S2 E

KBTC International School

Examination and Evaluation Board

NAME

ROLL NUMBER

LEVEL Secondary 2

BATCH NUMBER

EXAM Placement Test

ENGLISH 2024- 2025

50 Marks 1hr 15 mins

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST.

Write your answers in the space provided.

Write in dark blue and black pen.
You may use an HB pencil for any lines, diagrams or
graphs.
Do not use correction fluid.
ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

100

This document consists of (5) pages. Score

On returning to his sitting-room, John pulled the large wicker chair in front of the fire, and
sat there looking at the glowing coals. The night promised to be very cold, and the wind
whistled down the chimney, increasing the comfortable sensation of the clear fire. He sat
watching the ruddy reflection of the firelight dancing on the
5 panelled wall, when he noticed that a picture placed where the end of the bookcase formerly
stood was not truly hung, and needed adjustment. A picture hung askew that was particularly
offensive to his eyes, and he got up at once to alter it. He remembered as he went up to it that
it was at this precise spot four month ago that he had lost sight of the man's figure which he
saw rise from the same wicker chair he
10 had just been sitting on, and at this memory he felt an involuntary shudder.
He put one hand behind the picture to steady it, and as he did so his fingerstruck a
very slight projection in the wall. He pulled the picture a little to one side, and saw that what
he had touched was the back of a small hinge sunk in the wall,and almost obliterated with
many coats of paint. His curiosity was excited, and he
15 took a candle from the table and examined the wall carefully. Inspection soon showed him
another hinge a little further up, and by degrees he perceived that one of the panels had been
made at some time in the past to open, and serve probably as the door of a cupboard. At this
point a feverish anxiety to re-open this cupboard door took possession of him, and an
intense excitement filled his mind. It was an
20 excitement that we experience on the event of a discovery which we fancy mayproduce
important results. He loosened the paint in the cracks with a penknife, andattempted to press
open the door; but his instrument was not adequate to such a purpose, and all his efforts
remained ineffective. His excitement had now reached an overmastering pitch; for he
anticipated, though he knew not why, some strange
25 discovery to be made in this sealed cupboard. He looked round the room for some weapon
with which to force the door, and at length with his penknife cut away sufficient wood
at the joint to enable him to insert the end of the poker in the hole. The clock in the New
College Tower struck one at the exact moment when with a sharp effort he thus forced open
the door. It appeared never to have had a fastening,
30 but merely to have been stuck fast by the accumulation of paint. As he bent it slowly back upon
the rusted hinges his heart beat so fast that he could scarcely catch his breath, though he was
conscious all the while of a ludicrous aspect of his position, knowing that it was most
probable that the cavity within would be found empty.
The cupboard was small but very deep, and in the obscure light seemed at
35 first to contain nothing except a small heap of dust and cobwebs. His sense of
disappointment was keen as he thrust his hand into it, but changed again in a moment to
breathless interest on feeling something solid in what he had imagined to be only an
accumulation of mould and dirt. He snatched up a candle, and holding this in one hand, with
the other pulled out an object from the cupboard and put it on the
40 table, covered as it was with the curious drapery of black and clinging cobwebs which I have
seen adhering to bottles of old wine. It lay there between the dish of fruit and the decanter,
veiled indeed with thick dust as with a mantle, but revealing beneath it the shape and contour
of a violin.

