MODUL BAHASA INGGERIS SPM (CEMERLANG)

PAPER 2 SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
1 Do you know that blocks of ice can become beautiful pieces of art? These pieces of art or ice sculptures are the work of artists called ice sculptors. Ice sculptures capture our imagination.They listen at every grand function and wedding and appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. Depending on the occasion, they can resemble anything from kissing swans and love birds to Santa Claus and glittering palaces. But do we ever wonder about the artists behind these magnificent works? All we see are the results of their creativity, skill, vivid imagination and hard work. One of these artists is Harun Jalil, a Malaysian ice sculptor who is noted for his outstanding work. He has developed his own distinctive style over the years. Ice is extremely difficult to carve and is a real challenge to work on. But in Haruns hands, it can be transformed into art to reveal its hidden beauty. Before Harun can begin sculpting, he prepares tools like chisels and hammers of different lengths and sizes. Harun usually imagines the picture before he starts his work on ice. After that, he makes an outline of his chosen subject onto the block of ice with small chisels. He stresses that if a sculptor has not fully mastered the technique of carving and sculpting, the ice figure will collapse. To him, patience and speed are very important. Endurance is an added bonus. Then he chips away. As small parts of the ice slowly flake off with each hit, the object takes on a three-dimensional appearance. It takes 20 to 45 minutes to complete a sculpture, depending on the complexity of the design. An aeroplane carved in ice took him almost two hours to complete. Chainsaws are used to saw off huge chunks of ice. This step is the longest and most exhausting of all. The chainsaws are rather heavy and difficult to handle. Gradually, the ice block begins to take on the desired shape. The edges are rough and jagged from the sawing and chipping, hence the next step is to make the sculpture smooth, using a flat chisel. Using his bare hands, Harun holds and moves the ice. To fine tune the piece, he uses his chisels to create eyes, wings, feathers and other unique features. From a mere block of ice, Harun makes a majestic eagle. The sculpture is then placed on a small flat tray. It takes more than just talent to do ice carving. One must concentrate on what one is doing and work tirelessly without any break. Dedication and experience in ice carving goes a long way in gaining respect from fellow ice artists. It also pays to be strong, for lifting ice blocks is not easy. It may look simple but there is a great deal of work that goes into ice carving. Harun values the satisfaction he feels when a piece is completed and admired by others. His knowledge, creativity and experience make Harun different from other ice sculptors. Adapted from Going Places, November 2001 25 10

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Questions 1 -5 Answer all questions. You are advised to answer them in the order set. 1 (a) From paragraph 1, when can you usually see a display of ice sculptures? .. (b) From paragraph 2, which word in this paragraph means unique? [1 mark] 2 From paragraph 3, (a) why is ice a challenge to work on? [1 mark] (b) the word it in line 12 refers to [1 mark] 3 From paragraph 6, why is sawing the most tiring activity in ice sculpting? ..[1 mark] 4 From paragraphs 5 and 7, name two objects which Harun has carved out of ice. (i) (ii) . [2 marks] 5 (a) From paragraph 8, why is it an advantage for an ice sculptor to be strong? .[1 mark] (b) From paragraph 9, what two things give Harun a sense of satisfaction? Answer in your own words. . . . . [2 marks] SECTION B: SUMMARY-WRITING A. INTRODUCTION 1. How much do you know about Summary writing? a) How much time do you have for this section? b) How long must you write? c) How many paragraphs must you write? d) Can you write in note form? e) How are the marks awarded? ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
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[1 mark]

(ppt)

B. COUNTING THE WORD LIMIT The number of words allowed in the SPM is 160 words, including the 10 words given. So in actual fact, you are only required to write another 150 words. Lets do some practice in counting words: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Dr Ahmad Rasyad bin Abdul Aziz. ten kg of flour He didnt realise that he wasnt getting the promotion. The movie took too long- almost four hours She said a thirty-four-year old actress cant play the role of a teenager very well. _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

How about the following two paragraphs? Count the number of words. Paragraph 1: Dr Adibah Abdul Aziz bought 10 kg of sugar at RM28.00. The sugar was said to be imported from Ireland. Dr Adibah didnt realise that she was swindled. The sugar he had bought was really from the Republic of Indonesia. No. of words: __________________ C. HOW TO MINIMISE WORDS? By removing unnecessary words By condensing phrase (s) By substituting a phrase with a word By linking two or three points together

C. LETS PRACTISE: SUMMARY SKILLS i) WORD LEVEL: WORD SUBSTITUTION ((ppt)

Substitute the following words with one word. Some help is given in the box below:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

write down in a short while now and then not very deep thinks of money all the time once a year easily broken writing that is difficult to read to speak softly over and over again

- - . - - - - - - - -

repeatedly money-minded

illegible record

shortly fragile

annually

occasionally

shallow whisper

ii) a. b. c. d.

OMISSION OF REDUNDANCIES/TRIVIAL INFORMATION The bins were full of rubbish: tin cans, broken bottles, scraps of cloth and other items. (16 words) _______________________________________________________________ Hashim sat silent, without saying a single word. (8 words) _______________________________________________________________ Kluang is a small town. It is not big like Johor Bharu. It is very clean.(15 words) ____________________________________________________________ In my opinion, I think teaching is fine career. (9 words) _______________________________________________________________

iii) a. a. c. d. e.

