CONFIDENTIAL LG/OCT 2006/BEL100

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

FINAL EXAMINATION

COURSE : PREPARATORY ENGLISH

COURSE CODE : BEL100
EXAMINATION : OCTOBER 2006
TIME : 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. This question paper consists of three (3) parts: PART A: (3 Questions)

PARTB: (9 Questions)
PART C: (1 Question)

2. Answer ALL questions from all three (3) parts in the Question Paper.

3. Fill in the details below:

UiTM STUDENT CARD NO. :

PROGRAMME/CODE :

PART :

ENGLISH LANGUAGE GROUP :

NAME OF LECTURER :

4. Do not bring any material into the examination room unless permission is given by the
invigilator.

5. Please check to make sure that this examination pack consists of:

i) the Question Paper

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

This examination paper consists of 12 printed pages
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PART A: GRAMMAR (25 MARKS)

QUESTION 1
Underline the correct word in the brackets. The first one has been done for you.

The Short Message Service, more commonly known 0) (as, at, of) SMS, is currently the
most preferred mobile phone service. It is one of a) (a, an, the) simplest and most
useful means of mobile communication. Mobile phone users can send messages via the
SMS while dining b) (at, from, by) a restaurant, while attending a wedding or even while
walking in a park. The reason for c) (its, it's, it) popularity is that it provides a means of
almost instant communication.

The SMS is expanding so d) (quick, quicker, quickly) because text messaging is faster
and e) (cheap, cheaper, cheaply) than talking on the phone. Many people also find text
messaging a more f) (efficient, efficiently, efficiency) way of expressing their thoughts
and feelings. Research suggests that this is especially true for shy and
g) (quiet, quieten, quietly) individuals. They have the opportunity to plan what they
want to say before they send out h) (they, them, their) messages.

i) (A, An, The) advantages of using the SMS are many. For example, during the Live 8
concert last year, viewers j) (who, which, whose) were sitting in the comfort of their
homes were asked to send text messages to k) (worldly, worlds, world) leaders,
urging them to make Earth a better place to live in. The response was I) (extremely,
extreme, extremes) good. Over 26 million SMS messages were sent. Such a huge
response was possible because the viewers at home could m) (easy, easier, easily)
reach for their mobile phones and send the messages.

There are n) (much, many, little) industries which have taken advantage of the SMS.
Television reality shows such as American Idol and Akademi Fantasia, for example, are
making a lot of money from this o) (popular, popularly, popularity) method of
communication, p) (This, That, These) shows make money by inviting viewers to send
in their votes via the SMS. Mobile phone users are charged anywhere from 50 sen to
RM2 each time they send in their votes q) (through, under, from) the SMS.

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With the SMS market expanding rapidly, r) (they, we, it) can be sure that text
messaging will continue to be an s) (important, importance, importantly) part of our
everyday lives. Experts believe that people from all walks of t) (life, live, lived) will
continue using the SMS because of its numerous advantages.
Adapted from http://www.webopedia.com
(10 marks)
QUESTION 2
Write in the space provided the correct tense of the verb given in the brackets. The first one
has been done for you.

The Montessori Method of Education for young children 0) (be) 0)]s_

one of the most established education programmes in the world. It
was created by Dr Maria Montessori who a) (be) deeply interested
in pre-school education for mentally disabled children.

Dr Montessori first came up with the idea of this special

programme when she b) (work) in a school for mentally disabled
children in Rome. While she c) (interact) with those children, she
discovered that they were very responsive to doing work with their
hands and bodies. After two years of attending her classes
regularly, the children d) (take) a school examination along with
normal children. They e) (pass) with flying colours. For several
years after that she f) (continue) to speak and write about the
unique abilities of mentally disabled children and how her
programme g) (help) these children discover new things on their
own.

Today, kindergartens and pre-schools based on Dr Montessori's

education programme are found all over the world. These pre-
schools and kindergartens h) (offer) education not only for
mentally disabled children but also for normal children. The
classroom environment i) (be) always cheerful and the children
are free to move around the room. The children often work on
projects without any time limit. They j) (choose) to work on these

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projects based on their interests and capabilities. In the

Montessori classroom, the children usually k) (obtain) knowledge
directly from the environment and from other children.

The children are also encouraged to play educational games.

Playing these games I) (enable) them to develop their five senses:
hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. When the children
m) (participate) in these games, they are unconsciously learning
new things and also developing their observation skills.

A Montessori teacher often n) (act) as a facilitator in the n).

classroom. She o) (observe) each child and provides him with an o).
individual programme for learning. She p) (not, interfere) P).
unnecessarily while the children q) (work) on their projects. They q).
gather new information and r) (absorb) new knowledge from the
environment and other children.

The Montessori programme provides an interesting and

challenging environment where children s) (discover) new things s).
and learn without fear. Children who go through the Montessori
education programme t) (find, also) it easier to cope with school t)
later. This helps to turn them into independent, happy and
confident individuals.

Adapted from http://www.montessori.edu/info.html

(10 marks)

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QUESTION 3
The passage below contains eleven (11) errors which have been underlined. Correct
each error and write the answer in the space provided. The first error has been
corrected for you.

What 0) are food? Basically, food is the fuel your body needs to
keep going as it provides a) a building blocks for growth and
repair. Just as you need to put petrol in a car to make it run, you
need to put food in your body to keep it b) strongly and healthy.

