The ManicaPost
Tutor: Morris Mtisi
WHAT is an aptitude test? It is a test used to measure expected ability or skill at a particular level. The following test will give Primary School teachers an idea of the expected achievement level of a Grade 6 and 7 pupil. Sixty percent is good. Seventy to seventy nine percent is very good. Eighty to eighty nine percent is excellent. Ninety percent and above is super excellent.
Primary schools that want to administer this test honestly and faithfully, without being tempted to cheat or help the pupils, please submit the Composition marked scripts of pupils who score 25 and above in Section A. I will visit the schools in person or online and reveal the greater things behind this exercise. Deadline for submission of the marked scripts is October 31, 2016. Earlier submissions will receive preferential treatment, please note.
SECTION A: COMPOSITION WRITING.
Write a composition of not more than ONE and HALF pages on ONE of the following topics. Pay particular attention to your TOPIC SENTENCES, DEVELOPERS and THE TERMINATOR in every paragraph. Make sure your paragraphs are linking well and show your skills in beginning and ending. Mind your SPELLING and TENSES.
CHOOSE ONLY ONE TOPIC:
1.A FRIEND WHO TURNED OUT TO BE AN ENEMY
2.MY FAVOURITE TEACHER AT SCHOOL
3.HOW MY FRIEND LOST ALL HIS/HER FRONT TEETH.
4.AN UNWANTED VISITOR(30 MARKS)
SECTION B :TENSES.
Re-write the following sentences choosing the correct tenses in brackets. UNDERLINE YOUR ANSWERS.
1.My dad (played/plays/ playing) golf with his friends after work every day.
2.He (playing/play/plays) to win all the time.
3.Last year he (flied/flew/was flying) to Nairobi- Kenya to play golf.
4.The journey (costed/costs/cost) him a lot of money but he came back a winner.
5.His friends (admired/ admiring/ admire) him for his achievements.
6.When he is not (plays/ playing/ played) golf, my dad enjoys swimming.
7.He ( swimmed/ swimming / swims ) like a fish if that is not too much to say.
8.My dad (teach/ teaching/ teaches) his friends how to play golf.
9.When he (retires/ retiring/ retire) he will play less often.
10.Next year he is (gone/ goes/ going) to China to play his last game. (10 marks)
SECTION C : COMMON ERRORS
Read the following passage carefully. There are twenty errors or mistakes in it. Identify them and correct them as you re-write the passage. PLEASE UNDERLINE YOUR CORRECTION.
Many of the men who took part in the dancing competition they were young.
They was all between 20 and 25 but the older of them all was 30. Although it was a competition for young men and women but the judges were very old men who have 40 years and above.
The young man who win the competition was Pirai Matsito.
He was the first born of one of the judges and people think he had favoured his son to winning the competition. Pirai win a medal and price money.
After the competitions Matsito returned back to Harare but said he want to live in Mutare in the near future. His friends were full of jealous but envious him all the same. He ate his money with some of them but most of it he bought his house in Harare. Some people has all the lucky. Well, we cannot all be luck at the same time. (20 marks)
Section D. Past Tenses:
Fill in the correct past tenses
Present Tense, Past Tense
- Talks (every day.) (yesterday)
- walks
- bakes
- Tries
- Tells
- Writes
- Grows
- Blows
- Digs
- Swims
- Brings
- Costs
- Bursts
- Flies
- Eats
- Feeds
- Catch
- Drink
- Teaches
- Bites (20 MARKS)
Section E.
ADVERBS.
An adverb tells us more about a verb. This means it tells us clearly how an action was done. Example: speak (action) How? >slowly / softly/ loudly/ confidently. Fill in the correct adverbs:
- Write (HOW?)
- Read
- Sing
- Fight
- Drive
- Eat
- Jump
- Dress
- Work
- Think
- Sit
- Ask
- Answer
- Try
- Smile
- Cry
- Laugh
18 Run
19 Shout
20 Shoot (20 Marks)
TOTAL MARKS (100).
Correction: In last week’s installment: MESSAGE TO STUDENTS ON THE FINAL LAP, there was a confusing error which was not an error at all: A lady who is faced with a divorce is not estranged, but estranged. Confusing, isn’t it? Stupid error it really is and my apologies! It must read, “A wife who is faced with divorce is not ‘an enstranged wife’.
She is estranged. That is correct. Hamuchaona! There we are! I apologise for that confusing (stupid) mistake.
You see what happens when you are used to the correct wording, and not used to errors!
Enstranged is the beautiful word, may be even sounds more correct. But it is wrong. The correct word is ESTRANGED.
