MUET WRITING

13 The writer ends by
A. predicting the future
B. suggesting a balanced approach
C. presenting an optimistic outlook

14 The ideas in this passage are mainly _____________ in nature.
A. argumentative
B. innovative
C. speculative

146

Questions 15 to 21 are based on the following passage.

1 Since the reef first found footing, ice ages have come and gone, and ocean
and atmospheric conditions have fluctuated wildly. The reef has seen many
changes – expanding and eroding, being defaced and re-inhabited at
nature’s whim. “A history of the Great Barrier Reef,” Veron, a coral expert,
says, “is a catalogue of disasters” caused by planetary chaos. But they are 5
disasters from which the reef has always recovered. Today, new disasters
endanger the reef and the prospect for recovery is uncertain.

2 The relative quick shift in the world’s climate, scientists say, appears to
be devastating for reefs. In corals, warming temperatures and increased
exposure to the sun’s violet rays lead to stress response called bleaching – 10
when the colourful algae in coral cells become toxic and are expelled, turning
the host animals skeletal white. Fleshy seaweeds may then choke out the
remains. Heat is also implicated in a 60-year decline in ocean phytoplankton
– the microscopic organisms that not only gobble greenhouse gases but also
feed, directly or indirectly, almost every other living thing in the sea. Changes 15
in sea level, either up or down, have a dire impact as well, exposing shallow
corals to too much sun or drowning them in deeper water, where they are
hidden from the light.

3 Of course, to the two million tourists who visit the reef each year, the
promise of an underwater paradise teeming with life is still fulfilled. But the 20
blemishes are there if you know where to look. The reef bears a two-mile-
long scar from a collision with a coral carrier in April of last year. Other ship
groundings and occasional oil spills have marred the habitat. Sediment
plumes from flooding and nutrients from agriculture and development also do
very real damage to the ecosystem. The captain of the boat who took me 25
diving put it this way: “Without the reef, there is nothing out here but a whole
lot of salty water.” To many locals, he adds, “the reef is a loved one whose
loss is too sad to contemplate.”

4 This challenge scientists face is to keep the reef healthy despite rapid
change. “To fix a car engine, you need to know how it works,” says Veron. 30
“The same is true for reefs.” He and others have been investigating how
these ecosystems function so that efforts to prevent damage can be doubly
effective. High on the to-do list: Determine the full impact of over-fishing.
Traditionally, commercial fishermen could work along the reef, even after
133 000 square miles of ocean habitat was designated a marine park. But, 35
with rising concern about the big take, the Australian government in 2004
made a third of that area off-limits to all fishing – including for sport. The
biological recovery has been bigger and faster than expected: within two
years after the

147

ban, for example, numbers of coral trout doubled on the once heavily fished 40
reef.

5 Scientists also want to know what makes specific corals extra tenacious
during times of change. “We know some reefs experience much more

stressed conditions than others,” says reef ecologist Peter Mumby. He says

understanding how corals recover from bleaching – and figuring how new 45
polyps grow – can help in designing reserves. Even Veron acknowledges

that coral survival is possible in the long-term if the onslaughts against reef
are halted – soon. Indeed one lesson is that despite today’s weighty threats,

the Great Barrier Reef will not crumble. It has, after all, toughed it out through

catastrophic change before. And all kinds of marine life are around to keep 50

the reef whole.

(Adapted from National Geographic, May 2011)

15 The writer’s main intention in paragraph 1 is to

A. explain why in the past, the reef was able to recover
B. highlight the environmental disruptions threatening the reef
C. contrast the effects of disasters on the reef in the past and today

16 Which of the following is one of the new disasters (line 6) endangering the
reef?

A. An increase in ocean temperature
B. A stress condition called bleaching
C. Microscopic organisms feeding on greenhouse gases

17 In paragraph 2, the writer develops his ideas mainly through

A. listing
B. exemplification
C. cause and effect

18 The following are blemishes (line 21) except

A. oil spills
B. a long scar
C. a damaged habitat

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19 The increase in the number of coral trout is due to
A. a healthier ecosystem
B. the creation of the marine park
C. the ban on fishing in protected zones

20 The word tenacious (line 41) means
A. hardy
B. flexible
C. productive

21 Which of the following best summarises the writer’s belief about the future of
the Great Barrier Reef?
A. It will thrive
B. It will recover with time
C. It will face more stress conditions

149

Questions 22 to 29 are based on the following passage.

1 Vishal, the son of a farm labourer, is almost four. He should weigh around 16
kilogrammes. But the needle of the weighing scale stops at just over 10
kilogrammes – what a healthy one-year-old should weigh. That his teacher
does not look perturbed is unsurprising. Nearly half of India’s small children
are malnourished: one of the highest rates of underweight children in the 5
world.

2 Almost as shocking as the prevalence of malnutrition in India is the
country’s failure to reduce it. Since 1991, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
has more than doubled, while malnutrition has decreased by only a few
percentage points. Meanwhile, the chasm between the lucky and unlucky 10
Indian children is growing: under-fives in rural areas are more likely to be
underweight than urban children, low-caste children than higher-caste
children, girls rather than boys. And, the disparities are growing.

3 Malnutrition places a heavy burden on India. It is linked to half of all child
deaths and nearly a quarter of cases of diseases. Malnourished children tend 15
not to reach their potential, physically or mentally, and they do worse at
school than they otherwise would. This has a direct impact on productivity:
the World Bank reckons that in low-income Asian countries, physical
impairments caused by nutrition knock three per cent off the GDP. Why,
then, has India done so little to reduce it? There are many reasons. Most 20
fundamentally, poor parents find it hard to buy enough food; but that is by no
means the only factor. Impoverished and rural families are also less likely to
go to a doctor when their children fall sick, which they do a lot, thanks to dirty
water and poor hygiene. Inadequate nutrition lowers the immune system,
increasing the risk of infectious disease; illness, in turn, depletes a child’s 25
nutritional stocks.

4 Even the children of wealthier families suffer surprisingly high rates of

malnutrition. Government data show that a third of children from the
wealthiest fifth of India’s population are malnourished. This is because poor

feeding practices – foremost among them a failure exclusively to breast-feed 30
in the first six months – play as big a role in India’s malnutrition rates as food

shortages. Here lies an opportunity: educating parents about how to feed

their children should be more quickly achieved than ensuring that the 410
million Indians who live below the United Nation’s estimated poverty line of

US$1.25 a day have enough to eat. 35

5 The government, however, has largely failed in both areas. Two big,
expensive schemes designed to reduce malnutrition – a Public Distribution

System (PDS) that provides subsidised food to the poor and a vast midday-

150

meal scheme, to which 120 million children are signed up – are hampered by 40
inefficiency and wastage. But the government’s main effort to tackle child
malnutrition, the Integrated Childhood Development Service (ICDS), has

failed for rather different reasons.

6 The ICDS, launched in 1975, is the world’s biggest early-childhood
scheme. Each centre is responsible for providing nutritional care to pregnant

women and all children up to six. However, overburdened by a long list of 45
responsibilities, workers have tended to focus on the group they see every
day: children over the age of two whose mothers take advantage of free child
care and daily meals offered by the centres. While these meals – supposedly
providing each child with an extra 500 calories a day – are certainly

beneficial, they do not replace the nutritional guidance the parents of young 50
children need. More seriously, this emphasis on older children means that
the under-twos and pregnant women barely get a turn. Unfortunately, these
are precisely the groups the government should be targeting. Most growth

retardation occurs by the age of two and is irreversible. Often it starts during
pregnancy. More than half the women of childbearing age in India are 55
anaemic – a condition that can be much improved by fortifying food.

7 Fortifying the food handed out by the PDS would be an effective way to

lower rates of anaemia and increase nutrition. But this would need a lot of

money and so far India has resisted the idea. But most experts agree that the

country will make a serious dent in child malnutrition only when it focuses on 60
pregnant women and very young children. “India has missed its big window
of opportunity by not giving priority to mothers and the under-twos,” says
Victor Aguayo, chief of The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s
nutrition programme in India. “It cannot afford to do so any longer.”

(Adapted from The Economist, 25th September – 1st October 2010)

22
That his teacher does not look perturbed is unsurprising (lines 3 and 4).

Why?

A. The teacher does not expect Vishal to put any weight.
B. The children of farm labourers are often underweight.
C. Underweight children are a common sight in India.

