ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Paper: 2 (Theory)
Time:1hr, 45 minutes
Answer three questions in all: one question from Part A and questions 4 and
5
PART A
[15 marks]
Answer one question from this part.
All questions carry equal marks.
Your answer should not be less than 400 words. You are advised to spend
about 45 minutes on this part.
1. The topic of an essay competition organised by the Young Writers Club for
final year students is: Civilian rule is more preferable to military rule in
Nigeria. Write your entry for or against the topic.
2. You witnessed the campaigns that preceded a local government election in
your area in which your favourite candidate was defeated. Give a vivid
account of the events before, during and after the election, explaining why
you think the candidate lost.
3. You have changed school and after a few months, you discover that your
present school is not as good as the former. Write a letter to a friend of yours
in your former school giving at least three areas in which the new school
does not measure up to the old one.
PART B
Section I
Comprehension
[10 marks]
Answer all questions in this part.
You are to spend about 30 minutes in this section.
4. Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions on it.
When Chief Obinwa read the note and absorbed its terse content, he
nearly collapsed. For minutes, he stared at it in utter disbelief. But much as
he wished otherwise, the message was clear, the robbers had indicated that
they would visit him very soon, and that 'no force in the world' would stop
them from carting away all he had. The note ended by warning him in his
'own interest' not to be funny by informing the police or other law-
enforcement agents.
As a wealthy business man, Chief Obinwa had seen enough of life to
know that the gang meant business. He could recall at least half a dozen
men who had got such sinister notes in the past, and who had been robbed
as planned. One of them had contacted the police which then guarded his
house for weeks. But the robbers struck all the same — they attacked him in
his expensive car on his way to another town, thrashed him thoroughly, and
relieved him of the car.
So, contacting the police was out of it, he decided. But what could he do?
He confided in his closest friend, who had been his business associate for
thirty years. The latter advised him to vacate his house for as long as it was
necessary and seek refuge in a hotel. After giving this much thought, Chief
Obinwa checked into Exclusive Hotel. But he stayed only for a night. He
reasoned that leaving his retinue of wives, children, servants and
relatives behind was not the best solution. So, emptying the water in an
over-head tank, Chief Obinwa turned the tank into his refuge every night. His
powerful double-barrelled rifle in hand, he hid in the tank late in the night,
waiting.
Then, one night, the robbers came in a lorry. They were about a dozen.
As they were forcing their way in, Obinwa aimed at their leader, and brought
him down with a loud report. Another shot, and a second man fell. Surprised,
the others fled, with Chief Obinwa's shots seeing them off. By day break, the
news spread fast. The body of Chief Obinwa's friend and business associate
was found in a pool of blood at the entrance to the chiefs house. He was the
leader of the gang!
(a) (i) What message did Chief Obinwa receive? 1/2 mark
(ii) Why did he decide not to call in the police? 1/2 mark
(b) Why did Chief Obinwa's friend give the kind of advice he gave? 1 mark
(c) Why did Chief Obinwa drop the idea of continuing to hide in a hotel?
1mark
(d) Why was the chief able to repel the thieves single-handedly? 1mark
(e) "his retinue of wives, children servants and relatives behind "
(i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression? 1mark
(ii) What is its function? 1mark
(f) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that could
replace it as used in the passage:
(i) absorbed 1mark
(ii) sinister 1mark
(iii) associate 1mark
(iv) refuge 1mark
Total: 10 Marks
Section II
Summary
[10 marks]
You are to spend about 30 minutes in this section.
5. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
There are gifts of nature without which human survival on Earth is
impossible. Some of these gifts include water, oxygen and the forest. The
last is of particular interest. Forests occupy a vast landmass and are found in
many parts of the World. They are uncultivated lands thickly covered with
trees. Forests have played a significant role in the Survival of humans,
Unfortunately, thousands of hectares are destroyed each year due to human
activities. It is, however, becoming increasingly obvious that if appropriate
steps are not taken to curb the wave of forest destruction, the future Survival
of humans iş hanging in the balance. This realization is fueling the campaign
to preserve this wonderful gift of nature.
Forests are more important to humans than humans are to them.
Forest trees serve as a protection against erosion Without the canopy
provided by trees, the land will be exposed to all the elements such as strong
winds and heavy rainfall The strong winds blow the soil while running water
washes away the top soil with its nutrients, Thus, the most fertile land
becomes barren. Wood from trees also serves as an important material in
building construction. It is cut and processed for use in building houses and
shelters which provide protection against the inclement weather. With this,
the forest shields both humans and the Earth. It is therefore important to
ensure the continued availability of this important natural resource. To this
end, there is the need for the relevant authorities to enact laws that will
mandate tree planting to replace felled ones. Where such laws already exist,
efforts must be made to enforce compliance.
The inventiveness of humans has led to the discovery of another use for
forest trees. Logs can be cut, chopped into pieces, ground by machines and
turned into wood pulp which then goes through some other processes and
paper is the end product. We can imagine the great things timber does when
we look at the tons of books that are produced and read Worldwide. Thanks
to technology, it is now possible to operate a paperless society to some
extent. Everyone must therefore continue to make a conscious effort to
protect the forest by going paperless. Soft copies of books should be
preferred to hard copies. More newspaper publishers now have online outlets
where news items are published. Hence, Subscription to these outlets will
ensure, a reduction in the demand for paper.
Forests feed the earth, humans, and animals that live in them. Through
the addition of humus and vegetable matter from dead leaves and droppings
of animals, the soil is replenished with mulch, minerals, and manure, which
are much better than fertilizers. Humans alsoget food from the nutrient-
packed plants and animals of the forest and even use them for medicinal
purposes. Thus. governments must discourage the cultivation of forest as
farmlands by creating forest reserves. Such reserves should be protected by
law to prevent encroachment. This will ensure unfettered growth of trees,
and ultimately, the survival of humans.
(a) In two sentences, one for each, state two benefits derived from forests.
2 marks each
(b) In three sentences, one for each, state three measures to control
deforestation. 2 marks each
Total: 10 marks
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Paper 1: Objective Questions
[25 marks]
Time: 40 minutes
Answer all questions
