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PRACTICE QUESTIONS

PAPER

F

Note: Some UNSW Global assessments are only available online.

ICAS English Practice Questions Paper F © EAA 2

Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

Vikings – the untold storyViking history and stories about Vikings are often dominated by dramatic events and personalities but what of everyday Viking life?

Summer in the year 986, Hordaland fylke, Norway. Home of Olaf and Helde Nordstrom and their 14–year–old son, Erik.

‘This porridge has lumps, Helde!’ Olaf bellowed. Erik smirked. He knew what was coming and it wouldn’t be pleasant. Fun though. Helde emerged from the cooking space at the far end of the house. It was some 20 metres to Olaf ’s seat by the window but Helde covered the distance – plaits flying, her bulk wiping out the grass sods stacked neatly by the fireplace – in milliseconds. Erik shifted quickly, just enough to keep out of the way but still retain a clear view. Another happy family scene was about to unfold in the Nordstrom household!

At times Erik pondered his father’s neural capacity. Perhaps it helped if one worked in the kitchen, as Erik did every morning, observing Helde’s mounting frustration. Clay pots cracking, spilling their contents over hot coals, Helde savagely pouring porridge dregs into yet another ‘second-hand’ pot, all the while cursing her husband for buying cheap pots, Olaf upstairs in Viking Valhalla – oblivious. On a bad day, the hot coals, caked in porridge, spluttered into lifelessness. A very bad day. Not unlike today!

Erik watched as Olaf the Awful (his nickname) sat impassively as the dogs licked the porridge dripping from his shoulder, down his arm, onto the dirt floor (another bone of contention). ‘Incongruous,’ Erik thought, simultaneously marvelling at the extent of his vocabulary. ‘Here we have one of the most feared Vikings in the neighbourhood bloodied and bowed before breakfast. Now this is the stuff of legends!’

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3 ICAS English Practice Questions Paper F © EAA

1. Helde could be described as

(A) clumsy and reckless.(B) youthful and amusing.(C) impatient and volatile.(D) friendly and good-natured.

2. Which sentence is meant to be ironic?

(A) ‘He knew what was coming and it wouldn’t be pleasant.’(B) ‘Another happy family scene was about to unfold in the Nordstrom household!’(C) ‘At times Erik pondered his father’s neural capacity.’(D) ‘Not unlike today!’

3. The word ‘incongruous’ means

(A) devastating. (B) extraordinary. (C) unclean. (D) absurd.

For questions 4 and 5 choose the best option to complete the passage.

SPACE EXPLORATION

Space exploration actually began when humans first looked at the sky and wondered about the drama above: why the Sun rose each morning, why the Moon looked different at different times and why some stars were brighter than others.

Throughout history, philosophers, writers, scientists and engineers have speculated about the nature of our universe. The first astronomical records, (4) 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia, were used more for astrology than for science. Wars, for example, were planned according to the relative positions of Mars and Saturn. (5) , understandably, gave astrologers great power.

4. (A) kept with remarkable accuracy(B) stored and surprisingly accurate(C) astonishingly accurate even when(D) with great accuracy even today compared to

5. (A) The ability to offer such advice(B) When they offered such advice(C) The reason for offering such advice(D) Because they could offer such advice

3 © UNSW Global Pty Limited

3 ICAS English Practice Questions Paper F © EAA

1. Helde could be described as

(A) clumsy and reckless.(B) youthful and amusing.(C) impatient and volatile.(D) friendly and good-natured.

2. Which sentence is meant to be ironic?

(A) ‘He knew what was coming and it wouldn’t be pleasant.’(B) ‘Another happy family scene was about to unfold in the Nordstrom household!’(C) ‘At times Erik pondered his father’s neural capacity.’(D) ‘Not unlike today!’

3. The word ‘incongruous’ means

(A) devastating. (B) extraordinary. (C) unclean. (D) absurd.

For questions 4 and 5 choose the best option to complete the passage.

SPACE EXPLORATION

Space exploration actually began when humans first looked at the sky and wondered about the drama above: why the Sun rose each morning, why the Moon looked different at different times and why some stars were brighter than others.

Throughout history, philosophers, writers, scientists and engineers have speculated about the nature of our universe. The first astronomical records, (4) 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia, were used more for astrology than for science. Wars, for example, were planned according to the relative positions of Mars and Saturn. (5) , understandably, gave astrologers great power.

4. (A) kept with remarkable accuracy(B) stored and surprisingly accurate(C) astonishingly accurate even when(D) with great accuracy even today compared to

5. (A) The ability to offer such advice(B) When they offered such advice(C) The reason for offering such advice(D) Because they could offer such advice

END OF PAPER

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FIRST NAME to appear on certificate LAST NAME to appear on certificate

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QUESTION KEY KEY REASONING AREA LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY

1 C Infer a character’s personality from a narrative TC Medium

2 B Identify an example of irony in a narrative WC Hard

3 D Identify the meaning of a word: incongruous VOC Medium

4 A Identify the option that correctly maintains text cohesion SYN Medium/Hard

5 A Analyse the text to identify the option that correctly maintains text cohesion SYN Medium/Hard

LEGEND

Area refers to the particular curriculum area or strand assessed by the question.

TC Text comprehension questions which require students to comprehend information provided in the text as well as to interpret the information and use it to make inferences and predictions

WC Writer’s craft questions which require students to focus on the techniques, devices and choices that writers make to create an effect on the reader

SYN Syntax questions about accuracy and clarity within sentences or texts (e.g. pronoun reference, tense) and the recognition of grammatical terms (e.g. noun, main clause)

VOC Vocabulary questions about the meaning of words or phrases

Level of difficulty refers to the expected level of difficulty for the question.

Easy more than 70% of candidates will choose the correct optionMedium about 50–70% of candidates will choose the correct optionMedium/Hard about 30–50% of candidates will choose the correct optionHard less than 30% of candidates will choose the correct option

7 © UNSW Global Pty Limited

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1 All international schools registered with UNSW Global (which have an 8-digit school code starting with 46) should sit the papers according to the Australian year levels.

2 Indian Subcontinent Region: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

3 Middle East Region: United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Jordan and Pakistan.

4 Pacific Region: Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.5 Southern Africa Region: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland,

Zimbabwe and Namibia.

PAPER

FTHE FOLLOWING YEAR LEVELS SHOULD SIT THIS PAPER

Australia1 Year 8

Brunei Form 2 & 3

Egypt Year 8

Hong Kong Form 2

Indian Subcontinent2 Class 8

Indonesia Year 9

Malaysia Form 2

Middle East3 Class 8

New Zealand/ Pacific4 Year 9

Singapore Secondary 1

Southern Africa5 Grade 8