SPM Mock exam

This mock exam paper has been designed based on the analysis of past years’ items. Though spotting items is not recommended, nevertheless there is a possibility the items designed may be tested in the SPM Exam.

PAPER 1 (1 hour 45 minutes)

Instructions

1. This question paper consists of two sections: Section A and Section B.

2. Answer both sections.

3. Your answer must be written on a separate sheet of paper.

4. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on Section A and one hour on Section B.

Section A: Directed Writing [35 marks]

Time suggested: 45 minutes

You are the Head of the Students’ Board in your school and have been asked to deliver a farewell speech during the school assembly. Use the notes below to write your speech.

• salutation • thank the school community for helping to develop each student • relate the knowledge and skills acquired during your 5 year experience in school • cite and thank great teachers and remarkable school administration • share good values and lessons learnt • present your pledge

When writing your speech, you must:

• address the audience

• use the appropriate format

• state the purpose of your speech

• use and elaborate on all the points given

Section B: Continuous Writing [50 marks]

Time suggested: One hour

Write a composition of about 350 words on one of the following topics.

1. Describe an important family gathering you experienced. 2. The importance of saving money.

3. Genetically engineered food brings more harm than good. What are your views on the issue?

4. Write about an incident in which you acted irresponsibly. 5. Prevention is better than cure.

PAPER 2 (2 hour 15 minutes)

Instructions 1. This question paper consists of four sections. Section A, Section B, Section C and

Section D.

2. Answer all sections.

3. Questions in Section A have four options. Answer all the questions by choosing one of the options.

4. You are advised to spend about 25 minutes on Section A, 25 minutes on Section B, 50 minutes on Section C, and 35 minutes on Section D.

Section A [15 marks]

Time suggested: 45 minutes

Questions 1-8 are based on the given stimuli. Study the information carefully and choose the best answer.

TIPS ABOUT HAIRCARE

• Trim your hair every few weeks to get rid of those brown and rough split ends. Cut about 1/4 of an inch of your hair every 6 to 8 weeks to avoid the split ends growing out again. • Don’t wash your hair every day and whenever you do, apply some conditioner on the ends. Try and use the same brand of shampoo and conditioner.

• Rinse the conditioner off with cold water as it is good for both strength and shine.

1 You should cut your hair regularly to A remove split ends B split the hair C grow the hair D look neat 2 Which statement is incorrect?

A Apply some conditioner after you shampoo.

B Wash off the conditioner with cold water.

C Trim your hair every day to get rid of split ends. D Use the same brand of shampoo and conditioner.

Waste management company Alam Flora Sdn Bhd said there was a need to raise awareness and educate residents about cleanliness and the correct practices of household waste disposal.

Alam Flora chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan said the problem of “flying rubbish”, where residents indiscriminately threw out rubbish from their balconies and windows, was apparent in neighbourhoods where the majority of residents were foreign workers or immigrants. 3 The residents need to be educated about the correct practices of household waste disposal to A keep their neighbourhood clean. B raise awareness about waste management. C prevent foreigners from throwing rubbish everywhere. D stop the residents from throwing rubbish from their residency.

4 The word ‘unsubscribe’ can be replaced with the word

A join.

B sign up.

C cancel.

D stay informed.

5 From the Facebook posts above, we can conclude that

A Chelsea Nicole is annoyed by the post .

B Manda Farmer loves the Italian wedding destination.

C The post is an advertisement that has been sent repeatedly.

D Breanne Wahl and CaSondra are not fans of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Beil.

6 The findings aim to make parents aware of

A the need to play outdoors.

B the screen time and playtime spent being similar.

C the increase in the number of ‘screen’ addicts.

D the fact that children spend too much time watching TV.

NEW DELHI: An Indian athlete with six toes on each foot who won gold at the Asian Games is to receive special custom-made shoes after a company boss was touched to hear of the pain she suffered while running in the heptathlon.

