MIKETERY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ENUGU

FIRST TERM EXAMINATION

CLASS: SS1 TIME: 2 hours
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
SECTION A: COMPOSITION
INSTRUCTION: ANSWER ONE QUESTION ONLY FROM THIS SECTION. ALL QUESTIONS CARRY
EQUAL MARKS, YOUR ANSWER SHOULDN’T BE LESS THAN 450 WORDS

1. Write an essay that ends with “it was a bitter experience but I learnt my lesson”
2. Write a story to illustrate the saying “it pays to be honest”
3. Write a letter to the principal of your school complaining on the problem of noisemaking
in your class during teaching and learning, suggesting solution to the problem
4. Write a letter to your friend living abroad telling him/her the situation of the country
since the last election
5. Give a description of one of the interesting functions you attended recently

SECTION B: COMPREHENSION

READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

I was on top of my palm tree yesterday, tapping the tree and collecting the wine for the
morning. I saw two soldiers at the foot of the tree. They made signs at me, so I concluded that
they wanted my palm wine. On descending from the tree, I gave them the wine to sample, as a
custom. Not only did they drain all the wine in the calabash, they said they had come to
conscript me into the army. I asked them weather they wanted me or somebody else and they
said they had come for me. I further asked them whether an enemy sent them or they came on
their own. To cut the story short, they said I was wasting their time as they had to catch twenty
men that day. Only a foolish man willingly disobeys armed soldiers. I told them I had something
very important to say, say, say it then, one of them cut impatiently looking at his watch. It was
approaching midday by which time it was considered unsafe to drive around in a car for fear of
enemy plans which had learnt to strike individual vehicles on the highway. Yes what I want to
say is simple, I said, my first son, the boy who should have succeeded me when I die, joined the
army voluntarily and with my full backing. He was a brilliant boy, always first in his class. He was
in his last year at school when the war began. He was killed. The two children who came after
him are girls. The next boy is still in the primary school. If he were old enough, I would have
asked him to join the army not minding the fact that my first son’s head had already been
sacrificed to the same war. No person who breathes will say that he has no part in this war. Nut
let me add this, if this war has reached the stage when a man of my age is given a rifle by force
and sent to the war front, then the time has come for you to blow the whistle and end the war.
That is all I want to say!

QUESTIONS
a) What was the mission of the soldiers?
b) Why was the army short of personnel?
c) Mention two arguments of the writer
d) What can we infer from the narrators’ concluding statement?
e) “….. to blow the whistle” what figure of speech is used in this expression?
f) “if he were old enough” i. what is the grammatical name given to the expression ii. What
is its function in the sentence?
g) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and
which can replace it as it is sued in the passage i. sample ii. Willingly iii. Unsafe iv. Rifle v.
highway

