MUET FAST TRACK 2023

MUET Fast Track Practice Siti Nur Adilah Borhanudin • Yashwanora Yahaya Fast Track Practice Fast Track Practice CEFR-Aligned MUET NEW EXAM FORMAT Conforms to PSELCF QR CODES for Listening Tracks

PREFACE MUET Fast Track Practice incorporates a range of task types to assess the ability to use English in specific communicative contexts, be it in formal (e.g. lectures, classroom readings, assignments, presentations, group discussions) or informal (e.g. written and spoken discourse such as announcements, notices, advertisements, emails, letters, phone calls, and varied socialising skills) settings. Current thematic practices are adopted in order to tailor to the content needs. MUET Fast Track Practice focuses on communicative language ability, which enables the user to understand and apply the knowledge in different situational contexts of communication. Hence, the authenticity of the task design is elicited to feature real-life tasks. MUET Fast Track Practice incorporates extensive coverage of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, in addition to the language content (grammar and vocabulary). Tasks and exercises are for learning and assessment purposes, where tips and notes are provided to scaffold and maximise learning. How is this book organised? The 10 units in this book cover ten themes based on the PSCELF framework, as per the learning standards requirement. Each unit is composed of the following sections: LISTENING SKILLS Extensive practice meeting different learning standards is provided to highlight Listening Skills, and a Listening Script is provided at the end of the book. SPEAKING SKILLS Varied stimuli covering the 10 themes and speaking strategies are provided to assist students with the Speaking Test. READING SKILLS Reading passages and comprehension exercises of varied topics, lengths, and levels of difficulty, are provided. WRITING SKILLS Guided and extended writing activities are given with close reference to the Writing Test. An answer key is also provided with real-life examples. THE AUTHORS iii

ABOUT MUET Structure of the MUET Paper The MUET Paper tests all the four language skills. The marks allocated and the maximum scores are presented below: Paper Code Component Time Weighting (%) Maximum Score 800/1 Listening 50 minutes 25% 90 800/2 Speaking 30 minutes 25% 90 800/3 Reading 75 minutes 25% 90 800/4 Writing 75 minutes 25% 90 Total 100 360 MUET is administered thrice a year: March, July, and November. The test consists of four papers: Listening (800/1), Speaking (800/2), Reading (800/3) and Writing (800/4). Candidates will be categorised according to six bands of achievement, from Band Five Plus for highly proficient users to Band One for limited users. However, candidates should set a minimum target of Band 3.5 in order to secure not only university entrance but also wider course options. CEFR AND MUET BAND ALIGNED Scores Accumulated MUET Band CEFR Level User 331 – 360 5+ C1+ Proficient 294 – 330 5.0 C1 258 – 293 4.5 B2+ Independent 211 – 257 4.0 B2 164 – 210 3.5 B1+ 123 – 163 3.0 B1 82 – 122 2.5 A2+ 36 – 81 2.0 A2 Basic 1 – 35 1.0 A1 iv

CONTENTS Preface iii About MUET iv 1THEME -- Social Issues Listening Skills 1 Topic: Relationships Understanding the listening component in MUET 1 Lead In 2 Exercises 3 MUET Practice 4 Speaking Skills 4 Topic: Human Rights Understanding the speaking component in MUET 5 Lead In 6 Exercises 6 MUET Practice 8 Reading Skills 9 Topic: Diversity and Equality Understanding the reading component in MUET 9 Exercises 9 MUET Practice 12 Writing Skills 13 Topic: Crimes and Poverty Understanding MUET Writing paper 13 Lead In 13 Exercises 14 MUET Practice 15 2THEME -- Health Listening Skills 16 Topic: Mental and Physical Health Pre-listening Approach 16 While-listening Approach 17 Lead In 17 Exercises 18 MUET Practice 19 Speaking Skills 20 Topic: Contagious Diseases Types of interactions 20 Exercises 20 MUET Practice 21 Reading Skills 22 Topic: Medicine Lead In 22 Exercises 23 MUET Practice 26 Writing Skills 26 Topic: Healthcare System Lead In 26 Exercises 27 MUET Practice 29 3THEME -- Environment Listening Skills 30 Topic: Pollution Listening for specific information 30 Lead In 31 v

Exercises 31 MUET Practice 32 Speaking Skills 33 Topic: Urbanisation Step-by-step approach to tackling MUET Listening Paper Effectively 33 Note-taking technique 33 Lead In 34 Exercises 34 MUET Practice 36 Reading Skills 37 Topic: Natural Disaster Lead In 37 Exercises 37 MUET Practice 40 Writing Skills 41 Topic: Sustainability Lead In 41 Exercises 41 MUET Practice 44 4THEME -- Education Listening Skills 45 Topic: Lifelong Learning Listening for tone and attitude 45 Lead In 46 Exercises 46 MUET Practice 47 Speaking Skills 49 Topic: Traditional and Online Learning Effective PE3 technique in group discussion 49 Lead In 50 Exercises 50 MUET Practice 51 Reading Skills 52 Topic: Academic Success Lead In 52 Exercises 53 MUET Practice 55 Writing Skills 56 Topic: Soft Skills Lead In 56 Exercises 57 MUET Practice 58 5THEME -- Science and Technology Listening Skills 59 Topic: Artificial Intelligence Listening for main ideas 59 Lead In 60 Exercises 60 MUET Practice 61 Speaking Skills 62 Topic: Technological Advancement The flow of individual presentation 62 Lead In 63 Exercises 64 MUET Practice 66 Reading Skills 67 Topic: Genetically Modified Organic Food Lead In 67 Exercises 67 MUET Practice 71 Writing Skills 73 Topic: Green and Smart Technology Lead In 73 Exercises 73 MUET Practice 77 vi

6THEME -- Information Technology Listening Skills 78 Topic: Information and Communication Technology Listening for Inference 78 Lead In 79 Exercises 79 MUET Practice 79 Speaking Skills 80 Topic: Future of Fintech Lead In 80 Exercises 81 MUET Practice 83 Reading Skills 84 Topic: Artificial Intelligence Exercises 84 Writing Skills 88 Topic: Information and Communication Technology Lead In 88 Exercises 88 MUET Practice 90 7THEME -- EconomyConsumerism Listening Skills 91 Topic: Online Shopping Listening for Directions 91 Lead In 91 Exercises 92 MUET Practice 93 Speaking Skills 94 Topic: Cashless Payments Lead In 94 Exercises 94 MUET Practice 95 Reading Skills 96 Topic: Consumerism Lead In 96 Exercises 97 MUET Practice 98 Writing Skills 101 Topic: Gig Economy Lead In 101 Exercises 101 MUET Practice 102 8THEME -- People/Lifestyle Listening Skills 103 Topic: Travels Listening for Purpose 103 Lead In 103 Exercises 104 MUET Practice 105 Speaking Skills 106 Topic: Volunteerism Non-governmental Organisation in Malaysia 106 Lead In 107 Exercises 108 MUET Practice 108 Reading Skills 109 Topic: Leadership Lead In 109 Exercises 110 MUET Practice 113 Writing Skills 116 Topic: Entertainment Lead In 116 Exercises 116 MUET Practice 118 vii

9THEME -- Culture/Tradition Listening Skills 119 Topic: Festivals and Celebrations Exercises 119 MUET Practice 120 Speaking Skills 121 Topic: Worldwide Customs Lead In 121 Exercises 121 MUET Practice 122 Reading Skills 123 Topic: Superstitions Lead In 123 Exercises 123 MUET Practice 126 Writing Skills 127 Topic: Historical Places Lead In 127 Exercises 128 MUET Practice 130 THEME -- 10 Sports/Leisure Listening Skills 131 Topic: Digital Gaming Final Preparation 131 Lead In 131 Exercises 132 MUET Practice 132 Speaking Skills 133 Topic: Extreme Sports Final Preparation 133 Lead In 134 Exercises 134 MUET Practice 136 Reading Skills 136 Topic: Meditational Sports Lead In 136 Exercises 137 MUET Practice 138 Writing Skills 141 Topic: Popular Sports Around the World Lead In 141 Exercises 141 MUET Practice 142 MUET Model Test 143 Tapescript 161 Answers 179 BONUS https://qr.pelangibooks com/?u=MUETFTrBonus viii

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues 1 THEME -- Social Issues 1.1.2 Understand recordings in the standard form of the language and identify speaker viewpoints and attitudes as well as the information content 1.1.3 Understand a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material, and identify finer points of detail including implicit attitudes Learning Standards LISTENING SKILLS TOPIC RELATIONSHIPS Listening Skills • Listening skill is one of the receptive skills needed in the real world and is tested as Paper 1 in MUET. This skill involves responding to language rather than producing it. To make sense of the spoken texts, learners are required to make sense of the language. • To facilitate this process, learners need to use context and their knowledge of the language and their surroundings. MUET Listening Paper (800/1) The main aim of the MUET Listening Paper is to evaluate a candidate’s ability to comprehend spoken speech, be it in a formal or informal setting. • Additionally, it also aims to assess students’ understanding of both familiar and unfamiliar contexts through various spoken texts namely lectures, interviews, announcements, instructions, and phone conversations, to name a few. MUET Listening Paper Overview Paper Code 800/1 PAPER 1 Text Type Monologue and Dialogue Number of Parts 5 Parts Question Type 30 Multiple Choice Questions Test Duration Approximately 50 minutes Full Marks 90 marks The listening texts in Paper 1 MUET range from familiar topics to unfamiliar topics. To mimic the real-world scenario but in the education context, the listening texts will consist of monologue and dialogue depending on the different parts of the paper. • For more formal academic settings, lectures and speeches may be used as the listening texts while for less formal non-academic contexts, phone calls and announcements are some of the options available. 1