151

23
And, the disparities are growing (line 13).

The disparities here refer to the
A. urban and rural children
B. lucky and unlucky children
C. below and above-five years olds

24 Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?
A. Malnutrition is a serious problem in India but little has been done
about it.
B. Malnutrition has adversely affected productivity, causing a reduction in
GDP.
C. Malnutrition is linked to child deaths, diseases and physical and mental
retardation

25 The government, however, has largely failed in both areas (line 36).

The areas are
A. providing sufficient food and raising the income of the poor
B. encouraging good feeding habits and educating parents on nutrition
C. subsidising basic food items and organising effective meal-schemes

26 The word irreversible (line 54) means
A. cannot be put right
B. cannot be modified
C. cannot be changed to the original state

27 In order to reduce malnutrition, the writer recommends
A. focusing government action on pregnant women and children under twos.
B. fortifying the nutritional value of the food handed out at the centres.
C. increasing the allocation for the meal-schemes for the poor.

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28 The phrase make a serious dent (line 60) means that India will
A. have a great impact
B. create further trouble
C. face an urgent problem

29 It cannot afford to do so any longer (line 64) implies that
A. India is facing difficulty in feedings its growing population
B. India should change in the way it addresses malnutrition
C. India should adopt UNICEF’s nutrition programme

153

Questions 30 to 37 are based on the following passage.

1 Try to imagine a world with three Americas. Three giant economic
powerhouses, with citizens who buy, sell and consume, all in pursuit of their
versions of the American Dream. Difficult to envision? But that is where
economists say we are heading. The broad consensus is that China will
overtake the United States to become the world’s biggest economy within 5
two decades. And by 2050, will be as big as well. On current trends, the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund expect global economic
output to grow between six and sevenfold between 2005 and 2050. Asia’s
total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow from around US$30 trillion
now to about US$230 trillion. This is an astonishing number. But is it really 10
desirable – or even possible?

2 If the United States is joined by two more economic masses, our planet
will become unimaginably stressed. Already we have passed the earth’s

regenerative capacity, yet this is hardly factored into economic projections

about growth. 15

3 Take energy. If the Chinese and Indians were to use as much energy
per capita as Americans use, their total power consumption would be 14

times as great as that of the United States. Even if Asians were to restrict

themselves to lower European levels of energy usage, they would still

consume eight to nine times as much power as America does today. 20

However we look at it, the world cannot expect to see its energy usage grow

by such an extent. Conventional forms of power generation will produce

carbon in such volumes that our planet will be condemned to unmanageable
climate change, while the alternatives – even nuclear power – are simply not

viable within the time frames mentioned. 25

4 Or take cars. Estimates suggest that if China, India and other developing
countries reach Western levels of car ownership, there would be three billion
cars bin the world, four times the current total, within four decades. Where
will the fuel come from for these vehicles, and what about their environmental
impact? Similar calculations can be made for everything from chicken to 30
iPads. Quite simply, this world just does not have enough for two more
consumption-driven Americas.

5 Asian government must reject the blinkered views of those who urge
Asians to consume relentlessly – be they Western economists and leaders
who want the region to become a “motor of growth” to rebalance the world 35
economy or Asian governments convinced that ever-expending economies
are what their populations need. That is not to suggest that people must
remain poor. Nor is it an argument against economic development. Rather it

154

is a call for constrained consumption, funnelled in ways that do not increase 40
the demands on our resource base; deplete or degrade our environment;
produce more emissions and pollutants, and put at risk the livelihood and
health of millions.

6 If Asia is to achieve prosperity for the broad majority of its population, the
countries of the region must find alternative ways of promoting human and

economic development. What Asia must prioritise are incentives that reward 45
“more is less” activities – ones built around putting the management of

resources at the center of all policy-making. The crucial first steps in this

direction are carbon and resources taxes that provide incentives for

companies to use far fewer materials and far less energy in their products.

This in turn will change consumption habits. This step alone, led by Asia, 50
would mark the start of a new industrial revolution – one that, unlike the

previous one, does not underprice resources or externalise its true costs.
This will be the move away from today’s extreme capitalism, reshaping it to

suit the needs of a crowded twenty first century.

(Adapted from New York Times, 7 June 2011)

30 What is the point that the writer is making in paragraph 1?

A. India will be as big as China economically.
B. China and India will become another America.
C. It is desirable for Asia’s GDP to grow to about US$230 trillion.
D. China, India and America are competing for economic power.

31 This (line 10) refers to

A. the planet becoming over-exploited
B. the inability of the earth to heal itself
C. the world’s projected economic growth
D. the world having three economic power houses

32 ... factored into (line 14) means

A. targeted
B. prioritised
C. considered
D. recognised

155

33 The writer talks about energy and cars in paragraphs 3 and 4 to support the
point that

A. China and India should not become another America
B. the earth cannot sustain three major economic powers
C. climate change will get worse with an increase in the number of cars
D. alternative sources of energy are needed to cope with the increase in

demand

34 According to the writer, the view that Asia should consume relentlessly
(line 34) is

A. narrow
B. illogical
C. shocking
D. disputable

35 The writer supports the following views except

A. Asia should be economically-developed
B. Asia should be constrained in its consumption
C. Asia should be concerned about the well-being of its people
D. Asia should become an engine of growth to rebalance the world’s

economy

36 The term more is less (line 46) suggests

A. providing more incentives
B. manufacturing more products
C. reducing energy consumption
D. managing resources efficiently

37 The writer’s intention is to

A. criticise
B. describe
C. persuade
D. condemn

156

Questions 38 to 45 are based on the following passage.

1 News flash – “Frankenfish” will be served on dinner tables in households by
2012, if the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its
way. The US is mulling a decision to approve a new breed of fast-growing
genetically modified (GM) salmon for human consumption. Frankenfish
comes from the term “Frankenstein food” referring to any foodstuff that has 5
been genetically modified.

2 GM foods are nothing new. The first product, the now-defunct Flavr Savr
tomato, hit supermarket shelves in the US in 1994. The tomato was
developed out of US consumers’ disdain for tasteless and hard off-season
tomatoes that were picked green and chemically ripened. The Flavr Savr 10
tomato was engineered to stay fresh longer, develop more flavour, and ship
long distances without rotting.

3 GM crops are produced by snipping off genes from other forms of life –
plants, insects, bacteria and even viruses, and splicing it with plants to alter
their genetic makeup. For instance, fish genes that are resistant to the cold 15
are added to strawberries to create a frost-resistant version of the fruit. And
despite the initial uproar raised by critics and scientists, processed foods
containing GM corn and soy ingredients started showing up in late 1995.

4 Proponents of GM technology say GM crops have allowed farmers to cut
down on chemicals used to kill weeds, and pests, boosting crop yields and 20
cutting costs and potential harm to the environment. High yields also mean
that more crops can be grown on smaller plots of land to feed our burgeoning
world population.

5 In the last decade, genetically modified organisms or transgenic
organisms (GMOs) have seeped into many industries other than food, some 25
of which include medicines, vaccines, animal feeds, and fibres. By 2006, 102
million hectares of transgenic crops were planted in 22 countries by 10.3
million farmers. Most of these crops were herbicide and insect-resistant
soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and alfalfa. Other commercially-grown or
field-tested crops planted now are iron-and-vitamin-boosted rice that will 30
allegedly alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries, and a variety of
plants able to withstand extreme weather conditions. More than half of these
crops are grown in the US, followed by countries like Argentina, Brazil,
Canada and South Africa.

6 But here is the alarming news – studies have shown that GM foods can 35
cause birth defects, infertility, infant mortality, damage to your kidneys and
liver and trigger allergic reactions.

157

7 The latest study released by Surov’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution
of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Association for Gene
Security (July 2010) reveals that after feeding hamsters for two years over 40
three-generations, those on high GM soy diets showed chilling results. By the
third generation, these GM soy-fed hamsters became infertile and with a high
mortality rate among the pups that were born.

8 Unlike safety evaluations for drugs there are no human clinical trials for
GM foods. But soy allergies skyrocketed by 50 per cent in the United 45
Kingdom soon after GM soy was introduced.

