WAEC SSCE WASSCE 2012 Comprehension passages
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE I
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
We, parents and guardians, Any dilemma as to how best to handle our children and wards. The young men and women of this generation have tremendous opportunities as well as serious challenges before them. However, it is obvious that most of them are finding it rather difficult to make the right choices. They need guidance from us. But will they allow us to guide them?
On the one hand, we feel duty bound to help our children succeed, out of sheer love for them and I wish to associate with those who are successful. On the other hand, we know that these youngsters belong to a completely new generation which makes some peculiar demands on them. The trend now is to leave them to fend for themselves and to take care of their own destiny, unlike in our days when our parents virtually ordered our lives for us. We then had very little to say and not many arguments to advance in terms of our choices and preferences.
In reality, one or two factors makers rather sceptical about the choices they make. First of all, we believe that the present-day youth tend to look at things superficially and so do not give their choices very serious thought. We would like to tell them that all that glitters is not gold.
The other disturbing factor is that they allow their peers to have too much influence on them. They are therefore inclined to take whatever their peer suggests rather than what we offer them. Their excuse is that they do not want to feel left out or be ridiculed by their peers if they do not conform.
We want to assure our youth that we have nothing against them, neither are we envious of the unique opportunities they now have. We wish them well for the reasons stated above. We only want to appeal to them to accommodate our advice and suggestions, even if they would want to package them as their own. There is no doubt that if they do, they will find that we have given them useful tools to help them to grapple with any challenges they may face.
Questions
a) Why do parents want to guide their children?
b) In what way are the children of this generation different from those of the past?
c) Why did children of the older generation not find it difficult to take decisions?
d) State two factors that make parents uneasy about the decisions their children take.
e) … for the reasons stated above. What are these reasons?
f) … who are successful..
i. what is the grammatical name given to this expression?
ii. What is its function?
g) But will they allow us to guide them?
What figure of speech is used in this expression?
h) For each of the following words find another word or group of words or freeze which means the same as the word or group of words and can replace it in the passage:
(i) handle
(ii) tremendous
(iii) sceptical
(iv) disturbing
(v) accommodate
(vi) grapple with
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE II
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
There is an urgent need now for the law enforcement agents to enforce strict environmental laws and regulations in order to preserve and protect the country's fast-dwindling natural resources from further destruction. Until such laws and regulations are made to bite, that is, fully respected and defended, greedy individuals including chainsaw operators and illegal miners would continue to exploit our resources at the expense of all of us, especially our rural folk.
Incidentally, reports indicate that even some traditional chiefs who are supposed to be the custodians of the land and its natural resources are in league with the perpetrators of these criminal activities. But the law is no respect of persons and so all such illegal operators as well as their collaborators should be apprehended and prosecuted. This must be done without fear of fever, to deter other criminals from flouting environmental laws and regulations.
One wonders for how long, we, as a nation can continue to fold our arms and look on helplessly while a few irresponsible individuals deplete our forest and destroy our river, lakes and farmlands with impunity. The country's climate is being adversely affected by wanton deforestation which can lead to drought. Our dismal failure to enforce the laws has resulted in the loss of valuable foreign exchange. One recalls that several other nations are traveling simply by making the best of their resources. Such countries have maintained buoyant economies as a result of the careful protection of their resources.
It is very obvious that Providence has endowed our country with abundant, natural resources such as gold, manganese, etc and other agricultural produce for export and local consumption such as timber and cocoa. Other significant natural resources will soon be added with the discovery of oil and gas in large quantities.
All these resources constitute great national assets which should improve the economy considerably and go a long way to enhance the living standard of the people. That is why it is a pity that our law enforcement agents have not lived up to their responsibility by way of putting a stop to incessant exploitation of these resources.
Questions
a) Mention two main groups of people who are destroying the natural resources.
b) Give two reasons why the author wants the stakeholders to act now.
c) Write two adjectives which show the author’s condemnation of those who are destroying the natural resources.
d) What penalty does the author recommend for those who destroy the resources?
e) Why is the author disappointed in the nation?
f) ... for export and local consumption.
i. What is the grammatical name given to this expression?
ii. What is its function?
g) ... the law is no respecter of persons.
What figure speech is used in the expression above?
i) For each of the following words find another word or group of words or freeze which means the same as the word or group of words and can replace it in the passage:
i. To bite
ii. collaborators
iii. apprehended
iv. flouting
v. enhance
vi. incessant
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