NAME ........................................................................................................ADM NO........................................

DATE.......................................................................................................YEAR ...............................................

FORM 2 JANUARY 2024 TERM 1 OPENER EXAM

ENGLISH
Time: 2hrs 30Mins

INSTRUCTIONS

i. Answer all the questions in this paper

ii. All your answers must be written in the spaces provided

iii. Ensure you have ten pages. All printed.

For Examiner’s Use Only

Question Maximum Score Student’s Score

1. 10

2. 10

3. 20

4. 20

5. 20

6. 20

Total Score: 100

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 1. FUNCTIONAL WRITING (10MKS)

A day after school closes, your school rugby team will be going for a tournament in a neighboring county.
The tournament lasts two days. Write a packing list of all the items you will carry with you.

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 2. CLOZE TEST (10 mks)
Fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate word.

Kenya’s Tennis sensation Angela Okutoyi and the recent exploits by Ferdinard Omanyala in sprints,
which Kenyans 1........................... are the preserve of Europeans and Americans, 2......a pointer to the country’s
vast talent pool.

They show that with proper guidance 3...................good training, the country can move from only focusing
4................long distance running, rugby and football to 5......................areas like tennis and squash, and still
6.........................at the international level.

Okutoyi 7.....................done the country proud. Being 8.......................first Kenyan to play and win in a grand
slam tournament and at 18 years, the sky should be the limit. 9...................has taken us back to those years when
the Wekesas were trying to play Tennis at the international 10....................................

3. READING COMPREHENSION (20 mks)

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:-

The communicative power of the English language

Once it used to be said “The sun never sets on the British Empire”. This meant that the British Empire covered
all the time zones so that when the sun was setting on one part of the Empire, it was rising on another.

The same thing can be said about the English language today. English is spoken as a first language in the United
Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. It is also spoken in
Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana among others. In addition to this, English is
used as a second language in over fifty countries spread across Africa and Asia. This means that when you have a
good command of English, you can enjoy the writings of people from all over the world, and you can
communicate your ideas beyond the borders of this continent.

We in East Africa embraced the English language accidentally through the colonial experience. English came in
as a welcome addition to our already rich language situation of over forty local languages. In fact, the majority of
Kenyans are multilingual. They use at least three languages: a local language, Kiswahili, and English. A good
number of others speak a fourth language which may be French, Spanish, German, Japanese, or Arabic among
others.

The local or ethnic language bonds a person to the history, culture, and religious traditions of his or her people. If
you speak one of the ethnic languages, for example, you are able to enjoy the songs, dances, stories, proverbs,
and riddles in that language. It also helps you to communicate with older folks who may not understand English
and Kiswahili.

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Kiswahili is the national language of Kenya and is used by people from all ethnic groups. When one speaks and
understands Kiswahili, one can communicate with people from all over Kenya. Kiswahili is in fact “a regional
language” because it is spoken in a number of countries and at African Union meetings. Kiswahili, therefore,
opens opportunities beyond the borders of Kenya.

After Kenya attained independence, English was retained as the official language because it was, and still is, a
great advantage for many of our operations. Though the original speakers of English were from Britain, English is
now spoken as the first language in the other two continents, North America and Australia. It is also the second
language for millions of people living all over the world. Therefore, with English, you can be at home anywhere
in the world. English provides us with a powerful link to the global village.

Recent developments in modern technology have enhanced our ability to speak, read, write, and understand
English well. Many of the computer programs available, for example, are made to respond to instructions
given in English.

English is also important for participation at the international level. Many reports and records on recent
developments, science, and other special research are in English. There is much more written literature in
English than there is in any other language. Therefore, a student who can read and write English well is at an
advantage.

In international news broadcasting, users of English are greatly advantaged. Prominent international news networks
broadcast in English. English thus enjoys a prestigious position in the communication of events taking place in the
world.

