From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.
1.
The current is slow downhill.
abrupt
fresh
running
swift
Answer: D
2.
Trading is a lucrative economic activity.
profitable
legitimate
desirable
cherished
Answer: A
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for lucrative
Advantageous, cost effective, fruitful, good, money-making, profitable, worthwhile, fatness, gainful, high-income, in the black, paying, remunerative, sweet
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for lucrative
Poorly paid, unprofitable
3.
The girl intentionally tore her dress.
carelessly
accidentally
willingly
foolishly
Answer: B
4.
They said the film was ancient but I found it
relaxing.
modern.
difficult.
interesting.
Answer: B
Ancient means long ago or past. The opposite is modern which means current or recent or present times
5.
The demolition of the bridge surprised everyone.
construction
creation
erection
relocation
Answer: A
Demolition means destruction and opposite of destruction is construction.
6.
She received a beautiful psalm.
shall
palm
sand
page
Answer: C
7.
Dora was exhausted after the exercise.
A. cheerful
active
refreshed
strong
Answer: C
Exhausted means tired. If you are not tired, then you are active
8.
The visitor's timidity surprised us.
hostility
sincerity
boldness
carelessness
Answer: C
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for timidity
Audacity, boldness, guts, nerve, stoutheartedness
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for timidity
Bashfulness, quiet, reserve
9.
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.
Answer: C
Hair stood on end: to cause fright or terror in someone.
10.
That shop has been temporarily closed down.
constantly
deliberately
legally
permanently
Answer: D
Opposite of temporary is permanent
11.
The animal will perish under this condition.
graze
survive
starve
remain
Answer: B
Perish means die. The opposite of die is survive
12.
Jane fell ill............ measles.
at
by
of
with
Answer: D
13.
For winning the first position in the Essay Competition, the school gave Linda a laptop.
The correct passive form of the sentence above is
For winning the first position in the Essay Competition, Linda ...... given a laptop by the school.
is
has been
was
is being
Answer: C
14.
My father had the benefit of good education.
luck
advantage
quality
value
Answer: B
15.
Nobody paid any attention to the workers' demands.
agitations.
complaints.
objections.
requests.
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.
My father had the benefit of good education.
luck
advantage
quality
value
17.
His dubious attitude has made him lose all his good friends.
deceitful
disrespectful
untrue
unforgiving
18.
The youth should be ruled by the fundamental ideals of courtesy.
essential
known
popular
realistic
Fundamental nearest in meaning:basics, essentials, rudiments, foundations, basic principles, first principles, preliminaries, crux, essence, core, nucleus, heart, base
19.
The scarcity of doctors is a matter of public concern.
weakness
shortage
suffering
indiscipline
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for scarcity
Dearth, drought, famine, inadequacy, insufficiency, lack, paucity, shortage, exiguity, infrequency, rareness, rarity, scantiness, sparsity, stringency, uncommonness, want
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for scarcity
Abundance, enough, excess, plenty, sufficiency, commonness, surplus
20.
Celia shook with fright.
excitement
cheerfulness
hope
fear
Synonyms (nearest in meaning) for fright
Consternation, dismay, horror, panic, trepidation, alarm, dread, fear, quaking, scare, shiver, shock, terror, cold sweat, trepidity
Antonyms (opposite in meaning) for fright
Calm, confidence, contentment, happiness, bravery, calmness, courage, beauty, fearlessness
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.
The two boys have often been at loggerheads with each other. This means that they ......
are usually seen walking together
have often exchanged ideas
have often had strong disagreements
usually have the same views on issues
22.
These herbs grow here in leaps and bounds. This means that the herbs grow
gradually and in small numbers.
in big circular heaps.
in both cold and hot weather.
quickly and greatly.
In leaps and bounds: with startlingly rapid progress.
Similar: rapidly, swiftly, quickly, speedily, at an amazing rate, exponentially
23.
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
Clutch at straws: to be willing to try anything to improve a difficult or unsatisfactory situation, even if it has little chance of success
24.
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.
25.
That tailor always takes pains over his sewing. This means that the tailor
does his sewing with great care.
finds sewing very painful.
is not happy sewing.
is often ill and cannot sew.
Take pains: To expend/spend a lot of time, effort, and care doing something
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.
The arrogant storekeeper lost all his customers.
respectful
obedient
modest
sympathetic
27.
The girl intentionally tore her dress.
carelessly
accidentally
willingly
foolishly
28.
Fishes are plentiful in the pond.
little
scarce
small
unusual
29.
Evans wakes up early because he does not sleep much.
often
at home
late
on his bed
Opposite of early is late
30.
