Reading 6r 2010

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CONFIDENTIAL* 800/3Reading MUET/YearEnd2010

This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the test is over.800/3 /MUETPanel2010 Page 1

Questions 1 to 7are basedonthe followinginformationgiven below.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCOME RECEIVED FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2007: RM10 000

NO. OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN (AGE RANGE 7-11 YEARS) AT THE ORPHANAGE : 20

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2007

FOOD BOOKS CLOTHES SALARIES STATIONERY TRANSPORT OUTINGS

-Basicmeals

-Snacks-Revision

books-Exercise

books

- T-shirt- Shorts

- RM2.50 foreach

staff

-Pens-Pencils

-School bus forall the children

-Visit tothe Forestreserve

Institute

of

Malaysia

tostudy

the

different

typesof

tropical

trees

1 The chart indicates the monthly income-expenditure pattern of RoseOrphanage for the month of June 2007.

A True

B False

C Not stated

39%

19%

7%

18%

10%

4% 3%

FOOD BOOKS STATIONERY CLOTHES SALARIES TRANSPORT OUTINGS

ROSE ORPHANGE MONTHLY INCOME-

EXPENDITURE PATTERN

ROSE ORPHANGE

ONTHLY INCO

E-EXPENDITURE PATTERN

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2 According to the chart, the amount spent on food for the month of June was

RM3 900.

A True

B False

C Not stated

3 The orphanage is managed by five staff members.

A True

B False

C Not stated

4 The orphanage purchased primary school revision and exercise books for the

children.

A True

B False

C Not stated

5 All the children go to school by bus.A TrueB FalseC Not stated

6 The visit to the forest Research Institute of Malaysia cost RM300.A True

B False

C Not stated

7 The outing organised by the orphanage in June 2007 was an educational trip.

A True

B False

C Not stated

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Questions 8to14are basedonthe followingpassage.

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Parents who want their children to be fit and active should be

encouraging them to go out and play rather than telling them toexercise, a study of more than 200 children aged 4 to 12 years shows.

The researchers found that advertising campaigns using wordssuch as physical activity and exercise to encourage young peopleto be active would have little meaning for them. Children do not have

an interest in or understanding of the health benefits of physicalactivity, according to a study by Professor W. Schiller and Dr

MacDougall from the University of South Australia.

The South Australia Department of Human Servicescommissioned the research concerns about the increasing levels of

obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity in children.Our aim was to gain a deeper understanding of childrens

ideas about physical activity, exercise, fitness, sports and play,Professor Schiller said.What came through very strongly in the study was that

physical activity was an adult concept and most children onlyidentified with play. It was the only activity that they thought they

had ownership of, and had freedom in.What is different about this study is that, rather than have

adults make decisions on behalf of children, we arranged to have

childrens voice heard by involving them in the research process,

Professor Schiller said.

What we discover during our research was not to mix play andsport. Play is kids-led, where children make, change and modify therules. Sports is adult-led with rules that do not change, Dr

MacDougall said.Sports was seen as being only for extremely talented children

who had parental backing to drive them to sporting venues, andattend coaching clinics and auditions. That was a real surprise! Dr

MacDougall said.Other negatives for sports included bullying and gender issues,

with girls indicating that boys ganged up on them. The fear was also aconcern, with about eight percent of children saying that injury was abarrier to playing sports.

Children said that they wanted adults to spend a lot more timeand to be physically active with them.

(Adapted from: http://www.news-medical.net

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8 Childrens concept of physical exercise is different from adults

A True

B False

C Not stated

9 The following are health problems among children exceptA obesity

B diabetes

C cardio disease

10 When children play sports such as basketball under their own rules, it isclassed as play.

A True

B False

C Not stated

11 Children who play a lot are more independent.

A True

B False

C Not stated

12 The research was most likely conducted by

A interviewing parents

B interviewing childrenC observing children and sport teachers

13 Most children identified themselves with play because

A they have misconceptions about physical activity to play

B they are free to do what they want to do

C they do not know the rules for sports

14 Which of the following is false about sports?

A Proper training on sports is needed for children.

B Sports pose very serious threats to children.

C Sports are suitable for children and adults.

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Questions 15to21are basedonthe followingpassage.

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What do we mean when we call someone a genius? Is a genius

an exceptionally intelligent person? Intelligence has been variouslydefined as the capacity to learn, the ability to carry out abstract

thought, or the possession of great mental ability.A

great many people fall into these categories, yet most would generally not beregarded as geniuses.

