2
Text for Section A, an extract from Rules of the Game by Amy Tan
The story is about a young Chinese girl living with her family during the mid 1900s.
Vincent got the chess set, which would have been a very decent present to get at a church
Christmas party, except it was obviously used and, as we discovered later, it was missing a
black pawn and a white knight. My mother graciously thanked the unknown benefactor, saying,
‘Too good. Cost too much.’ At which point, an old lady with fine white, wispy hair nodded toward
our family and said with a whistling whisper, ‘Merry, merry Christmas.’
When we got home, my mother told Vincent to throw the chess set away. ‘She not want it. We
not want it,’ she said, tossing her head stiffly to the side with a tight, proud smile. My brothers
had deaf ears. They were already lining up the chess pieces and reading from the dog-eared
instruction book. I watched Vincent and Winston play during Christmas week. The chessboard
seemed to hold elaborate secrets waiting to be untangled. The chessmen were more powerful
than old Li’s magic herbs that cured ancestral curses. And my brothers wore such serious faces
that I was sure something was at stake.
5
10
‘Let me! Let me!’ I begged between games when one brother or the other would sit back with a
deep sigh of relief and victory, the other annoyed, unable to let go of the outcome. Vincent at
first refused to let me play, but when I offered my Life Savers as replacements for the buttons
that filled in for the missing pieces, he relented. He chose the flavors: wild cherry for the black
pawn and peppermint for the white knight. Winner could eat both.
15
As our mother sprinkled flour and rolled out small doughy circles for the steamed dumplings that
would be our dinner that night, Vincent explained the rules, pointing to each piece. ‘You have
sixteen pieces and so do I. One king and queen, two bishops, two knights, two castles, and
eight pawns. The pawns can only move forward one step, except on the first move. Then they
can move two. But they can only take men by moving crossways, except in the beginning, when
you can move ahead and take another pawn.’
20
25
‘Why?’ I asked as I moved my pawn. ‘Why can’t they move more steps?’
‘Because they’re pawns,’ he said.
‘But why do they go crossways to take other men? Why aren’t there any women and children?’
‘Why is the sky blue? Why must you always ask stupid questions?’ asked Vincent. ‘This is a
game. These are the rules. I didn’t make them up. See. Here in the book.’ He jabbed a page
with a pawn in his hand. ‘Pawn. P-A-W-N. Pawn. Read it yourself.’
30
My mother patted the flour off her hands. ‘Let me see book,’ she said quietly. She scanned the
pages quickly, not reading the foreign English symbols, seeming to search deliberately for
nothing in particular.
‘This American rules,’ she concluded at last. ‘Every time people come out from foreign country,
must know rules. You not know, judge say, Too bad, go back. They not telling you why so you
can use their way go forward. They say, don’t know why, you find out yourself. But they knowing
all the time. Better you take it, find out why yourself.’ She tossed her head back with a satisfied
smile.
35
I found out about all the whys later. I read the rules and looked up all the big words in a
dictionary. I borrowed books from the Chinatown library. I studied each chess piece, trying to
absorb the power each contained.
40
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I learned about opening moves and why it’s important to control the center early on; the shortest
distance between two points is straight down the middle. I learned about the middle game and
why tactics between two adversaries are like clashing ideas; the one who plays better has the
clearest plans for both attacking and getting out of traps. I learned why it is essential in the
endgame to have foresight, a mathematical understanding of all possible moves, and patience;
all weaknesses and advantages become evident to a strong adversary and are obscured to a
tiring opponent. I discovered that for the whole game one must gather invisible strengths and
see the endgame before the game begins.
45
50
I also found out why I should never reveal ‘why’ to others. A little knowledge withheld is a great
advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in
which one must show and never tell.
I loved the secrets I found within the sixty-four black and white squares. I carefully drew a
handmade chessboard and pinned it to the wall next to my bed, where I would stare for hours at
imaginary battles. Soon I no longer lost any games or Life Savers, but I lost my adversaries.
Winston and Vincent decided they were more interested in roaming the streets after school in
their Hopalong Cassidy cowboy hats.
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2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read Text A, in the insert, and answer questions 1–8.
1
Look at line 5. How does the writer immediately engage the reader?
[1]
2
Look at this sentence: You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. (Line 8.)
How does the writer use structure to create an impact in this sentence? Give two ways.
First way:
Second way:
[2]
3
Look at the second paragraph (lines 6–10) and the third paragraph (lines 11–13).
The main idea in the third paragraph contrasts with the main idea in the second paragraph.
Explain the two contrasting ideas.
Second paragraph idea:
Third paragraph idea:
[2]
4
Look at the fourth paragraph (lines 14–20).
(a) What effect does the writer’s use of the word sheer have on the reader?
[1]
(b) Which three-word phrase tells the reader that being happy is a vital part of life?
[1]
5
Look at the fifth paragraph (lines 21–25).
