Primary 3 English Semestral Assessment 1 (Mid-Year) Paper 2

Answer Key and Marking Scheme - Primary 3 English (SA1 Practice Paper Version 2)

Section A: Grammar and Vocabulary (20 marks)

1. (2) has

• Reasoning: The subject "The library" is singular. Therefore, it requires the singular verb "has". "Have" is for plural subjects.
• Concept: Subject-Verb Agreement.

2. (2) brushes

• Reasoning: The phrase "every morning and night" indicates a habitual action (Simple Present Tense). The subject "My brother" is singular (he), so we add "-es" to the verb "brush".
• Concept: Simple Present Tense for habits.

3. (3) are flying

• Reasoning: The word "Look!" indicates an action happening right now (Present Continuous Tense). The structure is Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing. "The birds" is plural, so we use "are flying".
• Concept: Present Continuous Tense.

4. (3) went

• Reasoning: The time phrase "last Sunday" indicates the past. The past tense of "go" is "went".
• Concept: Simple Past Tense.

5. (1) is

• Reasoning: In sentences starting with "There is/are", the verb agrees with the noun immediately following it (the rule of proximity). "A pencil" is singular, so we use "is".
• Concept: Subject-Verb Agreement with "There is/are".

6. (3) of

• Reasoning: The adjective "afraid" is always followed by the preposition "of".
• Concept: Prepositions after adjectives.

7. (1) over

• Reasoning: "Over" indicates movement from one side to the other, above something. "Under" would mean below, which doesn't fit the context of jumping a wall to escape.
• Concept: Prepositions of movement.

8. (3) must

• Reasoning: "Must" indicates obligation or necessity. The sentence implies a rule: homework first, then play.
• Concept: Modal verbs.

9. (3) my

• Reasoning: We need a possessive adjective to modify the noun "umbrella". "My" is the possessive adjective for "I". "Mine" is a possessive pronoun used without a noun.
• Concept: Possessive adjectives vs. pronouns.

10. (2) nor

• Reasoning: The correlative conjunction pair is "Neither... nor".
• Concept: Conjunctions.

11. (3) are

• Reasoning: The subject "The students" is plural. The verb must be plural ("are").
• Concept: Subject-Verb Agreement.

12. (3) lost

• Reasoning: The clause "so she could not open the door" is in the past. The action of losing the keys happened in the past. The past tense of "lose" is "lost".
• Concept: Simple Past Tense.

13. (4) (no preposition needed)

• Reasoning: We do not use prepositions like "in", "on", or "at" before "next week", "last week", or "this week".
• Concept: Time expressions.

14. (3) Would

• Reasoning: "Would you like..." is the standard polite form for offering something. "Do you like" asks about general preference, not a specific offer.
• Concept: Modal verbs for offers.

15. (1) who

• Reasoning: "Who" is the relative pronoun used for people. "Which" is for things.
• Concept: Relative clauses.

16. (1) little

• Reasoning: "Money" is an uncountable noun. "Little" means "not much" (negative connotation), which fits with "cannot buy". "A little" means "some" (positive). "Few/A few" are for countable nouns.
• Concept: Quantifiers.

17. (2) on

• Reasoning: We place books "on" a shelf (surface).
• Concept: Prepositions of place.

18. (2) rains

• Reasoning: This is a First Conditional sentence (If + Present Simple, ... will + Verb). The subject "it" is singular, so the verb is "rains".
• Concept: Conditionals.

19. (4) more carefully

• Reasoning: We are comparing how two people drive (adverb). "Carefully" is an adverb. For adverbs with more than two syllables, we use "more" + adverb.
• Concept: Comparatives of adverbs.

20. (3) to speak

• Reasoning: The verb "ask" is followed by an object + to-infinitive (ask someone to do something).
• Concept: Infinitives after verbs.

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Section B: Grammar Application (20 marks)

21. were playing

• Answer: were playing
• Explanation: The action was in progress (Past Continuous) when another action interrupted it (Simple Past "started"). Subject "children" is plural, so "were playing".
• Marks: 1

22. had already started

• Answer: had already started
• Explanation: The movie started before we arrived. When two past actions happen, the earlier one uses Past Perfect (had + past participle).
• Marks: 1

23. tallest

• Answer: tallest
• Explanation: Comparing one person to the whole class (superlative). For short adjectives like "tall", add "-est".
• Marks: 1

24. has lived

• Answer: has lived
• Explanation: The action started in the past and continues to the present (or has relevance to the present) with "for ten years". This requires Present Perfect Tense.
• Marks: 1

25. do not forget / don't forget

• Answer: do not forget
• Explanation: This is an imperative sentence (command/request). The negative form is "Do not" + base verb.
• Marks: 1

26. John said that he would help me with my project.

• Answer: he would help me with my project
• Explanation:
  • Change pronoun "I" to "he" (referring to John).
  • Change "will" to "would" (backshift in reported speech).
  • Change "you" to "me" (referring to the listener).
• Marks: 2 (1 for tense change, 1 for pronoun change)

27. The cat was chased by the dog.

• Answer: was chased by the dog
• Explanation:
  • Object "the cat" becomes the subject.
  • Verb changes to passive: was/were + past participle. "Cat" is singular, past tense, so "was chased".
  • Subject "the dog" becomes the agent with "by".
• Marks: 2 (1 for correct passive structure, 1 for "by the dog")

28. He is not old enough to drive a car.

• Answer: old enough to drive a car
• Explanation:
  • "Too young" means "not old enough".
  • Structure: not + adjective + enough + to-infinitive.
• Marks: 2 (1 for "old enough", 1 for correct structure)

29. Despite the rain, we went out for a walk.

• Answer: the rain, we went out for a walk
• Explanation:
  • "Despite" is a preposition, so it must be followed by a noun phrase or gerund, not a clause.
  • "It was raining" becomes "the rain".
• Marks: 2 (1 for changing clause to noun phrase, 1 for correct sentence structure)

30. The tourist asked where the nearest bus stop was.

• Answer: where the nearest bus stop was
• Explanation:
  • In indirect questions, the word order changes from Question Order (Verb-Subject) to Statement Order (Subject-Verb).
  • "Where is the bus stop?" becomes "where the bus stop was".
  • Tense backshift: "is" becomes "was".
• Marks: 2 (1 for word order, 1 for tense backshift)

31. Error: have | Correction: has

• Explanation: "Each" is singular. "Each of the students" takes a singular verb.
• Marks: 1

32. Error: in | Correction: at

• Explanation: The correct phrase is "good at" something.
• Marks: 1

33. Error: meet | Correction: meeting

• Explanation: "Look forward to" is followed by a gerund (Verb-ing), not an infinitive. "To" here is a preposition.
• Marks: 1

34. Error: are | Correction: is

• Explanation: "News" is an uncountable noun and is treated as singular.
• Marks: 1

35. Error: run | Correction: runs

• Explanation: Subject "He" is singular. In Simple Present Tense, the verb needs an "s".
• Marks: 1