CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

Caribbean Primary Exit AssessmentTM

CPEA TM

LANGUAGE

Specimen Papers and

Mark Scheme/Key
 TEST CODE 06218011

FORM 06218011/SPEC 2012

CARRIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

CARIBBEAN PRIMARY EXIT ASSESSMENT

LANGUAGE SPECIMEN PAPER

1 hour and 15 minutes

READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.

1. This test has 50 questions. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes to answer them.

2. Each question has three possible answers: (A), (B), (C). Read each question carefully then
choose the correct answer.

3. On your answer sheet, find the number that corresponds to the question you intend to
answer.

4. Shade the circle which has the same letter, A, B or C next to the answer you have chosen.

Sample Question

Choose the word that is spelt correctly to complete the sentence.

The ____________________ ended abruptly when the principal arrived.

(A) argumant
(B) argument
(C) arguement

The correct answer to this question is “argument”, so answer space (B) has been shaded.

A C C

5. If you want to change your answer, be sure to erase your old answer completely before you fill
in your new choice.

6. When the supervisor tells you to begin, turn the page and work as quickly and as carefully as
you can.

7. If you try a question and find that you cannot answer it, leave it and go on to the next one.
You can go back to that question later.

8. The answer sheet has more spaces than there are questions on this test. Do NOT shade any
of the extra spaces.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

Copyright © 2011 Caribbean Examinations Council

All rights reserved.
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Questions 1–5: SPELLING

Choose the correct spelling of the word to complete EACH sentence below.

1. Pauline placed the five ____________________ on the table.

(A) tomatos
(B) tomatoes
(C) tomato’s

2. The actor exclaimed, “We may not _______________ all our plans for today!”

(A) achieve
(B) acheive
(C) acheve

3. “I ____________________ believe you can do better,” the teacher said.

(A) truly
(B) truely
(C) truley

4. The accident ____________________ at exactly 9:15 p.m.

(A) occured
(B) ocurred
(C) occurred

5. You cannot move this rock; it is __________________ .

(A) inmovable
(B) immovable
(C) imoveable

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Questions 6–10: VOCABULARY

For Questions 6 – 8, choose the MOST suitable word to complete EACH

sentence.

6. Everyone read Ann-Marie’s story easily because it was __________________ .

(A) legible
(B) illegible
(C) eligible

7. As he walked in the park, Joey refused to put the ____________________ on his pet
dog.

(A) leash
(B) saddle
(C) hurdle

8. Anna played the guitar well. She was a good tennis player. Her friends admired the
beautiful drawings in her science project. She was ______________ .

(A) bold
(B) jovial
(C) talented

Choose the word that is CLOSEST IN MEANING to the underlined word.

9. Some teachers have the knack for recognizing their students’ abilities.

(A) joy
(B) love
(C) skill

Choose the word that is OPPOSITE IN MEANING to the underlined word.

10. Shadin concealed the cell phone after the bell rang.

(A) hid
(B) showed
(C) denied
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Questions 11–15: CAPITALIZATION AND PUNCTUATION

Choose the sentence in which the capital letters and punctuation marks are ALL
correctly used.

11. (A) The accident was reported in the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.
(B) The accident was reported in the trinidad guardian newspaper.
(C) The accident was reported in the Trinidad guardian newspaper.

12. (A) The children collected their pencils: crayons drawing books and bags.
(B) The children collected their pencils crayons, drawing books and bags.
(C) The children collected their pencils, crayons, drawing books and bags.

13. (A) “Why are you so active?” Shouted Shai’s mother!

(B) “Why are you so active?” shouted Shai’s mother.
(C) “Why are you so active? shouted Shai’s mother”

14. (A) “Who has the teacher’s bag?” asked Mr Joseph.

(B) “Who has the teachers bag, asked Mr Joseph?”
(C) “Who has the teachers’s bag?” asked Mr Joseph.

15. (A) “I will come with you, said Tony, but I must eat first.”
(B) “I will come with you,” said Tony, “but I must eat first.”
(C) “I will come with you” said Tony, but I must eat first.”

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Questions 16–30: GRAMMAR

Choose the MOST suitable word or words to complete EACH of the following
sentences.

16. All the children in my class _________________ well.

(A) read
(B) reads
(C) reading

17. The pineapple was shared between Lianna and _______________.

(A) I
(B) he
(C) me

18. The damage caused by the hurricane this year was _______________ than the
damage by the one last year.

(A) bad
(B) worse
(C) worst

19. He had to walk home yesterday because he ________________ his bus fare.

(A) lost
(B) lose
(C) loss

20. The students always stand _________________________ the teachers enter the
room.

(A) whenever
(B) since
(C) for

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21. Joanna, along with Khadine, ____________________ to participate in the cultural

show.

