Contoh teks letter SMA dan pembahasan jawaban: Birthday party

Berikut kami bagikan contoh letter text untuk soal level SMA dan MA, beserta pembahasan kunci jawaban. 

Soal ini kami ambil dari soal Ujian Nasional (UN) tahun 2019.

This text is for questions 1 and 2.

October 25th, 2018 Dear Gomad,   I received your letter explaining your inability to come here yesterday. As you know, I celebrated my birthday on October 23rd without you. It was truly a great moment for me. The birthday party was arranged at our residence at 7pm.   My home was beautifully decorated by our friends. New curtains, flowerpots, some paintings, and posters looked so cool. I bought all I need for the party from the market. I invited all our close friends and relatives.   Oh! Do you know how I missed you on that day? But you had to be busy with your compulsions. Anyway, please convey my regards to your parents and thanks for your birthday card and gift you have sent to me.   Best regards Prayi Du Naim

 

1. Why did Prayi Du Naim write the letter?

A. To explain to her friend her inability to come to her birthday party.

B. To invite her friend to come to her birthday party.

C. To thank her friend for his birthday card and present.

D. To tell her happiness during her birthday party.

E. To describe the celebration of her birthday.

2. What was the writer’s problem?

A. The writer could not see Gomad at her birthday celebration.

B. The beautiful decoration was not arranged by all of her friends.

C. The writer did not celebrate her birthday luxuriously.

D. The writer’s friends did not give her any present.

E. The writer did not convey her regards to Gomad’s parents.

Pembahasan jawaban soal nomor 1: 

• Pilihan A dan B jelas salah karena tidak sesuai dengan teks bacaan di atas. 
• Pilihan C bisa dikatakan termasuk pesan yang disampaikan dalam surat 'It was truly a great moment for me.' [paragraph 1]. Hanya saja pilihan C ini tidak begitu dibahas jauh, yang menandakan bukan alasan utama si penulis menulis surat. 
• Pilihan E juga bisa dikatakan cukup sesuai isi bacaan, karena paragaf 1 dan 2 membahas bagaimana perayaan ulang tahun si Prayi. Hanya saja, menurut saya pribadi tidak umum mengirim surat ke teman sekedar menggambarkan perayaan ultah, terutama surat ini ditujukan ke teman yang tidak sempat datang, tapi tetap mengirim kartu dan hadiah ultah.
• Menurut saya pribadi, tujuan utama dari menulis surat tidak sekedar menjelaskan saja (pilihan E). Di paragraf terkahir diperlihatkan bagaimana si penulis berterimakasih kepada temannya, Gomad, yang telah mengirimkan birthday card dan gift, walau dia tidak sempat datang. Olehnya, menurut saya tujuan dari surat ini bukan sekedar mendiskripsikan perayaan ulang tahun si Prayi (opsi E), tapi lebih ke keinginannya untuk berterimakasih kepada temannya (opsi C).
• Jadi, pilihan jawabannya ialah C (to thank her friend for his birthday card and present).
• Alasan lain ialah adanya kata `anyway`, sebuah discourse marker yang memberikan penekanan bahwa kalimat setelahnya itu lebih penting (opsi C) dibanding kalimat2 sebelumnya (opsi E). Dengan kata lain paragraf 1 dan 2 sekedar basa basi, sementara pesan inti yang mau disampaikan ada di paragraf akhir.

Pembahasan jawaban soal nomor 2: Jawaban untuk soal ini cukup jelas yaitu A (the writer could not see Gomad at her birthday celebration). Gomad, temannya Prayi, tidak bisa datang ke pesta ulang tahun Prayi. Jawabannya di kalimat pertama 'I received your letter explaining your inability to come here yesterday'. 

Muhammad Ahkam Arifin Muhammad Ahkam Arifin is a Fulbright PhD student at Washington State University, US. He earned a master`s degree in TESOL from the University of Edinburgh & Applied Linguistics from the University of Melbourne.

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