📝 Unit 3: Travel
Past simple · passive voice · suffixes · narrating · sequencing words
Task 1 — Match transport to descriptions (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Match each mode of transport with its correct description. Write
the letter in the blank. The first one is done for you.
Transport:
A — monorail B — tram C — space shuttle D — bullock cart E — ferry F — cable car
Descriptions:
(1) A boat that carries people and vehicles across a river or sea. → E (example)
(2) A train that travels along a single rail. → ...
(3) An electric vehicle that runs on rails laid on city roads. → ...
(4) A traditional cart pulled by two oxen. → ...
(5) A car-shaped cabin that hangs from a steel cable, used to cross hills. → ...
(6) A vehicle designed to travel above the earth's atmosphere. → ...
the letter in the blank. The first one is done for you.
Transport:
A — monorail B — tram C — space shuttle D — bullock cart E — ferry F — cable car
Descriptions:
(1) A boat that carries people and vehicles across a river or sea. → E (example)
(2) A train that travels along a single rail. → ...
(3) An electric vehicle that runs on rails laid on city roads. → ...
(4) A traditional cart pulled by two oxen. → ...
(5) A car-shaped cabin that hangs from a steel cable, used to cross hills. → ...
(6) A vehicle designed to travel above the earth's atmosphere. → ...
(2) A — monorail
(3) B — tram
(4) D — bullock cart
(5) F — cable car
(6) C — space shuttle
5 marks.
(3) B — tram
(4) D — bullock cart
(5) F — cable car
(6) C — space shuttle
5 marks.
Task 2 — Underline the correct past-simple form (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Underline the most suitable form of the verb in brackets. The
first one is done for you.
Last Sunday morning my family (1) (decide, decided, deciding) to visit Sigiriya.
We (2) ........... (left, leaved, leaves) home at five o'clock. My father
(3) ........... (drove, driven, drived) the van. When we (4) ........... (reach,
reached, reaching) Dambulla, we (5) ........... (stop, stopped, stoping) for
breakfast at a small wayside restaurant. We finally (6) ........... (begin,
began, begun) our climb at about nine in the morning.
first one is done for you.
Last Sunday morning my family (1) (decide, decided, deciding) to visit Sigiriya.
We (2) ........... (left, leaved, leaves) home at five o'clock. My father
(3) ........... (drove, driven, drived) the van. When we (4) ........... (reach,
reached, reaching) Dambulla, we (5) ........... (stop, stopped, stoping) for
breakfast at a small wayside restaurant. We finally (6) ........... (begin,
began, begun) our climb at about nine in the morning.
(1) decided (example)
(2) left
(3) drove
(4) reached
(5) stopped
(6) began
5 marks.
(2) left
(3) drove
(4) reached
(5) stopped
(6) began
5 marks.
Task 3 — Spot and correct the past-tense mistakes (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Each underlined word in the following text is incorrect. Write
the correct word in the space provided. The first one is done for you.
Last weekend our cricket team (1) <u>have</u> planned to play a friendly match.
Everyone (2) <u>were</u> at the ground (3) <u>by</u> seven o'clock. The
captain (4) <u>tell</u> us to warm up first. Just as the match started, it
(5) <u>begun</u> to rain heavily. We (6) <u>didn't played</u> a single over.
(1) have → had (example)
(2) were → ...
(3) by → ...
(4) tell → ...
(5) begun → ...
(6) didn't played → ...
the correct word in the space provided. The first one is done for you.
Last weekend our cricket team (1) <u>have</u> planned to play a friendly match.
Everyone (2) <u>were</u> at the ground (3) <u>by</u> seven o'clock. The
captain (4) <u>tell</u> us to warm up first. Just as the match started, it
(5) <u>begun</u> to rain heavily. We (6) <u>didn't played</u> a single over.
(1) have → had (example)
(2) were → ...
(3) by → ...
(4) tell → ...
(5) begun → ...
(6) didn't played → ...
(2) was
(3) by (✓ — correct, OR "at")
(4) told
(5) began
(6) didn't play
5 marks. (Item 3 is a distractor in some versions; the canonical answer set is the past-tense fixes on items 2, 4, 5, 6.)
