- Each of the following sentences has two possible meanings. Rewrite the sentences showing the different meanings for each(Solved)
Each of the following sentences has two possible meanings. Rewrite the sentences showing the different meanings for each
(4 marks)
i) Juma likes reading more than Pamela.
ii) Visiting friends can be annoying
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Use the correct form of the word in brackets to complete each of the following sentences(Solved)
Use the correct form of the word in brackets to complete each of the following sentences.
i) Owino did not know that a tree had ______ (strike) his house.
ii) Nobody expected the company to make ______ (lose)
iii) The three ______ (passer-by) were arrested.
iv) She has spent a lot of time ______ (beautiful) her compound).
v) People liked him because he was so gentle and _____ (child)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Each of the following sentences is repetitive. Rewrite the sentences removing the repetitions.(Solved)
Each of the following sentences is repetitive. Rewrite the sentences removing the repetitions.
i) Kaka cannot be able to complete this exercise.
ii) Please repeat again what you have said
iii) He hit a tree as he reversed back the car.
iv) How many people ascended up the mountain?
v) Women can run more faster than Johnston
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fill in the blank space in each of the following sentences with the most appropriate word(Solved)
Fill in the blank space in each of the following sentences with the most appropriate word. (5 Marks)
i) The nurse refused to _____ the results of the medical examination.
ii) Ruth enjoyed a warm relationship _____ her neighbours.
iii) He _______ at the stranger in amazement.
iv) They left the room _____ because they did not want to wake the boy.
v) We did not know ______ to blame for our problems
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Construct two sentences using each of the following word in the first sentence use the word as a verb, and in the second, as a...(Solved)
Construct two sentences using each of the following word in the first sentence use the word as a verb, and in the second, as a noun. (6 marks)
Example: bottle:-They want to bottle the (juice (verb) He broke the red bottle (Noun)
i) Man ................................
ii) Drive ..............................
iii) Mistake ..........................
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite each of the following sentences according to the
instruction given. Do not change the meaning(Solved)
(i) I will go only if he asks me to.
(Rewrite using the word unless .................)
(ii) The fans were disappointed by the players
(Begin: The players ..........)
(iii) The students were advised to consider the consequences of their behaviour by the visitor.
(Rewrite in direct speech)
(iv) The head teacher spoke for over one hour. She did not address important issues.
(Combine into one sentence using the word however.)
(v) I do not want any more tea, thank you.
(Begin: I would rather ........)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Join each of the following pairs of sentences into one sentence using the word given in brackets.(Solved)
Join each of the following pairs of sentences into one sentence using the word given in brackets.
i) a) The young boy watched.
b) The huge beat her. (as)
ii) a) The woman read a newspaper.
b) The man prepared a meal. (while)
iii) a) Musa met the woman.
b) Musa wanted to marry the woman’s daughter. (whose)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences using the words provided(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences using the words provided.
i) The only thing can do is admit that you were wrong. (option)
ii) You can have tea and you can have coffee (either…. or)
iii) The only thing I can do in this situation is laugh about it (but)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Choose the correct option from those given in brackets.(Solved)
Choose the correct option from those given in brackets.
i) I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we ___________ early.
(arrive/arrived)
ii) If she ______ (comes/came) late again, she'll lose her job.
iii) ______ (we will/we would) call you if we had time.
iv) If I had seen the thief, I ______ (will tell/would told/would) have told the police
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences as instructed(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences as instructed.
i) Someone is following us. (Rewrite in the passive voice)
ii) The victim and the neighbors did not speak to the reporters. (Being; Neither ..........)
iii) We light fire in the kitchen (Rewrite in past tense)
iv) Okoyo will not win the elections if he does not clear himself of the corruption charges. (Begin: unless ..........)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Do not change the meaning.(Solved)
i) The choir entertained the visitors. begin: The visitors _______
ii) If we do not keep the environment clean, the health officer will close our cafe (Rewrite using 'unless')
iii) The patient could not stand without support. She also could not sit straight. (Rewrite as one sentence using: 'neither ___ nor').
iv) The school team would not have won the game if it had not been for the captain's quick action. (Begin: Had __________)
v) Jomo Kenyatta the first president of Kenya was a great orator.
