BSEH Secondary English cheat sheet

Factual/scanning questions: locate the keyword, then read the sentence before and after it; the answer often crosses a sentence boundary.

Inference stems (infer, imply, suggest, probably) require a conclusion drawn from textual clues, not a sentence copied verbatim.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the original sentence; only the option that preserves the sentence's logic is correct.

A main-idea option must cover the whole passage; an option true of only one paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Tone and attitude answers are adjectives (critical, nostalgic, ironic, sympathetic), not topic labels or plot summaries.

An option containing an absolute word (all, never, only, always) is usually wrong unless the passage states that absolute.

True/False with justification needs the exact supporting line, quoted or closely paraphrased; a general comment earns no justification mark.

Passage-completion blanks must fit both grammar (part of speech) and meaning (collocation with neighbouring words).

Answers should be in the candidate's own words unless the question says 'quote'; long copied stretches are not a summary.

Notice format: institution name, word NOTICE, date, heading, body answering what/when/where/whom, then writer's name and designation; boxed, about 50 words.

Formal letter sequence: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature and name.

Letter body: paragraph 1 states the purpose, paragraph 2 gives details or evidence, paragraph 3 requests the action and a deadline.

Article format: title, byline 'By [Name]', three or four paragraphs (introduction, development, conclusion), about 150-200 words.

Report format: headline, byline, date and place, opening paragraph answering what/when/where/who, then details and a closing sentence.

Paragraph format: one controlling idea, topic sentence first, supporting sentences, concluding sentence; no new topic in the conclusion.

Formal writing avoids contractions (don't, I'm), slang and exclamation marks; passive voice is common in polite complaints.

Complaint letter must name the defect, give the order or purchase reference, state the remedy wanted and set a time limit.

Enquiry letter must identify the writer, state the purpose, ask numbered specific questions, and request an early reply.

since + point of time (since 2019); for + duration (for three years); both take the present perfect for actions continuing to now.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past actions; simple past marks the later one.

Passive voice: the object becomes subject, the verb becomes be + past participle, and the agent is introduced by 'by', often omitted.

Imperative passive: Let + object + be + past participle, as in 'Let the door be closed'.

Reported speech: present to past, today to that day, tomorrow to the next day, here to there, this to that; say to becomes tell.

Reported question: if/whether or the wh-word + subject + verb, with no question mark and no do/does/did.

a/an is chosen by sound, not letter: an hour, an MLA, a university, a European; the is used for unique nouns, superlatives and second mentions.

some occurs in affirmatives, any in negatives and questions; many/few + plural countable, much/little + uncountable.

Modals: can ability, may permission or possibility, must obligation or deduction, should advice, might weak possibility, ought to moral duty.

'A Letter to God' (G.L. Fuentes): Lencho's corn is destroyed by hail; he asks God for 100 pesos and receives 70 from the postmaster's staff.

'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom': inauguration on 10 May 1994 at the Union Buildings, Pretoria; two anthems, Nkosi Sikelel'iAfrika and Die Stem.

'His First Flight' (Liam O'Flaherty): the young seagull's fear of flying ends when hunger and his mother's fish lure him off the ledge.

'The Black Aeroplane' (Frederick Forsyth): a Dakota pilot flying to Paris is guided through a storm by a black aeroplane that does not appear on radar.

'From the Diary of Anne Frank': Anne calls her diary Kitty and writes that paper has more patience than people; Mr Keesing is her strict maths teacher.

'Glimpses of India': a baker's bread bangles in Goa, the Kodavus of Coorg, and Rajvir's tea lore from Assam.

'Mijbil the Otter' (Gavin Maxwell): an otter from Basra, species Lutra perspicillata, is taken to London and named Mij.

'Madam Rides the Bus' (Vallikkannan): eight-year-old Valli saves her coins for a first bus ride and sees a dead cow on the return.

'The Sermon at Benares': the Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami that grief is universal through the search for a mustard seed.

'Dust of Snow' (Robert Frost): a crow shakes snow from a hemlock tree, changing the speaker's mood; two quatrains with abab rhyme.

'Fire and Ice' (Robert Frost): nine lines; fire stands for desire and ice for hate as forces that could end the world.

'A Tiger in the Zoo' (Leslie Norris): contrasts the caged tiger's 'quiet rage' with its natural stalking, sliding and staring at stars.

'How to Tell Wild Animals' (Carolyn Wells): humorous identification of the Bengal tiger, Asian lion, leopard, bear and hyena through comic rhymes.

'The Ball Poem' (John Berryman): a boy loses his ball; the speaker says 'money is external' and loss must be learned.

'Amanda' (Robin Klein): a nagged girl escapes into fantasies of being a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel.

