Primary 1 English Practice Paper 4

Primary 1 English Quiz - Phonics (Answer Key)

Total Marks: 30

Section A: Letter Sounds (Questions 1–5) [10 marks]

1. Answer: B) s [2 marks]
Explanation: The letter 's' makes the /s/ sound (like in sun, snake, sit). The letter 'c' can sometimes make the /s/ sound (as in city), but 's' is the primary letter for this sound. 'z' makes the /z/ sound, and 'x' makes the /ks/ sound.

2. Answer: B) h [2 marks]
Explanation: The letter 'h' makes the /h/ sound (like in hat, house, hand). It is a breathy sound made by exhaling air. 'n' makes /n/, 'r' makes /r/, and 'k' makes /k/.

3. Answer: B) r [2 marks]
Explanation: The letter 'r' makes the /r/ sound (like in rabbit, red, run). It is made by curling the tongue slightly back. 'p' makes /p/, 'n' makes /n/, and 'v' makes /v/.

4. Answer: C) g [2 marks]
Explanation: The letter 'g' makes the /g/ sound (like in goat, girl, green). This is the "hard g" sound. 'j' makes /j/, 'q' makes /kw/ (with u), and 'y' makes /y/.

5. Answer: B) l [2 marks]
Explanation: The letter 'l' makes the /l/ sound (like in lion, leg, lamp). The tongue touches the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. 'i' is a vowel, 't' makes /t/, and 'f' makes /f/.

Section B: Beginning Sounds (Questions 6–10) [10 marks]

6. Answer: A) /s/ [2 marks]
Explanation: The word 'sun' begins with the letter 's', which makes the /s/ sound. Say the word slowly: sss-un. The first sound you hear is /s/.

7. Answer: C) /d/ [2 marks]
Explanation: The word 'dog' begins with the letter 'd', which makes the /d/ sound. Say the word slowly: d-og. The first sound is /d/. Note: 'b' and 'd' look similar but make different sounds.

8. Answer: C) /f/ [2 marks]
Explanation: The word 'fish' begins with the letter 'f', which makes the /f/ sound. Say the word slowly: fff-ish. The first sound is /f/. 'sh' together makes the /sh/ sound, but the word begins with /f/.

9. Answer: B) /m/ [2 marks]
Explanation: The word 'moon' begins with the letter 'm', which makes the /m/ sound. Say the word slowly: mmm-oon. The first sound is /m/. The 'oo' in the middle makes a long vowel sound.

10. Answer: A) /r/ [2 marks]
Explanation: The word 'rabbit' begins with the letter 'r', which makes the /r/ sound. Say the word slowly: rrr-abbit. The first sound is /r/.

Section C: Word Building (Questions 11–15) [10 marks]

11. Answer: cat [2 marks]
Explanation: The picture shows a cat. The word has three sounds: /k/ /a/ /t/. The middle sound is /a/ (short 'a'). The word is spelled c-a-t.
Marking: 1 mark for correct beginning sound 'c', 1 mark for correct ending sound 't' (middle 'a' is given).

12. Answer: dog [2 marks]
Explanation: The picture shows a dog. The word has three sounds: /d/ /o/ /g/. The middle sound is /o/ (short 'o'). The word is spelled d-o-g.
Marking: 1 mark for correct beginning sound 'd', 1 mark for correct ending sound 'g' (middle 'o' is given).

13. Answer: pen [2 marks]
Explanation: The picture shows a pen. The word has three sounds: /p/ /e/ /n/. The middle sound is /e/ (short 'e'). The word is spelled p-e-n.
Marking: 1 mark for correct beginning sound 'p', 1 mark for correct ending sound 'n' (middle 'e' is given).

14. Answer: hat [2 marks]
Explanation: The picture shows a hat. The word has three sounds: /h/ /a/ /t/. The middle sound is /a/ (short 'a'). The word is spelled h-a-t.
Marking: 1 mark for correct beginning sound 'h', 1 mark for correct ending sound 't' (middle 'a' is given).

15. Answer: box [2 marks]
Explanation: The picture shows a box. The word has three sounds: /b/ /o/ /ks/. The middle sound is /o/ (short 'o'). The word is spelled b-o-x. Note: 'x' makes the /ks/ sound at the end.
Marking: 1 mark for correct beginning sound 'b', 1 mark for correct ending sound 'x' (middle 'o' is given).

Section D: Rhyming Words (Questions 16–20) [10 marks]

16. Answer: B) hat [2 marks]
Explanation: 'cat' and 'hat' rhyme because they both end with the same sounds: /a/ /t/ (written as -at). 'dog' ends with /o/ /g/, 'pig' ends with /i/ /g/, 'sun' ends with /u/ /n/.

17. Answer: A) hen [2 marks]
Explanation: 'pen' and 'hen' rhyme because they both end with /e/ /n/ (written as -en). 'pin' ends with /i/ /n/, 'pan' ends with /a/ /n/, 'pet' ends with /e/ /t/.

18. Answer: C) top [2 marks]
Explanation: 'hop' and 'top' rhyme because they both end with /o/ /p/ (written as -op). 'hat' ends with /a/ /t/, 'hip' ends with /i/ /p/, 'tap' ends with /a/ /p/.

19. Answer: B) rug [2 marks]
Explanation: 'bug' and 'rug' rhyme because they both end with /u/ /g/ (written as -ug). 'bag' ends with /a/ /g/, 'big' ends with /i/ /g/, 'bed' ends with /e/ /d/.

20. Answer: C) man [2 marks]
Explanation: 'fan' and 'man' rhyme because they both end with /a/ /n/ (written as -an). 'fin' ends with /i/ /n/, 'fun' ends with /u/ /n/, 'fat' ends with /a/ /t/.

Common Mistakes to Watch For:

• Letter reversals: b/d, p/q, n/u — remind students to check the direction of the "stick" and "ball"
• Vowel confusion: Short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) sound different — practise saying each sound clearly
• Rhyming vs. same beginning sound: Rhyming words have the same ending sounds, not beginning sounds
• 'x' sound: Remember 'x' at the end of words makes two sounds: /k/ + /s/ = /ks/

Total: 30 marks