2018 English 1 to 10
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PASSAGE A
INSTRUCTION: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Returning home after a decade and half abroad, our Geography master remained incurably addicted to foreign ways and ideas for years after landing here. He would forever stick to his theory of Africans suffering from a curse inflicted on them by the Almighty God for some heinous sins committed centuries ago. He would, in support of this theory, ask listeners: “Why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the British mosquito does not bite? Why aren’t there poisonous snakes in Britain whereas here most snakes are deadly? Why should the deadly sickle cell disease be peculiar to the black race?” Of course, he hardly waits for answers to these and similar questions before jumping to the same inevitable conclusion.
However, he met his match one day when a new student joined the class and heard the litany we were used to. The new boy calmly said, “Sir, I happen to know a few white men who suffer from the sickle cell disease; some are Italians and some are Spanish. The mosquito is equally deadly in India, South-east Asian Countries and South America. The United States and some other South American 5 Countries have their deadly snakes. And, Sir, I know many white men, some of them British, who would prefer our brilliant sunshine to their horribly cold winter.” And he sat down. I had never, before that day, seen our master so consumed with anger. He directed a burning look at the poor boy, who had no answer to this new battle. Without as much as saying a single word, the master stalked out of the classroom.
Needless to say, our anger was turned on the new boy, who had decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water. A delegation was sent to the master to apologise to him. He was appeased. But we all noticed something rather unusual thereafter; never again did he dwell on the issue of Africans being the cursed people.
QUESTIONS
(HINT: when answering the comprehension questions, that is questions 1-6, make sure your answers are drawn from the passage. Never give an answer that is different from what the passage says).
(1). What point of view is the Geography master fond of advancing?
A. Africans are infested with all kinds of problem
B. Only the white men are free from deadly diseases
C. The Almighty God is punishing Africans for the sins they committed long ago
D. God did not curse the white people.
ANSWER: C (This is seen in the second sentence, first paragraph).
(2). Which of the following arguments did he not use to support his view?
A. In Africa, the mosquito causes deadly malaria whereas in Britain, it doesn’t bite or cause malaria
B. There is malaria both in Britain and in African Countries
C. The snakes in Africa are deadly but those in Britain are harmless
D. The sickle cell disease is peculiar to the black race.
ANSWER: B (According to the Geography master, British mosquitoes do not bite, let alone cause malaria).
(3). “…rock the boat” What figure of speech is this expression?
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Personification
D. Hyperbole
ANSWER: B (The ‘boat’ here refers to the theories of the master which had been unchallenged since its emergence).
(4). What extra argument did the new boy offer after countering each of vie master’s points?
A. There are problems especially in Africa
B. There are deadly snakes be the in America and Africa
C. There are harmless snakes in Britain
D. Many white men prefer the African climate to their own.
ANSWER: D (This can be seen in the 5th sentence in the second paragraph).
(5). Why do you think the master fought back with his look rather than with further argument?
A. He knew that the boy’s points were valid
B. He had answers to the boy’s argument
C. He went out to sort for the boy’s argument
D. He already made up his mind on his points.
ANSWER: A (As can be deduced from the passage, the master’s non-response showed that the boy made true points in his submission).
(6). “…who had no answer to this new battle”. What grammatical name is given to the above passage expression as it is used in the passage?
A. (non-defining) relative clause
B. Adverbial clause
C. Subordinate clause
D. Main clause.
ANSWER: A (It is a relative clause because the clause is introduced by the relative pronoun: ‘who’. It is non-defining relative clause when a comma separates the relative clause from other parts of the sentence).
INSTRUCTION: After each of the following sentences, a list of possible interpretations of the sentence is given. Choose the interpretation that you consider appropriate for each sentence.
(7). When asked to state her side of the story, Bunmi started by beating about the bush. This means that Bunmi
A. went straight to the point
B. was lost in great thought
C. followed a bush path
D. approached the subject without coming to the point.
ANSWER: B (To beat about the bush is to say so many things without saying the main point).
(8). The amount he donated was small. He said it was his widow’s mite. This means that
A. he was a widow
B. he was misery.
C. it was all he could honestly afford
D. he could have given more.
ANSWER: C (Widow’s mite refers to what a person can give considering his financial status).
(9). The friendship between Segun and Shehu has turned sour. This means that Segun and Shehu are
A. no longer friends
B. still friends
C. better friends now
D. getting to understand each other.
ANSWER: A (‘Turned sour’ entails that they are no longer in good terms).
(10). The students were asked to face their studies and let the sleeping dog lie. This means that the students should
A. obey the authorities
B. organise them properly
C. leave matters as they are now
D. be as watchful as sleeping dogs.
ANSWER: C (It means to avoid mentioning a subject that happened in the past in order to avoid any arguments or problems).
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