2008 WAEC English Language Theory  Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.       I have great sympathy…

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

      I have great sympathy for the common fear that is suffered by young people when examinations are looming ahead. Sometimes it is the actual examination they fear but equally likely to excite fear are the expectations of the parents who are keen on their offspring results in failures which could be avoided. achieving good results. Pressure in these circumstances only leads to more fear and often results in failure which could be avoided.

      My very last examination was an oral and I knew that everything depended on the kind of impression I made on the government representative who I expected, had difficult questions for me. This, though, was not the only reason for my apprehension. As a youth, I was often teased because I was small in stature. I was obsessed with it. I was very self-conscious, therefore, about meeting this important man. Fortunately, the previous day 1 had learned another lesson from nature, one which was to help me in my face-to-face encounter with the examiner.

      I had been staying with my aunt and uncle in order to do some last-minute preparations. I went through my books that afternoon, sitting outside in the sunshine until about three o’clock, when the weather took a turn for the worse. The sky looked menacing and, as the clouds gathered in the distance, I heard the rumble of thunder. The lovely sunny afternoon was changing to a dark and dismal evening. Several times I broke my concentration to look at a very beautiful water lily in the pond. As I quickly gathered up my books, I remembered the lily and went over to see it for the last time that day. I was just in time to see the flower close its petals as the rumble of the distant thunder grew louder. I didn’t mind getting wet as I realized that the rain could do nothing to damage the delicate, inner beauty of the lily.

      This simple act of nature restored my confidence and I realized that I too could muster courage to face the examiner. I could, in fact, protect the inner me from the outside world. My new-found philosophy worked! Of the eight people who sat for the examination that day, only two succeeded and the government representative congratulated me on being the youngest candidate ever to have passed.

      I was lucky for I had learnt to control my obsession with my stature.

(a) According to the writer, what two things excite fear in young people going for examinations?

(b) Give two reasons for the writer’s apprehension before the examination.

(c) Why was the writer almost obsessed with his small stature?

(d) How did the observation of the lily affect the writer?

(e) What proof is there in the passage that the writer actually passed the exam?

(f) The sky looked menacing ….. What figure of speech is contained in this expression?

(g) …. because I was small in stature.

(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage?

(ii) what is its function?

(h) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) excite; (ii) offspring; (iii) apprehension; (iv) dismal; (v) delicate; (vi) muster.