grammar and reading section

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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

ENTRANCE EXAMINATION

2021 SCHOOL YEAR

KANTO

GRAMMAR AND READING SECTION

Student Name: ______________________________________________

Applicant Number: ______________________________________________

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CONTENTS

This booklet contains the following sections:

Section 1

Error identification

15 Questions

40 minutes

Section 2

Choosing the appropriate words

15 Questions

Section 3

Choosing the best response to the

prompt

10 Questions

Reading Comprehension

Reading A

5 Questions

Reading B

5 Questions

If anything is missing, please inform the examiner immediately.

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Section 1: Error identification

INSTRUCTIONS

Find the mistakes in the following sentences.

If there is no mistake, choose option d) (no mistake).

Only ONE answer will be accepted.

If two or more answers are chosen for a question, ZERO points will be given for that question.

e.g. ‘Everyone knows that Osaka is more smaller than Tokyo.’

a) Everyone knows

b) more smaller

c) than Tokyo

d) no mistake

The answer is b (more smaller).

Mark your answer on the sheet provided as indicated below (on the left).

THE CORRECT WAY THE INCORRECT WAY

FULL points ZERO points

If you have a problem, please ask for help.

Section 1

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

Section 1

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

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1) Their the worst students in the entire school district!

a) Their

b) the worst students

c) entire school district

d) no mistake

2) He is one of the instructor who retired last year.

a) is

b) instructor

c) who

d) no mistake

3) He told to his sister that he would help her.

a) told to

b) that

c) would

d) no mistake

4) People with less personal problems are likely to be more positive.

a) less

b) are likely

c) more

d) no mistake

5) The three wealthiest men in America has more assets than that of the entire world.

a) men

b) has

c) more

d) no mistake

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Section 1: Error identification

6) The PE teacher had us run around the baseball field for the entire lesson.

a) had us

b) around

c) entire lesson

d) no mistake

7) There are not enough coffee for everyone in the office.

a) are

b) enough

c) in

d) no mistake

8) My father would like me to graduate into a prestigious institution like Harvard University.

a) My father would

b) graduate into

c) institution like

d) no mistake

7) My new school is almost as same distance from my house as my old school.

a) almost as same

b) from

c) as my old school

d) no mistake

10) A large percentage of people alive today have never seen a black and white movie.

a) percentage

b) have

c) seen

d) no mistake

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11) There was barely enough time to finish all her homework assignments.

a) There was

b) barely

c) time to finish all

d) no mistake

12) You ought to bring you’re raincoat just in case it rains today.

a) You ought to

b) you’re raincoat

c) in case

d) no mistake

13) Ichiro cheated the test and he managed to get away with it!

a) cheated the test

b) managed

c) get away with it

d) no mistake

14) In most Asian countries, it is customary to remove your shoes before entering someone’s home.

a) In most

b) it is customary

c) before entering

d) no mistake

15) After I graduate, I plan to emigrate to the United States and join the rest of my family.

a) After I graduate

b) emigrate to

c) the rest of my family

d) no mistake

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Section 2: Choosing the appropriate words

INSTRUCTIONS

Choose the appropriate word(s) to fill in the blanks in the following sentences.



e.g. ‘Everyone knows that Osaka is ____________ Tokyo.’

a) not bigger as

b) not same

c) smaller than

d) more small than

The answer is c (smaller than).





Section 2

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

Section 2

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

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1) ____________ barely taken off when our plane experienced turbulence.

a) We have

b) They have

c) We had

d) Had we

2) Please don’t forget to text me when you____________ home.

a) will get

b) are getting

c) get

d) are going to get

3) She thought that in order to _______ the problem she would need to understand all sides of the

situation.

a) address

b) comprehension

c) solute

d) resolution

4) The principal threatened to expel the student ____________ he didn’t attend his classes.

a) when

b) until

c) for

d) if

5) ____________ of the heavy rainfall, we walked all the way to the school.

a) In spite

b) Although

c) Despite

d) Though

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Section 2: Choosing the appropriate words

6) Naomi has ____________ to finish her homework as Ken does.

a) as many opportunities

b) as much chances

c) much more time

d) the same

7) COVID-19 ____________ the lives of everyone in the world.

a) dramatically affect

b) disrupted

c) deviated

d) demonstrated

8) ____________ next week, I will have had one year of online English classes.

