A nagging problem in your family has so far defied all solutions. Write a letter to an uncle of yours stating what the problem is and giving reasons why he should intervene.
Read the following passage carefully and answer, in your own words as far as possible, the question that follows.
Poverty! Can anyone who has not really been poor know what poverty is? I really doubt it. How can anyone who enjoys three square meals a day explain what poverty means? Indeed can someone who has two full meals a day claim to know poverty? Perhaps, one begins to grasp the full meaning of poverty when one struggles really hard to have one miserable meal in twenty-four hours. Poverty and hunger are cousins, the former always dragging along the latter wherever he chooses to go.
If you were wearing a suit, or a complete traditional attire, and you look naturally rotund in your apparel, you cannot understand what poverty entails. Nor can you have a true feel of poverty if you have some good shirts and pairs of trousers, never mind that all these are casual wear. Indeed, if you can change one dress into another, and these are all you can boast of, you are not really poor. A person begins to have a true feel of what poverty means when, apart from the tattered clothes on his body, he doesn’t have any other; not even a calico sheet to keep away the cold at night.
Let us face it, how can anyone who has never slept outside, in the open, appreciate the full, harsh import of homelessness? Yet that is what real, naked poverty is. He who can lay claim to a house, however humble, cannot claim to be poor. Indeed, if he can afford to rent a flat, or a room in town or city, without the landlord having cause to eject him, he cannot honestly claim to be poor. The really poor man has no roof over his head, and this is why you find him under a bridge, in a tent or simply in the vast open air.
But that is hardly all. The poor man faces the world as a hopeless underdog. In every bargain, every discussion, every event involving him and others, the poor man is constantly reminded of his failure in life. Nobody listens attentively when he makes a point, nobody accepts that his opinion merits consideration. So in most cases, he learns to accept that he has neither wisdom nor opinion.
The pauper’s lot naturally rubs off on his child who is subject not only to hunger of the body but also of the mind. The pauper lacks the resources to send his child to school. And even in communities where education is free, the pauper’s child still faces an uphill task because the hunger of the body impedes the proper nourishment of the mind. Denied access to modern communications media, the poor child has very little opportunity to understand the concepts taught him. His mind is rocky soil on which the teacher’s seeds cannot easily germinate. Thus embattled at home and then at school, the pauper’s child soon has very little option but to drop out of school.
That is still not all. Weakened by hunger, embattled by cold and exposure to the elements, feeding on poor water and poor food, the pauper is an easy target for diseases. This is precisely why the poorest countries have the shortest life expectancy while the longest life expectancies are recorded among the richest countries. Poverty is really a disease that shortens life!
(a)In six sentences, one for each, summarize the problems of the poor man.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
In the 1960s and 1970s undergraduates did not need to apply for employment. Employees usually wooed them by depositing offers of jobs in their halls of residence for those interested to pick and choose from as soon as they finished writing their degree examinations. How things have changed! We have since “progressed” from this age of abundance in which unemployment was hardly heard of to one of economic recession and widespread unemployment. The problem is so acute that one finds unemployment even among engineers and doctors.
What are the causes of this phenomenon? For one thing, our educational system does not train its products for self-employment. Everybody expects the government or the private sector to provide them with a job at the end of their studies. As we have now realised, the government and the private sector combined cannot create enough jobs to go around the army of graduates turned out annually by our universities. For another, many parents encourage their children to enrol in courses leading to prestigious and lucrative professions for which they may be intellectually unsuited. They end up obtaining poor degrees or none at all. Such graduates cannot compete in the job market, so they swell the ranks of the unemployable and the unemployed.
Perhaps the most important single cause of unemployment is economic recession. During periods of boom, economic activities are generated in abundance and these make plenty of jobs available. But the reverse is the case in times of economic recession.
There is no simple solution to the problem. Everyone in the society has a role to play here. The government has a duty to ensure that the economy is buoyant, thus providing the right environment for the creation of jobs. The educational authorities have to orientate the process of education towards the production of job creators rather than job seekers. Guidance and counselling services should be made available in all secondary institutions. Parents, too, should stop misdirecting their children into choosing careers for which they are ill-suited.
(a)(i) What was the employment situation like in the 1960s and 1970s?
(ii) What is the situation now?
(b) In what ways do the education systems, the parents and the students contribute to the unemployment situation?
(c) Mention three suggestions given in the last paragraph for solving the problem.
