DOYEN

KENYA JUNIOR SCHOOL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT

TERM 1 2025 OPENER EXAM
GRADE 9 – ENGLISH
Time: 2 hours
NAME: ___________________________________________________________
SCHOOL: _________________________________________________________
STREAM: _______________________ DATE: ____________________________

INSTRUCTIONS
a) Write your name, school, stream and date in the spaces provided above.
b) Answer all questions in this booklet.
c) All answers must be given as per the guidelines of the questions.
d) All answers must be written in this booklet.

ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
RANGE (%) LEVEL
80 - 100 Exceeding expectation
60 - 79 Meeting expectation
40 - 59 Approaching expectation
0 - 39 Below expectation

LEARNER’S SCORE
Out of 50
Score

This paper consists of 4 printed pages. Candidates should check the question paper to
confirm that all pages are printed as indicated and that no questions are missing.

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Read the dialogue below and answer questions 1-5.
Tim : Good morning, Sir.
Mr. Ray : Good morning.
Tim : Sir, my examination is around the corner. Can you give me some instructions on how I should
prepare?
Mr. Ray : Certainly! But first, get rid of your Chromebook. That is a major distraction.
Tim : Okay, sir.
Mr. Ray : Read your texts thoroughly, for you must have all the information while you study.
Tim : Sir, I have a problem with memorizing.
Mr. Ray : Instead of learning, try to understand. Try to concentrate on one major theme at a time until you
grasp it well.
Tim : Sir, a few of my friends were planning to do group study. Will it be useful?
Mr. Ray : Yes, definitely. You must also solve old question papers because those will help you get
acquainted with the format of the questions
Tim : Thank you, sir.
Mr. Ray : If you need anything else, let me know.
Tim : Sure, sir.

1. According to the above dialogue, what is a major distraction in the student’s preparation? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Identify an adverb of manner from the dialogue above. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. The word "grasp" has been underlined. What does it mean? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Mention a polite expression used in the conversation. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Identify a preposition from the above dialogue. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Read the following poem and answer questions 6-11

School life is truly a bliss,
Learning in classes that we would never want to miss,
Each led by the dedicated teachers we know so well,
Teaching us to paint, speak, write and even spell.
With each day comes a new lesson, we learn so much,
From our educator’s knowledge and their human touch,
Like parents, our teachers educate us with all they have got,
Maximizing their effort within their teaching time slot.
But that does not mean recess is any less fun,
When we can have our meals, play with friends and run,
Socializing with friends from different walks of life,
All raised lovingly by every dedicated father and wife.
The special events and competitions in school are entertaining too,
Getting prizes for storytelling, spelling and the pictures we drew,
Fun activities to strengthen bonds and priceless friendships.
School life is simply so joyful that it truly is bliss,
And I know that in adulthood all these moments I will miss,
But for now in my youth I shall cherish these moments of joy,
In my classroom of teachers with every young girl and boy.
By Daya Nandan

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6. What, according to the poem, would the writer never want to miss? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. According to the writer, on special events and competitions, learners are awarded for? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. What strengthens bonds and priceless friendships according to the poem? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Identify a pair of rhyming words from the poem in stanza five. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. Which are the fun events mentioned by the writer in the poem? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
11. Identify the poet of the above poem. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________

BROKEN PASSAGE
Read the passage below. It contains blank spaces numbered 12-19. For each blank space, use the best word
from the brackets.
Pupils 12__________ Elimika Primary School thrilled 13__________ parents recently when they acted,
14__________ and danced at the15__________ prize-giving Day. 16__________ performed traditional songs,
17__________ a choral verse and a short play 18__________ urged people to conserve 19___________________,
wildlife and educate their daughters. (8 marks)
(of, sung, annually, sang, their, annual, the, that, they, the environment)
12. a 13. a 14. a 15. a 16. a 17. 18. 19.

PASSAGE
For questions 20-28, read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Once upon a time, fish used to live on land. However, he was always a nuisance to the residents of the animal
kingdom. Whenever there was theft, fish was to blame. And there was nothing anyone would do as fish was Judge
Owl’s friend. Whenever fish was brought before him, Owl would gladly accept a bribe from him, and he would
be set free, allegedly for lack of sufficient evidence. Thus, fish became bolder and graduated into more serious
crimes, like armed robbery.
One day, Owl’s daughter was taking a walk through the forest when fish saw her. And he could not take his eyes
off her colourful coat and golden necklace. He decided to waylay her by the river and rob her, but Owl’s daughter
was not going to let go of her prized coat and necklace without a fight.
Fish dragged her to the river and drowned her before robbing her. However, a little bird saw this and shouted for
help. Animals picked their weapons and came running, but when fish saw them, he dived into the river to hide
from the mob.
Judge Owl came to the scene and ordered fish to come out of the water for judgment. But fish refused. The judge
went ahead and sentenced him: “Since you think you are smart and refuse to come out of the water, I declare that
is where you will live forever. If you ever come to the surface and are ever caught, you will be killed for food.”

20. According to the passage, why was fish termed a nuisance? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
21. The word ‘sufficient’ has been underlined. What does it mean? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
22. What did the fish want to rob off Owl’s daughter? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
23. Who rescued Owl’s daughter according to the passage? (1
mark),
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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24. Identify a personal pronoun from the first paragraph. (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
25. Who witnessed the crime committed by fish? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
26. What did the animals do when they heard the cries for help? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
27. What did Judge Owl order fish to do when he arrived at the scene? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
28. What punishment did Judge Owl give to fish for his actions? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________________________

GRAMMAR
For questions 29-31, identify the ‘subject’ and ‘object’ from the sentences. (6 marks)
29. She cooked a delicious meal.
Subject: ____________________
Object: _____________________
30. It barked at the thief.
Subject: ____________________
Object: _____________________
31. The farmers were preparing the farm.
Subject: ____________________
Object: _____________________

For questions 32-35, use the correct form of adjectives to fill in the gaps. (4 marks)
32. He is the __________ of the twins. (tall)
33. She was identified as the __________ player. (good)
34. Karimi is __________ than Murimi. (clever)
35. Anyango has the _______________ handwriting in the whole class. (bad)

For questions 36-39, put the correct question tags to the sentences below. (4 marks)
36. I am the winner, __________________.
37. We shall go home, __________________.
38. Let’s work hard, __________________.
39. She is running, ____________________.

Use the correct verb to fill in the blank spaces for questions 40-43. (4 marks)
40. Each of the guests __________ given a piece of cake. (were, was)
41. Neither the teacher nor the pupils __________ awarded. (is, are)
42. Leah, as well as Joan, __________ a doll. (have, has)
43. I __________ to come yesterday. (was, were)

For questions 44-47, fill in the gaps with correct articles. (4 marks)
44. He celebrates his birthday once __________ year.
45. She is __________ honest student.
46. Mueni is __________ university learner.
47. He wore __________ uniform yesterday.

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