21-year-old Swapna Barman spoke after winning the regional Olympics title on Thursday of how her rare deformity caused agony with each step in her final event, the 800m.

7 What is unique about the athlete?

A She has twelve toes.

B She is a six footer athlete.

C She won gold at the Asian Games. D She won the regional Olympics title.

8 The advertisement above is

A only accessible via App Store.

B for free newspaper subscription.

C to promote three types of newspapers.

D for subscription of New Straits Times newspaper.

Questions 9-15 are on the following passage.

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabahan who started airbrushing ___9___ fun after watching television programmes on the art form is now getting many commissions from overseas.

Lawrence Ang, 44, also gets orders from owners of ___10___ high-performance motorcycles and cars to adorn their vehicles with his work.

The self-taught artist, who is fondly known as Boy, said he started developing a passion for airbrush art 14 years ago ___11___ working in Brunei.

He said he picked up airbrush techniques through online websites.

“I had to live on a tight budget for three months to save money to buy airbrush tools.

“They are sold for around RM3,000 and have to be ordered from overseas.

“After learning those spraying techniques in a month, I tried to get orders from friends,” he said at ___12___ garage cum home in Taman Kuala Menggatal, here.

At the time, he said, there was not much demand for his work and often he ___13___ commissions for months.

“I did my artwork on helmets and ___14___ mediums which I uploaded on Facebook for publicity,” he added.

“The turning point came when the host of the television programme Ride n’ Seek With Jaime Dempsey (History Channel) interviewed me.”

Thanks to the publicity, Ang was also offered a job by a renowned company based in Los Angeles, United States, and Osaka, Japan, but he turned it ___15___.

“I am more comfortable working here,” he said.

On average, Ang said he could complete portraiture and artwork for a helmet in two days, while a motorcycle would take two to four months.

9 A on B to C of D for

10 A luxury B luxuries C luxuring D luxurious

11 A after B while C during D before

12 A he B him C his D himself

13 A do not get B did not get C does not get D does not gets

14 A extra B other C another D additional

15 A up B on C down D around

Section B

[10 marks]

Time suggested: 25 minutes

Questions 16-25

Read the following information on alternative medicine and answer the questions that follow.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Body Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. If, with manual manipulation, the other parts can be brought back to optimum health, the body can fully focus on healing at the site of injury or illness. Body techniques are often combined with those of the mind. Examples of body therapies include chiropractic and osteopathic medicine, massage, body movement therapies, tai chi and yoga.

Diet and herbs. Over the centuries, man has gone from a simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oil, and complex carbohydrates. Nutritional excess and deficiency have become problems in today’s society, both leading to certain chronic diseases. Many dietary and herbal approaches attempt to balance the body’s nutritional well-being. Dietary and herbal approaches may include dietary supplements, herbal medicine and nutrition/diet.

External energy. Some people believe external energies from objects or other sources directly affect a person’s health. An example of external energy therapy is electromagnetic therapy, reiki and qigong.

Mind. Even standard or conventional medicine recognises the power of the connection between mind and body. Studies have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental health. Therapies using the mind may include meditation, biofeedback and hypnosis.

Senses. Some people believe the senses, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, can affect overall health. Examples of therapies incorporating the senses include art, dance, and music.

Source: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary

Questions 16-20

Using the information in the text, answer each of the questions below. Write the type of alternative medicine accordingly.

Questions 21-25

Your friend has asked you to recommend an alternative medicine for her mum. Using the words from the above text, complete the e-mail below. Use no more than four words.

Section C

[25 marks]

Time suggested: 50 minutes

Questions 26-31 are based on the following passage.

1 People who gather throughout the world to commemorate World Environment Day today will find not very much to celebrate.

2 In fact, they will have more reasons to mourn, and less to rejoice. The reason is simple: Our only habitable planet is dying a slow death by degradation. And at the hand of a 20th century invention, at that. Plastic. Some may think there is planet Mars to go to should Earth become inhabitable. Let’s not forget, man’s bad habits will soon follow.