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues • There are 5 parts in the MUET Listening paper with a total of 30 questions. All questions are MultipleChoice Questions (MCQs). TEST PART TEXT TYPE TEXT LENGTH DURATION QUESTION TYPE CEFR LEVEL NUMBER OF QUESTION I Dialogue 600 to 650 words Approximately 10 minutes Multiple Choice Questions (3 answer options) A2 – B1 7 II Monologue 600 to 650 words Approximately 10 minutes Multiple Choice Questions (3 answer options) B1 – B2 7 III Monologue (3 speakers) 350 – 400 words Approximately 6 minutes Multiple matching (5 answer options) B2 3 IV Dialogue 650 to 700 words Approximately 10 minutes Multiple Choice Questions (3 answer options) B2 7 V Short Dialogue 250 – 300 words per dialogue Approximately 3 minutes (60 seconds per dialogue) Multiple Choice Questions (3 answer options) B2 – C1 6 TOTAL 30 Lead In Based on the pictures given below, predict possible responses that your parents may adopt when presented with the scenarios. Then, share your predictions with your peers. 2

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues Exercise 1 Listen to responses from two teenagers discussing their preferred parenting styles. While listening, indicate the style(s) of parenting preferred and the reasons for their choices. A Independent User (B1 – B2) TRACK 1 PREFERRED PARENTING STYLE(S): REASONS COMMENT ON THE SPOKEN FEATURES OF Track 1: The response is relevant though, in certain parts of the speech, the response might deviate from the original question. The use of simple cohesive devices does help the flow of the ideas though some are wrongly used. Throughout the response, only low-frequency vocabulary is used to convey meaning. Idiomatic expression used is inaccurate to convey meaning. False start and fillers hamper the flow of the idea. Although grammatical errors are noticeable, the response is still mostly intelligible and therefore merits being regarded as an independent user of the English language. B Proficient User (C1 – C2) TRACK 2 PREFERRED PARENTING STYLE(S): REASONS COMMENT ON THE SPOKEN FEATURES OF Track 2: The response is effectively developed with sophistication suitable for an academic discussion. A mature argument can be traced throughout the response with coherent elaborations given. The vocabulary used is extensive, ranging from everyday words to low-frequency words. The use of sophisticated sentence connectors in the response enables the audience to follow through with the argument with ease. The response is highly intelligible with excellent command of complex grammatical forms. Confidence exuded helps the speaker appear to be very fluent in the target language. Hence, based on the spoken features displayed by the speaker, he or she will most likely be perceived as a proficient user of the English language. 1 Do the teenagers have different preferences of parenting styles? 2 What makes the two audios different? 3 Which audio appeals to you the most? Provide a justification. 3

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues Tips! Pay attention to the characteristics that set apart the options from one another. MUET Practice PART III: Monologue (Text length: 350 – 400 each) Listen to three individuals; Liam, Maya, and Samsul, talking about their parenting styles. For questions 1 to 3, choose From the list A to E, which parenting style that each speaker is most likely to adopt. Use the letters only once. There are two extra options, which you do not need to use. Parenting Style List A The uninvolved B The permissive C The strict D The overbearing E The balanced Parenting style most likely adopted by: 1 Speaker 1 2 Speaker 2 3 Speaker 3 2.1.9 Convey degrees of emotion and highlight the personal significance of events and experiences 2.2.1 Develop a clear argument, expanding and supporting one's points of view at some length with subsidiary points and relevant examples Learning Standards SPEAKING SKILLS TOPIC HUMAN RIGHTS Speaking Skills Speaking skill is a production skill that allows speakers to convey thoughts and feelings through the use of vocal sounds. Often, when speaking is performed, information is expected to be shared by the speakers. • Speaking can take place in both formal and informal manners depending on the context of the spoken interactions. Various factors need to be taken into account when performing this skill such as the target audience, the attitude of the speakers as well as the intention of the speakers. • In addition, when speaking is performed physically, non-verbal communication does influence the effectiveness of the speech delivered. Non-verbal communication consists of body language such as facial expressions, body gestures, and eye contact. Proficient users of the English language are believed to utilise their non-verbal communication to exude confidence in using the target language. TRACK 3 4

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues • In contrast, users with poor command of the target language often exemplify their low level of confidence by fidgeting, and a lack of eye contact might therefore imply a lack of interest in the issues discussed. MUET Speaking Paper (800/2) The primary aim of the MUET Speaking Paper is to assess candidates’ ability to deliver ideas through an individual presentation and a group discussion. The test is set to assess candidates in both formal and less formal academic contexts. ITEM TASK 1 TASK 2 TASK FORMAT Individual Presentation Group Discussion PREPARATION DURATION 2 minutes 3 minutes SPEECH DURATION 2 minutes 8 to 12 minutes NUMBER OF STUDENTS 1 Up to 4 As for the topics, candidates will be assessed on a wide range of contemporary issues which include the themes of people and culture, financial awareness and consumerism, science and technology, environment, education, and health. For Task 1 and Task 2, questions will be thematically linked. THEME POSSIBLE QUESTION People and Culture • What are the characteristics of good governance? • How can local tourism be promoted? • Suggest ways to reduce loneliness among the elderly. Financial Awareness and Consumerism • What are the drawbacks of online shopping? • Why financial literacy should be taught at schools? • State some skills you should have to manage money wisely. Science and Technology • What are some useful appliances to assist with house chores? • How does technology help better our lives? • Why do people spend money on the latest mobile phones? Environment • What are the ways to reduce water pollution? • How to be responsible in taking care of the environment? • Suggest the importance of green parks. Education • State some soft skills that need to be developed by students? • How can learning be interesting? • What are some of the ways for the government to encourage lifelong learning? Health • How can the healthcare system in Malaysia be improved? • What are some ways to protect yourself from contagious diseases? • Suggest ways to relieve stress Tips and Tricks! As questions for Part 1 and 2 are thematically linked, recycle the points and language used. 5

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues To assess candidates, different knowledge of spoken interactions will be incorporated into the tests. • Progress from familiar to more abstract topics that may be encountered in the late secondary/tertiary education context. • For more abstract topics, the test is limited to covering familiar and unfamiliar topics that a non-specialist would be able to respond to. SUBJECT / TOPIC KNOWLEDGE • The test tasks would be somewhat familiar to the candidates so that they will be able to use their existing knowledge. BACKGROUND / CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE • Refers to language as a system that includes: (a) Accuracy: grammatically correct language, pronunciation, stress and intonation (b) Range: vocabulary and varied sentence structures (c) Fluency: confidence and coherence LINGUSTIC KNOWLEDGE Lead In What do you understand from the picture shown? Discuss with a friend. Exercise 1 Read the extracts below. Comment on one story that you find thought-provoking. Share your view with a partner. Mina, Pakistan “My grandfather accepted a marriage proposal from my parents-in-law who wished for their son to marry a girl so that she could take care of the house. I was the girl. I was confused and scared when I had to put on the wedding garment and marry a guy as old as my father. But I did not have any say. They were rich and my parents said I would have a better life. At 14 years old, I had a miscarriage. My body was not ready.” Adapted from: https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/child-marriage-minas-story 6

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues “I was 15 when a man, who was 14 years older and already married, proposed to me to be his second wife. I was young and did not understand a thing. I was convinced by him as he said he would take me out, buy me everything I wanted and we would live happily ever after and I believed him. After the marriage, I realised that my husband was hot-tempered, continuously hitting me. At one time, he even broke one of my ribs. I was helpless, humiliated, and cursed at.” Jasmine, the Arab region Adapted from: https://arabstates.unfpa.org/en/news/child-marriage-story- %E2%80%9Ci-was-young-i-was-easily-deceived%E2%80%9D Laura, Indonesia “Both my husband and I got married at the ages of 15 and 14 respectively. Our family members were the ones who supported us to getting married once they found out about our relationship. My mother was married when she was 14 years old too and she lives happily with my father so I don’t see the reason why we can’t do the same. It’s our destiny and nobody can change that. Now, my husband is working and I still want to pursue my studies. He is very supportive of my decision” Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43876307 Exercise 2 Fill in the diagram with reasons for child marriage to take place. You may use your existing knowledge and the stories above to help you figure out the reasons. Reasons for child marriage 1 Does the sample response belong to an independent or a proficient user? Why? 2 What are some of the phrases from the sample response that you can recycle in your own spoken production? 7

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues MUET Practice Speaking Part 2 Part 2: Group Discussion • You have 3 minutes to prepare. • In your discussion, you may support or oppose the other test takers’ views. • Some ideas have been provided in the mind map below. You may use these ideas or come up with your own ideas. • At the end of the discussion, try to decide on the best suggestion. • You have 8 to 12 minutes for the discussion. Situation Child marriage is a serious issue affecting children worldwide. In your group, discuss some effects of child marriage. What are the effects of child marriage? physical injuries mental distress restriction to education exploitation of children cycle of poverty At the end of the discussion, try to decide the biggest impact of child marriage. Tips! You don't have to discuss all the options given. Focus on quality of delivery rather than quantity. 8

