Monday, September 27, 2021

Sample of Essays for Reading and Writing Test for Revalida Batch 2020-2021 |English Proficiency Test

Bilang bahagi ng pagtatasa upang malaman kung ipapasa ang isang ALS completer, maliban sa kanyang Presentation Portfolio, siya ay isasabak din sa English Proficiency Test kung saan tatasahin ang kanyang kakayahang bumasa at sumulat (reading and writing) sa wikang Ingles.

Ang nasa ibaba ay ilan lamang sa mga sanaysay o essays na maaaring gamitin sa Reading and Writing sa panahon ng Revalida para sa Batch 2020-2021 para sa Elementary o Junior High School Level:


Adapting to Survive

                                   (Image from https://www.centennialparklands.com.au)


Living things adapt to their environment so they can survive. An organism adapts when it develops a behavior that makes it more likely to survive. It can also adapt by forming a physical characteristic or body part that helps it survive.

In a forest biome, some trees grow taller than the other plants around them. This lets them reach the sunlight. Growing taller is an adaptation that helps trees survive. Shorter plants have adapted with their behavior. They have learned to live in the shade with less sunlight. 

Animals in the forest have a wide variety of adaptations. Monkeys have long tails. They can use them almost like another hand. This helps them swing quickly through the tops of trees. They can even do this while holding their babies or gathering food. Giraffes need to reach leaves at the tops of tall trees. Having a long neck is an adaptation that allows them to do this.

Some animals’ adaptations prevent other animals from wanting to eat them. A skunk’s horrible smell makes larger animals choose something else to eat. Even plants sometimes protect themselves in this way. Roses and acacia trees both have dangerous thorns. The thorns prevent animals from eating their leaves.




        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) What are the two main ways that an organism adapts?

by changing its behavior or its physical characteristics

2) What is one animal adaptation you read about in the passage?

a monkey’s tail or a giraffe’s neck or a skunk’s smell

3) Is the animal adaptation you chose a physical or behavioral adaptation?

trees grow tall or short plants learn to live with less sunlight or roses and acacia trees grow thorns

4) What is one plant adaptation you read about in the passage?

trees - physical; short plants - behavioral; roses and acacia trees - physical

5) Is the plant adaptation you chose a physical or behavioral adaptation?

answer depends on student’s choice


Competing for Resources


The resources of any one environment are limited. Depending on which plants and animals share the environment, there may not be enough of everything to go around. All organisms need water, food, and shelter to stay alive. These resources are beneficial, which means they are good for the organisms. When an environment is low on any of these things, organisms must compete for them. Those who get to the resources first have the best chance of survival. Being without water, food, or shelter for very long is detrimental, which means it is harmful to organisms.

The resources in an area determine how big the plant and animal populations can be. Sometimes there are too many living things in an area. The weakest of the populations will not be able to get the resources they need. As the weak die out, the populations get smaller. Finally, the area’s resources recover and can support them again. Sometimes people will capture members of large animal populations and move them. They take them to another location with less competition. This helps them the animals survive.

Sometimes the government will allow the hunting of large animal populations. Deer and rabbits can be good food sources for people. When there are too many of these animals in an area, they sometimes come into the cities looking for food. They often cause trouble. Hunting keeps the number of animals under control.


        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) Why do organisms sometimes have to compete for resources?

because an environment may not have enough resources

2) What kinds of things are beneficial for organisms?

food, water, and shelter

3) What kinds of things are detrimental for organisms?

being without food, water and shelter

4) What happens when populations grow too large for an area?

The weaker ones can’t compete for resources and die out

5) Do you think hunting or relocation is a better solution for over-sized animal populations? Why?

Answer depends on student’s choice


Ecosystems


(Image from https://eschooltoday.com)

An ecosystem is all the things that interact in a specific area, whether they are living or non-living. Some examples of non-living things that support life in an ecosystem are light, air, soil, and water. Living things are the plants and animals, called organisms, that use those resources.

Each of the specific ecosystems in the world has its own conditions created by non-living things. These conditions determine what kinds of living things will be able to thrive there. Organisms can only thrive where their needs are being met. Everything in an organism’s environment has an effect on it. One ecosystem that allows many different kinds of organisms to thrive is a temperate zone. It is an area where the conditions never become too hot or too cold.

All the living things in an ecosystem are called a community. All of one specific kind of organism living in a community is called a population. All the tree frogs in a rainforest community are one population within the community. All the white birch trees are another population within the same community. All the jaguars are yet another rainforest community population.

All living organisms perform certain life processes. They take in nutrients like air, sunlight, water, and food. They use energy from those nutrients to grow and develop. They release energy by doing work and moving. They release waste products. They react to things in their environment. They reproduce, producing offspring, or babies, that are similar to themselves.


        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) What is one example of a non-living thing in an ecosystem?

light, air, water, or soil

2) What are some of the life processes that living organisms do?

take in nutrients, use energy to grow, release energy, release waste, react to their environment or reproduce

3) What does population mean in a community?

one specific type of organism living in a community

4) When does an organism thrive?

when its needs are met

5) Why does a temperate zone support many varieties of organisms

because the conditions are not too hot and not too cold


Food Is Our Fuel


(Image from https://ualr.edu)

Everything that is alive needs energy. All animals get the energy they need from food.    People are animals. You can think about the human body as an amazing machine. It can do all kinds of wonderful things for us. Food is the fuel that helps keep the amazing machine running.