To have a healthy body, you must c) consumed food that can

give the body all the nutrients it needs to grow and d) developing.
But how do you e) knew what food to eat? First of all, you need to
understand that there is no good or bad food. Different f) type of
food supply the different nutrients that your body needs. Thus, all
food taken in moderation can be part of a healthy diet. A healthy
diet g) including grain products, vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk
products, lean meats, fish, poultry h) or dry beans. You should
choose fewer varieties of food that are high i) at salt, sugar, or
saturated fats. You should also eat fewer pastries and cakes
because j) it contain large amounts of saturated fats. Remember,
eat a variety of food to get the necessary protein, vitamins,
minerals and fibre you need for good health.

Adapted from http://www.maxent.org/ch/exotic food.html

(5 marks)

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PART B: READING COMPREHENSION (15 MARKS)

Read the passage below carefully and answer all the questions that follow. Your answers
must be based on the information given in the passage.

I Li Jia, a tall, skinny 16-year-old from the countryside of northern China,

remembers the day when her mother finally found the courage to leave her
violent husband. She and her mother were getting ready to leave the house
when her enraged father grabbed a can of petrol and splashed it all over their
small house. When Li's mother protested, he threw petrol on her and emptied 5
the rest of the can onto Li. He then lit a match, dropped it and ran from the
house. Li managed to escape, but her mother was burned to death. Now Li
lives in a hospital in Shenyang, her face covered with scars and blisters.

II Not so long ago, Li Jia's father might have been only lightly punished and
allowed to slip back into a normal life. However, because of a recent change in 10
government policy, he has been sent to prison instead. After centuries of
ignoring abuse against women, China is finally dealing with its domestic
violence problem, which includes wife beating and other forms of physical
abuse towards family members.

III In the past, China considered domestic violence a family matter and did 15
nothing to help women who were abused by their husbands. Women too, did
not openly talk about domestic violence. That however changed in 1995, when
Beijing hosted the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women. The
conference was a turning point for abused women in China. They began to
realize that they needed to do something about their situation. The Chinese 20
government also started taking positive action to curb the problem of domestic
violence. For example, the government has now made it easier for abused
women to get a divorce. The state television network, which is controlled by
the government, has also started to broadcast programmes designed to raise
awareness of domestic violence among married couples and provide advice on 25
how to deal with it.

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IV Women are also beginning to take legal action against their abusive husbands.
A salesclerk in Beijing said that after getting married, she and her husband
often argued over everything. Then last summer, her husband beat her up,
damaging her eardrum and breaking several ribs. She made a police report 30
and subsequently asked for a divorce. Because her husband confessed to
beating her up, the court quickly granted her a divorce.

V In the past, most women in China did not leave their abusive husbands. Very
often, the abusive husband would get away easily with his crimes because the
police would only ask him to sign a written agreement stating that he would 35
never beat his wife again. It was also difficult for women to get a fair hearing in
the courts. Nowadays, however, the courts are being increasingly fair to
abused women. They are frequently given protection from their abusive
husbands and even allowed to divorce their husbands. This is a big change in
China and the women can be thankful that the government is at last supporting 40
the rights of abused women.

Adapted from Newsweek, January 2003

QUESTION 1
What do the following words and phrases refer to in the passage?

a) its (line 12) :

b) a family matter (line 15) :
c) They (line 19) :
d) which (line 23) :
e) she (line 28) :
(21/2 marks)

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QUESTION 2
Based on the information from the passage, write T next to the statements which are true
and F next to the statements which are false.

a) Li's father is currently leading a normal life in northern China.

b) The Chinese government has always supported the right of an abused

wife to leave her spouse.

c) More and more abused women in China are becoming aware of their legal
rights.

d) Abusive husbands in China were not fairly punished in the past and were
allowed to return home to their wives.

(2 marks)

QUESTION 3
Below are some words from the passage. Choose a word from the box that has the same
meaning as the word used in the passage. Write the answer in the space provided.

admitted beat angry seldom quarrelled

agreed often control complained complete

a) enraged (line 4)
b) curb (line 21)
c) argued (line 29)
d) confessed (line 31)
e) frequently (line 38)
(214 marks)

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Answer the following questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES.

QUESTION 4
Why did Li's father want to burn their house down?

(1 mark)

QUESTION 5
In the past, why did the Chinese government ignore its domestic violence problem?

(1 mark)

QUESTION 6
State two measures that are being taken by the Chinese government to curb the problem of
domestic violence.
a)

b)

(2 marks)

QUESTION 7
Write down the topic sentence of paragraph IV.

(1 mark)

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QUESTION 8
What did the salesclerk in Beijing do when her husband hurt her badly?

(1 mark)

QUESTION 9
Complete the table with information from the passage.

Domestic Violence in China

Past Present

Abuse against women was usually The courts are giving women
a) c)
and abusive husbands were only and allowing them to
b) d)
punished. their abusive husbands.

(2 marks)

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PART C: WRITING (20 MARKS)

QUESTION 1

Many students in UiTM do not use the sports and recreational facilities that are provided on
campus. Write an article for your college newsletter on the benefits of using these facilities.
You may use the points given below:

• keep the body fit and healthy

• reduce stress caused by studying and completing assignments
• provide opportunities for social interaction

Your article should be about 180 - 200 words.

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(20 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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