Name: ______________________________ ( ) Class: ______ Date: ______________

Secondary 3 Express English (1184) Paper 2 Practice 1

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Section A
Study the online advertisement (Text 1) and the social media post (Text 2) and answer Questions
1 – 4 in the Question Booklet.
Text 1 is taken from an online advertisement for a puppy adoption drive in April this year.

ALL OUR PUPPIES ARE VACCINATED AND

DEWORMED AND CAN BE ADOPTED FOR
FREE!
Come to our adoption drive today at 72 Buona Vista Road. Every Sunday of April this
year.

Text 2 is taken from a social media post regarding the puppy adoption drive in April this year.

My former best friend abandoned me because she could no longer keep me in her tiny
apartment. She left me at the roadside of the marketplace and I had to fend for myself.
But a kind soul rescued me and helped me find a new best friend. I love playing with
toys and cuddling up is my second favourite thing to do. I will be a loving and loyal
friend!
Little Oliver, 4 month-old Yorkshire Terrier

[Turn over]
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Section B
Text 3

The text below is about three mountaineers undertaking a risky descent. Read it carefully and
answer Questions 5 – 13 in the Answer Booklet.

1 Tim felt the temperature falling atop the summit. The sun had lost its way beneath the
horizon. The lives of the three climbers were now in the cruel hands of fate. The clock was
now ticking towards nightfall and there was no time to lose. Tim knew that they did not have
any more time left. The way up had been more trying than they had expected, punctuated by
unexpected problems that nearly threw them to their deaths. It was obvious that Baz was 5
struggling to keep up and he could possibly jeopardise everyone's survival. However,
adamance was Tim's forte and no one would know the outcome without trying: they had to
take a chance. Up in front leading the descent was Nesh, who nodded in shared
understanding. "Right on it," he said, heaving as he lumbered precariously to the edge in the
dark. 10

2 Not wanting to be caught out by unexpected circumstances, the trio made the decision to
shorten the safety lines to 20 feet. With Nesh in the lead, Tim was certain that they would
progress steadily. Between them, he reasoned, they would be able to hold Baz if he slipped
on the icy cliff. "You'll never walk alone," Tim said as they pulled on their oxygen masks and
stopped speaking. Tim knew he had to find a proper rhythm and concentrate on the task
15
ahead of him. He was thinking too much about Baz. The anxiety causing his heart to
palpitate was depleting the oxygen supply faster than he had expected. Emotions had gotten
the better of him and it impaired his usual rationality.

3 Climbers killed climbers: they had to pull one another's weight. Furthermore, there were
other reasons such as the thin altitudinous air, fatigue weighing them down after the long 20
ascent and the biting cold. Rationality simply had no place. Tim cleared his mind of
distractions by taking in long breaths of oxygen, checked that his pegs were secure before
easing himself off the edge after his fellow climbers. Finally, a small tug on his waist by the
clip attached to the rope signalled the imminent and perilous descent down the steep slope
led by Nesh. 25

4 The descent was painfully sluggish as they inched to a temporary halt with the cold front
slapping against their numbed cheeks. The wind had picked up speed and once more
threatened to throw the trio down to their deaths. With hunched backs, they braved the
strong winds while groping towards their almost invisible destination. Up ahead, Tim seemed
to see a dark silhouette flailing his arms in the violence of the wind. This did not look 30
optimistic. Tim shut his eyes and stood still.

5 By the time the wind weakened, all that was visible ahead of Tim was a long, limp snake that
slithered all the way to Nesh's waist. As Tim trudged urgently onwards in the slippery snow,
he could barely make out what seemed to resemble Nesh's tall and lanky build a seemingly
huge distance away. But all was not lost, yet. Tim blinked in his struggle to concentrate on 35
placing his numb and heavy feet in the footholds carefully. He knew he needed to traverse
the distance to Nesh and find out what had happened to Baz, but he could not afford missing
a single step. The furrows on his forehead were now deeper and his jaws clenched harder
than ever before in his life. Just one more hour to the end of this nightmare. Tim murmured a
silent prayer to draw strength for the last obstacle on their descent. The following slope was 40
nearly vertical and they had only each other to depend on.

