Primary 5 English Weighted Assessment 3 (Term 3) Paper 2

Answer Key and Marking Scheme - Primary 5 English (WA3)

Topic: Grammar
Version: 2 of 5
Total Marks: 20

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Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (10 marks)

1. B
Reasoning: This tests Subject-Verb Agreement with "Neither... nor". When subjects are joined by "neither... nor", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, "students" is plural and closest to the verb, so we use the plural verb "were".
Common Mistake: Choosing "was" because "teacher" is singular or assuming the first subject always dictates the verb.

2. B
Reasoning: This tests Past Perfect Tense. The action of the movie starting happened before another past action (arriving at the cinema). Therefore, the past perfect "had started" is required.
Common Mistake: Choosing "has" (Present Perfect) which connects to the present, not a past timeline.

3. B
Reasoning: This tests Collective Nouns. While "committee" is singular, the phrase "divided in their opinions" indicates the members are acting individually/disagreeing. In such contexts, British/Singapore English often accepts the plural verb "are" to emphasize the individuals. However, strictly speaking, if viewed as a single unit, "is" is also common. In P5 exams, if the context highlights individual disagreement ("their opinions"), plural "are" is often the intended answer to distinguish from unitary action. Note: If "was" were an option and "is" was not, "was" would be past tense. Here, present tense "are" fits the general statement.
Refinement for P5: Actually, standard P5 grammar often treats collective nouns as singular unless explicitly pluralized. However, "divided in their opinions" strongly suggests plurality. Let's look at the options. A (is) vs B (are). In Singapore P5, "The team is playing" (unit) vs "The team are arguing" (individuals). So B is correct.

4. C
Reasoning: This tests the Subjunctive Mood in conditional sentences (Second Conditional). When expressing a hypothetical situation contrary to fact ("If I... you"), we use "were" for all subjects, including "I".
Common Mistake: Choosing "was" which is colloquial but grammatically incorrect in formal exams.

5. C
Reasoning: This tests Participles as Adjectives. The main verb of the sentence is "belongs". The phrase describing the box is a reduced relative clause: "The box... [which is] sitting on the table". We need the present participle "sitting" to act as an adjective. "Sits" would create a run-on sentence or require a conjunction.
Common Mistake: Choosing "sits" (verb) instead of the participle.

6. B
Reasoning: This tests Prepositions. The correct collocation is "interested in" something. The second part uses the infinitive "to find" after the adjective "difficult" (It is difficult to find...).
Common Mistake: Confusing "interested on" or "interested at".

7. B
Reasoning: This tests Inversion with negative adverbials. When a sentence begins with "Hardly", "Scarcely", or "No sooner", the subject and auxiliary verb are inverted. "Hardly had he entered..."
Common Mistake: Keeping standard order "he had".

8. B
Reasoning: This tests Collective Nouns (Police). The word "police" is always treated as a plural noun in English grammar. Therefore, it takes the plural verb "are".
Common Mistake: Treating "police" as singular because it looks like a single group.

9. C
Reasoning: This tests Wish Clauses referring to the past. When we regret something that happened (or didn't happen) in the past, we use the Past Perfect tense ("had studied") after "wish".
Common Mistake: Using "studied" (Past Simple) which is used for present wishes (e.g., "I wish I knew").

10. B
Reasoning: This tests Inversion with "Not only". When "Not only" begins a sentence, the subject and verb in the first clause are inverted. "Not only was he late..."
Common Mistake: Keeping standard order "he was".

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Section B: Error Correction (5 marks)

11. A
Correction: Change "were" to "was".
Reasoning: The subject is "The group" (singular collective noun acting as a unit). Therefore, the verb should be singular "was".
Note: While "tourists" is plural, it is part of the prepositional phrase "of tourists". The head noun is "group".

12. A
Correction: Change "have" to "has".
Reasoning: The subject is "Each" (singular indefinite pronoun). "Each of the players" takes a singular verb. Therefore, "has" is correct.
Note: "Their" in part B is acceptable as a singular gender-neutral pronoun in modern usage, or referring to the players collectively, but the verb error in A is definitive.

13. A
Correction: Change "goes" to "go".
Reasoning: This tests the Subjunctive Mood after verbs of suggestion/recommendation (suggest, recommend, insist). The structure is "suggest that + subject + base form of verb". So, "that he go".
Common Mistake: Using "goes" (indicative) instead of the base form.

14. A
Correction: Change "are" to "is".
Reasoning: The subject is "The information". "Information" is an uncountable noun and always takes a singular verb. Therefore, "is" is correct.
Common Mistake: Treating "information" as plural because it ends in 'n' or sounds like many facts.

15. A
Correction: Remove "of" or change "Despite of" to "In spite of".
Reasoning: "Despite" is a preposition that does not take "of". The correct phrases are "Despite the heavy rain" OR "In spite of the heavy rain".
Common Mistake: Mixing "Despite" and "In spite of".

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Section C: Grammar Transformation and Completion (5 marks)

16. which I borrowed from the library
Answer: The book which I borrowed from the library is on the shelf.
Reasoning: We use the relative pronoun "which" (for things) to combine the sentences. The clause "I borrowed from the library" describes the book.
Alternative: "that I borrowed from the library" is also acceptable.

17. was prepared
Answer: A delicious meal was prepared by the chef for the guests.
Reasoning: Passive voice transformation.

1. Object becomes subject: "A delicious meal".
2. Verb changes to be + past participle: "prepared" (past tense) becomes "was prepared".
3. Subject becomes agent: "by the chef".

18. argument
Answer: The argument between the two neighbours lasted for hours.
Reasoning: We need a noun to follow "The". The noun form of "argue" is "argument".
Common Mistake: Spelling "arguement" (incorrect) or using "arguing" (gerund, less suitable as a countable event here).

19. you hurry
Answer: Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus.
Reasoning: "Unless" means "if... not". So, "If you do not hurry" becomes "Unless you hurry". We remove the negative "do not" because "unless" already contains the negative condition.

20. to
Answer: She is accustomed to waking up early in the morning.
Reasoning: The phrase is "accustomed to". Note that "to" here is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund ("waking"), not an infinitive.
Common Mistake: Using "with" or forgetting the "to".