COMPREHENSION PASSAGE:

INSTRUCTION: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

I can vividly remember my predicament in my first year as a new teacher. On the first day in class, I
told my students that they were mature enough to comport themselves in an exemplary manner
without burdening them with stringent rules. I wanted them to like me and so I allowed them a lot of
freedom. Unfortunately, I lost class control, and the students exploited the situation to disrespect me.
Some would leave their seats without permission; freely throw objects like pens, rulers or crumpled
pieces of paper to mates or talk with others.

During the long vacation, I busied myself reading books on discipline and consulting seasoned
colleagues for help. When we resumed-school the next session, I had formulated strategies on
maintaining discipline. There were laid-down, rules such as "students are to be courteous and silent
when the teacher or a student is speaking to the class.' "Students are to ask for the teacher's permission
to leave their seats for anything", "Students are not to leave the class during lessons."

After giving the class the rules that I knew were essential for class control, I made sure the students
followed them to the letter. I virtually enforced discipline myself instead of sending students to the
Principal's office for disciplinary action as I did the previous year. After about a month, I realized that my
efforts were yielding results.

Then, two months before the Christmas holidays, I began to relax some of the rules. One of them
read as follows; "Whenever any student wants to leave the class for any reason, he should come up for
permission, provided he does this without disturbing other students." About one week later, I told the
students that because they were not disruptive, they could whisper to one another, open or shut
windows quietly without my permission.

Indeed, before the second term holidays, we had a classroom where students would come in and go
on recess as they finished their class assignments and also where small group discussions on project
work took place. Where a student in one group talked too loudly to disturb others, he was cautioned by
the group, not me. Teaching then became a pleasure and I felt my students had matured greatly by
learning to conduct themselves in a more acceptable way.

QUESTIONS:

(a) Why did the writer not give his students rules initially?

(b) What was the outcome of the writer's desire for the students to like him?

(c) How did the students react to the writer's loss of class control?
(d) What did the writer do to change the unfortunate development in the class?

(e) What helped the writer to formulate measures to maintain discipline in class?

(f)".. .before the second term holidays..."

(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage?

(ii) What is its function?

(g) "...I made sure that the students followed them to the letter "What does the writer mean by this
statement as it is used in the passage?

(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) stringent

(ii) strategies

(iii) courteous

(iv) essential

(v) yielding

(vi) cautioned.

ANSWERS:

(a) It was because the writer felt/thought that the students were mature/old enough to
conduct/comport themselves well in class.

(b) He allowed them a lot of freedom

(c) The students disrespected the writer. OR The students misbehaved (in class).

(d) The writer gave the students rules and enforced them.

(e) The writer read books on discipline and sought help from his colleagues.

(f)(i) An adverbial phrase (of time).

(ii) It modifies (the verb) "had".

(g) He means that he made sure that the students obeyed the rules strictly.
(h)(i) stringent - strict

(ii) strategies - plans, measures

(iii) courteous - respectful, well-mannered

(iv) essential - important, necessary, useful, crucial

(v) yielding - producing, showing

(vi) cautioned - warned. admonished. reprimanded, called to order.

SUMMARY

INSTRUCTION: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

The press is a general term for all types of printed newspapers and periodicals. It is an asset as well
as a menace to society. Like many things in this world, it has its good and bad sides. Even though it has
its bad sides, no society can shut it down and thrive.

The press has its aims and objectives which it follows, come what may. Anyone who wants to be
abreast of current affairs or notable events in his society must resort to reading printed material, apart
from watching the television. In fact, the press serves more people than the electronic media do.
Newspapers and periodicals go where the television cannot. Printed material goes even to the remotest
areas of a country.

Institutions of learning disseminate information. However, not all cities, towns and villages have
these institutions, but the print media can be used to disseminate information to people in these areas.

Governments, institutions and organizations have their policies, programmes and activities for the
smooth running of their affairs. At times, only those in authority reap the benefits. Subordinates are
often afraid to criticize the authorities. Their best bet is to resort to the print media which become their
mouthpiece. Thus. what the oppressed cannot do, the print media do without fear or favour.

The press is also at the beck and call of anybody who wants its services. Many a time one sees people
going job-hunting. They roam the streets of cities and towns, go from one office to the other, move from
one employing authority to another only to be told that vacancies do not exist. To be candid, they do
not need to waste such time and energy seeking jobs. All they need to do is comb the advertisement
columns of newspapers and periodicals and they will be informed about available jobs.
 However, the press can be a nuisance in a society. How many times have we not found newspapers
and periodicals publishing false and unauthenticated stories? Such stories spread like wild fire. They stir
trouble and bring about disunity in societies. The publishers are often out to enrich themselves by
churning out false information. For some newspapers and periodicals, reckless and dangerous gossip is
their stock-in-trade.

No one can deny the fact that moral decadence has gripped our present world. It is true that even
adults contribute to this menace in our societies. Many of our children and youths go for that which is
morally low. However, the truth is that the press contributes, to a very large extent, to the loss of
morality in our societies. There are publishers who specialize in the production of pornographic material
which even our children and youths can afford to buy.

Publishers of newspapers therefore should constantly be conscious of their crucial roles in the society
and should always strive to use the medium for the promotion of peace, orderliness, progress and
prosperity and not for negative or destructive ends.

QUESTIONS:

(a) In four sentences, one for each, state four positive roles of the press according to the writer.

(b) In two sentences, one for each, state two negative roles of the press.

ANSWERS:

(a)(i) It gives/provides information on current events/affairs.

(ii) It gives information to societies without institutions of learning.

(iii) It speaks for the oppressed. OR It is the mouthpiece of subordinates/the oppressed.

(iv) It advertises/gives information on jobs.

(b)(i) It causes disunity/trouble (among people).

(ii) It contributes to moral decadence/promotes immorality.