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Section C
Text 4

The text below is about the education landscape in Singapore. Read it carefully and answer
Questions 14 – 20 in the Answer Booklet.

1 Singapore's education system has been one of the main reasons behind Singapore's rapid
and miraculous transition from the third world to first. While the island nation's success story
has filled numerous newspapers, films and books, Singapore's growth to becoming an
education powerhouse is less well-documented, although equally impressive. From its
humble beginnings, Singapore has risen to the very top, ranking first in the 2015 OECD 5
(Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) Global Education Rankings.

2 Today, it is not uncommon to see many countries attempting to follow Singapore's footsteps
and it is even more prevalent to see foreign scholars from all parts of the world pursuing a
world class education in Singapore. This, however, does not mean that all is well in
Singapore's education system. Rather infamously known as a 'pressure cooker', 10
Singaporean students face an overwhelming demand from expectant parents to achieve
stellar grades in high stakes national examinations.

3 Apart from long school hours, the stressful environment is worsened due to a highly lucrative
private schooling and tuition industry which sees many children heading for extra lessons
after school so that they may cram more information and skills to score for their 15
examinations. This industry looks set to flourish as Singaporeans continue to believe that
success in education would likely mean general success in life. Education is seen as
important because it reduces income inequality, offering a pathway to greater riches through
job qualifications.

4 Furthermore, a large number of Singaporeans aim for academic success on the off chance 20
that they can obtain government scholarships if they do well in school. Singapore's
government, a firm believer in meritocracy, prides itself on the slogan of 'work for reward,
reward for work' and offers the best-performing students of each cohort fully-paid
scholarships. These lucky students will then be given an opportunity to read at the world's
most prestigious universities before returning home to be groomed as future leaders of the 25
nation. Thus, to many, success in education gives a greater chance of obtaining the
proverbial 'iron rice bowl' — one that ensures a steady income and a secure job. It also
enhances their possibility of joining the exclusive upper echelons of society.

5 This conviction that academic success is important has raised concerns that the system is
fostering a sense of elitism. This is because the 'elite', high-scoring students have often been 30
given much praise and fame. After all, they are often honoured by their schools while
receiving both monetary awards and shiny plaques for their successes. This is worsened
when students from top schools are often made to believe that they are superior to their
peers in terms of performance or behaviour. Parents themselves carry this elitist mindset,
passing their negative labels of certain schools or academic streams to their children. 35

6 Often spoken about in hushed tones by many, the issue of elitism was brought to the
nation's forefront in 2015 by Mr Chan Poh Meng, the principal of Raffles Institution, the
oldest and arguably most prestigious school in Singapore. Mr Chan believed that the school
was promoting elitism because a top school like itself was catering to mostly advantaged
Singaporeans who tend to excel in education. He also believed that they were not providing 40
better chances to the less advantaged.
7 While Mr Chan was widely applauded for his courage in speaking about elitism and raising
solutions, statistics have shown that elitism is not as big a problem as thought. A study by
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the OECD showed that less-advantaged students in Singapore, compared to other
countries, had the best chance of doing as well as, if not better than other students who are 45
more well off. Furthermore, there are already changes aplenty. School admission schemes
have been improved to better recognise non-academic achievements or talents and there
are now more evaluations of students based on non-academic factors such as their
leadership skills or values. Most crucially, the government is trying to do away with the highly
competitive nature of its national examinations, starting with changes for the Primary School 50
Leaving Examinations.

8 One can only hope that Singapore's education system will continue to maintain its
excellence while doing away with its major issues. But just like its tough beginnings, the
future development of Singapore's education system will surely be beset by numerous
challenges.

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