From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.
1.
The girl intentionally tore her dress.
carelessly
accidentally
willingly
foolishly
Answer: B
2.
Those children think their uncle is miserly yet he is ...... to strangers.
friendly
generous
strict
wicked
Answer: B
3.
We were taken to the police station like a lamb to the slaughter. This means that we were taken there.............
with our clothes removed
without resistance
with difficulty
in a violent manner
Answer: B
Like a lamb to the slaughter
If someone goes somewhere like a lamb to the slaughter, they go there quietly and obediently because they have not realized that it will be dangerous or unpleasant, or because they are powerless.
Example
His young bride walked down the aisle like a lamb to the slaughter.
Note: People sometimes use sheep instead of lamb.Example, I had no idea what the interview would be like and went to it like a sheep to the slaughter.
4.
Fishes are plentiful in the pond.
little
scarce
small
unusual
Answer: B
5.
The new school is ideal for Mr. Mensah's children.
good
perfect
satisfactory
suitable
Answer: B
6.
Aminu is full of himself. This means that Aminu is ......
arrogant
dangerous
greedy
quarrelsome
Answer: A
7.
The car sped around the curve.
chain
cell
ciao
colonel
Answer: D
8.
She accidentally tore her dress.
intentionally
willingly
carelessly
foolishly
Answer: A
9.
The interview was conducted to separate the sheep from the goats. This means that the interview aimed at......... .
finding people who could rear sheep.
keeping the sheep in a different pen.
selecting only the humble candidates.
selecting the best candidates.
Answer: D
10.
Dallies is the pick of the bunch. This means that Dallies..........
is a farmer.
is an athlete.
is preferred to all others.
works on a banana plantation.
Answer: C
11.
Those two are arch rivals.
splash
patch
path
spark
Answer: D
12.
Soraya is very lively today.
smart
active
friendly
serious
Answer: B
Lively: full of life and energy; active and outgoing.
The nearest in meaning could be energetic, active, animated, vigorous, dynamic, full of life, outgoing, spirited, high-spirited, vivacious, enthusiastic, vibrant, buoyant, exuberant, effervescent, cheerful
13.
She is fond of talking about trivial matters.
unpleasant
unimportant
unexciting
unacceptable
Answer: B
14.
She tried to throw dust in our eyes. This means that she tried to ......
cheat us
deceive us
fight us
make us blind
Answer: B
15.
It is impolite to talk loudly in the presence of the elderly.
incorrect
improper
unwise
rude
Answer: D
Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.
16.
The porter could not endure his insults
accept
agree
approve
bear
Endure nearest in meaning:, undergo, go through, live through, experience, meet, encounter, cope with, deal with, face, face up to, handle, suffer, tolerate, put up with, brave, bear, withstand, sustain, weather, become reconciled to, reconcile oneself to, become resigned to, get used to, become accustomed to, learn to live with, make the best of, go along with, submit to, countenance, accept, give one's blessing to, brook, support, take, stick, hack, stand for, stomach, swallow, abide, hold with, be doing with, wear
17.
What transpired between them remains a secret.
manifested
translated
existed
happened
18.
The new school is ideal for Mr. Mensah's children.
good
perfect
satisfactory
suitable
19.
Some of the students grumbled about the assignment.
questioned
talked
complained
bothered
20.
The rampant destruction of property must be checked.
common
regular
unpleasant
uncontrolled
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.
I was informed at the eleventh hour about his decision to leave. This means that I heard about his decision...........
immediately.
at eleven o'clock
in good time
very late
22.
The project is in the pipeline. This means that it is
being dealt with
being suspended
No longer pursued
stuck in the pipe
In the pipeline: in the process of being planned or developed.
23.
She tried to throw dust in our eyes. This means that she tried to ......
cheat us
deceive us
fight us
make us blind
24.
When the old woman heard the sound of the gun-shots, her hair stood on end. This means that the old woman
started crying.
became inactive.
was frightened.
was worried.
Hair stood on end: to cause fright or terror in someone.
25.
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.
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.
It is hard to tell when this began or where it will ......
fall
cease
reside
remain
27.
He normally alights at the station.
A. ascends
boards
enters
joins
Opposite of alight is board
28.
His expressions are rather colloquial.
informal
archaic
formal
modern
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for colloquial
Correct, formal, standard, stilted
Synonyms(nearest in meaning) for colloquial
Conversational, vernacular, chatty, common, demotic, dialectal, everyday, idiomatic, jive, popular, street
29.
The visitor's timidity surprised us.
hostility
sincerity
boldness
carelessness
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for timidity
Audacity, boldness, guts, nerve, stoutheartedness
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for timidity
Bashfulness, quiet, reserve
30.
Fishes are plentiful in the pond.
little
scarce
small
unusual
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(a) and 5(b).
CHARLES DICKENS:Oliver Twist
"Boy what's your name?" snarled the chairman.
"Oliver Twist sir"
"You know that you're an orphan, is that right?"
"What's an orphan sir?"
(a)
The chairman's tone tells us that he is ......
(b)
From Oliver's question we can tell that he is ......
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(c) and 5(d).