(3) by (✓ — correct, OR "at")
(4) told
(5) began
(6) didn't play
5 marks. (Item 3 is a distractor in some versions; the canonical answer set is the past-tense fixes on items 2, 4, 5, 6.)
Task 4 — Active to passive (present continuous) (5 marks)
(5 marks)
The manager at a hotel is checking what the staff are doing.
Rewrite each sentence in the passive voice. The first one is done for you.
(1) Active : The waiters are serving the food.
Passive: The food is being served. (example)
(2) Active : The cleaners are mopping the floor.
Passive: ...
(3) Active : The receptionist is taking a phone call.
Passive: ...
(4) Active : Two gardeners are watering the plants.
Passive: ...
(5) Active : The driver is loading the suitcases.
Passive: ...
(6) Active : The chef is preparing the cake.
Passive: ...
Rewrite each sentence in the passive voice. The first one is done for you.
(1) Active : The waiters are serving the food.
Passive: The food is being served. (example)
(2) Active : The cleaners are mopping the floor.
Passive: ...
(3) Active : The receptionist is taking a phone call.
Passive: ...
(4) Active : Two gardeners are watering the plants.
Passive: ...
(5) Active : The driver is loading the suitcases.
Passive: ...
(6) Active : The chef is preparing the cake.
Passive: ...
(2) The floor is being mopped.
(3) A phone call is being taken.
(4) The plants are being watered.
(5) The suitcases are being loaded.
(6) The cake is being prepared.
5 marks.
(3) A phone call is being taken.
(4) The plants are being watered.
(5) The suitcases are being loaded.
(6) The cake is being prepared.
5 marks.
Task 5 — Suffixes: change the word class (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Form a new word by adding a suffix from the box. Fit it into the
blank. The first one is done for you.
Suffix box: -ness · -ment · -tion · -ous · -ful · -ly
(1) Her (kind) ...kindness... made everyone smile. (example)
(2) The government announced a new (develop) ........... project.
(3) I read the instructions (careful) ........... before starting.
(4) His (decide) ........... to leave shocked us all.
(5) Climbing this rock is (danger) ........... .
(6) The girl spoke with great (sad) ........... .
blank. The first one is done for you.
Suffix box: -ness · -ment · -tion · -ous · -ful · -ly
(1) Her (kind) ...kindness... made everyone smile. (example)
(2) The government announced a new (develop) ........... project.
(3) I read the instructions (careful) ........... before starting.
(4) His (decide) ........... to leave shocked us all.
(5) Climbing this rock is (danger) ........... .
(6) The girl spoke with great (sad) ........... .
(2) development
(3) carefully
(4) decision
(5) dangerous
(6) sadness
5 marks.
(3) carefully
(4) decision
(5) dangerous
(6) sadness
5 marks.
Task 6 — Reading: invention of the wheel (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Read the following text and answer the questions.
The wheel may be the most important invention in human history. People had
been walking long distances on foot for thousands of years before they began
to think about easier ways. The earliest wheels we have found are about
5,500 years old, made of solid wood. They were not used on transport at all
at first; they helped potters turn soft clay into bowls.
Later, somebody attached a wheel to each side of a heavy box, and the
oxcart was born. Suddenly a farmer could carry ten times more grain in one
journey. Empires rose because their armies could move faster.
Today the wheel is everywhere — on the cars that take us to school, on the
chairs we sit in, on the suitcase that follows us through the airport. Even
the gears inside a wristwatch are tiny wheels. If the wheel had not been
invented, modern life simply could not exist.
(1) About how old are the earliest wheels found?
(2) What was the first use of the wheel — was it transport?
(3) Write the sentence which shows why empires rose because of the wheel.
(4) Find a word from paragraph 3 that means "things found in many places".
(5) Underline the correct title for this passage:
(a) How farmers grew rich.
(b) The invention that changed the world.
(c) The story of pottery.
The wheel may be the most important invention in human history. People had
been walking long distances on foot for thousands of years before they began
to think about easier ways. The earliest wheels we have found are about
5,500 years old, made of solid wood. They were not used on transport at all
at first; they helped potters turn soft clay into bowls.
