Cambridge IGCSE®

Ayaan Ahmed Khan

M Y 0 2 4 2 0 4 2
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FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/01

Paper 1 Reading For examination from 2020
SPECIMEN PAPER 2 hours

You must answer on the question paper.

You will need: Insert (enclosed)

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● If additional space is needed, you should use the lined pages at the end of this booklet; the question
number or numbers must be clearly shown.
● Dictionaries are not allowed.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 80.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
● The insert contains the reading texts.

This document has 14 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

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Read Text A, Project Mammoth, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on this question
paper.

Question 1

(a) Give two examples of extinct species (other than the mammoth) according to the text.
Dodo
• ................................................................................................................................................
Passenger pigeon
• ........................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Using your own words, explain what the text means by:

(i) ‘candidates for “de-extinction”’ (line 2): .............................................................................

Animal species chosen to be brought back from extinction.
...................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) ‘not just distant dreams.’ (line 5): .......................................................................................

Achieving this goal is not unrealistic.
...................................................................................................................................... [2]

(c) Re-read paragraph 3, (‘Scientists working on such projects … climate change.’).

Give two reasons why scientists might be excited by the possible birth of a woolly mammoth.
They went extinct 4000 years ago, and 4000 years later bringing this creature back to life is a big thing
• ................................................................................................................................................
They are hopeful that these animals will be crucial in slowing down the effects of climate change
• ........................................................................................................................................... [2]

(d) Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5, (‘The basic idea … Siberia’s permafrost.’).

(i) Identify two main tasks that scientists will need to complete in order to breed the hybrid.
Retrieve DNA from frozen remains
• .........................................................................................................................................
Use that DNA to alter the DNA of existing asian elephants
• .................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) Explain why Asian elephants were chosen for Project Mammoth.
They are species capable off breeding with the mammoths. This can be made possible because of
...........................................................................................................................................
how closely related their DNA is to real mammoths and actually, Asian elephants are under a
...........................................................................................................................................

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threat of extinction from human activity. [3]

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(e) Re-read paragraphs 6 and 7, (‘The project is not without ... chance of survival.’).

Using your own words, explain why some people disagree with Project Mammoth.

...................................................................................................................................................
It may stop people dealing with the issue at hand and excusing present behavior as this could be the key
...................................................................................................................................................
to solving climate change, but only in the future. Since this project is fairly new, scientist could be fooled/
.............................................................................................................................................. [3]
be wrong on this topic and it may turn out to fail and not work out.

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Read Text B, Waking the Baby Mammoth, in the insert and then answer Question 1(f) on this
question paper.

Question 1

(f) According to Text B, what made Lyuba such a remarkable and precious scientific specimen
and what did scientists hope to discover by studying her?

You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as
possible.

Your summary should not be more than 120 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the
quality of your writing.

Lyuba is an extraordinary specimen, being a one-month-old baby mammoth, who died mysteriously
...................................................................................................................................................
while walking the tundra around 40,000 years ago. She was discovered on a riverbank in Siberia and is the
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most perfectly preserved woolly mammoth ever found. The scientific world has been mesmerized by her
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arrival, as she has enriched our understanding of these extinct magnificent beasts. Scientists hope to learn
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more about life during the Ice Age and the Earth's changing climate through Lyuba's body. The programme
...................................................................................................................................................

'Waking the Baby Mammoth' details the scientific process and hurdles of understanding where Lyuba came
...................................................................................................................................................
from and what she can tell us about her Pleistocene life. The programme does not delve too far into the
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intricate data, but the visuals are stunning, presenting Lyuba as an active furry baby mammoth.
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Read Text C, The Gift, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question paper.

Question 2

(a) Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words
underlined:

(i) Natalia was expecting the quietness of their walk to be broken suddenly.
I assumed the silence of our walk would be shattered
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Natalia slowed herself down and made herself as tall as possible before refusing to go
any further.
drew myself up
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Her grandfather spoke to her in a low, angry voice.

He hissed
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iv) The homeless person was fast asleep.

Sleeping so soundly
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:

I peered out into the street. On the other side, there was a street lamp with a dying bulb.
I was opening my mouth to say ‘What?’ and then I saw it. Half a block from us, an enormous
shadow was moving along the street.

(i) To look ahead

peered .......................................................................................................................... [1]
Disappearing
(ii) dying ............................................................................................................................ [1]
Gigantic
(iii) enormous ..................................................................................................................... [1]

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(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests Natalia’s experiences
and feelings that night.

Use your own words in your explanation.

