Third Term Examination English Language SS 1 – Exam Questions

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THIRD TERM EXAMINATION

SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS (SS 1)

 

 

PART A

OBJECTIVE TEST 

Instruction: choose from the choices of words below, the word that is most suitable to fill the numbered gap in the passage.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

With the most profound respect to the members of the senate, I do not think that it is within the competence of that _______2______ body to pass a motion to _______2______ the executive action of the president. The senate is _______3______ of the National Assembly. But it is not by itself alone the National Assembly. One can imagine the confusion which would have been created if the _______4______ were to take a view diametrically opposed to that reflected in the senate resolution.

The strongest objection to the action of the senate in passing the resolution is the fact it constituted itself the _______5______ as well as the judge of the constitutionality of the action of the president. The function of the senate is to _______6______ laws. But the senate has no authority or _______7______ to control the president in the exercise of his _______8______ powers.It cannot by a mere resolution or motion give any directive to the president regarding the exercise of his powers nor can it undo what the president has done in the exercise of those powers. The only way in which the exercise of the powers of the president can be _______9______ is by _______10______ of the National Assembly.

 

 A                               B                              C                              D

1. executive                  administrative        legislative               judicial

2. order                          modify                    enforce                    nullify

 

 

3. a portion                    a wing                    an anchor                an arm

4. executive council     judiciary                 House of Reps       National Assembly

5. litigant                       attorney                  defendant                plaintiff

6. compose                   create                     enact                        annul

7. might                         dynamism              power                       strength

8. executive                   authoritative          official                      judicial

9. regulated                   standardized         modified                  ordered

10. a decree                  a motion                 an act                      a bill

 

Choose the word or group of words that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined words below.

11. Ade is very conservative in his political ideas whereas Bola expresses _____________ views always.

(a) radical

(b) heretical

(c) conventional

(d) fanatical

 

12. John was able to kindle the fire which my father had to _____________ later.

(a) ignite

(b) extinguish

(c) destroy

(d) scatter

 

13. Our educational system tends to inhibit rather than _____________ initiative and self reliance.

(a) prevent

 

 

(b) propagate

(c) consolidate

(d) promote

 

Choose the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined words as it used in the sentence.

14. When I was unjustly accused of cheating, everybody stood up for me.

(a) pitied

(b) arose

(c) defended

(d) ridiculed

 

15. The new measures are likely to alleviate poverty.

(a) reduce

(b) aggravate

(c) stamp out

(d) put out

 

16. The smugglers were arrested for importing contraband goods.

(a) foreign

(b) forbidden

(c) expired

(d) expensive

 

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives A – D.

17. I reported the boy to the principal but he merely cautioned him and _____________.

(a) let him down

(b) let him out

(c) let him on

(d) let him off

 

18. Students nowadays have to learn to _____________ what is available.

(a) make up with

 

 

(b) make in with

(c) make do with

(d) make out with

 

19. _____________ you get home before me, please start the cooking.

(a) Should in case

(b) If in case

(c) Should if

(d) In case

 

20. “_____________ we rather go home?” he asked.

(a) shouldn’t

(b) can’t

(c) won’t

(d) mustn’t

 

21. He oughtn’t to be so rude to his mother, _____________?

(a) did he

(b) ought he

(c) should he

(d) must he

 

22. We might spend a little more time here, _____________?

(a) mustn’t we

(b) shouldn’t we

(c) mayn’t we

(d) mightn’t we

 

23. The young wife invited all her _____________ to her father’s burial ceremony.

(a) parent – in – law

 

 

(b) parents – in – law

(c) parent – in – laws

(d) parents – in – laws

 

24. The local governments are authorized to pass _____________ to the ones already _____________ by the constitution.

(a) bys-law/guaranteed

(b) by-laws/guaranted

(c) bye-laws/guaranteed

(d) buy-laws/guarantor

 

25. Michael found a _____________ on his desk.

(a) speck of paper

(b) strand of paper

(c) scrap of paper

(d) wealth of paper

 

26. You had better listen to his advice, _____________ you.

(a) wouldn’t you

(b) had you

(c) hadn’t you

(d) can you

 

27. Government should invest more in _____________ education.

(a) children

(b) child’s

(c) children’s

(d) child

 

28. You won’t come with him, _____________ You? _____________.

(a) will/no, I won’t

 

 

(b) won’t/no, I won’t

(c) will/yes, I won’t

(d) can/no, I won’t

 

29. The teacher took me for one of those students who could not spell words as _____________.

(a) ‘miscelanous and maintainance’

(b) ‘miscelaneous and meintainance’

(c) ‘miscellaneous and maintenance’

(d) ‘miscellanous and maintainance’

 

30. Adamu the farmer has _____________ and _____________ on his farm.

(a) mouses/grooses

(b) mice/geese

(c) mice/gooses

(d) mouses/geese

 

From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

31. Pun

(a) come

(b) pawn

(c) lord

(d) mouth

 

32. Birth

(a) colonel

(b) bath

(c) egg

(d) colour

 

33. Dear

(a) bear

 

 

(b) cheer

(c) hare

(d) fair

 

34. Caught

(a) lord

(b) cut

(c) high

(d) laugh

 

35. Tie

(a) relief

(b) eighty

(c) slight

(d) bier

 

Choose the word that contains the given phonetic symbol(s).

