📄 O/L English Language — December 2020 (Official Marking Scheme)

Match the following instructions with the pictures given. Write the letter of the most suitable picture in the box given against each instruction. The first one is done for you.

Pictures (a)–(f) show: (a) covid-distance figures; (b) tap with water for handwashing; (c) hand sanitizer bottle; (d) people wearing face masks; (e) avoid fast food; (f) thermometer being used.

(1) Avoid fast food → e
(2) Wear a face mask. → ...
(3) Wash your hands. → ...
(4) Get your temperature checked. → ...
(5) Use a hand sanitizer. → ...
(6) Maintain two metre distance. → ...

Fill in the blanks in the following dialogue. Use the words given in the box. Write the letter of the correct word in the space given. The first one is done for you.

Word box: (a) share · (b) watch · (c) lesson · (d) late · (e) taught · (f) clearly

Shevon: Hello! Is that Nadini?
Nadini: Hello Shevon. How are you doing?
Shevon: Not bad. Did you (1) ...c... the Science lesson this morning?
Nadini: No, I couldn't. I woke up a little (2) ........... . Did you watch it?
Shevon: Yeah, it was an (3) ........... lesson on pollution.
Nadini: Who (4) ........... the lesson?
Shevon: Mr. Sivagurunathan. He explained it (5) ........... with many examples.
Nadini: I feel bad that I missed it.
Shevon: Don't worry. I took down some notes. I will (6) ........... them with you.
Nadini: Thanks Shevon.
Shevon: You are welcome!

Study the picture and fill in the blanks using the words given in the box. Write the letter of the correct word in the blank. The first one is done for you.

Word box: (a) books · (b) seated · (c) standing · (d) globe · (e) front · (f) ladder · (g) table · (h) neatly · (i) notes · (j) checking · (k) racks

This picture shows a library. There are some students and a (1) ...b... sitting at the (2) ........... in the middle. One student is taking down notes (3) ........... while the others are reading (4) ........... . The books on the (5) ........... are arranged (6) ........... and the assistant librarian is (7) ........... on a small (8) ........... selecting some books. The librarian at the (9) ........... table is (10) ........... some library cards. There is a (11) ........... on her table.

Underline the most suitable word to fill in each blank. The first one is done for you.

Why do people keep cats as pets? (1) (You, Your, Yours) would agree that cats are excellent companions. (2) (Them, They, Their) are playful, intelligent and loving animals. Cats let (3) (them, they, their) owners know that they are happy by rewarding (4) (them, they, their) with a loud rumbling purr or a lick on the arm. The cat also has the ability to be alone for several days at a time. All of these make (5) (it, its, it's) a lovable animal. Ancient Egyptians appreciated the same things about cats that (6) (us, we, our) do today. They were the first to keep cats as pets.

Read the text and complete the table given below. The first one is done for you.

Malta
Malta is a country with three islands. They are the island of Malta itself, and the smaller islands of Gozo and Comino. The area of the Malta island is 246 square kilometres, while Gozo is 67 square kilometres in area. Comino is only 3.5 square kilometres.
As at 2019, the population of Malta was 514,564. There are two ethnic groups in Malta. They are the Maltese and non-Maltese. The percentage of the Maltese is 79% and the percentage of non-Maltese is 21%. Valetta is the capital of Malta and it is also the smallest national capital in the European Union.
The official and national language in Malta is Maltese, which is of Arabic origin. Italian and Sicilian also previously served as official languages on the island for centuries. English is the second official language.
The chief products of Malta are potatoes, vegetables, grapes, wheat and barley. Malta is a very important shipping centre for the Mediterranean. It is also famous for its architectural sites and festivals. Malta is also a popular film location in its own right. The currency used in Malta is the Euro. Malta is also a popular tourist destination in Europe.

(1) The name of the country → Malta
(2) The smallest island → ...
(3) The number of ethnic groups → ...
(4) The capital city → ...
(5) The official language → ...
(6) Money used → ...

The Welfare Society of your school has planned a programme to clean the dengue breeding places in your school. You are the monitor of your class and your teacher has asked you to inform your classmates about this programme. Write a notice inviting your classmates to participate in it. Use about 40–50 words.

Include:
• date, time
• places to be cleaned (around the shrine room, near the class etc.)
• things to be brought (tools, equipment)

Read the following text and underline the correct answer.