For those who want to be part of what is happening in the world, English is a very important tool. What does this
mean for those of us in Africa and Asia, where English is learned mainly in school? There is a need to put a lot
of effort into the teaching and learning of this language so that we can be part of the vast changes taking place in
the world today.

a. What is the meaning of the clause “the sun never sets on the British Empire” (2 marks)
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b. In which region is English spoken as a second language, according to the passage? (2 marks)
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c. State two advantages that a person who has a good command of English language has (2 marks)
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 d. English is also important for participation at the international level (change the sentence into a question)

(1 mark)

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e. How did the English language come to East Africa? (1 mark)

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f. Why is East Africa, particularly Kenya, referred to as having a rich language situation? (2 marks)
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g. What is the official language in Kenya? (1 mark)

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h. How is English useful in modern development in technology? (2 marks)

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i. English provides us with a powerful link to the global village. (Add a question tag) (1 mark)
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j. What can speakers of English in Africa and Asia do to avoid missing out in what is happening in the world
today? (2 marks)
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k. What is the meaning of the following words as used in the passage (4 marks)
Multilingual...........................................................................................................................................
Retained................................................................................................................................................
Prominent..............................................................................................................................................
Vast.......................................................................................................................................................

4. ORAL LITERATURE (20 MARKS)

Read the following narrative and answer the questions that follow.

There was a great famine in the land where Obunde and Oswera lived with their nine children. The only
creatures who had some food were the ogres, and before they would part with their food, they demanded a lot
of things.

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 One day, Oswera went to the ogre’s home and asked him for some food, for her children were almost dying of
hunger by then.

“I have no more food except sweet potatoes,” the ogre told her.

“I shall be happy to have the potatoes. We have nothing, not a grain of food at my house, and the children
are starving. Please let me have some, and I shall repay you after the harvest”.

“No, if you want food, you must exchange it with something right now. Will you give me one of your
children in exchange for my potatoes?”. Oswera hesitated. Her children were dear to her, but they would die
without food.

“Yes, I shall let you have one of them for your meal if only you could let us have some potatoes,” Oswera
answered. Then she took a big basket full of potatoes and told the ogre the exact time he could go to her home
to collect one of her children for a meal.

Oswera thought hard, and she decided she would not give a single one of her children to the ogre for a meal.
She, therefore, cut young banana stalks and cooked them nicely. When the ogre came, she gave them to him, and
the beast greedily went away satisfied. Soon, the potatoes were finished, and she had to go to the ogre again.

Oswera and Obunde, her husband, kept on cooking banana stalks for the ogre each time he came for one of
their children until one day, she had no more banana stalks to cook for the animal.

“You have now eaten all my children, yet we still need the potatoes. What shall we give you now?” Oswera asked
in despair.

“Then I shall come for you and your husband,” the ogre replied angrily as he helped Oswera to load her basket
of potatoes on her head.

“Yes, come tomorrow at the usual time in the afternoon and get me. I shall have cooked myself for you,”
Oswera said calmly. The following day, the ogre went promptly as Oswera had told him, and he found the
home almost deserted. He looked everywhere, but apart from Obunde, there was no trace of anybody.

Then he looked at the usual place and found a huge bowl of a big meal Oswera had cooked for him. The ogre
did not realize they had prepared a dog instead of Oswera. When he had eaten, the ogre told Obunde he would
come for him the following day. Obunde got very worried, and that night, he could not sleep. The following day,
he started crying:

“Ah, Oswera, my wife, how did you cook yourself, and how shall I cook myself for the ogre?”. He sat down
in the dust of his compound and wept. Oswera became very annoyed with her husband.

“You, you stupid, foolish man! Why sit and cry there all day long? How do you think I cooked myself? Take
one of the dogs and quickly prepare it for the ogre!”.

Very quickly, Obunde got up, caught, killed, and prepared a dog for the ogre. Then he joined his wife
and children in a huge hollow part of a tree in his compound where they had hidden.

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 That day, the ogre knew he was going to have his last meal of juicy human flesh. Being a generous
and unselfish ogre, he brought many of his fellow ogres. They were going to have a feast.

Suddenly, as they were eating, they heard a man singing very happily. No, they could not believe it! It was
Obunde singing! And he was boasting of how he had cheated the ogre.

