Smart Tips

How To Answer & Tackle Questions For Paper 2

Here are some tips to help you

answer questions in the EST exam
with confidence and success thus
enabling you to score well in the
paper.
EST Paper 2

 (i) Read the instructions carefully.

Multiple-choice questions require you to
choose the best answer from the options
given.

 (ii) Some texts may have long complex

sentences. Take note of the punctuation
used to see the connectivity of these
sentences.
Examples of
instructions
• You are advised to spend 50 minutes
on this section.
• Questions 1 – 25
Each question is based on a given
stimulus. Study the information
carefully and choose the best
answer. Then shade the answer in
the answer sheet provided.
• Read the statement below and
answer the question that follows.
 Examples of texts/extracts
 Rainbows are optical and meteorological
phenomena that cause a spectrum of light to
appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto
droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere.
They take the form of a multicoloured arc: red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet with
red on the outer part of the arch and violet in the
inner part of the arch. More rarely, a secondary
rainbow is seen. It is a second fainter arc outside
the primary arc, with colours in the opposite
order, that is with violet on the outside and red
on the inside.
Smart tips (cont.)

• (iii) Look out for small details that

could set the correct answer apart
from the rest of the options given.

• (iv) When you are uncertain about

the meaning of a word, look for clues
that are provided in the sentence to
help you.
Sample question (SPM 2004)

A vampire bat laps up blood with its

powerful tongue.
2. From the statement above, we can say
that a vampire bat
A. swallows like a python
B. sucks like a mosquito
C drinks like a cat
Smart tips

• (v) To make better conclusions, pick

out the key points in a text and
comprehend the message sent
across.

• (vi) In finding the replacement word,

look for clues that are provided in
the sentence to help you.
 Sample question (SPM 2005)
Titanium is mainly used in alloy forms. Its alloys
are high in strength but light in weight. At
elevated temperatures, they retain their
strength. That is why, they are commonly used
in aircraft engines and structures and other
corrosive-resisting items.
Which one of the following can best replace the
word elevated.
C. Lifted C. Greater
D. Higher D. Advanced
Smart tips
 (vii) Stimulus texts can also
come in the form of a graph,
chart, table or diagram.
(refer EST Paper 2 2007 Q2,Q9,
Q13, Q22, and Q23 for example)

 (viii) Sometimes two questions

can be set on one text.
Sample: Questions 8 and 9 (SPM
2004)
 Read the text below and answer the questions that
follow.
In a laboratory, chemistry students rut some water into a
beaker. They found the temperature of the water to be
19°C. then they added pellets of sodium hydroxide to
the water. To speed up the reaction, they stirred up the
pellets, causing them to break into sodium and
hydroxide ions. When the pellets were all dissolved,
the students measured the temperatures of the water
again and found it to be 22°C. they thus learned that
there is energy stored in the chemical bonds of sodium
hydroxide. The breaking of those bonds resulted in the
released of energy, causing the temperature of the
water to rise.
8. In the experiment described above, which
activity speeded up the reaction?
 A. Stirring B. Heating C. Dissolving
9. From this experiment, we can say that the
temperature of the water rose because
A. Pellets were stirred
B. Solution was heated
C. Energy was released
Smart tips
• (ix) It helps to look at the question(s)
first before reading the text. This
way, you will know the kind of
information you need to look for in
the text.
• (x) For questions that require
calculations, read through the facts
and figures more than once. You may
be tested in the reverse order of
what is tested in the text.
 Sample question
 On average, we need 12,000 kj of energy
per day from the food we eat. Of this,
2,400 kj energy is used while people sleep
and 6,600 kj is used when we do heavy
physical activity for about 8 hours.
 What percentage of energy is used up
while we sleep?
A. 20% C. 30%
B. 25% D. 35%
Smart tips

• (xi) A word can have both literal and

non-literal meanings. For instance,
the word sweet in ‘She has a sweet
face’ is not to be taken literally. It is
figurative speech that means looking
pleasant. Therefore, you need to
look at a word based on its context
to know its different meanings.
Sa mple q uest ion(SPM
2005)
 The Viking probe visited Mars in 1976 in
search of life. They carried out numerous
tests on Martian soils but found no evidence
of any living organism.
 Which one of the following words can best
replace the phrase carried out?
C. Probed C. Conducted
D. Surveyed D. Completed
SPM 2006 ( Q 25)
 A racoon prepares for winter by feasting on insects
from fallen log. Some animals hibernate during this
season but racoons do not. When food is scarce, they
take prolong naps, living on fat accumulated in the
autumn.
 What does the word hibernate mean in the text?
 A. Reproduce
 B. Rejuvenate
 C. Remain dormant
 D. Remain camouflaged
Smart tips

• (xii) The manner of speech and

pronouns used in the text help
determine the text type.
• (xiii) The questions may test
grammar or vocabulary. Read
through each line carefully
before choosing the correct
answer. (esp. section B qsts)
 Smart Tips
 The trick is don’t be hasty in choosing your
answer. Make sure your answer is
according to what the question wants you
to do.
That’s all folks……..
 Hope you have
learn something
useful from this
session this
morning.
 Good luck,
study smart
and……
SAYONARA….