20+ Reading Comprehension Practice Tests

Every reading comprehension practice test you do or make your students partake in will help in a more effective preparation for the intended external examination. This is why I want to contribute to your preparation for the High School level English reading comprehension test in particular.

Are you in the process of studying for a high school level certificate or diploma exam involving English reading comprehension? It may be the WAEC/WASSCE English Language, NECO/SSCE or even the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).

Make sure to practice each and every reading comprehesion practice test in this collection of high school level English reading comprehension passages. It will assist you to improve your reading comprehension skills.

SEE ALSO:

How to Best Answer Reading Comprehension Questions

How to Write the Best Summary Test Answers

Make sure to click the link to go to the next reading conprehension practice test.

FOR THE RECORDS: Some of the passages in this post are past questions from both external and internal high school or university entrance examinations. Some others are extracts from texts I’ve personally written or read. They are the best standard for any serious preparation toward a WASSCE/NECO/JAMB/IGCSE or any similar exam involving English reading comprehension test passages.

PASSAGE 1

Read the following passage and answer the questions on it.

Science has made a great difference to the lives of all of us. New products, new materials, new knowledge, have changed our attitude to the world and everything that is in it, including ourselves. Who can look at the moon now on a clear night without remembering that men have been there and back? Who can hear the word “Hiroshima” without remembering the atomic bomb? Not all that science has brought has been for our good; but science has greatly enriched our lives, given us freedom from hunger, greater leisure and a deep awareness of the wonder and complexity of life.

As science has become a more and more important element in our lives, so traditional Christianity has become less and less so. We live in a time when many call themselves atheists or agnostics, when the religious basis of morals is everywhere under attack; and the number of active Christians seems to be a minority in society. Has the rise in science caused the decline in faith? Many would say yes – but I believe they are mistaken.

I believe they are mistaken because science and faith are not trying to do the same thing. They are not trying to answer the same questions. Let me give a simple example. You may go into the kitchen and, seeing steam coming from the kettle, ask, ‘why is the kettle boiling?’ Your brother has just finished a course in physics and he tells you that it is because the vapour pressure of water is equal to atmospheric pressure. ‘And why is that?’ you ask. ‘Because energy is being imparted to the water molecules, and their motion speeded up,’ he says. ‘And where does the energy come from? – and so on. But you might get quite another answer from your mother: ‘Because I want a cup of tea’!

The question is the same, but it produces two different answers. That is because there are really two questions. The first was ‘How?’ is it that the kettle boils? What is the mechanism? The answer comes in terms of cause and effect – a causal chain going on without end, without involving choice or will. This is the way that science gathers information. But ‘Why is the kettle boiling? can also mean ‘for what purpose is the kettle boiling?’, and the answer comes in terms of purpose, of will, of choosing. It is an answer involving person. It is this sort of question that the Christian faith claims to be able to answer – such questions as ‘why am I here?’ and ‘What is the purpose of life?’ We all ask these questions. They are not the sort of questions that science can answer; but they are questions that need to be answered.

So, there are two types of questions. – ‘How?’ questions and ‘Why’ questions – and two types of answers. The trouble starts when we mix them up. The Greeks thought that since the stars were heavenly bodies, and since all heavenly bodies were perfect, then the stars must move in the only perfect way – in circles. They had mixed ‘How?’ (which can be answered by observation) and ‘Why? (a question in which such ideas as perfection are meaningful) their astronomy got in an awful mess. The Victorians, too, made a similar mistake. Was man created (as Genesis said) or did he evolve (as the theory of evolution espouses)?

Questions

a. State two ways in which science has enhanced human life.

b. Does the writer think the rise in science has caused a decline in faith? Quote one sentence or phrase to support your answer.

c. “Science and faith are not trying to do the same thing” What does the “same thing” refer to?

d. According to the writer, science seeks to answer the question “how?” What question does Christianity seek to answer?

e. i) “they are mistaken” i) What is the grammatical name of this construction? ii) State its function.

ii) “two different answers” i) What is the grammatical name of this construction? ii) State its function.

f. i) New products, new materials, new knowledge”

ii) “a causal chain going on without end”

State the literary device used in (i) and (ii) above.

g. For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it in the passage.

i) enriched ii) so iii) faith iv) sort v) espouses

PASSAGE 2

Read the following passage and answer the questions on it.

Everybody agreed that the beast was more than a nuisance. It had attacked and killed, on numerous occasions, goats and sheep grazing in the field. But for it to attack animals in the village at night raised genuine fears. The general consensus was that the lion should be hunted down and got rid of.

Easier said than done. As the lion sprang it caught one man, brought him to the ground and lay upon him. Chaka, who was on the outside wing, came running up, and first of all tried to stop one of the men and get him to join in the rescue, but it was evident that the man could neither speak nor stop; flight was the only thing for him. Chaka ran on shouting so that the lion might hear that someone was coming, and thus be hindered from killing his victim at once.

When Chaka was still a little way off the lion roared once more, and his roar made the fugitives quicken their speed, for they thought that the lion was there close behind them. He roared again, the earth trembled, and the lion’s roar seemed to re-echo in the very bellies of the cowards running away.

At the next roar the lion sprang – ‘the yellow cat, the wild beast of the forests’ – sprang with his mane upstanding, his eyes blazing, his tail stretched out, and his claws bared ready to devour a man. The lion sprang once more, and this time he was upon him.

As Chaka was entirely without fear, he simply waited for it and let it jump, but while it was in the air he moved slightly to one side. The lion continued in its original course, for, not being a bird, it could not change its course in the air. While it was still in the air, and just before it reached the ground, Chaka stabbed it behind the shoulders with his spear, so that when it reached the ground it fell – a mighty fall. While it was dying its roars were terrible to hear. Chaka looked at it without fear: it did not seem as if he was looking at a deadly beast of prey which had just attacked him.

The crowd of men had just reached the village when Chaka stabbed the lion, and its last terrible roars made all the fugitives rush into the huts with never a look behind…

Questions

a) What development made the villagers concerned?

b) What does the expression “easier said than done” mean?

c) Why is it that the man Chaka tried to stop could neither speak nor stop?

d ) i) What was Chaka’s attitude towards the lion?

ii) Quote one sentence from the passage to support your answer.

e) State the difference between Chaka and the rest of the men.

f) State the grammatical name and function of each of the following constructions underlined in the passage:

i. as the lion sprang

ii. so that the lion might hear that someone was coming

iii.when Chaka was a little way off

iv. that the lion was there close behind him

v.just before it reached the ground

vi. behind the shoulders

vii.The crowd of men

viii. deadly

g) What literary device is used in each of the following?

i. …..the yellow cat, the wild beast of the forest

ii. …..eyes blazing

iii. the earth trembled

f) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage.

i) fears

ii) consensus

iii) evident

iv) hindered

v) devour

vi) course

PASSAGE 3

Seven years was a long time to be away from one’s clan. A man’s place was not always there, waiting for him. As soon as he left, someone else rose and filled it. The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another. Okonkwo knew these things. He knew that he had lost his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the clan. He had lost the chance to lead his warlike clan against the new religion, which, he was told, had gained ground. He had lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan. But some of these losses were not irreparable. He was determined that his return should be marked by his people. He would return with a flourish, and regain the seven wasted years.

