SNBT 2023

LITERASI BAHASA INGGRIS

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from inflicting cruel
and unusual punishments on people convicted of crimes. Although many believe that the death penalty
violates this amendment, courts in the country have consistently approved of capital punishment in a
number of forms. The methods of execution have changed over the years in an ongoing search to find
the most painless, humane way of executing a human being. This is an ideal that the country has not yet
reached, as the evolution of execution methods continues to this day. Although some argue that
execution methods have become more humane over time, there is ample evidence to suggest that there
is just no such thing as a humane execution.

The original method of capital punishment in America was hanging. By 1853, this method was used by
almost every state that implemented the death penalty. However, by the late 1800s, the public started
to become uncomfortable with hanging. As a result, in 1888, the electric chair was introduced as a new
method that was thought to be as quick and painless as possible. In 1890, the U.S. Supreme Court
validated this idea by finding that electrocution was a constitutional way to take the lives of condemned
inmates. By the 1920, over half the states that used capital punishment employed the electric chair. As
with hanging, though, death by electrocution probed to be less painless than originally thought. These
problems led to the development of lethal gas as a method of execution. In 1921, Nevada became the
first state to try lethal gas, which was expected to cause a tranquil death. Yet it too proved problematic,
sometimes lasting for extended periods of and causing terrible pain.

These difficulties led to yet another development in capital punishment. In 1976, legislators in
Oklahoma worked with that state’s chief medical examiner to create a way to execute people through
the injection of lethal drugs. By 2008, every single death penalty state had adopted lethal injection. This
method involves a four-step process. First, intravenous lines are placed in peripheral sites in the inmate’s
body, such as the arms, hands, legs, or feet. Next, the inmate is anesthetized using a type of drug known
as a barbiturate. Under the original method, all states used a barbiturate called sodium pentothal. After
the inmate is completely anesthetized, the step under this method is to administer immobilizes all
muscles in the body and even prevents a person from breathing or blinking. The final step is the
administration of potassium chloride, which quickly stops the inmate’s heart, causing death. For many
years, this type of execution was thought to be completely painless and humane. In the early 2000s,
however, it started to become apparent that this method, like all the rest, caused serious problems. In
2001, an Oklahoma execution did not proceed as planned. Witnesses to this execution noted that the
prisoner’s eyes had not closed and that he seemed to be gasping for air. In 2003 and 2006, similar scenes
were reported during executions in North Carolina and Ohio.

Lawyers for these death row inmates found that there were a number of issues leading to these torturous
executions. In some states, the written procedures used as guidelines for lethal injection made little
sense and contained outdated language from old methods of execution. In at least two states, the doctor
assisting with the execution admitted to making mistakes when mixing the drugs. Furthermore, many
of the personnel who set up the intravenous lines were not properly trained or qualified for that task.
These issues caused problems with the administration of the drugs. As a result, some inmates were
conscious to some degree during suffocation, as well as the potassium chloride, which causes severe
chemical burns. What is worse, execution personnel often failed even to notice that these issues had
occurred during an execution. In 2008, in a case called Baze v. Rees, the U.S. Supreme Court took up
the question of whether these problems with lethal injection violate the Eighth Amendment. In a 7-2
vote, the Court found that lethal injection did not violate the Constitution. While not denying that serious
problems had occurred in many executions, the Court determined that the risk of those problems
occurring was not substantial enough to warrant judicial intervention.

Despite this apparent setback, those who believe lethal injection is a torturous method of execution
continue to make progress toward a more humane approach. Over the past two years, a number of states
have switched from the traditional three-drug method of execution to a one-drug method that uses only
a massive anesthetic dose. Even with this change, however, many people question whether there can
ever be a capital punishment that is truly neither cruel nor unusual.