Give one word the writer uses to tell the reader that being happy is difficult to define.
[1]
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6
Look at the sixth paragraph (lines 26–30).
Explain why Maglio describes people’s lives as being airbrushed.
[2]
7
(a) What does really is like a shy animal refer back to?
[1]
(b) Why does the writer use these words in the conclusion?
[1]
8
What type of text is Text A? Tick () one box.
a discursive article
a scientific report
a historical essay
a cultural review
[1]
Read Text B, a film review, in the insert and answer questions 9–14.
9
Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–7).
What word does the writer repeat to emphasise that Gardner’s hardships were true?
[1]
10 Look at the second paragraph (lines 8–14).
(a) Which word does the writer use to link Gardner’s old life to his new life?
[1]
(b) How has Gardner fulfilled his dream?
[1]
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11 Look at the third paragraph (lines 15–18).
Give one idiom that means to become wealthy.
[1]
12 Look at the last sentence (lines 20–21).
(a) How does the writer create dramatic effect?
[1]
(b) Why does the writer end the review this way?
[1]
13 According to the writer, what makes the film a success? Tick () one box.
the natural charm that the actor brings to the role
the on-screen bond between the actor and his child
the range of emotions that the actor stirs in the viewer
the breadth of experience that the actor adds to the film
[1]
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14 (a) Text B is a review of the film The Pursuit of Happiness. Make notes about the features of the
film.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Genre
drama
Director
Characters in the
film
•
•
Main events in
the film
•
•
•
•
•
protects his son from the situation
[3]
(b) Write a summary of the information in the text about the film, The Pursuit of Happiness.
Use up to 50 words.
Include 4–5 points from your list. Use your own words as much as possible.
[2]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
15 You have been asked to write an article for your school website about happiness. What makes
you happy?
You may wish to consider the following:
•
•
•
•
places you visit
people you know
events you’ve been to
music you like.
Space for your plan:
Write your article on the next page.
© UCLES 2023
[25 marks]
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© UCLES 2023
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[Turn over
8
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced annually and is available to download at
https://lowersecondary.cambridgeinternational.org/
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2023
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Text A
Why the quickest route to happiness may be to do nothing
Psychological research shows that the harder we try to be happy, the less likely we are to
achieve that goal.
How do you envisage the pursuit of happiness?
5
For many, it is a relentless journey, and the more you put in, the more you get out. Just consider
the following episode from Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling, inspirational memoir Eat, Pray, Love,
‘Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. And
once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming
upward into that happiness forever.’
10
While this kind of attitude may work for some, the latest research suggests this mindset can
also seriously backfire for many people. According to this view, happiness is best seen as a
kind of timid bird: the harder you strive to catch it, the further it flies away.
Iris Mauss, at the University of California, was one of the first psychologists to explore the idea
scientifically. Inspired by the sheer volume of self-help books which presented happiness as the
essence of existence, she says: ‘Wherever you look, you see books about how happiness is
good for you, and how you basically should make yourself happier, almost as a duty’. But are
those volumes only setting people up for disappointment? She also wondered if simply asking
the question, ‘How happy am I?’ could create a self-consciousness that quashes the feelings
you are trying to cultivate.
15
20
Like Mauss, academics Maglio and Kim used a range of research methods, such as selfreported questionnaires, to identify the causes and effects of happiness. The problem, Maglio
explains, is that happiness is something of a nebulous and moving goal – it’s very difficult to feel
that you’ve reached maximum happiness and even if you do feel content, you want to prolong
those feelings.
25
Maglio also points out that social media makes us especially conscious of other people’s
airbrushed lives, potentially increasing our desire to live a happier, more exciting life. She thinks
we would be happier if we didn’t look to others to set our standards for what constitutes a good
and meaningful life. Instead, she advises adopting a more stoic attitude to life’s ups and downs,
in which you accept bad feelings as fleeting events rather than trying to eliminate them entirely.
30
Happiness really is like a shy animal. And once you stop chasing it, you might just find that it
appears naturally of its own accord.
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Text B
The Pursuit Of Happiness
The character of Gardner in this film is a man almost entirely without flaws. It’s a dream of a part
for an actor and a great story for a film – and, albeit with the usual Hollywood liberties, it’s all
true. Gardner and his son did sleep in a locked railway station toilet. They did line up at
homeless shelters with down-and-outs, scrabbling for a bed for the night – and all while Gardner
was working at his internship, with no income and little chance of a job at the end of it.
Gardner went through all of these hardships because he wanted to build a better life for himself
and his family. After all, ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’ is a well-known phrase in the
Declaration of Independence1 that suggests every American has the basic right to strive for
happiness and fulfil their dreams. Today, Gardner is a multi-millionaire with a best-selling book:
a memoir based on his struggles to improve his life. And there’s real drama as Gardner pushes
himself to breaking point, trying to protect his son (played with lots of charm by the actor’s own
son) from the dire extent of their situation.