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues 3.1.2 Read and understand specialised articles outside one's field. 3.4.5 Exploit different types of connectors and the role of key paragraphs in the overall organisation, in order to better understand the argumentation in a text. Learning Standards READING SKILLS TOPIC DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY MUET Reading Paper 800/3 The main aim of the MUET Reading Paper is to test a candidate’s ability to understand reading texts at tertiary education level. These reading texts will cover both the formal and less formal text types. MUET Reading Paper Overview Paper Code 800/3 Paper 3 Number of Parts 7 Parts No. of Question 40 questions Test Duration Approximately 75 minutes Full Marks 90 marks • Candidates should have good linguistic knowledge in terms of grammar, sentence structure and choice of vocabulary. Exercise 1 Read both Texts A and B. Then, answer the questions that follow. Text A: Diversity is about celebrating and appreciating our differences and promoting human rights and freedoms based on principles such as dignity and respect. Diversity includes recognising, appraising, and taking account of people’s different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and experiences, where using those differences is encouraged in order to create a productive and effective workforce. Diversity applies to everyone and everything we do. It requires full commitment and attention to ensure that none of us fit neatly into separate ‘packages’ which can be conveniently labelled or discriminated against. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. There has been progress over the last decades: More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into premature marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality. Despite these gains in gender equality, many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period. 9

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the limited progress on gender equality and women’s rights from health and the economy, to security and social protection. This is evident when women end up overloaded with extra tasks and responsibilities, including as frontline healthcare workers and carers at home. In addition, their unpaid care work has increased significantly as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people. Nearly 60 percent of women work in the informal economy, which puts them at greater risk of falling into poverty. The pandemic has also led to a sharp increase in violence against women and girls. With lockdown measures in place, many women are trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions. Emerging data show that, since the outbreak of the pandemic, violence against women and girls – and particularly domestic violence – has intensified. Source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/ Text B: The modern world, as we know it, is one based on equality, where people are different but equal. We all have the same rights and privileges. We have the same vote, sit for the same exams, and pay the same taxes. So why is there such a great discrepancy when it comes to sports? If you’re an able-bodied athlete, you aspire to represent your nation in the Olympics. However, if you’re a disabled athlete, you instead compete in the Paralympics. While many would argue that this distinction honours disabled athletes with their very own competition, I can’t help feeling that the Paralympics has become the ignored step-brother of the Olympics. In Ancient Greek, “para” means alongside. But the Paralympics don’t run alongside the Olympics, they run afterward, and the two-week gap between the Games is a long one. During that time, the majority of the world’s media disappears, the cheering crowds return home, and the host city returns to normal. How is this equality? How does this bestow the proper respect and attention on these world-class athletes? Rather than offering disabled athletes their very own arena in which to shine, the Paralympics seem set on a dimmer switch in contrast to the brightness of the Olympic torch. The two Games ought to be combined into one four-week-long event. Rather than distinguishing the Paralympians as a different breed of athlete, and segregating their activities, why not declare them all Olympians, and simply incorporate Paralympic disciplines into the Olympics? If the Paralympics were reported simultaneously with Olympic events, attendance, coverage, and viewership would increase. And with this, acceptance and understanding of the capabilities of disabled athletes would also increase. This would be real equality: A world in which disabled and able-bodied athletes alike all aspire to represent their nations in the Olympics, and physically-impaired athletes’ aspirations are not demoted to taking place “beside” the main event. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/opinion/15iht-edletmon.html The following questions are based on Text A. (a) Give a title to the passage. (b) If you have to pick out one sentence in the whole passage to sum up the main idea, which one would you choose? 10

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues (c) The following points are all mentioned in the text. Next to each of them, write down M if you think it represents a main and S if you think it is only a supporting detail: i. More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into premature marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality. ii. This is evident where women end up overloaded with extra tasks and responsibilities, including as frontline healthcare workers and carers at home. iii. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the limited progress in gender equality and women’s rights from health and the economy, to security and social protection. iv. In addition, their unpaid care work has increased significantly as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people. v. The pandemic has also led to a sharp increase in violence against women and girls. (d) Using an online dictionary, search for the meaning of the words below. Then, look for the most suitable synonym in Text A: Paragraph Word Synonym 1 assessing 2 prejudiced 3 hasty 4 standards 5 burdened 6 steep Exercise 2 Read Text B and determine which statements are True (T) or False (F). (a) Text B is a letter of opinion from the public. (b) Able-bodied athletes can participate in the Paralympics. (c) Paralympics is an extension of the Olympics. (d) The writer proposes that athletes from both Games participate in all disciplines during the Olympics. (e) Equality in sports means all athletes are treated and accepted as Olympians, irrespective of their physical conditions. 11

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues Exercise 3 Compare and contrast both Texts A and B. In pairs, create a double bubble map to include similarities and differences. MUET Practice Reading Part 1 Read the information about the three types of diet. Answer questions 1 to 4 based on the information about the three types of diet (A to C). Which diet 1 offers support? 2 adopts all-inclusive principles? 3 avoids animal protein and meat? 4 abstains from animal protein and products? • A person on a vegan diet refrains from consuming animal protein and animal products. This includes meat, seafood, dairy, milk, eggs, cheese and honey. • A vegan diet can be personalised. For instance, avoid using animal-tested makeup out of concern for animal rights and welfare, or for health reasons, choose a raw vegan diet. • Join the vegan community to learn more. A Vegan Diet • A vegetarian diet abstains from animal protein and meat. However, the difference between vegan and vegetarian is the vegetarian diet may possibly consume some animal products––dairy, milk, eggs, cheese, and honey. • Vegetarian diets can also be individualised. B Vegetarian Diet • Macrobiotic definition is a system of holistic principles and dynamic practises that guides choices in nutrition, activity, and lifestyle for physical, emotional, mental, social, and environmental health. • You can be a vegan or vegetarian macrobiotic but being vegan or vegetarian does not mean you are a macrobiotic. • Enrol in one of the courses to discover more. C Macrobiotic Diet (Source: https://shimacrobiotics.org/vegan-vegetarian-and-macrobiotic/?gclid=CjwKCAiAp7GcBhA0EiwA9 U0mtjjEeR1K5VMCeaMWKLfVUKM9C5-mdsYuvj9vzP7vJfRRVT5kZbsQ2RoCeToQAvD_BwE) 12

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues • Consists of 3 short texts (100 – 150 words) of similar type and theme. • Students have to answer 4 questions in total. • Requires students to identify facts from specific texts. • Read the 3 short texts provided. • Use the following questions to identify the writer’s purpose: What is the aim of the text? Who is it written for? Does the text reach its goal? • Highlight the key words and points. • Compare and contrast similarities and differences in the ideas presented. • Make notes. • Read the answers to the questions given. NOTES: Reading Part 1 4.2.2 Write detailed descriptions of real or imaginary events and experiences on a variety of subjects. 4.3.8 Write informal correspondence using the language fluently and effectively to give detailed descriptions of experiences, pose sympathetic questions and follow up issues of mutual interest. Learning Standards WRITING SKILLS TOPIC CRIMES AND POVERTY MUET Writing Paper 800/4 The main aim of the MUET Writing Paper is to test a candidate’s ability to write various types of texts in English fluently and in a mature, logical and organised fashion. • Two writing tasks are set to assess the ability of the MUET candidate: Task 1: Writing a letter and an email... of at least 100 words. Task 2: Writing an essay... (discursive, argumentative or a problem-solution) of at least 250 words. MUET Writing Paper Overview Paper Code 800/4 Paper 4 Number of Parts 7 Parts No. of Tasks Task 1 & Task 2 Test Duration Approximately 75 minutes Full Marks 90 marks Lead In • Write as much as you can on the topic, ‘How to Prevent Cybercrimes’. Do not stop to correct your writing. Allow no more than five minutes for this activity. • When you have finished, compare your answers with your partner. Do you agree with what your partner has written? How convincing are your partner’s suggestions? 13

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues Exercise 1 Based on the poster below, write a short speech of about 150 words and include the four language functions. Exercise 2 Writing Task 1 Your uncle in Batu Caves is a victim of cybercrime. Read the letter describing his experience as a victim of a scam. 111, Taman Rainforest, Gombak, 68100, Batu Caves. 8 August 2023 Dear Jay, How are you, dear? I have not heard from you for a while. Hope you are settling down well in college. Apart from my usual bout of gout, I am fine. However, I have some sad news to tell you. Let me share with you what happened last week. Last week, I was approached by a man, outside the grocery store near my house. He showed me his ID card and was as convincing as the multiplication table. Before I knew it, I voluntarily handed over my bank card and even revealed my pin number to him. I was so taken in by his reputable online business that without hesitation, I decided to invest. To cut the story short, I have eventually lost a substantial amount of my savings! Your aunt Nina is still extremely furious over what she labels as ‘my prime carelessness’. I know it is my mistake to invest in a supposedly reputable online business. I should have done a background search on the authenticity of the organisation that I am in business with. You must be very busy so I better pen off for now. Do call me, Jay, or would you rather if I call you? Hope to hear from you very soon. Warm regards, Uncle Tajul “The greatest poverty in life is not the poverty of the pocket (lack of money), but the poverty of the mind (lack of education)” Quotable Quotes 1 Read the stimulus. 2 Analyse the task given. 3 Present your answer using the correct format. 4 Address your letter to the correct sender. 5 Underline the key words, ideas and/or questions you must answer, based on the notes provided in the right column. 6 Use appropriate linkers and add low-frequency words to improve the flow and content of your writing. 14