(A) were asking

(B) was asked
(C) were asked

22. All the teams ________________ participated in the competition were invited to the
ceremony.

(A) who
(B) whom
(C) which

23. The driver lost control of his car ________________ he was speeding.

(A) but
(B) because
(C) although

24. My sisters each ____________________ outfits and now their band

___________________ ready to jump and wave.

(A) has ….. is

(B) have ….. is
(C) have ….. are

25. One of my uncles _____________________ abroad but ___________________

often.

(A) work ….. visit

(B) work ….. visits
(C) works ….. visits

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26. Neither the boys nor their sister ____________________ tennis, so they
__________________ early on Mondays.

(A) plays ..... leave

(B) play ..... leaves
(C) play ..... leave

27. _____________________ after the bell was rung, the principal appeared.

(A) Soon
(B) Nearly
(C) Almost

28. The boys shared the fruits among _____________________.

(A) themself
(B) themselves
(C) theirselves

29. Are you going to the show with _________________ and _____________?

(A) they ….. we

(B) we ….. them
(C) them ….. us

30. The footballers were furious _____________________ the referee because of his
decision.

(A) for
(B) with
(C) about

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Questions 31–35: READING

Study the following invitation carefully and answer the questions that follow.

31. Where will the event take place?

(A) At Mali’s home

(B) At Hero’s Park
(C) At the school

32. The expression “comes alive” suggests that there will be

(A) performances and prizes

(B) a lot of bands
(C) a lot of fun and excitement

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33. This event is a celebration of

(A) Mali’s birthday only

(B) Mali’s birthday and a Grade 6 get together
(C) the end of the term and a Grade 6 get-together

34. When will the event take place?

(A) 20th June

(B) 30th June
(C) 2nd July

35. At the time of the event, Mali will be

(A) the same age as his friends in Grade 6

(B) older than his friends in Grade 6
(C) younger than his friends in Grade 6

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Questions 36–40: READING

Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow.

I saw a donkey
One day old,
His head was to big
For his neck to hold;
5 His legs were shaky
And long and loose,
They rocked and staggered
And weren’t much use.
He tried to gambol*
10 And frisk a bit,
But he wasn’t sure
Of the trick of it.
His queer little coat
Was soft and grey
15 And curled at his neck
In a lovely way.
His face was wistful
And left no doubt
That he felt life needed
20 Some thinking out.
He looked so little
And weak and slim
I prayed the world
Might be good to him.

* skip and leap about playfully

Adapted from Gertrude Hinds in

Bite In Stage 1, Cecil Grey, Nelson Caribbean (1997), p. 31.

36. This poem is about a donkey that is

(A) newly born

(B) treated badly
(C) feeling unwell

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37. The word “staggered” in line 7 means

(A) trembled
(B) tripped
(C) wobbled

38. The speaker’s feelings towards the donkey are of

(A) fear and scorn

(B) sympathy and scorn
(C) sympathy and admiration

39. To what sense does the poem MOST appeal?

(A) Sight
(B) Touch
(C) Hearing

40. Which TWO lines in the poem make the donkey seem like a person?

(A) Lines 5 and 6

(B) Lines 13 and 14
(C) Lines 19 and 20

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Questions 41–45: READING

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Huckleberry was cordially hated and dreaded by all the mothers

of the town because he was idle, and lawless, and vulgar, and bad –
and because all their children admired him so, and delighted in his
forbidden company, and wished they dared to be like him.

5 Tom was like the rest of the respectable boys because he

envied Huckleberry’s outcast condition, and was under strict orders not
to play with him. So he played with him every time he got a chance.

Huckleberry was always dressed in the cast-off clothes of full-

grown men, and they were always fluttering rags. His hat was a vast
10 ruin with a wide piece cut out of its brim; his coat, when he wore one,
hung nearly to his heels, and had the buttons far down the back; only
one suspender supported his trousers; the seat of the trousers bagged
low and contained nothing; the fringed legs dragged in the dirt when
not rolled up.

15 Huckleberry came and went at his own free will. He slept on

doorsteps in fine weather, and in empty hogsheads in wet; he did not
have to go to school or church, or call any being master, or obey
anybody; he could go fishing or swimming when and where he chose,
and stay as long as it suited him; nobody forbad him to fight; he could
20 sit up as late as he pleased; he was always the first boy who went
barefoot in the spring. He never had to wash, nor put on clean
clothes; he could swear wonderfully. In a word, everything that goes
to make life precious, that boy had. So thought every hampered,
harassed, respectable boy in St. Petersburg.

Adapted from Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, in Wordscapes,

Barry Maybury, Oxford University Press (1970) pp. 98-99.

