E10 SPM ENGLISH EDUCATION, SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER 2008 T HE second part of Section A in Paper Two, the rational cloze, tests your understanding ofgrammar. You are given seven questions; among the items tested are articles, conjunc- tions, determiners, prepositions, pronouns, subject verb agreement and tenses. To be able to handle this section, you should have a sound foundation in grammar. It helps to know your grammar rules because then you can analyse why an option is correct or incorrect. Guidelines for rational cloze G Read the text to get a general idea of what it is about and to find out the tense is used. G Apply grammar knowledge, or rules, where possible. G Use clues in the text (such as anaphoric or cataphoric references) where possible. G If unsure of answer, use the elimination method to narrow down your options. Try the following exercise. You can check against the answers given at the bottom of the page. Questions 9 to 15 are based on the following passage. LESSON 7 Important to know grammar rules D 0 C A 2 A 3 B C 5 C f r i e d a r m a i c a r t s o f p l a n t s . f e n n e l / m t r s e e . 8 l e f y , g r e e n a n a r t s 9 b a i l / o e g a n o 2 0 s t m u l a t e t h e g s r c j u i c e s . 2 1 e n a n c e t h e f l a v u r o f f o d . 2 2 p r s e r v e f o o . 2 3 t a d d a g r a n c e t o b e u t y p r d u c t s . 2 4 k e e i n w a t r e e z e t e m . 2 5 k e e i n i r t i h t c o n a i n e r s u t o f d r e c t s u n l i h t . Spices and herbs were initially grown in a few tropical countries such as the West Indies and Indonesia. However, as demand grew, they made their way to Europe and the Middle East. Today, spices can be grown in any tropical country because they are easily available. There is a clear difference between spices and herbs. Spices are the fried aromatic parts of plants, such as buds, bark, fruit, pods, roots, berries, seeds, or even flower stigmas. Spices can be used either whole or they can be ground into powder. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are used both whole and in powder form. Herbs are leafy, green plant parts. Herbs such as basil or oregano may be used fresh and are usually chopped fine. Spices and herbs have been used for many purposes. In cooking, they stimulate the gastric juices and enhance the flavour of food. Before the invention of refrigerators, they were used to preserve food. Spices and herbs are also used to add fragrance to beauty products such as perfumes, body creams and lotions. Here are a few basic rules to remember when using herbs and spices. To bring out the full flavour, cook spices before adding any liquid to them. Always crush dried herbs before using to bring out their flavour. Store fresh herbs in water or freeze them. Keep dried herbs and ground spices in airtight containers out of direct sunlight. Answers Chocolate is one of the few foods that can make people happy . It is obtained 9 the seeds of the cocoa tree. According to historians, cocoa has been 10 for at least three thousand years in Central America and Mexico. The Aztecs used cocoa beans to make a hot, frothy beverage. They believed that chocolate could give a person wisdom and energy. 11 , it was reserved for warriors and priests. Today , chocolate 12 available to everyone and comes in different forms. 13 of what we consume is sweet chocolate, which is a combination of chocolate and sugar. Milk choc- olate, another popular variety, is sweet chocolate to which powdered or condensed milk 14 been added. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk 15 no cocoa solids. According to scientists, dark chocolate is good for health and should be eaten in moderation. 9. A of B at C with D from 10. A cultivate B cultivates C cultiv ated D cultiv ating 11. A Hence B Nonetheless C However D Although 12. A is B are C was D were 13. A Many B Much C Few D Several 14. A is B are C has D have 15. A or B so C but D and In Section B, you are given 10 questions based on a stimulus which can be in linear or non- linear form. This section of the test, known as information transfer, is a test of your comprehen- sion ability. Here, you are required to extract information from the given stimulus. Guidelines for information transfer G Read the information given in the stimulus. G Read the questions carefully. Use given cues in the questions (words or phrases) to decide what type of information is required. G Remember, your answers must be brief. If you need to write down the name of a product, then give only that piece of information. G Do not copy whole sentences as only brief answers are required. G Do check grammar, spelling and punctuation. Here is a sample question. Questions 16 to 25: Read the extract below. Then complete the diagram that follows.