The minister publicly rebukes his assistant and always ...... his secretary.
advises
commends
embraces
harasses
You spent the Christmas holidays with a friend. Write a letter to your brother telling him all about the holidays.
This is an informal letter and the following features are required:
(1) Writer’s address (without name)
(2) Date
(3) Salutation (Dear Bro, Brother, Kofi, Adjei, Mawuli)
(4) Body
(5) Subscription - Yours sincerely, Yours, Yours ever
(6) First name
Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.
Fatimeh was always silent. She learnt a lot within a short time. In one month, she could milk cows, separate butter and cheese from the milk, ferment the milk and cook nearly as well as Rikku's mother. At first, she went with Rikku's mother to hawk the sour milk, she was beginning to find her way to and from town.
Fatimeh was always chewing tobacco flower and so her lips, teeth and gums became red. Hodio noticed that her looks had improved since she came to live with family, her skin was smooth and shiny; she had also put on more flesh.
Towards nightfall, when Fatimeh came home, she would take a pot and go down to the stream where she bathed and drew water. Sometimes, she went with Leibe or Shaitu; she was never alone.
One evening, Hodio followed Fatimeh quietly to the stream when the place was quiet and he could hear the sound of his own footsteps on the dusty road. When he caught up with Fatimeh, he suggested to her to run away with him because he loved he dearly and wanted her to be his wife. Fatimeh refused. She knew very well that, as a slave, she could never hope to marry a freeborn and proud Fulani like Hodio Sunsaye.
Hodio did not give up. He spoke to her again. He tried to persuade her to run away with him and live in a town where no one cared about tradition and custom. Eventually, Fatimeh agreed to consider his proposal.
Hodio's father, old Sunsaye, was the first person who missed Fatimeh. He called his wife, Shaitu, and asked her if she has seen Fatimeh. She replied in the negative. He asked Rikku and Leibe. No one could tell him where Hodio and Fatimeh were. They then looked behind the hut; the horse was not there.
(a) What two things did the girl learn to do in one month?
(b) Give two adjectives that describe Fatimeh as presented in the firdt paragraph.
(c) What was HOodio's main reason for following Fatimeh to the stream?
(d) Fatimeh refused.
I. What did Fatimeh refuse to do at first?
II. Why did she refuse Hodio's proposal?
(e) Why did Hodio want to live in a town?
(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage:
I. silent;
II. sour;
III. improved;
IV. drew;
V. proposal.
a)
She could milk cows/she could separate butter and cheese from milk/she could ferment the milk/she could cook quite well as Rikku's mother.
b)
Quiet/intelligent/helpful/hardworking/diligent/industrious/smart
c)
He wanted to marry her/he loved her dearly/he wanted to propose to her/he wanted to elope with her/he wanted to run away with her.
d)
i)
Fatimeh refused to run away with Hodio at first/Fatimeh refused to marry Hodio at first.
ii)
Because she was a slave/because slaves did not marry freeborn people
e)
Because people there did not care about tradition/custom.
f)
i)
silent → quiet
ii)
sour → bitter/unpleasant/sharp tasting
iii)
improved → become better/nicer/more pleasant/more attractive/more beautiful
iv)
drew → fetched/collected/obtained
v)
proposal → offer/suggested/request
Write a story which ends with the sentence, We were lucky that night.
Your story should have a plot, a setting and a conclusion.
Your conclusion should end with We were lucky that night.
You should use figurative language, direct speech and expressions suitable to the subject matter.
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 friend has informed you that his or her uncle has decided not to look after him or her in school anymore. Write to your friend's uncle giving him at least, two reasons why he should change his mind.
Your letter must contain the main content, why your friend's uncle should look after him or her
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. 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.
Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on two effects of poor disposal of waste on the people and suggest two ways of solving the problem.
CONTENT
The essay is in two parts: two effects of poor waste disposal on the people and two solutions to deal with the problem/the effects. You must discuss both parts well to earn full marks or higher.
ORGANIZATION
This is an article and the following features are mandatory:
1. Title/Heading
2. Body
3. Writer's name
4. Writer's address/Location (Note: No email, contact)
You are expected to properly link and well develop paragraphs.
Note: this is not a letter and should not have features of a letter.
EXPRESSION
The language should be polite, persuasive and formal. The choice of words should be appropriate to the subject matter. A good blend of varied sentence patterns/types is expected. The use of slang should be avoided.
MECHANICAL ACCURACY
Concord (subject - verb, noun-pronoun), tense, determiners, prepositions, punctuation, spelling should be used correctly. Each sentence and proper noun should begin with a capital letter. Be careful not to use "i" instead of "I" for the first person pronoun (subject).