The English School
Mid-Entry Examination 2019
English – Year 2
Time Allowed: 1hour 15minutes
General Instructions:
1. Answer all the questions asked
2. Use your own words unless otherwise stated
3. Write neatly
4. Check your work carefully at the end
Marks Allocated:
Section A: Comprehension (20 marks)
Section B: Directed Writing (10 marks)
Section C: Composition (20 marks)
Good Luck!
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Section A: Comprehension (20 marks)
Read the following extract from the novel ‘I am David’ by Anne Holme in which David is allowed to escape
from a concentration camp and make his way across Europe to a new home in Denmark. Twelve year old
David waits nervously for the moment when he is to make his escape from the prison camp where he was
born and grew up.
David lay quite still in the darkness, listening to the men’s low muttering. But this evening he was aware of
their voices only as a vague meaningless noise in the distance, and he paid no attention to what they were
saying.
‘You must get away tonight,’ the man had told him. ‘Stay awake so that you’re ready just before the
guard’s change. When you see me strike a match, the current will be cut off and you can climb over –
you’ll have half a minute for it, no more.’
In his mind’s eye David saw once again the grey bare room he knew so well. He saw the man and was
conscious, somewhere in the pit of his stomach, of the hard knot of hate he felt whenever he saw him.
The man’s eyes were small, repulsive, light in colour, their expression never changing; his face was gross
and fat. David had known him all his life, but he never spoke to him more than was barely necessary to
answer his questions; and though he had known his name for as long as he could remember, he never said
anything but ‘the man’ when he spoke about him or thought of him. Giving him a name would be like
admitting that he know him; it would place him on an equal footing with the others.
But that evening he had spoken to him. He had said, ‘And if I don’t escape?’
The man had shrugged his shoulders. ‘That’ll be none of my business. I have to leave here tomorrow, and
whatever my successor may decide to do about you, I shan’t be able to interfere. But you’ll soon be a big
lad, and there’s need in a good many places for those strong enough to work.’
David knew only too well that those other places would not be any better than the camp where he now
was. ‘And if I get away without being caught, what then?’ he asked.
‘Just by the big tree in the thicket that lies on the road out to the mines, you’ll find a bottle of water and a
compass. Follow the compass southwards till you get to Salonica, and then when no one’s looking go on
board a ship and hide. You’ll have to stay hidden while the ship’s at sea, and you’ll need the water. Find a
ship that’s bound for Italy, and when you get there go north till you come to a country called Denmark –
you’ll be safe there.’
David had very nearly shown his astonishment, but he controlled himself, and hiding his feelings merely
said, ‘I don’t know what a compass is.’
The man had shown him one, telling him that the four letters indicated north, south, east and west, and
that the needle, which swung freely, always pointed in the same direction. Then he had added, ‘The half
minute the current’s cut off is intended for you. If you try to take anyone with you, you can be sure that
neither of you will get away. And now clear off before you’re missed.’
David did not know what possessed him to say it – he had never asked the man for anything, partly
because he know it would be of no use, but chiefly because he would not – when you hated someone, you
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did not ask him for anything. But tonight he had done it: when he reached the door, he turned round, and
looking straight into that coarse heavy face said, ‘I’d like a piece of soap.’
For a moment there had been complete silence in that bare grey room. Then the man picked up a cake of
soap that lay by the side of the wash-basin in the corner and threw it on the table. All he said was, ‘Now
go.’
So David had gone, as quickly as it was possible to go without appearing to be in a hurry.
The men’s muttering was fainter now – some of them must have fallen asleep. The camp’s latest arrival
was still talking. David recognised his voice because it was less flat and grating than the others. Whenever
the newcomer dozed off to sleep, he was seized with a nightmare, and then they would all wake up again.
The night before, this had happened just before the guard was changed, but if he took longer to fall asleep
this evening, then it might be possible for David to slip out before the others were wakened again.
David was not yet sure whether he would make the attempt. He tried to work out why the man had told
him to do it. It was certainly a trap: just as he was climbing over, the searchlight would suddenly swing
round and catch him in its bean, and then they would shoot. Perhaps something pleasant was going to
happen tomorrow and the man wanted his shot first. David had always known that the man hated him,
just as much as David hated him in return. On the other hand, nothing pleasant had ever yet happened in
the camp that David could remember, and he was now twelve years old – it said so on his identity-card.
And then quite suddenly David decided he would do it. He turned it over in his mind until his head was in a
whirl and he still could not understand why the man had told him to escape. Suppose it were a trap and
they shot him, it would all be over quickly anyway. If you were fired at while trying to escape, you would
be dead within a minute. Yes, David decided to try.
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Answer all the questions which follow using your own words unless otherwise stated.
1. What atmosphere does the writer create in the opening paragraph of this extract? Use one word to
describe it.
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(1 mark)
2. In your own words, describe the camp. Make sure to include four details.
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(4 marks)
3. a) What was David being encouraged to do?
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(1 mark)
b) What did David feel towards the man who was encouraging him to do this? How do you know this?
Use evidence from the text in your answer.
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(3 marks)
4. Complete the following sentence with appropriate words from the text.
David was told to use a __________________ to guide him on his journey. He was told to travel
south until he reached the city of __________________.
(2 marks)
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5. Match the words/phrases from the passage (on the left) with their meaning (on the right), as they are
used in the passage. The words are in bold in the text.
grating spin
dozed off scratching
whirl slept
astonishment own
possessed surprise
(5 marks)
6. Write the plural of the following nouns from this extract.
Man ______________________
Match ______________________
Person ______________________
Compass ______________________
(4 marks)
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Section B: Directed Writing 10 marks
Imagine you are David. Write your diary on the night you decided you would try to escape.
In your diary you should include:
what you discussed with the man;
how you feel about what you are about to do.
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Section C: Composition (20 marks)
Choose ONE of the following questions and write about 250-350 words. Remember the
importance of vocabulary, expression, accuracy, linking words, punctuation, paragraphing,
planning and content.
EITHER
Narrative
1. Write a story about a time where you felt trapped and tried to escape.
Use narrative techniques to develop the story
Use a wide range of vocabulary and sentence types
OR
Descriptive
2. Imagine you are on a ship full of passengers. Describe your experience focusing on:
Using a wide range of descriptive language-adjectives, adverbs, imagery
Referring to the senses for detail (e.g. sounds/sights/smells)
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Question Number:
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- This is the end of the Examination -
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