MUET Fast Track Practice Theme 1 Social Issues Now, complete the table below with appropriate responses using the underlined stimulus given. Paragraph Notes given Response 1 Express apologies 2 Ask for more information about the scam 3 Express your reactions 4 To apologise MUET Practice Writing Task 1 You are advised to spend 25 minutes on this task. Your uncle in Batu Caves is a victim of cybercrime. Read the letter describing his experience as a victim of a scam. 111, Taman Rainforest, Gombak, 68100, Batu Caves. 8 August 2023 Dear Jay, Hope you are settling down well in college. Apart from my usual bout of gout, I am fine. However, I have some sad news to tell you. Let me share with you what happened last week. Last week, I was approached by a man, outside the grocery near my house. He showed me his ID card and was as convincing as the multiplication table. Before I knew it, I voluntarily handed my bank card and even revealed my pin number to him. I was so taken in by his reputable online business that without hesitation, I decided to invest. To cut the story short, I have eventually lost a substantial amount of my savings! Your auntie Nina is still extremely furious over what she labels as ‘my prime carelessness’. I know it is my mistake for investing in a supposedly reputable online business. I should have done a background search on the authenticity of the organisation that I am in business with. You must be very busy so I better pen off for now. Do call me, Jay, or would you rather if I call you? Hope to hear from you very soon. Warm regards, Uncle Tajul Tips! • Explain points when the note given is either ‘describe’ or explain. • Do not assume your audience reads the text. Avoid replying 'Yes' or 'No' to questions without giving the content. E.g. Response 1: Yes I am. Response 2: Yes, I am settling down well in college. Which response do you understand better? Why? Notes Apologise Ask for 2 more information about the scam. Express your reactions I am sorry... 15

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test MUET Model Test Paper 1: Listening (800/1) (50 Minutes) Instructions to candidates: The test consists of five parts: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V. Each part comprises a recording. You will listen to each recording twice. Answer the questions as you listen, and indicate your answers on the answer sheet. You will be given time to read the questions when the test begins. Part I TRACK 48 Listen to a conversation between Madam Asnah and her grandchild Miqayla. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 1 to 7. 1 Madam Asnah is happy because A her condition is better. B she is responding well. C her granddaughter visits. 2 Miqayla made a stop at the house to A take her wallet. B lessen her worries. C fetch her colleague. 3 Two days prior, Madam Asnah had experienced A fever. B tiredness. C shortness of breath. 4 Dr. Emilia is unsure so she A prescribes medication. B suggests rehabilitation. C runs more assessments. 5 With regards to the medications, Madam Asnah should A consult doctors. B follow her friend. C do research on the Internet. 6 The paramedics suspected Madam Asnah’s memory loss is due to A low oxygen level in the blood. B less energy for skipping a meal. C concussion after falling down the staircase. 7 Which of the following shows the correct position of the staircase, marked as ? A Television Kitchen Living Room B Television Kitchen Living Room C Television Kitchen Living Room 143

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Part II TRACK 49 Listen to a talk by a straight-As student, Miss Delia, giving a motivational talk in her alma mater. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 8 to 14. 8 Miss Delia is currently a A barrister. B business owner. C business partner. 9 Good academic results help to A obtain scholarships. B secure job opportunities. C get into tertiary education. 10 When applying for a job, the academic result is not emphasised because A it does not show true abilities. B future employers are aware of the results. C every candidate has almost the same results. 11 What did Miss Delia lack in the first interview? A She was not confident. B She had poor command of English. C She did not have enough experience. 12 How to set yourself apart from other job seekers? A Enhance useful skills. B Know different languages. C Obtain good academic results. 13 Students can best acquire a new language by A enrolling themselves in a language class. B communicating with peers of different backgrounds. C watching entertainment programmes of the target language. 14 Discipline needs to be instilled during the schooling years to A prepare students for future. B assist students in achieving goals. C develop maturity among students. Part III TRACK 50 Listen to three people; Zunaidah, Loges, and Hui Min, talking about their different dream destinations. For questions 15 to 17, choose from the list A to E, the main pollution effect experienced by each speaker. Use the letters only once. There are two extra options, which you do not need to use. Different pollution effects A Physical activity restriction B Respiratory diseases development C Shortness of breath D Oxygen cycle disruption E Imbalance ecosystem Main pollution effect: 15 Zunaidah 16 Loges 17 Hui Min Part IV TRACK 51 Listen to a conversation between En. Hamid, a potential agropreneur, and a government officer named Dr. Puteh, talking about agricultural practice. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 18 to 24. 18 En. Hamid contacted the institute to A build partnership. B get related information. C seek financial assistance. 19 When planting crops, one must first have A land. B money. C knowledge. 144

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 20 According to Dr. Puteh, being agroprenuers A increases productivity. B requires proper planning. C generates a lot of income. 21 The initial plan was to plant A chilies. B potatoes. C cucumbers. 22 When harvesting crops, farmers need to pay attention to the A soil salinity. B water acidity. C temperature levels. 23 Assistance is provided by non-governmental organisations in terms of A tax relief. B courses and workshops. C research and development. 24 From the conversation, En. Hamid seems to be A affluent. B resourceful. C knowledgeable. Part V Dialogue 1 TRACK 52 Listen to a conversation between Youxin and a cosmetology instructor, Madam Jeanne, talking about cosmetology study. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 25 to 26. 25 The study of cosmetology is often falsely perceived as A recommending exceptional products. B applying beauty products to look good. C studying the application of beauty products. 26 Modern professional cosmetologists A receive compliments for their work. B earn a lot of money for their service. C enjoy opportunities to display creativity. Dialogue 2 TRACK 53 Listen to a conversation between a potential customer and Ms. Pauline, an insurance advisor, seeking advice on insurance policies. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 27 to 28. 27 Background check is compulsory to A avoid fraud. B set payment. C reject customer. 28 The customer may sign for the ‘First Survived’ policy as it A suits newly-wed couples. B guarantees a great return. C offers a low monthly payment. Dialogue 3 TRACK 54 Listen to a conversation between a homeowner and Master Fui, a feng shui expert, about improving energy in the house. As you listen, choose the correct answer for questions 29 to 30. 29 It is a belief in the feng shui study that A good energy invites wealth. B energies need to be on balance. C productivity is affected by mood. 30 Which of the following is the suggestion given by Master Fui? A Discarding the big mirror in the kitchen. B Adding plants to generate more creativity. C Repainting the room to balance the energy. 145

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Paper 2: Speaking (800/2) (30 Minutes) Instructions to candidates: This test consists of two parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 is carried out first followed by Part 2. Part 1: Individual Presentation • You have 2 minutes to prepare. • You have 2 minutes to talk. Situation During the pandemic, students lose interest to study because of online learning. What are some solutions to this issue? Candidate A: You have to give a presentation to your class. Talk about giving rewards. Situation During the pandemic, students lose interest to study because of online learning. What are some solutions to this issue? Candidate B: You have to give a presentation to your class. Talk about varying learning tools. Situation During the pandemic, students lose interest to study because of online learning. What are some solutions to this issue? Candidate C: You have to give a presentation to your class. Talk about providing psychological support. Situation During the pandemic, students lose interest to study because of online learning. What are some solutions to this issue? Candidate D: You have to give a presentation to your class. Talk about supporting different learning styles. 146

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Part 2: Group Discussion • You have 3 minutes to prepare. • In your discussion, you may support or oppose the other test takers’ views. • Some ideas have been provided in the mind map below. You may use these ideas or come up with your own ideas. • At the end of the discussion, try to decide on the best suggestion. • You have 8 to 12 minutes for the discussion. Situation The condition of public education needs to be improved. In your group, discuss how the government can improve the quality of public education in Malaysia. How can the government improve the quality of public education in Malaysia? Advanced infrastructure Teacher professional development Fund allocation Public dialogue Community partnerships At the end of the discussion, try to decide the best way the government can improve the quality of public education in Malaysia. 147

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Paper 3: Reading (800/3) (75 Minutes) Instructions to Candidates: There are forty questions in this test. Answer all the questions. Part 1 Read three notices about job vacancies. Answer questions 1 to 4 based on the notices about job vacancies (A to C). Which job 1 provides onsite training for workers? 2 is paid by the hour? 3 requires them to work during office hours? 4 does not offer training? A Online English Tutor B Online Salesperson C Insurance Agent • Grade A in SPM English • Good communication skills • Good IT skills • Online training will be provided • Flexible hours • RM40 per hour • A pass in SPM BM and English • Good interpersonal skills • Computer literate • Weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. • Basic salary of RM1,200 + commission based on sales • STPM graduate • Can speak Malay, English and Mandarin • With working experience • One month intensive sales training at the headquarters for successful candidates • Monthly salary of RM1,500 + attractive commission Part 2 Read a letter of complaint from a customer. Answer questions 5 to 9 based on the letter. Dear Sir/Madam, 1 I am writing to complain about the poor service at your fast food outlet in Premium Mall on Sunday, 31st January. 2 I have been your regular customer since I first worked at one of the offices in that mall, more than a year ago. I usually have lunch there every Friday as the lunch hour is quite long. So, I like giving myself a treat after a week of hard work. However, I observed that on most of these occasions, only three counters were open, causing an unnecessarily long wait time. On busy lunch hours, more counters should be open to ensure that the customers are served more efficiently. 148