Even in his first year in exile he had begun to plan for his return. The first thing he would do would be to rebuild his compound on a more magnificent scale. He would build a bigger barn than he had before and he would build huts for two new wives. Then he would show his wealth by initiating his sons in the ozo society. Only the really great men in the clan were able to do this. Okonkwo saw clearly the high esteem in which he would be held, and he saw himself taking the highest title in the land.

As the years of exile passed one by one it seemed to him that his chi might now be making amends for the past disaster. His yams grew abundantly, not only in his motherland but also in Umuofia, where his friend gave them out year by year to share – croppers.

Then the tragedy of his first son had occurred. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. But it was a resilient spirit, and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He had five other sons and he would bring them up in the way of the clan.

He sent for the five sons and they came and sat in his obi. The youngest of them was four years old. ‘You have all seen the great abomination of your brother. Now he is no longer my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a man, who will hold his head up among my people. If any one of you prefers to be a woman, let him follow Nwoye now while I am alive so that I can curse him. If you turn against me and follow the new religion of the white man when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck’.

Okonkwo was very lucky in his daughters. He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl. Of all his children she alone understood his every mood. A bond of sympathy had grown between them as the years had passed.Ezinma grew up in her father’s exile and became one of the most beautiful girls in Mbanta. She was called Crystal of Beauty, as her mother had been called in her youth. The young ailing girl who had caused her mother so much heartache had been transformed, almost overnight, into a healthy, buoyant maiden. She had, it was true, her moments of depression when she would snap at everybody like an angry dog. These moods descended on her suddenly and for no apparent reason. But they were very rare and short-lived. As long as they lasted, she could bear no other person but her father.

Many young men and prosperous middle-aged men of Mbanta came to marry her. But she refused them all, because her father had called her one evening and said to her: ‘There are many good and prosperous people here, but I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home.’ That was all he had said. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden meaning behind the few words. And she had agreed. ‘Your half-sister, Obiageli, will not understand me,’ Okonkwo said. ‘But you can explain to her.’ Although they were almost the same age, Ezinma wielded a strong influence over her half-sister. She explained to her why they should not marry yet, and she agreed also. And so the two of them refused every offer of marriage in Mbanta.‘I wish she were a boy,’ Okonkwo thought within himself. She understood things so perfectly. Who else among his children could have read his thoughts so well? With two beautiful grown-up daughters his return to Umuofia would attract considerable attention. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan. The poor and unknown would not dare to come forth.

• CHINUA ACHEBE: THINGS FALL APART

Questions

a) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase, which means the same, and can replace it in the passage.

i. abundantly ii.resilient iii.mood iv.ailing v. apparent vi.forth

b) Mention two losses that Okonkwo suffered as a result of his exile.

c)……….the new religion …….had gained ground

What does this expression mean?

d) What kind of man is Okonkwo as depicted in the second paragraph of the passage?

e) What action of Nwoye made his father disown him?

f) Which one of Okonkwo’s children was his favourite ?

g) i) the clan was like a lizard…. ii) could have read his thoughts

What figure of speech is used in each of the above expressions?

h) i. These moods…….. ii. when we return home

i) What is the grammatical name of each of the above expressions?

ii) State their functions.

PASSAGE 4

Read the passage below carefully and answer the questions on it

The photograph of the three bright, good –looking young people in the Army recruitment uniform catches the eye. All three have certain flair, and one knows just by looking at the picture that they are enjoying life and glad they joined up. They are typical Americans, symbols of the kind of people the modern Army is looking for. The one closest to the camera is a white male. His name, as can be seen from the neat identification tag pinned to the right pocket of his regulation blouse, is Spurgeon. Behind him and slightly to the left is a young black man. He is wearing a decoration of some kind, and his name is Sort….. Perhaps it is Sorter or Sortman … only the first four letters show. A young woman, who is also white, stands behind Spurgeon on the other side. She is smiling and her eyes shine; she looks capable. She is probably wearing a nametag too, but because Spurgeon is standing between her and the camera, her name is hidden. She is completely anonymous.

This picture is not a candid shot; it was carefully composed. The three models were chosen from thousands of possible recruits. They are the same height; they all have dark hair and are smiling into the camera. They look like students, and the copy says the Army will pay 75 per cent of their tuition if they work for a college degree. It is no accident that two are white, one black or that two are male. Nor is it an accident that Spurgeon stands in front of the others at the apex of a triangle, or that, since someone had to be anonymous, the woman was chosen.

In our society women’s names are less important than men’s. The reasons are not too hard to identify, but the consequences for both men and women are more far-reaching than members of either sex, with a few notable exceptions, have been prepared to admit or even, until recently, to examine. Like other words, names are symbols; unlike other words, what they symbolize is unique. A thousand John Does and Jane Roes may live and die, but no bearer of those names has the same inheritance, the same history or the same fears and expectations as any other. It therefore seems legitimate to ask what effect our naming customs have on girls and boys and on the women and men they grow into. Are the symbol words that become our names more powerful than other words?

Questions

a) In what three ways are the three models the same?

b) What two things about Spurgeon make it possible for him to occupy the front position in the photograph?

c) Give one feature of the typical American mentioned in the passage.

d) What do words have in common with names?

e) What is the writer’s attitude to the message presented by the photograph?

f)”…….. if they work for a college degree”

i) What is the grammatical name for this expression?

ii) State its function.

g)”……… her eyes shine”

What figure of speech is used in the above expression?

h) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase, which means the same, and can replace it in the passage.

i. good – looking ii. tag iii. candid iv. apex v. hard

PASSAGE 5

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

I was preparing to enter the Ministry all the time, and never for one moment did I imagine that I should stop where I was – a teacher-catechist. Certain incidents helped to incite me to great hopes and yet helped to stop my progress.

One such incident occurred when a European missionary stopped one day at my station. The shock of surprise with which he regarded me and expressed disgust that I should be put in a place of that type pleased me a great deal.

‘Who brought you here, Mr. Afram?’ he asked. ‘You should enter the Ministry at once and not rot in a place like this. I am going to write a strong letter to the chairman about you and to your superintendent Minister.’

I did my best to say that I had asked to be stationed there so that I could make ends meet with my increased salary of 110 cedis and what my wife could bring in. But he sent the telegram to my superintendent Minister at Cape Coast.

‘Remove Afram from Abura Dunkwa at once. He is not a man to be put in a place of that type. Send him at once to be trained as a Minister.’

Somehow I think that spoilt everything, for human jealousy and malice seem to breed in the very midst of the institution whose work it is to rid the world of them; I was in disfavour from then on.

But the life of a Catechist is an exciting one, and my wife was a great help. She made everything so light for me that I never thought of finding an alternative source of employment till much later, too late in life.

The village was a little one at the time, although it is now growing into a large-sized town. I had a little farm which the congregation helped to clear and plant, so I bought little food. I was a good hunter too, and now and again I borrowed a gun from one of the church leaders to go out hunting. I always had a full store of meat and other provisions. It is little wonder that I thought then that life was not bad after all. To crown everything my wife gave birth to a boy.

It was after this first child was born that I thought I should try getting into the Ministry through my own efforts, and I took the necessary tests. I am convinced I came top of the scripture examination, but failed to get into the Ministry.

Questions

a) How did the European missionary’s recommendation make it difficult for the writer to enter the ministry?

b) Why had the writer requested to be posted to the present station?

c) What role did Mr. Afram’s wife play in his failure to become a minister?

d) Mention two things about the village which made life comfortable for the writer.

e) When did the writer take practical steps to enter the ministry?

f) i)” …..never for one moment did I imagine that I should stop where I was”

ii) “Certain incidents helped to incite me to great hopes and yet helped to stop my progress.”

