KUULCHAT
ENGLISH MOCK
From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.
1.
We tried all we could to amuse her but she kept a straight face. This means that she
did not listen to us.
looked straight ahead.
refused to laugh.
cried all the more.
Answer: C
A straight face
A blank or serious facial expression, especially when trying not to laugh.
Example: My father kept a straight face when he joked.
2.
Lariba sprang to her feet.
sprayed
struck
slew
splashed
Answer: A
3.
Those two are arch rivals.
splash
patch
path
spark
Answer: D
4.
Kim is full of himself. This means that Kim is
arrogant.
dangerous.
greedy.
quarrelsome.
Answer: A
Full of oneself: to be very proud, arrogant or conceited, and think only of yourself
5.
The heir to the British throne was the Duke of Cornwall.
here
hail
air
hew
Answer: C
6.
Akos has nothing to be boastful of.
afraid
anxious
ashamed
nervous
Answer: C
7.
The boy's account of the incident was elaborate.
clear.
detailed.
interesting.
realistic.
Answer: B
8.
Choose from the options A to D, the word that is most suitable to fill the gap
approved
seconded
upheld
supported
Answer: B
9.
Aminu is full of himself. This means that Aminu is ......
arrogant
dangerous
greedy
quarrelsome
Answer: A
10.
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.
11.
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
12.
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.
Answer: A
Take pains: To expend/spend a lot of time, effort, and care doing something
13.
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
14.
George has been relieved of his post. This means that George has been............
dismissed.
given another assignment.
demoted.
promoted.
Answer: A
15.
Being the eldest child of the family, Joojo claimed the lion share of the father's property. This means that Joojo had.........
all the property.
half of the property.
the best part.
the largest part.
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 welfare of their students should be the concern of teachers.
wealth
happiness
well-being
growth
Welfare: the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group.
The nearest in meaning could be well-being, health, good health, happiness, comfort, security, safety, protection, prosperity, profit, good, success, fortune, good fortune, advantage, interest
17.
My father had the benefit of good education.
luck
advantage
quality
value
18.
The radio is a potent medium of communication
fast
necessary
powerful
sound
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
19.
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
20.
Mr Nunyah slaughtered some of his bulls.
killed
treated
examined
castrated
Slaughter: kill (animals) for food
The nearest in meaning could be kill or butcher
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.
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.
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.
The fraudster was paid back in his own coins
This means that he was ......
given a hot chase
swindled
punished
given new coins
25.
Akua celebrates her birthday today but I cannot make it. This means that the speaker..........
does not want to be there.
feels it is necessary to attend.
has no birthday gift for her friend.
will not be able to attend.
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.
He loves taking hasty decisions so he never makes ...... moves.
calculated
smart
delayed
final
27.
We initiated several projects last year.
funded
completed
executed
organized
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 bread is stale.
burnt
delicious
fresh
mouldy
30.
The audience laughed at his funny stories.
cheerful
humourless
familiar
peculiar
Anything funny is humourous and so if not funny then humourless
Narrate the most interesting story you have read and say why you like it.
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 or a story you've actually read.
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.
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.
Write a letter to the Ministry of Transport suggesting two ways of improving the public transport road system in the country.
Your letter must contain the two main content, ways of improving the public transport road system in the country
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 (Underlined)
vi. Body
v. Subscription - Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, etc.
vi. Signature
vii. Your name
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.
The government has announced the addition of new public holidays. Write an article to be published in a national newspaper on two effects of public holidays on teaching and learning.
CONTENT: 10 marks
You should discuss the positive or negative effects of public holidays. At least two points, well discussed and illustrated, should be used to support or oppose the observance of public holidays.
ORGANIZATION: 5 marks
The essay should have the following features:
i.
Title/Heading
ii.
Writer's name(either after the title or at the end of the article)
iii.
Writer's address
1. Paragraphs should be well developed and properly linked.
2. Mark this aspect out of 3 marks if you write any feature of a letter.
EXPRESSION: 10 marks
The use of formal, decent and polite expressions is expected. There is no room for slang and colloquialism. Sentence patterns should vary and the vocabulary should be appropriate.
MECHANICAL ACCURACY: 5 marks
Ring all errors in concord(subject-verb, noun-pronoun), tense, determiners, prepositions and punctuation whenever they occur.
Ring the wrong spelling of the same word once. Subsequently, underline them.
Each sentence and proper noun should begin with a capital letter. Ring the use of "i" instead of "I" for the first-person pronoun.
PENALIZE
1. Each grammatical
2. Wrong spelling - the wrong spelling of the same word should be penalized only once.
3. Faulty construction
4. Punctuation error and the wrong use of the capital or small letter.
5. The pronoun "I" if written as a small letter (i).
Each of these errors should be ringed and half a mark () deducted up to a total of 5 marks.
Write a letter to your pen-pal telling him why you like your school.
You are required to write a letter to your pan-pal (a stranger you write to particularly via postal mail) telling him/her why you like your school.
Organisation
This is an informal letter and the following features are required:
(1) Writer’s address (without name)
(2) Date
(3) Salutation (Dear Smith, Donald, Page, Pal)
(4) Body
(5) Subscription - Yours sincerely, Yours, Yours ever
(6) First name
Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.
Cholera is a very dangerous disease which can kill many people within a short time. Indeed, it has ruined several communities particularly in the developing countries. It must therefore be prevented at all cost.
The disease is general spread by germs which thrive in filthy and unhygienic areas. There could be an outbreak of cholera when drinking water becomes polluted by floods after a downpour. Human carriers also cause the disease to spread from place to place. For example, a person carrying the cholera germs would vomit or pass frequent stools. Flies would then carry the germs on their hairy legs and deposit them on exposed food or in water. When a person eats this contaminated food or drinks the polluted water, he or she is likely to contract the disease unknowingly.
On the whole, the main symptoms of cholera are severe diarrhoea and vomiting, which may result in loss of weight. The stool tends to be watery. As a lot of fluid is lost from the body, the patient quickly becomes dehydrated, thin and weak. The rapid loss of body fluid can soon result in death, unless the lost fluid is replaced immediately.
The first thing for the patient to do is replenish as much fluid as is lost by taking, from time to time, boiled water which has been allowed to cool and mixed with salt and sugar. Then, he should seek medical attention.
(a) Where do cholera germs usually breed?
(b) Mention the two main carriers of cholera germs.
(c)I. State the two signs of cholera.
II. Give one effect of the disease.
(d) What advice does the writer give to the cholera patient?
(e) Explain the following expressions in your own words:
I. it has ruined several communities;
II. at all cost;
III. after a downpour.
(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage:
I. thrive;
II. deposit;
III. rapid;
IV. replenish;
V. seek.
a)
They breed in filthy/unhygienic/dirty areas/places.
b)
Flies and human beings.
c)
i)
Passing of frequent stools/diarrhoea and vomiting
ii)
Loss of weight/dehydration/death.
d)
The patient should drink boiled water mixed with salt and sugar.
OR
He/she should see a doctor/seek medical attention/advice/treatment.
e)
i)
It has killed many people.
OR
It has destroyed/reduced families/many communities.
ii)
By any means/under any circumstances/by hook or by crook.
iii)
After a heavy rain/after it has rained heavily.
f)
i)
thrive → breed, grow, live, flourish, do well
ii)
deposit → drop, put, place, leave
iii)
rapid → quick, fast
iv)
replenish → replace, restore, get back
v)
seek → go for, get, obtain, receive, look for