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How to Perform in the new G3 SEC Examinations | Learner’s Guide Vol 0105 | EMS: Command-Word Workshop — Calculate, Describe, Explain, Infer and Evaluate Precisely

G3 SEC English, Mathematics and Science · Learner’s Guide Vol 0105. Use command words to choose the right evidence, working and conclusion.

One question asks you to describe a graph. Another asks you to explain it. A third asks you to evaluate whether its conclusion is justified. You could read the same graph three times and still need three different answers. The difficulty is not the vocabulary alone. It is recognising the job each question gives you and selecting the right amount and kind of evidence.

This Learner’s Guide Vol 0105 is a practical workshop on examination command words across G3 English, Mathematics and Science. It teaches you to recognise what “state”, “describe”, “calculate”, “show”, “explain”, “infer”, “suggest”, “predict” and “evaluate” normally ask for, while always following the subject syllabus and the actual wording of the question. You will practise original short tasks and compare answers that sound fluent with answers that meet the required job.

The central idea is simple: the question is a contract. Before writing, identify its output, evidence and level of reasoning. You do not need to turn every short response into an essay. You also must not confuse a numerical answer with a scientific explanation or a passage quotation with an interpretation. The goal is a complete and proportionate response.

Chapter index

1. Read the verb before looking for a formula or quote

A learner sees numbers and immediately calculates. Another sees an emotional scene and chooses a character adjective. A third sees an experiment and writes “keep everything constant”. All three may be answering an expected kind of question rather than the question actually printed.

Start by circling the command word: identify, state, describe, calculate, show, infer, explain, suggest, justify, compare or evaluate. Then underline the subject of the command. “Explain the decrease in recorded mass” is not the same task as “Calculate the decrease in recorded mass”. The latter needs subtraction with units; the former needs a relevant physical or chemical reason under the given conditions.

Look next for qualifiers. “Use evidence from the passage” requires textual support. “Give one reason” limits the number of reasons required. “Hence” may signal that an earlier result should be used. “Assume a constant speed” supplies a mathematical model. “Under controlled conditions” helps justify a scientific comparison. Such phrases change what a complete answer contains.

Before writing, quietly ask, “What would count as finished?” For a two-value difference, a correct subtraction and unit may finish the task. For a language-for-effect question, a selected phrase and its effect on the reader may be necessary. For a practical improvement, naming an action without explaining how it addresses a weakness may be incomplete.

Command words are not magic codes that always map to a fixed number of sentences. Their meaning depends on subject and context. The proper response is shaped by the full question, the marks available and the kind of evidence supplied.

2. Use the correct 2027 SEC G3 assessment frame

The SEAB 2027 G3 syllabus list identifies English Language K300, Mathematics K310 and combined Science K326, K327 or K328 according to the Physics/Chemistry, Physics/Biology or Chemistry/Biology combination. Pure Science subjects have separate codes. EMS is a useful learning shorthand, not an additional examination paper.

Under the K300 English syllabus, Writing and Comprehension are each weighted at 35%, Listening at 10% and Oral Communication at 20%. The syllabus requires literal, inferential and evaluative understanding of texts, including language for effect. This makes it important to distinguish “What does the passage state?” from “What does this suggest?” and “What effect does the wording create?”

Under the K310 Mathematics syllabus, each of two compulsory papers lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and carries 90 marks, each contributing 50%. Paper 2 includes a real-world application question at the end. Essential working must be shown. The mathematical command often requires a relation, valid substitution, manipulation, result and contextual interpretation.

Under the combined Science K326–K328 syllabus, assessment includes knowledge, handling information and practical skills. Candidates take a 1-hour, 40-mark Paper 1 weighted at 20%, their two relevant 1-hour-15-minute disciplinary papers of 65 marks each weighted at 32.5%, and a 1-hour-30-minute practical Paper 5 of 30 marks weighted at 15%. The syllabus provides a glossary of assessment terms and expects candidates to connect relevant scientific information with the request.

Do not infer from this article that every examination uses the same exact verbs or marking conventions. English inference, Mathematics proof and Science evaluation have different standards. We teach a portable first step: translate the printed instruction into a clear plan.

