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Thika District Mock - English Paper 2 Question Paper

Thika District Mock - English Paper 2

Course:Secondary Level

Exam Year:2010

THIKA DISTRICT PROVINCIAL SCHOOLS
NAME: ---------------------------------------------------- INDEX:-------------------------------------------
CANDIDATE’S SIGNATURE---------------
DATE: --------------------------------------------
101/2
ENGLISH
PAPER 2
(Comprehension, literary
Appreciation and Grammar)
JULY, 2010
TIME: 2 ½ HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS
_ Write your name and Index in the space above.
_ Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
NAME_____________________________________ADM________CLASS__________
Q1. Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
During the last couple of decades, the developing world has made enormous
economic progress. This can be seen most clearly in the rising trend of incomes and
consumption: between 1965 and 1985 consumption per capital in the developing world
went up by almost 70 percent. Broader measures of well-being confirm this picture- life
expectancy, child mortality and educational attainment have all improved markedly.
Against that background of achievement. It is all the more staggering – and all
the more shameful – that more than one billion people in the developing world are living
in poverty. Progress in raising average incomes, however welcome, must not distract
attention from this massive and continuing burden of poverty.
The same is true of the broader measurers of well-being. Life expectancy in sub-
Saharan Africa is just 50 years; in Japan it is almost 80. More than 110 million children
in the developing world lack access even to primary education while in the developed
world, anything less than universal enrollment would rightly be regarded as
unacceptable. The starkness of these contrasts attests to the continuing toll of human
deprivation.
It should be noted that even in the developing world, poverty levels differ from
region to region, country to country and even location to location within the same
country. For example, nearly half of the world’s poor live in South Asia, a region that
accounts for less than one third of the world’s population. Sub-Saharan Africa
accounts for a smaller, but still highly disproportionate share of global poverty. Within
regions and countries, the poor are often concentrated in certain places: in rural areas
with high population densities. Often, the problems of poverty, population, and the
environment are intertwined; earlier patterns of development and pressure of rapidly
expanding populations mean that many of the poor live in areas of acute environmental
degradation.
It is also true that the weight of poverty falls most heavily on certain groups.
Women in general are disadvantaged. This is because in poor households, they often
shoulder more of the workload than men, are less educated, and have less access to
remunerative activities. Children, too, suffer disproportionately, and the future quality of their lives is compromised by inadequate nutrition, health care, and education. This is
especially true for girls, for their primary school enrolment rates are less than 50 percent in many African countries.
Obviously, reducing poverty is the fundamental objective of economic
development in any country. It is estimated that in 1985, more than one billion people in
the developing world lived in absolute poverty. Clearly then, economic development
has a long way to go. Knowledge about the poor is essential if governments are to
adopt sound development strategies and more effective policies for attacking poverty.
How many poor are there? Where do they live? What are their precise economic
circumstances? Answering these questions is the first step toward understanding the
impact of economic policies on the poor.
QUESTIONS
(a) What evidence does the author give to show that incomes and consumption
trends are rising in the developing world? (2 marks)
(b) What is the author’s attitude towards the progress made so far by the developing
world? (2 marks)
(c) What is the significance of mentioning Japan? (1 mark)
(d) According to the passage what should governments do to address poverty?
(3 marks)
(e) What is the contribution of high population towards increase in poverty?
(2 marks)
(f) Rewrite the following sentence in the singular.
“They are also less educated, and have less access to remunerative activities.”
(1 marks)
(g) In about 35 words, summarise the reasons for women and children being
disadvantaged. (6 marks)
(h) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. (3 marks)
(a) Staggering
(b) Compromised
(c) Life expectancy
Q2. THE RIVER BETWEEN By Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
READ THE PASSAGE BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
(25 marks)
A moment too soon Kabonyi was on his feet. He did not smile but looked
defiantly around him. The battle was on. He was old but his voice was good and
steady. Besides, he knew his audience well and knew what to appeal to. He could
speak in proverbs and riddles, and nothing could appeal more to the elders, who still
appreciated a subtle proverb and witty riddles. Kabonyi again knew his limits. He did
not want to bring too many issues together. So he decided to leave the Joshua affair
and come to it later as a final blow.
He reminded them of the poverty of the land. The dry months had left the people
with nothing to eat. And the expected harvest would not yield much. He touched on the
land taken by the white man. He talked of the new taxes being imposed on the people
by the Government post now in their midst. And instead of waiyaki leading people
against these more immediate ills, he was talking of more buildings. Were people going
to be burdened with more buildings? With more teachers? And was the white man’s
education really necessary? Surely there was another way out. It was better to drive
away the white man from the hills altogether. Were the people afraid? Were there no
