Reading Test 1000J

Level: Middle School                     ENGLISH            F.M.: 30

Time: 54 mins                               SET A                     P.M.: 12

Candidates are required to respond to these tasks in a neat and tidy manner. The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Attempt all questions.

1. Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.                 [12]                                                                                                                                                                                                  

For decades, the Atlantic Ocean’s Bermuda Triangle has captured the human imagination with unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and people.

Some speculate that unknown and mysterious forces account for the unexplained disappearances, such as extraterrestrials capturing humans for study; the influence of the lost continent of Atlantis; vortices that suck objects into other dimensions; and other whimsical ideas. Some explanations are more grounded in science, if not in evidence. These include oceanic flatulence (methane gas erupting from ocean sediments) and disruptions in geomagnetic lines of flux.

Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of the disappearances. The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle, and in the days prior to improved weather forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed many ships. Also, the Gulf Stream can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather. Additionally, the large number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of shallow water that can be treacherous to ship navigation.

And there is some evidence to suggest that The Bermuda Triangle is a place where the magnetic compass sometimes points towards ‘true’ north as opposed to ‘magnetic’ north. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea. Their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction. They add that no official maps exist that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. The U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name and does not maintain an official file on the area.

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place. This is true all over the world. There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean.

(Credit Source: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html) This text of this Ocean Fact was posted on January 4, 2010, and has not been altered since then.

A. Write the words from the text as indicated in the brackets. [4]                            

i. hypothesize (synonym)                        ii.   puzzling (synonym)

ii. harmless (antonym)                                iv.  significant (antonym)         

B. State whether the following statements are true or false.     [4]

i.  Bermuda Triangle has been the source of mystery to many.

ii. Extraterrestrials are the mysterious force accountable for unexplained disappearances of ships.

iii. Most Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle.

iv. The Bermuda Triangle is the official name for the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.

C. Give short answer to the following questions.                        [4]         

(i)     Which aspects of the Bermuda Triangle have captured human imagination?

(ii)    What are the whimsical ideas associated with the Bermuda Triangle?

(iii) How can environmental considerations explain the unusual Bermuda incidents?

(iv)  What is the opinion of the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard about the matter?

2. Rewrite these sentences choosing the correct option from the brackets. [3]

a. The director forced the actor _____ the role. (play, to play, played)

b. It is ______ one rupee note. (a, an, the)

c. The teacher asked us ___________. (what did we want, what we wanted, what we want)

3. Rewrite these sentences as indicated in the brackets.             [2]                                                                                      

i. Is there any sense in doing that? (affirmative statement)

ii. She said to me, “Will you show your book to your brother yourself?” (Indirect Speech)

4.Write a recipe for an omelet.                                      [5]

5.Write a review of the book or movie you have read or watched recently. [8]

The End