CONTOH SOAL DAN PEMBAHASAN NEWS ITEM

This text is for questions 1 to 3

BANDUNG: Thousand of people who had fled from their houses located on the slopes
of smoldering Mount Gamkonara on Halmahera Island, North  Maluku province, could return
to their homes after the authorities downgraded the vulcano’s top-alert status Monday.
        The Head of the Volcanology  Center and Geology Disaster Mitigation Agency, Surono,
said that the returning residents still could not get within  three kilometers are of the volcano
in  Ibu district, West Halmahera regency.
        The alert status for the volcano was downgraded because the volcano e volcano had
shown less volcanic activity. Since July 10 to July 15, only to small tectonic quakes
measuring below 2 of the Richter scale were recorded in the mountain and the volcano did not
burst out hot lava or other volcanic materials from its crater.
        “Compared to the last Monday’s explosion, wherein the ash spewed was 4.000 above the
crater, it is now only about 10 meters high”, Surono told the journalist in Bandung on
Monday.
Following the volcano’s increased acivity last week, which led authorities to put it in the top
alert status, around 10.000 residents in Ibu district fled to safety. Mos of the resident were
taking shelter in Shouth Ibu and Central Ibu districts.
        Surono warned the people not to get close to the volcano because small emissions of
smoke could throw materials from the volcano’s crater.
        The 1.635-meter volcano has erupted 12 times since records have been kept. The last
time ash and smoke streamed out of the volcano was in 1987. No casualties were reported.

1. What is the text about?

a.  Thousands of people who return home to the Maluku volcano area.
b. The increasing activity of a number volcanic mountains in Maluku.
c.  The reason for the downgraded alert status of Maluku volcano.
d. The Head of the Volcanology Center and Geology Disaster.
e.  The increasing volcanic activity of mount Gamkonora.

2. Which information is TRUE according to the text?

a.  Mount Gamkonora shows more  activity.
b.  The authority downgraded the alert status.
c.  The people from Mount Gamkonora  have not returned home.
d.  Two tectonic-quakes measuring 5 of the Richter scale recorded.
e. The explosions only happened during Monday with ash spewing 4.000 above the
crater.

3.   The height of the volcano is … Meter

a.  10.000.
b.  4.000.
c.  3.987.
 d. 1.987.
e.  1.635.

This text is for questions 4 and 5

We, a mining consultant company, are looking for…
A SENIOR SECRETARY
 Female, graduation from a reputable university min.5 years of work experience
Good command of English (oral & written) computer literate (min. Word, Excel, Internet)
Please submit your complete application, resume & recent photograph not more than 10 days
after this ads to: HRD PT CITRA ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
Wisma Emha Jln. WIjaya I No 11 A, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12170 Fax no. 021-
7207978
e-mail address: mitraenergy@cbn.net.id only short listed candidats will be notified

4.  What is the text about?

a.       Wisma Emha.
b.      A job vacancy.
c.       A senior secretary.
d.      An application letter.
e.      PT Citra Energy Development.
5.  The following are the requirement asked EXCEPT…
a.  Five years experience.
b.  Able to operate a computer.
c.  Able to speak and write in English.
d. A graduate from a reputable university.
e. Application letter should be sent ten days after this ads.

The text for questions 6 and 7

ANNOUNCEMENT
Pay attention!
Our school will have a Debate Competition
Participant: All atudents in our school
It will be held from 10th – 12th August 2008
Prizes:    I Rp. 2.000.000,-
II  Rp. 1.500.000,-
III Rp. 1.000.000,-
Please join us!

6.  What is the announcement about?

a.  A school debate.
b.  A school competition.
c.  A debate competition.
d.  Extracurricular activities.
e. Participants of the debate.
7.  According to the text the competition…
a.  Is only for students with good English.
b.  Is in the from spoken arguments.
c.  Is in the from written arguments.
d.  Will be held after school hours.
e.  Will run for two days.

This text is for questions 8 and 9

PHILIPPINES: At least nine people were killed and dozens were injured when the Philippines
security forces clashed with dozens of slum dwellers who resisted the tearing down of their
home in the northern province, a police commander said Tuesday.
Raul Gonzales, the police chief in the northern Cordillera are, said, that the soldiers and police
officers traded gunfire with dozens of people who are illegally occupying the private land in
Kalinga province.
“Our team was ambushed on their way the community to be demolished,” said Gonzales. He
added that the security only defended themselves after the residents dug foxholes and opened
fire with automatic rifles.
“Nine people were killed and dozens  were wounded, including 10 police officers during
almost 10 hours of fighting. We even had to evacuate some of our pfficers who needed
surgery to get the bullets from their bodies.”-Reuters

8.   What is the passage about?

a.  An illegal gunfire trade.
b.  A demolition of illegal slum dwellers.
c.  A fight between the police officers and the soldiers.
d. A clash between the security forces and the slum dwellers.
e. A clash between the police officers and the security officers.