What literary device is used in each of the above expressions?

g) “..…..which the congregation helped to clear and plant”

i) What is the grammatical name for this expression?

ii) State its function.

h) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase, which means the same, and can replace it in the passage.

i) incident ii). spoilt iii) breed iv) exciting v) light vi) tests

PASSAGE 6

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Mina’s relatives could not help smiling benignly at her pair of identical twins. When, three years later, her identical triplets toddled behind the twins, most of the relatives beamed at what a pleasant sight they were.

Before she got married, Mina was full of the good intention of having only three children. But her interpretation of three made the Director of Family Planning’s face go as white as a ghost’s. Mina saw every sense in the traditional wisdom that if the first turned out to be a bad egg, the second, with any luck, would be average, but the third was bound to be a blessing. Traditional wisdom had observed that talents were evenly distributed among families.

During her school days, Mina had accepted her Biology teacher’s declaration that identical twins originated form only one egg. The twins, according to Mina’s calculation, were therefore only one child… they could both go identically idiotic. In the same way, the triplets, being also identical, split up form that single egg that was to have been her second child; they could consequently, all be no better than average. Mina ignored all advice to the contrary and went ahead with a third pregnancy. When the midwife announced that she had gone one better and given birth to quadruplets, Mina did not bat an eyelid; that would be her blessed fourscore, she thought to herself. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at the hustle and the bustle visitors were creating all around her, wondering out loud how in heavens’ name she was going to maintain a healthy standard of living on her meager typist’s income.

Her husband’s completely contrary reaction to the news was classic. “God have mercy!” he screamed, “NINE mouths to feed?” he did not even bother to pack a suitcase .He bolted and no one ever heard of him again.

Questions

a. Why was the Director of Family Planning disturbed?

b. i) Was Mina very certain that her twins were going to be idiots?

ii) Quote from the passage the words that justify your answer.

c. i) What is the grammatical name for the expression, “that she had gone one better”?

ii) State its function in the sentence.

d. Why did the husband run away?

e. For each of the following, provide another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it in the passage:

i) benignly ii) interpretation iii) a bad egg,

iv) originated v) meagre.

PASSAGE 7

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

If ever we begin to feel conceited about our own ability to hear, all we need to do to bring us back to a proper state of humility is to remember the great population of bats. There are very many bats distributed all over the world. Our hearing, compared to theirs, is little better than the clumsiness of a blind cripple with a walking stick compared to the agility of an athletic man with two goods eyes.

Most of the time, we never think of this other world of bats which live their lives at night. Nor are we aware that we hear only a small part of the sounds that fill the air around us. Faster and sharper than we can hear, the bats are sending out their signals and, with their delicate and sensitive ears, are receiving sound signals back.

All the time a bat flies, it gives out several kinds of sound. Most important is perhaps a continuous high-pitched squeaking, which is audible only to other bats. This sound is reflected by all the objects in its environment and the bat, with its sensitive ears and recorders, builds up for itself a sort of ‘radar scan’ by which it know where solid objects into which it might fly in the dark are. Its ears are so sensitive and its reactions so fast that the bat can ‘hear’ a wire stretched across a darkened room and take evasive action so as not to fly into it. To a large extent, the bat uses its two ears just as we use our two eyes. However, in the course of an experiment in which one of a bat’s ears was plugged, it was found that the animal could no longer fly safely in the dark.

Questions

a. How is the bat able to fly around in darkness without bumping into things?

b. What does the experiment at the end of the passage reveal about the function of the bat’s ears?

c. In your opinion, what will a similar kind of experiment reveal about the human eyes?

d. ‘Which live their lives at night’

i) What grammatical name is given to the above expression?

ii) What is its function in the sentence?

e. Why is the expression ‘radar scan’ put in quotation marks?

f. Give one word or phrase that means the same and can replace each of the following words as used in the passage:

i) conceited ii) humility iii) continuous

iv) environment v) plugged

PASSAGE 8

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

The praise-singer would install himself in the workshop, tune up his kora, which is our harp, and begin to sing my father’s praises. This was always a great event for me. I would hear recalled the names and lofty deeds of my father’s ancestors from the earliest times; as the couplets were reeled off, it was like watching the growth of a great genealogical tree that spread its branches far and wide and flourished its boughs and twigs before my mind’s eye. The harp played an accompaniment to this vast utterance of names, expanding it and punctuating it with notes that were now soft, now shrill.

Where did the praise-singer get his information from? He must certainly have developed a very retentive memory stored with facts handed down to him by his predecessors, for this is the basis of all our oral traditions. Did he embellish the truth? It is very likely: flattery is the praise-singer’s stock-in-trade. Nevertheless, he was not allowed to take too many liberties with tradition, for it is part of the praise-singer’s task to preserve it. But in those days such considerations did not enter my head which I would hold high and proud; for I used to feel quite drunk with so much praise, which seemed to reflect some of its brilliance upon my own small person.

a. Give one word or phrase that could replace each of the following in the passage:

i) install ii) lofty ii) reeled off

iv) genealogical v) shrill vi) embellish

b. Give one example of a simile in the passage.

c. Quote one short sentence from the passage which shows that the writer was happy when the praise-singer sang.

d. i) What grammatical term would you use to describe the expression ‘which I would hold high and proud’?

ii) What is its function in the sentence?

e. Give one reason why the praise-singer was not allowed to take too many liberties with tradition.

PASSAGE 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Salif Keita stands out in a crowd. On the two occasions I saw him in Ghana, he was dressed in white, from the cap on his head to the shoes on his feet, almost highlighting his pale albino complexion. As he arrived for a daytime workshop with an assembled selection of local musicians, he moved easily through groups chatting in a mixture of French and some English. His style of dress, like his music, is distinctly African but somehow a blend of the many influences he has been exposed to. The flash of blue on his shirt set off with a sparkling blue ring and earring, carried the whiff of international success.

Salif Keita has been thrilling audiences across the world for years, but last month saw his first ever performance in Ghana. Salif Keita put on two shows, one before a packed house at the National Theatre and a second as part of a Gala Night organized by the French Chamber of Commerce. “I had two birthdays in Ghana” Salif told me, describing the two shows he put on here in Accra. At the national theatre, he managed to get the entire audience on their feet.

It is clear that performance still excites Salif even after many years in the business. He encourages audience participation and form him, movement and dance seem tied to assessing an audience’s enjoyment. If the crowd is up and dancing, Salif is at his happiest. At the National Theatre gig most of the front rows of the stall were encouraged up onto the stage to dance with him as he sang. Among those who joined him were the Malian Ambassador to Ghana and three Malian female fans who had been singing along to every song he played in between calls of “We love you, Salif”

Although this was Salif’s first visit to Ghana, he explained that he had been listening to Ghanaian music since he was a child. Osibisa, who in the 1970s were playing a variant of traditional Ghanaian highlife known as Afro-rock, that they made popular internationally is one of his favourite Ghanaian bands. But Salif Keita’s musical influences are varied. He described how he had played with many musicians from many parts of the world and the dilemma this had caused him as to what to do with his knowledge.