9 The American Academy of Enviromental Medicine (AAEM) reported that
“several animal studies” indicate serious health risk associated with GM Food

including infertility, immune problems, accelerated ageing, faulty insulin

regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. 50

Based on the findings of the AAEM report, the stomach lining of rats fed
10 with GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that could lead

to cancer. Thousands of sheep, buffaloes, and goats in India die after
grazing on GM cotton plants. Apart from that a study by the Committee of
Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIGEN) and 55
Universities of Caen and Rouen, France showed organ lesions, altered liver
and pancreas, cells-changed enzyme levels, in animals fed with GM
potatoes.

11 The only published human feeding experiment revealed that the genetic
material spliced into GM soy is transferred into bacteria living inside our 60
intestines. This means long after we stop eating GM foods, our bodies may
still habour GM proteins. Before the FDA decided to allow GMOs into food
without labeling, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can
create unpredictable, hard to detect side effects, including allergies, toxins,
new diseases, and nutritional problems. Their pleas for long-term safety 65
studies was ignored.

(Adapted from Preferred, Volume VIX, 2010)

158

38 News flash – “Frankenfish” will be served on dinner tables in households
by 2012, if the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has its way (lines 1, 2 and 3)

From this sentence, it can be inferred that

A. there are oppositions to the FDA’s plan
B. approval will be given by the FDA soon
C. Americans are eager to serve the fish for dinner
D. news about “Frankenfish” has received wide media coverage

39 The term, Frankenstein food (line 5) suggests

A. a strange taste
B. an altered origin
C. an odd appearance
D. the use of chemicals

40 The writer is doubtful about the enhanced properties of iron-and-vitamin-
boosted rice (line 30) because of the use of the word

A. commercially-grown (line 29)
B. field-tested (line 30)
C. allegedly (line 31)
D. chronic (line 31)

41 The main focus of paragraph 4 is

A. the advantage of GM technology
B. the solution to the world’s food crisis
C. GM technology supplies cheaper food
D. GM technology is environmentally-friendly

42 The information in paragraph 6 provides

A. an overview
B. an argument
C. a comparison
D. a clarification

43 chilling (line 41) can be replaced by

A. exciting
B. revealing
C. surprising
D. frightening

159

44 What is not true about the studies mentioned in paragraph 10?
A. GM food can lead to cancer.
B. GM cotton plants lead to fatality.
C. They involve both animals and human.
D. They focus on the effects of consuming GM potatoes and cotton
plants.

45 The main intention of the writer is to
A. argue that GM foods are harmful
B. object the introduction of GM foods
C. produce the results of studies done on GM foods
D. compare the advantages and disadvantages of GM foods.

160

PRACTICE 6

Questions 1 to 7 are based on the following passage.

1 The hotel business is relentless. The management has to provide twenty-four

hours service, 365 days a year, and every single day is just as important as

any other day. Not surprisingly, M&M Hotel, which prides itself on providing

excellent customer service, had for many years a deeply-ingrained culture of 5
‘face time’ – the more hours you put in, the better. That philosophy of ‘see
and be seen’ was effective for serving customers, but it had a price: the

management were finding it increasingly tough to recruit talented people and

some existing managers were leaving, often because they wanted to spend

more time with their families.

2 In the following year, M&M hotel implemented a test programme to help 10
managers strike a better balance between their professional and personal
lives while maintaining the quality of its customer service and the bottom line
of its financial results. They found a lot of quick fixes by eliminating
redundant meetings and other inefficient procedures. For instance, they
learnt that managers could file certain business reports less frequently and 15
that many of the regular scheduled meetings were unnecessary. They also
re-examined certain hotel procedures they were following, traditionally. For
instance, the scheduled overlap time of front desk manager with the person
on the next shift was reduced from one hour to only fifteen minutes.
Additionally, managers were given better Information Technology (IT) 20
support so that they could communicate with customers through email and
get connected to relevant sections within minutes to get immediate
assistance.

Figure 1: Attitude Adjustment

161

3 At the end of the test programme, managers reported working an
average of five hours less each week. Perhaps, more important, was the 25

change in attitudes (Figure 1)

4 Before the test programme, 77% of managers felt that their jobs were so
demanding that they could not take adequate care of their personal and

family responsibilities. At the end of the programme, that percentage had

plummeted to 43%. In addition, the percentage of managers who felt that the 30
emphasis was on hours worked, plunged from 43% to 15%. One of the most

important things shown was that people could be just as productive when

they worked fewer hours. This is so because they are extra-motivated to get

things done and they do not waste time in doing what they need to do.

(Adapted from Harvard Business Review, November 2001)

1 In the ‘face time’ work culture, the longer a manager spends time at work, the
better it is.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

2 The main objective of the test programme was to change the employees’
attitude towards their job.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

3 The test programme that was implemented reviewed the work procedures.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

4 In Figure 1, the test programme showed an increase in the percentage of
managers who felt tired at the end of the day.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

162

5 From Figure 1, it can be inferred that the managers were happy with the
changes made.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

6 Work productivity declined with fewer hours at work.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

7 It can be concluded from the passage that working in a hotel industry is
rewarding.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

163

Questions 8 to 14 are based on the following passage.

Caffeine Myths

1 Through the years, the public has been buffeted by much misguided

information about caffeine and its most common source, coffee. In March,

the centre for Science in the Public Interest published a comprehensive

appraisal of scientific reports in its Nutrition Action Health newsletter. Its

findings and those of other research reports follows. 5

2 Hydration. It was long thought that caffeinated beverages were

diuretics, but studies reviewed last year found that poeple who consumed

drinks containing up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced no more urine

than when drinking fluids free of caffeine. Above 575 milligrams, the drug 10

was a diuretic.

3 So even a Starbucks Grande, with 330 milligrams of caffeine, will not
send you to a bathroom any sooner than if you drank 16 ounces of pure

water. Drinks containing usual doses of caffeine are hydrating and, like
water, contribute to the body’s daily water needs.

4 Cancer. Panic swept this coffee-dependent nation in 1981 when a 15
Harvard study tied the drink to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Coffee

consumption temporarily plummeted, and the researchers later concluded

that perhaps smoking, not coffee, was the culprit.

5 In an international review of 66 studies last year, scientists found coffee
drinking had little if any effect on the risk of developing kidney cancer. In fact, 20
another review suggested that compared with people who do not drink
coffee, those who do have half the risk of developing liver cancer.

6 And a study of 59 000 women in Sweden found no connection between
coffee, tea or caffeine consumption and breast cancer.

7 Weight loss. Here’s a bummer. Although caffeine speeds up 25
metabolism, with 100 milligrams burning an extra 75 to 100 calories a day,

no long-term benefit to weight control has been demonstrated. In fact, in a

study of more than 58 000 health professionals followed for 12 years, both

men and women who increased their caffeine consumption gained more

weight than those who did not. 30

8 Probably the most important effects of caffeine are its ability to enhance
mood, mental and physical performance. At consumption levels up to 200

milligrams, consumers report an improved sense of well-being, happiness,

energy, alertness and sociability. Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins

School of Medicine reported that higher amounts sometimes cause anxiety 35

164

and stomach upset.

Millions of sleep-deprived Americans depend on caffeine to help them
9 make it through their day and drive safely. The drug improves alertness and

reaction time. In the sleep-deprived, it improves memory and the ability to

perform complex tasks. 40

10 For the active, caffeine enhances endurance in aerobic activities and
performance in anaerobic ones, perhaps because it blunts the perception of
pain and aids the ability to burn fat for fuel.

11 Another review found that compared with non-coffee drinkers, people
who drank four to six cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, had a 28 45

percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This benefit probably comes from
coffee’s antioxidants and chlorogenic acid.

(Adapted from New York Times, August 5, 2008)

The research findings presented in this article are taken from a study carried
8 out by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

A person who drinks 700 milligrams of coffee will pass more urine than
9 someone who drinks the same amount of a caffeine-free drink.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

Scientists say that coffee hydrates our body better than water.
10

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

Findings of the study on coffee and cancer concluded that
11

A. there is no clear link between coffee drinking and cancer
B. there is a clear link between pancreatic cancer and caffeine
C. more research is needed to draw the connection between caffeine and

breast cancer

165

12 The writer uses the phrase, Here’s a bummer (line 25) to
A. expose side effects
B. express dissatisfaction
C. debunk a misconception

13 In paragraph 8, it can be inferred that
A. a higher level of caffeine will lead to greater alertness
B. one should not consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeine
C. consuming caffeine will affect one’s mood more than physical
performance

14 After reading the text, the reader could be persuaded to
A. drink more coffee
B. stop drinking coffee
C. reduce coffee consumption

166

Questions 15 to 21 are based on the following passage.