3. State: give the requested fact without burying it

A “state” task often asks you to give a specific fact, property, value or relationship without a long explanatory chain unless the question adds another requirement. For example, “State the recorded temperature at minute four” asks for the graph value with the correct unit. If the graph shows 36 °C, that may be the complete answer.

In English, a task may ask what a character said or where an event took place. The answer should preserve the passage’s information. It is not an invitation to invent motive or analyse every adjective in the paragraph. If a question asks what was agreed, identify the agreement and its conditions.

In Mathematics, “state the value of x” can sometimes follow working already completed. Where the question demands working elsewhere, show it appropriately; where the value is evident from a diagram, write the requested number accurately. Avoid giving an unrelated derivation that contradicts or obscures the result.

In Science, “state” can refer to a recognised principle or observed condition. If asked for an example of a relevant variable, name a suitable one. If asked for a unit, use the correct standard unit. A verbose description that never names the requested fact is not a better answer.

A useful test is whether the first sentence already answers the question. If not, you may be writing towards the answer rather than giving it. Start with the fact, then add qualification only where necessary.

4. Describe: make the observation visible

“Describe” often asks what is observed, how something changes or what features a process or diagram displays. It is generally a request for an account of the pattern, not an unsupported cause. Suppose cumulative gas volume rises from 0 cm³ at the start to 24 cm³ after three minutes, with smaller increases in later intervals. A description states those values and the trend.

A weak description is “The graph goes up.” The graph might display temperature, amount of gas, distance or light intensity. Without the measured quantity, unit and relevant interval, the reader cannot tell what the statement means. A stronger one is “Total gas collected increases from 0 to 24 cm³ over three minutes, while the additional amount collected per minute becomes smaller.”

In English, describing a character’s actions means saying what happens, not jumping immediately to a permanent personality judgement. “She closes the book and leaves without replying” is a description. “She is cruel” is an interpretation that needs further evidence. The two tasks require different outputs.

In Mathematics, describe a trend in a statistical display using actual values, relative comparisons or appropriate language. If a bar graph uses a truncated axis, do not equate visual bar-height ratios with underlying data ratios. Volume 0099 on misleading graph scales develops this narrower skill.

The first job of describing is to say what the supplied evidence actually shows. A good description is a dependable platform for later explanation.

5. Explain: connect the observation to a reason

An explanation answers why or how under the given model. If a closed electrical circuit lights a bulb, the response should use the relevant scientific principles rather than merely say the bulb glows. If an English passage presents a character as hesitant, the answer should connect particular details to that impression. If a mathematical pattern follows an equation, show the relationship that makes it hold.

Consider a cup of warm water cooling in cooler surroundings. “The recorded temperature decreases” describes. “Energy is transferred by heating from the warmer water to cooler surroundings because of the temperature difference” offers an explanation at an appropriate school level, subject to the specific apparatus. A complete answer may also refer to the mechanism the question is targeting.

An incomplete explanation often repeats the observation in different words. “The temperature falls because it gets colder” does not identify a meaningful cause. It uses a synonym for the result. A stronger answer introduces the relevant process or relationship.

Overexplaining can also cause trouble. If a question asks for one reason a small object falls, an answer that imports unrelated advanced concepts can distract from the required syllabus principle. Use the simplest sufficient scientific or mathematical mechanism.

A practical check is to underline every “because” in your response. Does the material after it truly explain the event? Or does it merely repeat what happened? For an English explanation, does the chosen quotation support the stated meaning? For a Mathematics explanation, does the relation follow from the problem’s conditions?

This builds on Volume 0093 on sequence versus cause. The order of events is not automatically the reason for the result.

6. Calculate: choose the relation, then preserve units

“Calculate” asks for a numerical result obtained through an appropriate method. The operation must follow the quantities in the question. Suppose a bus travels 45 km in 1.5 hours. Average speed is 45 ÷ 1.5 = 30 km/h. Show the relation, substitute correctly and give the unit. Do not average unrelated rates merely because the task mentions speed.

Now suppose an experiment records total gas volumes of 18 cm³ and 26 cm³ at two times one minute apart. The average rate of additional gas collected over the interval is (26−18)/1 = 8 cm³/min. Giving 26 cm³/min confuses total accumulated volume with the interval rate. The correct operation depends on what is being measured.