I peered out into the street. On the other side, there was a street lamp with a dying bulb.
I was opening my mouth to say ‘What?’ and then I saw it. Half a block from us, an enormous
shadow was moving along the street.
Peering out might suggest that Natailia is having difficulty seeing and comprehending what is ahead
...................................................................................................................................................
and could suggest she is hesitant to take action.
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Enormous shadow implies that Natalia is impressed/startled by the sheer size of the elephant, even
though she doesn't recognise what it is at first.
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Dying bulb hints to the readers that it is getting darker which adds suspense to the atmosphere.
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(d) Re-read paragraphs 9 and 12.

• Paragraph 9 begins ‘At first I thought it was a tram …’ and is about the elephant and how
it was moving when Natalia first saw it.
• Paragraph 12 begins ‘Its ears were folded back …’ and gives Natalia’s impression of the
elephant as she watches it come towards her.

Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these
paragraphs. Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support
your answer. Your choices should include the use of imagery.

Write about 200 to 300 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.

...................................................................................................................................................
In the text, the writer uses language to create a sense of stillness and surrealness. In
...................................................................................................................................................
paragraph 1, the writer describes how the streets are empty, and there is no noise, creating a
sense of eerie silence. The writer also uses imagery to describe the silence, "the hazy moon
seemed...................................................................................................................................................
to gather the silence up around it like a net." In paragraph 2, the writer's grandfather is
described as "smiling," even though they are walking in the dark. This creates an odd sense of
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anticipation, which builds until the elephant is finally revealed.

In paragraph 9, the writer uses imagery to describe the elephant, "Half a block from us, an
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enormous shadow was moving along the street." The writer also uses simile to describe how the
elephant was moving, "swaying up the street with an even momentum in a rolling motion that
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was drawing it away from us like a tide." This creates a vivid picture of how the elephant was
moving.
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In paragraph 12, the writer uses imagery and metaphor to describe the elephant, "Its ears were
folded...................................................................................................................................................
back against the domed, bouldered head with big-lidded eyes; the arched roll of the
spine fell away into the hips; dry folds of skin shook around the shoulders and knees as it
...................................................................................................................................................
shifted its weight." This creates a clear picture of the elephant, which is both majestic and
somewhat frightening.
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In conclusion, the writer uses language to create a sense of surrealness and stillness, building
anticipation until the elephant is finally revealed. The writer also uses imagery and simile to
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describe the elephant's movements and metaphor to create a vivid picture of the animal.
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Re-read Text C, The Gift, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.

Question 3

You are the grandfather. Some years later you are interviewed about your memories of that night
for a radio programme about local history. The interviewer asks you the following three questions
only:

• What did you see and feel during your journeys through the city that night?
• What do you remember of your granddaughter’s behaviour and reactions that night?
• What were your reasons for taking your granddaughter out that night and what do you think
she gained from the experience?

Write the words of the interview.

Base your interview on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the three bullet points.

Begin your interview with the first question.

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the
quality of your writing.

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Interviewer: Good evening, Grandfather. Thank you for joining us today. Could you tell us about
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your memories of that night when you took your granddaughter out for a walk through the city?

Grandfather: Good evening. Yes, that night was quite unforgettable. As we walked through the
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silent streets, I felt a sense of peace and tranquility. It was as if we were the only ones awake in
the world. The moon cast a soft glow over everything, and the stillness was almost tangible.
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Interviewer: What do you remember of your granddaughter’s behaviour and reactions that night?
..........................................................................................................................................................
Grandfather: Natalia was understandably confused and perhaps a little annoyed that I had
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woken her up in the middle of the night. But as we walked, she became more curious and
engaged with our surroundings. She was amazed when we saw the elephant walking down the
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street and commented that no one would ever believe us.

Interviewer: And what were your reasons for taking your granddaughter out that night and what
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do you think she gained from the experience?
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Grandfather: My reasons for taking Natalia out that night were simple. I wanted to show her
something special, something that would stay with her for the rest of her life. And I believe I
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succeeded in that. Natalia gained a new perspective on the world, and she saw something that
few people get to see. She learned that there is beauty in the unexpected and the unusual. It
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was a gift, one that I hope she will always cherish.

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing your memories with us, Grandfather. It sounds like a truly
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unforgettable experience.
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Grandfather: It certainly was. Thank you for having me.
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Additional Page

If you use the following lined page to complete the answer(s) to any question(s), the question number(s)
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Additional Page

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BLANK PAGE

Copyright Acknowledgements:

Question 1a–e © Lila Shapiro; We May Resurrect The Mammoth Sooner Than You Think; Huffington Post; 18 December 2015.
Question 1f © Waking The Baby Mammoth; National Geographic; 12 April 2009.
© Biochemical Soul; http://biochemicalsoul.com/tag/waking-the-baby-mammoth/
Questions 2 & 3 © Téa Obreht; The Tigers Wife; Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 2011.

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2017 0500/01/SP/20