Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Most of the discussions in the newspapers today in Nigeria focus on the problem of corruption and its pervasive effects on our national life. It is a phenomenon which appears to have settled comfortably with us, more so that we now regard it, in a rather casual manner as a normal way of life. One may then wish to ask, what exactly is the complexion of corruption in Nigeria? Why is it so pervasive and how can it be minimized. if not completely eradicated?
Corruption takes many forms in the country. Contracts are not awarded on the objective criteria of professional competence and results of good feasibility studies. It is a matter of personal relationships, club affiliations or the expectation of some kick-backs. Loans are not given out by banks on the merit of what you need them for; it is the kick-backs from the loans that decide the manager’s approval. Those who need jobs either have to bribe their way through to get the jobs or they do not get any.
Limited opportunities, the fast declining state of the economy. poor awareness of the rights the state allows. dire needs and a host of others have often been cited as factors responsible for the picture painted above.
Many suggestions have been offered for the alleviation of the problem Some of these suggestions are practical while others appear unrealistic especially in the context of the present orientation in the country. However, the view being held in this write-up is that the problem of corruption can only be tackled by the application of some practical solutions. Thus, we have to start with our leaders. It is being suggested here that our leaders must learn to lead by example. It is not enough for them to condemn corruption, they themselves must not be seen to be involved in any dirty practice. This calls for a great deal of honesty from them coupled with an appreciable degree of integrity and the readiness to help others without expecting to be cheaply rewarded.
Our educational system needs a serious overhaul to achieve some positive results. The teaching programmes must include subjects like Civics and Social Studies which normally expose students to their rights, the limits of such rights and the virtues of good neighbourliness Moral instruction in the schools should be tilted in favour of those imperatives that emphasize justice, fairness and selflessness. In addition, we need a radical reorientation with regard to our value system in the country. There should be less emphasis on the acquisition of material things. Those things that help to uplift the glory and name of the country need to be promoted.
(a) In two short sentences, give the writer’s reasons for the wide-spread corruption in Nigeria.
(b) In one short sentence, explain the common pattern that corruption takes in the country.
(c) In three short sentences, summarize what the writer considers to be the practical solutions to the problem of corruption in the country.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
The finest asset any child can have is a happy home. Such environment will enable him to develop strength and stability of character, thereby teaching him to face the future without fear or undue anxiety. It also will give him something worthwhile to live for. If he exhibits good judgement in later years, much of the credit must go to those who trained him. If he fails, it may have been due to troubles in his home. his school or unsympathetic and hostile relatives. A great i percentage of juvenile problems can be traced to faulty home education and unwholesome influences in early childhood. Undoubtedly, there would be fewer juvenile delinquents if there were more homes where children learned to love and respect their fellow men.
Remember this: happy parents create happy homes; happy homes produce happy children happy children make happy communities and happy communities make a happier world.
(a) Give one word that could replace each of the following in the passage: (i) asset (ii) stability; (iii) worthwhile; (iv) exhibits; (v) hostile: (vi) unwholesome
(b) State in three sentences, three reasons given by the writer to support his view that a happy home is the finest asset any child can have (c) What does the writer mean by: (i) undue anxiety, (ii) juvenile delinquents?
(d) Give from the passage. one: (i) abstract noun which means honour or praise;
(ii) adverb which means certainly: (iii) verb which means make or produce
(e) In one sentence, state why you think the author uses the word happy many times in the last paragraph.
Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions on it.
It was a sunny day in the month of May. The sun took its rightful position very early, lending credence to the general feeling that Andrew’s birthday ceremony was going to be greeted with the blessing of a pleasant climate. The sky looked so bright that Andrew insisted on having an open-air party. The habitual doubting Thomases had no dissenting opinions to express. Andrew had gone to a great length to ensure a hitch-free party; a party which would remain the talk of the town. Although it was not intended to be free for all, a lot had been done to stamp the occasion on the memories of many people long afterwards.
The bright sun continued to smile. Andrew’s face beamed with pleasure with every passing moment. Very few of his conternporaries have so succeeded in reaching the top of the ladder. Andrew in particular had been an orphan of storm. His father’s, death during his third year in the secondary school and that of his mother two years later were only two of this orphan’s ‘storms’. He suffered a physical misfortune when a stockfish machine severed his left middle finger. But Andrew did not despair.
The courage to fail is very cheap. Every fool can afford to fail But it raises one above the herd of cowards and never-do-wells to be up and struggling. The reward of forbearance in the end is resounding success. And so it was for Andrew. Ever since he finished his university education, it had been success galore. He had got a good i job in one of the country’s insurance companies. His pay was good, his promotion had been steady and his prospects seemed bright. At forty, he had a good car and had already bought a house of his own. The world was at his feet!
(a) Give, in (iii) word or phrase, the meaning of each of the following words, as used in the passage: (i) dissenting; (ii) stamp; (iii) contemporaries.
(b) What figure of speech is “the bright sun continued to smile?”
(c) (i) What kind of grammatical structure is “the courage to fail?” (ii) What is its function in the sentence?
(d) What two hardships had Andrew gone through in life?
(e) What is implied by the expression The world was at his feet?
Narrate an experience you have had or heard about which illustrates the saying: ‘Honesty is the best policy’
In a letter to your brother who has been studying abroad for the past five years, describe at least three ways in which the current economic situation has affected the way of life of your family.
There has been a violent demonstration in your school in which damage was done to school property. Write a report for the principal stating the causes of the demonstration, and what you think should be done to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.
There has been an outcry in the country against the desire to get rich quickly, bribery and corruption, embezzlement of public funds and other forms of moral decadence. Write an article, suitable for publication in a national magazine, stating the causes of these social evils and suggesting possible solutions.
Write a letter to the Commissioner for Agriculture informing him of the invasion, by certain pests, of farms in your locality and asking for advice and help in controlling them.
Your school has been invited to participate in a debate on the topic: Co-education in secondary schools should be abolished. Write out your speech for or against the motion.
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 100 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. architectural
- B. commissioned
- C. supervisory
- D. professional
- E. pragmatic
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 99 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. rigidity
- B. flexibility
- C. standard
- D. medium
- E. solidity
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 98 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. ensures
- B. assures
- C. assumes
- D. insures
- E. presumes
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 97 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. continues
- B. demands
- C. prepares
- D. commences
- E. arranged
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 96 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. probed
- B. dug
- C. levelled
- D. hewn
- E. arranged
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 95 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. built
- B. managed
- C. heated
- D. erected
- E. used
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 94 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. in
- B. with
- C. on
- D. under
- E. up
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 93 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. thoroughly
- B. barely
- C. rarely
- D. commonly
- E. crudely
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 92 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. floor
- B. ground
- C. site
- D. bush
- E. cite
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 91 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. environs
- B. area
- C. context
- D. atmosphere
- E. environment
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 90 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. cost
- B. amount
- C. price
- D. payment
- E. profit
When you desire to erect a building, you must -88- a plan that is -89- both from the point of view of -90- and that of -91-. The -92- must be -93- cleared. Having decided -94- the building materials to be -95- the foundation is then -96-. The builder then -97- to erect the building. He -98- that the bricks are of the -99- recommended by -100- builders.
In question numbered 89 above, choose the best option from letters A – E that best completes the gap
- A. beautiful
- B. commendable
- C. admirable
- D. qualitative
- E. practicable