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 3 In addition, last Friday, another customer and I both encountered an unpleasant experience when, upon wanting to make our payment, we were told by the cashier that he did not have any change for the RM100 we wanted to pay with. I believe it is not the fault of the customers but rather, the supervisor on duty, who should be more alert to ensure that issues like this, will not crop up. Imagine the frustration especially having queued for a long time, to be told that the food we had ordered, had to be cancelled. I asked to see the supervisor on duty, only to be told that she wasn’t around. So, was I supposed to wait further without getting my food?! 4 Not only that, there have been too many occasions where the items that I ordered were either out of stock or I ended up having to wait for a very long time before the items were replenished. Isn’t the person in charge supposed to check stock daily to ensure all items are enough for the day? And, I believe that there is a standard procedure where the staff must serve their customers within a given time to ensure your outlet maintains its standard. 5 I believe your staff and supervisors need to undergo training in customer service if you want your outlet to remain open. Having lackadaisical supervisors definitely does not help especially since they are supposed to oversee the outlet’s operation. In addition, the cashiers assigned at the counters must project good manners, when dealing with the customers as they are representing the outlet’s image. If they are not well-trained in customer service and with poor communication skills, many more customers will be upset and look for other options. Customers pay for the food and service, so it is only right, we get what we have paid for. 6 I am bringing all these to your attention as I believe that your outlet deserves to remain open because of the sumptuous delicacies it has to offer which indeed, a value for money. In addition, your outlet is located in a strategic area and the ambiance is one of the reasons why customers go there. All it needs is an improvement in the customer service which I sincerely hope will be improved. Thank you. Yours faithfully, Zain 5 Zain sent the letter because he A wanted the outlet to improve its service. B was upset with the customer service quality. C wanted to suggest more options for the fastfood outlet. 6 Zain wants A more outlets to be built. B more cashiers to be hired. C more counters to be opened. 7 What was Zain satisfied with? A The customer service. B The staff communication skill. C The cost and quality of foods served. 8 Why did Zain say that the supervisor was lackadaisical? A The supervisor was out for lunch. B There was not enough supervisor. C The supervisor was missing in action when she was supposed to be on duty. 9 What was Zain’s recommendation? A The menu should be improved. B The supervisor should train the cashiers. C The company should improve its customer service. PART 3 Read an article on digital minimalism. Answer questions 10 to 14 based on the article. 1 Minimalism’s basic concept, that less is more, is not new. On becoming a digital minimalist, rather than a drastic shift, I recommend something that takes place over a short period of time and is carried out with enough conviction that the results are likely to remain. It works like this: 149

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 2 Step one: Put aside a 30-day period during which you will take a break from optional technologies in your life. 3 Optional technologies are those that you can live without for 30 days without harming or seriously disrupting your career or personal life. Rather than turning off your important business email, this means cutting out your daily Instagram posts or aimless Facebook surfing. Access to the technologies you’ll be left with will require certain “operation procedures”. This may involve limiting your Instagram usage to your commute and prohibiting your phone from being used at the dinner table. It is recommended that you write them down and post them somewhere you’ll see them frequently. 4 Step 2: During this 30-day break, explore and rediscover activities and behaviours that you find satisfying and meaningful. 5 Though unpleasant, this detox stage is hugely important in helping you to “make smarter decisions when you reintroduce some of these optional technologies to your life” and allows you to rediscover what’s important to you. To succeed at this, you will have to cultivate high-quality alternatives to the easy distraction optional technologies provide. Take this as an opportunity to tackle that pile of books on your bedside table or sign up to that fitness class you’ve been thinking about trying. 6 Step 3: At the end of the break, reintroduce optional technologies into your life, starting from a blank slate. For each technology you reintroduce, determine what value it serves in your life and how specifically you will use it so as to maximise this value. 7 When your 30-day time is up, the final phase is to reintroduce technology into your life. “The idea of the final phase is to start from scratch and only allow technology back into your life that meets your rigorous minimalist requirements,” Newport explains. 8 “Whether or not this procedure sparks lasting change in your life will be determined by the care you take here.” Reintroduced technology should complement, not replace, your values and goals. 9 This lifestyle experiment, much like decluttering your home, provides a digital reset by removing distracting tools and compulsive habits that may have accumulated haphazardly over time and replacing them with a much more intentional set of behaviours, optimised in true minimalist fashion to support rather than subvert your values. (Source: https://www.rdasia.com/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/how-to-embrace-digitalminimalism) 10 The process involving the 3 steps mentioned in the article is known as A the Newport process. B the lifestyle experiment. C the digital declutter process. 11 What is the basic message of the article? A We need to have a more focused and modern lifestyle. B Becoming a digital minimalist will improve our quality of life. C Decluttering our life includes removing distractors and compulsive habits. 12 When we are too focused on technology, we may not pay much attention on A our health. B our values and goals. C serious issues affecting the world. 13 Newport believes that A technology has little or no benefit. B technology should allow people to make decisions. C technology should complement, not replace values and goals. 14 What would happen if digital reset is not done? A People would live a chaotic life. B The economy would be affected. C People would be technology illiterate. 150

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Part 4 Read two texts about two students finding their purpose of life. Answer questions 15 to 16 based on Text 1. Text 1 1 I went to college, Boston University, a biomedical engineering student, and within the first couple of weeks my student adviser, faculty adviser, invited me and a couple of other students to his house for dinner. 2 So we went. He has this gorgeous house in the Boylston neighborhood of Boston, which is the most hoity-toity neighborhood possible. We went up to his apartment. It’s on the top floor. He has a wall that’s just like a window. He has a globe. He has a telescope. Like this house, this apartment reminded me of the apartment from Frasier, and I’m only saying that because that was the only point of reference I had at that age of what a fancy apartment should look like. 3 We had Indian food. Even though I never had Indian food, I never knew they existed, and I was sitting there eating chicken tikka masala for the first time and I thought to myself, “Man, I want this life.” 4 At the same time, I started making comics. They were dumb comics. It was a comic about a string that was also a DJ. It was called DJ Stringboy. But my college friends they really loved it. They laughed and they wanted to see more of it and they wanted to spread it around. It was really exciting this thing that I've always read was now being created by me and I could share it and people liked it. And I said, “Man, I really want this life.” 5 But I never once said I want both of these lives at the same time. For me, these were two very different lives. So I went forward with my Puerto Rican box and my white box and my creative box and my professional box and I never used any one of those boxes at once. I always took out whichever fit the moment. 6 So with my professional box, I went, I got my tech job, I got business cards, I got a tie, I gave talks at conventions, I got another degree, I started getting into business development, I was doing great. 7 With my creative job, I started doing small press zines and then small press books and then it’s mid press books and then large press books, conventions, totally different business card, that was going fine. 8 But those two lives never crossed. People from the creative side knew nothing about my technical side and people from my technical side knew nothing about my creative side. They were completely different identities. 9 So one point, I started getting into doing comic book workshops for kids. I loved doing it. I loved working with kids, going into schools, all that stuff. I had this friend Eric. He was doing a science fiction and science comic book workshop at an elementary school in D.C. and he asked me if I wanted to join. 10 I said, “This sounds great. What we’ll do is we’ll go in, we’ll have a scientist with us, that scientist will teach the kids something and then we’ll teach them how to make that concept into a comic book.” And Eric goes, “Okay. Well, I mean, you're the scientist in this situation, right?” I’m like, “Well, no. I mean this is my comic book life. This isn’t my science life. I can’t do both.” And he's like, “Well, honestly you're gonna be there already and you're free so...” 11 So I decided to give it a shot. I go into this classroom, fifth grade class, and I tell the kids about NASA’s Rosetta Mission. I say, “Check this out. This is so cool. We’re gonna land a probe on a comet which is like the most awesome thing you've ever heard, right?” And the class was like, “Yes.” Then I go, “And then that probe is gonna dig into this comet. How awesome is that?” They're like, “Wow!” Then I’m like, “Then this is gonna like suck water out until it dies, and that’s kinda boring, right?” And the kids are like, “Yeah, it’s boring.” I’m like, “So why don’t you come up with a better fate for this comet? Like take this and do something with it.” 151

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 12 So there's one kid, his hand shoots up and doesn’t wait to be called on. He just says, “I wanna do a comic about space cats,” and the whole class just laughs. The girl next to him she rolls her eyes and she goes, “That’s Timmy. Timmy is always talking about space cats.” I’m just like, “Well, Timmy, tell me a little bit about these space cats. Like what do they do?” And Timmy says... he just gets so excited. Timmy is just like, “Space cats they're flying around. They're catching space mice. And they have jet packs. And they've got oxygen tanks and helmets and...” 13 I’m like, “Timmy, all right. Let’s slow down. Slow down. Space is big. Cats are small. Big old oxygen tanks, right? How do they get from Point A to Point B?” He goes, “Well, you know, they must‘ve refilled their tanks.” And I wait for a second and Timmy goes, “You know what? They dig into the comets, they pull out the water, they get the oxygen from the water and they refill their tanks.” 14 And I had a transformative experience. Because not only was I a scientist who taught Timmy something, and Timmy turned that into something creative and he took ownership of it, but at the same time Timmy was simultaneously a cartoonist and a scientist. This fifth grader! And I have never even thought of doing that. 15 I helped these kids find their voice and find a way to tell their story but these kids helped me so much because, for the first time in like forever, I was a Puerto Rican, I was a white kid, I was a scientist, and I was a comics artist. For the first time in a long time, my name was Jason Rodriguez and I was whole. (Source: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/5/2/identity-stories-about-figuring-out-who-we-are) 15 The narrator’s boxes represent A how gifted a person he is. B different strengths and capabilities of his. C his compartmentalised and different identities. 16 What do we learn about the talk given by the narrator? A A child can teach life lessons to an adult. B He has taken ownership of his own identity when he helps others to find theirs. C We need to have different identities in order to experience different transformation. Answer questions 17 to 18 based on Text 2. Text 2 1 University bureaucracy has a cruel sense of timing. I was 25, I was standing in my apartment in Vancouver the first year of my master’s degree, and I just picked up my mail and tossed it onto my IKEA table, that black IKEA coffee table that every single university student has. I noticed peeking out from the stack of flyers was a letter. I had a feeling I knew what was in that letter. So I picked it up and I opened the envelope. I ripped it open really, really slowly. Inside was a single piece of paper. The Simon Fraser University logo was on top. I opened it up really slowly and I read it and it was my worst nightmare. I'd been accepted to the PhD program. 2 I cried, and not because I was happy but because I couldn’t even decide in less than an hour what I could eat for lunch at that point in time. I didn’t know how I could make such an important life decision. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to finish my master’s let alone a PhD. I just threw that congratulatory letter on the ground and I retreated under the covers of my bed and I just holed up. I was sick but I just didn’t know it yet. 3 So flashback to my apartment and I’m holding that letter, that letter that I dreaded the most. At that moment, I read those two sentences over and over again. 4 “Dear Joshua, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Doctor of Philosophy Program in the fall term. On behalf of the committee, I wish you continued success at the university.” 152

