NASIPIT NATIONAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

Nasipit, Agusan del Norte

ENGLISH 9 – SEMI-FINAL

I. Reading Comprehension.
Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered radium,
an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied uranium and other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie's amicable
collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.
Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. At an early age, she displayed a brilliant
mind and a blithe personality. Her great exuberance for learning prompted her to continue with her studies after high school. She
became disgruntled, however, when she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. Determined to receive a
higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university, where she earned her
master's degree and doctorate in physics.
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of whom was Pierre
Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive years working together in the physics laboratory. A
short time after they discovered radium, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by this horrible
misfortune and endured heartbreaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that they had
shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to raise by herself greatly increased her distress.
Curie's feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her husband as a physics professor at the
Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a professorship at the world-famous university. In 1911 she received the Nobel
Prize in chemistry for isolating radium. Although Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long exposure to radium,
she never became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she had dedicated herself to science and to
revealing the mysteries of the physical world.
1. The Curies' _________ collaboration helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.
A. friendly C. courteous
B. competitive D. industrious
E. chemistry
2. Marie had a bright mind and a ______ personality.
A. strong C. humorous
B. lighthearted D. strange
E. envious
3. When she learned that she could not attend the university in Warsaw, she felt _________.
A. hopeless C. depressed
B. annoyed D. worried
E. None of the above
4. Marie _________ by leaving Poland and traveling to France to enter the Sorbonne.
A. challenged authority C. behaved
B. showed intelligence D. was distressed
E. Answer not available
5. _________ she remembered their joy together.
A. Dejectedly C. Tearfully
B. Worried D. Happily
E. Irefully
6. Her _________ began to fade when she returned to the Sorbonne to succeed her husband.
A. misfortune C. wretchedness
B. anger D. disappointment
E. ambition
7. Even though she became fatally ill from working with radium, Marie Curie was never _________.
A. troubled C. disappointed
B. worried D. sorrowful
E. disturbed

II. Vocabulary Test

8. Idiosyncrasy is:
a. the ideology of a political party or organization
b. a peculiar habit or characteristic of an individual or group
c. a synchronous movement between two mechanical parts
d. a characteristic of selfish people
9. Someone with excessive concern for precision and formal rules is:
a. moribund c. pedantic
b. zealous d. rustic
10. Beleaguer means:
a. to lend money c. to sympathize
b. to harass d. to scare
11. “John’s __________ was irritating. He was reluctant even to buy bread!”
a. jealousy c. luck
b. soreness d. parsimony
12. An ombudsman is:
a. an impartial person who watches for administrative abuses inside organizations
b. a person with unrivaled powers inside the government
c. the head of any organization who is elected by a majority voting system
d. a person who is granted political asylum in a country that is facing civil war
13. If something is in oblivion:
a. time has severely ruined its forms c. people have completely forgotten about it
b. it has been confiscated by a governmental body d. it can no longer be commercially traded between two or
more countries
14. The fights on the streets created a big:
a. void c. cyst
b. turmoil d. foil
15. Mary was always able to recover quickly from misfortunes. She was very:
a. witty c. brave
b. resilient d. zany
16. A Pyrrhic victory is:
a. a naval victory where all the ships from one side sink c. actually a stalemate
b. a victory where one of the sides flees d. a victory with huge losses
17. The ________ steps confirmed he was hiding from someone.
a. furtive c. wild
b. puzzled d. gleaming
18. A bipartisan act:
a. must be approved by popular referendum c. is supported by both sides
b. aims to reduce corruption inside the government d. can have only two decrees
19. Recoil means:
a. to cover with oil, especially when referring to car engines
b. to move away or bounce back
c. to remove something with brute force
d. to repeat the same movement over and over again
20. Fred was in a hurry so he entered the room:
a. arrogantly c. lonely
b. briskly d. quietly

III. Spelling Test

21. Her speech was wonderful. She received many ____________.
a. complements c. compliments
b. complimentis d. cumpliments
22. The same problem happened ______________.
a. ever day c. everyday
b. every days d. every day
23. John remained ________ for the rest of the lesson.
a. quite c. quiet
b. queit d. quite
24. The men forgot ______ meals yesterday.
a. there c. the’re
b. their d. they’re
25. _______ a liar!
a. Your c. You’are
b. You’re d. Yours
26. Please, __________ my excuses!
a. except c. accept
b. accept d. excerpt
27. Mary _______ to the problem but did not mention it.
a. aluded c. eluded
b. alluded d. illuded
28. ____________ you use it or not, you will need to pay.
a. Whether c. Wether
b. Weather d. Whethar
29. Our problem was _______________.
a. persistant c. persistent
b. persistent d. presistant
30. The _______ were going to school yesterday.
a. kid c. kid’s
b. kids d. kids’