Primary 6 PSLE English Weighted Assessment 3 (Term 3) Paper 1

TuitionGoWhere Exam Practice (AI) - Answer Key

English Primary 6 PSLE

WA3 Grammar Practice Paper (Version 1 of 5)

Total Marks: 20

Section A: Grammar MCQ (Questions 1-5)

Each question carries 1 mark. Total marks for section: 5

1. (C) were

   • Explanation: This sentence uses a second conditional. The structure is "If + subject + past tense (were for all subjects), subject + would + base verb." The rule is to use "were" (the subjunctive mood) for all subjects with "if" to express an unreal or imaginary situation. "If I were you" is a common fixed expression.
   • Common Mistake: Students often choose "if I was" in informal speech. However, in formal writing and PSLE, "if I were" is the correct subjunctive form for unreal conditions.

2. (C) whose

   • Explanation: We need a possessive relative pronoun to show that the habitat belongs to the species. "Whose" is the possessive form of "who" and "which". It means "of which," linking the species to its habitat.

3. (C) had read

   • Explanation: The sentence describes two past actions. "Understood" (past simple) happened after the other action (reading). The earlier action ("reading") needs to be in the past perfect tense ("had + past participle"). Past perfect shows an action completed before another past action. This sequence is a key PSLE grammar pattern.

4. (B) had to

   • Explanation: When we change direct speech to reported speech, the modal verb "must" (expressing obligation) usually changes to "had to" in the past. The reporting verb "said" puts everything in the past, so the modal must shift to its past form. "Must" itself has no past tense form.

5. (A) due to

   • Explanation: The sentence needs a phrase that explains the reason for the policy. "Due to" is a preposition that means "because of". It is followed by a noun phrase ("the rising number..."). Option (B) "because" is a conjunction and needs a full clause (subject + verb). Options (C) and (D) express contrast, not cause.

Section B: Grammar Cloze (Questions 6-10)

Each blank carries 1 mark. Total marks for section: 5

6. which

   • Explanation: This relative pronoun introduces a non-defining relative clause, giving extra information about "the documentary". "Which" is used for things.

7. whose

   • Explanation: This is a possessive relative pronoun linking "the director" to his "dedication". It means the dedication of the director.

8. had been waiting

   • Explanation: This action ("waiting") happened before another event in the past ("they managed to finish..."). The past perfect continuous tense ("had been + verb-ing") is used for an action that continued for some time before another past action. "For months" shows the duration.

9. Nevertheless

   • Explanation: This is a connector showing contrast. The first part of the sentence says they had many problems (bad weather), but "nevertheless" introduces the positive result: they still finished on time. It is a synonym for "however" or "nonetheless".

10. are being considered

    • Explanation: This sentence describes an ongoing action happening now in the present. The team is currently the subject of discussion for an award. The present continuous passive voice ("is/are being + past participle") is the correct form. "Now" signals the present continuous aspect.

Section C: Synthesis & Transformation (Questions 11-15)

Each question carries 1 mark. Total marks for section: 5

11. Although the heavy rain came down, the match went on as planned.

    • Explanation: The original sentence starts with "Despite + noun phrase". The new sentence must start with "Although + a full clause (subject + verb)". The rewrite needs to change "Despite the heavy rain" into a clause like "Although it rained heavily" or "Although the heavy rain came down". The core meaning (the match continued) must stay the same.

12. Ben told his friends that he would not be attending the party.

    • Explanation: When converting direct speech to reported speech with a past reporting verb ("told"), the future tense "will" changes to "would" in the past. The pronoun "I" changes to "he" to match the speaker, Ben. The time reference ("the party") remains the same.

13. The team even though they worked hard, they missed the deadline. OR Even though the team worked hard, they missed the deadline.

    • Explanation: "Even though" is a conjunction that shows contrast. It connects the two ideas: the hard work and the missed deadline. The rule is to place "even though" before the clause it introduces. The new sentence needs a comma after the "even though" clause.

14. Instead of visiting the museum as originally planned, we chose the park.

    • Explanation: "Instead of" is a preposition. It must be followed by a noun or a gerund (verb-ing). The original sentence has two ideas. The rewrite shows that the museum visit was the "original plan" which was replaced. The correct gerund form is "visiting...".

15. The teacher asked Sam why he had not submitted his project on time.

    • Explanation: This is a "wh-" question ("Why..."). In reported speech, the question structure changes from question word order to statement word order (subject + verb). The past simple "did not submit" shifts back to past perfect "had not submitted" to show it happened before the teacher's question. The pronoun "your" changes to "his" to match Sam.

Section D: Error Identification & Correction (Questions 16-20)

Each question carries 1 mark (0.5 for identifying the error, 0.5 for the correct sentence). Total marks for section: 5

16. Error: are (subject-verb agreement error) Correction: The group of students is planning a trip to the science centre next week.

    • Explanation: The subject is "the group," which is singular. Phrases like "of students" that come between the subject and verb do not change the subject's number. The verb should be "is", not "are". This is a common PSLE trick.

17. Error: since Correction: She has been working on this project for three months.

    • Explanation: "For" is used with a period of time (e.g., three months, two years, a few minutes). "Since" is used with a specific point in time (e.g., Monday, 2021, last week). The sentence has "three months," which is a period.

18. Error: taller Correction: He is the tallest of all the boys in his class.

    • Explanation: "Taller" is a comparative adjective, used to compare two things. The sentence says "of all the boys in his class," which implies more than two. For comparisons involving three or more items, we must use the superlative adjective, "tallest".

19. Error: was Correction: The police were called to the scene of the accident.

    • Explanation: "Police" is a collective noun that is treated as a plural noun. It refers to a group of officers. Therefore, the verb must be plural: "were called", not "was called". Think of "the police" as meaning "many police officers."

20. Error: run Correction: After the rain had stopped, the children ran out to play.

    • Explanation: The sentence describes an action in the past. The tense in the first part "had stopped" (past perfect) sets the scene in the past. The main action "play" must also be in the past tense. The past simple tense of "run" is "ran". The sentence describes a sequence of past events, so the present tense "run" is incorrect.