“After giving it a lot of thought I said to myself: ‘Should I promote guitar with singing in Bambara (Salif’s native Malian language) or should I exploit my Africanness and promote my music as an artist from Africa?”’ Using and adapting traditional instruments was central to Salif’s decision and the creation of his own style and sound. As he explained “I have developed a lot of traditional instruments from traditional musical societies but ultimately I am Salif Keita who is traveling around the world – an African musician and I can promote African music as Salif Keita.

1. For each of the following word underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage.

i) chatting ii) blend iii) thrilling

iv) gig v) dilemma

2. “Salif Keita stands out in a crowd” what does this expression mean?
3. What did Salif’s dress and music have in common?
4. Why did Salif Keita find it difficult choosing his own style of music?
5. What is the writer’s attitude to Salif Keita?
6. ……….. since he was a child

i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression?

ii) What is its function in the sentence?

7. ‘I had two birthdays in Ghana” What figure of speech has the speaker used in the above expression?

PASSAGE 10

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

When the Titanic, on its maiden voyage to America hit an iceberg and sank less than a century ago, only about a third of the ship’s passengers survived. Most of those who survived were women and children. It is now known that several male passengers refused to enter the lifeboats because they weren’t sure all the women were safely on board. Indeed, when one of the officers of the ship who survived was later asked whether “women and children first” was the captain’s rule or the rule of the sea, he replied condescendingly, “it is the rule of human nature.”

The men who live by that rule will be appalled to learn that today the fair sex is routinely verbally assaulted and that even women who are obviously pregnant are denied seats on trains and other means of public transport. They would wonder how we fight to appoint a few women to high offices in society and at the same time strip women in general of their right to move about freely and safely.

This erosion of civility is due in part to feminists who saw chivalry as tyranny dressed in kid gloves. But that is not the only reason. Since the 1960s, an entirely new generation has gleefully rejected Victorian manners as rigid and snobbish. It was not always so.

Victorians were stunned by the horrible evidence that, as Charles Darwin has recently pointed out, humans were not one step below the angels but a footstep above the lowest entities on earth. People took comfort in a greatly expanded code of etiquette, which proved they could rise above their roots. In our era however, we have opted to replace that code of etiquette with another which is based on cultural anarchy. This encourages the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake and the disregard for the opinion of others.

People know that life a century ago could be tough, but it was safer and smoother. For example, in City, custom confined rascals who smoked to the east side of the street because the west side had fine ladies’ shops. If a man failed to bow his head to the lady of the house when raising his glass of wine at the dinner table, he might not receive another invitation.

We cannot recapture the past. But women can demand civility as well as civil rights. When men relearn respect for women and the self-restraint it implies, violence against women will decline and everyday life will be a shade more pleasant.

1. Why did more women than men survive when the Titanic sank?
2. Why would men of the past century be shocked at the way women are treated now?
3. What encouraged men in the past to adopt their code of etiquette.
4. Give two reasons why women are now treated differently.
5. What is the writer’s attitude to men of today?
6. For each of the following wards, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it in the passage:
7. Gleefully,

(ii) Stunned,

1. Opted,
2. Confined,
3. Civility,
4. In our era………..

i)What is the grammatical name for this expression?

ii)What is its function?

(f) …. tyranny dressed in kid gloves

What literary device is used in the above expression?

PASSAGE 11

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follow:

Africans love fish. This explains the relish with which they eat it boiled, fried or grilled. An extra piece of fish, no matter how small, earns a mother the affection of her child. The women know how to use it in preparing palatable gravy or soup and the men know how to catch it from the booming and roaring sea, lakes and rivers.

Freshwater fish is the more highly rated in Africa and yet, in contrast to their counterparts in Asia, African fishermen have not yet mastered how to breed fish, that is, farm it. However, the presence of fish-ponds, cages and enclosures in some African countries indicates that the industry is not totally absent from the continent.

At present, pond fisheries represent the most widely practiced form of fish farming in Africa. The techniques involve very exacting work, especially in the initial stages of building the ponds and having them operating, but require little in terms of capital investment and running costs. The fishermen dig their ponds in wetlands, on slopes, close to fields or upstream from the small dams built to irrigate crops or provide drinking water for livestock. Because they have very little money to buy food for their fish, they often resort to agricultural by-products, farm waste and even fertilizer which they pour into their ponds. So apart from the tail and time needed to dig out the ponds, this form of fish farming is virtually cost-free and therefore, involves very little risk.

However, not everyone in Africa is fortunate to have wetlands or dams at their doorstep. In the Sahel regions particularly, the inhabitants would be hard pushed to maintain the required quantity of water in their ponds. All the same, fish dishes are extremely popular here: fish is, therefore, in great demand and fishmongers make a pile from their trade.

In Niger, for example, the absence of wetlands has forced the men to break new ground with a fish farming technique which is proving very successful. In River Niger, the only source of abundant water in the entire country, fish farmers suspend cages in which fish are farmed intensively. The cages are made by the fishermen themselves using planks of wood, bamboo or any other material they find convenient. Two or three men, perched on pontoons moored to the bank of the river, are all that are needed to carry out all the necessary operations and, whereas in pond fishing the fish have to be harvested with a net, with the cage all the fisherman has to do is pull it out of the water and, there! He has caught his fish.

1. For each of the following words or phrases, find another word which means the same and can replace it in the passage:

1. Relish,
2. Exacting,
3. Resort to,
4. Make a pile,
5. Convenient

2. How do the fishermen feed their fish in ponds?
3. According to the passage, what are the two reasons for building dams?
4. Why, according to the writer, do some fishermen practice fish farming in cages?
5. Give tow reasons why fishing in cages is easier than in ponds.
6. What is the attitude of Africans towards fish?
7. (i) What is the grammatical name of the expression ‘… the absence of wetlands’?

(ii) What is its function?

8. What literary device is used in the expression ‘… the booming and roaring sea…’?

PASSAGE 12

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it

Traditionally, libraries were large collections of books. Many people in institutions, offices and even individuals still keep and maintain such libraries. Today’s libraries form a vital part of the world’s system of communication and education. Unlike traditional libraries, they have a wide variety of other materials that communicate, educate and entertain, made available through books, films, recordings, video tapes, photographs, computers, etc. This is a store of knowledge that has been gathered and kept through the ages.

People from all walks of life, students, lecturers, businessmen, lawyers, doctors, research workers-all use library resources in their work. Other people also turn to libraries to satisfy a desire for knowledge or to obtain reading materials to occupy their leisure period. One professor Curtis said ‘Development is impossible unless formal education is accompanied by leisure – time reading’.

Libraries also play an important role in preserving a society’s cultural heritage. Some libraries have special collections of such items as rare books or works of local artists, music, portraits of important people and stool regalia.

Many libraries, too, mount exhibitions and offer programmes to help people learn more about their community and its culture. The inclusion of such materials in the library’s collections reflects the efforts of libraries to keep pace with changing information systems and to serve people in as many ways as possible.

With the high cost of books, the library becomes a place where students can consult reference books and borrow some of the required textbooks, if they cannot buy their own. To the teachers, libraries could help them prepare reading lists to support their classroom and research work.

Yet many students still consider libraries solely in terms of storybooks. If you asked them, ‘why do you read storybooks?’ they would invariably answer, ‘Oh, just for pleasure’ or ‘to improve our proficiency in the use of English’. Most students, unfortunately, fail to appreciate that reading storybooks enables them to imbibe useful bits of information unconsciously and effortlessly. This special benefit is invaluable.