It’s clear from the start that we’re in rags-to-riches, wish-fulfilment territory here, but unlike some
other Hollywood blockbusters, this doesn’t have the same emotional impact. That’s partly
because director Gabriele Muccino shoots the film in muted autumnal colours, which dampens
your engagement with the film.
Yet, despite its flaws, the movie still warms the heart thanks to the actor, whose innate,
irrepressible likeability carries the movie through its more formulaic moments. And if he should
end up with a major award next year, well… how’s that for an American Dream?
Glossary
1
Declaration of Independence: a document claiming freedom for the United States from political
control by Britain on 4 July, 1776
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10
15
20
2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the Text in the insert, and answer questions 1–11.
1
Look at lines 3–7.
What does the reader first learn about the mother’s character?
[1]
2
Look at lines 8–14.
(a) What does the mother really think of the gift?
[1]
(b) Give a two-word phrase that tells the reader that the mother’s command is ignored.
[1]
(c) What does the reader learn about the instruction book? Tick () one box.
It is
well used.
brightly coloured.
strangely shaped.
difficult to understand.
[1]
(d) Give one word that means complicated.
[1]
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3
Look at lines 15–25.
(a) Find one phrase that means ‘to find it hard to accept defeat’.
[1]
(b) Find one word that means ‘to accept defeat’.
[1]
(c) Why does Vincent let his sister play?
[1]
4
Look at lines 26–31.
How does the reader know that Vincent is annoyed with his sister?
Give two ways.
First way:
Second way:
[2]
5
Look at lines 32–34.
Why is the mother pretending to read the instructions?
[1]
6
Look at lines 35–39.
What is the best description of the mother’s advice to her children?
Tick () one box.
expand your knowledge
discover things independently
accept the wisdom of your elders
keep an open mind about progressing in life
[1]
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7
Look at lines 40–50.
(a) The writer stresses how hard the girl worked to learn chess. Explain how the writer uses
repetition to tell the reader this.
[2]
(b) Look at lines 43–50.
Why does the writer use long sentences in this paragraph?
[1]
(c) Look at line 40 and lines 49–50.
What are the two different sentence types?
Line 40
Lines 49–50
[2]
8
Look at lines 51–52.
(a) Why has the writer used inverted commas ( ‘ ’ )?
[1]
(b) The writer uses a grammatical function to refer to the influence of the game of chess.
Which one word does the writer use to do that?
[1]
9
Look at lines 54–58. The writer uses metaphors to describe the game of chess.
What does the writer compare the game to?
[1]
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10 Look at the whole text.
The brothers’ attitude towards playing chess is different from the girl's attitude.
What do you think is different? Explain their attitudes and give evidence from the text to support
your answer.
The boys:
The girl:
[4]
11 Based on the information given in the text about the rules of chess, do you think you would like to
play chess? Give one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer.
Yes
No
Evidence:
[1]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
12 Your school is taking part in a project to encourage people to learn new things. You have been
asked to write a narrative about someone learning a new skill.
Think about the following:
•
•
•
Will you write in the first person or the third person?
What is the skill?
Is it easy or difficult to learn?
Space for your plan:
Write your narrative on the next page.
© UCLES 2023
[25 marks]
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7
© UCLES 2023
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[Turn over
8
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced annually and is available to download at
https://lowersecondary.cambridgeinternational.org/
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2023
E/S9/02
2
Text for Section A, an extract from The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
Subhi is a nine-year-old boy who has lived almost all his life in a camp for refugees.
Sometimes, at night, the dirt outside turns into a beautiful ocean. As red as the sun and as deep
as the sky.
I lie on my bed, and listen to the waves lapping at the tent. Queeny says I’m stupid, saying that
kind of stuff. But it’s true. She just doesn’t see it, is all.
5
Maá sees, though. She can hear the ocean outside, too. ‘You hear it, né?’ I whisper, in the dark.
In the morning, the ground still wet and foamy from where the waves have washed up, I sit and
trace the hundreds of animals that have swum all the way up to the tent, their faces pushing
against the flaps, trying to get a look at us inside on our beds. Queeny says they aren’t real
beds, but just old army cots and even older army blankets. Queeny says that a real bed is made
with springs and cushions and feathers, and that real blankets don’t itch.
This morning I found a shell washed up right along with those animals. I breathed in its smell.
All hot and salty fish, like the very bottom of the ocean. And even though Queeny doesn’t
believe, and grunted about when was I ever going to grow up and could I please quit bothering
her all the time, she still gave me her last bit of paper and said I could borrow her pen so I could
write the words in black at the top of the page. The Night Sea with Creatures. I drew a picture
as best I could with no colours and paper that curled from the damp. Using her pen and paper
only cost me my soap, and I’ll steal that back from her later anyway. Sisters shouldn’t charge
their own brothers for paper.
10
15
20
I snug up with Maá, careful not to wake her because today is one of her tired days.