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LITERASI BAHASA INGGRIS

1. Which of the following options can be best describe the organization of the passage?
a. Proposal is evaluated and alternatives are explored
b. It presents a cause followed by its effects
c. An example is given and counterexamples are dismissed
d. It follows chronological order
e. The passage organizes ideas in order of descending importance
2. As used in paragraph 2, which is the best word to replace tranquil?
a. Unnoticeable
b. Careful
c. Fair
d. Competition
e. Peaceful3.
3. The author includes a historical overview of executions in the United States in order to
make the reader…
a. Come to the conclusion that lethal injection is the least cruel form of punishment
b. Make an educated and wise decision about which execution method is most humane
c. Acquire a contextual understanding of the United States justice system
d. Understand the dangers of assuming that convicted criminals should not be deprived
of their constitutional rights
e. Recognize that the United States has continually attempted but failed to find a humane
method of execution
4. In paragraph 4, the author likely describes the 7-2 Supreme Court decision in Baze v.
Rees as "an apparent setback" in order to…
a. Highlight the fact that the Supreme Court decision was not unanimous
b. Imply that although some perceive this decision as a setback, others view it as a step
towards greater justice
c. Suggest that people are still fighting the use of lethal injection even though it is unlikely
that it will be outlawed any time soon
d. A and B are correct
e. A, B and C are correct

“..many of the personnel who set up the intravenous lines were not properly trained or qualified for
that task” (paragraph 4)

5. The bold word can be described as…

a. A medical technique that delivers fluids medications and nutrition directly into a
person's vein
b. A flexible tube placed inside a vein to give a person medicine or fluids
c. A small plastic tube that helps introduce medicine into the patient’s body
d. A flexible tube used to empty the bladder and collect urine in a drainage bag
e. A thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions

Questions 6 through 10 are based on the following passage.

English primary school pupils have to deal with unprecedented levels of pressure as they face tests more
frequently, at a younger age, and in more subjects than children from any other country, according to
one of the biggest international education inquiries in decades. The damning indictment of England’s
primary education system revealed that the country’s children are now the most tested in the world.
From their very earliest days at school they must navigate a set-up whose trademark is ’high stakes’
testing, according to a recent report.

Parents are encouraged to choose schools for their children based on league tables of test scores. But
this puts children under extreme pressure which could damage their motivation and self-esteem, as well
as encouraging schools to ’teach to the test’ at the expense of pupils’ wider learning, the study found.

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The findings are part of a two-year inquiry – led by Cambridge University – into English primary
schools. Other parts of the UK and countries such as France, Norway and Japan used testing but it was,
’less intrusive, less comprehensive, and considerably less frequent’, Cambridge’s Primary Review
concluded.

England was unique in using testing to control what is taught in schools, to monitor teaching standards
and to encourage parents to choose schools based on the results of the tests, according to Kathy Hall,
from the National University of Ireland in Cork, and Kamil Ozerk, from the University of Oslo, who
conducted the research. ‘Assessment in England, compared to our other reviewed countries, is
pervasive, highly consequential, and taken by officialdom and the public more generally to portray
objectively the actual quality of primary education in schools,’ their report concluded. Teachers’ leaders
said the testing regime was ‘past its sell-by date’ and called for a fundamental review of assessment

Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said England’s testing system was
having a ’devastating’ impact on schools. ’Uniquely, England is a country where testing is used to
police schools and control what is taught,’ he said. ’When it comes to testing in England, the tail wags
the dog. It is patently absurd that even the structure and content of education is shaped by the demands
of the tests. I call on the Government to initiate a full and independent review of the impact of the
current testing system on schools and on children’s learning and to be prepared to dismantle a system
which is long past its sell-by date.’

John Dunford, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned that the
tests were having a damaging effect on pupils. The whole testing regime is governed by the need to
produce league tables,’ he said. ‘It has more to do with holding schools to account than helping pupils
to progress.’ The fear that many children were suffering intolerable stress because of the tests was
voiced by Mick Brookes, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. There are
schools that start rehearsing for key stage two SATs [Standard Assessment Tests] from the moment the
children arrive in September. That’s just utterly ridiculous, he said. There are other schools that rehearse
SATs during Christmas week. These are young children we are talking about. They should be having
the time of their lives at school not just worrying about tests. It is the breadth and richness of the
curriculum that suffers. The consequences for schools not reaching their targets are dire – heads can
lose their jobs and schools can be closed down. With this at stake it’s not surprising that schools let
the tests take over.’

