1. Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:
Population control has become a burning issue in developing countries in general and in Uganda in particular. Most countries realise that if they allow themselves to be over-populated, the repercussions will be great. It is obvious that even within the family set up; many children have become more of a problem than a blessing. In our own country can easily cope with. It has been the wish of the government that couples should have a maximum of four children.
The negative effects of over-population are far reaching. When there are too many people in a country, jobs become scarce. The country suffers from high rate of unemployment because of insufficient job opportunities.
In a country that relies on agriculture for its economic growth, the issue of land is crucial. If a country is over populated, there will not be enough land for the people to cultivate. People will, therefore, start cultivating the marginal lands and this could lead to the spread of deserts. When there s not enough land to cultivate, people do not have enough to eat and this may result in illness like kwashiorkor and marasmus. As land becomes scarce, another problem arises. People from the rural areas are forced to put up slums for shelter. These slums become a health hazard to their dwellers. And when the people from the rural areas do not get jobs in the urban centres, they become frustrated. If they have no other way of making money, they turn to crime i.e. becoming robbers or pick-pockets.
Lack of education is another result of over population. When the number of children being born every year continues to grow, the government reaches a stage where it can build enough schools to cater for all of them. As a result some of them end up not going to school though they are supposed to. Such children may in future become juvenile delinquents, or even hardened robbers when adults.
A country that is overpopulated finds it difficult to cope with the health problems of its people. The medical facilities will not be adequate to cater for such a high density population. The people will therefore be sickly, infant mortality rate will be high and life expectancy very low.
The problem of over- population has great effect on individual and even at the family level. A family that has many children often finds it difficult to feed, clothe and educate them. The parents of such children may also find it difficult to cope with the situation, spouses blame each other for their financial problems and in the long run, this may lead to family break up.
(Adapted from: Integrated English: Kenya Institute of Education)
Questions:
In about 120words, summarise the consequences of over-population as shown in the passage you have just read.
2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
It was just after the sheep had returned on a pleasant evening, and were making their way back to the farm buildings, that the terrified neighing of a horse sounded from the yard. Startled, the animals stopped in their tracks. It was Clover's voice. She neighed again, and all the animals broke into gallop and rushed into the yard. Then they saw what Clover had seen.
It was a pig walking on his hind legs. Yes, it was Squealer. A little awkwardly, as though not quite used supporting his considerable bulk in that position, but with perfect balance, he was strolling across the yard. A moment later, out from the door of the farm house came a long line of pigs, all walking on their hind legs. Some did better than the others, one or two were even a trifle unsteady and looked as though they would have liked the support of a walking stick, but every one of them made his way right round the yard successfully. Finally, there was a tremendous haying of dogs and shrill crowing from the black cockerel, and out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side, and with the dogs gambolling round him. He carried a whip in his trotter.
There was dead silence. Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world had turned upside down. Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when, in spite of their terror of the dogs and of the habit, developed through long years, of never complaining never criticizing, no matter what happened, they might have uttered some word of protest. But just at that moment, as though, at a signal, all the sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating of-
'Four legs good, two legs better!'
'Four legs good, two legs better!'
'Four good, two legs better!'
It went on for five minutes without stopping. And by the time the sheep had quieted down, the chance to utterly any protest had passed, for the pigs had marched back into the farm house.
Benjamin felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder. He looked around. It was Clover. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. Without saying anything, she tugged gently at his mane and led him round to the end of the big barn, where the seven commandments were written. For a minute or two they stood gazing at the tarred wall with its while lettering.
'My sight is failing,' she said finally. 'Even when I was young I could not have read what was written there. But it appears to me that, that wall looks different. Are the seven commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?'
ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE
EQUAL THAN OTHERS.
(Adapted from: Animal Farm by George Orwell, Heinemann Educational Books, 1976)
Questions:
1) Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as they are used in the passage:
i. Trifle unsteady
ii. Haughty glances
iii. Dead silence
iv. Uttered
2) What were the pigs doing when Clover first saw them?
3) From the passage who do you think changed the commandments from seven to only one?
4) Why were the animals terrified?
5) Rewrite the following phrases as a complete, correct sentence:
Four good, two legs better.
3. Read the following passage and answer the questions after that :
Waking to the sound of her alarm clock that morning, the feeling struck her that the activities that awaited her might be there to he ignored. Sitting up in bed, she saw her course file and realized that she a test that morning. It had completely slipped her mind. Scanning her notes, as if looking at newspaper written in an unfamiliar language, she wondered how much she could take in during that short bus ride ahead of her. After a few minutes of desperate but hopeless revision, the hard tones of her father's voice came from down below. "It is almost time you were off Sarah!" There is tea here if you like some."