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 5 Continued success? Who was that person that applied to do a PhD? That was so unfathomable to me. I don’t even know if I should be here at all, let alone excelling and moving on in this. I hid this from almost everybody. To me, I was failing my family, my supervisor, myself. But outwardly, I was getting straight As. That downward spiral was completely silent and that fog is invisible. Except to my girlfriend, because when you live in a one-bedroom apartment you can’t really hide. 6 So she started noticing I was changing, that I was different. I was oversleeping, I had stacks and stacks of sticky notes with task lists that were completely... nothing was crossed off on them. And I cried, I cried a lot. Every night I cried which is not very typical for me. 7 At some point, I still didn’t realize anything was wrong, but that PhD letter that was the breaking point because I knew the university was going to need an answer and I couldn’t hide anymore. At that point, I called my parents back in Calgary. I happened to be going back there for my best friend’s wedding. She was getting married near there and we’d already booked our flights. I sat on the couch, my family home that I grew up in, and I just broke down. I spilled everything. My feeling of failure that I was just letting everybody down. I still didn’t really understand what was going on. How was I going to tell my supervisor I couldn’t do a PhD? That was my biggest fear. 8 It was at that point that I went and got help. I went and talked to a doctor and therapist and I exhaled for the first time in months. Because it had a name, I was depressed. When you put a name on something, there's power to it. When I was playing around with those vials back in that room, I didn’t understand that at all, not at that moment. I still don’t understand what I was doing there but all those irrational thoughts, when you give it a name, there's a power to that and there's a catharsis that came over me. So I immediately thought, “Okay, now, I can get better.” How do you get better? You take a pill and you talk to somebody in therapy, and then you're better. Right? That’s how it works. No, that’s not how it works. That’s, unfortunately, not how it works. Even when you know what it is, you still don’t get better. So through a combination of all of these different things over the next few months, slowly, slowly that fog started to dissipate and I could think a little bit clearly, a little bit more clearly. I’m really lucky because none of my worst fears came true. Everyone around me was super supportive and empathetic. The stigma that I had heard about before, which still exists, I didn’t experience personally. I still read that letter every so often and I've underlined the words ‘I wish you success at the university’. I realized it wasn’t the right time for me to do a PhD, but I've never second-guessed that decision. (Source: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/5/2/identity-stories-about-figuring-out-who-we-are) 17 Which of the following is true about Joshua? A His managed to find power in the name. B The people around him were not supportive of him. C He didn’t accept the Phd programme offer as he was indecisive. 18 How did Joshua overcome his problem? A He talked to his girlfriend and parents. B He went through therapy with his supervisor. C He shared his problems with his supportive family, friends and specialists. Answer questions 19 and 20 based on Text 1 and Text 2. 19 The main idea of both texts is A the need to be acknowledged by others to boost one’s confidence. B the need to adapt in order to grow. C figuring out and accepting who we are. 20 What makes Text 1 different from Text 2? A Text 1 mainly supports its discussions with narrations while Text 2 mainly supports its discussions with scientific findings. B Text 1 mainly supports its discussions with categorisation while Text 2 mainly supports its discussions with narrations. C Text 1 mainly supports its discussions with descriptions while Text 2 mainly supports its discussions with narrations. 153

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Part 5 You are going to read an article about the dimensions of wellness. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A to G the one which fits each gap (21 to 26). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. 1 People often think about wellness in terms of physical health — nutrition, exercise, weight management, and so on, but it is so much more. Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fuelling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit. Although it always includes striving for health, it’s more about living life fully, and is “a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the best kind of person that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow”. 2 Wellness necessitates good self-stewardship, for ourselves and for those we care about and who care about us. For those in the helping professions, such as in veterinary medicine, wellness is a professional as well as personal responsibility. (21) . Sufficient self-care prevents us from harming those we serve, and according to Green Cross Standards of Self Care Guidelines, no situation or person can justify neglecting it. 3 Wellness encompasses eight mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. Attention must be given to all the dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will adversely affect the others, and ultimately one’s health, well-being, and quality of life. (22) . We should aim, instead, to strive for a “personal harmony” that feels most authentic to us. We naturally have our own priorities, approaches, and aspirations, including our views of what it means to live life fully. 4 Making the right choices for health and well-being can be challenging. (23) . Human behavior is influenced by many factors, of which are of particular relevance when it comes to wellness: self-regulation and habits. 5 Self-regulation is central to effective human functioning. It is “our ability to direct our behaviour and control our impulses so that we meet certain standards, achieve certain goals, or reach certain ideals”. It allows us to act in our short- and long-term best interests, consistent with our deepest values. There’s just one limitation: self-regulation requires mental energy, and the brain is always looking for ways to conserve energy. Habits, in contrast, require very little energy. With the cognitive economy and performance efficiency of habits, the brain can conserve self-regulatory strength to focus on the important decisions in life, and free us to engage in thoughtful activities, such as reflecting on the past and planning for the future. 6 Habits are powerful. With about 40% of our everyday behaviour repeated in the form of habits, they shape our very existence, and ultimately, our future. Habits, in fact, are key to wellness. (24) . If you are striving to improve these, you need to think about habits, because if you change your habits for the better, you change your life for the better. 7 Change becomes much more achievable if you pay attention to who you are and insert routines that take advantage of your strengths, tendencies, and aptitudes. With selfawareness, you can cultivate the habits that work for you. (25) . Circadian rhythms reflect our natural tendencies for sleeping and waking and influence our energy and productivity at different times of the day. The odds of success to improve your fitness won’t increase if, for example, you decide to rise an hour earlier to exercise each day when you happen to be a “night owl” rather than “morning lark.” Self awareness includes knowledge about other aspects of self as well, such as whether you are a marathoner, sprinter, or procrastinator; under- or over-buyer; simplicity or abundance lover; finisher or opener; and familiarity or novelty lover. It also includes whether you are promotion- or prevention-focused and whether you like taking small or big steps. 154

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 8 Change also becomes more achievable if you choose strategies that enhance your chance for success. Such strategies include monitoring; scheduling; investing in systems of accountability; abstaining; increasing or decreasing convenience; planning safeguards; detecting rationalisations and false assumptions; using distractions, rewards, and treats; pairing activities; and beginning with habits that directly strengthen self-control. Most successful habit change requires the coordination of multiple strategies to establish a single new behaviour, and new habits, on average, take 66 days to form, so the more strategies used, the better. 9 Sometimes change takes a long time. Sometimes it requires repeated experiments and failures. (26) . When thinking about habits, wellness, and the health, well-being, and quality of life to which you aspire, consider the following: “Are you going to accept yourself or expect more from yourself?” “Are you going to embrace the present or consider the future?” and “Are you going to care about yourself or overlook yourself?” 10 Wellness is a dynamic, ever-changing, fluctuating process. It is a lifestyle, a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the best kind of person that your potential, circumstances, and fate will allow. The past is history; the present and future lie in your choices. Don’t worry about getting it perfect; just get it going, and become the best kind of person you can be. (Adapted from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/) A They do not, however, have to be equally balanced. B Consider, for instance, differences in circadian rhythms. C The good news is that after several weeks the brain eases up on these. D For better or worse, habits very much influence health, well-being, and quality of life. E But for ongoing betterment, the attempts are unquestionably worthwhile and one success often leads to another. F In order to ensure high-quality patient and client services, we have an ethical obligation to attend to our own health and well-being. G Although we know what is good for us and how we can do and be better, we may not act on it, or if we do, we may, in due course, slide back to familiar ways. Part 6 Read a text about social skills. Answer questions 27 to 33 based on the article. 1 Young Americans are losing the art of conversation as nearly two out of three admit they are lacking in social skills, according to a new study. From avoiding the phone at work to a fear of making small talk on the street – the study of 2,000 millennials found 65 percent don’t feel confident when it comes to face-to-face social situations. 2 In fact, two in five millennials believe that their lack of social skills has held them back in their work, while a similar number (39 percent) think it has caused problems for them within friendships. That isn’t helped by the fact that 68 percent admit they actively avoid talking face to face if they can – with talking to people they don’t know in public and work colleagues the most dodged interactions. It follows then that a resounding eight in ten millennials feel they are often more vocal or able to express themselves in text or online than they are in person. 3 The research was conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Don Pablo Coffee – who are calling for young people to make time for proper catch ups and regain the art of conversation. 4 Only seven percent say that they most commonly keep in touch with friends by talking on the phone, and nine percent mainly stay in touch in person. The vast majority claim their main form 5 10 155

