Primary 6 PSLE English Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 2

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - English Primary 6 PSLE

SA2 — Version 2 of 5: Answer Key

Section A: Grammar MCQ (10 marks)

1. (B) had had

• Explanation: This is a third conditional sentence (unreal past condition). The structure requires the past perfect tense ("had had") in the if-clause. "Have had" is present perfect; "would have had" is incorrect in the if-clause; "had" alone is simple past, which is used in second conditionals (unreal present). [1]

2. (B) had submitted

• Explanation: The past perfect tense is needed because the students' submission occurred before the teacher collected the essays (a past-before-past sequence). "Have submitted" is present perfect; "were submitting" suggests an ongoing action; "are submitting" is present continuous. [1]

3. (A) look after

• Explanation: "Look after" means to take care of or attend to someone, which fits the context of welcoming clients. "Look into" means to investigate; "look down on" means to regard with contempt; "look back on" means to reminisce. [1]

4. (B) had exhausted

• Explanation: The past perfect is required because the hikers exhausted their supplies before the rescue team arrived. "Have exhausted" is present perfect; "were exhausting" is past continuous; "would exhaust" is conditional. [1]

5. (B) nor

• Explanation: "Neither…nor" is a fixed correlative conjunction pair. "Neither…or" is grammatically incorrect. [1]

6. (A) put off

• Explanation: "Put off" means to postpone, which fits the context of delaying the meeting. "Put across" means to communicate; "put up with" means to tolerate; "put over" is not a standard phrasal verb with this meaning. [1]

7. (B) would finish

• Explanation: In reported speech, "will" shifts back to "would" when the reporting verb ("said") is in the past tense. "Will finish" would only be correct if the reporting verb were in the present tense. [1]

8. (A) took over

• Explanation: "Take over" means to gain control of or transform completely, which fits the context of revolutionising a field. "Take up" means to begin a hobby; "take in" means to understand or deceive; "take off" means to become successful quickly or to depart (as in a plane). [1]

9. (A) did

• Explanation: After "Not only" at the beginning of a sentence, subject-auxiliary inversion is required. Since "win" is in the base form and the context is past tense, "did" is the correct auxiliary. [1]

10. (C) revising

• Explanation: After the preposition "on" (in "insisted on"), a gerund (verb + -ing) is required. "Revise" is the base form; "revises" is third-person singular; "revised" is past tense. [1]

Section B: Grammar Cloze (10 marks)

11. were

• Explanation: Passive voice is needed here ("writing systems were developed"). The past tense is appropriate as the passage refers to a time before writing existed. [1]

12. which

• Explanation: A non-restrictive relative clause modifying "stories." "Which" is the correct relative pronoun for things in a non-restrictive clause (set off by commas). [1]

13. were

• Explanation: Passive voice is required ("They were expected to memorise…"). The past tense matches the historical context of the passage. [1]

14. yet / but

• Explanation: A contrast connector is needed. The sentence contrasts the length of the performance with the audience's sustained attention. "Yet" or "but" both work; "yet" is slightly more formal and fits the register. [1]

15. to

• Explanation: An infinitive of purpose ("to reach global audiences") explains why modern storytellers use digital platforms. [1]

16. how

• Explanation: "How" introduces a clause describing the manner in which stories are created and consumed. The sentence discusses the transformation of the process. [1]

17. do

• Explanation: Emphatic "do" is used to emphasise the verb "process" in the structure "do not just process." It reinforces that the brain does more than merely process words. [1]

18. why

• Explanation: "This is why" introduces a reason or explanation. The sentence explains the reason stories are powerful tools. [1]

19. who

• Explanation: A restrictive relative clause modifying "Students." "Who" is the correct relative pronoun for people. [1]

20. how

• Explanation: "How" introduces a clause describing the manner in which we understand the world. The sentence discusses the way stories shape our understanding. [1]

Section C: Grammar Editing (10 marks)

21.

• Error: have been worked
• Correction: have been working
• Explanation: The present perfect continuous tense requires "been + present participle (-ing form)." "Worked" is the past participle, which would make this present perfect simple passive — but the context requires active voice (the volunteers are doing the working). [2]

22.

• Error: would have known
• Correction: had known
• Explanation: In third conditional sentences, the if-clause uses the past perfect ("had known"), NOT "would have known." "Would have" only appears in the main clause. A common student mistake is using "would have" in both clauses. [2]

23.