I still remember how anxiously I was waiting for our monthly visit to grandma's house. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep until the day I left for grandma's. As soon as we got to grandma's house, we always went to the kitchen. There, grandma would give us a burning hot bowl of soup and we enjoyed it very much. Grandpa also would give us each a bar of chocolate that melted in our mouths soon.
Just off the kitchen, was grandma's living room. High on the wall was an antique clock. At the far end of the room were grandma's elegant octagonal cabinets with round tops.
Grandma also had a place for us in the old garage. There were some cars, not just regular cars but wonderful old cars. When the engines of those cars started, they sounded like lions roaring.
When the time came to leave grandma's house, we were always sad. We would miss grandma's fresh glass of milk in the morning and grandpa's loud laughter. Sometimes we would hide under grandma's great big bed hoping our parents would leave without us. Eventually, they always found us.

(1) How often did the writer and his family visit grandma?
(2) What did grandpa offer them?
(3) Where was the antique clock?
(4) 'Eventually' in line 13 means;
(5) What is the correct order of events which happened at grandma's?

Write a paragraph on one of the following topics. Use about 50–60 words.
(a) A helpful person in my life
(b) A place I like to visit

Read the text and underline the most suitable word given within brackets. The first one is done for you.

"Here is a newcomer to your class. Why don't you welcome him with a loud applause?" said the teacher introducing a new (1) (a) friend (b) friendly (c) friendship to the class. That was how Sugath became our classmate. He was very supportive and co-operative in everything we did. So he became (2) ........... (a) popularity (b) popular (c) popularly with us. At the term end examination, he (3) ........... (a) do (b) did (c) doing better than most of us. 'He will bring credit to our school one day,' we thought. (4) ........... (a) Fortunate (b) Fortunately (c) Unfortunately he did not stay long in our school. He left our school to (5) ........... (a) joining (b) joined (c) join his previous school again. We still remember him with (6) ........... (a) lovely (b) loving (c) love. How sad it is to be away from a good friend like Sugath!

Complete the question to get the underlined part as the answer. The first one is done for you.

(1) Dr. Arthur C. Clarke is a famous science fiction writer.
Who is Dr. Arthur C. Clarke ? (example)
(2) He was born in England.
Where ........... ?
(3) His childhood dream was to become a space scientist.
What ........... ?
(4) Dr. Clarke immigrated to Sri Lanka in 1956.
When ........... ?
(5) He loved Sri Lanka because it has many beautiful beaches.
Why ........... ?
(6) Dr. Clarke lived in Sri Lanka for 52 years.
For how long ........... ?

Fill in the blanks with the words given in the box. There is one extra word.

Word box: especially · best · kites · brothers · beginning · interests · in · was · twins · together · different · quiet · liked · making · bicycles

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, are well-known for inventing the aeroplane. Wilbur Wright was born on a farm near Indiana, on April 16th, 1867. His younger brother, Orville, (1) ...was... born four years later (2) ........... in Dayton, Ohio on August 19th, 1871. The Wright brothers were like (3) ........... . They had the same (4) ........... : they played, worked and planned everything (5) ........... . But they were also (6) ........... . Wilbur worked slowly, was (7) ........... quiet ........... and very serious. Orville worked fast and (8) ........... to talk and joke. They were both good students, (9) ........... in Mathematics, but they were the (10) ........... best at (11) ........... and fixing many things. They made the first (12) ..........., on a hill in Dayton, and (13) ........... making kites was the (14) ........... of their interest in flying. Next, they started repairing (15) ........... . Soon, they were making and selling their own bikes at the Wright Cycle Company.

Complete the following passage using the most appropriate form of the verb given within brackets.

Animated movies are very popular in the world today. Many people consider Winsor McCay to be the father of animation. In the early 1900s, he (1) ........... (create) animated movies with the photographs of hand-drawn pictures. Hundreds of photographs (2) ........... (need) to make even a one-minute movie. However, the production of animated movies (3) ........... (change) a lot since its inception in the 1900s. Today, most animated movies (4) ........... (produce) with special computer software. Unlike hand-drawn animation, the work can (5) ........... (do) much faster by a computer. Anyone with a home computer and special software can make a simple animation in a few minutes.

Read the following stories of films. Match them with the type of film the five students love to see. Write the correct letter of the film in the box.

Films:
A — 12 Years a Slave (a true black-man story)
B — Virunga (documentary on the Virunga National Park / gorillas)
C — The Blue Elephant (cartoon — a young elephant who has lost its father)
D — The Bridge on the River Kwai (British war prisoners building a bridge)
E — A Tale of Marie and Three Puppies (true story of how a Japanese family overcame an earthquake / love of puppies)

(1) Kasuni: 'I love to see films about animals. I like stories where animals act along with other people just like human beings.' → ...
(2) Naveen: 'I love to see cartoon films but I do not like cartoons about heroes or human characters.' → ...
(3) Praboda: 'I like to see films based on real characters. Such films allow us to learn how people succeed in overcoming hardships.' → ...
(4) Chenumi: 'To see the beauty of nature is what I like most. That's why I like films on nature.' → ...
(5) Shenara: 'We learn about world wars at school, but haven't seen one. Films on war give us that chance. That's why I like war movies.' → ...