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test of contact with friends is on social media or via text. Forty percent of millennials confess that they often find themselves awkward or uncomfortable if having to make small talk. In fact, the average respondent says they have had four awkward social experiences in the last three months. 5 The survey also shows young Americans cancel or don’t attend about 30 percent of the events they’re invited to attend out of fear it’ll be awkward socially. 6 “The age of social media is supposed to have made us more connected with each other – and while that is partly true, it has also helped lead to a generation of people less comfortable with faceto-face interactions,” says Darron ‘Don Pablo’ Burke, Grower and Roaster of Don Pablo Coffee.” “The data even shows that plenty of young people are so uncomfortable with these interactions that they will back out of plans or go out of their way to avoid others.” 7 “But it isn't too late,” Burke adds. “Hopefully some will use this as a wake-up call to get out there and participate in the real world. You may find that meeting with a friend or co-worker for a cup of coffee may not be as awkward as you first thought.” 8 The main reason cited for lacking certain social skills and face-to-face talking was simply preferring to text and chat online, followed by a lack of practice. Sixty-two percent feel a sense of dread while speaking on the phone to clients and customers at work. 9 In an attempt to get over their dread of socializing and improving their skills, 42 percent of the survey respondents have even practiced their social skills alone in front of a mirror. The survey shows four in ten believe the art of conversation is dead, with most people blaming a reliance on technology and social media. Three-quarters say the fact that they no longer have to engage in faceto-face or over the phone conversations because of smartphones and social media has led to the decline of their social skills. 10 “While it's clear that social media has placed many hurdles in the way, the survey also proves that many would love to improve on their social skills,” says Burke. 11 “Get your social life off the screen and out in the open and you might find improvements not only in that regard but also in other areas of your life. Start small by enjoying a conversation over a cup of coffee.” 12 ***This double-opt-in survey was conducted online within the U.S. by OnePoll a market research company and a corporate member of ESOMAR adhering to the MRS code of conduct. The survey was conducted on behalf of Don Pablo Coffee between January 03 and January 10, 2017 among 2,000 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For more information about OnePoll’s research in the media and complete survey methodology, navigate to their portfolio here: http:// www.onepoll.com/in-the-media/ (Source: https://swnsdigital.com/us/2017/03/young-americans-lack-key-social-skills-avoid -the-phoneand-fear-small-talk/) 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 27 In paragraph 1, the writer’s main intention is to highlight that A young millennials do not own a phone. B young Americans are not talking on the street. C young millennials around the world are lacking in social skills. D young millennials lack social skills because of their reliance on technology and social media. 28 Which of the following is a true main idea for paragraph 2? A The millennials are more expressive online. B The millennials avoid talking to strangers in public places. C Lack of social skills results in active face to face interaction. D Lack of social skills leads to issues in their workplace and in personal life. 156

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 29 What are the attempts made by the survey respondents to improve their social skills? A Making small talk. B Talking in front of the mirror. C Keeping in touch with friends via email. D Answering calls from colleagues to discuss work. 30 dodged (line 8) means A moved B cut C ducked D avoided 31 The conclusion of this article is that A youngsters must drink coffee to enhance their social skills. B youngsters must have more interaction with others in order to socialise well. C youngsters must reduce online interactions in order to improve their social skills. D youngsters must practise online and offline interactions in order to improve their social skills. 32 What is the message that the writer is trying to relay? make time for proper catch ups and regain the art of conversation. A Social media is dangerous to human beings. B Coffee is the catalyst to improving social skills. C Youngsters need to regain the art of conversation. D None of the above. 33 In your opinion, what would be the most suitable topic for this article? A The art of conversation. B A survey on lack of social skills. C Enjoying a conversation over a cup of coffee. D Social media lead to a lack of social skills. Part 7 Read an article entitled “Are Malaysian Fresh Graduates Ready to be Part of Climate Change Resolutions?” Answer questions 34 to 40 based on the article. 1 Climate change is a global crisis, and it is increasingly affecting every corner of the world. In Malaysia, one of the ways to tackle the climate crisis is to produce more capable scientists and environmental study experts through higher education in universities. 2 Malaysian universities are offering more opportunities for students undertaking Bachelor Degrees in the field of environmental studies. Undoubtedly, the increasing number of graduates and scholars in environmental studies from Malaysian universities will be a huge asset for the nation, and invariably, the world. Ranging from faculties like the Faculty of Forestry and Environment to programmes like Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Environmental Engineering, there are a wide variety of full-time and part-time courses to educate passionate students who are interested in environmental studies. Graduates from these courses can enter the job market in various sectors – from government, nongovernmental organisation, industry, research and even the academic sector itself – to be part of real-world, climate change resolutions. 3 With the growing number of programmes and studies in this field, we need to ask the question: “How prepared are our fresh graduates and scholars in contributing to climate change resolutions in a climate-enhancing, green workforce?”. To answer that, we need to know what exactly is a climateenhancing green workforce, and how it differs from green jobs. 5 10 15 157

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test 4 According to the International Labour Organisation, green jobs are defined as ‘decent jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.’ 5 The green workplace is simply defined as a workplace that is environmentally sensitive, resource efficient, and socially responsible. 6 Take for example, environmental engineering, a branch of engineering that is concerned with protecting people from the effects of adverse environmental effects, such as pollution, as well as improving environmental quality. This branch of engineering is part of a climate-enhancing workforce. Civil engineering, on the other hand, is not a green job, but it can become a climateenhancing green workforce by ‘greening’ its existing skill sets and operations. 7 Fresh graduates are at a disadvantage as the jobs and positions in the rising environmental based workforce in Malaysia require a level of experience and expertise. Generally, these opportunities are not open to fresh graduates, unless stated otherwise. Even though this situation is similar to other fields and sectors, the job market in our climate-enhancing green workforce is small and limited. Despite the willingness of fresh graduates to learn, grow and serve in this area of work, the jobs are in short supply. An example is a fresh graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Management who has aspirations to enter the green workforce to be a field biologist and conservationist in Malaysia, despite the position being underpaid compared to other fields. This mismatch of expertise demonstrates that the climate-enhancing green workforce in Malaysia does not have enough opportunities and positions for new graduates every year. 8 According to Geo-6 for Youth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), skill mismatching is an ongoing issue as Malaysia and other countries gradually transform into a green economy. Science students are trained specifically to be analytical, allowing them to distill complicated information into communicable ones. However, analytical training does not guarantee effective communication skills among science students, showing some level of skill mismatch. Fortunately, though, they have minors and audit courses to choose from, in order for the students to enhance their external skills. 9 In addition to the role played by Malaysian universities, it is also equally important for fresh graduates to be resourceful and equip themselves with necessary and complementary skills and experiences. 10 An Environmental Science and Technology undergraduate from UPM mentions that it is important for the university and faculty to have a closer look at the issue of students not being able to master the skills from their syllabus, such as Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS), Rstudio, and SPSS Statistics” – all-important skill sets in real-world jobs. 11 On the other hand, a JPA Scholar Marine Science undergraduate from University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) argues that it is equally important for students themselves to go outside of the university setting to learn other important skills and knowledge. 12 “Students need to be resourceful, no matter the field of work. They need to explore beyond the mainstream climate-enhancing green workforce”, said Dr. Nurul Salmi. She advises fresh graduates to seek internships after their graduation - if not during their undergraduate studies to further enhance their skills and experience. 13 Siti Joanni Matlan advises a similar stance, saying that “fresh graduates need to realise the specific needs in the Malaysian climate-enhancing green workforce and prepare themselves by increasing their level of competencies for their future career development. Good knowledge and practical experience on skills by Professional Certification such as the International Organisation 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 158

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test for Standardisation (ISO) series, and environmental compliance skills can come in handy for fresh graduates in environmental studies”. 14 With the worsening climate change crisis in Malaysia, we need urgent changes made in Malaysian universities to ensure that fresh graduates are ready to hit the ground running in our growing climate-enhancing green workforce in Malaysia. Outdated knowledge, technology, and skill set would need to be updated in a continually-shifting green workforce. Malaysian universities would also need to continuously update their syllabi, keep abreast with green technology and improve the preparation for their graduates entering this workforce. (Source: https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/are-malaysian-freshgraduatesready-be-part-climate-change-resolutions-300180) 65 70 34 What is the main idea of paragraph 1? A Climate change is gradually affecting the world. B Different nooks of the world face different climate crisis. C Malaysia needs to produce more experts and environmental studies through higher education. D Increasing the number of skilled scientists and experts in environmental studies is one strategy to solve climate crisis in Malaysia. 35 The green workforce is A one that is responsible for manufacturing and construction. B one that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency. C one that contributes to preserving or restoring the environment. D one that values social responsibility, resource efficiency, and environmental awareness. 36 adverse in paragraph 6, line 24 means A hostile B harmful C unfavourable D confrontational 37 Fresh graduates are at a disadvantage in environmental-based jobs and positions because A the jobs are short of supply. B fresh graduates are not resourceful. C fresh graduates lack experience and expertise. D the jobs are restricted only to those graduates in environmental studies. 38 In paragraph 9, how do fresh graduates equip themselves with necessary and complementary skills and experiences? A Learn from the syllabus B Undergo analytical training C Seek internships after graduation D Go for practicum before their undergraduate studies 39 The following are the issues faced by fresh graduates except A they are not acclimatised to the Malaysian climate change. B they do not master the skills set for real world from the syllabus. C there is a mismatch between the skills taught in courses and soft skills. D they are not resourceful nor equipped with complementary skills and experiences. 40 What needs to be made to enhance the climate-green workforce in Malaysia? A The curricula need to be fixed. B Information technology needs to be outdated. C Skill set related to green workforce needs to be updated. D Universities need to improve graduates’ general knowledge. 159

