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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
SECTION A Reading (15 marks)
Read the following passage carefully before you answer any questions. You are
advised to answer the questions in the order set.
Our Next Door Neighbour
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named
after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of
its reddish appearance, which is caused by iron oxide that is prevalent on its surface.
Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features
reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts,
and polar ice caps of Earth. Unlike Earth, Mars is now a geologically inactive planet with
no known tectonic activity. It is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain
in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon. Mars’ rotational period
and seasonal cycles are likewise similar to those of Earth.
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. They are small and irregularly
shaped. These may be captured asteroids, similar to 5261 Eureka, a Martian Trojan
asteroid. Mars is currently host to three functional orbiting spacecraft: ‘Mars Odyssey’,
‘Mars Express’, and the ‘Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’. On the surface are the two
Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) and several inert landers and rovers,
both successful and unsuccessful. The Phoenix lander completed its mission on the
surface in 2008.
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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
Mars can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude
reaches −2.91, a brightness surpassed only by Venus, the Moon, and the Sun,
although most of the time Jupiter will appear brighter to the naked eye than Mars.
Dozens of spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been sent to
Mars by the Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, and Japan to study the planet's
surface, climate, and geology. The current price of transporting material from the
surface of Earth to the surface of Mars is approximately US$309,000 per kilogram.
The depiction of Mars in fiction has been stimulated by its dramatic red color
and by nineteenth century scientific speculations that its surface conditions not only
might support life, but intelligent life. Thus originated a large number of science fiction
scenarios, among which is H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, published in 1898, in
which Martians seek to escape their dying planet by invading Earth. A subsequent US
radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938 by Orson Welles was
presented as a live news broadcast, and became notorious for causing a public panic
when many listeners mistook it for the truth.
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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
From Paragraph 1
1. What or who is the planet Mars named after? ( 1 )
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2. What causes the red appearance? ( 1 )
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From Paragraph 2
3. Apart from Earth, which other space object has the same features to that of
Mars? ( 1 )
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4. Is the Mt. Everest on Earth higher than Olympus Mons? Why? ( 1 )
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5. Name 2 characteristics that the planet Mars shares with Earth. ( 1 )
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From Paragraph 3
6. In line 10, what does the word they refer to? ( 1 )
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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
7. What are ‘Spirit’ and ‘Opportunity’? ( 1 )
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From Paragraph 4
8. Is Mars the brightest object in space to the naked eye? Why? ( 2 )
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From Paragraph 5
9. Why do humans send spacecrafts to Mars? ( 1 )
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From Paragraph 6
10. What is H.G. Wells’ book entitled ‘The War of the Worlds’ about? ( 1 )
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11. How did people react when the ‘War of the Worlds’ was presented live on radio?
( 1 )
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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
From the whole passage
12. Provide the meaning or synonym for these following words: ( 3 )
a. Prevalent (line 3) : _______________________________________
b. Surpassed (line 18) : _______________________________________
c. Fiction (line 24) : _______________________________________
Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
SECTION B Summary Skills (10 marks)
a. Read the Passage below:
No one is born knowing how to study. You need to learn these few study skills
and then practice them.
When you pay attention in class and take good notes, you are starting the
process of learning and studying.
Not sure how to take notes? Start by writing down facts that your teacher
mentions or writes on the board during class. Waiting until Thursday night to study for
Friday's test will make for a homework night that's no fun! One of the best ways to make
sure that doesn't happen is to plan ahead.
When there's a lot to study, it can help to break things into chunks. Let's say you
have a test on 20 spelling words. Instead of thinking about all of the words at once, try
breaking them down into five-word chunks and working on one or two different chunks
each night. You can't study effectively if you don't understand the material. Be sure to
ask your teacher for help if you're confused about something.
So the test is tomorrow but suddenly you can't remember anything, not even 2+2!
Don't panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information. Try to get a good night's
sleep. You’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.
Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
b. Find six points that you believe is relevant for a summary paragraph
1. ______________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________________
c. Using your own words where appropriate, write a summary paragraph of
not more than 65 words, based on the six points that you have listed in (b).
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Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
SECTION C Reference Skills (10 marks)
Study the leaflet below and then answer the corresponding questions.
Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
The place as presented by the leaflet is a tourist spot in the United Kingdom.
Answer these questions based on the information found in the leaflet.
1. What is the name of the place presented by the leaflet? ( 1 )
_______________________________________________________________
2. Name four attractions that are offered by the place. ( 2 )
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. For group visits, what is the minimum number of people needed in order to get a
free admission for one extra person? ( 1 )
_______________________________________________________________
4. If someone got lost while walking by foot to the place, what should he or she look
out for? ( 1 )
_______________________________________________________________
5. Write TRUE, FALSE or NO INFORMATION for the following sentences ( 5 )
a. The place is located somewhere in Ballymoney. _______________
b. It is open every Sunday morning. _______________
c. The parking lot is very spacious. _______________
d. There is a lake nearby. _______________
e. It is almost impossible to find animals there. _______________
Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
SECTION D Guided Writing (10 marks)
Write a 120-150 words composition. Choose one of the following:
a) How to cook rice
OR
Year 8 SPE Paper 2 ENGLISHGURU WWW.SHAIOMARALI.COM | WWW.SHAIOMARALI.NET/2011
b) Writing an e-mail
One of your cousins has just flown off to Australia to further her studies and you
made a promise that you will send an e-mail to her as soon as she arrives there.
In your e-mail, you can include the following points:
About how you feel on her not being in Brunei.
Ask her questions about Australia.
Any advice you want to give her.
What you will be doing while she is away.
END OF PAPER