Plants use sunlight to make their own food. Animals are not able to do that. Some animals eat plants. Some animals eat other animals as meat. Some animals, like people, eat both plants and animals.

Since plants make their own food using sunlight, the sun’s energy is found in plants.  The sun’s energy is very strong. It loses a lot of its strength by the time it goes into a plant. 

When we eat plants, we get more of the sun’s energy than when we eat animals. That’s why it is good to eat fruits and vegetables. When an animal eats a plant, the energy is less strong. The animal also used its energy to find the plant to eat. When a second animal eats the first animal, it gets even less energy than the first animal got. The second animal used a lot of energy to find and chase its prey.

Like a car that has to be filled with gasoline, living things have to eat again and again. Instead of gasoline, living things use food as fuel.


        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence. 

1) Where do all animals get their energy?

from food

2) Where do plants get their energy?

from sunlight

3) If our bodies are amazing machines, then food is our ______.

fuel

4) Why do we get more energy from eating vegetables than we get from eating meat?

because the sun’s energy is less strong in meat

5) If a third animal eats the second animal,  will it get more or less energy?

less energy

 

Have You Got The Time


(Image from https://stevekeating.me)

People today are always thinking about the time. There never seems to be enough time to do all the things we want to do. Believe it or not, there was a time before time was so important. It was enough to know that the sun was out. That meant it was daytime. During these days when the clock seems to control us, doesn’t that sound kind of nice?

Time can mean a lot of different things. That’s one way we know how important it is for us. We have so many words about it! The smallest amount of time we can measure is called a second. When you put 60 seconds together, you get one minute. If you take 60 minutes, you get one hour. The hands of the clock go all the way around twice in 24 hours, giving us one day.

If you want to look at time beyond one day, you leave the clock and look at a calendar instead. There are about 30 days in one month. Some months have an extra day; February has a couple less. There are 12 months in one year. Time never stops.


        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) What are people always thinking about these days?

time

2) We have lots of different words about time. What does that show?

that it is important

3) How many hours are in one day?

24

4) How many seconds are in one minute?

60

5) How many months are in one year?

12

 

Magnetic Attraction

 


An object that attracts metals, especially iron, is called a magnet. The area near the magnet where it has enough power to attract things is called its magnetic field. The farther away from the magnet an item is, the weaker the magnetic fi eld is. When it is weak, it is less likely an object will become attracted to the magnet.

Magnets can be either permanent or temporary. A permanent magnet stays magnetized for a long time. A temporary magnet loses its magnetism after only a short time. You can even turn something made out of iron into a temporary magnet by rubbing it against a permanent magnet. The more you rub, the stronger your temporary magnet gets. However, the effects will wear off over time.

The two ends of the magnets are called magnetic poles. The poles are found at the ends of bar magnets and the tips of the horseshoe magnets. They are the strongest parts of the magnet. Each magnet has a north pole and a south pole. Opposite poles attract, or pull  toward each other. Poles that are the same repel, or push away from each other. A north pole and a south pole will pull toward each other. Two north poles will push away from each other. The same happens with two south poles. When you hold magnets, you can actually feel the push and pull effects of magnetism.

A special kind of temporary magnet uses electricity to create a magnetic field. It is called an electromagnet. An electromagnet can be an extremely strong magnet. However, it only acts like a magnet when it has electricity. A stronger electrical current will produce a stronger magnet. Unlike other magnets, an electromagnet can be controlled by a switch. When the switch turns the electrical current off the electromagnet loses its magnetism. Whatever the electromagnet was holding drops to the ground. We use this technology to operate large cranes that lift heavy metal objects, such as cars. Electromagnets are also used to make motors run in small appliances. Combining regular magnets and electromagnets makes it possible for electrical energy to be turned into energy of motion.


        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) Explain the difference between a temporary magnet and a permanent magnet

A permanent magnet stays magnetized for a long time. A temporary magnet loses its magnetism in a short time

2) Would two north poles attract each other or push away from each other?

Push away

3) What is different about an electromagnet?

It uses an electrical current and can be turned off and on.

4) What do we use electromagnets for?

lifting heavy objects like cars

5) What does attract mean when speaking about magnets? _

pull toward each other

 

Plant Life Cycle


(Image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyT153p2uag by MNSB inward)

Every living thing goes through changes. Living things grow through different stages. Then they reach the end of their life cycles and die. There are many kinds of plants. Each kind has its own life cycle.

Many plants start their life cycles as a seed. The seed needs certain things or it will not grow into a plant. Sometimes seeds wait in the ground until they can get the things they need. They wait for warmth from the sun. They wait for water. When they have what they need, they start to grow. A tiny little sprout will push out of each seed. The sprouts stretch up until they poke through the dirt and into the air.