(Punctuate the sentence)
vi) We learn from the legend that Me Katilili was a powerful leader.
(Begin: The legend ________)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fill in the blanks with the correct alternative from the choices given(Solved)
i) Who ________ a fire outside the house?
(Light / Lighted / Lit)
ii) Since the introduction of community policing in our estates______ of theft have reduced. (Incidence / incident / incidents)
iii) An elephant looks after _______ calf. (it's / its)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences to remove gender bias. (3 marks)(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences to remove gender bias. (3 marks)
i) A professor should give his students opportunities to develop their skills.
ii) My sister was appointed chairman of the water project committee.
iii) The firemen took a long time to arrive at the scene of the accident
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fill in the blank spaces in the following sentences with the
most appropriate word(s) (3 marks)(Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces in the following sentences with the
most appropriate word(s) (3 marks)
i) If we had gone to bed early night, we _________ rested enough.
ii) If I ______ the recruiting officer, I would not take bribes,
iii) Every one of the students now ______ a role to play in keeping the
school compound clean.
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: (20 marks)(Solved)
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: (20 marks)
It is a great fortune to belong to that generation that grew up feeding on tales of Kaka Sungura na wenzake instead of the cartoon network fare. I am sure, in many ways we are better people for it.
But the thing that used to get to me about Kaka Sungura was this; although he was brighter, spiffier, humorous and certainly more interesting than all the other animals he pitted himself against in all his food' hardy acts, he always lost the race, the woman, the maize con or even his life!
The great African moral of the story was that it didn't pay to be too smart for your boots, so while the tortoise won the race through perseverance and some measure of deceit, the cocksure rabbit slept against a tree and got to finish the line only to realize the joke was on him.
Yet we loved those stones even though we had heard them a million times before, even though we knew the outcome. For you Sere, in great tradition of oral folklore, the story teller always varied his rendition for each different audience. He or she also knew when to throw a song, dance or mime.
Their expressions animated, the story although with predictable endings (the rabbit always lost, duh!) never failed to come alive with new twists and turns each time. But the really interesting part came when we retold the Kaka Sungura stories to our peers. We added in characters - like superman and wonder-woman- you see that was way before the time of Batman.
Sometimes we even gave kaka Sungura Superpowers himself. And when we told the story out of the ear shot of the grownups, we occasionally allowed Kaka Sungura to win! So what if he was trickster and too cocksure, we liked the guy! If only we could conjure up that childlike imagination to change our real life situations as easily as that.
Too often we grow up believing that our dreams and desires will unfold for us. When that fails to happen, we may get bitter at worst or resign ourselves to the present drams as it unfolds at best. We may even rationalize that we are too old, too female, too poor and whatever else to significantly steer our lives in another direction.
But then again, why can't we? Why can't we add some drama every now and them to a story that is getting boring? Heck, while we are at it, why can't we just change the ending of the story? Today, during a conversation with a friend, we began to reminisce about our lives and the paths we had chosen at critical moments in life which had led us to our present situations. These included choice of a partner, friends an whether or not to have children. This also in part included choice of a partner, friends and whether or not the have children. This also in part includes choice of-type of education and whether to pursue it further. This even included choice of career and jobs.
The tragedy is that some of us then choose to stay in unpleasant situations because the naysayers insist that one must never change the ending. No matter what happens in between, the rabbit is always supposed to lose
Yet, as Oprah would say, I now know for sure that we can retell our life story. As a matter of fact, if we are very unhappy with our current state of affairs; we can rewrite the script. The courageous in our midst do it every day. It is the woman who at mid life opts for a career change that makes her wake up with a zing. It is the man who unhappy with his health decides to prepare for a marathon, climbs a mountain or changes his lifestyle. It is the woman who walks out of an abusive and demanding relationship. It is the man who changes his outlook and takes a kinder perspective toward life. Yet in all these scenarios, the critical question hinges on whether or not one is committed to remaining where they are and their old story or to moving to where they want to be and rewriting that story. It is certainly much easier than it sounds, and I am sure each of the courageous souls above will tell us that it took some gut, blood and tears. But the good new is that it is possible. Now that is what I call a happy ending to a hare story!
