Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
When Bademosi heard that he had some visitors from Ireti, his hometown, he concluded immediately that they a must be the usual seekers of financial assistance. or jobs. He decided that this time, he would give them the rough edge of his tongue. They had come because earlier callers had not reported what he had stressed: that he was not in Kapitatown for anyone’s sake.
He took his time to put his office and workshop in order. determined not to leave in a hurry just because of some stubborn fortune-seekers. He made sure that all his seventy-two workers had signed out before he signaled to his driver. There, in the huge limousine, he thought of the new multi-million dollar contract for his construction company and how he would get a helicopter from the profit. That would be the ultimate solution to the persistent problem of the traffic congestion which he faced in Kapitatown.
The five-kilometre distance to his mansion was covered in about two hours. On arrival, his youngest wife informed i him that his visitors were chiefs from Ireti. He felt a revulsion as he imagined that they must have come with a king-size request. As he entered the house. he steeled his mind. However. the three chiefs disarmed him with their cheerful smiles. Each met him in the doorway with a bear hug. As soon as the chit-chat ended, they announced that the Ireti ruling council had decided to confer on him the highest traditional title of the land and that a date had been set for the great event. He was flabbergasted; so they had come with an offer. He immediately accepted.
Thereafter, things moved very fast. He contacted all the great names in the country, among them his state governor, the top politicians in the land and his business associates from far and near. However, he did not even pay a preparatory visit to Ireti. He took everything for granted.
The great day came. Hundreds of limousines from far and near streamed into Ireti. As he was not the only awardee, the conferment ceremony began with the others Each took about fifteen minutes; so before Bademosi’s turn, all his invited guests had arrived Just as he was called some heavily-built youngsters appeared Shouting into the microphone, their leader announced “Bademosi doesn’t deserve this conferment and cannot have the title. A man who has deserted his community for more than thirty years who did not think it proper to return home to care for his ailing parents before they died, and who has consistently turned deaf ears to the calls of our youths, cannot have the title. Good day. everybody!”
With that, the youths continued to appear in their hundreds, angry and fierce, wielding all forms of weapons, warning everybody to disappear immediately otherwise heads would roll including theirs if the police wanted it so. Within minutes the whole arena was deserted
(a) How had Bademosi treated visitors from his Bademosi is wealthy?
(b) Why has Bademosi planned to buy a helicopter?
(d) What should Bademos have done before the day of the conferment of the title?
(e) Give two reasons why the youths objected to Bademosi s installation?
(f) ”As soon as the chit-chat ended
(i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression as it is used in the passage?
(ii) What is its function?
(g) “… give them the rough edge of his tongue
(i) What figure of speech is used in this expression?
(ii) What does it mean?
(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) stressed (ii) ultimate, (iii) flabbergasted (iv) deserted (v) disappear.
Explanation
(a) He treated them with contempt/disdain/disrespect or He treated them shabbily
(b) The evidence that he is wealthy is:
(i) he has a company that employs many workers;
(ii) he lives in a mansion: (iii) he owns a limousine. (iv) he has plans to buy a helicopter; (v) he has a multi-million dollar contract.
(c) He has planned to buy a helicopter in order to beat/avoid the traffic congestion in Kapita town
(d) He ought to have visited Ireti/his people/his home town.
(e) The youths objected to his installation because (i) he had isolated himself from his people/he had deserted his community; (ii) he failed to take care of his parents when they were sick; (iii) he had turned a deaf ear to the calls of the youths.
(f)(i) Adverbial clause (of time) (ii) It modifies (the verb) 'announced'.
(g)(i) Metaphor (ii) It means speak angrily or harshly to them.
(h)(i) stressed: emphasized, reiterated, pointed out (ii) ultimate: final, eventual, best, ideal (iii) flabbergasted: stunned, astounded, amazed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, (extremely) surprised. (iv) deserted: forsaken abandoned, neglected. (iv) disappear: vanish, leave, quit, go away.