The plants continue to grow when they get sunshine and water. The stems grow taller and leaves unfold. More leaves and stems grow on the main stems. The adult plants grow flowers. The flowers of many plants make fruit. The fruit has seeds inside it so more new plants can grow.

New plants look like their parent plants. Seeds from a parent plant will grow into the same kind of plant as the parent. When a seed begins to grow, it is the beginning of another plant life cycle.

 

        Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers. The sample answers are guides only. The answer should be a complete sentence.

1) What is the process of living, growing, changing, and dying called?

life cycle

2) How do many plants begin?

As seeds

3) What two things does a seed need to have with it in the ground to be able to grow?

Sunshine and water

4) Where can you usually find seeds in an adult plant?

In the fruit

5) What kind of plant will a seed grow into?

the same kind as the parent plant


The Philippine Eagle 

Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle has replaced the maya as our national bird. It is one of the three ln strongest eagles in the world. But it is in danger of extinction. Hunting and deforestation have number of Philippine Eagles to dwindle. Scientists have tried to increase their number by breedi captivity. The first eagle to be bred in captivity is Pag-asa. At 25 years old, Pag-asa is not yet released to the wild as she has developed dependency on her human keeper. 


Answer the following questions based on the reading passage.

1. The Philippine Eagle is in danger of extinction. It means this type of eagle will eventually _______.

A. disappear 
B. increase 
C. migrate
D. starve 

2. When birds are bred in captivity, they are _______.

A. allowed to freely fly in the wide forest
B. cared for in a safe environment
C. caught and sold as pets
D. given a diet of bread

3. What is responsible for the decrease in the number of Philippine Eagles? 

A. their migration to cooler countries
B. their transfer to warmer places
C. the activities of humans
D. lack of available food

4. Pag-asa is the name of the first eagle which ________.

A. was discovered first in our country.
B. was born in captivity.
C. was kept in the wild
D. was given as a gift.

5. What is the problem posed in the selection?  The Philippine Eagles _______.

A. are in danger of being gone forever
B. are dying because of a disease
C. migrate to other countries
D. are not growing fast

6.The purpose for writing the selection is to _________.

A. invite researchers to study the Philippine eagle.
B. make the reader proud of the Philippine eagle.
C. warn the hunters not to harm the Philippine eagle.
D. raise an alarm about the possible disappearance of the Philippine Eagle.

7. A good title for this selection is _________.

A. Help Save the Philippine Eagle
B. See the Rare Philippine Eagle
C. Breeding the Philippine Eagle
D. The Effects of Deforestation


Home to Millions of Fish

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are found in shallow areas of tropical ocean waters. They are like beautiful underground gardens that grow in salty waters. Millions of fish and sea plants make their home in the reefs as these provide a safe sanctuary for them. They always allow small fish to hide from large predator fish. 

But many coral reefs are in trouble. Water pollution is destroying many reefs. Tourism likewise harms them. If reefs are damaged, we will lose many of our most beautiful fish.

Coral reefs are described as underground gardens because __________.

A. they are full of flowers
B. there are many sea plants
C. they have many enormous fish
D. there are many types of pebbles


DREAMS


We often say "Sweet dreams." but have you ever wondered why we dream? Some say that dreaming is our brain's way of exercising. While we sleep, our brain may be testing the connections and pathways to see if they are working well. Others believe that dreaming is our brain's way of sorting out problems. Problems that have not been addressed during the day are sometimes resolved in our sleep. Yet another explanation is that dreaming is our brain's way of fixing and organizing all the information we have. While sleeping, our brains have a chance to sort out the information that we want to keep from the stuff we no longer want. Still another idea is that dreams are just another form of thinking. Will we ever get to know the answer to this question? Maybe we should sleep on it.

Questions

1. Based on the selection, what does our brain exercise through sleeping?

a. the connections and pathways
c the content and concepts
b. the left and right hemispheres
d. the gray matter

2. Which of the statements does NOT show how dreams fix our problems?

a. As we dream, we constantly think about what we have learned or experienced
b. Our dreams help us focus on things we are unable to notice during the day
c. Our brain comes up with solutions in our sleep.
d. Our brain sorts and files information.

3. How does a brain-through dreams - perform the function of an office clerk?

a. It sorts information we need from what we don't need.
b. It files what we know into fixed categories.
c. It clears the board to store new information
d. It functions alone

4. Based on how it is used in the selection, which of the following words is a synonym for the word "resolved?"

a. accommodated 
b. reflected 
c. decided 
d. fixed

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the brain?

a. Our brain makes connections
b. Our brain never stops thinking.
c. Sleeping is our brain's way of shutting down
d. Our brain replays our experiences as we sleep.

6. Which question is the selection trying to answer?

a. What are the types of dreams?
b. What are our reasons for dreaming?
c. Are all dreams sweet?
d. How can we stop from dreaming?

7. In the selection, what does it mean to "sleep on it?"
a. ignore it
b. take a nap
c. think about it
d. forget about it

8. Which could be a good title for this selection?

a. Dreaming: Explained
b. Preventing Our Dreams
c. Interpreting One's Dream
d. Finding Solutions to Dreaming

Good Luck to your REVALIDA!