Later, somebody attached a wheel to each side of a heavy box, and the
oxcart was born. Suddenly a farmer could carry ten times more grain in one
journey. Empires rose because their armies could move faster.
Today the wheel is everywhere — on the cars that take us to school, on the
chairs we sit in, on the suitcase that follows us through the airport. Even
the gears inside a wristwatch are tiny wheels. If the wheel had not been
invented, modern life simply could not exist.
(1) About how old are the earliest wheels found?
(2) What was the first use of the wheel — was it transport?
(3) Write the sentence which shows why empires rose because of the wheel.
(4) Find a word from paragraph 3 that means "things found in many places".
(5) Underline the correct title for this passage:
(a) How farmers grew rich.
(b) The invention that changed the world.
(c) The story of pottery.
(1) About 5,500 years old.
(2) No — they were first used on potters' wheels to make bowls.
(3) "Empires rose because their armies could move faster."
(4) everywhere.
(5) (b) The invention that changed the world.
5 marks.
(2) No — they were first used on potters' wheels to make bowls.
(3) "Empires rose because their armies could move faster."
(4) everywhere.
(5) (b) The invention that changed the world.
5 marks.
Task 7 — Notice: school trip (40–50 words)
(5 marks)
You are the secretary of the Geography Society. Write a notice
inviting Grade 10 students to a study trip. Use about 40–50 words.
Include:
• destination and purpose
• date and departure time
• cost per student
• how to register.
inviting Grade 10 students to a study trip. Use about 40–50 words.
Include:
• destination and purpose
• date and departure time
• cost per student
• how to register.
GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY — STUDY TRIP TO SIGIRIYA
All Grade 10 students are warmly invited to a study trip to Sigiriya rock
fortress on Saturday, 13th February 2027. The bus will leave from the school
gate at 4.30 a.m. and return by 8.00 p.m. The cost is Rs. 2,500 per student.
Kindly register with the undersigned by 7th February.
— Anuhas Silva, Secretary.
50 words. 5 marks.
All Grade 10 students are warmly invited to a study trip to Sigiriya rock
fortress on Saturday, 13th February 2027. The bus will leave from the school
gate at 4.30 a.m. and return by 8.00 p.m. The cost is Rs. 2,500 per student.
Kindly register with the undersigned by 7th February.
— Anuhas Silva, Secretary.
50 words. 5 marks.
Task 8 — Short paragraph (50–60 words)
(5 marks)
Write a paragraph on ONE of the following. Use about 50–60 words.
(a) A train journey I will never forget
(b) My favourite mode of transport
(c) A trip with my family
(a) A train journey I will never forget
(b) My favourite mode of transport
(c) A trip with my family
MODEL — A train journey I will never forget (60 words)
Last August my brother and I took the early Ella-bound train from Maradana.
For seven hours we rolled past misty tea estates and through narrow stone
tunnels. The famous Nine-Arches Bridge appeared at exactly the right moment —
the morning sun lit up its stones and a blue train was crossing it. I will
never forget that view.
5 marks — past-simple narrative, sequencing ("for seven hours", "at exactly
the right moment"), one striking sensory detail.
Last August my brother and I took the early Ella-bound train from Maradana.
For seven hours we rolled past misty tea estates and through narrow stone
tunnels. The famous Nine-Arches Bridge appeared at exactly the right moment —
the morning sun lit up its stones and a blue train was crossing it. I will
never forget that view.
5 marks — past-simple narrative, sequencing ("for seven hours", "at exactly
the right moment"), one striking sensory detail.
Task 9 — Letter / data description (~100 words, 10 marks)
(10 marks)
Answer (a) OR (b). Use about 100 words.
(a) Write a letter to a friend describing the trip you took last term. Include:
where you went, who you went with, mode of travel, two things you did, how you
felt at the end.
(b) The following table shows the modes of transport used by 200 students of
your school. Write a description. Use the words: most, least, equal, more, less.
Table: bus 80 · bicycle 35 · walk 30 · school van 25 · motorbike 20 · train 10.
(a) Write a letter to a friend describing the trip you took last term. Include:
where you went, who you went with, mode of travel, two things you did, how you
felt at the end.