9.   The clash happened because…

a.  Illegal slum dwellers resisted the demolition of their homes.
b.  The police officers and soldiers shot the dwellers.
c.  Nine people were killed by the security forces.
d. The police officers firing the dwellers.
e.  The people dwelled in private land.

10. Raul Gonzales said that…

a.  Ten police officers had to be evacuated.
b.  Ten police officers were killed in the fighting.
c.  Ten police officers were injured during the fighting.
d.  Some of the wounded people needed surgery.
e.  More than ten police officers wer killed and injured in the fighting.
This text is for question 11 to 14
Seven people were killed in a collision between a bus, a car, and a truck on Jalan
sultan at 10:35 p.m. last night. The dead were all passenger of the car. The police believed the
car had been trying to overtake the bus when it was struck by a truck coming from the
opposite direction ? the driver of the car might not be using his lights, as the truck driver said
he did not see the car approaching.
The police said the car should not have tried to pass the bus, since overtaking is not
allowed on Jalan sultan. In addition, the police reported that the car, a small Japanese  car,
should not have been carrying more than five people, if the passenger had brought their
identity cards, he police would have identified the names of the victims easily.

11. The text meanly reports that there was/were......

a.  A car accident.
b.  Careless driver.
c.  A small Japanese car.
d. Victims of an accident.
e.  The function of an identity card.

12. What was the cause of the collision ?

a. The truck came from the opposite directions.
b. The car carried more than five people.
c. The truck driver didn’t use his light.
d. The truck driver didn’t see the car.
e.  The car tried to overtake the bus.

13.  “ if the passenger had brought their identity cards , the police would have been easy to
identify the names of victims.” (the last sentence ) the sentence above means........
a.  The victims’ names were not know.
b. The victims were easy to be identified.
c.  The passenger brought their identity cards.
d.  The police had no difficulty  in identifying the victims.
e.  It was easy for the police to identify the victims of the accident.

14. Who said that accident was caused by the car?

a.  The police.
b.  The victims.
c.  The reporter.
d.  The truck driver.
e.  The bus passengers.
This text is for question 15 to 19

15. The Beckham’s huge income is depended on their ….

a. news
b. image
c. contracts
d. marriage
e. lifestyle

16. According to the newspaper, the Beckham’s marriage was unhappy because of David
Beckham's ….
a. affair
b. income
c. profession
d. public image
e. free kick

17. The marriage was really "on the rocks" (Paragraph 1 sentence 4)
The phrase "on the rocks" means that the beckham’s marriage is in a …. condition.
a. bad
b. good
c. strong
d. happy
e. strange

18. The Beckhams' huge income (Paragraph 2 sentence 1)

The word huge means ….
a. large
b. high
c. wide
d. big
e. small
19. David almost had a nervous breakdown because of arguments with his wife (Paragraph 2
sentence 3)
The word arguments means ….
a.  fight
b. angry
c. marriage
d. discussion
e. exercise

This text is for question 20 to 22

An Alliance Could Answer The Growing Threat from

Google and Facebook
By Evelyn M.RuIsi and Nick Bilton

Apple, which has stumbled in its efforts to get into social media, has talked with
Twitter in recent months about making a strategic investment in it, according to people
briefed on the matter.

Although apple has been hugely successful in selling phones and tablets, it has little
traction in social networking, which has become a major engine of activity on the Web and on
mobile devices. Social media are increasingly influencing the ways people spend their time
and money — important consideration for Apple, which also sells application, games, music
and movies.

Apple has considered an investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars, one that
could value Twitter at more than $10 billion, up from an $8.4 billion valuation last year, these
people said. They declined to be identified because the discussions were private.

There is no guarantee that the two companies, which are not in negotiations at the
moment, will come to an agreement. But the earlier talks are a sign that they may form a
stronger partnership amid intensifying competition from companies like Google and
Facebook.

Apple has not made many friends in social media. Its relationship with Facebook, for
example, has been strained since a deal to build Facebook featured into Ping, Apple's music-
centric social network, fell apart. Facebook is also aligned with Microsoft, which owns a
small stake in it. And Google, an Apple rival in the phone market, has been pushing its own
social network, Google Plus.

20. What is the news about?

a. Social networking.
b. Apple's new products.
c. Twitter strategic investment.
d. Twitters success in social media.
e. Apple's plan to cooperate with Twitter.
21. According to the news, Apple has not been very successful in ....
a. selling phones
b. strategic investment
c. cooperating with Twitter
d. getting into social media
e. selling game applications

22. "But the earlier talks are sign that they may form a stronger partnership".
The underlined word means ....
a. collusion
b. competition
c. agreement
d. negotiation
e. collaboration