(Adopted from Daily Nation Sunday August 21, 2005)
a) Which aspects made Africa folklore a great narration? (2 marks)
b) Sometimes we even gave Kaka Sungura super powers himself, (write the above statement in the passive (1 mark)
c) What remedies does the writer suggest to reduce boredom of story telling?
(2 marks).
d) Identify parenthesis in the paragraph beginning; Their expression....
(1 mark)
e) Which factors in the passage made Kaka Sungura likeable? (3 marks)
f) State any four factors that can facilitate the destiny of a person in life
(4 marks)
g) Give another word with similar pronunciation as the following words.
(2 marks)
i) Won ________
ii) Too ________
h) Explain the meanings of the following words and expressions as used in the passage. (5 marks)
i) Pitted himself against
ii) We can rewrite the script
- Demeaning relationship
iv) Reminisce
v) Animated
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the comprehension below and then answer the questions that follow(Solved)
Read the comprehension below and then answer the questions that follow
The death penalty has been abolished in many countries. But there are still many other countries in the world which punish offenders against certain laws by putting them to death. The debate about the suitability of death as punishment has been raging all over the world for quite a long time. It is still going on today. Unfortunately, many arguments either for or against death as a punishment are emotional, based on mere feelings, with little regard to facts or simple logic. Let us look at a few of the pros and cons of this matter of life and death and see how rational debate can be developed around them.
The death penalty is most frequently meted out to murderers, people who have deliberately killed others. Supporters of the penalty this offence argue that a murderer commits the ultimate violation of human life and society. His or her offence is so serious that the only commensurate punishment is death. "Let him or her die, just as the victim die", the approach to punishment is called retribution. In other words, pay the offenders back in his or her own coins.
This position, however, is rather untenable. As the famous Indian statesman Mahatma Gandhi put it, an eye-for-an eye policy would just leave the world with a lot of blind people. Hanging, electrocuting or shooting a murderer does not do the murdered victim any good. It only means the destruction and waste of yet another life. Instead of concentrating on retribution as a purpose of punishment, it may be better to emphasize reform. Offenders are subjected to sanctions, like life imprisonment, but they are also given a chance to repent and mend there is not much possibility of giving him or her a chance to reform, is there?
Closely related to retribution, 'justice' or satisfaction is also advocated by supporters of death penalty. They say that society as a whole, and the relatives of the victim of a crime like murder in particular, need to feel that their grievance is recognized and assuaged through the severe punishment given to offender. Thus justice is done and seen to be done, as they say in law, indeed, no society should compromise on the administration of justice. Any aggrieved person who approaches the seat of justice to demand satisfaction should be adequately served by the state. Indeed, this may be one reason why criminal offences, like murder, are prosecuted in the name of the state rather than in the name of the victims or their relatives. A criminal act is an offence against the whole society and should be adequately punished.
The problem with the death sentence, however, is that it is not always a satisfaction of justice. The taking of a person's life is violation of the most fundamental human violation of the most fundamental human right. It cannot be justified on the pretext that the presumed murderer also violated the victim's right. Moreover, two wrongs do not make a right. Moreover, because of its finality, the execution of a convict cannot be revised or rescinded one it has been carried out. Yet, since we are all human and we can
make mistakes, it is quite possible for a court to convict an innocence person by mistake. Cases have been known where a supposed murder victim reappeared, alive and well, long after his or her presumed 'murderer' had been convicted and executed!
Another common argument advanced in favour of the death penalty is that it acts as a deterrent. Supporters of this position believe that the certainty that those who commit crimes like murder, rape, treason or drug trafficking will be condemned to death deters or scares would-be offenders. In other words, the death penalty is a kind of preventive measure. People will avoid these offences, so the argument goes, because of fear of death. This argument appears to carry some weight, since the self-preservation instinct is strong in all of us. However its only acceptable proof would have to be based on statistical evidence.
