Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
The case of Dr. David Akide drives home the point that nobody should be written off as a failure as long as he has not died. As far as I can retail, he was one of the weakest in class throughout our primary school career. Right from the second grade, he was the butt of most of our jokes. Indeed, whenever the teacher referred a question to him, most of us waited eagerly to have a good laugh. But we all admired him for two things. For one thing. he was the only one who never wrote with the right hand as he was a complete southpaw. Then, he endured all the jokes cheerfully and indeed referred to himself as “Mr. Why Hurry.” For ever sociable, he was a friend to everybody who came close enough.
Not surprising, we left him behind in the primary school as he could not get admitted to any of the secondary schools to which he took an admission examination. That was why. from the time I entered the secondary school, I lost contact with him. Nor did any of my mates whom I closely associated with ever mention meeting him anywhere. As far as most of us were concerned. David had faded away into obscurity. I imagined that he must have ended up in one of the low-grade vocations since he was at least good in handicraft.
Then. a few months ago thirty-eight years after I last saw him in the primary school, while I was watching a 9 0′ clock television network programme, I saw David being interviewed by a team of reporters. He was introduced as a specialist surgeon who have made his mark in heart surgery in the nation’s leading teaching hospital. The questions were on his recent feat in his successful correction of abnormality in the heart of a patient who had been written off by • most other specialists. The patient fully recovered and was now back in his vocation as a mechanic.
I was amazed. I was pleasantly surprised. From the interview. it became clear that he had experienced a surge in intellectual prowess late in his secondary career and zoomed into and through the university as a medical students. Thereafter, it had been one major achievement after another for him in his chosen field.
(a) What evidence is there that the writer is not a young person?
(b) For what two things was David Akide admired by others in the primary school?
(c) Why could he not move into a secondary school then along with the others?
(d) What did the writer assume had been the fate of David after leaving the primary school?
(e) What is established by the fact that David Akide was being interviewed by a panel of reporters on the nation’s network programme?
(f) Why was the writer amazed?
(g) “… while I was watching a 9 o. clock television network programme …”
(i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression as it is used in the passage?
(ii) What is its function?
(h) ” … zoomed into and through the university, ..
(i) What figure of speech is used in this expression?
(ii) What does it mean?
(i) 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) cheerfully (ii) sociable (iii) imagined (iv) vocation (v) achievement
Explanation
(a) The evidence is that he had left primary school thirty-eight years before.
(b)(i) He (was the only pupil who) wrote with his left hand. He was a complete southpaw.
(ii) He was sociable/friendly/cheerful.
(c) He could not pass the entrance examinations.
(d) The writer assumed that David had taken up a low-grade vocation.
(e) The fact that David Akide was being interviewed by a panel of reporters on the television network proves that he was an important person (an achiever).
(f) He was amazed because Akide, (a weak pupil), had become a specialist surgeon.
(g) i It is an adverbial clause (of time).
(ii) It modifies (the verb) "saw"
(h) It is a metaphor.
(ii) it means that Akide had gone through the university quickly.
(i)(i) cheerful - light heartedly, in good spirits, heartily, without taking offence, pleasantly.
(ii) sociable - affable, pleasant, outgoing, easy to get along with.
(iii) imagined - assumed, presumed, thought, felt, took it.
(iv) vocation - career, job, occupation, work.
(v) achievement - accomplishment, success, feat, attainment.