When I whisper that it’s just about breakfast time and does she want to come eat, I see her
eyes open a bit and the smile start on her lips. ‘Just little longer, né?’ she says, in her English
that never sounds right. ‘I not hungry much, Subhi, love.’
Maá’s never hungry much. The last time she ate a full meal and didn’t just peck at her food was
when I was only nineteen fence diamonds high. I remember because that was on Queeny’s
birthday and Maá always measures us on our birthdays. By now I am at least twenty-one or
twenty-two, or maybe even twenty-two and a half high. I haven’t been measured in a while.
Maá’s never hungry much, but I’m always hungry. Eli, he reckons I must be going through a
growth spurt. Eli lives in Family Tent Four with some other families because his family isn’t here.
It doesn’t matter that Eli’s older than me by more than Queeny is; he’s my best friend and we
tell each other everything there ever is to tell. Eli says we’re more than best friends. We’re
brothers.
25
30
I pull out my shell and show it to Eli. Eli, he’s the only one I show all my treasures to.
‘Ba sent me another,’ I say.
35
Eli looks at me with one eyebrow raised. I don’t think he’s at all sure that it is my ba sending me
these treasures while everyone else sleeps. But if anyone could work out how to whisper up the
Night Sea to send a message to the kid he’s never met, it would be my ba.
‘Your dad needs to work on his messages, because so far not one of us can make out a word of
what he’s trying to say,’ Eli says.
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40
3
I give Eli my shell and he smiles, turning it over and over in his hands. ‘Nice one.’ Then he sits
down in the dirt and pushes it up to his ear.
‘Are you listening to the sound of the sea?’ I ask.
‘I’m listening to the stories of the sea. Do you want me to tell you what I hear?’
And now there are at least ten other kids, all gathered round, listening to Eli tell.
45
‘A long way back, when the world was nothing but sea, there lived a whale. The biggest, hugest
whale in the ocean. The whale was as old as the universe and as big as this whole country.
Every night, the whale would rise to the surface and sing his song to the moon. One night…’
And all of us sit, Eli’s story wriggling its way so deep into our brains that it can’t ever fall out.
Later, I let Queeny have a listen to my shell. ‘What am I listening to?’ she says. ‘The only thing I
can hear is air swishing about.’
‘That’s the sound of the sea,’ I tell her.
She just looks back at me. ‘Pft. The sea sounds nothing like that.’
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2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read Text A in the insert, and then answer questions 1–5.
1
Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–9).
(a) The writer uses powerful imagery to describe the sounds made by elephants.
Give one example.
[1]
(b) Give one word that tells the reader that forest elephants are mysterious and difficult to
understand.
[1]
(c) Give one word that tells the reader that forest elephants are hard to track.
[1]
(d) Look at the last sentence (lines 7–9).
Explain how the last sentence links the first paragraph to the second paragraph.
[2]
2
Look at the second paragraph (lines 10–15).
(a) Why does the writer use direct speech instead of indirect speech?
[1]
(b) How does the writer build up detail in the last sentence (lines 13–15) through the use of
punctuation? Give one way.
[1]
3
Look at the third paragraph (lines 16–19).
Why does the writer use a conjunction in the last sentence?
[1]
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4
Look at the fourth paragraph (lines 20–24).
(a) Explain how the sentence beginning Such insights connects the fourth paragraph to the third
paragraph.
[2]
(b) How does the writer connect two equally important pieces of information in the sentence?
[1]
(c) Give one phrase that tells the reader that it is not yet certain that the new research methods
will be successful.
[1]
5
Look at the fifth and sixth paragraphs (lines 25–33).
Explain how the writer uses the word songs in different ways.
[2]
Read Text B in the insert, and then answer questions 6–10.
6
Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–6).
Explain the difference in structure between the first and second sentences.
[2]
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7
What is food time is a breeze (line 23) an example of? Tick () one box.
personification
hyperbole
an oxymoron
an idiom
[1]
8
Look at the whole text.
Why does the writer use the word fingers to describe part of the elephant’s trunk?
Tick () one box.
They remove ticks.
They are used for communication.
They can pick things up off the ground.
They are made of bones.
[1]
9
Text B is less formal than Text A.
How does the writer achieve this effect? Give two ways.
•
•
[2]
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10 (a) How does an elephant use its trunk? Make notes in the table below.
How does an elephant
use its trunk …
Notes
when drinking?
when eating?
when looking after
itself?
at other times?
[3]
(b) Summarise how an elephant uses its trunk. Use up to 50 words.
[2]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
11 Our hands are one of a human’s most remarkable features.
Write an information text about human hands as part of a ‘Guidebook for Visitors to Planet Earth’.
You should include information about:
•
•
•
how humans use their hands in their everyday lives
some special ways that humans use their hands
how humans take care of their hands.
Space for your plan:
Write your information text on the next page.