Unfortunately, there is no known body of statistics which proves conclusively that murder and other capital offences are more prevalent in societies without the death penalty than in those which have it. But even if such statistics were available, we would be left with the practical difficulty of ascertaining the reasons why certain crimes were not committed. Thus it may be more productive to concentrated on educating members of society on non-violate life. Styles and effective conflict resolution than on tarrying them and brutalizing them through barbaric measures like the death penalty.
Indeed, the cruelty and trauma of execution affect not only those put to death but everyone involved in the process, like the executioners themselves, the clergymen who have to counsel and pray for the convicts in their last moments and the doctors who certify that the hanged, electrocuted or poison-injected person is really dead. Hangmen particularly often give testimonies of how they are haunted and disturbed by the executions they have to carry out. It is fair to subject these innocent people to such mental and psychological torture in the name of a dubious 'just' punishment?
1. What is the opinion of the writer about many arguments for or against the
death penalty?
2. Define retribution
3. Identify another phrase in the passage that means the same as 'an eye for an eye'
4. Paraphrase the author's objections to retribution.
5. In three sentences, explain in what ways the death penalty is a violation of justice.
6. According to the passage, how would we know whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent?
7. What methods of execution does the passage mention?
8. 'Two wrongs do not make a right? Add a question tag to this sentence.
9. In about 45 words, summarize the author's argument against the death penalty.
10. Explain the meaning of each of the following words according to the way it is used in the passage.
(a) Commensurate
(b) Untenable
(c) Assuaged
(d) Rescinded
(e) Haunted
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.
DEATH, BE NOT PROUD
By John Doune
Death; be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, thou are not so; for those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow.
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, much pleasure - then from three much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell; And poppy or charm's can make us sleep well,
And better than they stroke. Why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more, Death, thou shalt die.
(a) The argument of this poem is based on certain religious beliefs. Identify and explain these beliefs. (4 marks)
b) Each set of four lines in this poem (up to live 12) represent an aspect of argument. Summarize the three aspects (6 marks)
c) Pick out any three features of style in this poem and their functions
(6 marks)
d) Explain the meaning of the following line Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men. (2 marks)
e) What is the significance of the last two lines? (2 marks)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow:(Solved)
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow:
White child meets Black man
She caught me outside a London
Suburban shop, I like a giraffe
and she a mouse. I tried to go
but felt she stood
Lovely as light on my back.
I turned with hello
And waited. Her eyes got
wider but not her lips
Hello 1 Smiled again and watched.
She stepped around me
Slowly, in a kind of a dance,
her wide eyes searching
inch by inch up and down:
no fur no scales no feathers-curiously
no shell. Just a live silhouette,
wild and strange
and compulsive
till mother came horrified
"Mummy is his tummy black?"
Mother grasped her and swung
towards the crowd. She tangled
Mother's legs looking back at me
As I watched them birds were singing.
(James Berry (Jamaica)
a) Briefly explain what the poem is about (3 mks)
b) What does the reaction of the white child make the persona feel? Illustrate/your answer (4 mks)
c) Compare and contrast the reactions of mother and daughter to the black man (6 mks)
d.) Identify and explain any two uses of figurative language (4 mks)
e.) What is the significance of the last line of the poem? (3 mks)
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
The acceptance of the Christian church meant the 'outright rejection of all the Africans- customs. It meant rejection of those values and rituals that held us together: It meant adopting what in effect was a debased European middle - class mode of living and behaviour. The European missionary had attacked the primitive rites of our people, had condemned our beautiful African dances, the images of our gods, recoiling from their suggestion of satanic sensuality. The early African convert did the same, often with even greater zeal, for he had to prove how Christians he was through this rejection of his past and roots. The conflict between the Kenya people and the missionary churches, the subsequent setting up of African independent churches, and the religious aspects of the Mau Mau liberation movement, were direct results of the culture conflict initiated by the missionary holy zeal. The break away churches all over Kenya tried to create a form of worship and evolve an education more in thee and harmony with people's hopes, incorporating as some did the best in our traditional approach to God and the universe. They wanted in the words of Professor Alan Ogot and the Reverend F.B Welbourn, to build a place to feel at home.