Mathematics K310 generally requires non-exact numerical answers to three significant figures unless otherwise specified; for angles in degrees the stated default is one decimal place. Follow any different accuracy requirement in the question and keep full calculator precision through intermediate steps. Probability and exact fractions may be clearer in exact form where suitable.

In Science, units reveal errors. An answer in centimetres when the question asks for speed in cm/s is incomplete or wrong. A gradient’s unit is the vertical quantity’s unit divided by the horizontal quantity’s unit. Write the meaning of the quotient as you calculate.

Calculation is a sequence: identify quantity, select relation, substitute compatible units, compute, round appropriately and interpret. If the calculation is correct but the denominator refers to the wrong population, the final answer still fails the task.

The Mathematics Hub provides the broader formula and problem-solving route. Here the emphasis is selecting the calculation the command word actually requests.

7. Show, prove and hence: make the logic inspectable

A question may give the intended result and ask you to show it. That is not permission to repeat the result as an assumption. A legitimate “show that” solution begins from given information, uses valid mathematical steps and arrives at the required statement. Replacing the working with “therefore it is true” is not sufficient.

Suppose a rectangle has length x + 3 and width x − 1, and the problem asks you to show its area is x² + 2x − 3. Multiply: (x+3)(x−1) = x²−x+3x−3 = x²+2x−3. The algebra is visible. Simply writing the target expression would not demonstrate why the result follows.

“Prove” asks for a valid argument under the relevant definitions and assumptions. It is generally stronger than showing that one selected numerical example works. If a statement concerns all suitable values, one example cannot prove the universal case. In secondary examination questions, apply the method required by the syllabus and the task, not a memorised paragraph from unrelated mathematics.

“Hence” often invites you to use a previous result in the next part. For example, after finding that a journey lasts 50 minutes, a later question may ask “Hence determine the arrival time after a departure at 14:25”. The result is 15:15. Re-solving every previous stage may be unnecessary if the earlier result is correct and applicable.

If you suspect an earlier answer is wrong, you may need to repair it before using it. But the role of “hence” remains a logical handoff from one established relation to another. A good learner knows which result is being carried forward.

This is connected to Volume 0089 on changed conditions: a later instruction can use earlier valid work, but a changed condition may require the dependent result to be updated.

8. Infer: go beyond the words but not beyond their evidence

An inference is a conclusion supported by information that may not state it directly. In an English passage, a character saying “I’m fine” while trembling might suggest distress or tension. It does not prove every private thought the character has. A good answer identifies the textual clue and a bounded interpretation.

Imagine: “Mira read the message twice and placed the phone face down. When her brother asked who had written, she changed the subject.” One possible inference is that Mira is reluctant to discuss the message. Her actions support that interpretation. It would be speculative to declare that the sender was an enemy or that she planned to run away.

In Science, inferring from a data table may mean identifying a trend or relationship supported by measurements. A graph showing an increasing value after a controlled change can support a conclusion within the tested range. It does not automatically prove a universal rule beyond the observations.

In Mathematics, interpreting a numerical answer can involve making a justified conclusion about a context. A calculated total of 55 minutes may tell you that a 50-minute deadline cannot be met under the given travel model. That conclusion follows from the quantity and constraint, not from intuition alone.

Use the three-part test: what is observed, what conclusion follows, and what additional assumption would be needed for anything stronger? The answer should not hesitate when evidence is sufficient, nor should it pretend to know what has not been supplied.

For narrative comprehension, Volume 0094 on narrator knowledge gives extended examples of direct fact, character belief and reader inference.

9. Suggest and predict: sensible possibilities with constraints

“Suggest” often invites a reasonable answer grounded in the given context rather than a single directly copied fact. In Science, a learner may be asked to suggest why two repeated measurements differ or how to improve a method. The suggested reason must match the apparatus and scientific principles. A random list of every imaginable explanation is not a strong response.

“Predict” asks what is expected to happen using supplied conditions, trends or principles. A prediction may be numerical or qualitative. If two factors change in opposite directions and their magnitudes are unknown, a definite net prediction may not be justified. A careful answer states what is known and where the uncertainty lies.

For example, an electric circuit model may tell you the potential difference across a resistor rises while resistance also increases. From V = IR, the current depends on the ratio V/R. Without enough relative information, you may not know whether current rises or falls. The right prediction is constrained by the equation and the stated changes, not by guessing the direction of one variable.