SECTION C: SUMMARY

INSTRUCTION: READ CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW IT

When fire is under control, it is a useful servant, but when it rages controlled, it can be
destructive giant that consumes everything in its path-man, beast, Vegetation.
The number one causes of bush fires is palm wine tapping. Tappers light bundles of sticks to
heat up palm trees. The fire accidentally spreads and a bush fire results. It is also common for a
group of hunters to surround a thick forest and set it on fire to flush out game that maybe in it.
Many farmers use the bush burning method to clear farm. If not controlled, the fire can spread
quickly. Herdsmen burn dry grass in the belief that with the coming of the rain, the land will be
rejuvenated and there will be better pastures for their animal in-order to prevent this, the
government should educate the people on the dangers of fire and impose penalties on the
offenders.
QUESTIONS
a) In two sentences, one for each, state any three ways man is responsible for fire outbreak
b) In two sentences, one for each, state what the government should do to prevent the
spread of fire
c) In one sentence, summarize the passage.
SECTION D: OBJECTIVE
LEXIS AND STRUCTURE
From the list of words or group of words Lettered A-D choose the word or group of words that
best complete the sentences
1. I have forgotten _ told me the story a. whom b. who c. by whom d. which
2. The box is _ big for him to carry a. too b. so c. much d. very
3. I will show you the man _ car was stolen a. that his b. whose c. who’s d. whom
4. Each of the team members _ to receive a prize a. are b. is c. have d. shall
5. There are eight chairs in your room a. aren’t they b. aren’t there c. are they d. isn’t it
6. The employees haven’t have been paid their entitlements, _ they a. are b. do c. have d.
has
7. Drop your gum _ I’ll shoot a. whereas b. although c. nevertheless d. or else
8. It appears _ he was there a. that b. whether c. if d. so that
9. The young girl was _ about the prospects of going to abroad a. exalted b. excited c.
invited d. escited
10. He was sent to the remand home in the hope that the place would _ him a. reform b.
amend c. improve d. renovate
Choose the interpretation that you consider most appropriate for each of the following
questions from option A-D
11. But for the principal actor, the play would have been dull a. important b. head c. famous
d. main
12. Kate killing her husband is a stigma to the family a. disgrace b. pride c. calamity d.
disaster
13. Flight WR 506 from Lagos terminates in Madugri a. closes b. concludes c. lands d. fly
14. The workers suspected that the boss has a skeleton in his cupboard. This means that the
boss _ a. is a very wicked man b. has a skeleton hidden in the room c. is not liked by the
workers d. has an ugly secret
From the group of words lettered A-D, choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE
in meaning to the underline word and that will at the same time correctly fill the gap
in the sentences.
15. To encourage productivity, we must reward industry and _ laziness a. withhold b.
withdraw c. punish d. oppose
16. Many people objected to the demolition of the building a. construction b. destruction c.
renovation d. foundation
 From the group of words lettered A-D choose the word that is most nearly same in
meaning or NEAREST in meaning
17. We have decided to raise the matter at our next meeting a. bring out b. bring up c. raise
up d. thrash out
18. On our arrival at the meeting my friends was asked to make an important speech a.
important b. unusual c. address d. unprepared
19. She made her maiden speech yesterday a. last speech in public b. first speech in public c.
middle speech d. in-between speech
20. I concede that I am probably wrong on this point a. deny b. conclude c. admit d. declare
From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that contains the sound represented by the
given phonetic symbol
/j/ a. listen b. yes c. get d. boys
/Ꝋ/ a. dear b. therefore c. health d. had
/z/ a. goat b. box c. move d. bags
/a:/ a. mansion b. man c. mail d. mark
/ᵭ/ a. head b. brother c. through d. bath
/dᵶ/ a. girl b. ghetto c. joke d. leg
Instruction: Against each in the list below each passage, four options are offered in columns
lettered A-D choose the option that is most suitable to fill the numbered gaps in the passage.
The airport had a big terminal and a wide 27__. Departure time for our fight was announced
and all the passengers _28__ to _29__. The plane soon the aircraft began to _30___ for take-off
and in a few moment we were air borne.
A B C D

27 taxi Queued board Runaway

28 Flied Ran Queued up Sat-up
29 Sack Taxi Drive Board
30 Run Drive Taxi Run fast
MIKETERY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ENUGU
FIRST TERM EXAMINATION
CLASS: SS3 TIME: 2 hours
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
SECTION A: COMPOSITION
Instruction: Answer only one question from this section. Your answer should not
be not be less than 450 words
1. Write a letter to your father who is living abroad, telling him some of the problems the
family has been encountering at home
2. Write a letter to the chairman of your local government area telling him the facilities
lacking in your community and requesting that he should come to your assistance
3. Write a letter to the editor of your state newspaper complaining on the frequent power
failure in your area
4. Write an article suitable for publication in your dangerous of kidnapping in the country
and providing possible solution
5. You are the chief speaker in a debate on the topic co-educational school is better than a
single sex school
6. Tell a story that ends with the saying “it was a bitter experience but I learnt my lesson”
SECTION B: COMPREHENSION
READ THIS PASSAGE CAREFFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ON IT
I sat down to relax after a hard day work as a radio work as a radio broadcaster, my attention
was immediately arrested by what I saw on the television. There was my old classmate, Funke
Jacobs, introduced as Mrs Funke Ajayi. Evidently, she must have married since we parted some
fifteen years ago. She looked as smart as she did when we were both secondary school
students, through age and child bearing had taken their toll.
As I watched and listened, I realized the Funke was still her old self. I realized how several years
ago, when we were directed by the English language master to write an essay on “the
profession of my dream”, each of us opted for and defended our choices as future teachers,
doctors, engineers, accountants and the like. I choose to be a newscaster and that was what I
eventually became.
Funke alone decided on a totally different direction. She opted to be a famer. Shocked by her
choice, the teacher summon her to the front of the class to read her essay. Ever confident and
charming she did. As we listened, most of us laughed believing that she must be joking. After
her presentation, the teacher agreed adding that it must be just an academic exercise.