Year 9 ICAS English 5-Question Sample

Question 1 of 5 Structure

After noticing the contrast in the source, which statement best describes the main purpose of "Before You Cut the Bus Route"?

Speech extract

Before You Cut the Bus Route

The 41 carries an average of nine passengers and costs what a full bus costs. I have read the same report you have and I am not going to argue with the arithmetic, because the arithmetic is not wrong. A margin note beside the before you cut the bus route entry asks the reader to check the exact wording before choosing.

An average of nine is what you get when a service carries two people for most of the day and thirty-one at seven in the morning. Those thirty-one are the shift at the processing plant, and there is no other service before eight.

Cut the route and you save the money in the report. You also move thirty-one people onto a road with no footpath at six in the morning, and that cost appears in a different budget from the one in front of you.

A to argue that a nomination process is selecting for the wrong quality B to argue that a costing decision has externalised the cost it removes C to explain how a poem uses an unopened letter to involve the reader D to explain how a small repeated action carries the poem's meaning

Question 2 of 5 Voice

From the source, which wording would make the writer's judgement too strong for the evidence in "Rank the Teams, Not the Players"?

Opinion text

Rank the Teams, Not the Players

The player ladder is published every fortnight and it is accurate. Goals, assists and possessions are all counted correctly, and nobody has ever successfully disputed a figure on it. A teacher note beside the rank the teams, not the players entry asks the reader to check the exact wording before choosing.

What it cannot count is the pass that was not attempted because a teammate had already moved, or the position held for eleven minutes that meant nobody had to chase. Those actions have no column, so a player who specialises in them appears to have done nothing.

A statistic that is accurate can still be unfair, because fairness depends on what was left uncounted. Publishing a team ladder would cost us nothing and stop rewarding only the contributions that happen to be countable.

A The evidence suggests a careful conclusion. B The passage gives a useful clue. C This proves every possible case must be the same. D The final idea is supported by the details.

Question 3 of 5 Vocabulary

In an editing warm-up during revision, what does the suffix mean in the word "harmless"?

Language convention

Item	Task
suffix in "harmless"	choose the correct English

A without B full of C one who D more

Question 4 of 5 Comprehension

When separating fact from judgement, which contrast in the text is most important to its meaning?

Opinion text

Rank the Teams, Not the Players

The player ladder is published every fortnight and it is accurate. Goals, assists and possessions are all counted correctly, and nobody has ever successfully disputed a figure on it. A final note beside the rank the teams, not the players entry asks the reader to check the exact wording before choosing.

What it cannot count is the pass that was not attempted because a teammate had already moved, or the position held for eleven minutes that meant nobody had to chase. Those actions have no column, so a player who specialises in them appears to have done nothing.

A statistic that is accurate can still be unfair, because fairness depends on what was left uncounted. Publishing a team ladder would cost us nothing and stop rewarding only the contributions that happen to be countable.

A The title and the paragraphs discuss completely unrelated topics. B The final paragraph repeats the first sentence without changing it. C The passage gives only facts and never asks for judgement. D The first impression is made less simple by later evidence.

Question 5 of 5 Syntax

When checking standard English during revision, which word correctly completes the sentence: "The box of apples ____ on the bench."

Language convention

Item	Task
The box of apples ____ on the bench.	choose the correct English

A are B were C be D is

Year 9 English sample

Answer the sample questions