warriors left in the tribe. He, Kabonyi, would lead them. That was why he had formed
the new Kiama. He would rid the country of the influence of the white man. He would
restore the purity of the tribe and its wisdom.
Or do you think the education of our tribe, the education and wisdom which you
all received, is in any way below that of the white man?
He challenged the people, appealing to their pride, to the manhood in them and
to their loyalty to the soil.
“Do not be led by a youth. Did the tail ever lead the head, the child, the father,
the cubs or the lion?”
A few people applauded. And then there was silence (Kabonyi too had stirred
something in their hearts). Soon they began to talk. Some saw a lot of truth in what
Kabonyi had said. They knew they were not cowards. And surely it was easier to drive
away the white man and return to the old ways! But others, especially the young
people, were on Waiyaki’s side. Waiyaki himself was hurt. Kabonyi had touched on a
sore spot, the question of youth. When Waiyaki stood up again the old defiance came
back. The courage that had made him famous among the boys of his riika was now
with him. At first he just looked at the people and held them with his eyes. Then he
opened his mouth and began to speak. And his voice was like that of his father. No – it
was like the voice of the great Gikuyu of old. Here again was the savior, the one whose
words touched the soul of the people. People listened and the hearts moved with the
vibration of the voice. And he, like a shepherd speaking to his flock, avoided any words
that might be insulting. In any case, how could he repudiate Kabonyi’s argument?
Waiyaki told them that he was their son. They all were his parents. He did not want to
lead. The elders were here to guide and lead the youth. And youth had to listen. It had
to be led in the paths of wisdom. He, Waiyaki, would listen. All he wanted was to serve
the ridges, to serve the hills. They could not stand aloof. They could never now remain
isolated. Unless the people heeded his words and plans, the ridges would lose their
former dignity and would be left a distance behind by the country beyond.
Questions
1. What had happened immediately before and after this excerpt? (4 marks)
2. Why is Kabonyi against Waiyaki’s leadership? (3 marks)
3. From the rest of the novel what would we say is ironical in Kabonyi’s life?
(3 marks)
4. Make notes on the reasons given by Kabonyi against building more schools.
(6 marks)
5. What does this passage reveal about the character of Waiyaki? (2 marks)
6. What is referred to as “the Joshua affair”? (2 marks)
7. (a) Kabonyi had touched on a sore spot, the question of youth.
(Rewrite starting “A sore spot…………………. (1 mark)
(b) He reminded them of he poverty in the land. (Change the sentence into
the Passive). (1 mark)
8. Identity a stylistic device used in this passage and comment on its effect.
(3 marks)
Q.3 POETRY
READ THE POEM BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW:
(20 marks)
MISSING AND WANTED by B. Agongaz
Mary – my daughter
She was dark, when she was young,
In fact, she had a lot of colour – a lot of pigment,
Tall, full body and stately carriage,
A fine pair of whole fulsome lips under
A snub shaped African nose,
A village belle she was - she was beautiful.
But now like the adder,
The top layer of her skin is off
And she now looks like a pitiable returnee from
The leper colony,
Her dark African lips are red like a raw
Tropical ulcer,
Her shiny nails look like talons of some
Unknown scavenger in a savanna wilderness.
She is my first and only child,
She was a student at the college of Christ’s knowledge,
She was last seen on a Saturday night outside
Safari hotel, with the parish priest,
She had on a pair of red trousers in a pair of straps
Of leather for shoes. On her head, was hair of dead horse
Long rotten
Those who tried to talk with her say her reply is: “I have been”
Our elders used to say
“A missing dog hears not the whistle of the hunter”
But if by accident,
You know Mary’s whereabouts,
Please report at the nearest police post – a handsome
Reward
Awaits you
Questions
1. Who is the persona in this poem? (2 marks)
2. Identify any two themes tackled in the poem. (4 marks)
3. What satire is in the line “she was a student at the college of Christ’s
knowledge? “ (2 marks)
4. (i) Identify the style in line 7 of the second stanza. (2 marks)
(ii) What effect does the above style have in the poem? (2 marks)
5. What is the attitude of the persona towards Mary? (2 marks)
6. Explain the meaning of the following;
(i) Belle (1 marks)
(ii) “A missing dog hears not the whistle of the hunter” (1 marks)
7. (a) Comment on the tone of the poem. (2 marks)
11
(b) Explain the relevance of the title. (2 marks)
Q 4. GRAMMAR (15 marks)
(I) REPLACE THE UNDERLINED WORDS WITH APPROPRIATE PHRASAL
VERBS. (3 marks)
8. (a) She was completely deceived by him.
(b) I don’t think his jokes ever quite succeeded.
(c) I recall my school days with great pleasure.
(II) REWRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS
GIVEN. (3 marks)
(a) We shall close school tomorrow. (add a question tag)
(b) If it was not for the referee’s bias, we would have won the tournament.
(Begin: But……….)
(c) I like coffee more than tea. (Rewrite and use ‘Prefer’)
(III) PUNCTUATE THE FOLLOWING. (3 marks)
(a) Mary said the mother go get me some sugar
(b) I am very tired today therefore I want to go straight to bed
(c) He of course said he would definitely come on Sunday
(IV) FILL IN THE BLANK SPACES WITH THE MOST APPROPRIATE WORD(S).
(2 marks)
(a) If we had gone to bed early last night, we----------------------- rested enough.
(b) If I ---------------------------- the recruiting officer, I would not take bribes.
(V) WRITE DOWN THE PLURALS OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS (S).
(2 marks)
(a) Talisman –
(b) Secretary – general –
(VI) CORRECT THE FOLLOWING. (2 marks)
(a) You are going where.
(b) Please return back my book.

Thika District Mock - English Paper 2 Question Paper

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