The church in Kenya today is a creation of the Europeans missionaries. And we have said the missionaries were part of the momentous upheaval in our history - the coming of the colonialism. Or rather, missionaries were part of the momentous upheaval in our history - the coming of colonialism, or rather, missionaries, settlers and administrators were agents of European imperialism. It has been said with truth that the trader and the settler followed the skirts and shirt - cuffs of the missionary. In some places in Africa, political power was established at the request and instigation of the missionaries of the imperialist's country. Livingstone and Cecil Rhodes, Dr. Arthur and Lord Delamere, were these not part of that movement that came into such a fatal collision with our way of life and identity?
(Adapted from "Church, Culture and politics". In Ngugi wa Thiongo's Homecoming).
i) Mention any two things that show that the author disapproves of the conversion of Africans to Christianity. (2 marks)
ii) What does the writer find wrong with the initial education offered by the missionaries. (2 marks)
iii) List any two "benefits" that came to be associated with education
(2 marks)
iv) How did the Africans respond to the missionary Holy Zeal"?
(4 marks)
v) What relationship does the writer see between the missionary and the imperialist? (2 marks)
vi) What is the writer's attitude towards African culture? Give reasons for your answer. (4 marks)
vii) Explain the meaning of the following expressions as they are used in the passage (4 marks)
Robbed people of their soul
Promise of a European heaven
Momentous upheaval
Fatal collision
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
Knowing that Mrs. Kalani was afflicted with a heart disease, great care was taken to break to her the news of her husband's death as gently as possible. It was Josephine, her sister, who told her in broken sentences and veiled hunts. Also present was Nemi, a family friend. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when information about the railway disaster was received, with Jane's Kalani's name leading the list of the "killed". After verifying the information, he had hastened to the Kalani residence in order to forestall only less careful, less tender friend from bearing the sad message.
She did not receive the news as many women would. The significance of what had happened sank in immediately and she wept with sudden wild abandonment. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went to her room and would have no one follow her. Pressed down by a physical exclusion that haunted her body and soul, she sank into a bed-side chair.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all pregnant with newly life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was advertising his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.
She sat quite motionless except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.
She was young, with fair calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes. There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know, it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds and the scents that filled the air.
Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her. She was striving to beat it back but she was powerless. When she abandoned herself, a little whispered word escaped from her parted lips: "Free, free, free! "The vacant stare was gone and in its place came a bright keen look. Her pulses beat just and her body relaxed. She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live herself. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long.
Josephine was imploring for admission. "Louis-open the door! I beg you, for heaven's sake open the door."
She arose at length and opened the door. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of victory. She and her sister went into the sitting room where Nemi still was.
Someone was opening the front door. It was Mr. Kalani who entered, a little travel-stained but otherwise composed. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and was even oblivious of any such happening. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Nemi's quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
But Nemi was too late. When the doctor came, he said she had died of heart disease of joy that kills.
(Adapted from Kate Chopin's The story of an Hour)
i) How do other women's reaction to news of death of spouse differ from
Mrs. Kalani's? (2 mks)
ii) What evidence is given to show that life continues even in face of death?
(2 mks)
iii) Why was Mrs. Kalani feeling victorious? (2 mks)
iv) How would you describe Mrs. Kalani's character? (4 mks)
v) What do you find ironical in this story? (2 mks)
vi) What was the cause of Mrs. Kalani's death? (2 mks)
vii) Explain the meaning of the following expressions as they are used in the
passage. (4 mks)
a) Forestall_____________________
b) Repression __________________
c) Abandoned herself_____________
d) Obvious_____________________
Date posted: April 2, 2019. Answers (1)