© UCLES 2023
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[25 marks]
7
© UCLES 2023
E/S8/01
[Turn over
8
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced annually and is available to download at
https://lowersecondary.cambridgeinternational.org/
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2023
E/S8/01
2
Text A
How eavesdropping on elephants is keeping them safe
A low rumble reverberates from a rainforest clearing. Occasionally, piercing roars and haunting
wails emanate from among the trees. These are the calls of forest elephants that inhabit this
tropical landscape. Hidden by the dense vegetation, they are the smaller and more enigmatic
cousins of savannah elephants. They are more commonly heard than seen, but their
diminishing populations are endangered by high levels of poaching. Now, the calls these elusive
elephants use to communicate with each other through the thick forests could provide
researchers with new tools they need to protect the animals.
‘Our goal is to better understand and protect forest elephants, a keystone species roaming the
second largest tropical rainforest on earth,’ says Peter Wrege, a biologist who is part of a team
attempting to decipher the elephants’ calls. ‘We are using technology to improve their chance of
survival and, in doing so, to conserve the biodiversity of their forests.’ The aim: to find the
location of the elephants – and the poachers who seek to kill them – so the animals can be kept
safe.
5
10
15
Wrege and his colleagues have collected around 900 000 hours of recordings from central
African forests, which include thousands of hours of elephant vocalisations. They have found,
for example, that low frequency rumbles keep groups in contact with each other, while long,
overlapping rumbles serve as greetings.
Such insights provide not only clues about elephant communication, but also an early warning
to rangers that something might be amiss if the sensors pick up on elephant alarm calls or
noises made by poachers, such as gunshots and human speech. It remains to be seen, Wrege
says, ‘whether technology can make it possible to do this at a truly meaningful landscape scale
– tens of thousands of square kilometers where standard methods just won’t work.’
20
But the researchers are off to a strong start. Their largest current project includes a grid of 50
sensors monitoring 1 243 sq km of forest, recording the equivalent of two million songs and calls
from the forests every 3–4 months. With the help of a form of artificial intelligence (AI) known as
deep learning, analysing this huge volume of recordings, and picking out the 15 000 or so
elephant calls, can be done in about 22 days. Wrege and his colleagues are also now testing
prototypes for real-time detection.
25
‘AI just makes us so much more efficient in all of these things,’ says Lucas Joppa, a chief
environmental officer. ‘No human would be able to sit there and listen to two million songs in a
language they don’t understand.’
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3
Text B
How does an elephant’s trunk work?
The elephant’s trunk must be one of the most amazing things in the entire animal kingdom.
Created from a fusion of the animal’s top lip and its nose, the elephant’s trunk is a multifunctional tool integral to these distinguished mammals’ survival, and it is used in almost every
aspect of their lives.
5
Incredible engineering
The trunk is composed of 140 kg of flesh, fat, nerves, connective tissue, and over 40 000
muscles grouped around the nasal passages. These taper down to two fingers in the case of
African elephants and one finger for Asian elephants.
10
What does the elephant use its trunk for?
In human terms, the elephant’s trunk is most like the tongue.
Just like the human tongue, the elephant is able to taste the air thanks to millions of receptor
cells in their upper nasal cavity. They can smell just as well as any hunting dog and are able to
detect water from 19 km away.
15
Once found, the elephant can draw up to 8 litres of water into their nasal passages at a time.
This is then sprayed into the mouth. Water and mud is sprayed over the elephant’s body to cool
it down on a hot day and discourage external parasites like ticks1.
If a river crossing is in order, the trunk comes to the rescue once again. Held high above the
surface of the water, the trunk is used like a snorkel so the elephant can breathe even when its
entire body is submerged.
20
Finger food
Food time is a breeze when you have two highly tactile fingers to pick leaves from the highest
branches, snap off twigs or pull up grass, and self-defence is no problem either with a long
muscular club at your disposal. An elephant’s trunk can lift hundreds of kilograms with ease.
Glossary
1
tick – a small insect that sticks to animals
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2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the Text in the insert, and answer questions 1–10.
1
Look at lines 3–4.
What two literary techniques does the writer use? Tick () two boxes.
a metaphor
a euphemism
onomatopoeia
a simile
rhyme
[2]
2
Look at lines 5–12.
(a) What does the writer use the word see to mean in these lines?
[1]
(b) The writer uses the sentence openings, Queeny says, three times in this section of the text.
Give two ways this has an effect on the reader.
•
•
[2]
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3
Look at lines 13–20.
(a) These lines are different from lines 3–12.
Give two ways they are different.
•
•
[2]
(b) The writer wants the reader to believe that Subhi is good at getting what he wants from his
sister.
Give one quotation from the text that tells the reader this.
[1]
4
Look at lines 21–24. Maá says, ‘Just little longer, né?’
What two ideas about Maá does this emphasise?
•
•
[2]
5
Look at lines 25–28.