Through the ages, people whom we have considered geniusesare those who have made remarkable advances in science or the arts.

Examples of these people are Galileo, Isaac Newton, Beethoven and

Albert Einstein. They were not merely endowed with greatintelligences, there were creative as well. Creativity involves the

ability to see relationships where other people fail to do so. Newtonrelated the force that made other objects fall to earth to that which

moves the planets and the stars. Einstein, in pondering time, saw arelationship between time and space when he formulated the t heoryof relativity that radically changed the foundations of physics. On

Sigmund Freud noticed the connection between his patients dreamsand their emotional disturbances. Without creativity, an intelligent

man is just that intelligent, but incapable of standing out from otherintelligent people.

A genius usually exhibits remarkable determination. Blaise

Pascal, a 17th

century mathematician, was determined to study

mathematics when his father forbade him to study the subject, forcing

him instead to take Greek and Latin. Without the help of books andteachers, he secretly studied mathematics. He discovered the basicconcepts of geometry and went on to the thirty -second proposition of

Euclid when he was only twelve years old. Determination can al so betranslated into hard work. Creative scientists can be extremelyhardworking. As Thomas Edison, arguably one of the most prolificinventors of the 20

thcentury, noted, Genius is one percent

inspiration and 90% perspiration.Another common characteristic of geniuses is their readiness to

use and share new ideas. Where would we be if geniuses did notdivulge their ideas? This takes immense bravery as new ideas oftenseem strange, even ridiculous, to many people at first. Galileo, who

fought against the church and the philosophers of his time when heproposed that the earth was not the centre of the universe, stands as asymbol of the battle against authority and freedom of inquiry.

Beethovens first symphony was derided by the public for itsrevolutionary musical ideas. Today, he is regarded as, indisputably,

one of the greatest composers who has ever lived.

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A genius must also be able to harness his subconscious thought

because creativity, an essential prerequisite of genius, issubconscious. Subconscious thought is unlike our everyday thinking,which is logical and rational. Subconscious thought is more like a

dream: strange and illogical. There is a fine line between genius and

madness. Einstein was able to use his subconscious thoughtcreativity. Who in their right mind but a genius like Einstein would

have even conceived of the idea that the pace of time could alter for persons travelling at different speeds? A person who cannot harness

the subconscious thinking to use it creatively crosses the line fromgenius to madness, like Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh, who claimed

that pictures came to him as if in a dream, was able to producemore than 800 canvases many of them masterpieces for as long ashe could harness his inspiration, passions and emotions. Once he lost

control of them, he entered a nightmare of insanity, eventually

shooting himself in the chest and taking his life.In a nutshell, a genius is someone who has all the following:

exceptionally intelligence, determina tion, a high degree of creativity,

the readiness to use and share new ideas, and the ability to utilizethem to good purpose. Having understood this, was can perhaps try to

develop the potential in each person to bring out the genius in him.

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15 Why does the writer define intelligence in three ways in the first

paragraph?A He is not sure of the meaning.B People cannot agree on its definition.

C These are the three prerequisite of intelligence

16 The writer states that a genius isI exceptionally intelligentII creative

III madIV determined

A I, II and IIIB I, II and IV

C II, III and IV

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17 The thirty-second proposition of Euclid is related toA scienceB geometryC determination

18 Thomas Edisons saying Genius is one percent inspiration and 99%perspiration means

A Creativity without hard work is uselessB Inspiration and perspiration are elements in the making of a genius

C Hard work plays a more important role than creativity in the making of

a genius

19 Why do the ideas of genius sometimes seem mad?A Geniuses cannot harness their subconscious thought.

B Geniuses cannot separate the lines between madness and genius.

C Creative thoughts are subconscious and strange, like our dreams.

20 Each of the following can be inferred from the passage exceptA Pascals father ill-treated him.B People sometimes do not recognise a genius in their midst.C The church during Galileos time thought the earth was the centre of the

universe.

21 All of the following are geniuses in the same field exceptA GalileoB Beethoven

C Isaac Newton

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Questions 22-29 are based on the passage below.