Suppose the question adds that voltage doubles while resistance triples. Current becomes (2/3) of its original value if the relevant model applies. Now a definite prediction is possible. New numerical information resolves the earlier uncertainty. Volume 0088 on competing changes works through such cases.

In English, “suggest” can invite an interpretation of why a writer includes a detail. The response still needs evidence and relevance. “The repeated empty-chair image may emphasise the person’s absence” is better than inventing an unrelated history for the character.

Do not equate “suggest” with permission to make up facts. Reasonable suggestions remain tied to the source.

10. Compare: choose a common basis

A comparison needs at least two subjects, features or situations and a defined basis. If asked to compare two science trials, say how their variables or outcomes differ under comparable conditions. If asked to compare two characters, identify a relevant dimension such as reaction to the same event. If asked to compare two rates, use compatible units or denominators.

Suppose School A has 80 passes from 100 candidates and School B has 90 passes from 120. Raw pass counts favour B, but pass rates are 80% and 75%, so A has the higher rate. What is the correct comparison? It depends on the exact question. “Which school had more passes?” is B. “Which had the higher pass rate?” is A.

A weak comparison lists facts separately without connecting them. “A recorded 80 passes. B recorded 90.” That is descriptive, but may not answer which performed better on a particular criterion. A stronger answer names the criterion and interprets the result.

For English, a question might ask how two speakers differ in attitude towards an event. Quote or paraphrase the evidence for each, then state the contrast. Do not compare their ages or clothing if the task is about attitude.

For Science, keep conditions attached. Trial A measured a sample after 30 seconds; Trial B after 90 seconds. The raw readings may not be directly comparable as equivalent phases of a changing process. A fair comparison checks the time and method, not just the labels.

The discipline is to compare like with like. Volume 0081 on the comparison basis covers this in more depth. Here the focus is the instruction “compare” and how its answer contract differs from merely describing.

11. Justify and evaluate: make a defensible judgement

“Justify” asks why a choice or conclusion is warranted. You need a reason connected to evidence or a recognised principle. If a student chooses to compare two trials with equal observation intervals, the justification might be that the measured counts become comparable over the same duration. “Because it is better” is not a justification.

“Evaluate” requires a judgement based on criteria, strengths, weaknesses or limitations relevant to the question. For a Science method, you may assess whether it isolates the independent variable, uses suitable instruments and controls relevant factors. For an English text, evaluation may involve the strength of a claim or effect of the writer’s choices. In Mathematics, evaluation can concern plausibility, constraints and whether a model’s result is sensible.

Imagine an investigation with only one reading from each of two different instruments. A learner says, “The second method is reliable because the value is higher.” That conclusion is not justified. A higher value may reflect different calibration, systematic bias or a genuine difference in what was measured. Reliability cannot be established merely by magnitude.

A stronger evaluation would say: “The comparison does not isolate the experimental condition because both the instrument and the treatment change. Using the same appropriate calibrated method across trials would make the outcome more directly comparable.” It identifies the weakness, consequence and improvement.

Do not turn “evaluate” into a generic paragraph naming random error, small sample size and human error in every situation. Choose the limitations that actually follow from the scenario. Where evidence supports a clear strength, mention it rather than only criticising.

For a short-mark response, concise judgement plus direct reasoning may be enough. For a longer task, you may need to balance relevant strengths and weaknesses and reach a conclusion. Always follow the printed requirement rather than a rigid writing formula.

12. A single source with five different questions

Consider an original graph showing total visitors to a school learning room. Monday has 60 visits, Tuesday 75 and Wednesday 72. The graph uses a vertical axis beginning at 55. A note says an additional revision class began on Tuesday. Now ask five questions about exactly the same source.

State the recorded visits on Wednesday. Answer: 72 visits. Nothing more is required unless the task asks for interpretation.

Calculate the increase from Monday to Tuesday. Answer: 75 − 60 = 15 visits, or 25% relative to Monday if percentage is requested. The calculation is exact for the stated recorded totals.

Describe the trend across the three days. Answer: visits increased from 60 to 75, then declined slightly to 72, remaining above Monday’s level. This is a pattern statement using the actual values.

Explain why the chart might exaggerate the apparent change. The vertical axis begins at 55 rather than zero, so visual differences in bar height can look disproportionately large compared with the actual counts. This explains the graph design’s effect.

