ST STEPHEN’S COLLEGE

SECOND TERM EXAMINATION (2022-23)

Subject/Paper: S2 English / Reading (A)

Name: __________________ Class: 2____ Class No.:_____

Group: G1 / G2 / G4 / G5 / G6 / G7 / G8 / G9 (circle one)

Time allowed: 60 minutes

Question-Answer Booklet

Instructions to Students:

1. Maximum Score: 54 marks.

2. This paper consists of 7 pages, including this cover page.
3. Each blank comprises 1 mark unless otherwise indicated.
4. Use a pen to write your answers in the spaces provided.
5. The Reading Passages are in a separate booklet. Write your answers neatly and clearly in the spaces
provided in the Question-Answer Book. Hand in the Question-Answer Booklet, and the Reading
Passage Booklet separately.
6. For multiple-choice questions, choose the best answer and blacken ONE circle only.
7. Write your name, class, class number and circle your Group Number on this page, as well as
the cover page of the Reading Passage Booklet.

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PART A

Read Part A and answer questions 1-13. (26 marks)

1. With reference to paragraphs 1-3, describe the setting of the story. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Based on information from paragraphs 1-3, decide whether the following statements are True (T),
False (F), or Not Given (NG). Blacken ONE circle only. (5 marks)

T F NG
i) Mr. Tabor sounded energetic on the phone. ◯ ◯ ◯
ii) Mr. Tabor knew that Madge might not want to give his niece a lift. ◯ ◯ ◯
iii) Madge was glad to give Mr. Tabor’s niece a lift. ◯ ◯ ◯
iv) Madge was friendly to Mr. Tabor. ◯ ◯ ◯
v) Mrs. Tabor was not well-liked among the women in town. ◯ ◯ ◯

3. Look for words from paragraphs 4-8 that can be replaced by the following. (3 marks)

i) dark figure ____________________

ii) lean ____________________

iii) darkened ____________________

4. Why was Madge’s voice “unusually high-pitched” (line 16)? (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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5. Eunice has been portrayed as rather queer and awkward since her introduction. Find 2 pieces of
evidence from paragraphs 10-13 that suggest so. (2 marks)

 ____________________________________________________________________________

 ____________________________________________________________________________

6. Who does “the flat voice” (line 32) refer to?

________________________________________________________________________________

7. Why did Madge laugh (line 33)? (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

8. Which word in paragraph 19 could be replaced by ‘powerful’? ________________

9. With reference to paragraphs 18-19, reorder the following events according to their chronological
order. (1 mark)

The police investigated the case. __________

Mr. and Mrs. Tabor were happily married. __________

Mrs. Tabor was murdered. __________

The murder case remained unsolved. __________

Mrs. Tabor drove to Colchester to pick Mr. Tabor up. __________

Mr. Tabor stayed on in town. __________

10. Study paragraphs 9, 14, 20 and 21. How does the atmosphere change as Madge drove on along
Colchester Road? (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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11. How does the writer use imagery (sensory devices) to portray a suspenseful atmosphere in
paragraph 21? Complete the table below. (3 marks)

Sense of... Example from text

(i)
sight

(ii)
The air was fragrant with the aroma of dropped pine tags and cones.

(iii)
touch

12. Which of the following best describes the mood in paragraphs 23-24?

A. Lonely
B. Lighthearted
C. Depressed A B C D
D. Tense ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯

13. What genre do you think the story belongs to?

A. Detective
B. Fable
C. Mystery A B C D
D. Spy ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯

END OF PART A

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PART B

Read Part B and answer questions 14-27. (31 marks)

14. Find two expressions in paragraph 1 that refer to emoji. (2 marks)

a) _____________________________________________________

b) _____________________________________________________

15. What does ‘the point’ (line 8) refer to?

________________________________________________________________________________

16. What genre do you think the story belongs to?

A. testy
B. teasing
C. offended A B C D
D. abhorrence ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯

17. Based on information from paragraph 2-3, decide whether the following statements are True (T),
False (F), or Not Given (NG). Blacken ONE circle only. (4 marks)

T F NG
i) Katy Perry is an avid user of emoji. ◯ ◯ ◯
ii) Katy Perry’s emoji-generated music video is a sponsored celebrity
◯ ◯ ◯
endorsement.
iii) The emoji examples cited in paragraph 3 are used to showcase
◯ ◯ ◯
responses that cause discomfort or uneasiness.

18. Do you think emoji helped tackle the limitations of pager messaging? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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19. Why do you think the heart icon mentioned in paragraph 5 caused a stir among pager users?

________________________________________________________________________________

20. According to paragraph 6, Apple…

A. earmarked and diagnosed problems for its US users.

B. directed much of its iOS global marketing at teenagers. A B C D
C. Was responsible for launching emoji use to the next level.
◯ ◯ ◯ ◯
D. Flopped in its marketing drive to give emoji mass-market appeal.

21. Complete the following summary about the evolution of emoji based on the text, Use no more than
THREE words for each blank. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct. (9 marks)

(i)_______________________________ pioneered early emoji technology in

22. (ii)______________________________, a time when the (iii)__________________ was the must-have

gizmo to (iv)______________________________ with. The Japanese telecommunication giant originally

had its eyes set on (v)________________________ when it launched emoji. In turn, the icons were

warmly embraced by (vi)________________________, impressed with the economy of words their use

entailed. The lingo’s Japanese success was replicated much later in US when (vii) __________________

embraced emoji in its mobile products that boasted the (viii)_______________ operating system – a move

initially made to lure potential (ix)____________________ users in Japan.

In line 33, ‘imbalances’ refer to the …

A. Clear leanings of emoji towards food and topographical representations.

B. Discord caused by discriminatory treatment of specific cultural icons.
C. Grey areas in emoji interpretation resultant of cultural disparity.
D. Overt Japanese orientation manifested in the design of emoji.
A B C D
◯ ◯ ◯ ◯

23.What does ‘this’ (line 39) refer to?

__________________________________________________________________________________

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24.According to paragraph 8, users are now using emoji to…

A. Let their own personality shing through.

B. Use animal-related figures of speech. A B C D
C. Trade messages in fewer words.
◯ ◯ ◯ ◯
D. Get across deeper feelings.

25.Why do you think the writer expresses worry about finding one’s friends ‘conversing in cleverly-
converted codes’ (line 52)?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

26.Based on the information in paragraph 10, complete the following text by using ONE word to fill in
each blank. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct. (4 marks)

(i)_________________________ _________________________ boasting a bigger set of well-

developed expressions are moving fast to oust (ii)__________________________. With the

development of an instant messaging (iii)__________________________ that bolsters its sticker

bank’s new (iv)_________________________ inputs, this recently conceived lingua franca is

undergoing rapid growth in East Asia and beyond.

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 27. With reference to the text, decide the best conversation method for the following people. Put
ONE tick (🗸) only for each statement. (3 marks)

Text messaging with NO Text messaging using

emoji used emoji

Person A: I need to communicate with the clients on

behalf of my supervising attorney as part of my
paralegal work.
Person B: I hate dead air pauses in conversations but
it’s hard to come up with things to say when I’m
chatting with someone I barely knew.
Person C: My tech-savvy tween grandson has no issue
with my text messages: ‘So lengthy and wordy,’ he
complains. How can I get him interested in chatting
with me?

END OF PART B

END OF READING PAPER

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