CXC CSEC English A — Paper 01 (Multiple Choice), Practice Paper B

Total marks: 60 · Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Instructions to candidates

• This paper has 60 questions in two sections. Answer ALL questions.
• Each question is worth ONE mark. For each question there are four options, A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE best answer.
• In the January 2027 sitting, Paper 01 is taken online: you read the questions and select your answers on screen.
• Section One (Questions 1–25) tests word choice, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and paragraphing.
• Section Two (Questions 26–60) tests reading. It has five texts: a poem, a literary extract, an expository extract, an argumentative extract and a visual extract. Answer the seven questions on each text.
• Dictionaries and other reference material may NOT be used.
• All the texts in this paper were written for Kramizo practice and are not taken from published works.

Paper

Section One — Language (Questions 1–25)

1. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "Each of the girls ___ her own uniform."

A) iron
B) irons
C) have ironed
D) are ironing

2. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "Neither the captain nor the players ___ ready for the match."

A) was
B) is
C) has been
D) were

3. Choose the words that correctly complete the sentence: "By the time the bus arrived, we ___ for an hour."

A) had been waiting
B) have waited
C) are waiting
D) will wait

4. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "The prize was shared between Keisha and ___."

A) I
B) myself
C) me
D) mine

5. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "She was accused ___ taking the money."

A) for
B) with
C) of
D) about

6. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "The ___ changing room was flooded after the storm." (The room is used by many boys.)

A) boys'
B) boy's
C) boys
D) boys's

7. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

A) It rained all day, the match went ahead.
B) It rained all day; and the match went ahead.
C) It rained all day the match went ahead.
D) It rained all day; the match went ahead.

8. Which word is spelt correctly?

A) occassion
B) accommodation
C) definately
D) seperate

9. "The minister's speech was so verbose that the audience grew restless." The word "verbose" means

A) using too many words
B) loud and angry
C) short and direct
D) full of jokes

10. Choose the word that best completes this sentence from a formal letter: "I am writing to ___ about the condition of the road outside the school."

A) moan
B) give out
C) complain
D) vex

11. Which sentence is written correctly?

A) Walking to school, the rain soaked my shoes.
B) Walking to school, I got my shoes soaked by the rain.
C) The rain soaked my shoes walking to school.
D) Soaked by the rain, the shoes walked to school.

12. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "Of the three sisters, Maria is the ___."

A) more tall
B) taller
C) most tallest
D) tallest

13. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "There ___ several reasons for the delay."

A) is
B) was
C) are
D) has been

14. Which word is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to "scarce"?

A) plentiful
B) rare
C) expensive
D) hidden

15. "When Aunt Pearl asked about the surprise party, Devon let the cat out of the bag." This means that Devon

A) set an animal free
B) revealed a secret
C) made a careless mistake
D) lost something valuable

16. "Although the shop was closed, we waited outside." This sentence is

A) simple
B) compound
C) compound-complex
D) complex

17. She said, "I will call you tomorrow." Which is the correct reported version, written the next week?

A) She said that she would call me the next day.
B) She said that I will call you tomorrow.
C) She said she will call me tomorrow.
D) She says she would call me the next day.

18. "The committee approved the plan." Which sentence has the same meaning, written in the passive voice?

A) The plan approved the committee.
B) The plan is approved by the committee.
C) The plan was approved by the committee.
D) The committee was approved by the plan.

19. Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "The heavy rain will ___ the cricket match."

A) effect
B) affected
C) effects
D) affect

20. In a story, a new paragraph should begin when

A) a sentence has more than ten words
B) a different character starts to speak
C) a comma is used
D) an adjective is used

21. The word "inaudible" means

A) very loud
B) easily seen
C) not able to be heard
D) heard again

22. Choose the word that best completes the sentence: "The roads were flooded; ___, the schools were closed."

A) consequently
B) however
C) meanwhile
D) although

23. Which of these is a complete sentence?

A) Because the bus was late.
B) The bus was late because of the traffic.
C) When the bus finally arrived.
D) Running to catch the late bus.

24. "When Kevin met Paul at the gate, he was nervous." What is the main problem with this sentence?

A) The verb is in the wrong tense.
B) A word is spelt incorrectly.
C) A comma is missing.
D) It is unclear who "he" refers to.

25. "The old house had a dilapidated look." The word "dilapidated" means

A) run-down
B) modern
C) colourful
D) crowded

Section Two — Reading (Questions 26–60)

Read the poem carefully and answer Questions 26–32.

Fisherman's Morning

Before the sun has combed the hills, old Ezra drags his boat to sea; the sand complains beneath the keel, the gulls dispute the morning's fee.

He reads the water like a page his father taught him how to turn, each ripple a remembered word, each cloud a lesson hard to learn.

By noon the tourists fill the shore with radios and painted chairs; they photograph his weathered hands but never ask him what they're for.

At dusk he hauls his little catch and walks the long road home alone, the sea still speaking in his ears a language that he calls his own.