'The Trees' (Adrienne Rich): trees moving out of the house are a metaphor for women's freedom; the poet addresses a forest.

'Fog' (Carl Sandburg): six-line free-verse poem; fog over the city is compared to a cat sitting on silent haunches.

'For Anne Gregory' (W.B. Yeats): yellow hair is temporary; only inner beauty can make a person truly loved.

'A Triumph of Surgery' (James Herriot): Tricki, Mrs Pumphrey's overfed dog, recovers on a strict diet at the vet's surgery.

'The Thief's Story' (Ruskin Bond): Hari Singh robs Anil of 600 rupees but returns, tempted by Anil's trust and the chance to learn.

'The Midnight Visitor' (Robert Arthur): Ausable invents a balcony to trick Max, who falls from the sixth floor.

'A Question of Trust' (Victor Canning): Horace Danby, a safe-cracker, is deceived by a woman posing as the owner's wife.

'Footprints without Feet' (H.G. Wells): Griffin, an invisible scientist, troubles Iping; his muddy footprints are the only visible trace.

'The Making of a Scientist' (Robert W. Peterson): Richard Ebright's butterfly study and gold-spot research lead to a theory about cell life.

'The Necklace' (Guy de Maupassant): Matilda Loisel loses a borrowed necklace, replaces it, and spends ten years repaying the debt.

'The Hack Driver' (Sinclair Lewis): a lawyer hunting Oliver Lutkins is fooled by Bill, who is Lutkins himself.

'Bholi' (K.A. Abbas): Sulekha, mocked for stammering, gains confidence from her teacher and refuses a greedy bridegroom.

Factual/scanning questions: locate the keyword, then read the sentence before and after it; the answer often crosses a sentence boundary.

Inference stems (infer, imply, suggest, probably) require a conclusion drawn from textual clues, not a sentence copied verbatim.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the original sentence; only the option that preserves the sentence's logic is correct.

A main-idea option must cover the whole passage; an option true of only one paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Tone and attitude answers are adjectives (critical, nostalgic, ironic, sympathetic), not topic labels or plot summaries.

An option containing an absolute word (all, never, only, always) is usually wrong unless the passage states that absolute.

True/False with justification needs the exact supporting line, quoted or closely paraphrased; a general comment earns no justification mark.

Passage-completion blanks must fit both grammar (part of speech) and meaning (collocation with neighbouring words).

Answers should be in the candidate's own words unless the question says 'quote'; long copied stretches are not a summary.

Notice format: institution name, word NOTICE, date, heading, body answering what/when/where/whom, then writer's name and designation; boxed, about 50 words.

Formal letter sequence: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature and name.

Letter body: paragraph 1 states the purpose, paragraph 2 gives details or evidence, paragraph 3 requests the action and a deadline.

Article format: title, byline 'By [Name]', three or four paragraphs (introduction, development, conclusion), about 150-200 words.

Report format: headline, byline, date and place, opening paragraph answering what/when/where/who, then details and a closing sentence.

Paragraph format: one controlling idea, topic sentence first, supporting sentences, concluding sentence; no new topic in the conclusion.

Formal writing avoids contractions (don't, I'm), slang and exclamation marks; passive voice is common in polite complaints.

Complaint letter must name the defect, give the order or purchase reference, state the remedy wanted and set a time limit.

Enquiry letter must identify the writer, state the purpose, ask numbered specific questions, and request an early reply.

since + point of time (since 2019); for + duration (for three years); both take the present perfect for actions continuing to now.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past actions; simple past marks the later one.

Passive voice: the object becomes subject, the verb becomes be + past participle, and the agent is introduced by 'by', often omitted.

Imperative passive: Let + object + be + past participle, as in 'Let the door be closed'.

Reported speech: present to past, today to that day, tomorrow to the next day, here to there, this to that; say to becomes tell.

Reported question: if/whether or the wh-word + subject + verb, with no question mark and no do/does/did.

a/an is chosen by sound, not letter: an hour, an MLA, a university, a European; the is used for unique nouns, superlatives and second mentions.

some occurs in affirmatives, any in negatives and questions; many/few + plural countable, much/little + uncountable.

Modals: can ability, may permission or possibility, must obligation or deduction, should advice, might weak possibility, ought to moral duty.

'A Letter to God' (G.L. Fuentes): Lencho's corn is destroyed by hail; he asks God for 100 pesos and receives 70 from the postmaster's staff.

'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom': inauguration on 10 May 1994 at the Union Buildings, Pretoria; two anthems, Nkosi Sikelel'iAfrika and Die Stem.

'His First Flight' (Liam O'Flaherty): the young seagull's fear of flying ends when hunger and his mother's fish lure him off the ledge.