(d) Why does the writer enclose the word progressed (First paragraph) in quotation marks?
(e) ……..for which they may be intellectually unsuited.
(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression?
(ii)What is its function as it is used in the sentence?
(f) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage:
(i) recession
(ii) acute
(iii) army
(iv) lucrative
(v) boom
(vi) orientate
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Bitrus, a middle-aged man, was speeding along the hot tarmac one afternoon, oblivious to the countryside. By his side, reading a magazine was his first son, a twenty-year-old university computer science student. On the man’s mind was the contract he was pursuing in the capital city. It was worth several million dollars. Although he had handled bigger contracts before, Bitrus was preoccupied with this new challenge, his mind far away from the road before him. His son was also buried in the magazine he was reading. So neither saw the goat crossing the road early enough. Like an automaton, Bitrus jammed on the brakes. In a flash, there was a skid and a somersault. The villagers worked for almost an hour on the huge Mercedes before rescuing the two.
There, in the casualty ward, the duo lay on the stretchers. Bitrus was soon in a fairly stable, but anybody would know that the son needed prompt specialist medical attention. The doctor was sent for, a surgeon who regularly handled such cases. Soon enough, the doctor came. The nurses heaved a sigh of relief. But then… “Oh no, I can’t handle this case. He’s my son!” Everyone was shocked. One of the nurses pleaded. “But doctor, you must do something otherwise,… “No, he’s my son. I’ll have to transfer this case.” And so tearfully, more agitated than anybody around, the doctor hurried away to call a colleague.
Here was Bitrus, with multiple injuries, but not in danger. In the adjoining room was his son, still comatose. How then could a doctor come in and say, “This is my son”? Wasn’t Bitrus the father after all? Most people would reason that the doctor was truly the secret biological father. Others, reasoning hard, would conclude that the doctor was Bitrus’s father and thus was right in describing him as his son. But for how long would people continue to think that all doctors must be male? Couldn’t the doctor have simply been Mrs. Bitrus?
(a) (i) What was the remote cause of the accident? (ii) What was the immediate cause?
(b) What does the passage suggest about doctors’ attitude to the cases they handle?
(c) Describe the conditions of Mr. Bitrus and his son at the hospital.
(d) What assumption about doctors does the passage illustrate?
(e) His son was also buried in the magazine he was reading.
(i) What type of figurative expression is this? (ii) What is its function as it is used in the sentence?
(f) …that the doctor was truly the secret biological father.
(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression? (ii) What is its function as it is used in the sentence?
(g) For each of the following, find a word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) oblivious (ii) prompt (iii) regularly (iv) pleaded (v) agitated (vi) adjoining
Write a story, real or imagined, which illustrates the saying “Make hay while the sun shines.”
You are a speaker in a debate on the topic “Civilian rule is better than military rule.” Write your contribution for or against the motion.
The last nationwide strike by secondary school teachers affected your school adversely. Write a letter to the Minister of Education suggesting at least three ways of preventing future strike actions.
Write an article for publication in a cultural magazine on the advantages and disadvantages of the extended family system.
Write a letter to your father who has been on a long course abroad, telling him how the family has been faring in his absence.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Scientists have made spectacular advances in genetic engineering in the last fifty years. The benefits of this genetic revolution to mankind are immense and almost limitless. In the field of medicine many of the diseases that have hitherto proved incurable can now be eradicated using genetic engineering. It is now possible to identify the specific gene responsible for any given disease and to replace the diseased gene with a healthy one This new technology can now be used to cure such serious diseases as diabetes sickle-cell anaemia and cancer. Geneticists (specialists in genetic science) claim that there are several other medical benefits that can be derived from this new science. They assert that by increasing the neurons in the brain. we could slow down the ageing process.
Scientists are now on the threshold of being able to redesign the human body to make it function more efficiently. This interesting aspect of preventive medicine involves the intervention of the doctor to ensure that the foetus contains no diseased gene that can develop into a disease later on. Moreover scientists can now build or develop organs for transplant surgery. Patients who need heart or kidney transplants no longer have to wait endlessy for donors or be worried that the donated organs would be rejected by their body’s immune system.