a) By this time

b) Until

c) In advance of

d) Unless

9) It ____________ of him to suggest that he stay after class to work on his homework.

a) wasn’t unreasonable

b) is illegality

c) counter to school guidelines

d) against school rules

10) The technician couldn’t ____________ the fireworks because of a malfunction.

a) set on

b) set off

c) set in

d) in set

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11) ____________ cold it gets in Tokyo this winter, it will never get as cold as in Iceland.

a) Regardless of

b) Irregardless of

c) However

d) Although it gets

12) Usually, Nishiyamato Gakuen Junior High School students are sent to America ____________ trip.

a) in order to relax and enjoy themselves

b) studying English

c) to improve international relations

d) for a one-month homestay

13) I was surprised to learn that my cousin had ____________ Tokyo University.

a) graduated to

b) dropped out of

c) been remove from

d) finished his degree

14) Shigeru Ban received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, ____________ the ‘Nobel Prize’ of architecture.

a) widely considered for

b) to be thought of equal

c) which some regard as

d) which is equivalent

15) Shinzo Abe ____________ from the position of Prime Minister of Japan in August of 2020.

a) stated his removal

b) declared his ineligibility

c) impeached himself out

d) announced his second resignation

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Section 3: Choosing the best response to the prompt

INSTRUCTIONS

Choose the best response to the prompt.



e.g. ‘Which city is bigger, Osaka or Tokyo?’

a) Osaka is not as big as New York.

b) The city is bigger.

c) Osaka and Tokyo are bigger than Nagoya.

d) Tokyo is bigger than Osaka.

The answer is d (Tokyo is bigger than Osaka).





Section 3

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

Section 3

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

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1) Could you tell me how to get to the library from here?

a) From here, you can get to the library easily.

b) The library was built near here.

c) Sure. Take the stairs to the ground floor and then turn right.

d) Yes. It takes about 5 minutes from here.

2) Can you help me with my homework?

a) Sure, come over to my house after school.

b) Sure, come in to my house after school.

c) Sure, come out of my house after school.

d) Sure, come within my house after school.

3) Why do you want to go to school like Nishiyamato Gakuen?

a) Nishiyamato Gakuen has a good reputation as a ‘Super Science’ school so I want to go there.

b) My parents want me to go to high school.

c) I want to go to a school like Nishiyamato Gakuen.

d) Nishiyamato Gakuen is close to Tokyo so I want to go there.

4) Japan’s large elderly population is going to cause huge problems for the pension system soon.

a) It’s entirely possible that it will become bankrupt because there are too many elderly people.

b) There aren’t enough elderly people to receive the pension money from the government.

c) Huge pensions for overweight elderly people is costing the government too much money.

d) There are enough young people to sustain the budget for the pension indefinitely.

5) Despite being considered a “big cat,” cheetahs are quite small and weak. Therefore, when challenged

by a larger feline neighbor, such as a lion, they will often choose flight over fight.

a) Cheetahs will likely defend themselves with their strong claws and teeth against large predators.

b) Cheetahs are the dominant predator in their habitats.

c) Cheetahs use their impressive speed to remain safe.

d) Cheetahs work together to fight off lions.

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6) Generating power using nuclear power plants has been a controversial policy position for the

Japanese government, especially after the March 11th, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

a) Government officials are all backing the idea to replace nuclear power plants with alternative energy.

b) Everyone agrees with the stance taken by the government in reopening the nuclear power plants.

c) The policy has the Japanese people divided with many people on both sides with valid arguments.

d) The Japanese people are unanimously supporting the current administration’s energy policy.

7) The Civil Rights Act protected voting rights; banned discrimination in public and private facilities such as

lunch counters, hotels, and theaters; and established equal employment opportunity as the law of the land.

a) This law was intended to promote a more equal society.

b) This law was intended to promote business at lunch counters, hotels, and theaters.

c) This law was intended to protect the right to discriminate in public and private businesses.

d) This law was intended to provide equal amounts of land to members of society.

8) Computers use random access memory, or RAM, to store information that needs to be processed

immediately. Data that is stored on a disk or hard drive needs to be slowly located first but is then copied

to the RAM to be processed.

a) The information in a computer’s RAM can be accessed quickly.

b) RAM is important to computers because of its high capacity.

c) Computers move data slowly from RAM for hard disk drives.

d) Computers process data directly from their hard drive.