Reluctantly, she rushed to the bathroom to wash and then quickly put on her hated school uniform. Determined not to miss her bus, on coming downstairs she headed straight for the door ignoring her father's hurried offer of a lift. As she arrived, the double-decker bus crawled awkwardly towards the bus-stop; she had timed it to perfection, reaching it just thirty seconds before the bus. She watched as an old lady in a dirty raincoat, and three other children from her school climbed on, but to her amazement, once the rest of the queue in front of her had disappeared onto it, she found herself making a signal to the driver to say that she was staying where she was. The big red vehicle pulled away with her still on the pavement. Within seconds, she had reached the end of her street, and was walking up another that led to the edge of the village and the hill beyond. The sky was clear, and she hardly felt the cool autumn breeze as she strode along wondering about her destination. There was almost no-one about and she whistled a tune to herself as she thought about her class-mates doing their test. She anxiously considered the excuses she would make to her, and she found herself strolling along the country lane that encircled the hill, all those worries left her. She thought suddenly about a nearby footpath that led to the foot of the hill. She had been along it several years
before with her father, and she made up her mind to take it.
On reaching the hill itself, she felt the urge to reach the top. It was not particularly steep, and could be climbed in any season without difficultly. The sun shone more and more brightly, and she had left home earlier. From the long grass at the top of the hill she sat and stared at the valley below. She could see the road snaking from her village to the town where she should have been heading for. The thought suddenly came over her that the view would he beautiful in the cold months of December when there is now. She suddenly hoped that the coming winter month would bring this chance were the weather to make it possible, she promised herself to return an catch that sight at the first opportunity, whatever her obligation might be on that day.
(Source: Adapted from Bob Stillwell)
Questions:
1) What was the girl's first reaction on waking up?
A. To start revising for her examination.
B. To wander about her day's activities.
C. To remember that she had a test at school
D. To have her sea
2) What was her first response to the problem of the test?
A. Not to bother much with her notes
B. To calmly read through her notes
C. To revise quickly and effectively.
D. She was anxious to improve her chances.
3) When she left her house
A. Be thought she was going to miss the bus
B. Her father tried to hold her up
C. She did not intend to catch the bus
D. She hoped she would catch the bus
4) Once she had reached the hill
A. She did not think any more about her test
B. She began to regret not bringing her coat
C. The weather became colder
D. She remembered climbing it with her father.
5) Sarah promised herself that she would climb the hill again
A. As soon as winter arrived.
B. If she snow did not make it too dangerous
C. When it snowed whatever she is supposed to be doing
D. If the weather was the same as the previous year
6. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning:
1) If you had not helped me I would not have made it.
(Rewrite beginning: But for....)
2) As he was walking along the road, a bus ran him over
(Rewrite ending...a bus)
3) The clock stopped because Bob didn't wind it.
(Change to the passive voice)
4) Kim does not usually get out of the house on Sundays.
(Rewrite using: used to)
5) The policeman said to the driver. "You have twenty four hours within which to produce your driving licence. Otherwise, you will be fined."
(Begin: The policeman told the driver that unless.....)
6) We have ten packets of butter. My sister wants me to go to the shop and buy ten more. I don't understand why.
(Rewrite as one sentence without introducing and but end with.......ten already.)
7) He is heavier than I.
(Begin: I)
8) Alice is quite fit now. She can begin training with the rest of the netball team.
(Rewrite as one sentence using enough)
9) The girl desisted from being unruly because she did not want to be branded a stubborn student.
(Rewrite using for fear of instead of because.)
10) He is too big. He cannot run that fast.
(Make one sentence from the two given sentences.)
7. Complete the sentences by choosing the most suitable answer among the given alternatives:
1) No citizen is above the law ............. he rich or poor.
A. Be
B. Even if
C. Whether
D. Though
2) They are in form four...................?
A. Is it
B. Isn't it
C. Aren't they
D. Do they
3) He ................ in the school for the last three years.
A. Was working
B. Is working
C. Had worked
D. Has been working
4) The weather was.................. dull that we could not play outside.
A. So
B. Rather
C. Too
D. Much
5) The ..............man is my husband.
A. Tall , dark, English, handsome
B. Tall, dark, handsome, English
C. English , dark tall, handsome
D. English handsome, dark , tall
6) After the game was over the speculators..............
A. Will disperse
B. Were dispersing
C. Dispersed
D. Disperse
7) The house was....................... Furnished.
A. Luxuriantly
B. Luxuriously
C. Expansively
D. Leisurely
8) Which of the alternatively given is most correctly punctuated:
A. "What an interesting book this is!" Exclaimed John
B. "What an interesting book this is "exclaimed John
C. "What an interesting book this is!" exclaimed John
D. "What an interesting book this is"! exclaimed John
9) Mr. Smith's conditions gets very............... when people disturb him.
A. Aggrieved
B. Aggravated
C. Agog
D. Apologetic
10) He receives no pay as the post is an................. one.
A. Honourable
B. Onerous
C. Honorarium
D. honorary