From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.
1.
Gil held her tongue on sensitive political issues. This means that she
bit her tongue
kept silent
maintained her stand
refused to laugh
Answer: B
To hold one's tongue: remain silent
2.
Nimo worked hard after his business had collapsed and soon found his feet. This means that he............
bought a new fleet of cars.
could walk again.
revievd the business.
sold the rest of the business.
Answer: C
3.
The robbers ransacked the house.
torched
destroyed
invaded
looted
Answer: D
4.
The headteacher asked the pupils to disperse.
assemble
come
meet
stay
Answer: A
5.
When we went to Nina's house, we were told that she had gone away bag and baggage. This means that Nina had gone away
leaving all her children.
leaving all her belongings.
without informing anyone.
with all her belongings.
Answer: D
Bag and baggage
All of one's belongings, especially with reference to departing with them; completely, totally. For example, The day he quit his job, John walked out, bag and baggage.
6.
These simple rules were infringed.
observed
violated
changed
formulated
Answer: A
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for infringe
Give, obey, receive, comply, discharge, observe
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for infringe
Breach, contravene, disobey, encroach, impose, intrude, meddle, offend, trespass, borrow, break, crash, entrench, infract, invade, lift, obtrude, pirate, presume, steal, transgress
7.
We finished several projects last year.
initiated
concluded
stopped
organized
Answer: A
8.
The radio is a potent medium of communication
fast
necessary
powerful
sound
Answer: C
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for potent
Compelling, dominant, dynamic, great, impressive, influential, persuasive, robust, strong, useful, vigorous, stiff, almighty, authoritative, ball of fire, cogent, commanding , convincing, efficacious, forcible, full-bodied, go-getter, gutsy, lusty, mighty,powerful, puissant, punchy, spanking, sturdy, telling, trenchant
Antonyms (Opposite in meaning) for potent
Inactive, ineffective, ineffectual, infirm, insignificant, soft, unhealthy, unimportant, weak, disabled, fragile, helpless, impotent, incapable
9.
Those two are arch rivals.
splash
patch
path
spark
Answer: C
10.
The man placed an order for rice and stew at the restaurant.
a command
a demand
a request
a directive
Answer: C
11.
A desperate man may clutch at straws to save himself. This means that he may
decide to act bravely
seize any opportunity
try all clever means
use a secret strategy
Answer: C
Clutch at straws: to be willing to try anything to improve a difficult or unsatisfactory situation, even if it has little chance of success
12.
My twin brother is very inquisitive.
curious
brilliant
friendly
talkative
Answer: A
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) inquisitive
Analytical, curious, nosy, big-eyed, challenging, forward, impertinent, inquiring, inquisitorial, interested, intrusive, investigative, meddlesome, meddling, peering, personal, poking, presumptuous, probing, prying, questioning, scrutinizing, searching, sifting, snooping, speculative
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for inquisitive
Incurious, indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested
13.
The curious child likes to ask a lot of questions.
inquisitive
pompous
intelligent
talkative
Answer: A
14.
Arming the police does not halt crime.
avoid
prevent
stop
suspend
Answer: C
Halt nearest in meaning:stop, come to a halt, come to a stop, come to a standstill, come to rest, pull up, draw up, stand still, draw to a stand, cease, finish
15.
Araba and Osei are a devoted couple who love............
each other
one another
themselves
the other
Answer: A
Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.
16.
The salient points of the topic have been thoroughly discussed.
highlighted
chosen
important
interesting
17.
My twin brother is very inquisitive.
curious
brilliant
friendly
talkative
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) inquisitive
Analytical, curious, nosy, big-eyed, challenging, forward, impertinent, inquiring, inquisitorial, interested, intrusive, investigative, meddlesome, meddling, peering, personal, poking, presumptuous, probing, prying, questioning, scrutinizing, searching, sifting, snooping, speculative
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for inquisitive
Incurious, indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested
18.
The man placed an order for rice and stew at the restaurant.
a command
a demand
a request
a directive
19.
What transpired between them remains a secret.
manifested
translated
existed
happened
20.
We will not allow him to dampen our spirits.
suppress
break
destroy
lower
In each of the following sentences a group of words has been underlined. Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one that best explains the underlined group of words.
21.
George has been relieved of his post. This means that George has been............
dismissed.
given another assignment.
demoted.
promoted.
22.
I was informed at the eleventh hour about his decision to leave town. This means that I heard it
very late.
at eleven o'clock.
immediately.
in good time.
The eleventh hour
The last moment or almost too late
23.
Araba's visit was a bolt from the blue. This means that the was..........
a most welcome one.
short.
a complete surprise.
timely.
24.
When he lost his job. Yaro was left to sink or swim. That means that Yaro..........
was depressed.
shouted for help
had to find another job.
had to survive on his own
25.
When he lost his job, Yaro was left to sink or swim. This means that Yaro
had to find another job.
shouted for help.
had to survive on his own.
was depressed.
