to another.

……………………………………………………………………………………………. (1)

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3) Look at the fifth paragraph.

Explain how the colonizing of Mauritius by humans and animals led to the decline of the
dodo bird species.

Animals: ………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Humans: …………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………… (2)

4) Look at the sixth and seventh paragraphs (lines 25 - 33)

(a) What was the reason for the dodo bird to be termed too noble for this world?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(b) Why was it that no one noticed the extinction of the dodo? Tick (✓) one box.

Dodo birds had not been discovered

The concept didn't exist at the time

The birds were good at hiding from the humans

They went deeper into the forest of Mauritius

(1)

(c) Look at lines (26-27)

Why is a comma (,) and an ellipsis (…) used in the same sentence? Tick (✓) two boxes.

To emphasize a point

To create a pause

To highlight a contradiction

To suggest an incomplete thought

To introduce a list
(2)

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(d) Why is a quotation (“”) used? (line 30)

………………………………………………………………………………………………… (1)

5) Look at the seventh and eighth paragraphs

(a) What does it in It was only the most popular refer to?

…………………………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(b) Explain why a study of the dodo bird was important for the ecology.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………….. (2)

6) Read Text B, from an article, in the insert. Then answer questions 6–8.

(a) Look at the first paragraph (lines 1- 7).

Give two phrases that persuade the readers that Island Paradise is a special place to visit.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………. (2)

7) The text is written to persuade the reader.

Give two ways the writer does this.

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……………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………...

………………………………………………………………………………………………(2)

8) Answer the following based on the information given in Text B

(a) Complete the fact file below about Hiking Peaks on an Island Paradise.
Fact File:

Le Morne Mountain is 
……………………………………………………………

Features of Mauritius
 ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

 ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

 ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

 ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

 ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

Recreational activities
on Island Paradise  …………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………….

 …………………………………………………………….

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…………………………………………………………………….

Highest peak in
Mauritius  …………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………….

(3)

(b) Write a summary of up to 50 words about Hiking Peaks on an Island Paradise. Include four
points from the article. Write it in your own words.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………...

………………………………………………………………………………………………...

………………………………………………………………………………………………...

………………………………………………………………………………………………(2)

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