English Language

Basic 7

1. This Paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all; one question from Part A
and all the questions in Part B and Part C.

PAPER2 ESSAY

Answer all the questions in your answer booklet. Credit will be given for clarity of expression and
orderly presentation of material.

PART A ESSAY WRITING [30 marks]

Answer one question only from this part. Your composition should be about 150 words long.

1. Write an article for publication in your school magazine on the falling standard of learning in your
school.

2. You witnessed a fight recently between two rival groups in your school. As the compound prefect,
describe what you saw to the headmaster.

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PART B COMPREHENSION (30 marks]

Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.

Tina was an attractive girl who dropped out of school after the tenth class and took a job in an office.
Deciding that office work was too boring, she became a nightclub singer. Tina soon began to do the
things her new friends did. At first it was smoking and drinking. Then she started popping up pills and
smoking marijuana. When a friend offered her a shot of heroin, she rolled up her sleeves and let him
shoot it in her vein. She thought she was too smart to become addicted. How wrong she was! At first,
she paid for her new habit from the salary she earned, but gradually she needed more and more heroin
to feel good. Soon it cost her more than one hundred cedis a day to give herself fixes. If she did not get
them, she was in agony. Of course, she could not make that much at her job, so she turned to thievery
and prostitution. The next years of Tina's life were in nightmare. She was in and out of jails and mental
institutions. She often was evicted from her living quarters because she could not pay her rent. Some
mornings she woke up in a dirty alley or on a rooftop, not knowing how she got there. She tried to
commit suicide twice. Heroin drove her to the gutter. The doctor who treated Tina told her mother that
there. was no hope for her daughter. She will be an addict the rest of her life. She died the day she took
her first heroin shot. A pastor came to see Tina in the hospital and introduced her to Jesus Christ. At
first, she wanted nothing to do with religion, but finally she began to respond to the Christians
encouragingly, "You want them to like you. You want to belong. You do not want them to make fun of
you." Remember that pride is sin -rebellion against God. Ask God to help you overcome your pride and
do what is right."

(a) State three reasons why young people use drugs, according to the passage.

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b. In which two ways can drugs affect the personal life of the user?

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c. What effect can drugs have on the education of young people?

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d. Why do some young people follow crowds?

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e. Which danger do young people face with the law for involving in drugs wrongly?

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f. What is the real way that young people are advised to solve their problems?

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g. Explain, in your own words, the following expressions as used in the passage: they want to try for
themselves:

i. still be there; ..................................

ii. go along with: ...............................

iii. make fun of;...............................

h. For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can fit into
the passage:

i. realize; ...............................

ii. influence: ...............................

iii. short-lived; ...............................

iv. Overcome: ...............................

5. PART C LITERATURE [10 marks]

Questions 5(a) to 5(e)are based on extracts from various literary works. Read the following extract
carefully and answer question 5(a)
"When our tears are dry on the shore

and the fishermen carry their nets home"

a. The setting that the extract shows is ...............

Read the following extract carefully and answer the question that follows

"The master brewer is not the stars

Nor yet the gods.

He is you, your very self."

b. What is the moral lesson that the extract above teaches?.........................................................

Read the following extract carefully and answer the question that follows

"And when the passengers at the back of the lory complained and wailed aloud for caution and care, he
drove even more furiously, whistling noisily the while, careless of our limbs and lives."

c. From the extract, the journey can be described as ......................................

Read the following extract carefully and answer Question questions that follow

" If nothing scratched at the palm fibre, it certainly would not have creaked."

d. (i) What message does the extract give? ....................................................

ii) The literary device used in the extract above is.........................................

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow

"When I am old

And stale like bread

That lies for weeks unsold,

My children shall prefer me dead."

e. Line 2 of the poem is an example of the literary device called ............

f. The poem above is about .............................

Paper 1

Section A

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives lettered A to D.

1. We secretly listened .... on their chat.

A. to. B. for. C. through. D. in

2. Sam ............... ...the boy for his brother.

A. understood b. remembered c. mistook d. reminded

3. The thief entered the ........ store in the chain.

A. farther B. far c. farthest d. further

4. The boy was asked to choose between tea ............ porridge for breakfast.

a. or B. and c. nor d. but

5. If I ............ the pot you would you know it.

A. Breaks. B. Break. C. Broke D. Broken

6. We had our examination results........

A. Last two weeks. B. In the next two weeks. C. In the last two weeks. D. Two weeks ago

7. The triplets lent ................ a helping hand.

A. One another. B. Each other. C. themselves. D. to themselves

8. We expected seven books............. had five.

A. and b. until. C. but. D. before

9. Your children have come home..........?

A. Did they? B. Didn't they? C. Haven't they? D. Have they?

10. Josephine is not sure ............... the box contains the colour.

A. Which. B. What. C. Whose D. that

11. If he had invitation, he ............. be there.

A. Would B. Will. C. Should. D. Could

12. There is no contract between you and........

A. Us b. We c. Our d. ours

13. Each of the boys ............ two bags.

A. Carry. B. Carries c. Are carrying. D. have carried

14. The toy .......... on the bed.

A. lay. B. lie. C. lies. D. laid

15. Our team had meetings with several.........

A. Head of States. B. Heads of States. C. Heads of State. D. Head's of States

From the list of words lettered A to D choose the one that it most nearly opposite in meaning to the
word underlined in each sentence

16. The crowd waited anxiously

A. eagerly. B. silently. C. indifferently. D. angrily

17. The team met a strong opponent in the final match.

A. challenger. B. companion. C. admirer. D. supporter

18. Samuel has made futile arguments.

A. useful. R. useless. C. wise. D. painful

19. The resistance of the people has changed the country.

A. surrender. B. anger. C. apathy. D. eagerness

20. The excitement of the crowd made the singer happy.

A. apathy. B. enthusiasm. C.interest. D. leisure

SECTION C

Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined
word in each sentence

21. The young boxer defeated the champion

A. challenged. B. fought. C. overpowered. . D. admired

22. The leader met a stiff challenge at the meeting.

A. confident. B. strong. C weak. D. chaotic

23. The student gleaned the answer from the passage.

A. saw B. collected. C. sieved. D. found

24. The team has planned the game thoroughly

A. silently. B. carefully. C. carelessly. D. secretly

25. The students neglected studies to their own detriment.

A. disadvantage B. difficulty C. success D. disappointment

SECTION D

In each of the following sentences, a group of words has been underlined. Choose from the alternatives
lettered A to D the one that best explains the underlined group of words.

26. The parties have penciled down an agreement. This means that the parties have

A. written down an agreement.

B. developed an agreement.

C. signed an agreement.

D. sharpened an agreement.

27. The angry boy was advised to hasten slowly. This means that the boy

A. should act quickly. B. should be alert. C. should act slowly. D. should act in a
right and careful manner.

28. The musician's presence took away from his rival. This means that

A. the musician made his rival lost. B. the rival made the musician lost. C. the rival shined
because the musician is present. D. the rival did not shine because the musician is present

29. The student lost his bearing in the midst of piles of advice. This means that the student

A. got confused. B. was left thinking. C. was nowhere to be found. D. the student
received too much advice

30. Kojo's business has suffered a cycle of twists and turns. This means that

A. Kojo's business has collapsed. B. the performance of Kojo's business is inconsistent.

C. Kojo's business has kept coming down. D. Kojo's business has kept rising up.