Perhaps the greatest benefits of the genetic revolution are in the areas of crop and livestock production. Cloning. or the creation of a new plant or animal from the genetic information carried in one cell, has already been done with plants and animals. The result is the production of grains that yield their own fertilizer or can be grown in factories without sunshine and soil. Already in the United State of America genetically modified (GM) potatoes, tomatoes, apples, etc. are on sale in supermarkets. The main difference between these GM products and their conventionally produced counterparts is that the former are usually bigger and have a longer shelf-life than the latter. Consequently, most shoppers would rather go for the GM products, other things being equal. GM livestock are usually a good bargain. Imagine being offered a chicken the size of a turkey or a sheep almost as big as a cow! If the price and the taste are comparable. then the housewife would naturally prefer the GM breed. just as we now prefer the so-called “Agric” fowls to our smaller, local breed.
There are, however, serious potential dangers. The greatest risk is the escape — by accident or by design of harmful microbes from the laboratory into a world that has no defences against them. Some scientists have speculated that the HIV virus may have originated from such an accidental escape. The world has not forgotten the case of Adolf Hitler who, in furtherance of his project of creating “a superior race.” abused scientific knowledge and plunged the world into World War 11. For this reason, many governments have been cautious. or even reluctant, to give the geneticists the necessary approval to implement the results of their researches. There is no guarantee that man can be trusted not to use this new found “power” for destructive ends.
(a) In four sentences, one for each, summarize four benefits of genetic engineering to man.
(b) In two sentence, one for each, state two dangers inherent in genetic engineering.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
The great white shark is at the top of the marine food chain. In the shark family, it is the king, it will eat anything, even other sharks. But as it gets older, bigger and slower, it develops a preference for seals, penguins and carrion, especially dead whales.
In locating their food, most sharks use all their senses, including excellent vision. Their sense of smell is incredible and their ears are aided by pressure-sensitive cells along each side of their body. Nothing escapes this eavesdropping system, which is attuned to vibrations in the water. Sharks also have a sixth sense which enables them to detect the weak electrical fields emanating from the beating heart or the swimming muscles of a potential prey.
The white shark’s most fearsome assets are its huge head, its black eyes, and its razor-sharp, serrated teeth. The circulatory system of the white shark is different from that of most other sharks. Its blood temperature is about three to five degrees Celsius above water temperature; this speeds up digestion and adds to its strength and endurance.
It is known that the white shark spits out its wounded prey after an initial, powerful bite. Then it waits for the victim to die before eating it. Why does it use this bite-and-spit strategy? Experts speculate that this is because of its eyes. sockets when a collision is Unlike other sharks, the white shark has no eyelid-like membrane to protect its eyes; rather, it rotates them in their sockets when a collision is imminent. At the moment of impact, the eye is left exposed, perhaps to the flaying claws of a seal. Therefore, for the white shark, a quick mortal strike and release is common behaviour.
The public image of sharks has been greatly coloured by the novel Jaws which was turned into a popular movie. Overnight the white shark became evil incarnate. However, it is not a demon craving human flesh. The smell of blood does not drive it into a feeding frenzy as it does certain other sharks. Nevertheless it is a dangerous animal that should be treated with caution and respect
(a) How do sharks used their sixth sense?
(b) In what significant way is the circulatory system of the white shark different from that of other sharks?
(c) What according to the passage. is the probable reason why the white shark waits for its victim to die before eating it?
(d)(i) What is the writer’s attitude to the white shark?
(ii) Quote an expression expression from the passage to support your answer.
(e) “At the moment of impact…”
(i) What grammatical name is given to this given to this expression as it is used in the passage.
(ii) What is its function?
(f) “However, it is not a demon craving human flesh.” What figure of speech is contained in this expression?
(g) 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) preference; (ii) incredible, (iii) emanating: (iv) speculate: (v) mortal: (vi) coloured.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
When health workers first came to the village and talked about family planning, no one took, them seriously, including Amusa, whose young wife was then pregnant with their first baby. Had their fathers and fore before them not had as many wives and children as they desired? And had the not been able to take care of their families? So everyone shunned the family planning clinic which was established in the village shortly afterwards.
Twelve years later, Amusa was a clerical assistant in the city and lived with his wife and eight children in a single room because he could not afford larger quarters. For as long as he could remember, his large family had been gong sent going through difficult times, which appeared to be worsening lately. Only yesterday, his third child had been sent away from school because her parents could not replace her old and torn school uniform. Last year, their first son could not proceed to the secondary school as the family could not afford the cost. Then recently, the landlord had announced his intention to increase the rent.