Evaluate the claim that the additional revision class caused the rise on Tuesday. The timing is compatible with that explanation, but the records alone cannot isolate it. Other conditions might affect visits. A better check would examine comparable days and reasons for attendance. This is a judgement about evidence, not just arithmetic.

The key lesson is that the source does not dictate the answer form by itself. The instruction selects the relevant output. A learner who gives a percentage to every question or a causal explanation to every prompt is ignoring that selection.

13. Original practice across English, Mathematics and Science

A. English — state. A passage says, “After the storm ended, Leena reopened the window.” State what happened before the window was reopened.

B. English — infer. A character says “I’m pleased” but repeatedly checks the clock and refuses a handshake. What impression could this create? Give relevant evidence without making an unsupported accusation.

C. English — explain effect. A writer ends a scene with a door closing before the character can answer. Explain how this can affect the reader’s expectations.

D. Mathematics — calculate. A class has 40 pupils, 25 in A, 20 in B and 10 in both. Calculate the number in at least one.

E. Mathematics — show. Show that (x+2)(x+5) = x²+7x+10 by expanding the left side.

F. Mathematics — hence. A trip lasts 85 minutes. Hence find the arrival time for a departure at 08:50.

G. Science — describe. A liquid’s recorded temperature rises from 24 °C to 31 °C during two minutes and then stays at 31 °C for the next minute. Describe the pattern.

H. Science — explain. A well-described experiment measures a decrease in the mass of an open vessel after a gas is produced and escapes. Explain why the balance reading falls without saying matter has been destroyed.

I. Science — predict. A model gives current I = V/R. Voltage increases by 50% while resistance doubles. Predict the new current as a fraction of the original.

J. Science — suggest. Two experimental readings differ, and the instrument is known to drift. Suggest a targeted check and explain its purpose.

K. Integrated — compare. One class has 30 passes out of 40, and another has 42 passes out of 60. Compare the pass rates and identify which has more total passes.

L. Integrated — evaluate. A school introduces a new reading programme, and library visits increase in the next week. Evaluate whether the data alone prove the programme improved reading attainment.

M. English — purpose. A notice says “Admission is permitted if places remain.” Explain why a parent cannot treat that as an unconditional admission guarantee.

N. Mathematics — interpret. A model yields 62 minutes for a journey with a 55-minute deadline. State the practical conclusion under the stated assumptions.

O. Science — identify. A balance is checked with a fixed standard before and after an investigation. Identify one reason for the reference checks.

Try each task without changing the verb in your head. The answers below focus on what completes the requested job.

14. Worked answer clinic with common errors

A. The storm ended before Leena reopened the window. Do not add a reason for reopening if the question asks only for sequence.

B. The contrast between positive words and repeated clock-checking or avoiding the handshake may make the character appear distracted or uneasy. The actions support this impression; they do not alone prove deliberate dishonesty.

C. Closing the door before an answer leaves the response unresolved and can create curiosity or suspense about the decision. The explanation identifies the effect of withholding an answer.

D. n(A∪B) = 25 + 20 − 10 = 35 pupils. The 10 in both are subtracted once to avoid double counting. Volume 0103 on Venn diagrams works through the full four-region logic.

E. (x+2)(x+5) = x²+5x+2x+10 = x²+7x+10. The expansion demonstrates the target rather than assuming it.

F. Eighty-five minutes is 1 hour 25 minutes. Starting from 08:50, arrival is 10:15. A common mistake is treating clock minutes as decimal hundredths.

G. The recorded temperature increased by 7 °C over the first two minutes, then remained at 31 °C for the next minute. That is a description; it does not automatically establish why the plateau occurred.

H. Gas escapes from the open weighed system, so the remaining vessel and contents have less measured mass. The escaped gas belongs to the surroundings rather than being destroyed. Volume 0104 on boundaries develops the full distinction.

I. Let original current be V/R. New current is 1.5V/(2R) = 0.75(V/R), so it is 3/4 of the original. This prediction needs the relative changes, not a guess based on voltage rising.

J. Check a stable suitable standard at relevant times and inspect instrument calibration or zero. This helps determine whether changes in the instrument rather than the sample contribute to the differing readings.