Perhaps one of the most valuable benefits of reading stories or novels is the appreciation of ‘a proper sense of acceptable values.’ One may learn through reading the respect for time is essential to success in business and in life in general. Such appreciation might help us bury the idea and attitude of the so-called ‘African punctuality’.

Unlike most modern movies that tend to play tricks on viewers emotions and desires, good books are concerned with serious and important moral issues. They teach as they entertain readers: they prove that evil characters eventually do not end well and that the good almost always get the last laugh.

1. For each of the following words give another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage.

1. Satisfy,
2. Portraits,
3. Mount,
4. Consult,
5. Proficiency,
6. Invaluable,

2. What is the essential difference between traditional and modern libraries?
3. For what purposes do people normally resort to libraries?
4. What benefit does the reading of novels offer?
5. How are good novels different from most modern movies?
6. …………. from all walks of life.

1. What is the grammatical name for this expression?
2. What is its function in the sentence?
3. What literary device is used in the expression… most modern movies…?

PASSAGE 13

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

The class ranged itself loosely in semi-circle around the demonstration platform. Their official age was around sixteen though, in fact, it ranged from Kojo’s fifteen years to one or two boys of twenty-one.

Mr. Abu, the laboratory attendant, came in from the adjoining store and briskly cleaned the blackboard. He was a retired sergeant, feared by the boys. If he caught any of them in petty thieving he offered them the choice of a hard smack on the backside or of being reported to the science master. Most boys chose the former as they knew the matter would end there with no protracted interview, moral recrimination and entry in conduct book.

The science master stepped in and stood on his small platform. A tall, thin, dignified Negro, with graying hair and silver-rimmed spectacles. Vernier was his nickname as he insisted on exact measurement and exact speech, ‘as fine as a vernier scale, he would say, which measured things in thousandths of a millimeter. Vernier set the experiments for the day and demonstrated them. It was a simple heat experiment to show that a dark surface gave out more heat by radiation than a bright surface.

During the class, Vernier was called away to the telephone and Abu was not about, having retired to the laboratory for a smoke. As son as a posted sentinel announced that he was out of sight, pandemonium broke out. Some of the boys raided the store. The wealthier ones swiped rubber tubing to make catapults and to repair bicycles and helped themselves to chemicals for developing films. The poorer boys were more determined and took only things of strict commercial interest which could be sold easily in the market. They emptied stuff into bottles in their pockets: soda for making soap, salt for cooking………

Kojo’s cowardly conscience goaded him to protest, which he mildly did. ‘oh shut up!’ a few boys a said. Sorie, a huge boy who commanded respect and some leadership in the class growled, ‘Look here, Kojo, you are getting out of hand. What do you think our parents pay taxes and school fees for? For us to enjoy – or to buy a new car every year for Simpson?’

The other boys laughed. Simpson was the European headmaster feared by the small boys, adored by the boys in the middle school and liked by some of the senior and African masters. He had a passion for new motor – cars, buying one yearly.

‘Come to think of it,’ Sorie continued, ‘Kojo, you must take something yourself, then we’ll know we are safe.’ ‘Yes, you must,’ the other boys insisted. Kojo gave in and, unwillingly, took a little nitrate for some gunpowder experiments which he was carrying out at home.

1. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage:

1. Ranged,
2. Protracted,
3. Dignified,
4. Sentinel,
5. Pandemonium.

2. Why did the boys fear Abu, the laboratory attendant?
3. How was the class left unattended?
4. How did the science master come by the nickname ‘Vernier’?
5. With details from the passage, show how the economic background of the boys was reflected in the manner they looted the science store.
6. What did Sorie do to confirm the writer’s statement that he commanded respect and had leadership skill?
7. Kojo’s cowardly conscience goaded him to protest.

What literary device is used in this expression?

8. …….. we are safe.

1. What is the grammatical name for this expression?
2. What is its function in the sentences?

PASSAGE 14

Mr Antwi looked through his window that early morning and was shocked by what he saw, or rather did not see. He rubbed his eyes vigorously in an attempt to clear his blurred sight. But that did not help him. He slumped into the chair totally dejected. He could not find his car where he parked it the night before.

He found himself in a predicament. It was not that he particularly liked the car but he desperately needed it. How was he to go to work without it? He was living in a secluded neighbourhood far away from the city. Very few public vehicles plied that route.

He remembered very vividly his experiences the previous week and could guess the problems he would face now that he was deprived of his car. That was when he repeatedly failed to give a lift to Mr. Bediako, the only neighbour who owned a car. He was not a hard-hearted man who would cherish denying a man in distress a favour but the deplorable condition his car was in made him behave that way.

Earlier that week, Mr. Antwi found many faults with the car most seriously, he could not easily start it, and it was extremely difficult to stop it. One morning, he reluctantly entered the car and turned the ignition key; the car would not start.

After many attempts, the engine finally coughed and roared to life but the car would not move. When it eventually did, grudgingly, he realized that the brakes would not work efficiently and so he had to drive at a snail’s pace to his workplace.

That morning, Mr. Antwi sat behind his table drenched in sweat and was in no mood to tolerate laziness by his employees. When Rose arrived late, he exploded in anger and would not accept any of her excuses. He drove her out of the office to the utter surprise of Rose who was shocked by this extraordinary behaviour of her employer. She returned thirty minutes later only to find her boss drooping in his seat with his head resting on the table.

“Sir, why all this? What can be the cause?” Rose asked, her hand on his head. Mr. Antwi raised his head slowly his eyes very sad. He was clearly in a fix “Pardon me. Rose,” he pleaded. “I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did.”

“Forget about it, boss. We should be going home now. It’s closing time,” Rose declared, worried.

“How can I, Rose? My car has broken down and I won’t demean myself by again through the experience I had at the bus stop this morning. I have grown out of that habit.”

1. For each of the following words or phrase, find another which means the same and can replace it in the passage.

1. particularly
2. secluded
3. deplorable
4. exploded
5. in a fix,
6. demean

2. Give two reasons why Mr. Antwi would find it difficult to get to work without his car.
3. Why was it strange that Mr. Antwi did not give Mr. Bediako a lift?
4. Why did Mr. Antwi refuse to accept Rose’s excuses when she came to work late?
5. What, would you conclude, was the relationship between Mr. Antwi and Rose?
6. Quote two words or expressions to indicate Mr. Antwi’s mood that day.
7. ………denying a man in distress a favour……..”

1. What is the grammatical name for this construction?
2. What is its grammatical function?

(f) “……. the engine finally coughed…….”

What literary device is used in this expression?

PASSAGE 15

Speaking broadly, there are three types of leaders. There are those who lead from the front, those who lead from the rear, and those who lead from afar off- absent from their flock. Leaders who position themselves right in the front are rare. They do not only give orders and directives, but also assume responsibilities themselves. They tax themselves as much as, if not much more than they tax others. T hey think, plan and take decisions for the common good. They set examples and thus ensure that they are as disciplined as they want others to be. Thus, you will not hear them merely demanding that others must be punctual; they are actually among the first to be at work.

Perhaps no other historical figure exhibited this leadership characteristic better than Richard the Lionheart, the twelfth century English king, who always led his army personally into battles, always maintaining the front position. Staying squarely there, fighting like any other common soldier, he set standards and thus commanded respect. His men had no choice but to exert themselves to the utmost. No wonder he won virtually all his battles, even when he set his forces against much larger armies in seemingly impregnable castles. Almost all kings of his time fought battles personally but none other than he stayed in the front.

