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Summary Worksheet Answers

1. In each paragraph of the passage below underline the important points or ideas.

Elephants are afraid of bees. Let that sink in for a second. The largest animal on land is so terrified of a tiny insect that it will flap its ears, stir up dust and make noises when it hears the buzz of a beehive.

Of course a bee’s stinger can’t penetrate the thick hide of an elephant. But when bees swarm — and African bees swarm aggressively — hundreds of bees might sting an elephant in its most sensitive areas, the trunk, mouth and eyes. And they hurt.

The threat of bees is so intensely felt by elephants that conservationists are using it to help prevent the kinds of conflict that put the behemoths at risk. The endangered animals have sometimes been shot by farmers trying to save their crops from elephants foraging at night for late-night snacks, or by poachers allowed access to help guard the fields.

Now there’s a weapon — and a mutually beneficial one — in the arsenal. In recent years, researchers and advocates have persuaded farmers to use the elephant’s fear of bees as a potential fence line to protect crops. By stringing beehives every 20 meters — alternating with fake hives — a team of researchers in Africa has shown that they can keep 80 percent of elephants away from farmland.

Extracted from nytimes.com

 

2. In each paragraph of the passage below underline the important points or ideas.

 

Will robots replace construction workers?

Current robots are good at doing simple, repetitive tasks which is why we are seeing things like bricklaying robots or rebar tying robots. Once set up, these robots can work continuously to complete tasks faster than human workers without needing to take breaks or go home for a good night’s sleep. Robots don’t get tired from lifting bricks, applying mortar and setting them in place or constantly bending over to tie rebar.

In both these examples, humans are still needed to perform some of the work. Both still require workers to set up the robots and get them started. For the bricklaying robot, a mason is needed to oversee the work, ensure bricks are correctly placed and clean up the mortar after they’ve been set. The rebar tying robot still needs humans to correctly place and space the rebar before it gets set in motion.

The more likely scenario is that a small number of jobs and occupations may be completely eliminated or replaced by robot workers. A majority of jobs will remain with humans working in conjunction with robots performing more of the repetitive and laborious tasks, allowing workers to be more productive and efficient by focusing on the highly-skilled tasks of their job.

Taken from www.constructionconnect.com

3. In not more than two sentences describe the attitude of the undergraduates to their phone as described in the passage below.

Hint: There are lots of examples here.

Curious, I asked my undergraduate students at San Diego State University what they do with their phone while they sleep. Their answers were a profile in obsession. Nearly all slept with their phone, putting it under their pillow, on the mattress, or at the very least within arm’s reach of the bed. They checked social media right before they went to sleep, and reached for their phone as soon as they woke up in the morning (they had to—all of them used it as their alarm clock). Their phone was the last thing they saw before they went to sleep and the first thing they saw when they woke up. If they woke in the middle of the night, they often ended up looking at their phone. Some used the language of addiction. “I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help it,” one said about looking at her phone while in bed. Others saw their phone as an extension of their body—or even like a lover: “Having my phone closer to me while I’m sleeping is a comfort.”

Extracted from The Atlantic

They undergraduates were obsessed with their phones even during the time when they should be sleeping.

Or

The undergraduates allowed their phones to determine their actions even at bedtime.

 

4. Write a summary of the paragraph in not more than 50 words.

Hint: Use the underlining technique to help.

Lionfish, native to the Pacific, are an invasive species introduced into the Atlantic and are now commonly found in the waters of the Caribbean. The fish is known for its voracious appetite as it is said to eat any fish that can fit into its mouth consuming about 20 fish in 30 minutes. They are prolific breeders as well, producing up to 30,000 eggs every four to five days or 2 million annually. While its numbers increase rapidly it is devouring other fish native to the Atlantic and the Caribbean and can reduce these other fish populations over time. No local fish hunts the lionfish. It is not surprising because it is new to their environment and is armed with poisonous spines. This means that humans have to intervene to find means to control and reduce the population of lionfish in our region.

Answer

Lionfish do not belong to the Caribbean waters. They breed fast and in large numbers and they eat all types of local fish. No local fish prey on them. People will have to control the lionfish.

5. Write a summary of the passage in not more than 75 words.

Chickens raised in India for food have been dosed with some of the strongest antibiotics known to medicine, in practices that could have repercussions throughout the world.

Hundreds of tonnes of an “antibiotic of last resort” – only used in the most extreme cases of sickness – are shipped to India each year to be used, without medical supervision, on animals that may not require the drugs but are being dosed with them nevertheless to promote the growth of healthy animals.