Explain how the reader knows that it is a long time since Maá ate a full meal. Support your
answer by giving evidence from the text.
[2]
6
Look at lines 29–33.
(a) How does the writer connect this paragraph to the previous paragraph?
[1]
(b) What is the effect of the last sentence of the paragraph (lines 32–33)?
[1]
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7
Look at lines 34–45.
Explain two ways that you think Eli and Subhi act as if they are brothers. Support each of your
explanations with a quotation.
First way:
Quotation 1:
Second way:
Quotation 2:
[4]
8
(a) Look at lines 46–49.
Give one example of hyperbole.
[1]
(b) Give one phrase that shows that Eli’s storytelling skills are having a great impact on his
audience.
[1]
9
Look at the whole text. The way that Queeny thinks and acts is different from Subhi. Explain how
you think the writer demonstrates this.
Give two explanations and support each explanation with a quotation.
First explanation:
First quotation:
Second explanation:
Second quotation:
[4]
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10 The writer sympathises with the situation of the characters.
How does the writer do this? Tick () one box.
The writer does this by
discussing in detail how emotional each character feels.
giving information about the location of the refugee camp.
using sensitive and descriptive language to set the scene.
introducing a narrator’s opinion on the refugees’ experiences.
[1]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
11 Eli started to tell a story to the children in the camp about a whale.
Imagine that a magazine for young children has invited you to write the rest of the story.
You could write about:
•
•
•
what happens on this night that makes it different
what other character(s) to introduce
how to finish the story.
Space for your plan:
Write your story on the next page.
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© UCLES 2023
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Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced annually and is available to download at
https://lowersecondary.cambridgeinternational.org/
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2023
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English
Stage 7
Paper 2 Fiction
Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test
Insert
3138_02_INS_3RP
© UCLES 2023
2023
2
Text for Section A, an extract from Gullstruck Island by Frances Hardinge
Gullstruck Island is inhabited by various tribes, including the Lost and the Lace.
***
It was a burnished, cloudless day with a tug-of-war wind, a fine day for flying. And so Raglan
Skein left his body neatly laid out on his bed, its breath as slow as sea swell, and took to the
sky.
5
He took only his sight and hearing with him. There was no point in bringing those senses that
would make him feel the chill of the sapphire-bright upper air or the giddiness of his rapid rise.
Like all Lost, he had been born with his senses loosely tethered to his body, like a hook on a
fishing line. He could let them out, then reel them in and remember all the places his mind had
visited meanwhile. Most Lost could move their senses independently, like snails’ eyes on stalks.
Indeed, a gifted Lost might be feeling the grass under their knees, tasting the peach in your
hand, overhearing a conversation in the next village and smelling cooking in the next town, all
while watching barracudas dapple and brisk around a shipwreck ten miles out to sea.
Raglan Skein, however, was doing nothing so whimsical1. He had to take his body on a difficult
and possibly perilous journey the next day, and he was spying out the land. It was a relief to see
the world plummet away from him so that everything became smaller. More manageable. Less
dangerous.
Scattered around the isolated island of Gullstruck dozens of other minds would be adrift. Lost
minds, occupied with the business of the island, keeping it functioning. Scrying for bandits in the
jungles, tracing missing children on the rises, spotting sharks in the deeps, reading important
trade notices and messages long distance. In fact, there might even be other Lost minds
floating near him now, indiscernible to him as he was to them.
He veered towards the mountain ridge that ran along the western coast, seeing the individual
peaks emerge from the fleece of clouds. One such peak stood a little proud of the rest, its
coloration paler. It was Sorrow, the white volcano, sweet, pure and treacherous as snow. Skein
gave her a wide berth and instead veered towards her husband, the King of Fans, the tallest
middlemost mountain of the ridge, his cratered head forever lost in clouds. For now the King
was docile and hazy with the heat, but he too was a volcano and of uncertain temper. The
shimmering air above his slopes was flecked with the circling forms of eagles large enough to
carry a child off in each claw. Villages on this coast expected to lose a couple of their number to
the eagles each year.
But these eagles would have no interest in the little towns that sprawled below. As far as the
great birds were concerned, the towns were just more animals, too vast and sluggish for them
to bother with, scaled with slate and furred with palm thatch. The muddy roads were the veins,
and bronze bells in white towers tolled out their slow, cold heartbeats.
10
15
20
25
30
35
For a moment Skein wished that he did not know that every town was really a thriving hive of
bitter, biting two-legged animals, full of schemes and resentment and hidden treachery. Yet
again the fear of betrayal gnawed at his mind.
We will talk to these people, the Lost Council had announced. We are too powerful for them to
ignore us. Everything can be settled peacefully. Skein did not believe it. Three days more, and
he would know if his shadowy suspicions had flesh to them.
There lay the road he would travel over the next few days. He scried it carefully. Even though
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3
he had left for the coast quietly and with haste, there was always a chance that news of his
arrival had outstripped him, and that enemies lay in wait.