KAAKYIRE AKOSOMO NYANTAKYI: The Generous Hunter
Calm down, Mr Hunter, I come in peace. Your ability to distinguish me from my younger brother has surprised me. Many people think we are identical twins.
(c)
Why did the speaker go to see the hunter?
(d)
What lesson can we learn from the speaker's action?
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(e) and 5(f).
ROBERT FROST: A Minor Bird
The fault must partly have been in me
The bird was not to blame for his key
And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song
(e)
Give the rhyming scheme for the extract above.
(f)
From the poem, what lesson do you learn about fault finding?
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(g) and 5(h).
LAWRENCE DARMANI: Scribber's Dream
Tell you the truth:
the gold adorning the neck
once was lost in rocky soils
They dig deep who find it!
(g)
The dominant literary device in the 2nd and 3rd lines is ......
(h)
What does the writer mean by "They dig deep who find it"?
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(i) and 5(j).
AMA ATAA AIDOO: The Dilemma of a Ghost
Yes, my young woman, I shall remember you.
I shall remember you in the hours of the night
In my sleep,
In my sleepless sleep.
(i)
Who does "my young woman" refer to?
(j)
What is the figure of speech in the expression, "In my sleepless sleep"?
(a)
1. Harsh
2. Unsympathetic
3. (Very) stern
4. A bully
5. Coarse
6. Crude
7. Cruel
8. Insensitive
9. Mean
10. Inhumane
11. Callous
(b)
1. Ignorant
2. Clueless
3. Naive
4. Inexperienced
5. Unexposed
6. (Very) innocent
(c)
1. The older rat (It) wanted to reward/thank Asempa.
2. The hunter had set (the baby rat/younger rat/the speaker's younger brother) free from his trap.
(d)
1. To appreciate other people's kindness.
2. To show gratitude to those who help us.
3. To reciprocate kindness.
(e)
Couplets; aa, bb; AA, BB
(f)
To assess oneself before critizing others/tolerance/accommodating
(g)
metaphor/symbolism
(h)
Hard work brings success/those who work hard succeed
(i)
Eulalie/Ato Yawson's wife/Eulalie Rush
(j)
Oxymoron/alliteration/consonance
Marking Penalties
1. Mark is deducted for any grammatical/expression error at each scoring point.
2. When you give two answers and one of them is wrong, zero (0) is awarded. If, however, both answers are correct, full marks awarded.
3. An answer taken as a whole must make sense before it may be accepted for scoring.
4. Zero (0) is awarded for spelling a name, a literary device, etc. wrongly.
Write a story that explains the saying: Two heads are better than one.
You are to write a story which explains the saying: Two heads are better than one.
Content
This is an imaginative composition. The story therefore can be real or imagined/imaginary. It could be your own experience or that of somebody else's.
Organisation
A good story should have a beginning, climax and a conclusion. It should have a clear setting and its events should be arranged in time sequence.
Note:You are not to write a fable i.e. a story with animal characters.
Expression
The language should be clear and easy to understand to make the actions of the characters come to life. The choice of vocabulary should be appropriate to the subject matter.
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.
Content
1. You are to write a letter to your friend, discussing two aspects of school life you find enjoyable and encouraging your friend to stay in school
2. You must write on all three parts(referring to the problem, discussing two aspects of school life that are enjoyable and encouraging your friend to stay in school) effectively to earn good mark.
Organization
This is an informal letter, and the following features are mandatory:
1. Your address and date
2. Salutation: Dear + first name of friend
3. Subscription: Yours sincerely/Yours/Your friend/Yours ever, etc.
4. Your first name
Expression
1. This is a letter to a friend; therefore, the language should be chatty to reflect the close relationship between you and your friend.
2. Contracted forms and slang are acceptable but should be controlled.
3. There should be a variety of sentence types.
Mechanical Accuracy
1. Your concord (subject-verb, noun-pronoun), tense, determiners, prepositions and punctuations must be accurate.
2. Your spelling must be accurate.
3. You can either use American or British spelling but must be consistent
4. Each sentence and proper noun should begin with a capital letter. Mark is deducted for using "i" instead of "I" for the first-person pronoun, etc.
You have not returned to school after vacation. Write a letter to you headmaster/ headmistress explaining why you are still at home.
The letter is a formal letter and must contain the features below:
i. Your address
ii. Date
iii. Recipient's address
iv. Salutation - Dear + Sir/Madam,
v. Heading/Title of the letter in block letters and underlined
vi. Body
vii. Subscription - Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, etc.
viii. Signature
ix. Your full name (in brackets)
The language should be formal with no room for slang or colloquialism and there should be politeness of expression. A good blend of varied sentence patterns and a good use of vivid idiomatic expressions.
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.
Your class teacher has punished you for something you did not do. Write a letter to your headmaster or headmistress explaining why you think you have been punished unfairly.
The letter is a formal letter and must contain the features below:
i. Your address
ii. Date
iii. Recipient's address
iv. Salutation - Dear + Sir/Madam,
v. Heading/Title of the letter in block letters and underlined
vi. Body
vii. Subscription - Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, etc.
viii. Signature
ix. Your full name (in brackets)
The language should be formal with no room for slang or colloquialism and there should be politeness of expression. A good blend of varied sentence patterns and a good use of vivid idiomatic expressions.
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.