Routine use of some of the strongest antibiotics, which doctors have said should be preserved for the most extreme cases lest resistance to them should increase and prevent their use for the diseases for which they are intended, is now a common practice in farming in the developing world. The consequences will be felt throughout the world because resistance to strong antibiotics is spread among organisms.

Adapted from The Guardian newspaper online

Answer: In India chickens used for food are given strong antibiotics normally reserved for persons who are very seriously ill. Doctors are concerned that this common use of such antibiotics in farming may increase resistance to such drugs and render them ineffective for use against diseases. The consequences would be felt internationally.

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ANSWERS SHEET MULTIPLE CHOICE PAPER JANUARY 2010

Words opposite in meaning

1. D, 2. A, 3. B, 4. C, 5. A

Grammar

6. B  7. A  8. A  9. D 10. B

Words similar in meaning

11. C  12.D 13. B  14. D  15. C

Grammar

16. B. 17. A  18. C  19.D. 20. B

Comprehension –Poetry

21. C, 22. A, 23. C, 24. A,  25. A,  26. D,  27. A,  28. D

Comprehension – narrative

29. C, 30. D, 31. A, 32. B, 33. A, 34. C, 35. A, 36. C

Comprehension – advertisement

37. D, 38. B, 39. D, 40. A, 41. D,  42. B, 43. D

Comprehension – expository writing

44.D, 45. C, 46. C, 47. A, 48. D, 49. B, 50. C, 51. B, 52. A

Comprehension – narrative

53. B, 54. C, 55. D, 56. D, 57. C, 58. B, 59. D, 60. B

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ANSWERS- GRAMMAR WORKSHEET – Class 28

1. Among is incorrect. Between should be used.
2. This sentence has a fault in agreement. The pronoun which refers to the noun disease. That noun is singular so the verb should be changed from are to is.
3. Either that or how should be used, not both of them.
4. This sentence is correct. It shows the correct use of parallel structures – planning, coordinating, organising
5. This sentence has a fault in agreement. The subject is houses so the verb should be look.

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SYNONYMS- words nearest in meaning

1. C
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. C

ANSWERS to Multiple choice comprehension exercises.

Expository extract

1 D,  2 C, 3 D, 4 A, 5 A, 6 B.

Poem

1D, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5A, 6C, 7B

Persuasive extract

1A, 2D, 3B, 4C, 5A, 6C, 7D.

WORKSHEET

Paragraph Unity

The first sentence in each paragraph is the topic sentence. Each sentence is written separately for easy reading. Some sentences in paragraph A should be in paragraph B and some sentences in paragraph B should be in paragraph A. Transfer sentences between paragraph A and paragraph B to ensure that each paragraph achieves unity.

Paragraph A

The lionfish in the Atlantic and the Caribbean waters cannot be eliminated by spearfishing.

It is not clear how these fish were introduced into the Atlantic and Caribbean waters but many feel that persons who kept them in aquariums would release them into the ocean when they no longer wanted to care for them.

In addition they have few natural predators in these waters to help control the spread of their population.

Another difficulty for the fishermen is that lionfish have been found at depths of over 1000 feet which takes them out of the normal range of spearfishing.

Fishermen would require special equipment to reach these depths.

Paragraph B

The lionfish is an invasive species that has been introduced into the Atlantic and Caribbean waters.

Their population expands rapidly as each female lays about 30,000 eggs each month.

It is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is a colourful striped fish with large fan-like pectoral fins and venomous dorsal spines.

Others feel that they might have been accidentally released when homes and pet shops were destroyed by hurricanes.

Despite the mystery about how they first came to the region the lionfish now survive and thrive in their new environment.

Exercise 2

Paragraph A

A smartphone offers various methods of communication in addition to making and receiving calls and text messages.

A more recent feature of smartphones is their ability to make and receive payments. The owner can pay for purchases by tapping the phone on a checkout terminal.

The phone’s ability to connect to the internet allows the user to download applications that enable him or her to make voice and video calls using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) rather than a telecommunications company.

The same connection also allows free messages and the ability to send audio files over the internet.

Paragraph B

A smartphone has capabilities other than facilitating communication.

It has two cameras, that are capable of taking still pictures as well as videos.

It can be used to make voice recordings and can function as an alarm clock, a calculator and a calendar.

On a smartphone you can also be connected to the internet and send and receive emails.

Included in its functionality is the ability to make searches on the internet to gather information.

In addition a smartphone also allows you to create small documents.

Apart from work and business related functions a smartphone also provides entertainment because the owner can use it to listen to music and to play video games.

The phone also allows users to connect with others through social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube.