GO-AHEAD COLLEGE,IBADAN.

IJOKODO, IBADAN.

THIRD TERM EXAMINATION 2023/2024 SESSION

SUBJECT: English Language CLASS: S.S. 2

SECTION A: COMPREHENSION.

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

Mr. Cissey pulled on his trousers very hurriedly and dragged himself to the verandah.
He was bent on getting to his office before his workers. The previous day, he had reprimanded
his staff for regularly coming to work late, and threatened to sack any of them who will repeat
the offence. Today, he must get to work on time, not only to get to work in time, not only to
serve as a role model but also to show that he really meant what he had said.

He managed to squeeze himself behind the wheel of his car which was at least too sizes
too small to accommodate his paunch. He inserted the ignition key and turned it but the car
will not start; the engine just grumbled. On the second attempt, it coughed and finally roared
to life on the third. It moved grudgingly to the gate and stopped . Cissey immediately realized
that he would be caught in a traffic jam. It was evident that he arrived at his work place late.

For about two hours, Cissey just sat glued to his seat, foaming. Hard as he tried to
control his temper, the misbehavior of other drivers once prompted him to bawl at them. Then,
suddenly, after the interminable wait, the street cleared and Cissey sped off. It was almost three
hours after leaving that he got to his work place. The staff were already there and when he
entered the building, he found his secretary and the clerical staff apparently immersed in their
assignments, with an air of dutifulness. One look at their boss warned them that they had
better keep quiet to save their skin. But as soon as he closed the door to his office, he heard soft
voices mumbling words he could not understand. Worst of all, he heard subdued laughter from
his secretary.

Cissey immediately shot out of the chair, ready to vent his spleen on these underlings
but suddenly plopped back into his seat . On second thoughts, he changed his mind. How could
he castigate them for what they had not caused?

(1.)Why was Mr. Cissey in a hurry to get to his office?

(2.)What two indications are there in the passage that Mr. Cissey was a huge man?

(3.)How did Mr. Cissey expressed his anger while caught in the traffic?
 (4.)Why did Mr. Cissey become angry with his staff?

(5.)What was the attitude of the staff towards their boss?

(6.)… when he entered the building … (i) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it
is used in the passage? (ii) What is its function?

Section B: In each of the following sentences, there is one word or group of

words underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A to E, choose
the word or group words that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the
underlined word and will, at the same time, correctly fill the gap in the
sentence.
7. To ascend this steep hill is the problem, to --------- is quite easy A.
depart B. decline C. drop D. descend E. disengage
8. The exterior and the ------------- part of the fruit remain very hard after
it is ripe A. inward B. inner C. intrinsic D. peripheral E. extraneous
9. The first twin is so vain and the second so ------- that one would think
they were not brothers. A. proud B. admirable C. notorious D. negligence
E. hostile
10. Mary: “I wonder why armed robbers are so hard-hearted” John: “The
fact is that to be an armed robber you cannot be ----------- A. considerate
B. intolerant C. revengeful D. soft-spoken E. grateful
11. To ascend this steep hill is the problem, to --------- is quite easy A.
depart B. decline C. drop D. descend E. disengage
12. Working in the field is easy when your machete is sharp and not when it
is -------- A. jagged B. coarse C. sound D. keen E. blunt

SECTION C: PASSAGE A
A hotel is supposed to be a home away from home, but the one we -13- was
hell away from home. Initially, we were deceived by the beautiful surroundings
and by the manager’s -14- which was warm and inviting. After the usual -15-
and signing of forms, we were checked in. we later discovered, to our utter
dismay, that the hotel -16- many facilities. And that the few available -17- were
either faulty or -18-. The rooms were somehow tolerable, but there was
something we could not manage –food. We complained. In fact, we ate just to -
19- alive since whatever was on the -20- gave no -21-. The services there were
definitely -22-. By the time we were due to -23- the following day, everybody
heaved a sign of -24-may be I heard the manager say.
Did you -25- a nice stay? And thinking he heard somebody say yes, he quickly
added: please -26- again.
A B C D E
13. moved into checked dropped by checked into stood in
14. reception intention rejection conception conviction
15. feeling filing fill in feel in filling
16. lacks failed lacked lack larks
17. one ones warns warn once
18. unattractive cheap impressive standardized substandard
19. stay stand stop sit stoop
20. menu list paper dish table
21. joy sweetness problem fear digestion
22. opposing appealing appalling appetizing oppressing
23. check in check out check-up check into check off
24. release reliefs relieves relief relieve
25. had have hard heard has
26. see try drop return come
SECTION D : Choose from the options labeled A to D the one that contains the phonetic
symbol given.

27. /e/ (a) many (b) host (c) home (d) potter

28. /a:/ (a) farm (b) van (c) match (d) weak

29. /t/ (a) watch (b) beret (c) catch (d) plate

30. /ei/ (a) mete (b) bake (c) teach (d) high

31. /i/ (a) greet (b) peak (c) peel (d) pick
32. /k/ (a) cat (b) knee (c) knit (d) knob

33. /3:/ (a)work (b)pork (c) wed (d) board

34. /O/ (a)those (b) thank (c) mother (d) father

Section E: In each of the following sentences, there is one word or group of

words underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A to E, choose
the word or group of words that is most nearest in meaning to the underlined
word and that will t the same time, correctly fill the gap in the sentence.
35. Guidance counselors should regard all the information given by students
as confidential (a) secret (b) reliable (c) authentic (d) true
36. There are various options open to you on this matter (a) factors (b)
choices (c) challenges (d) doors
37. I have no regards for arrogant people (a) useless (b) nasty (c) proud (d)
careless
38. The unceasing noise of pupils irritated the teacher (a) nasty (b) loud (c)
disturbing (d) incessant
39. Her parents gave her their frank opinion (a) own (b) candid (c) cogent (d)
elderly
Section F: Choose the best word to complete each sentence

40. This is ______ shirt. (a) James (b) James’ (c) Jame’s (d) James’s

41. All ____well with Peter(. (a) are not (b) have not been (c ) were not (d) is not
42. One of the ladies who ___ in the premises ____ been asked to withdraw (a) sells/have
(b) sell/have (c) sells/has (d) sell/has
43. A tale of two cities ____ the ____ we are studying for the examination. (a) are/novels
(b) was /novel (c) were/ novels (d) is/ novel
44. We must not take with us the feelings of inadequacy______ experienced during our
preparations for the debate (a) that were (b) those were (c) that was (d) that is
45. In my opinion, neither the players nor the coach ____ praise for the result of the match.
(a) deserves (b) deserve (c) are deserving (d) is deserving
 SECTION G : In each of the following sentences, the word that receives the emphatic stress is
written in capital letters. From the questions lettered A to D, choose the one to which the given
sentence is the appropriate answer. An example is given below.

Example: My mother's FRIEND hates pets. A. Does mother's boss hate pets? B. Does your
mother's friend love pets? C. Does your mother's friend hate toys? D Does your father's friend
hate pets?

The correct answer is A because My mother's FRIEND hates pets answers the question, Does
your mother's boss hate pets? Therefore, answer space A would be shaded. Now answer the
questions that follow:

46. The Nigerian FOOTBALL team has many foreign players. A. Does the South African football team
have many foreign players? B. Does the Nigerian volleyball team have many foreign players? C.
Does the Nigerian football team have few foreign players? D. Does the Nigerian football team
have many foreign coaches?

47. John must PAY for the broken glass immediate. A. Must Jane pay for the broken glass
immediately? B. Must John repair the broken glass immediately? C. Must John pay for the
broken plank immediately? D. Must John pay for the broken glass tomorrow?

48. The workers agreed to forgo their DECEMBER salaries. A. Did the workers agree to forgo their

December bonus? B. Did the workers refuse to forgo their December salaries? C. Did the
workers agree to claim their December salaries? D. Did the workers agree to forgo their March
salaries?

49. The landlord refused to eject the TENANT. A. did the caretaker refuse to eject the tenant?
B. Did the landlord agree to eject the tenant? C. Did the landlord refuse to accept the tenant? D.
Did the landlord refuse to eject the guest?

50. the Principal REBUKED the teachers for lateness. A. Did the governor rebuke the teachers for
lateness? B. Did the principal commend the teachers for lateness? C. Did the principal rebuke
the students for lateness? D. Did the principal rebuke the teachers for negligence?

You are required to answer two questions in total in this theory section, one essay
question and the summary question.

THEORY PART I: ESSAY WRITING

Your are to pick a question among question 1-5.

1. You are about to graduate from secondary school and you held the position of library prefect.
Write a letter to your friend telling him/her your experiences and how they have contributed to
your life in a positive way.

2. Write an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper on the growing incidence of
drug abuse among the youth, stating the causes and suggesting ways it can be curbed

3. A friend of yours was involved in a fight that took place in school and has been expelled by the
school authorities. In a letter to your principal, give an account of the fight, and why you think
your friend should not have been expelled.

4. As one of the outgoing prefects in your school, write a speech you would deliver at the send-off
ceremony for prefects, on the topic: The Challenges of Prefectship.

5. Write a story that ends with the statement: / wish l had listened to my parents.

THEORY PART II: SUMMARY

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

Have you always thought that insects are nothing more than a nuisance? Would you like the
world to be free of these annoying pests? Do you spray them, swat them, or step on them at every
opportunity ? Before declaring war on every bug that crosses your path, why not try to learn something
about their world? After all, with a population that outnumbers humans by about 200 million to one,
you can be sure that insects are here to stay! A brief look at just a few of these amazing creatures might
well convince you that insects deserve your respect.

Consider flying insects for example: Mosquitoes can fly upside down. Some can even fly through
the rain without getting wet-yes, actually dodging the raindrops! Some tropical wasps and bees buzz
around at speeds of up to 72 kilometres per hour. One monarch butterfly on North America logged
3,010 kilometres on its migration flight. Hover flies can beat their wings more than a thousand times
per second-much faster than humming birds and dragon flies can fly backwards. Clearly then, insects
are such accomplished fliers, unmatched by any other winged creature.

The eyes of many insects serve as a compass. Bees and wasps, for instance, can detect the
plane of polarized light. This enables them to locate the sun’s position in the sky-even when it is hidden
by clouds. Thanks to this ability, these insects can forage far from their nests and still navigate their way
home unerringly.

In the insect world , sound and aromas are often used to find a mate –no small achievement
when prospective mates are few and far between. Female emperor moths find a suitor by emitting a
scent that is so potent that a male can home in on its source from nearly 11 kilometres away. Crickets ,
grasshoppers, and cicadas prefer to make themselves heard. Even we humans can hear the amorous
cicada as it converts its whole body into a sounding board. A large group of courting cicada can create a
noise louder than that of a drilling machine!
 Insects play a vital role in our daily life, about 30 percent of the foods we eat results from
pollination by them. But pollination is only one of their useful functions. Insects keep the earth clean by
means of an efficient recycling system, as they reprocess dead plants and animals. Scientists have
observed that without insects , the earth will be inundated with dead plants and animal matters. Insects
also enrich the soil by liberating nutrients that make things grow. They are sorely missed when their
work is not done. Consider what happened in Australia, which has become home to millions of cattle.
Herds scattered dung everywhere. Besides, being unsightly , the dung provided a breeding site for the
bush fly- a plague to both humans and cattle. So, dung beetles were imported from Europe and Africa,
and the problem was solved!

Admittedly, some insects eat crops and carry disease. But only about one percent of the world’s
insects is considered as pests, and many of these cause damage because of the way man himself altered
the environment . Even with their drawbacks, insects are an integral part of the natural world on which
we depend . Scientists have pointed out that while insects can survive without us , we cannot survive
without them.

(a) In three sentences, one for each, summarise the important functions of insects discussed in the
passage.