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UPM/PPL/PPPER2010/BBI 2409/ SAMPLE /Page 1 of 6
BBI 2409 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES
SAMPLE OF MIDSEM EXAM
_______________________________________________________________________
The mid-semester exam is divided into 4 sections.
You will be tested on the following format:
Section A – Reading Comprehension
Section B – Parts of Speech
Section C – Dictionary Meaning
Section D – Scanning for Information (Non-linear)
Duration : 1 hour.
SECTION A
[10 marks]
Read the passage below and answer all questions.
1
Who are we? Where did we come from? How are we related to each other and to
other living things? The written record of the search for the answers to these questions
goes back at least 2,500 years. At that time, Pythagoras, the famous Greek
mathematician, believed that children got all their physical traits from their fathers. Later,
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, realized that children inherit characteristics from both
their parents. However, he incorrectly believed that a child is the direct product of the
mixing of the mother’s and father’s blood.
2
Modern genetics, the science that helps us to understand how and why we get traits
from our parents, was not born until the nineteenth century. The father of modern
genetics was Gregor Mendel, an Austrian scientist. Through eight years of experiments
on pea plants, Mendel proved that characteristics from the mother plant and
characteristics from the father plant are not mixed together when the two plants crosspollinate and produce the next generation of plants. Rather, the characteristics that are
dominant (stronger) will come out in the first generation. The characteristics that are
recessive (weaker) will only appear in the second generation.
3
For example, if you take a very short pea plant and cross-pollinate it with a very tall
pea plant, you might expect the new pea plant to be of average height. But in fact, the
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first generation of plants will all be very tall, because that characteristic is dominant.
Short plants will not appear until the second generation, because that characteristic is
recessive.
4
The theories that Mendel developed using plants were later applied to all living
things, including human beings. Future research that would explain how parents pass
traits on to their children through their genes grew out of Mendel’s work.
5
What is a gene? Explained very simply, a gene is a set of instructions that you get
from your parents before you are born. Your genes are similar to an instruction book for
a computer. When you open the book, you see a list of all of the parts of the computer.
Then you see instructions telling you how to make the computer work. Your genes, like
the instruction book, contain a complete list of all of the parts that make a human being.
They also contain instructions on how to put the parts together to make one special
individual – you.
Today, scientists are learning more and more about genes and about their effect on
6
what we look like, how we behave, how smart we are, and what kinds of sicknesses we
have or are likely to get in the future. They are using this information in two exciting
areas: genetic engineering and genetic testing.
7
Through genetic engineering, scientists change how genes work, or put new genes
into cells to replace genes that are missing or not working correctly. Because all living
things (not only humans) have genes, scientists also use genetic engineering to produce
plants and animals that are healthy, grow rapidly, or are useful to us in some other way.
When doctors do genetic testing, they take DNA from a person (or other living thing)
8
and examine it carefully. One important use of genetic testing is to discover if someone
has or might get a genetic illness. If the person already has the disease, doctors might
be able to use genetic engineering to prevent it. The treatment involves taking out the
gene that causes the disease, and injecting the patient with healthy genes.
Sometimes, genetic testing and genetic engineering can be used to determine a
9
child’s gender. In the future, genetic engineering might be used to allow parents to
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choose desirable traits or get rid of undesirable ones before their child is even born.
Adapted from Password 3 A Reading and Vocabulary Tex t by Lynn Bonesteel.
ITEMS 1-5
Indicate which paragraph discusses each of the main ideas listed below. Write the
paragraph number (1-9) in the space provided.
Example
Answer (paragraph number)
Some past ideas about how humans get their traits.
_1__
1.
Genetic engineering can be used on animals and plants.
______
2.
Possible future uses of genetic engineering and genetic testing.
______
ITEMS 6-8
Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.
6.
7.
Around 2,500 years ago, people already knew that children got their
traits from both their mother and father.
_________
The study of how and why certain traits are passed from one
generation to the next is called modern genetics.
_________
ITEMS 9 -10
The words listed below can be found in the above passage. Choose the best word to
complete each sentence.
generations
gender
genes
9.
The men in his family have been tennis champions for generations. The talent must
be in their ____________.
10.
Sometimes, parents and children do not understand each other because they come
from different _______________.
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SECTION B
(15 marks)
ITEMS 11 – 15
Indicate the part of speech (noun, adjective, verb or adverb) for each underlined words in
the following paragraphs.
Power napping is good for the I.Q.
Health professionals (11) increasingly recognize the importance of eight hours sleep
at night.
Scientists now believe that sleep is the single most (12) important factor for
general health, more important than diet or exercise. Sleep is the only treatment that can
claim to restore, rejuvenate, and energize both the body and brain. Studies (13) show that
people in the developed world increasingly spend less time asleep and more time at work or
commuting.
11.
_________________________
12.
_________________________
13.
_________________________
ITEMS 16 – 20
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words in brackets.
Example :
The history teacher gave a __boring__ lecture. He talked for hours in a soft voice.
Some students even fell asleep because they were __bored__. (bore)
16.
This map is very ______________. I am so ____________ that I cannot figure out
which way to go. (confuse)
17.
They went to the ____________ Grand Canyon for their honeymoon and were
____________ by the natural beauty. (amaze)
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SECTION C
ITEMS 21-25
Below are the dictionary meanings of the word “leave”. Write down the number of the correct
meaning of the word “leave” to the sentences given.
Leave (verb)
1.
To go away from a place or a person.
2.
To not do something or to do it later than you intended.
3.
To let something remain in a particular state, position or condition.
4.
To let someone else decide something or be responsible for
something
Leave (noun)
5.
Formal permission to do something.
6.
Time that you are allowed to spend away from your work.
21.
Please leave the front page blank.
[ ___ ]
22.
I will leave this place when I am ready.
[ ___ ]
23.
He did everything entirely without my leave.
[ ___ ]
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SECTION D
ITEMS 26-30
Answer the questions based on the bar chart below.
POSITIONS IN PUNCHAK EMAS SDN BHD
90
80
PERCENTAGE
70
60
MALE
50
FEMALE
40
30
20
10
0
SENIOR
EXECUTIVES
EXECUTIVE
Senior Executive = Highest Position
CLERICAL
STAFF
SUPPORT
STAFF
Support Staff = Lowest Position
Figure 2: Positions in Puncak Emas Sdn Bhd According to Gender (2005)
26.
What is the bar chart about?
_____________________________________________________________________
27.
What are the positions described in the bar chart?
_______________________________________________________________________
THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTION PAPER.