3 According to one study, humans have produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s, the period when the catalyst for polyethylene was invented. If you want to imagine how devastating it is to our oceans, picture this thought experiment of Roland Geyer, from the University of California and Santa Barbara as he told it the Guardian: “If you take the 8.3bn tonnes of plastic and spread it out as ankle deep waste – about 10 inches high – I calculated I could cover an area the size of Argentina with it. That is the world’s eighth largest country.” Geyer expects the figure to quadruple to 34bn by 2050, meaning we will end up with plastic waste the size of four Argentinas.

4 Plastic isn’t just a problem for our continents; our oceans are being suffocated with it, too. Islands of plastic debris are said to be floating around our oceans. One report even estimates it to be as big as France. That is what happens when we dump 8 million tonnes of plastic waste into the ocean every year. Over time the plastic waste is sure to be ingested by marine life and make their way onto our dinner plate. Take a grouper from your favourite supermarket to the lab and you will surely find some traces of micro plastics in it.

5 Malaysia may not be the worst of polluters, but it is ranked eighth among the top ten polluters in the world, according to one report. How do we stop this menacing behaviour of ours? Like in all bad behaviours, the solution lies at the individual and national level. As individuals we must say no to plastics. If we stopped relying on disposable plastic packaging we will be able to stop the manufacturers from producing them. At the national level, we need to focus on a spill-free plastic waste management system to ensure that plastic does not destroy neither the terrestrial environment nor the oceans. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, by 2050 our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by weight. This will spell trouble for Malaysians as 60 per cent of protein intake among Malaysian is sourced from marine resources. If we want fish on our plate, we better zero rate our love for plastic. The reason is simple: Neither we nor the planet can digest plastic. Yes, you can’t have your plastic and eat fish at the same time. Just remember this: the plastic you dump today will return to your dinner plate tomorrow. May there be more reasons to celebrate World Environment Day than mourn it.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2018/06/376704/invisible-threat-plastic-pollution

26 In paragraph 2, what does the writer mean when he said, “Our only habitable planet is dying a slow death by degradation?” Give an example to support your answer.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________ [2 marks]

27 How is plastic a problem for our

(i) continent? _______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark]

(ii) ocean? _______________________________________________________________________

[1 mark]

28 From paragraph 4, which word means

(i) swallowed? _______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (ii) marks? _______________________________________________________________________

[1 mark] 29 In Paragraph 5, suggest how we can stop pollution at the

(i) individual level _______________________________________________________________________ [1 mark] (ii) national level _______________________________________________________________________

[1 mark] 30 What do you think would probably happen in 50 years’ time if Malaysians do not change their ways? Give a reason for your answer. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

[2 marks]

31 Based on the passage, write a summary on:

• the impact of plastic on our planet

• how this problem can be resolved at individual and national level.

Credit will be given for the use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning.

Your summary must:

• be in continuous form (not note form)

• use materials from lines 17 to 39

• not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below.

[15 marks]

Begin your summary as follows:

Our planet is dying a slow death due to the degradation of plastic…

Section D

[20 marks]

Time suggested: 35 minutes

32 Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

(a) What is the poem about? ___________________________________________________________________________

[1 mark] (b) Who does ‘someone’ refer to? ___________________________________________________________________________

[1 mark] (c) Summarise stanza 3 in one sentence. ___________________________________________________________________________

[1 mark] (d) In your opinion, do you think the action taken by the 600 soldiers, was a wise one? State your reason. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

[2 marks]

33 The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English language.

Dear Mr Kilmer - Anne Schraff Sing to the Dawn - Minfong Ho Captain Nobody - Dean Pitchfore

Choose any one of the novels above and answer the question below.

‘One’s future lies in one’s hands.’

With close reference to the text, how far is this true of the novel you have read? Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

[15 marks]