(b) The following table shows the modes of transport used by 200 students of
your school. Write a description. Use the words: most, least, equal, more, less.
Table: bus 80 · bicycle 35 · walk 30 · school van 25 · motorbike 20 · train 10.
(b) MODEL — Table description (108 words)
The table shows the modes of transport used by 200 students of our school. The
school bus is by far the most popular choice: 80 students out of 200 travel
by it every day. Bicycles come second at 35 students, slightly more than the
30 who walk. The school van carries 25 students, while 20 ride to school on
the family motorbike — fewer than the cyclists but only slightly fewer than
the van users. The train is the least popular option, with just 10 students.
In summary, public-transport modes (bus and train) together account for
almost half of all students.
10 marks — accurate data, every comparison phrase used, opens and closes with insight.
The table shows the modes of transport used by 200 students of our school. The
school bus is by far the most popular choice: 80 students out of 200 travel
by it every day. Bicycles come second at 35 students, slightly more than the
30 who walk. The school van carries 25 students, while 20 ride to school on
the family motorbike — fewer than the cyclists but only slightly fewer than
the van users. The train is the least popular option, with just 10 students.
In summary, public-transport modes (bus and train) together account for
almost half of all students.
10 marks — accurate data, every comparison phrase used, opens and closes with insight.
Task 10 — Article / story (~200 words, 15 marks)
(15 marks)
Write on ONE of the following. Use about 200 words.
(a) An article for a school magazine: 'A memorable journey'.
(b) A speech you would make at the assembly on 'Why we should travel'.
(c) Write a story that begins: 'The bus had been moving for two hours when
suddenly...'
(a) An article for a school magazine: 'A memorable journey'.
(b) A speech you would make at the assembly on 'Why we should travel'.
(c) Write a story that begins: 'The bus had been moving for two hours when
suddenly...'
(c) MODEL — Story (215 words)
The bus had been moving for two hours when suddenly the engine made a long,
tired groan and went silent in the middle of the Habarana jungle road. The
driver pulled to the side. He climbed down, opened the bonnet and frowned at
something we could not see. Forty of us, on our way to the Sigiriya school
trip, looked at one another in growing worry.
It was already 11 a.m. and the sun was sharp. A few children began to whine.
Mrs. Perera, our class teacher, stood up at the front and clapped her hands
twice. 'Right — let's not waste the morning. Out, everyone. Bring your water
bottles.' Within minutes she had us walking single-file along the shaded edge
of the road, counting the species of trees we could see.
Half an hour later the driver waved his cap. The fault had been a loose
radiator hose; he had wrapped it with a piece of cloth and a wire. We climbed
back in, cheering, and the bus rolled on.
We reached Sigiriya by one. The rock looked even more beautiful for having
been so nearly missed. Sometimes, I learned that day, the trouble on the way
is the part of the trip you remember most.
15 marks — hooks the reader, builds tension, gives a clear turning point, ends
with a small lesson. Past-perfect (had been, had wrapped) used correctly.
The bus had been moving for two hours when suddenly the engine made a long,
tired groan and went silent in the middle of the Habarana jungle road. The
driver pulled to the side. He climbed down, opened the bonnet and frowned at
something we could not see. Forty of us, on our way to the Sigiriya school
trip, looked at one another in growing worry.
It was already 11 a.m. and the sun was sharp. A few children began to whine.
Mrs. Perera, our class teacher, stood up at the front and clapped her hands
twice. 'Right — let's not waste the morning. Out, everyone. Bring your water
bottles.' Within minutes she had us walking single-file along the shaded edge
of the road, counting the species of trees we could see.
Half an hour later the driver waved his cap. The fault had been a loose
radiator hose; he had wrapped it with a piece of cloth and a wire. We climbed
back in, cheering, and the bus rolled on.
We reached Sigiriya by one. The rock looked even more beautiful for having
been so nearly missed. Sometimes, I learned that day, the trouble on the way
is the part of the trip you remember most.
15 marks — hooks the reader, builds tension, gives a clear turning point, ends
with a small lesson. Past-perfect (had been, had wrapped) used correctly.