1 When Ariel Lugo takes visitors to the rainforests of Puerto Rico, he likes to
play a little trick. First, the ecologist shows off the beautiful surroundings: the
diversity of plant life on the forest floor; the densely-packed trees merging
into a canopy, high overhead. Only when his audience is suitably impressed
does he reveal that they are actually in the midst of what many 5
conservationists would dismiss as weeds – a collection of non-native species
growing uncontrolled, on land once used for agriculture.

2 His guests are almost always taken aback, and who wouldn’t be? For
years we have been told that invasive alien species are driving native ones to
extinction and eroding the integrity of ancient ecosystems. The post-invasion 10
world is supposed to be bleak, biologically-impoverished wasteland, not
something you could mistake for untouched wilderness.

3 Lugo is one of a small but growing number of researchers who think
much of what we have been told about non-native species is wrong. Alien
species, they argue, are rarely as monstrous a threat as they have been 15
painted. In fact, in a world that has been dramatically altered by human
activity, many could be important allies in rebuilding healthy ecosystems,
Given the chance, alien species may just save us from the worst
consequences of our own destructive actions.

4 Many conservationists cringe at such talk. They view non-native species 20
as ecological tumours, spreading uncontrollably at the expense of natives. To
them the high rate of accidental introductions – hundreds of alien species are
now well established in ecosystems from the Mediterranean Sea to Hawaii –
is one of the biggest threats facing life on Earth. Mass extinction of native
species is one fear. Another is the loss of what many regard as the key to 25
environmental health: the networks of relationships that exist between native
species after thousands or even millions of years of co-evolution.

5 Such concerns have fuelled an all-out war. Vast sums are being spent on
campaigns to eradicate or control the spread of highly-invasive exotics.
Conservation groups enlist teams of volunteers to uproot garlic mustard from 30
local parks. Government agencies fill waterways with poisonous chemicals to
halt the advance of Asian carp. Most governments have no choice but to join
the fight; under the terms of the Convention of Biological Diversity.

6 Advocates for non-native species do not deny that they can sometimes
create major problems, particularly in cases where disease-causing microbes 35
are introduced into a new host population. But they argue that often the
threat is overblown. For one thing, many species are not nearly as

167

problematic as they are made out to be.
7 The notorious cane toad, introduced into Australia in the 1930s to control

pests of the sugar cane crop, is considered a major threat to the continent’s 40
unique fauna. Its highly-toxic skin has long been seen as a death sentence
for native predators, while its rapid spread is thought to have occurred at the
expense of other amphibians. Yet, the first serious impact study on the cane
toad recently concluded that they may in fact be innocent of all charges.

(Adapted from New Scientist, January 20, 2011)

15 What is the little trick (line 2) played by Ariel Lugo when he takes visitors to
the rainforests of Puerto Rico?
A. He shows the visitors uncontrolled weeds instead of the rainforests.
B. He makes them believe that what they are seeing is native to the land.
C. He takes them to see the impoverished wasteland and not the
wilderness.

16 In paragraph 2, the guests are described as almost always taken aback
(line 8). This is because
A. weeds have overtaken former agricultural land
B. non-native species have flourished alongside native species
C. the beautiful surroundings are actually inhabited by non-native species

17 The main idea of paragraph 3 is that
A. non-native species could be allies in the fight to save the ecosystems
B. it is a popular belief that alien species are a threat to the environment
C. the effects of human activity can be more disastrous than that of alien
species

18 Conservationists are of the opinion that
A. non-native species will destroy the natives
B. relationships between native species will be altered with time
C. alien species are now more established than natives in the ecosystems

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19 The writer mentions the use of volunteers to uproot garlic mustard from local
parks to
A. lend support to the work of the Convention of Biological Diversity
B. illustrate the attempts at controlling the spread of non-native species
C. show the extent of money spent on campaigns to eradicate alien
invaders.

20 In paragraph 6, advocates for non-native species claim that
A. the dangers of introducing non-native species have been proven
B. problems created by alien species are not as serious as made out to be
C. introducing disease-causing microbes into the host population can be
fatal

21 The following are true of the cane toad except
A. its skin is poisonous
B. it kills other amphibians
C. it was introduced into Australia to control pests of the sugar cane

169

Questions 22 to 29 are based on the following passage.

1 Today, when we think of the world’s teeming billions of humans, we tend to
think of overpopulation, poverty, disease, instability and environmental
destruction. Humans are the cause of most of the planet’s problems. What if
that were to change? What if the average humans were able to contribute
more than consume? To add more than subtract? Think of the world as if 5
each person drives a balance sheet. On the negative side are the resources
they consume without replacing. On the positive side are the contributions
they make in the form of resources they produce, the artifacts of value they
build, and the ideas and technologies that might create a better future for
their families, their communities, and the planet as a whole. Our future hangs 10
on whether the sum of those balance sheets can turn positive.

2 What might make that possible? One key reason for hope is that so far
we have barely scraped the surface of human potential. Throughout history,

the vast majority of humans have not been the people they could have been.

Take this simple thought experiment. Pick your favourite scientist, 15

mathematician, or cultural hero. Now imagine that instead of being born

when and where there were, they had instead been born with the same

abilities in a poverty-stricken village. Would they have made the same

contribution they did make? Probably not. They would not have received the

education and encouragement it took to achieve what they did. 20

3 If only we could find a way of unlocking that potential. Two keys might be
enough: knowledge and inspiration. If you learn how to transform your life for
the better and you are inspired to act on that knowledge, there is a good
chance that your life will indeed improve.

4 There are many scary things about today’s world, but what is thrilling is 25
that the means of spreading both knowledge and inspiration have never been
greater. Five years ago, a teacher or professor who is able to change the
lives of his or her students, could realistically hope to reach maybe a hundred
of them a year. Today, the same teacher can communicate through video to
millions of eager students. The cost of distributing a recorded lecture 30
anywhere in the world via the Internet has effectively fallen to zero. This has
happened with breathtaking speed and its implications are not yet widely
understood. But it is surely capable of transforming global education.

5 For one thing, the realization that today’s best teachers can become
global celebrities will boost the calibre of those who teach. For the first time, 35

it is possible to imagine ambitious, brilliant eighteen-year-olds putting
‘teacher’ at the top of their career choice list. Indeed, the very definition of
‘great teacher’ will expand, as numerous people outside the profession who

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can communicate important ideas find new incentive to make that talent 40
available to the world. Additionally, teachers can amplify their own abilities by
inviting into their classrooms, on video, the world’s greatest scientists,

visionaries and tutors.

6 Now, think of this from the pupils’ perspective. In the past, your success
depended on whether you were lucky enough to have a great mentor or

teacher in your neighbourhood. The vast majority have not been that 45

fortunate. But a young girl born in Africa today will probably have access, in
ten years’ time, to a cell phone with a high-resolution screen, a Web-

connection, and more power than the computer you own today. We can
imagine her obtaining face-to-face insight from her choice of the world’s great

teachers. She will get the chance to be what she can be. 50

(Adapted from This Will Change Everything, John Brockman (Ed.)
HarperCollins, 2010)

22 The writer introduces his article with a gloomy picture of the world to

A. contrast it with his vision of a better world
B. explain that the world’s problems are man-made
C. highlight the reality that it would be difficult to change the world

23 The question To add more than subtract? (line 5) ___________the previous
question.

A. restates
B. illustrates
C. elaborates

24 What might make that possible? (line 12)

What is the answer to the question above?

