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CLASS:          SSS TWO                             

SUBJECT:    ENGLISH LANGUAGE

TIME:    2hrs

SECTION A

Answer one question only from this section. All questions carry equal marks. Your answer should not be less than 450 words.

1. Your friend in another school has requested information about your school to enable him to decide on moving over to your school. Write a letter to him discussing at least three areas in which your school excels.
2. Write an article for publication in your school magazine, discussing the reasons why children in your area drop out of school and suggesting ways of minimizing it.
3. As the president of your youth club, write a letter to the chairman of your Local Government Association complaining about the increasing rate of child labour and suggesting ways of curbing it.
4. You are the chief speaker in a debate on the topic: Women should not be in paid employment while still bearing children. Write your contribution for or against the topic.
5. 5. Write a story that ends with the words: That experience will linger on my mind for a long time.
6.  

SECTION B

COMPRENSION PASSAGE

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

When Miss Anna Bonsra entered the classroom, a deep silence descended on the class. Then her shrill voice pierced the silence, “Kwaku Ananse,” she called, “come forward and give your oral presentation”. At once my heart began pounding like our old school corn mill.

I realized at that moment how much she disliked me. She had more than forty students to choose from, but she selected me. I was partially hidden behind the burly Owo, who sat in front of me. I had looked everywhere except towards the front of the room. But my ploys were unsuccessful. I had been called upon at long last to give a presentation. “Don’t get nervous; be a man,” I said to myself, as I braced myself to face the class.

With sweating hands, I took my notes, which I had tucked away in my notebook. She watched me with that familiar mocking half-smile of hers which seemed to say she knew I wasn’t as though I hadn’t had enough time to prepare for the presentation. It was no surprise assignment.

For weeks we had gone over the fundamentals of writing a research paper and had been told to hand in a twenty-page paper which we would present orally to the class. I had typically waited until the last few days. Then I thumbed desperately through an encyclopedia for a suitable topic.

I finally settled on William Shakespeare because there were some recordings of some of his plays in the school library. I figured that playing some portions of these films would not only take up part of the required time but also make my presentation unique.

After three days and three long nights, my paper was ready, Never had I written a paper so quickly, or one with so little content. Once I was before the class, my main thought was getting done with.

With very little feeling, I told the class what I knew about the renowned playwright, my mouth was so dry that I wasn’t sure whether it would open again for another sentence. My hands shook uncontrollably as I turned the pages in front of me.

Finally, referring to my notes more often than was expected, I finished the oral part of my presentation. All that was left was to show the slides. The worst was over!

Questions

a) What did the writer do to avoid being called by Miss Bonsra?
b) Why was the writer nervous?
c) State two character traits of the writer, as revealed in the passage.
d) What two things made the writer’s paper different from those he had written earlier?
e) What advantage did he expect to gain from using the films?
f) With very little feeling
iii. What is the grammatical name given to this expression?
iv. What is its function in the sentence?
g) … pounding like our old school corn mill
What figure of speech is used in the expression above?
h) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage:
i. burly, ii. fundamentals iii. typically, iv. desperately
v. unique, vi. Renowned

SECTION C

SUMMARY PASSAGE

Read the following passage carefully and answer in your own words, as far as possible, the questions on it.

It is a well–established fact that some students perform creditably in school while others flop badly. Some students may be intelligent and highly motivated, but still, find it extremely difficult to climb the academic ladder. Such students face learning problems but may not necessarily have physical disabilities.

Among these problems, perhaps the most worrying is the bad attitude these students have towards their studies. This arises because wrong views have distorted the benefits of education. Many students actually doubt their own abilities to build a bright and secure future for themselves through education. Such students have not understood the aims and objectives of education to appreciate its numerous character and polished manners. Closely linked to the above problem is that students also have a poor attitude to teachers, maybe because the teachers do not employ correct methods to make their teaching interesting.

Indeed, a more serious problem is that students sometimes find it difficult to grasp abstract ideas, especially in Science and Mathematics. Reading, the correct spelling of words and remembering facts are all connected with this problem. Such students will do well not to fall into the trap of using drugs that can supposedly aid memory. All that such drugs can do is wreak havoc on the body.

Adequate and effective measures can always be taken to deal with learning problems in school. Prominent among these remedial measures is repetition of ideas or points which can aid the students in remembering. Repeating words can engage the sense of sight and hearing and leave deep impressions on the mind. If students learn mathematical formulae and theorems or scientific principles and theories by repeating them, it will aid them greatly.

A more practical approach is for students to be determined to overcome their learning problems. Teachers have the know-how to keep students focused in their determination to better themselves. Since teachers are in touch daily with the students, they get to know them more intimately than their parents and are, therefore, in the best position to help them.

Questions

a. In three sentences, one for each, state the learning problems students face in school.

b. In three sentences, one for each, state the possible solutions for learning problems.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

SECTION I

In each of the following sentences, there is a word underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word and that will, at the same time, correctly fill the gap in the sentence.