26. In the line "the sand complains beneath the keel", the poet uses

A) a simile
B) alliteration
C) personification
D) onomatopoeia

27. "He reads the water like a page" suggests that Ezra

A) cannot read books
B) understands the sea through long experience
C) is writing about the sea
D) only fishes when the water is calm

28. The words "his father taught him how to turn" show that

A) Ezra's father was a schoolteacher
B) Ezra is still a young man
C) the sea is very dangerous
D) Ezra's skill was passed down in his family

29. Stanza 3 suggests that the tourists are

A) interested in Ezra's appearance but not in his life
B) eager to learn how to fish
C) unfriendly towards the fishermen
D) afraid of going into the sea

30. The tone of the final stanza is best described as

A) angry
B) humorous
C) quietly dignified
D) desperate

31. In "the gulls dispute the morning's fee", the "fee" most likely refers to

A) money paid by the tourists
B) the share of the catch the gulls want
C) the price of Ezra's boat
D) the cost of renting the beach

32. Which of the following best states a main theme of the poem?

A) Fishing is too dangerous to be worthwhile.
B) Tourism brings wealth to fishing villages.
C) A son mourns the death of his father.
D) Tradition and identity survive in a changing place.

Read the extract carefully and answer Questions 33–39.

Marisol had promised herself she would not cry at the airport. She had practised the promise all week, repeating it while she folded her grandmother's dresses into the old brown suitcase that smelled of camphor and bay rum. Now, standing under the departure board, she found that promises made in a quiet bedroom do not travel well.

Granny Ivy did not seem to notice. She was busy correcting the security officer's pronunciation of her surname and checking, for the third time, that her passport was still in the zipped pocket where she had put it at dawn. "Eighty-one years I live on this island," she announced to nobody in particular, "and now they want me to take off my shoes."

Marisol laughed, and the laugh caught somewhere in her chest and turned into something else. Her grandmother looked up then, and for a moment neither of them spoke. The old woman's eyes, usually so quick to scold, were very still.

"Toronto has snow," Granny Ivy said at last, as if this were a complaint she had been saving. "Your aunt says I will need a coat with a hood. A hood! Like a monk."

"You will look nice in a hood," Marisol said.

"I will look ridiculous." She pressed something small and cold into Marisol's palm and closed the girl's fingers over it. "Keep the key for the house. Somebody must open the windows on a Sunday. A house that is not breathed in goes sour."

Then she walked through the gate without looking back, a small, straight figure in a church hat, and Marisol stood holding the key until her hand was warm around it.

33. "Promises made in a quiet bedroom do not travel well" suggests that

A) Marisol's resolve not to cry weakens at the emotional moment
B) Marisol has forgotten the promise she made
C) the suitcase is too heavy to carry
D) the bedroom at home was noisy

34. Granny Ivy's behaviour at security in paragraph 2 suggests that she

A) is confused by the airport
B) dislikes all government officers
C) is excited about the journey
D) hides her feelings by keeping busy

35. "The laugh caught somewhere in her chest and turned into something else" means that Marisol

A) began to cough
B) started to shout
C) was overcome by emotion
D) stopped breathing

36. Granny Ivy's complaint about the hood mainly reveals her

A) love of fashionable clothes
B) humour and her reluctance to leave
C) fear of cold weather and nothing more
D) anger towards Marisol's aunt

37. The house key most likely symbolises

A) a continuing link with home and a shared responsibility
B) the new house Marisol will move to
C) the security checks at the airport
D) Granny Ivy's wealth and property

38. "A house that is not breathed in goes sour" is an example of

A) a simile, showing that the house is old
B) hyperbole, showing that the house will collapse
C) personification, suggesting a house needs people living in it
D) alliteration, describing how the house smells

39. The extract is told from the point of view of

A) Marisol, in the first person
B) Granny Ivy, in the first person
C) a reader addressed as "you", in the second person
D) a third-person narrator who is close to Marisol's feelings

Read the extract carefully and answer Questions 40–46.

Why Caribbean Coastlines Need Mangroves

Mangroves are trees that grow where the land meets the sea. Their tangled roots, which arch above the mud like the legs of a table, slow down incoming waves and trap sediment carried by rivers. As a result, a healthy mangrove fringe helps to protect the coast from erosion and reduces the damage caused by storm surges during hurricanes.

Mangroves are also nurseries. Many young fish, shrimp and crabs shelter among the roots until they are large enough to survive in open water. When mangroves are cleared, local fishers often report smaller catches within a few seasons, because fewer young fish survive to adulthood.

In addition, mangrove soils store large amounts of carbon. When the trees are cut down and the soil is dug up for construction, much of this carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, adding to climate change.

Despite these benefits, mangroves across the region have been cleared for hotels, marinas and housing. Some countries now require developers to obtain a permit before removing mangroves, and community groups on several islands have begun replanting seedlings along damaged shores. Replanting is slow work, however: a newly planted seedling may take many years to give the protection of a mature stand.

40. Which statement best expresses the main idea of the extract?

A) Mangroves attract tourists to the Caribbean.
B) Mangroves provide important benefits but are under threat.
C) Hurricanes are destroying the region's mangroves.
D) Fishers would prefer the mangroves to be removed.