• Error: I
• Correction: me
• Explanation: After the preposition "to," the objective pronoun "me" is required, not the subjective pronoun "I." The phrase "the parents and me" is the object of the preposition. [2]

24.

• Error: were
• Correction: was
• Explanation: "Each" is a singular subject and takes a singular verb. "Each of the participants was given…" is correct. Students often mistakenly use "were" because "participants" is plural, but the subject is "each." [2]

25.

• Error: photograph
• Correction: photographs
• Explanation: "Many" requires a plural countable noun. "Photograph" should be "photographs." This is a common error where students forget to pluralise the noun after "many." [2]

Section D: Sentence Transformation (10 marks)

26. Amir said that he had never seen such a beautiful sunset before.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct tense shift (have → had), 1 mark for correct pronoun (I → he) and overall accuracy.
• Note: In reported speech, present perfect ("have seen") shifts to past perfect ("had seen"). "I" changes to "he" to reflect the speaker. [2]

27. The storm was such a severe one that all flights were cancelled.

• Alternative acceptable: It was such a severe storm that all flights were cancelled.
• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "such a [adjective] [noun] that" structure, 1 mark for retaining the original meaning.
• Note: The transformation changes "so + adjective + that" to "such + a/an + adjective + noun + that." [2]

28. The ancient temple is believed to have been built over 500 years ago.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct passive construction ("is believed to have been built"), 1 mark for correct use of perfect infinitive ("to have been built") to indicate a past action.
• Note: "People believe that X was built" → "X is believed to have been built." The perfect infinitive is necessary because the building occurred in the past. [2]

29. The chef prepared the meal, which the guests enjoyed thoroughly.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "which" to join the sentences, 1 mark for correct punctuation (comma before "which") and meaning.
• Note: "Which" refers to "the meal" and introduces a non-restrictive relative clause. [2]

30. The worker told the children not to touch the wet paint.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct imperative transformation ("Don't touch" → "not to touch"), 1 mark for correct pronoun and overall accuracy.
• Note: In reported speech, negative imperatives use "not to + verb." "Don't touch" becomes "not to touch." [2]

Section E: Synthesis & Transformation (10 marks)

31. The novel, which was written by a first-time author, won several awards.

• Alternative acceptable: The novel, which won several awards, was written by a first-time author.
• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "which" in a non-restrictive clause, 1 mark for correct punctuation and meaning.
• Note: The relative clause should be set off by commas as it is non-restrictive (additional information). [2]

32. The athlete trained hard every day in order to qualify for the Olympics.

• Alternative acceptable: In order to qualify for the Olympics, the athlete trained hard every day.
• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "in order to" to express purpose, 1 mark for retaining the original meaning.
• Note: "In order to" replaces "He wanted to" and connects the purpose directly to the action. [2]

33. The concert was cancelled because the lead singer was ill.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "because" to show cause, 1 mark for correct sentence structure and meaning.
• Note: "Because" introduces the reason (cause) for the cancellation. [2]

34. Raj asked his neighbour if he could help him carry those boxes.

• Alternative acceptable: Raj asked his neighbour whether he could help him carry those boxes.
• Marking: 1 mark for correct transformation of yes/no question to reported speech ("if/whether" + subject + verb), 1 mark for correct pronoun and demonstrative shifts ("these" → "those," "you" → "he," "me" → "him").
• Note: Yes/no questions in reported speech use "if" or "whether." "Can" shifts to "could." "These" becomes "those" (proximity shift). [2]

35. The museum is so popular that thousands of visitors come every month.

• Marking: 1 mark for correct use of "so + adjective + that" structure, 1 mark for retaining the original meaning.
• Note: The two independent clauses are joined using "so…that" to show result. "So" modifies the adjective "popular." [2]

Marking Summary

Common Mistakes to Watch For

1. Third conditional errors: Students often write "If I would have…" instead of "If I had…"
2. Subject-verb agreement with "each/every": These are singular and take singular verbs.
3. Pronoun case after prepositions: Use objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) after prepositions like "to," "for," "with."
4. Reported speech tense shifts: "Will" → "would"; "have/has" → "had"; "can" → "could."
5. Countable noun pluralisation after "many/few/several": Always use plural forms.
6. Gerund after prepositions: After "insisted on," "interested in," "looking forward to," etc., use the -ing form.