Then there are leaders who lead from the rear, in the metaphoric sense. These leaders give orders and follow up to ensure their execution. But they insulate themselves from the centre of activity. Because of their style of leadership, giving orders but not personally setting standards, they are feared rather than respected. They achieve results, but often at the expense of the love of their followers. They are slave drivers who never share the rigours of the work involved.

Finally, there are those who vacate their leadership posts almost entirely. They are absentee leaders who direct by remote control, if they try to direct at all. They leave instructions about punctuality, neatness, steadfastness, hard work and so on, but they do not practice any of these. Their deputies thus have to use their initiative to decide how best to achieve results. In such a situation, failure is not uncommon.

One may then ask why a leader would choose to be absent from his post. The fact is that there are many leaders who want the position just for the honour but are not prepared to exert themselves. They are only interested in reaping the fruits of leadership. They enjoy the title, the financial and non-monetary reward, and being worshipped by others; but they shy away from the arduous task of thinking, planning and deciding for others’ welfare. Sadly, there are many more of such leaders than we often realize.

1. For each of the following words underlined in the passage give

another word or phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage.

1. Assume,
2. Exhibited,
3. Insulate,
4. Achieve,
5. Arduous

2. Give two interpretations of what the writer means by leading from the front.
3. Why are those who lead from the front most likely to succeed?
4. What do those who lead from behind have in common with those who lead from the front?
5. What is the relationship between the second type of leaders and their followers?
6. Give two words or expressions that best describe the attitude of the absentee leader to his job.
7. ………reaping the fruits of leadership

What figure of speech is used in the above expression?

8. ……… personally into battle

1. What grammatical name is given to the above construction?
2. What is its function in the sentence?

PASSAGE 16

Our daily experiences shape our character. Strangely, we can acquire certain enduring habits from very embarrassing situations, such as this one, provided we are ready to learn our lessons.

It was the tradition in my college that every final year literature student should give an oral presentation to the class on a topic of his choice. On the first day of the presentations, I had hoped desperately that Mr. Nyamekye would not notice me. I therefore moved to the back of the class and hid behind a burly boy. I looked everywhere except towards the front of the room, not wanting to meet his glance. But all my ploys were unsuccessful; I was the first on his list.

I was very much displeased at hearing my name and concluded that Mr. Nyamekye really disliked me. My heart started pounding furiously and I developed goose pimples all over my body. “Don’t get nervous; be a man”, I tried to encourage myself as I got up. With sweating hands, I gathered my notes which I had tucked away in my notebook. He watched me with that familiar half-smile of his which seemed to say he knew I was as usual not well prepared and was about to make a fool of myself.

It was not that I did not have ample time to prepare for the presentation it was no surprise assignment. For weeks we had gone over the fundamentals of writing a research paper. But I had typically waited until the last few days before working on the assignment. After thumbing through an encyclopedia for a suitable topic, I settled on William Blake, a poet whom I knew nothing about. When three short days were over, my paper was finished. Never had I written a paper so quickly or one with so little content.

As I stood on the podium, I was confident that all would be over in a matter of minutes because my mates would not ask many questions since they were as ignorant of the topic as myself. I only steeled myself for the rebuke from Mr. Nyamekye who never countenanced ill-prepared papers such as the one I had written. But how wrong I was!

After my hurried and short presentation my mates bombarded me with several questions which exposed my scant knowledge of the topic. What a shame it was to learn for the first time that Blake was one of the poets recommended for our study and was treated in class the previous week! My whole body shook uncontrollably as I tried to answer the questions. I became very downhearted and wished that Mr. Nyamekye would step in and end my humiliation at the hands of my mates.

That day his attitude surprised me. Instead of admonishing me for my poor performance, he drew our attention to the few salient points raised in the discussion and asked the next speaker to present his paper. Perhaps he had concluded that I would never reform, so he did not want to flog a dead horse

However, I turned over a new leaf after this bitter experience. The incident cured me of procrastination and for the rest of my college life. I submitted well-research papers to my teachers. To the surprise of everybody, I was top of the class in our final examination. What I cherish most is that I no longer underrate the intelligence of anyone.

1. For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage;

1. Enduring,
2. Tradition,
3. Furiously,
4. Ample,
5. Downhearted.

2. Why did the writer try to dodge the presentation on the first day?
3. Give two words or expressions of your own that describe the writer’s state of mind after the teacher called him.
4. What made the paper he presented different from others he had ever written?
5. What did the writer expect when he stood in front of the class?
6. He did not want to flog a dead horse

What does this expression mean as used in the passage?

7. who never countenanced ill-prepared papers

What is the full grammatical name given to this construction?

8. State two changes that occurred in the writer’s life as a result of the incident.

PASSAGE 17

The Golden Stool is considered sacred because it is the symbol of the Ashanti people. It is believed that it contains the sunsum orsoul of the people. so no person, whosoever, is allowed to sit on it. It is kept with the strictest security and taken out only on exceptionally important occasions. Never must it come into contact with the earth or the ground. It always sits on its own stool or on the skin of an animal, such as the leopard.

The Ashanti had on many occasions made supreme sacrifices to defend it when its safety had been threatened. For example, in 1896 they allowed their king, Prempeh I, to be deported rather than lose the Golden Stool.

Two other incidents show the great importance the Ashanti attached to the Golden Stool. In March, 1900, the Governor of the then Gold Coast, Sir Fredrick Hodgson, went to Kumasi and ordered them to surrender the Golden Stool. ‘Where is the Golden Stool?’ he asked. ‘Why am I not sitting on the Golden Stool at this moment? Why did you not take the opportunity of my coming to Kumasi to bring the Golden Stool so I could sit?’

This was a tactless and terrible mistake. The governor committed this blunder because he did not know that the Golden Stool symbolically stood for the whole of the Ashanti people. It was not a throne for kings to sit on but the resting place of the people’s soul.

The speech was heard in silence. When the assembly dispersed, every man went home and prepared for war. Three days later, war broke out between the Ashantis and the British. The Ashantis were finally defeated. Soon after, the Supreme Command of the Ashanti forces was taken over by an exceptionally brave woman, Yaa Asantewaa, who gathered the men together to defend their rights but to no avail. The Ashantis, however, said they were victorious because they fought only to save and maintain the Golden Stool, and this they achieved.

The second event took place twenty years afterwards. A group of African road builders, as if by chance, stumbled upon the hiding place of the Golden Stool. They robbed it of the gold ornaments. The whole nation was thrown into alarm, and people put on mourning cloths. The British officials realized that there was danger looming and took a very wise course of action. The culprits were arrested and the Kumasi council of chiefs allowed to try them according to traditional custom. The verdict was known before it was pronounced. The council considered the matter so serious that they ordered that the culprits should be executed. But the British later commuted the sentence to banishment for life.

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

1. Strictest,
2. Supreme,
3. Surrender,
4. Tactless,
5. Achieved,
6. Commuted.

2. Why do the Ashantis have such high regard for the Golden Stool?
3. How did the Ashantis display their regard for the stool?
4. Explain the Ashantis’ claim that they won the war against the British.
5. What maturity did the British show when the road builders desecrated the Golden Stool?
6. Why did Sir Frederick Hodgson’s behavior offend the Ashanti’s?
7. ……..there was danger looming

1. What is the grammatical name for this expression?
2. What is its function?
3. Never must it come into contact with the earth.