9) Many natural medicines used to treat diseases such as malaria, heart disease, and diabetes have been

discovered in rainforests - so much so that 1/4 of natural medicines are found there.

a) Rainforests are an excellent source for natural medicines.

b) A rainforest’s biodiversity hosts a range of different plant species.

c) Natural medicines are more effective than manufactured medicines.

d) Scientists rely on rainforests to create 1/4 of heart disease medicines.

10) Many English words have Greek or Latin roots, however we don’t always remember how to use these

roots correctly. For example, many English speakers divide ‘helicopter’ as ‘heli’ and ‘copter,’ but the

correct division is ‘helico’ meaning ‘spiral’ and ‘pter’ meaning ‘wing.’

a) Maintaining roots is essential for healthy plant development.

b) The word ‘helix,’ as in the spiral shape of DNA, also comes from ‘helico.’

c) So, we can trace the invention of the helicopter to the Greeks.

d) Helium balloons are another kind of helicopter.

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Reading Comprehension

INSTRUCTIONS

Read the passages carefully and answer the questions on the following page.



1 Osaka is a large city about 500 kilometers from Tokyo. It is bigger than other cities in the region

but it still is much smaller than Tokyo.

e.g. ‘Which sentence best summarizes the content of the passage?’

a) Osaka is a large city in Japan, but it is smaller than Tokyo.

b) Cities in Japan are large.

c) Tokyo is a wonderful city.

d) Osaka isn’t particularly far from Tokyo.

The answer is a (Osaka is a large city in Japan, but it is smaller than Tokyo).





Reading 4

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

Reading 4

1. (a) (b) (c) (d)

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Reading A

Niagara Falls

Each paragraph below is numbered for your convenience.

1. "Niagara Falls" is the name of both a waterfall and a city in the Niagara region of the province of

Ontario, Canada. Have you ever been there? Perhaps you should consider it. It is one of the tourist

attractions most commonly recommended by Canadians. Although the city of Niagara Falls is not

particularly large, the waterfall itself will take your breath away. The Falls are located on the

Niagara River, and across from the Canadian side is the city of Niagara Falls, USA. Niagara Falls,

Canada overlooks the famous Horseshoe Falls. This cataract is 54 meters high, and it generates

much of the electricity for Ontario.

2. Although the waterfall itself is the main draw for tourists, there is quite a lot to do in the

surrounding area. For example, you could ride the "Maid of the Mist. This is a boat that takes

passengers very close to the Falls. Although there is usually a long line, raincoats are provided,

and being able to appreciate the majesty of the natural wonder up-close, with seagulls and mist

rainbows overhead, is an experience not to be missed. On the boat, you will be able to understand

why the word "Niagara" comes from the Native American word "onguiaahra," which means "a

thundering noise." Other nearby attractions includes the Skylon Tower and its revolving

restaurant, a casino, and a butterfly conservatory. The atmosphere of the area closest to the Falls

closely resembles a theme park, and it has even made some local residents wary of the increasing

commercialisation.

3. Over the years, Niagara Falls has been the stage for some amazing human feats - some successful,

while others ended in tragedy. Take Annie Taylor, for example. She was a school teacher from

Michigan, and she has gone down in history as the first person to go over the Falls in a wooden

barrel in 1901. Since then, others have occasionally repeated her feat, with varying degrees of

success. Once, in 1995, a man named Robert Overacker went over the Falls on a jet ski. He was

equipped with a parachute, but it failed to open, and he plunged to his death. In the 1800s,

walking across the Falls on a high tightrope wire was attempted several times. A stuntman by the

name of Blondin did this with a stove, and he even managed to prepare an omelet!

4. Naturally, Niagara Falls has also captured the human imagination. It has appeared in numerous

films and literary works. In a fictional novel by H.G. Wells, for example, the Falls area serves as a

base camp for Germans invading North America. After the release of the movie Niagara in 1953

starring Marylin Monroe, Niagara Falls became one of the most popular honeymoon destinations

for newlyweds. Celebrities aside, perhaps the most important person to come to the area is the

ordinary tourist, who provides a great boost to the local economy of Niagara City.