41. The comparison of the roots to "the legs of a table" is used mainly to

A) help the reader picture how the roots look
B) show that the roots are made of hard wood
C) suggest that mangroves can be used for furniture
D) describe how tall the trees grow

42. According to the extract, clearing mangroves leads to smaller catches because

A) fishers move to other islands
B) the sea water becomes too salty
C) hotels ban fishing near their beaches
D) fewer young fish survive to adulthood

43. In paragraph 2, the word "nurseries" refers to

A) shops that sell young plants
B) schools for very young children
C) places where young animals shelter and grow
D) hospitals for sick sea creatures

44. The phrase "In addition" at the start of paragraph 3 signals

A) a contrast with the previous point
B) a further point of the same kind
C) the conclusion of the argument
D) an example of the previous point

45. The final sentence suggests that

A) replanting cannot quickly replace a mature mangrove stand
B) replanting mangroves is a waste of time
C) seedlings protect the coast as soon as they are planted
D) community groups have stopped replanting

46. Which of the following is a FACT stated in the extract rather than an opinion?

A) Mangroves are the most beautiful trees on the coast.
B) Developers care only about making money.
C) Some countries require a permit before mangroves are removed.
D) Hotels should be banned from the coastline.

Read the letter carefully and answer Questions 47–53.

Dear Editor,

Every Saturday, Main Street becomes a car park with a traffic problem. Shoppers squeeze between bumpers, children breathe in exhaust fumes, and the smallest vendors are hidden behind rows of minibuses. It is time for the Town Council to close Main Street to cars on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Some will say that business will suffer. The opposite is true. When the street was closed for the Independence festival last year, the stall-holders I spoke to said it was their best day of trading in months. People who walk spend time looking; people in cars look only for a parking space.

Others will claim that the elderly will be unable to reach the shops. A shuttle from the bus terminal to the market, running every fifteen minutes, would solve this at very little cost.

Surely we can agree that our town belongs to people, not vehicles? Towns all over the world are going car-free, and we should not be left behind. Any councillor who votes against this proposal clearly cares more about parking fees than about the health of our children.

Let us give Main Street back to the people who use it.

Yours faithfully, Andrea Clarke

47. The writer's main purpose is to

A) describe last year's Independence festival
B) complain only about the number of minibuses
C) inform readers about the times of a shuttle bus
D) persuade the council to close Main Street to cars on Saturdays

48. "Main Street becomes a car park with a traffic problem" is an example of

A) a statistic used as evidence
B) ironic exaggeration used to mock the situation
C) a rhetorical question
D) a direct quotation from a shopper

49. How does the writer respond to the claim that business will suffer?

A) She uses the festival as evidence against it.
B) She ignores it completely.
C) She agrees that business will suffer.
D) She blames the vendors for the problem.

50. What is the main weakness of the evidence about the festival?

A) It happened too recently to be useful.
B) It involves too many people to be reliable.
C) It is based on a few stall-holders on one unusual day.
D) It is a statistic that cannot be checked.

51. "Towns all over the world are going car-free, and we should not be left behind" is an example of

A) an expert's opinion
B) a personal anecdote
C) a statistic
D) a bandwagon appeal

52. The last sentence of paragraph 4 is best described as

A) balanced reasoning
B) an unfair attack on opponents' motives
C) a factual statement
D) a concession to the other side

53. "Surely we can agree that our town belongs to people, not vehicles?" is intended to

A) make disagreement seem unreasonable
B) ask readers for more information
C) show that the writer is unsure of her view
D) introduce a statistic

Study the notice carefully and answer Questions 54–60.

RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY LIBRARY — HOLIDAY READING PROGRAMME

• Registration opens on 1 July at the front desk.
• Places are limited to 20 per session.
• A library card is required for the Teen Writers' Workshop.
• The programme runs from 8 July to 16 August. The library is closed on public holidays.

54. A 12-year-old is free ONLY on Tuesday mornings. Which session can she join?

A) Junior Book Club
B) Storytime Sprouts
C) None of the sessions
D) Teen Writers' Workshop

55. Mrs Ali registers her 8-year-old for the Junior Book Club and her 13-year-old for the Teen Writers' Workshop. How much does she pay altogether?

A) $25
B) $35
C) $10
D) $50

56. Which session is free AND open to the widest range of ages?

A) Storytime Sprouts
B) Junior Book Club
C) Teen Writers' Workshop
D) Homework Help

57. What must a teenager have to join the Teen Writers' Workshop?

A) A library card
B) A parent present at each session
C) $10 for the term
D) A laptop

58. For about how many weeks does the programme run?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 8

59. Why would a parent be wise to register on 1 July?

A) The programme starts on that day.
B) Each session has only 20 places.
C) The fees are lower on that day.
D) The library closes after that day.

60. The main purpose of the notice is to

A) persuade families to buy books
B) report how many children attended last year
C) describe the history of the library
D) inform families about the holiday sessions and how to join