What literary device is used in the above?

PASSAGE 18

“Eat your fish”, my mother would say. “It’s brain food”. She was not of course a nutritionist. She was merely citing an item of food folklore that has been around for ages.

Some researchers have measured the reactions of the brain to different foods. They have discovered that food affects the mind in powerful and surprising ways. What you put in your mouth can change your mood, alertness, memory, and clarity of thought. What scientists have learnt about it can be of great value to us.

For a start, the first thing in the morning, several people feast on carbohydrates such as rolls, bread and sweetened cereals. These sugars and starches increase the presence in the brain of the soothing neurotransmitter serotonin. As a result, we might not reach our normal morning energy peak.

Bacon and egg contain high fat which is slow to digest, diverting blood from the brain and thereby reducing mental sharpness. Scientists believe, therefore, that a good breakfast should feature foods low in fat. This means choosing lean meat instead of egg or fried sausage and fresh fruit juice instead of sugary foods.

What about caffeine? After one or two cups of coffee or tea at breakfast, you will be more alert, have better reaction time, time, and score better on some performance tests. After three or so cups of coffee, however, caffeine overstimulation can begin to make you less sharp and clearheaded.

Most people recognized the dangers of the beer-filled lunch and its ability to dull the mind. But few are aware of the effect of a carbohydrate lunch. One researcher found out that such meals make women sleepy and men calmer and lethargic. In addition, both men and women are less able to keep their minds focused on work for up to four hours.

So, dietitians recommended a high-protein meal. Protein-rich meals of fish or poultry, for example, charge your bloodstream with amino acids—some of which convert into alertness chemicals. Another chemical found in fish, meat and soya products plays a major role on memory.

Unless you need stimulation and energy to work or study through the night, avoid protein such as meat and fish at supper. Instead, choose carbohydrates.

1. For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage.

1. Measured,
2. Peaks,
3. Sharp,
4. Lethargic,
5. Convert.

2. State in your own words the two effects of eating a breakfast of carbohydrates and high fat.
3. What is the writer’s view about the use of caffeine?
4. Why does the writer recommend that high protein foods be avoided sometimes?
5. Why does the writer recommend the eating of carbohydrates?
6. According to the passage what have food folklore and scientific findings established?
7. What you put in your mouth

1. What is the grammatical name for this construction?
2. What is its grammatical function in this passage?

PASSAGE 19

One would expect a teacher to command respect from the children of a small town. But when this teacher walked the aisles of our local supermarket even the mothers stopped their idling and tended their business. If the truth were known, our mothers probably had felt the whack of Mrs. Frost’s paddle on many occasions.

If it’s possible for one woman to mould the character of a whole town, then surely Mrs. Frost did. No one left her standard six class sketchy on mathematics or sentence construction. Likewise, she left no question on our minds as to the meaning of honesty, charity or other virtues we were inclined to misinterpret. And if we didn’t get the message from Monday to Friday, she also taught our Sunday school class.

My day of reckoning came early in the year. We sat for a class test. She took her seat behind a desk. While we sweated, she immersed herself in a poetry book, grinning while she read.

I was only halfway down the first page and running low on steam when my friend Elizabeth shoved a piece of paper into my hands. A quick glance at the desk confirmed that the transaction had gone unnoticed. Carefully, I unfolded the paper.

My eyes read the scrawling and my blood ran cold.The secret note contained answers to the test. My heart throbbing in my fingertips, I began writing my test. Elizabeth and I were the first to finish and sat quietly until the bell rang.

The longest weekend of my life followed. On Friday night I woke up with the ultimate nightmare. I couldn’t sleep. I saw her face in all my dolls. I decided that the safest choice of a sinner was to stay awake. Not wanting to be miserable alone, I crept out of the window to Elizabeth’s house where I found her in much the same condition.

Things got steadily worse. On Saturday morning Mrs. Frost phoned to ask me to help with her Sunday school lesson. The nest day, Elizabeth received an assignment from Mrs. Frost to read a scripture lesson on honesty for the Sunday school class.thus our plans to ditch Sunday – School were thwarted. So there we sat, face-to-face with our would-be accuser.

Everybody cheered when the bell rang on Monday afternoon, signaling freedom, but the sound held dread for the two of us. The room cleared and we were alone: Mrs. Frost and the sinners-Elizabeth and I.

“We cheated on the test”, I blurted out “we felt very bad, we’re so sorry, we’ll never do anything like that again for the rest of our lives, that is, if we’ re allowed to live the rest of …” Elizabeth stepped on my foot. “Please forgive us,” she said.

Mrs Frost was slow to answer. Finally, she said: “I am glad you came to me, girls. That took courage and shows a great deal of integrity. But you have made a sad mistake and must suffer the consequences”.

1. For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage:

1. Mould,
2. Immersed,
3. Steadily,
4. Thwarted,
5. Dread.

2. Give two reasons why Mrs Frost commended respect in the whole town.
3. (i.) How did the two friends feel after the offence?

(ii) Give two reasons for your answer.

4. Mention, in your own words, two events that worsened their plight during the weekend.
5. a sad mistake

1. What is the grammatical name given to this construction?
2. What is its function?
3. My heart throbbing in my fingertips.

What figure of speech is illustrated by the above expression?

PASSAGE 20

The following day was a Sunday and we all went to service at the Baptist church in the town. You can never get in too much of spiritual blessing, I thought, as we sat and listened to the man of God talk about sin and its creator Satan. I wondered if he also knew of the dark goings on down the river.

Zeki’s uncle – I have forgotten his name now – loaned us one of his canoes which was fitted with an outboard motor and paddles. He also assisted his nephew in recruiting five trusted fishermen to act as crew, guides, porters and support troops.

The yarn that was given to the men was that this was a government operation to racce the island (and possibly surrounding ones) preparatory to sending in oil exploration teams, and that discretion was the word. Of course if you go and mention oil in these parts you will have people doing back somersaults for you in deep water.

The Orahsi River joins the Sombreyo at Abonnema Creek and from thence both of them stroll down in majestic splendor to the sea. As is usual with estuaries, the whole place is littered with islands and it was one of these that we made for. We couldn’t have found it, of course, in a month of Sundays were it not for the help of the experts in the boat. Which made me think that Brother Nankia and Associate, realizing what initial difficulties we were likely to meet, had arranged for Zeki to appear on the scene? If they could do it with Audu why not with Zeki?

Our crew did not at all relish the idea of getting entangled with the mysterious forces on the island, which they had all been hearing about. They liked taking part in “government business”, true. With good pay and the possibility of future employment, but… Zeki brought out his revolver and began to clean it. He also opened a longish box and display two sub-machine guns lying inside. Confidence was restored in some measure.

We approached the target island, as it was getting dark. The leader of crew – Stephen, I think his name was – told us that there was a beach on its eastern side and that there were usually some canoes and a powerful launch there; that people had been seen to come and go on the beach, some in powerful boats, others in canoes. Nobody seemed to know much who these were, but they were not friendly types at all. We gave this beach a wide berth and chose a little creek that ran in on the northwest. We cut off our engine some distance away and relied on the paddles.

Before we set off Zeki had changed into an old battle-dress and Aimie and I got into our one-piece suits. I was glad of this because no sooner were we within range than the mosquitoes came at us by the million. Aimie dived her hand into her bag and brought out a mosquito repellant. Zeki and I joined her in smearing it on faces, necks and hands. The fishermen just looked at us and smiled pityingly. Their trebly-thick skins were quite insensitive to the bites of the creatures.