'The Black Aeroplane' (Frederick Forsyth): a Dakota pilot flying to Paris is guided through a storm by a black aeroplane that does not appear on radar.

'From the Diary of Anne Frank': Anne calls her diary Kitty and writes that paper has more patience than people; Mr Keesing is her strict maths teacher.

'Glimpses of India': a baker's bread bangles in Goa, the Kodavus of Coorg, and Rajvir's tea lore from Assam.

'Mijbil the Otter' (Gavin Maxwell): an otter from Basra, species Lutra perspicillata, is taken to London and named Mij.

'Madam Rides the Bus' (Vallikkannan): eight-year-old Valli saves her coins for a first bus ride and sees a dead cow on the return.

'The Sermon at Benares': the Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami that grief is universal through the search for a mustard seed.

'Dust of Snow' (Robert Frost): a crow shakes snow from a hemlock tree, changing the speaker's mood; two quatrains with abab rhyme.

'Fire and Ice' (Robert Frost): nine lines; fire stands for desire and ice for hate as forces that could end the world.

'A Tiger in the Zoo' (Leslie Norris): contrasts the caged tiger's 'quiet rage' with its natural stalking, sliding and staring at stars.

'How to Tell Wild Animals' (Carolyn Wells): humorous identification of the Bengal tiger, Asian lion, leopard, bear and hyena through comic rhymes.

'The Ball Poem' (John Berryman): a boy loses his ball; the speaker says 'money is external' and loss must be learned.

'Amanda' (Robin Klein): a nagged girl escapes into fantasies of being a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel.

'The Trees' (Adrienne Rich): trees moving out of the house are a metaphor for women's freedom; the poet addresses a forest.

'Fog' (Carl Sandburg): six-line free-verse poem; fog over the city is compared to a cat sitting on silent haunches.

'For Anne Gregory' (W.B. Yeats): yellow hair is temporary; only inner beauty can make a person truly loved.

'A Triumph of Surgery' (James Herriot): Tricki, Mrs Pumphrey's overfed dog, recovers on a strict diet at the vet's surgery.

'The Thief's Story' (Ruskin Bond): Hari Singh robs Anil of 600 rupees but returns, tempted by Anil's trust and the chance to learn.

'The Midnight Visitor' (Robert Arthur): Ausable invents a balcony to trick Max, who falls from the sixth floor.

'A Question of Trust' (Victor Canning): Horace Danby, a safe-cracker, is deceived by a woman posing as the owner's wife.

'Footprints without Feet' (H.G. Wells): Griffin, an invisible scientist, troubles Iping; his muddy footprints are the only visible trace.

'The Making of a Scientist' (Robert W. Peterson): Richard Ebright's butterfly study and gold-spot research lead to a theory about cell life.

'The Necklace' (Guy de Maupassant): Matilda Loisel loses a borrowed necklace, replaces it, and spends ten years repaying the debt.

'The Hack Driver' (Sinclair Lewis): a lawyer hunting Oliver Lutkins is fooled by Bill, who is Lutkins himself.

'Bholi' (K.A. Abbas): Sulekha, mocked for stammering, gains confidence from her teacher and refuses a greedy bridegroom.

Factual/scanning questions: locate the keyword, then read the sentence before and after it; the answer often crosses a sentence boundary.

Inference stems (infer, imply, suggest, probably) require a conclusion drawn from textual clues, not a sentence copied verbatim.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the original sentence; only the option that preserves the sentence's logic is correct.

A main-idea option must cover the whole passage; an option true of only one paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Tone and attitude answers are adjectives (critical, nostalgic, ironic, sympathetic), not topic labels or plot summaries.

An option containing an absolute word (all, never, only, always) is usually wrong unless the passage states that absolute.

True/False with justification needs the exact supporting line, quoted or closely paraphrased; a general comment earns no justification mark.

Passage-completion blanks must fit both grammar (part of speech) and meaning (collocation with neighbouring words).

Answers should be in the candidate's own words unless the question says 'quote'; long copied stretches are not a summary.

Notice format: institution name, word NOTICE, date, heading, body answering what/when/where/whom, then writer's name and designation; boxed, about 50 words.

Formal letter sequence: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature and name.

Letter body: paragraph 1 states the purpose, paragraph 2 gives details or evidence, paragraph 3 requests the action and a deadline.

Article format: title, byline 'By [Name]', three or four paragraphs (introduction, development, conclusion), about 150-200 words.

Report format: headline, byline, date and place, opening paragraph answering what/when/where/who, then details and a closing sentence.

Paragraph format: one controlling idea, topic sentence first, supporting sentences, concluding sentence; no new topic in the conclusion.

Formal writing avoids contractions (don't, I'm), slang and exclamation marks; passive voice is common in polite complaints.

