WAEC SSCE WASSCE 2009 Comprehension passages
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE I
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
At long last, a great day dawned. A great school had opened its doors to fresh students to begin their first term. Private cars of all makes, sizes and colors, passenger buses of all brands and shapes and taxi cabs raced from all parts of the 10 regions of the country to the school. Students from well-to-do families, looking plump and confident, and their mates from poor backgrounds, were now going to share the same facilities and do everything in common. Now, background, origin, and other social factors that classify people had been set aside. The important fact was that they had all come to the famous school for one common purpose – to make full use of the special facilities and human rebrandsources there. All the new students have been sent there by their parents and guardians to develop their talents as best they could and blossom into useful adults. But they must be moulded by their teachers so that they take up the roles that will be assigned to them in the future.
Ackon and Asma had arrived there too. A Nissan pick-up, driven by the family driver, had brought them there at 4:26 PM on that great day. As the fresh students had arrived with the school prefects only, there was not much bullying.
Yet one house preferred, to relieve his boredom, unexpectedly picked on poor and yelled at him. ‘Hey, you brat over there, come here, will you?’ Ackon hesitated. Azman urged and add him to comply, which he did reluctantly. The preferred gazed at him and said, “look at his plump cheeks and bulging stomach!” Then he stared at his shoes. “What quality shoe!” He remarked. ‘You must have come from a rich family. What do you say to that?’
Ackon calmly replied, ‘Sir come on my family is neither regional pool, we are just a hardworking and decent people. We’re modest and have sympathy and respect for others...’ “Stop, you parrot!” I haven't asked you to lecture me about your family, you cheeky rat! on this campus all boys are equal, rich or poor, handsome or ugly, tall or short!” Then his humor changed into feigned anger. “Now come and stand on your right foot and raise your left hand and touch your nose with your forefinger!”
Ackon was at first completely perplexed, asthma again whispered some instruction to him and he obeyed. surprisingly, account did not lose his temper. In fact, he realized that he was beginning his lessons on obedience and humility.
Questions
a) For each of the following words underlined in the passage find another word or phrase that means the same can replace it in the passage:
i.) brands
ii.) famous
iii.) moulded
iv.) relieve
v.) decent
vi.) perplexed
b) What common purpose brought the students to the school?
c) Why did the house prefect bully Ackon?
d) how did Asma help Ackon when he was being bullied?
e) How did Ackon react to the bullying?
f) For what purpose must the teachers mould the students?
g) …’blossom into useful adult’
What figure of speech is used in this expression?
h) …’from well-to-do families’
i. What is the grammatical name for this expression?
ii. What is its function?
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE II
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
It was towards dusk one fateful Thursday. A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered in front of Joyin Cinema. In the center was a man dressed in black with a pink band around his head. He held a well-decorated elephant tail and appeared to be a magician. He stood stock-still as he gazed into the sky.
After some time, he roused himself from the reveries into which he had fallen and recited some words. Then from nowhere three medium sized boxes appeared on the ground. The magician actually explained that they contained foreign currency notes. Anyone who wanted, could take any of the boxes for a paltry sum of five cities. It looked too good to be true. Quite a number of people shied away from the magical seals, but still hung around to see what will happen next.
Azola emerged from the crowd. We could see from his mode of dressing that he belonged to a high-class society. In my heart of hearts, I felt that a gentleman of his calibre would have kept away from this kind of business.
All eyes were fixed on him. He appeared to be firmly resolved to purchase one of the boxes. He stooped low and picked up one, which according to the magician, was a gold mine as it contained priceless materials and therefore, attracted special price. As if he had been put under a powerful spell, Azole eagerly brought out his fat wallet and paid. A gasp of astonishment escape from the crowd at the sight of the fresh notes in high denomination.
He hurriedly counted the money demanded by the magician can you give it to him. The magician then proceeded to bless the box before Azole could open it. He struck the box three times with his elephant tail while uttering some words in strange language.
Then after the incantations, the magician handed the box to Azole who received it shaking hands. He opened it and a cry of anguish escaped his lips. On sighting the content, which turned out to be camphor, he passed out instantly. When Azole regained consciousness and realized that he had been dupped he was bent or confronting the magician, but he was nowhere to be found. His gang had suddenly appeared from nowhere and whisked him away. The crowd laughed wildly and dispersed with such remarks as: ‘It serves him right,’ ‘Never trust magicians,’ ‘I knew it was a trick from the beginning.’
Questions
a) What show that Azole was rich?
b) What is the writer's attitude to the practice of magic?
c) Use two adjectives to describe Azole’s character.
d) Describe Azole’s mood when he regained consciousness.
e) Quote a statement which shows that the crowd had no sympathy for Azole.
f) What was the real content of Azole’s box?
g) What happened to the magician?
h) The box picked up by Azole ‘was as a gold mine.’
What figure of speech is contained in the underlined expression?
i) … ‘after the incantations.’
i. What is the grammatical name given to this expression?
ii. What is its function in the sentence?
j) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word of phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage:
i. gazed
ii. paltry
iii. mode
iv. priceless
v. anguish
vi. confronting
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