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Questions

1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

a) To describe famous attractions near Niagara Falls

b) To show why the Canadian side of the Falls is better than the US side

c) To describe the physical location and dimensions of Niagara Falls

d) To explain why Niagara Falls is unpopular

2. According to the second paragraph, which of the following is true?

a) Riding the Maid of the Mist is an impressive experience.

b) The meaning of the word "Niagara" is unknown.

c) There is not a lot to do in the surrounding area.

d) Everybody is happy about the commercialization of Niagara Falls.

3. Which of the following is not mentioned in the third paragraph?

a) Performing stunts and dangerous acts at the Falls is illegal in Canada.

b) At least one person has died doing dangerous things at the Falls.

c) Once, a woman went over the Falls in a barrel.

d) An incredible high wire stunt was once performed at the Falls.

4. Who, most likely, is H.G. wells?

a) A world traveler

b) A famous Canadian leader

c) A Niagara stuntman

d) A literary author

5. What is the overall tone of this essay?

a) Critical

b) Enthusiastic

c) Humorous

d) Sad

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Reading B

Homo Sapiens

Each paragraph below is numbered for your convenience.

1. If you are reading this article, you are a member of the human species known as "Homo Sapiens."

This group is the only human species still in existence today, and the term itself is Latin, meaning

"person who is wise." Although different human species have existed for millions of years, Homo

Sapiens became the sole species survivor approximately 30,000 years ago. Until that point, the

different species of humans occasionally lived in close proximity, had skirmishes or wars with

each other, and they even reproduced together.

2. There is a near-general consensus among scientists that the species Homo Sapiens was born in

Africa, approximately 200,000 years ago due to climactic changes. They were hunter-gatherers,

meaning that they survived by killing animals for their meat and skins, and they also collected

essential berries and nuts to supplement their diets. In terms of anatomy, this new human species

had lighter skeletons than others. We also have much larger brains than other early humans,

although it has been speculated that one other species of humans - Homo Neanderthalis - had

larger brains than we do. Larger brains meant we were able to migrate from Africa to all parts of

the globe, including- after many centuries- the southern tip of South America. Tracking and killing

large animals, such as the wooly mammoth, allowed us to unknowingly cross the frigid zone

known as the "land bridge" between Russia and Canada.

3. Although Homo Sapiens is the only species of human alive today, many other species have existed.

An interesting example is Homo Floresiensis. This species is believed to have lived from 95,000 to

17,000 years ago in Indonesia. They had very small brains and were only around 100 cms tall.

Evidence has been collected which proves that this species hunted small elephants and large

rodents. The species of humans with the greatest similarities to modern humans is Homo

Neanderthalis - more commonly referred to as the "Neanderthals." Their DNA differs from

modern humans by a mere .12%. They wore ornamental objects, and they also buried their dead

with flowers, so they share our attachment to ceremony and ritual.

4. Homo Sapiens may not be the last human species. In his 2015 book "Homo Deus," author Yuval

Noah Harare speculates that Homo Sapiens, with our strong will to create and explore, will

continue to advance technologically in leaps and bounds, perhaps resulting in a "Homo Deus" or

"Person God" who will, perhaps through the incorporation of robotic technology, be able to live

indefinitely, with powers that far surpass our own. Despite our powers, it is still humbling to

reflect on the fact that we are all descendants of the great apes, and share more than 99% of our

DNA with chimpanzees.

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Questions

1. This article discusses:

a) the species Homo Sapiens and other human species alive today

b) only the species Homo Sapiens

c) the species Homo Sapiens and a potential future human species

d) none of the above

2. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

a) to describe some problems that Homo Sapiens has had

b) to show why Homo Sapiens is the best species

c) to describe when the species Homo Sapiens began

d) to give a brief description of Homo Sapiens

3. According to the second paragraph, which of the following is true?

a) Homo Sapiens traveled all over Africa.

b) Neanderthals entered South America.

c) We have larger brains than other human species.

d) Homo Sapiens were much weaker than earlier humans.

4. According to the third paragraph, which of the following is false?

a) Members of Homo Floresiensis were not large.

b) Homo Floresiensis hunted large rodents.

c) Homo Sapiens are the only human species to have existed.

d) Neanderthals share many characteristics with Homo Sapiens.

5. What is the main point of the final paragraph?

a) The next species of human will be dangerous.

b) Humans are similar to chimpanzees in some respects.

c) Humans love to explore and invent.

d) The next human species may incorporate technology in its development.

END OF GRAMMAR AND READING SECTION

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