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He has been described as agile, playful, audacious, inventive ; a

man who leaps across boundaries, making unexpected connections,juggling a dozen trains of thoughts all at once. But whatever levels he

might get, ProfA

llan Synder, one ofA

ustralias most creative minds,is indeed unique in the way he puts his message across. The key to hisbelief is that everyone, irrespective of his or her background and social

standing, has that specialingredient some might even say magic that separates exceptional individuals from others. Yet, despite the

capacity of everyone to be creative, he points out quite rightly that

creativity is so rare in this world.Provocatively, Synder creates a controversy by suggesting a

radical shake-up in educating young people and identifying theessential element of success which, he believes is missing in

conventional schools. The simple fact is that relatively few studentsfrom many of the great schools in the world have gone on to becomegreatness themselves. Why? To Synder who is director of the Centre

for the Mind, a joint venture of the Australian National University andthe University of Sydney, there is too much conservative pressure on

people to follow in the footsteps of others, We are taught to learnwhat other people know, and to think as other people think, he saysseriously. So, it is one thing to have original ideas and quite another to

have the courage to broadcast them to the world.

Then, with what seems to be a touch of cynicism, Synder throws

in a punchline that is as unconventional as his unorthodox ideology:Creativity is an act of rebellion; its downright subversive to becreative.

But bespectacled Synder, who often wears his cap front to backand has the funny look of an eccentric, is a man who believes in takingrisks a sort of challenge that drives and motivates him to discover thegenius gene in an individual.

Surprisingly, many people are prepared to take that risk bybecoming the subject of his curiosity to detect hidden talent that they

themselves didnt know they possessed. They come to his laboratoryand put on a specially-designed headpiece that zaps their brains withmagnetic pulses and sends signals to his computer screen from which

he makes his study.He is more interested in studying autistic savants people who

are severely impaired yet have amazing mental skills such as drawing,

music, sculpture or even language. People like specially -gifted childartist Yeak Ping Lian of Malaysia, whose colourful artwork Ubudiah

Mo sque 1 was sold for RM1000 000 to an anonymous bidder at an

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auction of the RDA Charity Ball in aid of the Riding for the DisabledAssociation in 2004.

Ping Lians impressive artworks have been highly praised byAmerican psychiatrist, Dr Darold Treffert as demonstrating a

remarkable ability in an 11 -year-old boy whose skills are a striking

contrast to limitations in autism and other disabilities. This isespecially true because autistic savants are supposedly people whose

intelligence is considered very limited. Yet they are able to come upwith remarkable skills that surprise many talented ordinary people.

Synder, however, believes that everyone can develop theseislands of genius by tapping that special gene hidden in their

subconscious mind. The unconscious mind takes everything that a person sees or reads and simplifies and categorises the informationinto manageable and useful packages.

Where it sees lines and patterns of dark and shade, our

conscious mind might know it is a horse, he once explained to NewScientist magazine. We know that because our brain has learned allabout horses, has experienced what makes something a horse rather

than a dog or a table, and has formed a concept and mental image.Its a very difficult way for our minds to work. It allows us to

spot things quickly, to name them and communicate the ideas. The

mind also learns how these things might behave so that we can make predictions about the world and devise rules about how to actappropriately.

(Adapted from The ControversialProfessorby Jeffery Francis, TheStar, 5 February, 2006)

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22 The phrase specialingredient some mighteven say magic(line 7) referstoA creativityB unique mind

C human capacity

23 ProfessorAllan Synder is said to create controversy becauseA he proposed a revolution in educating young people and determining

factors of successB he advocated that graduates are mere followers of the thoughts of others

C he tarnished the image of academicians by wearing his cap front to back

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24 According to Professor Allan Synder, many graduates are unable to

perform up to standard despite graduating from distinguished universitiesbecauseA they are unable to generate new ideas

B they merely learn what they already know

C they do not have the courage to put forward their own ideas

25 Creativity is an act of rebellion; its downright subversive to be creative.(lines 25-26) suggest that Synder thinksA creative people dare to take risks

B creative people are up to no goodC people are creative to cause trouble to others

26 Intelligence in the eyes of ProfessorAllan Synder

A is hidden in the unconscious mind

B is developed through everything that we see and readC can be aroused through a particular gene in the subconscious mind

27 From the passage we learn about all of the following exceptA everyone has the hidden capacity to be creativeB The centre for the Mind is a collaborative projectC ProfessorAllan Synder discovered the artist talent Yeak Ping Lian

28 According to the passage, we can tell the difference between a horse and adog because of all the following exceptA we have learned all about them

B we have seen them many timesC we have real-life experience about them

29 Which of the statement below is not true?A Autistic savants are seen as those with limited intelligence.

B Autistic savants also have remarkable skills despite their limitedabilities.

C Autistic savants are able to develop mental skills through training and

obsessive practice.