A. More resources should be produced
B. Human potential should be exploited more fully
C. Contributions should balance with consumption

25 The writer brings in the simple thought experiment (line 15) to

A. show that people have different abilities
B. compare the contributions of past heroes with today’s heroes
C. support the idea that the poor have-limited opportunities to excel

171

26 Paragraph 4 lists the following reasons why the Internet can transform
education globally except
A. it can quickly reach huge student populations
B. it is a cheap means to distribute recorded lectures
C. it adopts teaching techniques that students are familiar with

27 The main outcome of making great teachers accessible to the masses
through the Web is
A. that they will become celebrities
B. people will learn to communicate better
C. the teaching profession would attract more talent

28 In paragraph 6, the writer makes the following points except
A. children can decide whom they want to learn from
B. every child will have equal opportunity to education
C. even children from remote areas can learn from great teachers

29 Which of the following best expresses the central idea of the passage?
A. A Web-empowered revolution is taking place in education
B. Web-based education has replaced the traditional classroom
C. The Web the power to inspire and disseminate knowledge

172

Questions 30 to 37 are based on the following passage.

1 Stories and psychological description are effective ways of building emotional
appeal. Emotional appeal works best when people want to be persuaded.

2 Even when you need to provide statistics or numbers to convince the
careful reader that your anecdote is a representative example, telling a story
first makes your message more persuasive. Experiments with both high 5
school teachers and quantitatively-trained Master of Business Administration
(MBA) students show that people are more likely to believe a point and more
likely to be committed to it when points were made by examples, stories and
statistics; the combination was more effective than statistics alone. In another
experiment, attitude changes lasted longer when the audience had read 10
stories than when they had only read numbers. Recent research suggests
that stories are more persuasive because people remember them.

3 As with other appeals, the emotional appeal should focus on the reader.

To describe its service of gathering up and renting good-quality used

cardboard boxes, Boomerang Boxes could focus on its innovative thinking, 15
but its Website appeals to readers by telling them they can “Save time, save
money and save trees!” The company tells its story with descriptive
language: “No longer do you have to drive around aimlessly searching for

good quality boxes behind supermarkets and liquor stores. No longer do you

have to contribute to the destruction of strong healthy trees, just so more 20
cardboard boxes can be made, used (often only once) and thrown away.”

That story is likely to resonate with many apartment-renting students who

have scrounged boxes for a low-cost moving day.

4 Sense impressions – what the reader sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels –

evoke a strong emotional response. Psychological description means 25

creating a scenario rich with sense impressions so readers can picture

themselves using your product or service and enjoying its benefits. You can

also use psychological description to describe the problem your product will

solve. Psychological description works best early in the message to catch

readers’ attention. 30

5 In psychological description, you’re putting your reader in a picture. If the
reader doesn’t feel that the picture fits him or her, the technique backfires. To
prevent this, psychological description often uses subjunctive verbs (“if you
like ...” “if you were ...”) or the words maybe and perhaps.

6 The best phrasing depends on your relationship to the reader. When you 35
ask for action from people who report directly to you, orders (“Get me the

Ervin file.”) and questions (“Do we have the third-quarter numbers yet?”) will

173

work. When you need action from co-workers, superiors, or people outside
the organisation, you need to be more forceful but also more polite.

7 How you ask for action affects whether you build or destroy positive 40

relationships with other employees, customers and suppliers. Professor and

consultant, Dan Dieterich, notes that the calls to action in many messages

are:

 Buried somewhere deep in the middle of the correspondence.

 Disguised as either statements or questions. 45
 Insulting because they use “parental language”.

8 Such messages, Dieterich points out, “lower productivity within the
organisation and reduce or eliminate the goodwill customers have towards

the organisation ... Those two things ... can put the organisation out of

business.” 50

9 Avoiding messages that sound parental or preachy is often a matter of
tone. Saying “Please” is a nice touch, especially to people on your level or

outside the organisation. Tone will also be better when you give reasons for

your request or reasons to act promptly.

10 When you write to people you know well, humour can work. Just make 55
sure that the message is not insulting to anyone who does not find the
humour funny.

(Adapted from Business and Administrative Communication.
7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006)

30 Even when you need to provide statistics or numbers to convince the careful
reader that your anecdote is a representative example, telling a story first
makes your message more persuasive. (lines 3-5). This sentence means

A. facts and figures are more convincing than stories
B. persuasive message has more anecdotal elements than facts and figures
C. a combination of statistics, numbers and examples will improve

communication
D. telling a story before presenting facts and figures will make the message

more effective

31 The story told by Boomerang Boxes is likely to appeal to many apartment-
hunting students. This is because the story

A. is told in descriptive language
B. is communicated through a website
C. reflects their concerns and experiences
D. presents an innovative way of doing things

174

32 In paragraph 4, the following are recommendations to evoke a strong
emotional response except

A. making a connection with the senses
B. highlighting the benefits of the product
C. introducing the psychological description early
D. focusing on the seriousness of related problems

33 The phrase, the technique backfires (line 32) means that the technique
brings

A. adverse effects
B. expected results
C. surprising feedback
D. unpredictable consequences

34 The message, get me the Ervin file (lines 36 and 37) is considered
appropriate if given by

A. clients
B. a friend
C. a superior
D. colleagues

35 Which of the messages below is likely to be labelled as parental or preachy?

A. If necessary, please call us at this number.
B. Can’t you leave the gym shoes in the basket?
C. Everyone is expected to comply with these regulations.
D. Even on casual days, visitors expect us to dress professionally.

36 Which of the following is not a condition for humour to work?

A. If it is really funny
B. If it is not insulting
C. If it is not in writing
D. If it is used with people you know well

37 The main topic under discussion in the passage is

A. writing to persuade
B. avoiding emotions in writing
C. the reasons for requests made
D. the structure of product advertisement

175

Questions 38 to 45 are based on the following passage.

1 Last year the skyrocketing cost of food was a wake-up call for the planet.
Between 2005 and 2008, the price of wheat and corn tripled, and the price of
rice climbed five-fold, spurring food riots in nearly two dozen countries and
pushing 75 million more people into poverty. But unlike previous shocks
driven by short-term shortages, this time, the high prices were a symptom of 5
a large problem. Simply put: For most of the past decade, the world has been
consuming more food than it has been producing. After years of drawing
stockpiles, in 2007, the world saw global stocks fall to 61 days of global
consumption, the second lowest on record.

2 This was not the first time the world had stood at the brink of a food 10
crisis. At 83, Gurcharan Singh Kalkat has lived long enough to remember
one of the worst famines of the 20th century. In 1943, as many as four million
people died in the Bengal Famine. For the following two decades, India had
to import million of tons of grain to feed its people. Then came the green
revolution. In the 1960s, as India was struggling to feed its people during yet 15
another crippling drought, an American plant breeder named Norman
Borlaug was working with Indian researchers to bring his high-yielding wheat
varieties to Punjab. Borlaug was born in Iowa and saw his mission as
spreading the high-yielding farm methods that had turned the American
Midwest into the world’s breadbasket to impoverished places throughout the 20
world. His new dwarf wheat varieties with short stems supporting full, fat
seeds were a breakthrough. They could produce grain like no other wheat
ever seen – as long as there was plenty of water and synthetic fertilizer and
little competition from weeds or insects. To that end, the Indian government
subsidized canals, fertilizer, and the drilling of tube wells for irrigation. The 25
new wheat varieties quickly spread throughout Asia, changing the traditional
farming practices of millions of farmers, and were soon followed by new
strains of ‘miracle’ rice. The new crops matured faster and enabled farmers
to grow two crops a year instead of one.

3 Today, though, the miracle of the green revolution is over in Punjab: 30
Yield growth has flattened since the mid-1990’s. Over-irrigation has led to
steep drops in the water table while thousands of hectares of productive land
have been lost to water-logged soils. Forty years of intensive irrigation,
fertilization, and pesticides have not been kind to the fields of Punjab. Nor, in
some cases, to the people themselves. In the farming village of Bhuttiwala, 35
home to some 6000 people, village elder, Jagsir Singh adds up the toll:
“We’ve had 49 deaths due to cancer in the last four years,” he says. “Most of
them were young people. The water is not good. It’s poisonous,
contaminated water. Yet, people drink it. The green revolution has brought us
only downfall. The government has sacrificed the people of Punjab for grain.” 40

176

4 Others, of course, see it differently. Rattan Lal, a soil scientist believes it
was the abuse – not the use – of green revolution technologies that caused

most of the problems. That includes the overuse of fertilizers, pesticides, and
irrigation and the removal of all crop residues from the fields. “I realize the
problems of water quality and water withdrawal,” says Lal. “But it saved 45

hundreds of millions of people. We paid a price in water, but the choice was
to let people die.” In terms of production, the benefits of the green revolution

are hard to deny. India has not experienced famine since Borlaug brought his

seed to town, while world grain production has more than doubled.