David Laws, the Liberal Democrat schools spokesman, said, 'The uniquely high stakes placed on
national tests mean that many primary schools have become too exam focused.’ However, the
Government rejected the criticism. The idea that children are over-tested is not a view that the
Government accepts/ a spokesman said. The reality is that children spend a very small percentage of
their time in school being tested. Seeing that children leave school up to the right standard in the basics
is the highest priority of the Government.’

In another child-centered initiative, both major political parties in the UK – Labour and the
Conservatives – have announced plans to make Britain more child-friendly following a report by
UNICEF which ranked the UK the worst place to be a child out of 21 rich nations.

Parents were warned that they risked creating a generation of ’battery-farmed children’ by always
keeping them indoors to ensure their safety. The family’s minister, Kevin Brennan, called for an end to
the ’cotton wool’ culture and warned that children would not learn to cope with risks if they were never
allowed to play outdoors.

6. What does the government argue based on the passage?

a. Tests at primary school are too easy

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LITERASI BAHASA INGGRIS

b. Tests are not given too frequently

c. Teachers should take more tests
d. There is not enough testing at present
e. Teachers should give more tests at school
7. The government spokesman…
a. Thinks education is what the government is most interested in
b. Argues it is the teachers fault that students are tested so much
c. Accepts many of the points made by the teachers’ leaders
d. Is extremely critical of the way exams are written
e. Says what is taught at school should be more tightly controlled
8. It can be inferred from the passage that according to UNICEF, children in UK…
a. Are not so well behaved as in other countries
b. Could be having much more fulfilling childhoods
c. Are not as rich as children in 21 other countries
d. Often spend too much time in the worst kind of place
e. Would make more progress with much shorter and easier tests
9. What is the point Kevin Brennan makes in the last paragraph?
a. It is too risky for children to be outside on their own
b. Children use too many electrical devices
c. Children would learn by being outside more
d. The most important thing is children’s safety.
e. Children indoors can still learn how to cope with risks

“With this at stake it’s not surprising that schools let the tests take over.’

10. The underlined word refers to…

a. Schools are being closed down
b. Many school heads lose their jobs
c. Schools failed to reach their targets
d. The consequences if schools not reaching their targets
e. All of the above mentioned

The following passage is for questions number 11-15!

If a person suddenly encounters any terrible danger, the change of nature one undergoes is equally great.
Sometimes fear numbs our senses. Like animals, one stands still, powerless to move a step in fright or
to lift a hand in defence of our lives, and sometimes one is seized with panic, and again, act more like
the inferior animals than rational beings. On the other hand, frequently in cases of sudden extreme peril,
which cannot be escaped by flight, and must be instantly faced, even the timidest men at once as if by
a miracle, become possessed of the necessary courage, sharp quick apprehension and swift decision.
This is a miracle very common in nature. Man and the inferior animals alike, when confronted with
almost certain death ‘ gather resolution from despair’ but there can really be no trace of so debilitating
a feeling in the person fighting, or prepared to fight for dear life. At such times the mind is clearer than
it has ever been; the nerves are steel, there is nothing felt but a wonderful strength and daring. Looking
back at certain perilous moments in my own life, I remember them with a kind of joy, not that there
was any joyful excitement then, but because they broadened my horizon, lifted me for a time above
myself.

