SMK (P) PUDU, JALAN FOSS, 55200 KUALA LUMPUR

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
FIRST MONTHLY TEST
FORM 5
TIME : 1 HOUR
NAME :_____________________
CLASS : ____________________

Reading Comprehension
Question 1 – 5 are based on the following passage.

1 Diabetes, a modern-day disease, does not choose its victims. It affects the young as
well as the old. It is incurable yet controllable. It can be crippling, but many sufferers have it
for years and yet still lead a normal life.
2 Those suffering from it are called diabetics. They become one when there is either too
much or too little sugar in their bloodstream. Having too much sugar usually results from eating 5
more than what their body requires, especially when the person is older and overweight. Those
having this condition will experience tiredness, extreme thirst, difficulty breathing and loss of
consciousness. If the condition is left untreated, blindness, stroke, limb amputation and coma
may result.
3 On the other hand, those having too little sugar often result from complications arising 10
from wrong medication or, if the body lacks the substance chromium. Sufferers may be
overcome by fatigue, dizziness, headache, sweating and in severe cases, loss of
consciousness and coma.
4 How does one get the disease? Sometimes, it is hereditary, but more often it is from
eating the wrong kind of food. It starts from the way our bodies process carbohydrates in our 15
food. Normally, starch is converted into a form of sugar called glucose. This glucose then
floats along in the bloodstream until the pancreas, a large gland located behind the stomach,
goes into action. The pancreas produces a hormone, insulin, which activates our body cells
to soak up the sugar, glucose. Once inside the cells, the glucose is either used to produce
heat or energy or is stored as fat. 20

5 When a person's pancreas produces little or no insulin, the body cells cannot function
effectively to convert the glucose into heat or energy. Glucose then accumulates and is later
expelled in the urine. In short, the level of glucose in the blood rises, while body cells 'starve'.
This is a severe form of diabetes and ten percent of all diabetics have this form which usually
affects children and young adults. Doctors call this form Type 1 and those suffering from it 25
require daily injections of insulin.
6 Most people have what is known as Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. About one-third of
Type 2 diabetics do require insulin to control the level of glucose in the bloodstream and
another one-third use medication to remedy their illness. The rest can rely on non-medication
measures such as diet, weight loss and exercise to control their affliction. 30
7 There are several simple steps a Type 2 diabetic can follow to control the disease. The
first is to avoid simple carbohydrates such as table sugar because they tend to raise the
glucose level quickly. Avoid too, the fizzy and carbonated drinks that contain a lot of sugar.
Research shows that a can of carbonated drink contain about fourteen teaspoons of sugar.
Don't go for cream-laced cakes, cookies and other cakes that contain a high percentage of 35
sugar.
8 Perhaps the best preventive measure is having regular exercise because it ensures
that the optimum body weight is maintained. However, it should be remembered that weight
loss should be gradual. Hence, crash diets and instant weight loss should be discouraged as
they are potentially dangerous. 40

9 If you are uncertain whether or not you have diabetes, the following tell-tale signs will
help you to know. The first sign is extreme thirst. Next, be on the look-out for the frequent
need to urinate, especially at night and to such an extent that sleep is often affected. If you
notice ants frequenting your toilet, then beware! They are coming for the glucose that is in
the urine. And watch your wounds and cuts, especially around the foot - if they are taking a 45
long time to heal in spite of medication, you should have a nagging suspicion and go see a
doctor.
(Adapted from Utusan Konsumer January 2018)

1. a) Give the characteristics of diabetes

_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
b) From paragraph 2, give two symptoms of the disease
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
2. a) What does the pancreas do in our body?
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
b) From paragraph 5, state what happens when the pancreas malfunctions.
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
3. a) Name one way how Type 2 diabetes can be controlled.
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
b) From paragraph 7, what should a Type 2 diabetic avoid?
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
4. a) From paragraph 8, how does regular exercise help?
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
b) Why are crash diets not recommended for Type 2 diabetics?
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
5. From paragraph 5, provide two actions a person need to do to identify the signs that
he/she having diabetes.
Action 1: ____________________________________________________________
Action 2: ____________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
Summary Writing
According to the article, diabetes is a crippling disease.
Write a summary of
• the condition that leads to diabetes
• the steps that can be taken to prevent the disease and the tell-tale signs of someone who
may be suffering from the disease

Your summary must :

• be in continuous writing (not in note form).

• use material from line 4 to line 47.
• not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given.

Begin your summary as follows:

Diabetes is often having too much or too little sugar in our bloodstream.

C1 - Too much sugar leads to Type 1 diabetes.

C2 - Those suffering from it often feel tired, thirsty and difficulty in breathing.

C3 - Untreated, this can lead to strike or blindness.

C4 - When the pancreas malfunctions and is unable to produce insulin which leads to
inability to convert glucose into heat and energy.

C5 - This results in the body having a very high level of sugar and gets what is known as
Type 1 diabetes which requires daily injection of insulin.

C6 - Steps can be taken to control the disease is to avoid simple carbohydrates.

C7 - Avoid too, the fizzy and carbonated drinks that contain a lot of sugar.

C8 - Perhaps the best preventive measure is having regular exercise.

C9 - Look out for the frequent need to urinate.