5 Many crop scientists believe the solution to our food crisis lies in a 50
second green revolution, based largely on our newfound knowledge of the
gene. Plant breeders now know the sequence of nearly all of the 50 000 or
so genes in corn and soybean plants and are using that knowledge. Robert
Farley, chief technology officer for the agricultural giant Monsanto, is
convinced that genetic modification, which allows breeders to bolster crops 55
with beneficial traits from other species, will lead to new varieties with higher
yields, reduced fertilizer needs and drought tolerance. He believes
biotechnology will make it possible to double yields of corn, cotton, and
soybeans by 2030.

6 But is a reprise of the green revolution the answer to the world’s food 60

crisis? Last year, a six-year study concluded that the production increases

brought about by science and technology in the past 30 years have failed to
improve food access for many of the world’s poor. The study called for a

paradigm shift in agriculture towards more sustainable and ecologically-
friendly practices the would benefit the world’s 900 million small farmers, not 65

just agribusiness. And so a shift has already begun to small, under-funded

projects scattered across Africa and Asia. Some call it agroecology, others

sustainable agriculture, but the underlying idea is revolutionary: that we must

stop focusing on maximizing grain yields at any cost and consider the

environmental and social impacts on food production. Vandana Shiva, an 70

agroecologist, argues that small-scale, biologically-diverse farms can

produce more food with fewer petroleum-based inputs. Her research has

shown that using compost instead of natural-gas-derived fertilizer increases
organic matter in the soil. “If you are talking about solving the food crisis,

these are the methods you need,” adds Shiva. 75

7 Regardless of which model prevails – agriculture as a diverse ecological art,
as a high-tech industry, or some combination of the two – the challenge of
putting enough food in nine billion mouths by 2050 is daunting.

(Adapted from National Geographic, June 2009)

177

38 The main point of paragraph 1 is

A. the reasons for a global food crisis
B. shortage of food leads to high prices
C. the effects of long-term food shortages
D. consumption of food exceeds production

39 The following are reasons for the skyrocketing cost of food except

A. low yield of crops
B. depleted food stockpiles
C. steeply-rising population
D. increasing dependence on imported grains

40 Which of the following did Borlaug introduce to India?
I. A higher-yielding wheat strain
II. Growing of two crops together

III. The building of tube wells for irrigation
IV. The American industrial farming method

A. I and III
B. I and IV
C. II and III
D. II and IV

41 In paragraph 3, the writer’s intention is to

A. explain the failure of the green revolution
B. compare the pros and cons of the green revolution
C. account for the effects of the green revolution on water
D. draw attention to the poor soil condition as a result of the green revolution

42 In paragraph 4, the writer began with Others, of course, see it differently
(line 41). What is the different view?

A. The green revolution is too costly to sustain.
B. The green revolution has caused much damage.
C. The abuse of green revolution technologies was the culprit.
D. The problem of shortage of food was resolved by the green revolution.

43 The most distinguishing feature in the second green revolution (line 51)

A. doubling the yield of grains
B. reduction in the use of fertilizers
C. crops are no longer affected by drought
D. genetically-modified crop varieties are used

178

44 The study called for a paradigm shift (line 64) in agricultural practices. The
following are attributes of the shift except
A. less funding is needed
B. more focus on increasing grain yield
C. use of compost as the main fertilizer
D. more emphasis on small-scale farming

45 In the last paragraph, the writer is of the opinion that
A. agriculture is essentially more a science than an art
B. the agricultural models all have their merits and demerits
C. applying a combination of agricultural technologies will solve the food
crisis
D. no matter which model is adopted, it will be difficult to feed the rising
population

179

PRACTICE 7

Questions 1 to 7 are based on the following passage.

1 In August 2008, the World Bank presented a major overhaul to its estimates
of global poverty, incorporating what is described as new and better data.
The World Bank’s long-held estimate of the number of people living on the
equivalent of US Dollar 1.00 a day has now been changed to US Dollars 1.25
a day. The World Bank also adds that the previous US Dollar 1.00 a day 5
estimate for the International poverty line would have been US Dollars 1.45 a
day at 2005 prices if only inflation was accounted for.

2 Poverty lines include US Dollar 1.00 a day, US Dollars 1.25 a day, US
Dollars 1.45 a day, US Dollars 2.00 a day (typical for many developing
countries), and US Dollars 2.50 a day (which includes a poverty level for 10
some additional countries), and US Dollars 10.00 a day, which a World Bank
report referred to if looking at poverty from the level of a wealthy country,
such as the United States.

3 But even with some poverty reduction, inequality is quite high in many
regions around the world. While poverty alleviation is important, so too is 15
tackling inequality. Inequality is often discussed in the context of relative
poverty, as opposed to absolute poverty.

4 That is, even in the wealthiest countries, the poor may not be in absolute
poverty (the most basic of provisions may be obtainable for many) or their
level of poverty may be a lot higher than those in developing countries, but in 20
terms of their standing in society, their relative poverty can also have serious
consequences such as deteriorating social cohesion, increasing crime and
violence, and poorer health.

5 Some of these things are hard to measure, such as social cohesion and
the level of trust and comfort people will have in interacting with one another 25
in the society. Nonetheless, over the years, numerous studies have shown
that sometimes the poor in wealthy countries can be unhappier or find it
harder to cope than poor people in poorer countries.

6 In the context of tackling poverty then, the World Bank for example, sees
the key factors in reducing poverty as the increase in the rate of growth as 30
well as the reduction in income differences.

7 The World bank also adds that as well as increased growth, additional
key factors to reducing poverty will be the reduction in inequality and the
reduction in income differences.

8 A few places around the world do see increasing rate of growth in a 35
positive sense. But globally, there is also a negative change in income

180

distribution. The reality, unfortunately, is that the gap between the rich and
poor is quite wide in most places.

(Adapted from http://www.globalissues.org/print/article/4)
Figure 1: Income Distribution

(Source: World Bank Development Indicators 2008)
1 The poor in rich countries are not grateful that they are better off than the

poor in really poor countries.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated
2 In wealthy countries the poverty line is at US Dollars 2.50 a day.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

181

3 Reducing income differences is not an important factor in reducing poverty.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

4 In most places, the rich will always get richer and the poor will always get
poorer.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

5 The poor in the wealthiest countries create serious social problems in
society.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

6 Studies have shown that the poor in wealthy countries are able to cope better
than the poor in poorer countries.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

7 Figure 1 shows the gap between the richest and the poorest in South Asia is
smaller than that in Latin America.
A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

182

Questions 8 to 14 are based on the following passage.

1 Almost unnoticed, one of the great civil rights struggles of our times is being

fought out in our midst. Across the Indian subcontinent, in Afghanistan and in
Africa, supporters of universal girls’ education are being threatened,

assaulted, bombed and murdered. Within the past two weeks alone, a 41-

year-old teacher was gunned down 200 meters from her all-girls school near 5

the Pakistan-Afghan border; two classrooms in an all-girls school in the north

of Pakistan were blown up; and at an award ceremony in the heart of

Karachi, a principal was shot to death and another teacher and four pupils

were wounded after grenades were hurled into a school that specialised in

enrolling girls. 10

2 For the first time, it is not adults but girls themselves who are pushing
this civil rights movement forward. A few months ago, when Morocco’s
education minister visited a Marrakech school, he told a 12-year-old named
Raouia Ayache, she would be better off leaving school and becoming a child
bride: “You! Your time would be better spent looking for a man!”. But Raouia 15
stood up to him and stayed in school, her family protesting to the government
about how the education minister had betrayed his obligation to promote
education.

3 Across the Indian subcontinent, teenage girls are joining together, village
by village, to create “child-marriage-free zones”. In Bangladesh, the so-called 20
“wedding-busters” have now created 19 such zones, pledging that they will
support one another to stay in school and resist being married against their
will. With the child-marriage-free zones, the petitions against child labour and
the growing movement exposing child trafficking, teenage girls are trying to
uphold and affirm their human dignity and battling for their rights, doing so far 25
from the glare of publicity, fighting a daily unrecorded battle for human
decency and fair treatment.