11. The following are some reactions owned by humans when they caught by danger
EXCEPT
a. Stay still
b. Get stressed

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LITERASI BAHASA INGGRIS

c. Act like inferior animals

d. Powerless
e. Sometimes get panicked
12. The word “seized” has the same meaning as …
a. Caught
b. Coughed
c. Crawled
d. Creepy
e. Crumbed
13. The main idea of the passage is…
a. How the nature of people changes while in the dangerous area
b. The courage people have in their lif
c. The hidden strength of an animal
d. The miracle human has when faced by tremendous danger
e. Some options people will do when facing a dangerous situation
14. According to the passage, it can be inferred that the author feels happy to face and
overcome dangers as…
a. The dangers can bring him new experiences
b. The dangers will reveal his hidden strength
c. The dangers open his perspective and lifted himself for a time
d. The experience brings him confidence
e. The dangers make him realized that he still alive

"I remember them with a kind of joy"

15. The word them refers to…

a. Joy
b. Excitement
c. Perilous moments
d. Looking back
e. Remember

The Following Passage is for Questions Number 16-20!

In the public mind, the origin story of coronavirus seems well fixed: in late 2019 someone at the now
world-famous Huanan seafood market in Wuhan was infected with a virus from an animal. The rest is
part of an awful history still in the making, with Covid-19 spreading from that first cluster in the capital
of China’s Hubei province to a pandemic that has killed about 211,000 people so far. Stock footage of
pangolins – a scaly mammal that looks like an anteater – have made it on to news bulletins, suggesting
this animal was the staging post for the virus before it spread to humans. But there is uncertainty about
several aspects of the Covid-19 origin story that scientists are trying hard to unravel, including which
species passed it to a human. They’re trying hard because knowing how a pandemic start is a key to
stopping the next one.

Prof Stephen Turner, head of the department of microbiology at Melbourne’s Monash University, says
what’s most likely is that virus originated in bats. But that’s where his certainty ends, he says. On the
hypothesis that the virus emerged at the Wuhan live animal market from an interaction between an
animal and a human, Turner says: “I don’t think it’s conclusive by any means.” “Part of the problem is
that the information is only as good as the surveillance,” he says, adding that viruses of this type are
circulating all the time in the animal kingdom.

The fact that the virus has infected a tiger in a New York zoo shows how viruses can move around
between species, he says. “Understanding the breadth of species this virus can infect is important as it
helps us narrow down where it might have come from.” Scientists say it is highly likely that the virus

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came from bats but first passed through an intermediary animal in the same way that another
coronavirus – the 2002 Sars outbreak – moved from horseshoe bats to cat-like civets before infecting
humans. One animal implicated as an intermediary host between bats and humans is the pangolin. The
International Union for Conservation of Nature says they are “the most illegally traded mammal in the
world” and are prized for their meat and the claimed medicinal properties of their scales.

(source: The Guardian Article)

16. The first passage talks about …

a. The uncertainty of animals which become the origin of covid-19 in Wuhan
b. How covid-19 spreads so fast worldwide
c. The animals which are suspected to become the origin of covid-19
d. The aspects triggering covid-19 outbreak.
e. The first case of covid-19 in Wuhan
17. From the second paragraph, it is assumed that pangolins are…
a. Believed to be the only animal that’s clear from corona virus
b. Animals that have immune to the virus
c. The first animals being infected of the virus
d. The subject of coronavirus research
e. Were suspected to be the first species that spread the virus to human
18. The word emerged in the second paragraph is similar to the following EXCEPT …
a. Appear
b. Vanish
c. Come up
d. Show
e. Arise
19. The covid-19 infection in animals shows that…
a. The virus really like to infect animals
b. Eating meat from animals is not safe
c. Animals are the most fragile creatures so that can be easily infected
d. The virus can easily transmigrate between species.
e. The virus in human’s body is mainly from animals
20. Which of the following information that is true from the last paragraph?
a. Most of the trading of pangolins in the International market are not authorized by law
b. It is allowed to sell pangolins
c. SARS outbreak was also first spread by pangolins
d. Cat-like civets are prized for their meat
e. Horseshoe bats are claimed to be the medicine of the coronavirus

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