Primary 6 PSLE English Semestral Assessment 1 (Mid-Year) Paper 1

Answer Key - TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - English Primary 6 PSLE (Grammar, SA1, Version 1)

Total Marks: 40

Section A: Grammar Multiple-Choice Questions (10 × 1 mark = 10 marks)

1. Answer: (2) were

• Explanation: The subject "committee" is a collective noun. When the members of the committee are acting individually (having different opinions), the verb should be plural. "Were" is the correct plural past tense form. This is a case of notional agreement where the verb agrees with the idea of multiple members rather than the single group.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer. Accept "2" or "were".

2. Answer: (1) was

• Explanation: When using "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, "the principal" is singular, so the verb must be singular: "was". This is the subject-verb proximity rule.
• Common Mistake: Students often choose "were" because "teachers" is plural, but the rule is to look at the noun after "nor".
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

3. Answer: (2) had burned down

• Explanation: The sentence describes an action (burning down) that was completed before another past action (fire engines arriving). This requires the past perfect tense ("had" + past participle) to show the earlier of two past events.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

4. Answer: (2) had

• Explanation: This is a second conditional sentence (unlikely or hypothetical situation in the present/future). The structure is: "If + subject + past simple, subject + would + base verb." Therefore, "had" is the correct past simple form.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

5. Answer: (2) were

• Explanation: The verb "insisted" is followed by a subjunctive clause. In formal English, the subjunctive uses the base form of the verb, but for the verb "to be," the past subjunctive form "were" is used for all persons. The sentence expresses a demand or insistence, which triggers the subjunctive mood.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

6. Answer: (2) did she buy

• Explanation: When a sentence begins with a negative adverbial expression like "Not only," it requires subject-auxiliary inversion. The auxiliary verb "did" comes before the subject "she," and the main verb "buy" remains in its base form.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

7. Answer: (2) goes

• Explanation: The phrase "along with" does not make the subject plural. The main subject is "The old man" (singular), so the verb must be singular: "goes". The phrase "along with his two grandsons" is an interrupting phrase and does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

8. Answer: (3) will have finished

• Explanation: The sentence refers to an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future (before dinner). This requires the future perfect tense: "will have" + past participle.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

9. Answer: (1) spend

• Explanation: The verb "suggested" is followed by a subjunctive clause. The structure is: "suggest + that + subject + base form of verb." Therefore, "spend" is the correct base form. This is a formal structure used to express recommendations or demands.
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

10. Answer: (2) Despite

• Explanation: "Despite" is a preposition that means "without being affected by" and is followed by a noun phrase ("the heavy rain"). "Although" is a conjunction and would need a full clause ("Although it rained heavily"). "In spite" requires "of" to form the correct phrase "in spite of."
• Marking Note: 1 mark for the correct answer.

Section B: Grammar Cloze Passage (5 × 2 marks = 10 marks)

11. Answer: through

• Explanation: The preposition "through" is used to show movement from one side of something to the other, often with a sense of passing within or among. The wind howling "through" the trees is a common and natural collocation.
• Marking Note: 2 marks for the correct answer. Accept "among" or "in" as contextually acceptable alternatives.

12. Answer: which

• Explanation: This is a non-defining relative clause that adds extra information about the puppy. "Which" is the correct relative pronoun for animals and things. The clause is set off by commas.
• Marking Note: 2 marks for the correct answer.

13. Answer: must / had to

• Explanation: The sentence expresses a strong obligation or necessity. "Must" is used for present/future obligation, while "had to" is the past tense form. Since the story is in the past tense, "had to" is the most appropriate choice, though "must" can be used in reported thought.
• Marking Note: 2 marks for the correct answer. Accept either "must" or "had to".

14. Answer: who

• Explanation: This is a non-defining relative clause that provides extra information about "a young girl." "Who" is the correct relative pronoun for people and is the subject of the clause.
• Marking Note: 2 marks for the correct answer.

15. Answer: had done

• Explanation: The sentence uses the past perfect tense ("had" + past participle) to show that the action of doing the right thing was completed before the feeling of satisfaction in the past. It indicates the earlier of two past actions.
• Marking Note: 2 marks for the correct answer.

Section C: Grammar Synthesis and Transformation (5 × 4 marks = 20 marks)

16. Answer: Despite being exhausted, the children continued playing in the park until sunset. / Despite their exhaustion, the children continued playing in the park until sunset.

• Explanation: "Despite" is a preposition and must be followed by a noun phrase or a gerund (-ing form). The original sentence has two clauses. To combine them using "Despite," we need to convert the first clause into a noun phrase or gerund phrase.
• Marking Scheme:
  • 1 mark for correct use of "Despite" (not "Although").
  • 1 mark for correct structure (noun/gerund after "Despite").
  • 1 mark for maintaining the original meaning.
  • 1 mark for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Common Mistake: Using "Despite of" or "Despite they were exhausted."

17. Answer: Tom told his friend that he would help him with his project the next day / the following day.

• Explanation: When converting direct speech to reported speech:
  • "said to" changes to "told."
  • The pronoun "I" changes to "he" (referring to Tom).
  • "you" changes to "him" (referring to the friend).
  • "will" changes to "would."
  • "tomorrow" changes to "the next day" or "the following day."
• Marking Scheme:
  • 1 mark for correct reporting verb ("told").
  • 1 mark for correct pronoun changes.
  • 1 mark for correct tense change ("will" → "would").
  • 1 mark for correct time expression change ("tomorrow" → "the next day").
• Common Mistake: Forgetting to change the time expression or using "said" instead of "told."

18. Answer: The manager was so impressed by the young employee's creativity that he promoted her to a senior position.

• Explanation: The structure "so + adjective + that" is used to show cause and effect. The adjective "impressed" is placed between "so" and "that." The second clause explains the result of the manager's impression.
• Marking Scheme:
  • 1 mark for correct use of "so...that" structure.
  • 1 mark for placing "so" before the adjective.
  • 1 mark for maintaining the original meaning.
  • 1 mark for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Common Mistake: Using "such...that" incorrectly or placing "so" in the wrong position.

19. Answer: Since the students did not understand the complex mathematical problem, the teacher explained it again with more examples.

• Explanation: "Since" is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a reason or cause. The clause with "Since" explains why the teacher explained again. The sentence order can be reversed, but the meaning must remain clear.
• Marking Scheme:
  • 1 mark for correct use of "Since" to show cause.
  • 1 mark for correct clause structure.
  • 1 mark for maintaining the original meaning.
  • 1 mark for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Common Mistake: Using "Since" to show time instead of reason, or creating a sentence fragment.

20. Answer: It is believed by the villagers that the old castle is haunted. / It is believed that the old castle is haunted by the villagers.

• Explanation: The original sentence is in the active voice. To transform it to passive voice using "It," we use the structure: "It + passive verb (is believed) + that + clause." The agent ("by the villagers") can be placed at the end of the clause or after the passive verb.
• Marking Scheme:
  • 1 mark for correct use of "It is believed."
  • 1 mark for correct passive voice structure.
  • 1 mark for maintaining the original meaning.
  • 1 mark for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Common Mistake: Using "It is believed to be" with the wrong tense or forgetting the "that" clause.

End of Answer Key