A sebab explains why something happened, and a kesan is what happened because of it. When both appear in one passage, the question tells you which one to select.
This lesson belongs to rumusan decisions with competing evidence. It assumes you can already find the focus word.
How do I tell which is the cause?
Use the direction test: put the two ideas in the sentence “X menyebabkan Y” and see whether it sounds right. The idea in the X position is the sebab, and the one in the Y position is the kesan.
If “Y menyebabkan X” sounds more natural, swap them. This works even when the writer leaves out signal words.
Worked example: one chain, two questions
Here is an original passage.
Hujan lebat berterusan selama tiga hari. Sungai melimpah ke jalan raya. Jalan ke sekolah ditutup, lalu sebilangan murid tidak dapat hadir. Guru terpaksa mengulang pelajaran pada minggu berikutnya.
Apply the direction test to each link.
| Link | Test | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hujan lebat, sungai melimpah | Hujan lebat menyebabkan sungai melimpah | Hujan is cause |
| Sungai melimpah, jalan ditutup | Sungai melimpah menyebabkan jalan ditutup | Sungai is cause |
| Jalan ditutup, murid tidak hadir | Jalan ditutup menyebabkan murid tidak hadir | Jalan is cause |
Question A: “Nyatakan sebab murid tidak dapat hadir ke sekolah.” The direct reason is “jalan ke sekolah ditutup”. The rain is the remote root, and the question asks for the reason given in the passage next to the absence.
Question B: “Nyatakan kesan hujan lebat.” The effects are sungai melimpah and, further down the chain, jalan ditutup and murid tidak hadir. Read the question for how far along the chain it wants you to go.
The mistake that costs marks
The slip is to select the most dramatic sentence. “Sungai melimpah ke jalan raya” can feel like a cause or a kesan, and students choose by feeling.
Replace feeling with the test. Write the pair in “X menyebabkan Y” form, and choose according to the focus word, not the drama of the sentence.
Check yourself
Passage: “Kedai runcit itu kehabisan stok kerana pembekal lewat menghantar barang. Pelanggan beralih ke kedai lain.” The question asks for the sebab pelanggan beralih ke kedai lain. Which idea do you select?
Answer
Select “kedai kehabisan stok”, which is the direct reason customers moved. The supplier’s delay is one step further back.
Check with the direction test: “Kedai kehabisan stok menyebabkan pelanggan beralih” sounds right. Note that a question worded “punca kedai kehabisan stok” would select the supplier delay instead, because the focus shifts one step earlier in the chain.
What to study next
Two points with different wording can also carry the same idea. Continue with recognising two differently worded points that express the same idea, then try the section practice.
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