SS2 English 2 Examination Questions-Third Term. To get the English exam mark guide for these questions, contact us.
THIRD TERM EXAMININATION SESSION
CLASS: SS2
SUBJECT: ENGLISH 2
TIME : 2HR
SECTION 1: ESSAY
Answer ONE question only from this section. All questions carry equal marks. Your answer should NOT be less than 450 words.
- There have been several articles in the national newspapers on the lack of maintenance of public facilities. Write a letter to the editor of one of the newspapers expressing your opinion on the matter.
- You are the principal speaker in a debate on the motion: Living in one’s country is more advantageous than living abroad. Write your argument for or against the
- Your friend wrote a letter to you and a part of it reads: “I think I am going to fail my forthcoming examinations! I don’t know what to do. “Write a letter of encouragement to your friend, discussing at least three things he or she can do to manage examination jitters.
- Write an article suitable for publication in your school magazine on the need to revive clubs and societies in schools.
- Write a story to illustrate the saying: Half a loaf is better than none.
SECTION 2- VOCABULARY
In the following passage, the numbered gaps indicate missing words. Against each number in the list below each passage, four options are offered in columns lettered A to D. Choose the word that is the most suitable to fill the numbered gaps in the passage.
One of the most precious gifts human kind has been given is the power to ___21___. With it, we pass vital __22___ to one another either ___23___ or by non-verbal methods, such as ___24___. Freedom of ___25___ 2is, in fact, a widely contested issue throughout the world. Some have therefore, assumed that communication is the ____26____ of only humans.
Yet, research shows that animals ___27___ information in intricate ways that often baffle humans. Yes, they speak, not with words, but through visuals signals such as ___28___ tails, twitching ears, or ___29___ wings. Other forms of animal communication may involve the use of voice, such as bark, a roar, a snarl, or ___30___. Some of the languages are obvious to humans, while others require much scientific study to detect.
A B C D
- communicate inform tell say
- news words things information
- quickly verbally secretly symbolically
- smiling nodding gestures winkling
- speaking speech saying expressing
- preserve belonging property policy
- give receive handle exchange
- shaking moving waging showing
- rotating flapping raising feathering
- noise music whistling song
SECTION 3- COMPREHENSION
In 1359, a young clerk, who was neither a soldier nor a nobleman, was a guest in the English army that was attacking a French town. He was only a scribbler of verses, upon whom military leaders lavished favours.
The young man was the great English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer. Whenever soldiers retreated from charging a dangerous breach in the city wall, Chaucer would write verses ridiculing their cowardice. By the next day, the whole camp was singing or reciting the verses. Their victims would then be laughed at into fresh courage. They would rather be shot at than laughed at.
Human nature is indeed queer. This phenomenon has cost people a great deal in history. Sometimes, the fear of being laughed at has closed doors to fame and fortune. At other times, those who subdue this fear achieve unusual successes.
Napoleon Bonaparte aimed at becoming Master of Europe and the whole world. He must, however, conquer Great Britain, which demanded that he must cross the English Channel. If only he had ships which could ignore wind and current and sail faster than the British man-of-war!
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Luckily, there came to his court an American inventor, Robert Fulton, who had invented a way of propelling ships by steam instead of by sails. He had also studied practical details for building a submarine torpedo boat. He made successful tests of these inventions, which satisfied Napoleon’s naval experts.
That was Napoleon’s great opportunity! He yearned to try Fulton’s ideas. Then, strangely he decided against it. Should Fulton’s inventions fail, Napoleon felt he would be the laughing stock of Europe, which he could not bear. So he let go of this opportunity.
An Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus, planned to “reach the east by sailing west.” He approached the Portuguese Court. Portugal, at this time, was Spain’s greatest rival in the establishment of colonies.
Questions
- How did Chaucer help the British army that attacked a French city?
- In what way does the fear of being laughed at affect people?
- What could Fulton have done to help Napoleon achieve his life-long ambition?
- What factor ultimately helped Spain to become rich and powerful in Europe?
- ……. the great English poet…..
i) What is the grammatical name for this expression?
ii) What is its function in the sentence? -
f. …. reach the east by sailing west.
What literary device is used in this expression? - For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same as the word and can replace it in the passage:i) lavished ii) ridiculing iii) queer
iv) subdue v) yearned vi) divined
SECTION 4- SUMMARY WRITING
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question on it.
For all well-meaning citizens, the moral decadence in our society nowadays is cause for concern. Some have argued that the root cause of this decadence is poor parenting. Indeed, poor parenting has given rise to most of the criminality that we witness today. We all keep on complaining when in fact parents themselves are largely to blame for the unsavoury situation. In order to improve this situation, parents need to inculcate certain sterling qualities in their children.
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There is no doubt that temptations are bound to arise in everyday life. However, if lessons in self-control are instilled in children, they will be able to resist temptations. Children who have self-control are not likely to have problems with the law; moreover, they will be able to avoid health issues and financial stress, as well as other consequences of lack of self-restraint. For example, a child who has been taught to avoid eating junk food will not become obese. Such a child already knows that every action has a consequence.
Today, many people consider themselves better than others and therefore look down on them. They are arrogant, impudent and intolerant; as such they are hardly ever willing to accommodate other people’s ideas. A child who has imbibed the virtue of humility will be respectful, take an interest in others and be willing to learn from them. Sometimes, humility is misconstrued as a weakness but in reality, it is a strength which helps people to recognise their faults and acknowledge their limitations.
Parents should ensure that their children take an active part in chores and duties at home. They will therefore know that there is virtue in serving others.
In life, we cannot avoid obstacles and disappointments. A child cannot learn how to walk without occasional falls. Similarly, in life we experience occasional setbacks. For example, a child may fail a fest at school. In such a situation, what is needed is encouragement that will boost the child’s confidence for future tests. Parents can help the child to work out a strategy for achieving resounding success. Children should be taught the truth in the axiom, “If you fail at first, try, try and try again.” This training in resilience helps children to face life’s challenges with confidence.
Many adults lack integrity, so when they say “yes” they really mean “no’’. They can therefore hardly be trusted or relied on and usually fail to take responsibility for their actions or failures. The actions of such adults have grave implications for society. It parents train their children on the need to have integrity, such children will not go about engaging in criminal activities.
Cutting corners in order to get rich quickly is the stock-in-trade of many adults, who now engage in all forms of illegal and unwholesome activities to acquire sudden wealth. Indeed, the culture of hand work is fast disappearing. If children are well trained in appreciating the value of hard work, they will grow up into adults who will shun all forms of shady activities aimed at making an overnight fortune.
Obedience to laws is a key quality that will make any society stable and function smoothly. For example, if taxes are paid when due as stipulated by societal laws, the money realised will be used to provide the badly needed social amenities and infrastructure. Parents have an important role to play by training their children to obey rules and regulations at home. This training will enable them to become law-abiding adults.
In the light of the foregoing, parents should be good role models in terms of character, comportment, speech and dedication to duty among other things. Only under such circumstances can we build a stable society that benefits all.
(WASSCE 2023)
QUESTION
In six sentences, one for each, summarise the qualities that the writer advises parents to instil in their children.