The greedy ogre ate banana

stalks Not my family;

The greedy ogre ate a dog

Not Obunde Magoro!

The greedy ogre ate banana stalks

Not my family;

Now come and get

Obunde, His children and

wife.

Obunde sang the words and the ogres got very angry. The fast ogre rushed into the hollow of the tree, but
Oswera had heated a long piece of iron until it was white. She pushed the iron into the ogre‟s mouth. The beast
fell down dead. The next one rushed into the hollow, and Oswera killed him in the same way. In this way, she
killed all the ogres and saved her husband and all her children.

My story ends there.

a. Classify the above narrative. Give reasons for your answer (2 marks)
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b. Where do you think the story is set? Give a reason for your answer (2marks)
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c. Why did Oswera go to the ogre’s home? (2 marks)
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d. What did the ogre ask for in exchange for his potatoes? (1 mark)

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 e. Identify and illustrate one character trait of:
a. Oswera (2marks)

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b. Ogre (2marks)
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f. Apart from the opening formula, identify and illustrate two other features evident in the story. (4 marks)
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g. What is the moral lesson of the above narrative? (1 mark)
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h. If you were to narrate the above oral narrative, name two things you would do before the narration to
capture the attention of the audience. (2 marks)
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i. Identify and illustrate one economic activity of the community in the above oral narrative (2 marks)
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5. ORAL SKILLS (20 MKS)

a) For each of the following words, write a word that is pronounced the same way. (5mks)
i. Principal...............................................................................................................................................
ii. Sent.....................................................................................................................................................
iii. Stationary.............................................................................................................................................
iv. Plain.....................................................................................................................................................
v. Scene ..................................................................................................................................................

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 b) In the following sets of words, pick a word whose underlined sound is different from other underlined
sounds in the set.Write the word in the blank space after each set. (4mks)
a. Syrup Cent Sugar Cite ...........................
b. Cup Queen Cease Kettle ...........................
c. Phase Plough Fame Fight ...........................
d. Gene Judge June Gap ...........................
c) In form one, one makes new friends. Write three things that you can do when introducing yourself to a
new person so as to appear friendly. (3mks)
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d) During a story telling session, mention three things you would do to ensure you as the listener are attentive.
(3mks)
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e) Underline the silent letters in the following word. (5mks)
i. Heir
ii. Plumber
iii. Gnaw
iv. Psychology
v. Doubt

6. GRAMMAR (20mks)

a) Choose the correct word from the ones in brackets to fill in the black spaces (4mks)
i. “I am sorry for the.......................,” said my friend. (loose, loss).
ii. Why have you...........................to eat raw bananas while we have ripe ones? (choosen,chosen)
iii. We...........................for our president each time we get an opportunity (pray, prays)
iv. Who..........................the bell this morning? (rang, rung)
b) Rewrite the following sentences in the plural (2 mks)
i. The school is facing a financial crisis. ..............................................................................................
ii. My father–in–law owns a herd of cattle. .............................................................................................
c) What names are given the following? (2mks)
i. The young one of a goat...............................................
ii. A collection of books...................................................
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d) Fill in the gaps with the correct form of words in brackets. (4mks)
i. She has.........................her shawl. (rip)
ii. The tyre..........................as they drove downhill. (burst)
iii. The news today..............................shocking. (be)
iv. The government...............................released Free Primary Funds to schools. (have)
e) Fill in the most suitable word in the spaces provided. (4 mks)
i. Are we..............................to go to church? (aloud, allowed)
ii. The skirt is too big for my...........................(waist, waste)
iii. Push me...........................on the swing. (higher, hire)
iv. We saw a...................................in the zoo.(bear, bare)
f) Fill in the blank space with the correct form of the adjectives. (2mks)
i. Jane is the..................................of the twins. (pretty)
ii. Mombasa is.................................place I have ever visited. (hot)
g) Change the following sentences to passive voice. (2mks)
i.They are singing a new song.......................................................................................................................
ii. The students cleaned the class.....................................................................................................................

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