1. Geraldine is very courteous but her brother, Gerald is unbelievably ……..

A. arrogant      B. impolite      C. snobbish     D. haughty

2. Whilst Lydia became ………….in the course of the contest, Lena was confident

A. assuring      B. boastful       C. incensed       D. jittery

3. We thought Jane was the instigator of the take-over, it turned out that she was rather the ………….

A. accomplice B. troubleshooter        C. advisor        D. cool-head

4. When they appeared before the disciplinary committee, Rex was unrepentant but Ray was ………..

A. sober                       B. Reformed               C. remorseful D. quiet

5. Mama thought what I had done was smart but Dad said it was…..

A. dumb          B. lame                       C. wicked        D. rough

6 He ………..they should be punished immediately .A. is thinking B. think                       C. has thought             D. thinks

7. You ………. a scratch on your neck the last time we met A. are having  B. were having            C. had              D. have

8. That road which used to be wide now appears ——— because of the new drainage A.winding B. limited C. narrow D. reduced

9. In the past, any person who angered the gods was made to ——- them. A. appease    B. reward C. settle D. beg

10. Badmus is a very crooked man, I hate relating with him.          a. bent     b. straightforward      c. changing d. steadfast

11. Cigarettes leaves a lingering odour on the smoker. a. lasting b. an irritating         c. an offensive        d. a damaging

12. Paul prefers _____ girls to amorphous ones       a. slender       b. garrulous c. pretty        d. tall

13. Rather than being sensitive to the plight of the workers, the manager remained ——- A. disdainful B. curious C. negligent                D. indifferent

14. A keen student make progress but the —– one hardly does well A. inactive B. lowly        C. nervous D. reluctant

15. Unlike you, I thought the message was quite ——- not ambiguous A. reasonable        B. clear C. apt D. persuasive

16. Good policies alleviate poverty whereas bad ones ——- it. A. prolong B. activate          C. aggravate D. provoke

17. Buba was purposeful in his search for a job but Baba was rather —— about his.          A. patient B. slow C. lazy D. casual

18. In recent tournaments I have seen amateurs play better than so called ——      A. experts   B. veterans C. specialists              D. professionals 

19. The student appeared ——– but we were all confident in his ability A. afraid                   B. nervous C. unconvinced D. ignorant

20. Giraffes are attractive animals but snake are ——- A. repulsive B. ugly C. poisonous    D. offensive.

SECTION II

From the words lettered A to D, choose the one that best completes each of the following sentences.

21. We shall overcome ……. how difficult it is. A. no matter    B. irrespective            C. not looking             D. despite

22. Jemima will be here ……a minute. A. on  B. by  C. in   D. to

23. The ambulance sped…………the hill. A. downwards B. down      C.between D upward

24. Mr. Uche was trying to ——- a list of his debtors A. compare B. compose C. compound D. compile

25. He tried to —— the house mistress by entering the hostel through the back door.   A. reject B. repel C. evade D. deflect

26. He gives the ——— that he is wealthy but he really isn’t. A. impression B. opinion         C. attribute D. indication

27. The court granted an ——— against the eviction of the tenant A. adjournment             B.  injunction C. indictment D. adjudication

28. The insurance company ——- my uncle for the loss of car A. blamed B. caught          C. implicated D. grafted

29. Before giving his speech, the chairman ——— copies of it to the members of the council. A. duplicated B. spread                      C. circulated D. printed

30. We wished to win the tournament but we knew our ——- were slim. A. skills              B. opportunities C. odds D. chance

SECTION III

After each of the following sentences, a list of possible interpretation is given. Choose the interpretation that is most appropriate for each sentence.

31. Our mother always warns us against washing our dirty linen in public. This means that she warns us A. not to discuss private matters in public B. to fetch enough water for washing C. not to soil our clothes D. to keep our mouth shut.

32. Let us draw a veil over this matter. This means that we should A. avoid discussing the matter B. At the matter to court C. cover our heads with a veil D. get the eldest resolve the matter.

33. Children think their parents are behind the times. This means that they think that their parents are A. always late for work  B. not worried about new things C. old fashioned D. not duty conscious

34. Ever since that issue came up, I have been sitting on the fence. This means that I have been A. continuously troubled B. sitting alone in the house C. walking around to find a job D. avoiding stating my opinion 

35. You must square up to your problems. This means that you have to  A. deal with your problems effectively B. consider your problems from all angels C. Forget your problems D. arrange your problems.

SECTION III

In the following passage, the numbered gaps indicate missing words. Against each number in the list below the passage, four choices are offered in columns lettered A to D. For each numbered gap, choose from the options provided for that number, the word that is most suitable to fill the gap.

Two months after moving into our new house, we hadn’t noticed any –36—on the building till one Sunday morning when water started—37—from a corner of the shower in our—38—bedroom. We assumed it was a simple –39—and therefore asked my nephew, an apprentice, to fix it for us. He did, but the—40—lasted for that day only. The next morning, water started dropping heavily from both the bedroom and adjoining room.

 A                             B                                             C                                        D

36. damages                 blemishes                    challenges                              defects

37. flowing                   oozing                            falling                                 dripping

38. inner                       guest                               master                                   big

39. outflow                   leakage                             trickling                         filtering

40. repair                      sealing                                  mending                         blockade

TEST OF ORALS

SECTION 1

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined. An example is given below. seat A. sit            B. cite C. set D. key.

The correct answer is D because only key contains to the same vowel as the one underlined in seat. Now answer questions 41- 45

41. hotel    A. boil B. cob C. role D. moth

42. maize  A. step B. what C. whip D. tray

• bare.   A. chair B. deer C. say D. here
• down   A. sown B. doubt C. door   D. thrown
• sour   A. flower B. damn  C. sore D. pure 

SECTION 2               

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same consonant sound as the one represented by the letter underlined. Example: vice A. cat B. dress       C. show D. chalk

 The correct answer is B because only dress has the same consonant sound as the one underlined in vice. Now answer questions 46 – 50

• jungle  A. you B. large C. grip D. lag

47. ask     A. tax B. secure C. scheme D. pass
48. hind   A. rhyme B. vehicle C. cheetah      D. inhale
49. smooth A. tooth B. think C. bath D. then
50. scrap A. palmistry B. physics C. psalms D. psychiatry