C10 - Watch your wound and cuts, especially around the foot – if they are taking a long
time to heal.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(15 marks)
 Information Transfer
GETTING FIT FOR KUNG FU
If only it were as simple to learn kung fu as it is in "The Matrix'. In the 1999 Sci-fi film Keanu
Reeve’s character becomes a martial arts master in moments after the skills are uploaded directly
in his head from a computer. In reality there are no such shortcuts and it takes years of training.
Nonetheless, the longest journey starts with a single step, and here's how you prepare. First, it's
essential to have strong legs. In addition to kicks, they provide a solid foundation for defensive and
offensive moves.
Developing leg strength without unnecessary bulk can be achieved through weight training.
Rather than aiming to move big weights, it's better to do a large number of repetitions with smaller
weights.
Balance is everything in kung fu. Buy a Swiss ball and spend a couple of hours a week
working your core muscles by doing sit-ups and push-ups with it. Kneeling on the ball and trying
to stay upright will also help you to master your balance – and kung fu experts can hold their
position near indefinitely.
The quicker and more controlled your strikes are, the better. Therefore, you should try to
develop your fast-twitch muscle fibres with plyometric exercise to improve muscle coordination.
Muscle fibres can be broken down into two main types: slow twitch and fast twitch. The latter are
better at generating short bursts of strength but they tire more quickly, so they must be trained to
improve their efficiency.
If you want even speedier punches, wrap a resistance band (found in many gyms) around
your wrist and anchor the other end, or have a partner hold it tight. When you punch, you stretch
the band and this improves performance.
Flexibility is also a key as the better it is, the less likely you are to get injured. To this end,
try to include joint rotations into your stretching routine before a session.
The most important thing to remember is to be patient and persistent Training twice a week
will get you to an intermediate level in around four or five years.

a) Achieve through 1. ______________ with

small weights.
Strong legs
b) Strong foundation for 2. ______________
and 3. ___________________ moves.

Doing sit-ups and 5. ________________

4. __________________
with a 6. ____________________

Good muscle coordination 7. _______________________ exercise.

To master kung fu,
you should have

Including joint rotations when doing

8.___________________
stretching routine.

9.___________________ Intermediate level in 4 or 5 years

Training 10. _______________________

Persistence
a week

(10 marks)
Poem
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow

What has happened to Lulu?

By Charles Causley

What has Happened to Lulu, mother?

What has happened to Lu?
There's nothing in her bed but an old rag-doll
And by its side a shoe.
Why is her window wide, mother,
The curtain flapping free,
And only a circle on the dusty shelf
Where her money-box used to be?
Why do you turn your head, mother,
And why do tear drops fall?
And why do you crumple that note on the fire
And say it is nothing at all?
I woke to voices late last night,
I heard an engine roar.
Why do you tell me the things I heard
Were a dream and nothing more?
I heard somebody cry, mother,
In anger or in pain,
But now I ask you why, mother,
You say it was a gust of rain
Why do you wander about as though
You don't know what to do?
What has happened to Lulu, mother?
What has happened to Lu?

(a) "What has happened to Lulu, Mother?"

What tone is suggested in this line of questioning?
___________________________________________________________________
[1 mark]
(b) Why does the persona's mother turn her head in Stanza 3?
___________________________________________________________________
[1 mark]
(c) In Stanza 4, whose voices did the persona hear late at night?
___________________________________________________________________
[1 mark]
(d) Should the persona's mother have pretended that nothing had happened? Why?
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
Reason: ____________________________________________________________
[2 marks]
 Answer Scheme First Monthly Test
Form 5

1. (a) It is a modern-day disease.

(b) Those suffering from it will experience excessive thirst and difficult breathing
2. (a) It produces insulin that activates our body cells to soak up the sugar, glucose.
(b) The body cannot function effectively to convert the glucose into heat or
energy.
3. (a) They are controlled firstly, by the use of medication / through measures such
as exercise.
(b) He should avoid simple carbohydrates such as table sugar or carbonated
drinks
4. (a) It ensures that the optimum body weight is maintained.
(b) This is because they may be potentially dangerous to the sufferer
5. Action 1: Identify if you are urinating more than often
Action 2: Look out for wounds and cuts that take a long time to heal
Summary
Diabetes is often having too much or too little sugar in our bloodstream.

C1 - Too much sugar leads to Type 1 diabetes.

C2 - Those suffering from it often feel tired, thirsty and difficulty in breathing.
C3 - Untreated, this can lead to strike or blindness.
C4 - When the pancreas malfunctions and is unable to produce insulin which leads to
inability to convert glucose into heat and energy.
C5 - This results in the body having a very high level of sugar and gets what is known as
Type 1 diabetes which requires daily injection of insulin.
C6 - Steps can be taken to control the disease is to avoid simple carbohydrates.
C7 - Avoid too, the fizzy and carbonated drinks that contain a lot of sugar.
C8 - Perhaps the best preventive measure is having regular exercise.
C9 - Look out for the frequent need to urinate.
C10 - Watch your wound and cuts, especially around the foot – if they are taking a long
time to heal.

Information Transfer
1. weight training 6. Swiss ball
2. defensive 7. Plyometric
3. offensive 8. Flexibility
4. Balance 9. Patience
5. push-ups 10. twice

Poem

(a) A curious tone is suggested here.

(b) She did not want the persona (her child) to see her crying.
(c) The voices could be Lulu and the persona's mother arguing.
(d) Answer: No, she shouldn't
Reason: There wouldn't be any use pretending nothing had happened as her child
clearly noticed that his/her sibling Lulu was gone