Primary 3 English Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 5

Answer Key and Marking Scheme

Subject: English Language
Level: Primary 3
Paper: SA2 Practice Paper (Version 5)
Total Marks: 40

Section A: Grammar and Vocabulary (20 marks)

1. (2) arranges
Reasoning: The subject "The librarian" is singular. The phrase "every morning" indicates a habitual action (Simple Present Tense). Therefore, we add 's' to the verb.
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) because students forget subject-verb agreement for singular third-person subjects.

2. (3) are playing
Reasoning: The word "Look!" indicates an action happening right now (Present Continuous Tense). The subject "The children" is plural, so we use "are" + verb-ing.
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) which is Simple Present, used for habits, not actions happening at the moment of speaking.

3. (4) had finished
Reasoning: The sentence describes two past actions. Finishing homework happened before going out to play. The earlier past action uses Past Perfect Tense (had + past participle).
Common Mistake: Choosing (2) finished, which is Simple Past. While sometimes acceptable in casual speech, Past Perfect is required to show the sequence clearly in exams.

4. (2) are
Reasoning: The subject "many delicious cakes" is plural. The time reference "today" suggests present tense. Therefore, we use "are".
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) is, confusing the singular "bakery" (location) with the plural subject "cakes".

5. (2) are
Reasoning: With "Neither... nor...", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. "Friends" is plural, so the verb must be plural ("are").
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) is, assuming "Neither" always takes a singular verb.

6. (2) onto
Reasoning: "Onto" indicates movement from one surface to another. The cat moved from the floor to the table.
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) on, which indicates position, not movement.

7. (3) of
Reasoning: The adjective "afraid" is always followed by the preposition "of".
Common Mistake: Choosing (2) for, which is incorrect collocation.

8. (1) keep
Reasoning: After the modal verb "must", we use the base form of the verb.
Common Mistake: Choosing (2) kept or (3) keeping, incorrectly conjugating the verb after a modal.

9. (3) Would
Reasoning: "Would you like..." is the standard polite form for offering something.
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) Do, which is grammatically possible ("Do you like tea?") but asks about general preference, not an immediate offer. In the context of "some tea or coffee" being offered now, "Would" is the expected exam answer.

10. (4) to open
Reasoning: The verb "ask" follows the pattern: ask + object + to-infinitive.
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) open, omitting the "to".

11. (3) most exciting
Reasoning: The phrase "I have ever watched" implies a superlative comparison among all movies. "Exciting" is a long adjective, so we use "most".
Common Mistake: Choosing (2) more exciting, which is comparative (used for two items).

12. (2) faster
Reasoning: The word "than" indicates a comparative degree. "Fast" is a short adjective/adverb, so we add "-er".
Common Mistake: Choosing (4) more fast, which is incorrect grammar for short adjectives.

13. (1) so
Reasoning: The structure is "so + adjective/adverb + that". "Such" is used with nouns (e.g., "such bad weather").
Common Mistake: Choosing (2) such, confusing the "so...that" and "such...that" structures.

14. (2) for
Reasoning: "For" is used with a period of time (ten years). "Since" is used with a specific point in time (e.g., since 2014).
Common Mistake: Choosing (1) since, which is a very common error for duration.

15. (2) rains
Reasoning: This is a First Conditional sentence (If + Present Simple, will + base verb). The condition clause uses Present Simple. Subject "it" is singular, so "rains".
Common Mistake: Choosing (4) will rain, incorrectly putting future tense in the "if" clause.

16. children
Reasoning: The verb "were" is plural, so the subject must be plural. The plural of "child" is "children" (irregular plural).
Common Mistake: Writing "childs".

17. wrote
Reasoning: The time reference "last week" indicates Simple Past Tense. The past tense of "write" is "wrote".
Common Mistake: Writing "written" (past participle without helper verb) or "writed".

18. quietly
Reasoning: We need an adverb to modify the verb "speak". The adverb form of "quiet" is "quietly".
Common Mistake: Writing "quiet", which is an adjective.

19. driver
Reasoning: We need a noun to describe a person's job. The suffix "-er" is added to "drive" to make "driver".
Common Mistake: Writing "driving" or "drove".

20. dangerous
Reasoning: We need an adjective to describe the situation "to swim...". The adjective form of "danger" is "dangerous".
Common Mistake: Writing "dangerously" (adverb) or "danger".

Section B: Synthesis and Transformation (10 marks)

21. John said that he would help me with my project.
Marking:

• 1 mark for changing "I" to "he" and "you" to "me" (pronoun shift).
• 1 mark for changing "will" to "would" (tense backshift in reported speech).
  Note: "John said that he will help..." is often accepted in lower primary, but "would" is the strictly correct grammatical transformation for past reporting verbs.

22. The box was so heavy that Mary could not lift it.
Marking:

• 1 mark for using "so heavy that".
• 1 mark for completing the clause with negative meaning "could not lift it" (or "was unable to lift it").
  Note: The structure "so... that" requires a result clause.

23. Despite the rain, they continued the match.
OR
Despite raining, they continued the match.
Marking:

• 1 mark for using "Despite".
• 1 mark for correct grammatical structure following "Despite" (noun phrase or gerund).
  Note: "Despite it was raining" is incorrect.

24. You are forbidden to pick the flowers in the park.
OR
You are not allowed to pick the flowers in the park.
Marking:

• 1 mark for passive structure "are forbidden/not allowed".
• 1 mark for correct infinitive "to pick".
  Note: "Must not" transforms to passive prohibition.

25. Mother asked Tim if he had finished his homework.
OR
Mother asked Tim whether he had finished his homework.
Marking:

• 1 mark for using "if" or "whether".
• 1 mark for changing tense to Past Perfect ("had finished") and pronoun "his".
  Note: Yes/No questions in reported speech use "if/whether".

Section C: Error Correction (10 marks)

26. Error: have | Correction: has
Reasoning: "Each" is a singular subject. Therefore, the verb must be singular ("has").
Marking: 1 mark for underlining "have", 1 mark for "has".

27. Error: in | Correction: at
Reasoning: The correct preposition for being skilled in an activity is "good at".
Marking: 1 mark for underlining "in", 1 mark for "at".

28. Error: are | Correction: is
Reasoning: "News" is an uncountable noun and is treated as singular.
Marking: 1 mark for underlining "are", 1 mark for "is".

29. Error: since | Correction: for
Reasoning: "Five years" is a duration of time, so we use "for". "Since" is used for a starting point (e.g., since 2019).
Marking: 1 mark for underlining "since", 1 mark for "for".

30. Error: meet | Correction: meeting
Reasoning: The phrase "look forward to" is followed by a gerund (verb-ing), not the base infinitive. "To" here is a preposition, not part of the infinitive.
Marking: 1 mark for underlining "meet", 1 mark for "meeting".