And it was no mean task, spying out ambushes and surprises on this coast of all coasts.
Everything about it reeked of trickery and concealment. There were reefs beneath the water of
the bay, betrayed only by the foam fringes on the far waves. The cliff-face itself was a labyrinth.
Over centuries the creamy limestone had been hollowed and winnowed until it was a maze of
tapering spires, peepholes and snub ridges like sleeping lions. So it was all along the west
coast of the island, and it was this that had given the Coast of the Lace its name.
The tribe who lived here nowadays was also known as ‘the Lace’, and they too were full of ins
and outs and twists and turns and sleeping lions pretending to be rocks. You never knew where
you were with the Lace.
Glossary
1
whimsical: playful, amusing
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50
2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read Text A, an extract from an autobiography, in the insert, and then answer questions 1–5.
1
Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–9).
(a) Why are inverted commas ( ‘ ’ ) used? Tick () one box.
to show a quotation
to give an explanation
to emphasise information
to introduce a different opinion
[1]
(b) Why are dashes ( – ) used?
[1]
(c) Zoos make sure that captivity-born animals are not in-bred/related.
Give two ways they do this.
•
•
[2]
2
Look at the second paragraph (lines 10–16).
(a) Give one word in the first sentence that refers back to information in the first paragraph.
[1]
(b) Give one word or phrase that means ‘continued’.
[1]
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3
Look at the first two paragraphs.
Explain how the attitude of zoos towards animals has changed since the 1950s.
In the 1950s
Now
[2]
4
Look at the third and fourth paragraphs (lines 17–24).
(a) What is the writer’s main role when making the television programmes?
[1]
(b) Why was it easy for the curator and writer to choose the destination for their TV programme?
Tick () one box.
They were looking for a particular species.
The area was familiar to one of them.
They were told to go there by the zoo.
The area had many exotic species.
[1]
(c) Why are a dash ( – ) and a semi-colon ( ; ) used in the same sentence?
Tick () two boxes.
to introduce an opposite idea
to build up further detail
to connect two clauses on the same topic
to add a list of examples
to introduce an element of humour
[2]
(d) Why is an ellipsis ( … ) used?
[1]
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5
Look at the fifth paragraph (lines 25–29).
(a) What does it in It was a difficult bill to fill refer to?
[1]
(b) Explain why the writer finally settled on the name Zoo Quest for his new T.V. programme.
•
•
[2]
Read Text B, from a travel magazine, in the insert. Then answer questions 6–8.
6
Look at the first paragraph (lines 3–6).
Give two words or phrases that persuade the reader that the Night Safari is a special place to
visit.
•
•
[2]
7
The text is structured so that information is easy to access.
Give two ways the writer does this.
•
•
[2]
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8
(a) Complete the fact file below about a visit to the Night Safari.
Fact file: Night Safari
Contact
Phone: +65 6269 3411
Admission times
Where to eat
Latest attraction
Where to go by vehicle
1
2
Where to go on foot
Any other entertainment
[3]
(b) Write a summary of up to 50 words about the main attractions of the Night Safari.
Include four points from the fact file.
[2]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
9
Your teacher has asked you to write about a recent visit you made to an interesting place.
It could be:
•
•
•
•
a zoo
a museum
a holiday you went on
a sports event you attended.
Space for your plan:
Write your answer on the next page.
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© UCLES 2023
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Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced annually and is available to download at
https://lowersecondary.cambridgeinternational.org/
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2023
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Text A
An extract from Adventures of a young naturalist by David Attenborough, set in the 1950s
These days zoos don’t send out animal collectors on quests to ‘bring ’em back alive’. And quite
right too. The natural world is under more than enough pressure as it is, without being robbed of
its most beautiful, charismatic and rarest inhabitants. Now most of a zoo’s crowd-attracting
species – lions, tigers and rhinos – have been born in zoos and kept track of in registers, so
individual animals can be exchanged internationally without incurring problems of in-breeding1.
Zoos can then play a valuable part in familiarising visitors with the splendours of the natural
world and in explaining the importance and complexities of conservation.
But it was not always so. London Zoo was founded in 1828 by scientists who were concerned
with compiling a catalogue of all the species of animals alive. Some were sent to it from distant
parts of the world as dead specimens. Others arrived alive and were put on display in the zoo’s
gardens. But both kinds ended up as well-studied anatomical specimens and were carefully
preserved. Needless to say, special attention was paid to finding species that no other zoo had
ever possessed, and that ambition still lingered on even in the 1950s when I visited one of the
zoo’s curators, Jack Lester, with an idea for a new kind of television programme.
5
10
15
My plan was simple – a joint animal-collecting expedition on which we should both go. I would
direct film sequences showing Jack searching for and finally capturing a creature of particular
interest. We agreed on a jungle location without any difficulty.