Write on one of the following. Use about 100 words.

(a) Write a letter to one of your friends who is studying in a foreign country. Describe the plans for your future education. Use about 100 words.
Include: about the Advanced Level Examination · reasons for your choices · any other plans · subjects you would select · your ambitions.

OR

(b) The following bar graph shows extra activities done by Grade 10 students of Vidyaloka Vidyalaya to improve their English language skills. Write a description about it. Use about 100 words.
Use words: most, equal, least, more, less, less popular, more popular.

Bar-graph values: Watching films 45 · Taking part in competitions 25 · Reading story books 20 · Singing songs 20 · Making diary entries 10.

Read the following text and answer the questions given below.

Life of Sea Otters
① The relationship between a mother and her pup shows the most intimate association in a sea otter's life. The adult male provides no parental care, which is typical for most mammals. However a female sea otter spends a great deal of time and energy in caring for her offspring, which depend on her for nourishment and protection.
② A mother and her pup are never far apart during the entire time. A pup spends most of its time riding on its mother's belly. Even very large pups, six months or older, may still try to "climb on board". You can't help but feel sorry for a mother struggling to paddle with a pup nearly her own size riding on her stomach!
③ A mother's protective behaviour towards her offspring is obvious to anyone. Scientists have made interesting observations on mothers' and pups' behaviour. One mother was found fondling the dead body of a pup and attempting to groom the dead body. In Monterey Harbour, one female who had just lost her pup was seen mothering a plastic bottle — holding it under her chin and fondling it as if it were her pup. One brave mother actually climbed into a boat to rescue her large pup.
④ While being attentive to their own young, females rarely care for another mother's pup, probably in part because there's little chance that a mother who has lost her own pup will encounter an orphan.
⑤ A pup gets most of its nourishments by nursing from its mother for the first two months of its life. Although the mother continues to suckle her pup throughout the dependency period, the pup gradually adds more solid food to its diet.
⑥ A female's two nipples are often visible on her lower abdomen when she is producing milk. Like other marine mammals, sea otters produce milk that's extremely rich in protein and fat and low in lactose or milk sugar.

(1) T/F:
(i) Only female sea otters provide parental care.
(ii) Pups leave their parents when they are six months old.
(iii) A female otter is very unlikely to care for another mother's pup.
(iv) Sea otters' milk does not contain lactose.
(2) Underline the phrase closest in meaning to the following.
(a) 'offspring' in paragraph ① — (i) female otters (ii) male otters (iii) baby otters (iv) adult otters
(b) 'encounter' in paragraph ④ — (i) ignore (ii) dislike (iii) meet (iv) look after
(3) Write the word in paragraph ② that is similar in meaning to 'whole'.
(4) Pronoun reference:
(i) 'her' in paragraph ① line 4
(ii) 'it' in paragraph ③ line 5
(5) Which provides an example to show a mother otter's caring nature?
(1) One brave mother climbed into a boat to rescue her large pup.
(2) A mother's protective behaviour towards her offspring is obvious to anyone.
(3) Scientists have made interesting observations on mothers and pups.
(6) Best sub-heading for the last paragraph:
(1) The role of female sea otters
(2) The art of feeding the pups
(3) Nutritional value of sea otter milk
(4) Features of the body of the sea otter

Write on one of the following topics. Use about 200 words.
(a) An article to a school magazine on 'The natural beauty of Sri Lanka'.
Include: location — Indian Ocean; golden beaches along the coast; rivers, mountains, waterfalls, forests and wildlife; how to protect the natural beauty.
(b) A speech you would make in the morning assembly on 'Good health habits prevent spreading of diseases'.
Include: good health habits (personal hygiene, home-made food, exercise); how they prevent diseases; what students can do in schools.
(c) Write an essay on 'Sources of Information'.
Include: common sources (television, newspapers, books, journals, web pages); describe the sources you use; advantages of using them (quick access to information, reliable, useful, providing entertainment).
(d) Rizvi and Shenal are students. They are discussing what they did during the holidays. Complete the dialogue between them.
Rizvi: It was a long vacation, wasn't it?
Shenal: Yes. How did you like it?
...