Amusa found himself thinking about the days when he was himself a young child. His own father had had two wives and thirteen children, yet as far as he could remember, the family had not faced anything similar to what he was going through now. He suddenly realized that this was because the times had changed and that the requirements of modem living put great pressure on large family sizes. His father’s time and age had been different: he had been a successful farmer in the village, had lived in his own house, employed members of his large family as farm hands and fed everyone from the abundance of the farm. On the other hand, Amusa lived in the city on a limited income. He had no farm land nor Amusa’s shoes became wiser only when it was too late. family. And at four or five times what they cost a few years before! even a vegetable garden, and had to pay for everything, from his rented room to the smallest domestic need of his.
It was then that he sadly remembered the health workers and their gospel of family planning. How he wished he had listened and taken their advice! Unfortunately, he had not. And what was even more unfortunate was that the millions in Amusa’s shoes became wiser only when it was too late.
(a) What advice do you think the health workers gave to the villagers?
(b) Give two reasons why the villagers did not take the health workers seriously.
(c) Give two indications of Amusa’s financial difficulties.
(d) Mention any two differences between Amusa’s condition and his father’s
(e) “And what was even more unfortunate… (I) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage?
(ii) What is its function?
(f) “And had they not been able to take care of their families?”
(i) What literary device is used in this expression?
(ii) What does it mean?
(g) For each of the following words or phrases, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) shunned; (ii) established; (iii) announced; (iv) going through, (v) limited; (vi) shoes
Write a story which ends with the words, “Had I known, I wouldn’t have believed him.”
Your school’s Literary and Debating Society has organized a debate on the topic; “The Television is Doing More Harm Than Good to Our Youths.’ Write your contribution for or against the topic.
There has been a public outcry against the escalating prices of foodstuff in your area. Write a letter to your representative in the House of Assembly, stating the causes of the increases and suggesting ways or improving the situation.
The rising incidence of road traffic accidents nowadays. In a articles suitable for publication in an international magazine, discuss at least three factors responsible for this and suggest ways of improving the situation.
Your sister wants to marry a man from another ethnic group against your mother’s wishes. Write a letter to your mother giving at least three reasons why she should accept your sister’s decision.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question on it.
The dramatic increase in life expectancy globally towards the end of the twentieth century has renewed interest among scientists and laymen alike in the subject of longevity and he ageing process. This lengthening of life has been one of the greatest achievements of humanity. It was in recognition of this fact that the United Nations formally designated 1999 as the “International Year of Older Persons”. Demographers tell a surprising story: octogenarians and older people, instead of the young, now form the fastest growing population group on earth.
What then are the factors that determine man’s health and the length of his life? Recent studies have identified so„ of these. It is known that the sounder your habits the longer your life may last. Nutritionists have told us that we W what we eat, that is to say, that what we eat influences the state of our health. Instead of over-eating, one should e,e a balanced diet including fruit and plenty of vegetables. Moderate physical exercise on a regular basis is of immense benefit. The family doctor should be consulted on how much exercise and what type are most appropriate for each individual. studies have shown that simple exercises in and around the home help the elderly to regain strength and vitality.
The adage “use it or lose it” applies not only to the muscles but also to the mind. Mental exercise keeps the brains “telephone lines” alive whereas mental decline or serenity starts the moment a person retires and decides to take things easy in the erroneous belief that doesn’t have to keep up with the world any more. Many retired civil servants fall into this bad habit. They can change this unhealthy habit by being actively engaged in reading, travel, education, clubs, professional associations. It is believed that such activities not only lift the spirit but also “rewire”the brain.
In addition to these is the environment. In many developing countries the environment poses grave dangers to health, often resulting in preventable deaths. Access to clean safe water is severely limited. There are huge mountains of refuse breeding vermin, cockroaches and disease causing germs in both rural and urban areas. All this contribute, to the low life expectancy in these countries. Better sanitation, safer water for all and a reduction of vermin in the home will improve man’s environment bolster his health and extend his life-span.
The next factor is the state of medical care available in our countries. In the developed countries, advances in medical science have dramatically improved health and delivery. Unfortunately, the reverse has been the case in the poor countries of Africa and Asia. For example, in the USA, only one woman in 12,500 dies from pregnancy-related causes whereas one in 21 dies in Africa from the same causes! That speaks volumes about the deplorable state medical services.
Finally, man has made a breakthrough in controlling his genetic make-up. A decade or so ago, he had no control whatsoever over his genetic engineering. Now, he can re-design his genetic constitution to ensure better health and longer life.