4 Of course many of the rights the girls are fighting for are those that have
been taken for granted at least for a century, in most countries. We have

moved from an old world where, if you were a girl, your rights were what 30

others decreed, your status what others ascribe to you and if your mother
was poor, so too would you always be. But today’s movement is not just for
emancipation – a twentieth century demand for demand for freedom to make

the most of your talents.

5 Next week, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and the 35
president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, will meet with countries that are
off-track to discuss the legislation, incentives, reforms – and money – needed

to speed up the enrolment of girls in schools.

183

6 I will share with them the testimonies, of two girls, Kainat Riaz and
Shazia Ramzan. I have talked twice to the girls, and, as they repeated to a
foreign television crew only a few weeks ago, they are being persecuted but 40
will never again be cowed.

7 Four years ago, Kainat says, girls were hiding books under their burqas.
Now, she says, the oppressors “can’t stop us from going to school. I want to

study. I am not afraid.” Now, Shazia says, “We are strong.” 45

(Adapted from The International Herald Tribune)

Traditionally, adults are the ones who initiate the civil rights movement for
8 female education.

A True
B. False
C. Not stated

The movement for female education has gained momentum though it is an
9 uphill battle.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

The Morocco education minister was reported forcing Raouia to leave
10 school.

A. True
B. False
C. Not stated

Countries that are off-track (line 37) means that they
11

A. are not sure about their roles
B. are not moving in the right direction
C. do not have enough financial resources

The purpose of paragraph 3 is to show
12

A. how girls suffered to get their rights to education
B. the determined efforts of the girls in the fight for civil rights
C. girls in India and Bangladesh cooperating to get fair treatment

184

13 Which of the statements is true about empowerment (paragraph 4)?
A. It is more difficult to achieve than emancipation.
B. It is as important as emancipation in female education.
C. It has gained more emphasis than emancipation in recent years.

14 Kianat’s and Shazia’s testimonies will help
A. to convince the World Bank to finance female education.
B. to motivate people to support the rights of girls to education
C. to get more news coverage about the problems with education.

185

Questions 15 to 21 are based on the following passage.

1 Over the years, the world tobacco industry has had its fair share of
controversies. In the United States, for example, many tobacco companies
have lost millions in major legal settlements. But this has not stopped them
from investing more. This happens despite the advertising ban on cigarettes
and the constant anti-smoking campaigns of lobby groups everywhere. Not 5
to mention the mandatory health warnings on their packaging.

2 But such constraints have not deterred the industry’s growth. How is it
that in spite of all the scientific evidence of tobacco’s negative health record,

the population of smokers worldwide continues to rise? Somehow, the “kick”

from smoking appears to be worth all the associated risks. 10

3 In Malaysia for many years now, tobacco farming has been the bread-
and-butter of many rural households, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu.
In 2004, Malaysia recorded its highest-ever tobacco production at 13 million
kg. In 2006, this declined to only six million kg.

4 In Malaysia, with the advent of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), 15

tobacco farming is expected to decline. Under AFTA, Malaysia has to reduce

duties on tobacco imports by 2010. This will negatively impact the

competitiveness of Malaysian tobacco, where the cost of production – about
RM10 per kilo – is almost twice that of Thailand’s. Indonesia’s cost of

production is even lower. 20

5 What happens after 2010 concerns not only farmers but also the
government. That will be when the full effects of AFTA will be felt. The
government has in recent years put in place programmes to wean farmers
away from tobacco and into alternative commercial crops. Kenaf is one
option. Under the recently launched East Coast Economic Region (ECER), 25
the target area for kenaf is about 10 000 hectares.

6 This is expected to increase the income of 10 000 marginal tobacco
farmers and create more jobs. But the market for kenaf is still uncertain. One
potential product outlet is natural fibre for insulation. Another is as composite
material for the automotive industry. The question is, will farmers enjoy the 30
same if not a better income than from growing tobacco?

7 Another possible crop is jatropha. Unlike kenaf, where the market
prospects are still uncertain, jatropha has potential as biofuel. Jatropha,
being a non-edible oil, is a viable option to replace palm oil as a base
material for biodiesel. However, much research is still needed if jatropha is to 35
match the consistency and yield of oil palm.

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8 Lately, yet another option has emerged: “molecular farming”.
Essentially, this involves producing new compounds from tobacco through
the engineering of the tobacco plant.

9 The new compouds can include pharmaceutical products such as
medical drugs, vaccines or antibodies. This is starting to enter the 40
commercial phase in the West. As tobacco is among the easiest plants to
transform genetically, it is emerging as a popular commercial crop to achieve
what some call “molecular pharming”.

10 Unlike kenaf and jatropha, the market for pharmaceuticals is more or
less assured. This is because the tobacco plant is genetically engineered to 45
produce medicines and vaccines that are already being used in the
marketplace.

11 There are many reasons for this sudden interest in plant-based
pharmaceuticals. So far, commercial production of clinical-grade
pharmaceuticals has relied on two major production routes; microbial cells or 50
animal cells. Both use fermentation and are, therefore, expensive to build
and operate. There is also concern that animal cells can harbour human
disease-carrying microbes.

12 Factor in the growing demand for halal vaccines, and a plant-based
production system immediately becomes attractive. This is also the reason 55
why the plant-based production platform has attracted strong corporate
interest from companies involved in pharmaceuticals as well as
agrotechonology.

13 Tobacco is a prime contender in this field. Tobacco has a well-established
technology for gene transfer, and offers potentially high biomass yield per 60
hectare. There is available large-scale infrastructure for processing that does
not come into contact with the human and animal food chains.

14 Most of all, tobacco farmers can continue to grow the crop for which they
have amassed many years of experience and expertise.

(Adapted from New Straits Times, March 12, 2008)

In paragraph 1, the main idea is that the tobacco industry
15

A. has been involved in many legal disputes
B. has continued to grow despite its many constraints
C. has been affected by the harmful effects of smoking

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16 In Malaysia tobacco industry is expected to decline after AFTA because
A. the cost of producing tobacco will double
B. it will become cheaper to import than to grow tobacco
C. the heavy duties on tobacco will make tobacco farming less attractive

17 The following statements are true about kenaf except
A. it can be used as a fibre for insulation
B. it will be grown mostly on the East Coast
C. kenaf farmers will earn more than tobacco farmers

18 The main idea of paragraph 7 is
A. jatropha has potential as a biofuel
B. jatropha has more advantages than other commercial crops
C. jatropha will replace palm oil as base material for biodiesel

19 Molecular farming (line 37) of tobacco is better than growing other
commercial crops because
A. it generates more by-products
B. genetic engineering of plants is cheaper
C. there is a ready demand for pharmaceutical products

20 Plant-based pharmaceuticals are attractive because
A. their production process is less complex
B. they are in greater demand than other types of pharmaceuticals
C. they are cheaper to produce than clinical-grade pharmaceuticals

21
Factor in the growing demand for halal vaccines ... (line 55).

The phrase “factor in” can be best replaced by
A. add
B. review
C. evaluate

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Questions 22 to 29 are based on the following passage.

1 Lead has for sometimes been implicated in poisoning. Lead poisoning is also
associated with lead-containing paint, lead-contaminated dust in older
buildings and lead-contaminated water and soil. However, many people may
not know that some medicines may also contain lead.

2 As observed by the United States Centre for Diseases Control and 5
Prevention (CDC), lead has been found in some folk medicines used by

Indian, Middle Eastern, West Asian, and Hispanic cultures. Lead and other

heavy metals are added to certain folk medicines on purpose because these

metals are thought to be useful in treating some ailments. CDC adds: “lead

poisoning from folk remedies can cause illness and even death”. Lead 10
poisoning is a medical condition often called plumbism, caused by increased

levels of the element lead in the body.

3 Lately there is a resurgence in the use of traditional medicinal products 15
partly due to their promotion by various governments in the form of
alternative medicine: and partly due to the fact that those products are
regulated less by various governmental agencies.

4 Most of the traditional medical practices like Ayurveda, and Chinese

Medicine employ plant products in the treatment of various human ailments.

Interestingly, at least some of those plant extracts proved their reputation in 20
modern methods of testing using in-vitro cell cultures and experimental

animals. However, there is a downside, for some reasons. The belief that

heavy metals have medicinal properties has spread its roots to the traditional

therapies of different regions of the ancient world and heavy metals have

become part of some ancient drug formulations. Although it is not entirely

clear if these metallic salts are directly added to the drug formulations, heavy 25

metal, for example, the lead content of some traditional drugs is scientifically
well-documented. According, to the World Health Organisation , “improper

manufacturing processes may result in dangerously high levels of heavy

metals remaining in the final product”.