John was excited at his discovery, and felt his thoughts confused. Yet at the
45 same time he was half amused at his own excitement, feeling that it was childish to be
moved over an event so simple as the finding of a violin in an old cupboard. He soon
collected himself and took up the instrument, using great care, as he feared lest age should
have rendered the wood brittle or rotten. With some vigorous puffs of breath and a little
dusting with a handkerchief he removed the heavy outer coating
50 of cobwebs, and began to see more clearly the delicate curves of the body and of the scroll. A
few minutes more gentle handling left the instrument sufficiently clean to enable him to
appreciate its chief points. Its seclusion from the outer world, which the heavy accumulation
of dust proved to have been for many years, did not seem to have damaged it in the least; and
the fact of a chimney-flue passing through the wall
55 at no great distance had no doubt conduced to maintain the air in the cupboard at an equable
temperature. So far as he was able to judge, the wood was as sound as when it left the
maker's hands; but the strings were of course broken, and curled up in little tangled knots.
The body was of a light-red colour, with a varnish of peculiar lustre and softness. The neck
seemed rather longer than ordinary, and the scroll was
60 remarkably bold and free.
The violin which John was in the habit of using was a good make –a Pressenda, given
to him on his fifteenth birthday by Mr. Thoresby, his guardian. It was of that maker's later and
best period, and a copy of the Stradivarius model. John took this from its case and laid it
side by side with his new discovery, meaning to compare
65 them for size and form. He perceived at once that while the model of both was identical, the
superiority of the older violin in every detail was so marked as to convince him that it was
undoubtedly an instrument of exceptional value. The extreme beauty of its varnish impressed
him vividly, and though he had never seen a genuine Stradivarius, he felt a conviction
gradually gaining on him that he stood in
70 the presence of a masterpiece of that great maker. On looking into the interior he found that
surprisingly little dust had penetrated into it, and by blowing through the sound-holes he
soon cleared it sufficiently to enable him to discern a label. He put the candle close to
him, and held the violin up so that a little patch of light fell through the sound-hole on
to the label. His heart leapt with a violent pulsation as he
75 read the characters, "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis faciebat, 1704." Under ordinary
circumstances it would naturally be concluded that such a label was a forgery, but the
conditions were entirely altered in the case of a violin found in a forgotten cupboard, with
proof so evident of its having remained there for a verylong period.

From The Lost Stradivarius by J Meade Falkner

INSTRUCTIONS

PLEASE ANSWER BOTH PARTS OF THE PAPER

Part A: Reading (40 minutes)

 Spend 10 minutes reading the passage on the insertand the questions in this
booklet.
 You may mark the passage by underlining wordsand phrases.
 Do not write anything in your booklet during thistime.
 You will be told when the 10 minutes are over.

Spend 30 minutes writing your answers in this answer booklet.

 You will be told when 40 minutes are up, but youmay start Part B when
you are ready.

Part B: Writing (40 minutes)

 Spend 40 minutes writing on the lined paper provided.

 Put your first name and surname at the top of eachpage.
 If you have time, you may go back to Part A.
 Both questions must be attempted.
PART A: READING (40 minutes)

After you have spent about 10 minutes reading the passage, spend about 30 minutes answering the questions.

The mark at the end of each question is an indication of how much you should write for
each answer.

1. Lines 1–4. ( 1 mark)

Why did John find it comfortable to sit by the fire?

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

2. Lines 1-10. (2 marks)

What two things disturb John in the first paragraph?

(i) ___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(ii) ____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Lines 19–21. (2 marks)

Explain what is meant by the following sentence: ‘It was an excitement that weexperience on the
event of a discovery which we fancy may produce important results.’
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

4. Lines 21-30. ( 2 marks)

In your own words, explain how John gets the cupboard to open.

(i) __________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

(ii)
__________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Lines 22-24.

In your own words, explain the meanings of these phrases:

a) ‘But his instrument was not adequate to such a purpose’ (Lines 22-23) (2 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

b) ‘His excitement had now reached an overmastering pitch’ (Lines 23-24) (2 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

6. Lines 32-38. (2 marks)

In your own words explain why John’s feelings change from excitement todisappointment on opening
the cupboard.
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

7. Line 44.

At line 44 it says ‘John was excited at his discovery, and felt his thoughts confused.’In your own
words, explain what this could mean. (3 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

8a. Lines 48-58.

How do we know that the violin has survived in good condition? Looking at lines 48-58, find
two phrases that tell you this.

i) ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

2 marks
ii)___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

2 marks

8b. Lines 57-67

Between lines 57 and 67, what physical feature of the newly found violin seemeddifferent to him?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2 marks

9. Lines 58-70.

Using lines 58-70, give three examples of how you know the violin has made apositive impression
on John.

i) ______________________________________________________________________ ( 1 mark)

ii) _______________________________________________________________________ ( 1 mark)

iii) ______________________________________________________________________ ( 1 mark)

10. Lines 75-77

At lines 75-77 it says ‘Under ordinary circumstances it would naturally be concludedthat such a label
was a forgery.’ What does this mean? (2 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

11. Using the whole passage, explain how the writer uses language to make the discovery of
the violin exciting. Use short quotations to support your answer. (၈ marks)

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
PART B: WRITING SECTION

There are two tasks in this section. You must attempt one of them. Spend 20 minutes. The quality of
your writing is more important than the length. Aim to write about 1 side.

1. What do you think happens next? Write the next part of thestory. 15 marks
(or)

2. Some people say learning a musical instrument is a good thing to do when youare young.
Do you agree with this statement? Give your personal opinion, backing up your points
with examples.