(a) In six sentences, one for each, state the factors that improve man’s health and life-span.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Chief Ibezim and the District Officer were good friends Ibezim z was the chief Priest of Ani, the earth goddess in Ndiuzo, and although the District Officer was stationed in far-away, Unueke and the Chief Priest by his calling should not travel out of Ndiuzo, their friendship remained as solid as a rock.
They became friends after Ibezim had testified before the Distrit Officer in the land dispute between Ndiuzo and umueke. He was the only man to testify against his own people in that dispute, and had struck the District Officer as an honest man who was telling the truth.
This was what earned Ibezim the admiration and friendship of the District Officer. Consequently, the District Officer advised him to send his son to the new school and the new religion that held out so much promise of positive change in the future. And when the system of indirect rule necessitated the appointment of a warrant chief at Ndiuzo, the District Officer also promptly thought of his honest friend as the most suitable candidate.
On the other hand, lbesim s testimony in the land dispute earned him the wrath of many of his own people. They not only held him responsible for their loss of the disputed land but also resented his friendship with the District Officer and his patronage of the new education and religion which were threatening to erode the old ways of the land. So, when the District Officer wanted Chief lbezim at Umueke. and he sought to confer with his people on what to do, his detractors quickly turned their backs on him and left him alone in his dilemma. Some even secretly hoped that he was going to be arrested and detained.
After a long period of hesitation Ibezim finally decided to break with tradition and go to Umueke. The times were changing and he was sure the earth goddess would understand and condone his going away from the village.
When he came back, those who had wished him the worst got the shock of their lives. They now had a new Warrant Chief to rule over them!
(a) What had earned Chief Ibezim the District Officer’s friendship?
(b) State two ways in which lbezim benefited from his friendship with the District Officer.
(c) Give two reasons why the villagers were unhappy with Chief lbezim.
(d) State the dilemma in which Chief Ibezim found himself
(e) “….Ibezim finally decided to break with tradition. What tradition is meant here?
(f) “When he came back. (I) What grammatical name is given to this expression? (ii) What is its function as it is used in the sentence?
(g) ….as solid as a rock” What figure of speech is contained in this expression?
(h)For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage (i) calling: (ii) consequently;
(iii) promptly; (iv) wrath; (iv) detractors; (vi) condone.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Among the giraffes, zebra! and gazelles that roam the vast African savanna, perhaps remarkable creature is the Ostrich. Standing about 2.5 metres tall and weighing up to 155 kilograms, the ostrich is the largest bird in existence. No one can fail to be awed and fascinated by the bird’s great height, powerful legs and beautiful fluffy feathers.
Like the camel, the ostrich is tolerant of high temperatures and thrives in desert country. It also has long luxuriant eyelashes which protect its large eyes from the dust of the bushveld. Its legs are long and sinewy and its feet are strong creeps or crawls. It also dines on insects, snakes, rodents, roots and most vegetation. Because of its great size it cannot fly. However, its muscular legs are powerful enough to make it one of the fastest creatures on earth. Running across desert country, it can attain speeds of up to 65 kilometres an hour! This extraordinary swiftness and its long-distance stamina enable it to outrun many of the fastest four-legged predators with ease.
The eggs of the ostrich are the largest in the world and can weigh up to 1.5 kilograms each. Prized for its size and delicious taste, each egg is the equivalent of 25 hens’ eggs. The shell is hard and glossy and has a glazed porcelain-like finish. The empty shell is sometimes used as a container by bushmen for storing water.
In the 14th century, ostrich feathers became highly valued by fashion conscious Europeans, Yet hunting the ostrich was not easy, since the birth has very keen eyesight and swiftly flees from danger. Consequently, the ostrich was in no danger of extinction at that time.
But in the 19th century, armed with modern weapons, hunters slaughtered ostriches by the millions, and today the noble ostrich has become an endangered species.
(a) Give three reasons why the ostrich egg is considered valuable.
(b) How does the ostrich survive attack by predators ?
(c) What common characteristic of birds does the ostrich lack?
(d) Why did the Europeans value ostrich feathers?
(e) The eggs of the ostrich….” (i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression? (ii) What is its function as it used in the sentence?
(f) What is the writer’s attitude to the ostrich?
(g) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) vast; (ii) remarkable; (iii) fascinated: (iv) thrives; (v) outrun; (vi) extinction
Write a story ending with: “He reaped what he sowed.” The story should be suitable for publication in your school magazine.