ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PAPER 1

SS1

Time: 23/4hrs

INSTRUCTION: Answer THREE (3) questions from the section A and all the questions in
sections B and C.

SECTION A-ESSAY

INSTRUCTION: Answer one (1) question only from this section. All questions carry equal
marks. Your answer should not be less than 450 words

1. Your Father, who is on transfer to another state, has complained bitterly about your
performance in your examinations since he left. Write a letter to him giving him at least three
reasons for your unsatisfactory performance.

2. You are the chief speaker in a debate on the topic: “Women can govern better than men”,
write your speech for or against the motion.

3. Write an article for publication in one of your National newspaper discovering ways for
improving the standard of education in your country.

4. Write a letter to the chairman of your Local Government Council complaining of the
menace of indiscriminate dumping of domestic refuse and the danger posed by its irregular
collection.

5. Write a story to illustrate the saying: “The early bird catches the worm”.

SECTION B- COMPREHENSION

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

When I innocently put my hand in my pockets of my school shorts that day, little did I
realize that it would cause an uproar. I did this to keep my hands out of mischief and so stay
out of trouble. I still remembered a particular day when one classmate of mine was accused
of punching another boy on the nose and giving him nose bleeding, which took some time to
stop. Even though the boy had protested that it was not intentional, he was not only
thrashed but also suspended from school for a month. From that incident, I had learned to
retrain my hands by putting them in my pockets.

However, one day, as I had my hands in my pockets as usual, the most feared teacher
in my school, nick named “Mr Terror” saw me and beckoned to me to come forward. I
responded promptly, still keeping my hands in my pocket. As I stood in front of him in fright,
the look he gave me almost froze me. Then he yelled, “where do you think you are? In front
of whom do you suppose you are standing? By the way what’s your name? “I am Mensah, sir
“I muttered frightfully.” What work does your father do? “he thundered again. “he is the
permanent secretary in the ministry of works, sir , I managed to say. He became all the more
infuriated. “no wonder your father position has gone into your head”. Excuse me sir……….”
Before I could say anything else he gave me three deadly slaps. And then it happened……….. I
passed out, more out from than from the slaps

I later learnt it took about four hours to resuscitate me. During those four hours the
trauma that the teacher went through is better than I imagined than experienced. Fear
gripped him. For once, the most feared teacher in the school was visibly shaken. Naturally,
my classmates were happy that “mr terror” had found himself in a terrible predicament.
However, they were equally concerned about my plight And when i eventually came around,
the whole school was full of jubilation.

a) What is ironical about the writer putting his hands in his pockets that day
b) What interpretation did the teacher give o the writers action of putting his hands in
his pockets
c) Why could the writer not explain the reason for his action.
d) What caused the writer to pass out?
e) How did the writer know what happened after he passed out?
f) “fear gripped him”. What figure of speech is used in the expression above?
g) “Before I could say anything else…..”
i) what grammatical name is given to this speech used in the passage?
ii) what is its function?

(h) For each of the following words or phrases. Find another word or phrase which means
the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage:

I) beckoned ii) promptly iii) infuriated iv) plight.

SECTION C-SUMMARY

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

Adult literacy learners are a distinct social class. Usually socially disadvantaged,
many of them are the offspring of parents who could not give them formal education in
their youth. Some fell out with their parents mentors and looked for occupations which
required no literacy. They soon found illiteracy a disadvantage and thus decided the
remedy to the situation. This background has made them very determined and highly
motivated. Many are eager to learn, and have clear ideas of what to learn. Thus care must
be taken not to dampen the initial enthusiasm of these learners.

There are many ways in which the teacher can do this. First, he or she must learn
about the various social background of the adult learners and become familiar with their
working and family circumstances. In this way the teacher is better able to understand
and effectively deal with individual problems that may threaten the effort of the learner
in as much the same way as a physician who knows the background of an ailment is in a
better position to provide a swift and sure cure. The teacher must give every adult
learner individual care and attention by investigating cases of irregular attendance an
serving as counselor at all time to the adult learners a greater sense of belonging and
increase his motivation.

The teacher must employ three important methods in is work. First, he must
ensure that the content of learning and all major decisions connected with the program
are adopted through a democratic process. By listening to the adult learners and make
them look forward to classroom meetings.

Another method which the teacher can use is the tutorial system. Under this
arrangement the teacher may assign a learner the task of leading a discussion on a topic
in the class room. Other learners will react to the presentation and make their own
contributions. As plato once observed, we all have something to contribute group
discussions will further help the adult learners to feel at home among themselves and to
rediscover themselves. For many of whom these meetings serve as a break with home
and work situations, it could be both rewarding and refreshing.

Finally, the teacher must avoid imposing his values in the learners. When he
poses leading questions, he must do so in a friendly manner and not as a hostile
prosecutor conducting trials. He must consistently strive to make the class lively and not
make the adults “wait for class to be over”.

a) In two (2) sentences, one for each, summarize what the teacher should
do to encourage the adult learner.
b) In three (3) sentences, one for each, state the methods which the adult
illiteracy teacher can use to do his work successfully.