41. The mothers of the town disliked Huckleberry because they thought he was

(A) daring and noisy

(B) idle and wicked
(C) admirable and lawless

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42. The boys envied Huckleberry because

(A) he was respectable to others

(B) he was allowed to roam freely
(C) he had to go to school everyday

43. When Tom played with Huckleberry it showed that he

(A) liked respectable boys

(B) loved to wear cut-off clothes
(C) did not agree with the mothers

44. The expression “the seat of the trouser bagged low and contained nothing” (lines 12–
13) suggests that his pants were

(A) empty
(B) oversized and not well supported
(C) baggy at the bottom and loose

45. The “respectable” boys (line 24) thought that their lives were

(A) happy
(B) enjoyable
(C) miserable

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Questions 46–50: READING

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Perhaps the most colourful and popular of all insects are the
butterflies and moths. You can see butterflies flitting around in the
daytime, feeding on nectar from flowers. Moths are generally active
at night, and are usually observed when they enter a room or are
5 attracted by an electric light.

The life of a butterfly or moth is remarkable because the adult,

which we see fluttering around the garden, develops from a long
cylindrical creature called a caterpillar. Caterpillars can be seen
crawling over the leaves of trees and other plants. But where do
10 caterpillars come from?

Adult butterflies and moths lay eggs. These are typically white
or yellow, resembling tiny beads, and are usually found in clusters or
rafts. You may find them stuck to the underside of leaves of plants,
such as the croton or citrus trees (e.g. orange or lime). The egg
15 hatches into a larva, a stage in an animal’s life that is unlike the adult.
The larva of butterflies and moths is called a caterpillar. This is the
feeding stage for the organism. The caterpillars eat a diet of green
leaves, and then they settle and change into a pupa (also called a
chrysalis).

20 The pupa might look like the ‘resting stage’, but inside the pupa
a lot is happening: the cells, tissues and organs are being rearranged
to form the adult. Finally, the adult butterfly or moth emerges from the
pupa.

Adapted from F. Dalgety, C. Draper and D. Sang,

Integrated Science for Caribbean Schools,
Heinemann Education Publishers (2002), p. 50.

46. Butterflies feed mostly on

(A) nectar
(B) leaves
(C) flowers

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47. Which of the following BEST shows the stages of butterfly’s life cycle?

(A) Eggs → pupa → chrysalis → butterfly

(B) Eggs → caterpillar → pupa → butterfly
(C) Eggs → pupa → caterpillar → butterfly

48. Butterflies are different from moths because they

(A) lay eggs but moths do not

(B) settle and change into pupa
(C) are more active during daylight

49. Why is the pupa stage not really a “resting stage”?

(A) This is when several changes take place.

(B) This is when the chrysalis emerges.
(C) This is when eggs are being hatched.

50. Which of the following is the BEST title for this passage?

(A) The life cycle of the butterfly

(B) The growth of moths
(C) The similarity of the life cycle of moths and butterflies

END OF TEST

IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS TEST.

The Council has made every effort to trace copyright holders. However, if any have been
inadvertently overlooked, or any material has been incorrectly acknowledged, CXC will be pleased to
correct this at the earliest opportunity.

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CARIBBEAN PRIMARY EXIT ASSESSMENT

LANGUAGE

SPECIMEN PAPER 2012

Item Subject Item Subject

Key Topic Key Topic
No. Code No. Code
1 CPLANG B Spelling 26 CPLANG A Grammar
2 CPLANG A Spelling 27 CPLANG A Grammar
3 CPLANG A Spelling 28 CPLANG B Grammar
4 CPLANG C Spelling 29 CPLANG C Grammar
5 CPLANG B Spelling 30 CPLANG B Grammar
6 CPLANG A Vocabulary 31 CPLANG B Reading/Graphic
7 CPLANG A Vocabulary 32 CPLANG C Reading/Graphic
8 CPLANG C Vocabulary 33 CPLANG B Reading/Graphic
9 CPLANG C Vocabulary 34 CPLANG C Reading/Graphic
10 CPLANG B Vocabulary 35 CPLANG A Reading/Graphic
Capitalization
11 CPLANG A 36 CPLANG A Reading/Poem
& Punctuation
Capitalization
12 CPLANG C 37 CPLANG C Reading/Poem
& Punctuation
Capitalization
13 CPLANG B 38 CPLANG C Reading/Poem
& Punctuation
Capitalization
14 CPLANG A 39 CPLANG A Reading/Poem
& Punctuation
Capitalization
15 CPLANG B 40 CPLANG C Reading/Poem
& Punctuation
16 CPLANG A Grammar 41 CPLANG B Reading/Narrative
17 CPLANG C Grammar 42 CPLANG B Reading/Narrative
18 CPLANG B Grammar 43 CPLANG C Reading/Narrative
19 CPLANG A Grammar 44 CPLANG B Reading/Narrative
20 CPLANG A Grammar 45 CPLANG C Reading/Narrative
21 CPLANG B Grammar 46 CPLANG A Reading/Exposition
22 CPLANG C Grammar 47 CPLANG B Reading/Exposition
23 CPLANG B Grammar 48 CPLANG C Reading/Exposition
24 CPLANG B Grammar 49 CPLANG A Reading/Exposition
25 CPLANG C Grammar 50 CPLANG C Reading/Exposition

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