MUET Fast Track Practice MUET Model Test Paper 4: Writing (800/4) (75 Minutes) Instructions to candidates: Answer both Tasks 1 and 2. You will be assessed on task fulfillment, organisation, structure and lexis. Task 1 You are advised to spend about 25 minutes on this task. Your friend, Jane, is at the moment pursuing her study abroad in Korea. She is, however, facing some difficulties due to her language barrier. Read the letter from Jane. Apt. 102-304 Sajik-ro-3-gil 23 Jongno-gu, Seoul 30174 (South Korea) 14 November 2023 Dear Syuhada, I hope this letter finds you in sound and vibrant spirits. I arrived in Seoul about a month ago, to pursue my studies for the Diploma of Art and Design. I hope to complete my diploma at a private institution in Seoul, within two years and then, hopefully, continue my degree. What about you? You are still going to Spain this September right, to continue your study? In between, how are you? I heard from Nadeem that you fell in the school hallway last month. What happened? How is your right ankle, now? Is it still swollen? As for me, to be honest, it has been a month since I have been here, and am feeling down. I seem to be facing a lot of problems simply because of the language barrier. Firstly, I am unable to make friends because I don’t speak Korean, very well. I am also a passive learner because I cannot express myself in class due to my lack of vocabulary. I have tried to immerse myself in the community by joining the local religious society to increase my confidence and improve my social skills. However, this language barrier hinders the effort in my attempt to mingle with the local community. What should I do? Honestly, I am very worried. Do you mind if we Google Meet so that we can talk? If it’s okay, do let me know when so that I can make the arrangement. Till then, hope to hear from you soon. Love, Jane Using all the notes given, write a reply of at least 100 words in an appropriate style. Task 2 You are advised to spend about 50 minutes on this task. You have been nominated by the school to participate in an essay writing competition. You have decided to write on the following topic: “Men’s Greed Leads to Environmental Catastrophe”. Write an essay expressing your opinion on the statement. Write at least 250 words. Notes All the best ... No ... Tell Jane ... Suggest two ... Definitely! 160

MUET Fast Track Practice Tapescript THEME 1 TRACK 1 Listen to responses from two teenagers discussing their preferred parenting styles. While listening, indicate the style(s) of parenting preferred and the reasons for their choices. Good morning to my teacher and friends. Today, I choose best parenting style. Five parenting style we have such as the strict and balanced parenting styles. I think balanced parenting style the best. I and my friend like the style too. It is the best in our opinion. I think it is best because parent is loving the child. Parents love the child because they solve their kids’ problems. Like father, like son. Father who likes son will love the son no matter what. To add, mother also love their son, that is why they choose the balanced parenting style. They don’t want to force kids to do something. For example, like study very hard. Study very hard is no good for kids. If kids don’t want to study very hard, parents no need to force them. If not, they will be stressed and, and get angry at the mother and father. Nevertheless, parents don’t control their kids so much. They still allow kids to do what they want. If the kid like to play football, they will support the kid. Maybe they will buy jersey and football shoes. When they do this, they show they love the kids and wants the best for the kids. Next, kids will also know discipline because parents will teach them what is right and what is wrong. So in future, they know they cannot do bad things. For example, they cannot drink beer and drive. This is because it is wrong and they can kill people if they drive drunk. In conclusion, I think parenting balanced style is the best parenting style. Thank you. TRACK 2 Listen to responses from two teenagers discussing their preferred parenting styles. While listening, indicate the style(s) of parenting preferred and the reasons for their choices. Good morning I bid to all present today. It is my pleasure to be here to share my thought on the most preferred parenting style chosen by my confidant and me. After a thorough discussion, we believe that with the challenges faced in today’s demanding world, a balanced parenting style is seen to have the potential to provide much-needed care and love while appropriately monitoring a child’s discipline. From our perspective, the biggest strong point of adopting the aforementioned parenting style is the ability of parents to provide a nurturing environment to accommodate the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of a child. To nurture a whole-rounded child, it is a must for parents to pay attention to all these needs instead of just solely focusing on one which may backfire in the future. Look around us, it is well-known to all that young minds nowadays are burdened with too many things on their plate. Success in academics is a must, excelling in sports is compulsory, and depicting a good demeanour is an obligation at all times. With all the expectations placed on kids’ shoulders, they often succumb to the pressure and end up failing to meet the expectations. Therefore, parents are encouraged to establish a safe environment for kids to be able to open up about their struggles in life. Parents ought to provide a shoulder for them to cry on and offer advice whenever necessary. Apart from that, adopting the balanced parenting style allows caregivers to instil age-appropriate discipline. Enforcing strict laws on children by neglecting their mental and physical development is proven to be futile. Displaying a dominant role through such conduct will only tear a family apart. This is because, though parents might believe they are raising a disciplined child, the child might view the approach in an unfavourable manner. Parents may be perceived to be authoritative by the kid. With this perception in the kid’s mind, it will most likely impede the establishment of a positive and supportive relationship between the caregivers and their offspring. To reiterate, parents are obliged to embrace a parenting style that results in a constructive upbringing for their children. Therefore, it is without the slightest doubt that the balanced parenting style has the capacity to best produce such results. TRACK 3 You are going to listen to three individuals sharing their parenting styles. Speaker 1: Liam I’ve always been firm with my kids, believing discipline is always the key. Though some may say that I’m too stern with the kids, I don’t mind it. I’m quite proud that my kids are well-behaved because I have imposed discipline on them since they were small. I have my reasons for this. I don’t want anyone complaining about my kids misbehaving especially in public. It’s a big no-no for me. Looking back at my childhood, it was way different from what my kids are experiencing now. My old guy allowed me to do whatever I wanted and always backed me up if anything happened. I don’t think that’s wise though. Although I turned out OK, I don’t want my kids to follow my mischievous behaviour back then. Frankly, if discipline was imposed on me back then, I might turn out to be a better person than I am now. After all, I believe if you spare the rod and spoil the child, nothing good will come out of it. I must admit that I punish my kids sometimes. Not to the extent of hurting them badly. I just want them to know punishments do exist if they do wrong. Because of this, my kids would rather talk to their mother if they have anything they wish to ask or request. My wife is the soft one, totally the opposite. She has a stronger emotional attachment with our offspring. Speaker 2: Maya As parents, we need to allow kids to explore on their own. Discovery is the key. I don’t have any rules for my kids. They are free to become kids. I don’t have a problem with them running around the house in muddy clothes. I’ll wash them. That’s what the washing machine is for. I would rather do that than give my kids sets of rules they need to adhere to so they won’t rebel. It’s not good for their childhood as they won’t be able to enjoy their discovery and learn from these experiences. I’ll always be there to support them if they ever need me. As a single mother, I need to establish a good relationship with my kids as they are the only ones I have. When my ex-husband and I were still married, I could not stand how he treated my kids. He’s too demanding and not willing to listen to others. My oldest daughter often cried because she could not stand him yelling at me. I pity her for having to go through the traumatic experience. I do not want any of that to ever happen again to any of my precious ones. So Tapescript 161

MUET Fast Track Practice Answers MUET Practice (Suggested Response) restriction to education has to stop schooling building a family is a full-time commitment girls need to take care of the family while boys are expected to be breadwinners inability to juggle between family and education at a young age often leads to school dropouts expectation by families and communities once married, young couples are expected to become devoted husbands and wives to perform the duties of a married couple, attending school may be a hindrance parents assume that it is no longer their responsibilities to take care of their children as the responsibilities are now shifted to the spouses marriage and education are perceived to be incompatible parents stop their kids from continuing their schooling to get marry girls need to devote themselves to be full-time housewives parents believe that once married, girls need to serve their husbands rather than being at schools Answers 1THEME -- Social Issues LISTENING SKILLS TOPIC RELATIONSHIPS Lead In Picture 1: My mum will be very supportive of me because she knows how hard I have been trying to improve my grades. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my father. I will most likely be grounded for at least 2 weeks. Picture 2: I do not expect my parents to console me and help me get up. Instead, they will motivate me to get up on my own so that I learn to be persistent and independent. Picture 3: My parents are my biggest supporters. They’ll be over the moon with my achievement. They won’t be shy to display how proud they are of me. They may even treat me to ice cream! Exercise 1 (A) PREFERRED PARENTING STYLE(S): BALANCED PARENTING STYLE REASONS • Parents display their love to their children • Kids are not forced to do something they don’t fancy • Parents do not excessively control their kids • Discipline can be instilled in kids (B) PREFERRED PARENTING STYLE(S): BALANCED PARENTING STYLE REASONS • Parents provide care and love • Properly monitor a child’s discipline • Ability to provide a nurturing environment to accommodate the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a child • Instill age-appropriate discipline MUET Practice 1 C 2 B 3 D SPEAKING SKILLS TOPIC SOCIAL ISSUES Exercise 1 The picture visualises a teenage girl with a placard stating ‘Stop Child Marriage’. From my perspective, I do believe she is trying to send a message to the world that child marriage ought not to be encouraged anymore. From her facial expression, I am of the opinion that she is showing the sufferings and torments of young girls who need to conform to the expectations placed by the communities around them when they are called wives. Though time has changed, such incidents are not outlandish occurrences as some still support child marriage. Therefore, it is my opinion that movements to stop child marriage ought to be more aggressive so that comprehensive and effective action plans can be taken to save young kids from falling prey to lustful men. Exercise 2 Reasons for child marriage destiny custom and tradition financial difficulties parents love 179

This series is specially designed to familiarise students with the latest MUET exam format and its requirements. It contains effective topic-based exercises for self-assessment. This book provides intensive practice in MUET-style questions and skill-based exercises to improve students’ performance in examination. Fast Track Practice MUET Fast Track Practice Fast Track Practice CEFR-Aligned Questions based on the latest MUET exam format Learning standards listed at the beginning of each unit Clearly explained skills backed by ample skill-based exercises Tapescript Complete answers • Additional Grammar & Vocabulary practices • Vocabulary Recap to assist in Writing BONUS Scan QR code in the Contents page W.M: RM19.95 / E.M: RM19.95 PC169023 ISBN: 978-629-7557-99-1 PELANGI