36. / /

(a) apply

(b) know

(c) gear

(d) magazine

 

37. / /

(a) crowd

(b) fever

(c) height

(d) voice

 

38. / /

(a) flower

 

 

(b) prayer

(c) steering

(d) endure

 

39. / /

(a) buoyancy

(b) hire

(c) measure

(d) heard

 

40. / /

(a) player

(b) declare

(c) royal

(d) heiress

 

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow.

PASSAGE 1

I quite remember my first close encounter with our principal known to us as “the Lion of Ara Hill’; he was a most feared human being. The popular saying was thatno other lion ever roared on Ara hill on which the school was situated. So, when the senior prefect informed me that the principal wanted to see me, I was particularly terrified. My friends too were concerned for a few students were ever sent for unless they had committed some serious offence. Indeed, some had their dismissal or suspension announced to them in the principal’s office without the ritual of investigation and defense.

As t trudged along towards the principal’s office, I tried to remember what I had done wrong. In the process, I assured myself that he must have seen me stealing out of the dormitory two days before. I had crept out stealthily early in the evening to see my uncle who, as my only guardian in the town, always had some money for me. I had got some money from him and hurried back just before the ‘light out’ bell. It was uneventful and I had assumed that nobody saw me. But now, here I was, sent for!

 

 

I knocked feebly and the principal answered from within, “come in!”I entered on shaky legs and greeted him. He answered without looking up from the paper on which he was writing. Without looking up still, he motioned me to sit down. This surprised me, for available reports had it that he never allowed students such a luxury. I sat down and waited for the storm to break. For long minutes, I waited.

Finally, he finished the task and looked up. “my boy”, he said, “what were you doing in town so late in the evening two days ago?” I told him the truth, for I knew the futility of trying to tell a lie. “I knew”, he said calmly. “I am aware you’ve lost your father and that your uncle is all you have in this town. You went to take some money, I knew. However, in future, just come over to me and you’ll have all you need. That way you’ll not have to break school regulations and mar your good records”.

Before I could recover from this shock, he took out some currency notes and put them in my hand. Smiling calmly, her bade me good afternoon. I was speechless and hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

 

QUESTIONS

1. Why was the boy afraid when he was told that the principal wanted to see him?

 

2. Why was he surprised when the principal told him to sit down?

 

3. Give four reasons why you think the principal treated the boy the way he did.

 

4a. Does your impression of the principal at the end of the passage agree with the impression at the beginning?

 

 

4b. Mention three points in support of your answer.

 

5. “_____________ waited for the storm to break”.

I. What figure of speech is this expression?

II. What does it mean as it is used in the passage?

 

6. “Before I could recover from this shock_____________”.

I. What is the grammatical name given to this expression?

II. What is its function?

 

7. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as used in the passage.

I. encounter

II. terrified

III. trudged

IV. stealthily

V. futility

 

PASSAGE II

There are many indicators with which to assess or measure corruption. One of them is the affluent living habit of the public official compared to his/her income. Corruption occurs when a public official expects to be induced to perform an act which that official is ordinarily required to do by law. Corruption can slow down development. One of the widely discussed consequences of corruption is the distortion of governmental expenditure. This often results in public money being wasted on white elephant projects, rather than people-oriented services such as health and education. As a result, more opportunities are presented for corrupt use or diversion of funds. Raising the ethical standards of governance can lead to many benefits especially for the economic, political and social development of a country.

 

 

Fighting corruption and promoting governance is therefore crucial to developing an environment that facilitates the social, political and economic development of the people. However, while there are often general statements made about the effects of corruption on poverty and development, there is not an explicit recognition that corruption is more than just wealth misappropriation or abuse of power. Corruption impoverishes countries and deprives their citizens of good governance. It destabilizes economic systems. When organized crimes and other illegal activities flourish, basic public functions are eroded and the quality of life of the people is reduced. Bribery, for example, is universally regarded as a crime, but it also reflects socio-economic problems that require broad based preventive measures and the involvement of the society at large.

Another implication of global measures against corruption is among government work better by improving the economy. Finally, redesigning political and regulatory structure will reduce corruption and other anti-system players that encourage corrupt practices.

 

 

SUMMARY

Give a summary of passage II, above in three sentences.

 

 

PART C

LEXIS AND STRUCTURE

1. Re-write and punctuate the following passage carefully.

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 for ever 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 his theory ask listerners

 

 

why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the british mosquito does not bite why arent 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 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 his 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 decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water a delegation was sent to the master to apologize 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 accursed people.

 

2. underline and identify the adjuncts in the sentences below.

A. On 25th December he travelled to London to meet his cousin.

B. On reaching the village, I soon found the office without difficulty.

C. Sorrowfully she left the room without saying a word to me.

D. Often, advertisers market their products by using attractive packaging.

E. They bought some soft drinks for the party.

 

PART D

WRITING

3. In not less than 200 words, write on any one of the followings.

I. One of your pen friends has written asking you to describe your favourite Nigerian dish to enable him/her to prepare it. Write back to him/her explaining how the dish is prepared.

 

 

II. Write a speech you will give to your fellow prefects in your capacity as the senior prefect on your idea for the improvement of discipline in the school.

 

GOOD LUCK