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For many years, futurists have envisaged a future where telephone

conversations will take place just like actual face -to-face encounters,with videos as well as audio output. The reason for this is that

sometimes, meeting up in person with two or three people is just notpossible or practical. Hence, video conferencing (also known as a videoteleconferencing or VTC) is needed to make such meetings possible.

Although communication companies have been experimentingwith video conferencing technology as early as the late 1950s, it took

the arrival of broadband Internet and affordable web cameras in the late

1990s for video conferencing to really take off. It allows users to seeand hear each other in a virtual environment that is as close as possible

to a real meeting. In other words, it is a communication technology thatintegrates video and voice to connect remote users with each other as if

they were in the same room.A

ll a user needs for participation in videoconferencing is a computer, webcam, microphone and broadbandInternet connection.

In the field of education, video conferencing can present studentswith the opportunity to learn by participating in a two-way

communication platform. Besides, teachers from all over the world can be brought to classes in remote and inaccessible places. On the otherhand, students from different communities and backgrounds can come

together to learn about one another by discovering, sharing, analysing

and communicating information and ideas with one another. Mor eover,

students can participate in virtual field trips which involve learningthrough visits to other parts of the world. Such trips increase thelearning opportunities of students and would be most beneficial for

students who are economically disadvantaged or lived ingeographically-isolated locations. Many prominent universities havealso adopted video conferencing as an educational tool to be used fortheir online courses.

Furthermore, video conferencing is a very valuable technologyfor telemedicine and tele-nursing applications, such as consultation,

diagnosis and the transmission of medical images in real time incountries where there is legal. By using VTC, patients may get in touchwith nurses and physicians in emergency or routine situations.

Moreover, physicians and other paramedical professionals can discussacross vast distances. Research has also shown that medical personnelin rural areas can use this technology for diagnostic purposes, thus

saving lives and making more efficient use of hea lth care money.Another use of video conferencing is to share documents,

computer-displayed information and whiteboards. Business leaders

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around the world too use video conferencing to keep in touch with

important contacts while on the go.However, present-day applications of video conferencing

technology are just the beginning. As video and voice capture

technology, software and display technologies continue to improve,

video conferencing will soon become a common mode of

communication. Ultimately, video conferencing and similar

technologies will allow the establishment of virtual cities, which refers

to online spaces where people work together without the limitation of

geographic proximity. This would enable skilled workers living in the

outskirts of cities to work from home. On top of that, this would help to

reduce congestion in cities and preserve the environment.

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30 Video conferencing is aA display technologyB communication technology

C broadband internet connectionD video and voice capture technology

31 All of the following are true exceptA Video conferencing began in the late 1990sB Video conferencing has created virtual cities

C Video conferencing is used as an educational tool

D Video conferencing is used by doctors for diagnostic purposes

32 Which of the following are features of video conferencing?I Face-to face encounters

II Integrates video and audio technology

III Involves voice-only communication technologyIV Needs computer, web camera, microphone and broadband Internet

connection

A I, II & IIIB I, II & IV

C I, III & IVD II, III & IV

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33 The writers hopes thatA voice and pictures technology will catch onB video conferencing will be used in other fieldsC video conferencing will improve lifestyles

D voice and picture technology software will be easily available

34 The main purpose of paragraph 4 is to

A warnB advise

C remind

D inform

35 The writer mentions virtualfieldtrips and virtualcities to show the conceptof

A virtual simulation

B virtual languageC virtual realityD virtual twins

36 In the last paragraph, the writer states that improvements in videoconferencing technologies will indirectly result in theA regular use of video conferencingB preservation of the environment

C convenience in communicationD creation of virtual cities

37 We can infer that the writers tone is _______ .A non-committal

B pessimisticC optimistic

D biased

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Harry Houdini who was the entertainment phenomenon of the

ragtime died in 1927. His death-defying acts amazed many of hisaudience. He could escape from chain and padlocks, from ropes and

canvas sacks within seconds. He could even untie himself when he wasput in a straitjacket and hung upside down from a skyscraper. Anotherdeath-defying act was when he was locked in a packing case and sunk

in the Liverpool docks. Minutes later, he surfaced smiling. In Moscow,he escaped from a Siberian van. At one point, brewers challenged