5 The acute symptoms of lead poisoning typically include extreme 30

discomfort in the stomach followed by diarrhea, and pain in the joints and

muscles. Activation and increased expression of liver enzymes may be

responsible for some of these symptoms. If left untreated extreme forms of

lead poisoning can cause organ failure and death. Reports of lead poisoning 35
from traditional Eastern medicines came from the United States of America,

Australia, New Zealand, India, and Hong Kong as published in scientific

journals. It was reported that some of these formulations contain as high as

30 per cent by weight of these powders and pills.

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6 These findings and observations do not undermine the potential of
traditional medicine. In fact there is a major effort by pharmaceuticals and 40
researchers to identify biologically active chemical compounds in the plant
materials used in these potent formulations. Nevertheless, according to the
CDC, approximately 250 000 children in the United States aged 1 to 5 years
have high blood lead levels which are worrying. CDC recommends public
health actions be initiated. Nearly every system in the body may be affected 45
by lead poisoning.

7 The United States and other developed countries have made big strides

in reducing human exposure to lead such as limiting lead in the gasoline, and

banning lead based paints. It is an irony that ancient medical practices can

antagonise that success. In India, drug stores selling traditional medicines 50
are as busy as those selling non-traditional ones. Many customers are not

aware of lead poisoning. It is time various governments develop a system to

monitor and control heavy metal content of traditional drug formulations.

(Adapted from Science Debate, 2011)

22 Which of the following sentences introduces the main idea of the passage?

A. Lead has for sometimes been implicated in poisoning. (line 1)
B. Lead poisoning is also associated with lead-containing paint, lead-

contaminated dust in older buildings and lead-contaminated water and
soil. (lines 1 to 3)
C. However, many people may not know that some medicines may also
contain lead. (lines 3 and 4)

23 The main purpose of paragraph 2 is to

A. highlight the usefulness and dangers of folk medicines
B. alert users about the potential dangers of folk medicines
C. discuss the work of the Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention

(CDC)

24 The main point of paragraph 3 is

A. traditional medicine is gaining popularity
B. traditional medicine is heavily promoted today
C. traditional medicine is not under strict control by the government

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25 downside (line 21) can be replaced with
A. conflict
B. disagreement
C. negative effect

26 these potent formulations (line 42) refers to
A. plant materials
B. traditional medicine
C. chemical compounds

27 Which of the following is the irony mentioned in the concluding paragraph?
A. People are still patronising traditional medicines in spite of its high lead
content.
B. Many people are not aware of lead poisoning despite numerous
government efforts.
C. Governments have banned lead in conventional medicines but not in
traditional medicines.

28 The writer ends the passage with
A. a call for action
B. a note of caution
C. a strong criticism

29 Based on the passage what word of caution would you give users of
traditional medicine?
A. Do not buy traditional medicine
B. Do not patronise traditional medical practitioners
C. Do not consult unauthorised medical practitioners.

191

Questions 30 to 37 are based on the following passage.

1 Are you one of those people who can perform well under pressure, blocking
out burdensome thoughts of failure – or do you tend to freeze just when you

need to perform your best, so crippled by fear and consumed by the

consequences of doing poorly that you fall far short of what you know you

can achieve? 5

2 Choking under pressure is a familiar phenomenon for most of us – who
has not occasionally been paralysed by fear and failure when faced with a
seemingly impossible task? But as researchers report in Science, some are

more affected by performance anxiety, scientists at the University of Chicago
turned to an undeniably angst-ridden situation that nearly all of us can 10
understand – taking a test.

3 Building on earlier evidence that linked expressive writing exercises to a
reduction in stress following a traumatic or emotionally scarring event, as well
as studies that suggested that depressed individuals were able to spend less
time ruminating with melancholy thoughts after putting their feelings on 15
paper, psychologist Sian Beilock decided to investigate whether writing could
help anxious students to relieve their stress immediately before an
examination.

4 In a series of four separate studies, both in the laboratory and in the
classroom, Beilock and her colleagues showed that giving students the 20
opportunity to write freely about their fears and anxieties about the upcoming
test helped them to score better on the examination than those who were not
given the writing exercise. In the first experiment, which took place in the
laboratory, the scientists asked a group of college students to take a
mathematics test twice; before the first test, the students were instructed to 25
simply do their best, but before the second examination, they were told their
results would be used to determine a monetary reward, and that their ranking
was tied to that of a teammate’s who had already scored well. Half of the
volunteers in the second experiment were also given 10 minutes to write
about their worries concerning the pending test, while the other half sat 30
quietly, worrying. The worrying group suffered a 12 per cent drop in their
accuracy on the examination, while the writing group improved their scores
by 5 per cent.

5 Fine, thought the scientists, but was it the exercise of writing itself – the
physical act of putting words on paper could be a stress releaser – or was it 35
the content of the essays that helped half of the students? After all, some
researchers suggest that harping on a source of fear or anxiety only makes it
worse, not better. To find out, in the next experiment, half of the volunteers

192

who wrote before the test were instructed to express their fears about the 40
examination, while the other half were told to write about anything but the
test they were about to take. The same pattern emerged – the control
subjects and those that wrote about unrelated topics showed a 7 per cent
drop in accuracy between their two examinations, while those who wrote
about their worries improved by 4 per cent.

6 The researcher then put their simple anxiety-releaser to the ultimate test 45
– in a classroom. Not only did writing about their test-taking fears and anxiety
improve scores among a group of ninth-grade biology students sitting for
their first high school final examination, but the exercise helped particularly
anxious “chokers” to perform at the same level as those who were more
comfortable taking tests. In other words, the simple act of writing about their 50
anxiety helped these students to relieve that same anxiety prior to their
examination received a B+ average on their test, while their similarly anxiety-
prone friends who did not write, averaged a B-.

7 The benefits of writing, she speculates in the paper, might be related to
the fact that when you worry, anxious thoughts occupy the working memory 55
of the brain, thus crowding out other thoughts or knowledge relevant to the
pressure-packed task at hand. Writing about the fear provides an outlet for
these nerve-wrecking thoughts, freeing up the working memory to
concentrate on other things.

8 So is easy essay-writing the magic bullet for test-choking students? 60
Perhaps. In a release describing the results, Beilock notes, “We think this

type of writing will help people perform their best in a variety of pressure-filled
situations – whether it is a big presentation to a client, a speech to an
audience or even a job interview,” she says in a release describing the study.

9 Who knew that a good way to calm nerves is to simply take pen to paper 65
and vent?
(Adapted from Time Magazine, January 13, 2011)

30 ... fall far short of what you know you can achieve? (lines 4 and 5) is to

A. achieve nothing
B. achieve very little
C. achieve less than you expect to
D. achieve less than your potential

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31 Paragraph 3 is mainly about

A. what factors cause stress
B. previous studies on stress reduction
C. ways to help student to overcome stress
D. what prompted Beilock to conduct her studies

32 In the first experiment (paragraph 4), what is the purpose of telling the
students that their performance will be ranked?

A. To create anxiety
B. To encourage competition
C. To motivate better performance
D. To make them take the test seriously

33 The aim of Sian Beilock’s second experiment (paragraph 5) was to
investigate if

A. writing helps students to relieve stress
B. writing help students to perform better
C. there is a relationship between fear and writing
D. harping on an anxiety in writing causes more stress

34 It can be concluded from the second experiment (paragraph 5) that

A. doing a test twice improves students’ performance
B. writing just before an exam improves students’ performance
C. writing about what stresses them improves students’ performance
D. expressing their feelings on paper improves students’ performances

35 crowding out (line 56) can be replaced with
A. releasing
B. changing
C. substituting
D. suppressing

36 Beilock believes that writing before an examination is beneficial. Why?

A. When students write, they worry less.
B. When students write, their thoughts will start to flow.
C. After writing about their fears, the students can concentrate better.
D. After writing about their fears, the students begin to understand them.

194

37 The last sentence emphasises that the solution to relieving stress
A. has been found
B. is surprisingly easy
C. is widely applicable
D. has to be taken seriously

195