Jack had been to Sierra Leone. He knew the country and he knew the fauna. I was convinced,
however, that if the television programmes were to be a success, the expedition should have
one particular objective – a rare creature that had never been seen in any zoo anywhere else in
the world; an animal so romantic, rare and exciting that the quest for it would keep viewers
watching programme after programme. We could call the series Quest for… but what?
20
It was a difficult bill to fill. The only animal Jack could think of in Sierra Leone that might
remotely qualify was a bird called Picathartes gymnocephalus. It seemed to me that raising the
public into a frenzy of excited anticipation to see a creature with such a name might be difficult.
Had it not got another, more romantic one? ‘Yes, indeed,’ Jack said helpfully, ‘its English name
is bare-headed rock fowl’. I decided to call the series Zoo Quest.
25
Glossary
1
in-breeding: breeding between closely related animals, which might cause birth defects
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Text B
Night Safari
Embark on an adventure after dark at the legendary Night Safari, an open-air zoo that goes
above and beyond the typical zoo experience. As dusk falls, the shutters open at the Night
Safari, welcoming you into a world of over 2500 creatures of the night and their mysterious
habitats.
5
Home to over 100 animal species, this is the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park. 41% of these
species are threatened, including many indigenous to the region, such as the Malayan tapir and
Malayan tiger.
Start with the Creatures of the Night Show, a 20-minute overview of the animals in the park
(starts 7.30pm, 8.30pm and, on weekends and holidays, 9.30pm, 10.30pm).
•
For those who prefer exploring the park on wheels, a Tram Safari ride with live commentary
will then take you across six geographical zones of the world, from the rugged Himalayan
foothills to the jungles of Southeast Asia.
•
Exploring the park on one of the four walking trails lets you see even more animals not
visible from the tram. Among them is the Fishing Cat Trail that recreates a night time trek
through the jungles of Singapore. Be sure to catch the newest arrival – the Armadillo – in
action along the trail while you’re there.
•
Or maximise the benefits of both – get on board a buggy for the Adventure Tour where your
personal safari guide will show you the best kept secrets of the Night Safari on the popular
Leopard Trail.
10
15
20
Complete your night with a delightful meal at Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant (open 6:30pm to
11:00pm Fri & Sat). If you are a night owl, this 13-time Best Attraction Experience winner is the
place to be.
Open: Daily from 7.30pm to midnight (last admission at 11pm)
Phone: +65 6269 3411
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2
Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the Text in the insert, and answer questions 1–11.
1
Look at lines 3–5.
(a) What figurative technique is used? Tick () one box.
simile
oxymoron
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
[1]
(b) The writer also uses sibilance.
What effect does this create?
[1]
2
Look at lines 6–7. Why is there no point in Raglan Skein taking his sense of touch with him when
he flies away?
[1]
3
Look at lines 8–13.
What grammatical structure does the writer use at the beginning of the first sentence?
[1]
4
People from the Lost tribe are able to experience sensations from different locations all at the
same time.
Give one quotation that tells the reader how they do that.
[1]
5
The writer uses however (line 14) to introduce a contrast between the third and fourth paragraph.
Explain what this contrast is.
[2]
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6
Look at lines 18–22. People living on the island face dangers on and around the island.
Give one example.
[1]
7
Look at lines 23–31.
(a) Most of the paragraph is made up of complex and compound-complex sentences.
Why?
[1]
(b) The writer uses commas in this paragraph in two different ways.
Tick () two boxes.
before direct speech
between subordinate clauses
before and after extra information
between items on a list
after a time adverbial
[2]
8
Look at lines 32–35. The eagles see the towns as living creatures.
Give a quotation that tells the reader this.
[1]
9
Look at lines 39–44.
(a) Raglan Skein sets off on a journey the next day.
What is the purpose of this journey?
[1]
(b) Give evidence from the text that tells the reader that Raglan Skein’s journey will take longer
by body than it has taken him by his senses.
[1]
(c) Give a three-word phrase that means ‘were hiding, ready to attack’.
[1]
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10 (a) Look at lines 45–50.
Give one three-word phrase that means ‘a difficult job’.
[1]
(b) What are the main dangers for a person arriving on the Lace coast by boat?
Give two ideas and support each idea with evidence from the text.
Idea: you might be attacked
Evidence: ambushes and surprises / trickery
and concealment
Idea 1
Evidence 1
Idea 2
Evidence 2
[4]
11 Look at lines 51–53.
(a) Here refers back to the previous paragraph.
Give one more adverb that does this.
[1]
(b) What do you think the Lace people are like? Give two ideas and support each idea with
evidence from the text.
First idea:
Evidence 1:
Second idea:
Evidence 2:
[4]
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Section B: Writing
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
12 Raglan Skein arrives safely on the Coast of the Lace. Write what happens next.
You could write about:
•
•
•
how the Lace people treat him
whether his shadowy suspicions about the Lace people are correct
the outcome of their meeting.
Space for your plan:
Write your story on the next page.
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