Primary 3 English Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 3

Answer Key and Marking Scheme - Primary 3 English (SA2 Practice Paper Version 3)

Total Marks: 40

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SECTION A: Grammar and Vocabulary (20 marks)

Questions 1–10: Multiple Choice (1 mark each)

1. (1) is

• Reasoning: "The group" is a collective noun treated as a singular unit in this context. Therefore, it takes the singular verb "is".
• Common Mistake: Choosing "are" because "tourists" is plural. The subject is "group", not "tourists".

2. (2) has

• Reasoning: "Neither" is an indefinite pronoun that is singular. It requires the singular verb "has".
• Common Mistake: Choosing "have" because "boys" is plural.

3. (3) is sleeping

• Reasoning: The word "Look!" indicates an action happening right now (present continuous tense). The structure is am/is/are + verb-ing.
• Common Mistake: Choosing "sleeps" (simple present) which is for habits, not current actions.

4. (3) went

• Reasoning: The time phrase "last Sunday" indicates the past. The past tense of "go" is "went".
• Common Mistake: Choosing "go" or "goes".

5. (2) of

• Reasoning: The adjective "afraid" is always followed by the preposition "of".
• Common Mistake: Using "with" or "at".

6. (2) on

• Reasoning: We place items "on" a surface like a shelf.
• Common Mistake: Using "in" (which implies inside a container).

7. (2) taller

• Reasoning: The word "than" indicates a comparison between two people. We use the comparative form "taller".
• Common Mistake: Using "tallest" (superlative) which is for three or more people.

8. (3) some

• Reasoning: "Apples" is a plural countable noun. In positive sentences, we use "some". "Any" is used in negative sentences or questions.
• Common Mistake: Using "a" or "an" which are for singular nouns.

9. (1) Do

• Reasoning: The subject is "you". For questions in the simple present tense with "you", we use the auxiliary verb "Do".
• Common Mistake: Using "Does" (for he/she/it) or "Are" (which would require "liking").

10. (1) keep

• Reasoning: After "to" (infinitive marker), we use the base form of the verb. "To keep".
• Common Mistake: Using "kept" or "keeping".

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Questions 11–15: Word Forms (1 mark each)

11. happily

• Reasoning: The word modifies the verb "were" (or describes the state). However, usually, we say "were happy". Wait, looking at the sentence: "The children were _______________ (happy) when they received their gifts."
  • Correction: If the blank follows "were", it is an adjective complement. "The children were happy."
  • Alternative Interpretation: If the sentence was "The children smiled _______________ (happy)", it would be "happily".
  • Re-evaluating based on standard P3 patterns: Often, these questions test adverbs. Let's look at the structure. "Were" is a linking verb. Linking verbs take adjectives. So "happy" is correct. But usually, these questions ask for a change. Let's assume the question implies an adverbial modification of an action, or perhaps the prompt meant "played happily".
  • Strict Grammar Check: "The children were happy" is grammatically correct. "The children were happily" is incorrect. However, in many P3 exams, if the word in brackets is an adjective and the slot is after a linking verb, the answer is often just the adjective itself if no change is needed, OR the question is flawed.
  • Let's adjust the question logic for the key: Actually, a common P3 pattern is: "They sang _______________ (happy)." -> happily.
  • Given the specific sentence: "The children were happy." (No change needed? Unlikely for a transformation question).
  • Let's assume the intended answer is happy. But to make it a "form" question, let's look at Q12. "Driver". Q13 "Dangerous". Q14 "Musician". Q15 "Studied".
  • Re-reading Q11: If the sentence is "The children were _______________ (happy)...", the answer is happy. If the student must change the form, perhaps the sentence was intended to be "The children played _______________ (happy)."
  • Decision: I will provide happy as the answer because "were" is a linking verb. Note to teacher: If the question intended an adverb, the verb should be an action verb like "played". Given "were", the adjective is correct.
  • Self-Correction for Exam Quality: To ensure a "change" is required, let's assume the question meant: "The children smiled _______________ (happy)." -> happily.
  • Sticking to the generated text: The text says "were". The answer is happy. (1 mark).

12. driver

• Reasoning: A person who drives is a "driver". We add the suffix "-er" to the verb "drive".

13. dangerous

• Reasoning: We need an adjective to describe the situation "It is...". The adjective form of "danger" is "dangerous".

14. musician

• Reasoning: A person who plays music is a "musician".

15. studied

• Reasoning: The time word "yesterday" indicates past tense. The past tense of "study" is "studied" (change 'y' to 'i' and add 'ed').

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Questions 16–20: Prepositions/Conjunctions (1 mark each)

16. since

• Reasoning: "Since" is used with a specific point in time (2015).

17. among

• Reasoning: "Among" is used when referring to a group of three or more people (three friends). "Between" is for two.

18. during

• Reasoning: "During" is used before a noun (the lesson) to indicate when something happens.

19. for

• Reasoning: "For" is used with a period of time (five years).

20. between

• Reasoning: "Between" is used for two distinct objects (the two trees).

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SECTION B: Synthesis and Transformation (10 marks)

21. Tom said that he would help me with my project. (2 marks)

• Step 1: Change pronoun "I" to "he" (referring to Tom).
• Step 2: Change pronoun "you" to "me" (referring to the listener).
• Step 3: Change tense "will" to "would" (backshift for reported speech).
• Marking: 1 mark for correct pronouns, 1 mark for correct tense change.

22. Although the rain was heavy, we went out to play. (2 marks)

• Step 1: Use "Although" to show contrast.
• Step 2: Ensure the two clauses are connected logically.
• Alternative: We went out to play although the rain was heavy.
• Marking: 1 mark for correct conjunction usage, 1 mark for maintaining meaning.

23. She is not old enough to drive a car. (2 marks)

• Step 1: "Too young" means "not old enough".
• Step 2: Structure: not + adjective + enough + to-infinitive.
• Marking: 1 mark for "old enough", 1 mark for correct structure.

24. The stranger asked where the library was. (2 marks)

• Step 1: Change question format to statement format.
• Step 2: Move the verb "is" to the end: "was".
• Step 3: Remove question mark.
• Marking: 1 mark for word order (subject before verb), 1 mark for tense/pronoun accuracy.

25. Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus. (2 marks)

• Step 1: "If... not" is equivalent to "Unless".
• Step 2: Remove "do not" and replace "If" with "Unless".
• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "Unless", 1 mark for correct remaining sentence structure.

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SECTION C: Comprehension Cloze (10 marks)

(Note: Acceptable synonyms are listed where appropriate. The primary answer is the most likely fit based on context.)

26. warm / pleasant / nice (1 mark)

• Context: "Sunny and..." usually pairs with positive weather adjectives.

27. on (1 mark)

• Context: A mat is placed on the grass.

28. appeared / gathered / came (1 mark)

• Context: Dark clouds coming into the sky. "Appeared" is a strong fit.

29. rain (1 mark)

• Context: "Started to..." followed by heavy precipitation. "Rain" is the verb here.

30. happy / glad / relieved (1 mark)

• Context: Feeling positive about being safe. "Relieved" is precise, "happy" is acceptable for P3.

31. good / nice / wonderful (1 mark)

• Context: Despite the rain, the time was positive.

32. instead (1 mark)

• Context: Doing one thing (movie) in place of another (picnic).

33. delicious / good / nice (1 mark)

• Context: Describing the taste of hot chocolate.

34. memorable / special / good (1 mark)

• Context: Summarizing the day positively despite the rain.

35. next (1 mark)

• Context: Referring to the upcoming weekend. "Next weekend".