SUBSTITUTION The teacher told the players that the football match was put off to another day (15 words) _______________________________________________________________ There are many children in Africa who cannot read or write. (11 words) _______________________________________________________________ Donny and Marie is the kind of show that one enjoys watching. (10 words) _______________________________________________________________ Adibah loves wearing dresses, pants and skirts which are fashionable. _______________________________________________________________ Our visitor, who is from America, is going to talk to us about life in his country. _______________________________________________________________

iv)

TOPIC SENTENCE

A topic sentence summarises a paragraph i.e. a topic sentence is the summary of a paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first sentence in paragraph. The topic can also be found in the second sentence of a paragraph, the middle and also the last sentence of a paragraph. Ocassionally, there may not be a topic sentence because the pargraph is full of details. A topic sentence has then got to be constructed. Location of topic sentences and Identifying topic sentences in paragraphs. Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph. a. Leena thought of the lovely beaches and the sunsets she had enjoyed painting. She had been lucky to have seen the huge sea-turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. One evening, she had even surprised a tiger that was looking for turtle eggs on the sandy beaches. On some mornings she had enjoyed picking shells and now she owned some wonderful specimens. She would always remember this holiday because of so many wonderful things.

b.

The Tan family began moving their furniture and other belongings upstairs. It had been raining the past hour and the water level seemed to be rising. Very soon, the water would be flowing into their home. Whenever it rained, the Tan house was flooded. After the rains, the whole family would begin the difficult task of cleaning up the mess and arranging the curniture all over again. Malaysia is a country of great natural wealth. The cliamte and the soil are ideal for the cultivation of rice, rubber, coconuts and palm oil. Other agricultural products include pineapples, pepper and tea. The country is also rich in minerals such as copper and oil. Moreover mineral exploration is also being carried on in search of new oilfields and other base materials. PARAGRAPH LEVEL

c.

v)

a. Lets try out paragraphs 3 6 of the reading comprehension passage. Summarise the steps taken by Harun to produce an ice sculpture. There are 6 points. List them down. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. . . . . . .

b. Summarise what the following passage tells you about the effects of war on the children and teachers of Bosnia. Can you identify the points in the passage? 1
Andrija Markovich is a thin, pale-looking thirteen year-old. For a teenager, he is too serious and earnest-looking. He is from Bratunac, a small town in Eastern Bosnia which has been torn apart by two years of civil war. He has just returned to school after a long absence. Its been a long holiday, said Andrija. But its too long. Ive forgotten everything. Not quite. His English was good enough to give an insiders view of how to spend many hours fighting in the front line. Because of the shortage of the heating fuel, the two schools in Bratunac were closed for three months. The classrooms were so cold the children could not hold their pens. When the worst of the winter was over, the schools reopened to 2,000 children between the ages of 7 and 18 but the building remained cold. It was necessary to reduce the length of the school day and cut individual lessons from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Teachers and pupils had to wear coats, glove and hats in the classroom. To compensate for the shorter hours, the school week was extended to include Saturday and Sunday.

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4. .. 5. 6. 7. G. MARK SCHEME CONTENT USE OF ENGLISH : 10 marks : 5 marks

***Be smart! Your aim is to get maximum 10 content points so do not try to be over ambitious by rephrasing every single sentence. Stick to the passage closely - substitute some words. A. FAQS ABOUT SUMMARY-WRITING Will I be penalized if I write more than the required number of words? 1. Will I be penalized if my summary is too short? 2. Will the examiner count the number of words I have written? 3. Can I save on words by contracting words e.g by using dont instead of do not? 4. Will I be penalised if I dont use the opening 10 words supplied by the question? 5. Do I write in many paragraphs? 6. Will I get credit for an answer in note form? SECTION C: LITERATURE: THE NOVEL Question: With close reference to the novel of your choice, write about an evil character .Why do you think he is an evil person. Give reasons for your answer. The Pearl In the novel, The Pearl, I find The Doctor as an evil person . First, the doctor, who is wealthier than the peasants of La Paz, is portrayed as an irresponsible doctor as he scoffs at natives, like Kino and Juana, who seeks his treatment without money. When Kino and Juana bring Coyotito to the doctor to heal the scorpions sting, he refuses them. He does not even care about the baby. Next, the doctor is depicted as someone who is cruel and heartless even to a baby. When he hears that Kino has found the Pearl of the World, he announces that Kino is his patient and went to his hut to treat the baby. He convinces Kino that the child is still ill and will die without the care of a doctor. He then gives poison to Coyotito and its medication an hour later, after Coyotito shows reaction to the poison. The effect of the poison is similar to the scorpions sting.

Lastly, I have noted that the doctor wants to own Kinos pearl. When he asks Kino how he will pay for Coyotitos treatment, he pretends not to know about the great pearl. As the neighbours assure the doctor that Kino will be a rich man because of the pearl he finds, the doctor offers to keep the pearl safe for Kino. Kino declines, but the doctor watches his eyes, expecting them to look toward the place where the pearl is buried.
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