Junior Cycle English Ordinary free practice questions with answers

Question 1 (15 marks)

(a) According to the poster, what food does a hedgehog eat?

What earns the marks

• Names at least three foods from the poster (beetles, worms, slugs, caterpillars, eggs).
• Uses information from the poster, not from memory.
• Writes in a clear sentence.

Model response (about 10 words)

According to the poster, a hedgehog eats beetles, worms, slugs, caterpillars and sometimes eggs.

For a ‘according to’ question, find the exact lines on the poster and use its words.

(b) According to the poster, where does a hedgehog live?

What earns the marks

• States that hedgehogs live in hedgerows, gardens and woods.
• Mentions the nest of leaves and grass.
• Writes a clear sentence based on the poster.

Model response (about 20 words)

The poster says that a hedgehog lives in hedgerows, gardens and woods, and that it sleeps in a cosy nest of leaves and grass.

Answer exactly what is asked: ‘where’ needs places, so list the places named.

(c) In your opinion, what makes the hedgehog a good survivor? Explain your answer with reference to the poster.

What earns the marks

• Gives your own opinion clearly (at least two reasons).
• Supports each reason with a fact from the poster (spines, hibernation, night-time activity, food).
• Explains how each fact helps the hedgehog to survive.
• Writes in full sentences.

Model response (about 130 words)

In my opinion, the hedgehog is a good survivor because it has clever ways of staying safe. The poster tells us that when a hedgehog is frightened, it curls into a tight ball covered in about 5,000 spines, so a fox or a dog would find it very hard to attack.

It is also good at avoiding danger because it is mostly active at night, when fewer predators and people are around. Another reason is hibernation: in winter, when food is hard to find, the hedgehog sleeps through the coldest months and does not need to look for food.

Finally, the hedgehog can eat many different foods, such as beetles, worms, slugs and eggs, so it is unlikely to go hungry. All of these things make the hedgehog a very good survivor.

Give an opinion, then back it up: one reason, one fact from the poster, one sentence explaining how it helps.