Complaint letter must name the defect, give the order or purchase reference, state the remedy wanted and set a time limit.

Enquiry letter must identify the writer, state the purpose, ask numbered specific questions, and request an early reply.

since + point of time (since 2019); for + duration (for three years); both take the present perfect for actions continuing to now.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past actions; simple past marks the later one.

Passive voice: the object becomes subject, the verb becomes be + past participle, and the agent is introduced by 'by', often omitted.

Imperative passive: Let + object + be + past participle, as in 'Let the door be closed'.

Reported speech: present to past, today to that day, tomorrow to the next day, here to there, this to that; say to becomes tell.

Reported question: if/whether or the wh-word + subject + verb, with no question mark and no do/does/did.

a/an is chosen by sound, not letter: an hour, an MLA, a university, a European; the is used for unique nouns, superlatives and second mentions.

some occurs in affirmatives, any in negatives and questions; many/few + plural countable, much/little + uncountable.

Modals: can ability, may permission or possibility, must obligation or deduction, should advice, might weak possibility, ought to moral duty.

'A Letter to God' (G.L. Fuentes): Lencho's corn is destroyed by hail; he asks God for 100 pesos and receives 70 from the postmaster's staff.

'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom': inauguration on 10 May 1994 at the Union Buildings, Pretoria; two anthems, Nkosi Sikelel'iAfrika and Die Stem.

'His First Flight' (Liam O'Flaherty): the young seagull's fear of flying ends when hunger and his mother's fish lure him off the ledge.

'The Black Aeroplane' (Frederick Forsyth): a Dakota pilot flying to Paris is guided through a storm by a black aeroplane that does not appear on radar.

'From the Diary of Anne Frank': Anne calls her diary Kitty and writes that paper has more patience than people; Mr Keesing is her strict maths teacher.

'Glimpses of India': a baker's bread bangles in Goa, the Kodavus of Coorg, and Rajvir's tea lore from Assam.

'Mijbil the Otter' (Gavin Maxwell): an otter from Basra, species Lutra perspicillata, is taken to London and named Mij.

'Madam Rides the Bus' (Vallikkannan): eight-year-old Valli saves her coins for a first bus ride and sees a dead cow on the return.

'The Sermon at Benares': the Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami that grief is universal through the search for a mustard seed.

'Dust of Snow' (Robert Frost): a crow shakes snow from a hemlock tree, changing the speaker's mood; two quatrains with abab rhyme.

'Fire and Ice' (Robert Frost): nine lines; fire stands for desire and ice for hate as forces that could end the world.

'A Tiger in the Zoo' (Leslie Norris): contrasts the caged tiger's 'quiet rage' with its natural stalking, sliding and staring at stars.

'How to Tell Wild Animals' (Carolyn Wells): humorous identification of the Bengal tiger, Asian lion, leopard, bear and hyena through comic rhymes.

'The Ball Poem' (John Berryman): a boy loses his ball; the speaker says 'money is external' and loss must be learned.

'Amanda' (Robin Klein): a nagged girl escapes into fantasies of being a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel.

'The Trees' (Adrienne Rich): trees moving out of the house are a metaphor for women's freedom; the poet addresses a forest.

'Fog' (Carl Sandburg): six-line free-verse poem; fog over the city is compared to a cat sitting on silent haunches.

'For Anne Gregory' (W.B. Yeats): yellow hair is temporary; only inner beauty can make a person truly loved.

'A Triumph of Surgery' (James Herriot): Tricki, Mrs Pumphrey's overfed dog, recovers on a strict diet at the vet's surgery.

'The Thief's Story' (Ruskin Bond): Hari Singh robs Anil of 600 rupees but returns, tempted by Anil's trust and the chance to learn.

'The Midnight Visitor' (Robert Arthur): Ausable invents a balcony to trick Max, who falls from the sixth floor.

'A Question of Trust' (Victor Canning): Horace Danby, a safe-cracker, is deceived by a woman posing as the owner's wife.

'Footprints without Feet' (H.G. Wells): Griffin, an invisible scientist, troubles Iping; his muddy footprints are the only visible trace.

'The Making of a Scientist' (Robert W. Peterson): Richard Ebright's butterfly study and gold-spot research lead to a theory about cell life.

'The Necklace' (Guy de Maupassant): Matilda Loisel loses a borrowed necklace, replaces it, and spends ten years repaying the debt.

'The Hack Driver' (Sinclair Lewis): a lawyer hunting Oliver Lutkins is fooled by Bill, who is Lutkins himself.

'Bholi' (K.A. Abbas): Sulekha, mocked for stammering, gains confidence from her teacher and refuses a greedy bridegroom.