Sink or swim
If you are left to sink or swim, you are given no help so that you succeed or fail completely by your own efforts: My employer gave me no help when I started my new job - I was just left to sink or swim.
From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word underlined in each sentence.
26.
Evans wakes up early because he does not sleep much.
often
at home
late
on his bed
Opposite of early is late
27.
The audience laughed at his funny stories.
cheerful
humourless
familiar
peculiar
Anything funny is humourous and so if not funny then humourless
28.
Akos has nothing to be boastful of.
afraid
anxious
ashamed
nervous
29.
He normally alights at the station.
A. ascends
boards
enters
joins
Opposite of alight is board
30.
Regions with abundant rainfall are different from those having ...... moisture.
unpredictable
scanty
uncertain
reduced
Write arguments for or against the topic: Life in the city is more dangerous than that in the village.
1. Bring all the sides you do not support (opposing view)
2. Follow with the side you support. Your point of view should refute all the opposing views that you have presented earlier
3. Declare your stand at the end of the composition
Your paragraphs should be well developed and properly linked.
You must check your spellings and punctuations and construct meaningful sentences.
Ensure that you use capital and small letters correctly at their appropriate places, thus for instance I for the pronoun "I" and not "i", etc.
Write a letter to your mother who lives abroad asking her to buy you three important things and explaining why you need them.
You are required to write a letter to your mother abroad to buy you three important things and explain why you need them.
Organisation
This is an informal letter and the following features are required:
(1) Writer’s address (without name)
(2) Date
(3) Salutation (Dear Mom, Mother)
(4) Body
(5) Subscription - Yours sincerely, Yours, Yours ever
(6) First name
Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions that follows.
The tiger, the chectah and the cat belong to the same family. The tiger is the largest member of the family. Although it is a wild animal, it is sometimes trained to assist acrobatic in entertaining people. The chectah is the fastest animal on land. It can be trained to hunt other animals. Cats are found in many homes but there are wild ones too.
Although cats are found in many homes, man did not intentionally domesticate them. Before man learnt to grow crops and rear animals, he used to depend on plants and animals in the bush for food. When he gathered grains, which were seeds of grass, he accidentally took away the food of the rodents such as mice and rats. These followed their foods indoors. The wild cat, the natural enemy of the rats and mice, also followed the the domestic granaries
Cats did not eat the grains that were becoming the main source of nourishment for man. Therefore, they were encouraged to remain at home in order to get rid of the rodents. Man, also probably found out that cats were neater and quieter than dogs.
When ships were invented and man began to trade farther, grains were very important commodities. They were used not only as provisions but as items of barter. The mice and the rats went along, once again followed by the cats. In this way, a food chain that began in grasslands to the south and east Mediterranean Sea has spread to all corners of the world.
(a)
(i)
What two types of cats are mentioned in the passage?
(ii)
How did the cat become a domestic animal?
(b)
For what two reasons did man prefer cats to dogs?
(c)
What human activity led to the spread of cats to all corners of the world?
(d)
(i)
... a food chain. What is referred to as a food chain in the passage?
(ii)
Why do you think grains were easily transported to all corners of the world?
(e)
Expain, in your own words, the following expressions as used in the passage:
(i)
the domestic granaries;
(ii)
items of barter;
(iii)
all corners of the world;
(f)
For each of the following words, give another word or a phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage:
(i)
sometimes;
(ii)
intentionally;
(iii)
gathered;
(iv)
nourishment;
(v)
probably;
(a)
(i)
Domestic and wild cats
(ii)
The cat followed the mice and rats into homes.
(b)
1. Cats were quieter/neater than dogs
2. Cats destroyed rats and mice that ate grains
(c)
Man began to trade farther and the cat followed the mice and the rats that went along/international trade/trading/barter trading/shipping
(d)
(i)
The rodents feeding on the grass and the cat feeding on the mice and rats/rodents.
(ii)
Ships were invented which made it possible for man to trade farther
(e)
(i)
The domestic granaries → household storerooms for grains/storehouses at home for grains.
(ii)
Items of barter → commodities of trade/goods of trade/commodities of exchange/goods of exchange
(iii)
All corners of the world → all parts of the world/everywhere/across the earth/in every part of the earth or globe.
(f)
(i)
Sometimes → occasionally
(ii)
Intentionally → deliberately/wilfully/on purpose/purposely
(iii)
Gathered → harvested/collected
(iv)
Nourishment → food/sustenance/nutriment/nutrition
(v)
Probably → likely/perhaps/maybe/possibly
Write an article to a newspaper on at least two problems which worry the people of your town or village and suggest what can be done to solve them.
Your essay must have the following features:
i. Title/heading
ii. Body
iii. Conclusion
iv. Your name
Your friend who lives in another town thinks that school life is boring and wants to leave school to start petty trading. Write a letter to encourage him/her to remain in school. In the letter, discuss two aspects of school life that you find enjoyable.
Waiting for WAEC marking scheme.