K. The first class pass rate is 30/40=75%; the second is 42/60=70%. The first has a higher pass rate, while the second has more total passes. The correct comparison depends on the requested criterion.

L. The timing and increased visits do not alone establish a causal improvement in reading attainment. Visits are a different variable from tested literacy and other conditions might also have changed. A suitable outcome measure and comparison are needed.

M. Admission depends on places remaining. The wording does not guarantee entry for every interested family; the condition must be satisfied.

N. The calculated journey exceeds the deadline by 7 minutes, so it cannot meet the 55-minute limit under the given model. The answer needs an interpretation, not another calculation of speed.

O. Reference checks can reveal zero error or instrument drift, helping evaluate whether a changing sample reading reflects the measurement system. A reference check should use a suitable known quantity and method.

If an answer is wrong, identify whether the problem came from reading the verb, choosing evidence, doing arithmetic or expressing the conclusion. Those are different repairs. “I answered explain with a description” is more helpful than “I wrote too little”.

15. A practical answer contract for unfamiliar questions

For state or identify, put the requested fact first. For describe, report the observable pattern with enough context to show what changes. For calculate, identify the relationship, use compatible values, show essential steps and finish with accuracy and units. For show or prove, make the logical steps explicit and avoid assuming the target result.

For infer, connect a bounded conclusion to particular clues. For explain, identify the relevant cause, mechanism or meaning rather than repeat the observation. For suggest or predict, make a defensible proposal or outcome conditional on the supplied data and theory. For compare, choose a shared basis. For justify or evaluate, give a supported judgement using relevant criteria.

These are not fixed marking rubrics. They are checks to stop the most common mismatch: giving a fluent answer of the wrong kind. The exact exam question always takes priority.

A learner can prepare by writing each verb on one side of a card and a real miniature question on the other. The card should include a correct response and a plausible wrong response. Explain why the wrong one fails. That builds recognition more effectively than memorising dictionary definitions alone.

When the task is long, split it at each command. “Calculate the rate, explain the change and suggest one improvement” contains three outputs. Answer them in order, preserving the relation between them. The calculation alone will not satisfy the explanation or improvement parts.

This habit also reduces exam stress because it gives a starting point. When a question feels unfamiliar, the command word still tells you what kind of answer to construct.

16. Seven-day route from awareness to independent performance

Day 1: recognise the task. Classify twenty short prompts by command word and write what a complete answer would require. Do not solve them yet; learn to see the job.

Day 2: separate description and explanation. Use simple graphs and short passages. Write one sentence describing each and one explaining it. Check that the explanation introduces a genuine reason, relationship or effect.

Day 3: numerical precision. Solve six calculation tasks with units, explicit denominators and correct final accuracy. Add one “show that” algebra exercise.

Day 4: inference and evaluation. Read short narrative and informational passages. Identify what is explicit, what is inferred and what cannot be concluded. Practise a supported judgement without overclaiming.

Day 5: Science response. Use three data sets. Describe the trend, explain it when the mechanism is given, suggest a suitable control and evaluate the stated limitation. Do not paste the same generic improvement into all cases.

Day 6: combined tasks. Practise questions with multiple verbs. Make a tiny checklist for each requested output, then complete them in order. Mark missing parts rather than simply the final score.

Day 7: independent rehearsal. Complete Questions A–O without notes. Diagnose the first failure in each attempt: wrong verb, missing evidence, incorrect calculation, unsupported mechanism, inadequate judgement or unnecessary additional material.

Parents and teachers can ask a single revealing question: “What is the question asking you to do?” A learner who can answer that clearly has a better chance of using what they know. A correct method aimed at the wrong task is still wasted effort.

17. Finish the answer that was actually asked

A skilled examiner-facing response is complete, accurate and proportional. It does not confuse a statement of fact with an inference, a calculation with an explanation, or a suggestion with evidence that the suggestion has already been proven. Command words tell you where the reasoning must end.

Use the subject owners for the underlying learning: English, Mathematics and Science. For the broader examination route, consult the G3 SEC learner-guide index and Volume 0101 on evidence sufficiency. This volume owns the narrower decision of choosing the form of the answer from the question’s instruction.

The paper details in this guide come from the 2027 G3 SEAB syllabus index, English Language K300, Mathematics K310 and Science K326–K328. All practice tasks are original learner exercises rather than official SEC examination questions.