Just before light died out we came to a little place where there was a bit of sand. The mangrove forest loomed all round and the mud smelled rotten. We landed here and immediately to the right and left we heard subdued splashes in the water. Mighty crocodiles were slithering into the river and my memory raced back to an encounter with one of the creatures. I shivered a little, I can tell you, but took courage from the company around and firearms in our possession.

We cleared a sport-no point at all in sitting on thorns or having branches poke out your eyes-but we lit no light. Old campaigner Zeki was dead against this. Good soldiers, said he, don’t light fires because, though useful for roasting cocoa-yams and warming the bully beef, if you have any, they also announce your presence to all the fauna in the vicinity, including the two-legged ones who may not be friends of yours at all. No, said he, the thing to do is to sit as silently as possible in darkness and sentries.

Answer all the questions in this section.

1. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase, which means the same and can replace it in the passage:

1. Dark
2. Yarn
3. Relish
4. Slithering
5. Dead

2. What was the main reason why the fishermen readily joined the expedition?
3. Mention two benefits the crew expected to derive from the expedition.
4. “We gave this beach a wide berth” What does the narrator mean here?
5. What was the feeling of the narrator in the mangrove forest?

Quote one word to support your answer.

6. What was the narrator’s attitude toward Zeki?
7. “Both of them stroll down in majestic splendor to the sea”

What figure of speech is used in this construction?

8. “Sub-machine”

1. What part of speech is this construction?
2. What is its grammatical function?

PASSAGE 21

Are you a young and up coming leader? Have you completed various levels of education this year? Have you been asking yourself why life has been so unkind to you and you’ve been wondering if you could make it in life because of the diverse problems you many be facing? If you answered yes to any of this questions then this article is dedicated to you.

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze us, but to help us move on to discover who we are. A lot of the things you have been experiencing and the pain you have endured all this while is to build you up to be able to use your circumstances to encourage and support others.

Learn to cherish every moment of your life and to drop any emotional baggage you many be carrying. It is said that flowers grow out of dark moments. Life is the same and to live a succession of such moments is to succeed.

The examinations are over but you still have a long way to go. Although your life is what you make it, it mostly depends on the choices you make.

Be more careful with those you choose as friends; and choose only those who will assist you to develop. Guard your integrity and seek to work hard.

Set your priorities right and never forget that what you put into life is what your will get back. It is said that time and tide wait for no man. Ten to fifteen years from now you will be very disappointed by the things you could have done but neglected. Never be tired of seeking knowledge. Read and read and read.

Mark Twain, an international motivational speaker, made a statement which has made a great impact on me and it could influence you as well.

He said, “let us so live that when we come to die the undertaker will be sorry.” Won’t that be great?

You do not have to be afraid of life. You only have to believe life is worth living no matter the odds. A professor friend of mine recounted what he called the good old days with me the other day, and his is what he said:

“Those days when we used to kindle the fire in the coal pot and ate roasted cassava and maize for breakfast and lunch made me decide to work very hard, so that I will one day also drink tea in the morning and my children will wear shoes to school. Look at me today; this is how far God has brought me.”

Don’t be one of the numerous people who are reported to have died with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because such people are not able to face life; the tragedy of life is not that it is short but too many of us wait for too long before we start anything worthwhile.

It is gratifying to note that in present day Ghana even 13-year olds are writing articles for publication in the media and some are even publishing books. You can even do better if only you choose not to give up.

Here are a few inspirational quotes for you. It is my hope that they will inspire you.

• Life is like riding a bicycle. You don’t fall off unless you plan to stop peddling. Claude Pepper.
• Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead that is where your future lies. Ann Landers
• Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us Thomas Holdscroft
• Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not a charge on you because you are a vegetarian. Shari Barr.
• Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well Josh Billing.
• The only reason anyone will ever hate you, is because they want to be just like you, never strike back when they hate you. Author unknown.
• Where your focus goes there will your life also go. Author unknown
• You mean the world to a lot of people and it may interest you to know that someone you don’t know even exists is keenly interested in you and believes that a good leader will come out of you one day.

1. To whom does the author dedicate the article?
2. According to the author, what is the essence of the pains one goes through?
3. State two pieces of advice the author has given to his readers.
4. Why do many people die without having used their talents?
5. You mean the world to a world of people. What figure of speech is used in this expression?
6. ……..roasted cassava

1. What is the grammatical name of this construction?
2. State its function
3. …………in the morning

1. State the grammatical name of this construction
2. What is its function?
3. Read and read and read.

What literary device is used in this expression?

9. Won’t that be great?

What figure of speech is used here?

10. For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it in the passage.
11. Diverse (ii) impact (iii) odds (iv) music

(v) focus

PASSAGE 22

World peace is threatened by the numerous racial conflicts around the globe. Most racial situations today seem to involve a characteristic confrontation. Generally, these situations emanate from accumulated memories of the past and frustrations and grievances of the present; these are the two main things which determine the mood in which people meet and give birth to prejudices and attitudes which get in the way of mutual understanding.

The most common conflict situation is the one in which one group, convinced of its superiority, suppresses another, usually a minority group. Its members tend to assume that their dominance is ordained by heaven and therefore unchangeable. On the other hand, the minority group often feels it has been deprived of its rights and tries to reestablish them. It is usually excluded from all positions of honour in the community and relegated to menial tasks. Its self-confidence is systematically assailed and sometimes undermined. Faced with such flagrant abuse, minority groups have reacted to their conditions in a number of ways.

In North America for example, apart from resisting slavery, the African American developed a group consciousness which provided a basis for a kind of black nationalism. This consciousness is a rebellion against the Whiteman’s religion and civilization which is regarded as part of an arrangement to enslave and humiliate the black man. There have been two trends in this black nationalism. One school of thought, championed by Frederick Douglas, sought to secure the rights of the black man in a multiracial society. The other movement, whose major adherents included Marcus Garvey and Delaney, aimed at building a black society in isolation.

Another situation, which is not only puzzling but very explosive, is that there exists an unbridgeable gap between races that have lived together for long periods. Over the years, resentment has been built up to the point of hatred. Time, one would think, should enable people to come together to be adjusted to the strangeness of each other’s culture, and to accommodate themselves to social and psychological conditions that new contacts create yet when one looks at the enigmatic situation in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and even Northern Ghana, one finds that members of the same community are in fact separated by an invisible, but real and palpable barrier. What else than the attitude that altogether excluded the desire to co-exist can cause this? And this being so, it becomes almost impossible for the races to see one another as they really are. This antagonism led to the disintegration of nations and societies.

One should however not despair because the international community knows the answer to the problems of hatred and intolerance that is tearing some nations apart. It knows that the solution is to be found in a society of freedom and equal opportunities for every-one to exercise their abilities.

1. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage:
2. Emanate ii. Abuses iii. Puzzling iv. Resentment v. disintegration

1. State three causes of racial conflict
2. According to the passage, which condition drives one race to suppress another?
3. Give two ways in which minority groups are suppressed
4. State the difference between the two trends in black nationalism
5. According to the passage, what should people to do prevent racial conflict?
6. Invisible
7. What part of speech is this word?

ii What is its function in its context?

1. From the reading of the last paragraph, what is the writer’s attitude towards the problem of racial conflict?
2. “Tearing some nations apart” What figure of speech is used in this expression?