Houdini to escape from his Milk Can after they filled it with beer, yet he

managed to break free. He was put in a coffin with the lid nailed andwas buried, but when he was dug up after more than thirty minutes, he

was found to be still breathing.The audience was usually allowed to examine his

equipment before or during the performance. The chains, locks and thepacking cases all seemed perfectly kosher, so it was tempting to implythat Houdini possessed superhuman powers. SirArthur Conan Doyle,

creator of the paragon of analytical thinking Sherlock Holmes, believesthat Houdini achieved his tricks through spiritualism. He refused to

believe any of Houdinis exposes. Doyle actually came to believe thatHoudini was a powerful spiritualist medium and had performed many ofhis stunts by means of paranormal abilities. Indeed, he wrote to the

escapologist, imploring him tom use his psychic powers more profitably

for the common good instead of prostituting his powers at the Alhambra

every night. However, Houdini had repeatedly denounced spiritualismand disclaimed any psychic elements in his acts.Another alternative explanation for his feat of escapism was

that Houdini could do unnatural things with his body. It is widelyspeculated that he could dislocate his shoulders to escape fromstraitjackets, and that his wrists could contract so that he could freehimself from handcuffs. His ability to spend long hours in confined

spaces is cited as evidence that he could put his body into suspendedanimation, as Indian fakirs are supposed to do. However, researchers

have dispelled this belief claiming that if a person is tied up in astraitjacket, it is difficult for him to dislocate his shoulder. Contractingthe wrists is not helpful either as it is virtually incompressible.

As for the principle that Houdini could put himself intosuspended animation, the trick is that it relies on the fact that a personcan live for a short periods on the air contained in the confined space.

The air required by an average person in a day would occupy a cube justeight feet square. The build up of carbon monoxide tends to pollute this

supply. However, if a person can relax, the air in a confined space

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should be able to keep him going for about thirty minutes. In short,

Houdinis death-defying acts were not as remarkable as one would have believed then except for his courage, dexterity and fitness. His nervewas so cool that he could relax in a casket buried a few metres

underground until he was dug up again. His fingers were so strong that

he could unlock a buckle or manipulate keys through the canvas of astraitjacket. He made a comprehensive and detailed study of locks and

was able to conceal lock-picks in his body that he could have fooleddoctors who examined him. When he was locked in a prison van, he had

concealed a hacksaw blade which he used to saw through joints in themetal lining and get access to the planks of the floor.

As an entertainer, he combined all his strength andingenuity with a lot of trickery. An orchestra was playing to disguise thesawing and banging when he staged his escape behind a curtain. The

milk churn in which he locked himself in had a double lining so that

while the lid was locked onto the rim, the rim was not actually attachedto the churn. Hence, all Houdinis feats are eminently explicablealthough to explain them, even now, seems like heresy. Houdini belongs

to a band of mythical supermen who, we like to believe, was capable ofmiracles and would still be alive today if not for some piece of low

trickery. The most widespread account is that Houdinis ruptured

appendix was caused by multiple blows to his abdomen which causedhis death. Somehow the myth of the superman has an even greaterappeal than the edifice of twentieth century logic.

(Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry Houdini)

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38 The writer mentioned Houdinis burial alive to show thatA his trick could sometimes go awryB he was not always able to do what he claimedC he was capable of remarkable feats of survival

D he was not afraid to be locked in a confined space

39 In paragraph 2, it is suggested that Conan Doyle

A was less rational and analytical that one might have expectedB asked Houdini to work with him to write Sherlock Holmes book

C thought that there were scientific explanation for all Houdinis featsD felt that Houdini should use his acts to make money in other ways

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40 The word kosher(line 15) can be best replaced withA expensiveB complicatedC genuine

D solid

41 Which of the following statements is true?

A Houdini had an unusual bone structure.B Houdini needed less air than most people.

C Houdini was able to put himself into trance.

D Houdini was not physically and mentally abnormal.

42 How do you think Houdini was able to escape from the straitjacket?A By studying all kinds of locks and keys

B By concealing lock-picks in his clothes

C By cutting the canvas with a hacksawD By using keys he had concealed

43 When Houdini escaped from the milk churnA the orchestra was playing to disguise the noiseB he used the hacksaw to saw through the jointsC the container had been worked on beforehandD it was well hidden behind a curtain

44 According to the writer, many peopleA want to know the scientific explanation for Houdinis achievement

B prefer to believe that Houdini had used mystical powers in his featsC Think that Houdini died because of the punching that had caused his

appendix to ruptureD do not believe that Houdini was a superman who was capable of

working miracles

45 From the article above, we can conclude thatA no want managed to explain how Houdini did some of his tricks

B in the future someone will be able to repeat some of Houdinis featsC Houdini could stay in a sealed coffin without breathing for half an hour

D Houdini was a charismatic man who dazzled the world with his

amazing feats

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Reading 6r 2010