english practice test paper 1 (answers)

Update:

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- The paper below is really nice, yes, but do you know what's nicer? That new site. On it, you can do practice papers and get results instantly! Here's the link:

Studying Online Rocks

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 - I as yet, haven't included any other subjects besides English, but we will. Notice that I have said 'we'.

Before viewing these answers, please try English Practice Test Paper 1. You can find it in the downloads section at the side.

I have tried to do as detailed an analysis of the paper as I could. I have presented this in Question and Answer format for ease of revision.

A summary of the answers in ABCD format has been presented at the end. I simply want to make sure you read the analysis first, that's all...

The notes that are given in each answer may sometimes contain links to various websites that I think could be of use to you as you read. They are presented as underlined italicized words e.g.downloads and are dotted here and there in this analysis, please feel free to check them out. Thanks.

OK, here goes...

Read the passage below. It contains blank spaces numbered 1 to 15. For each blank space, choose the BEST alternative from the choices given.

  The _1_ hung well towards the west now _2_ that the thin clouds above the ragged horizon _3_ rimmed with bright yellow like the spilt yolk of an egg. Chinaboy stood up from having _4_ the fire under the round tin and said, 'She ought to boil now.' The tin stood precariously _5_ on two half-bricks _6_ a smooth stone. We had built the fire carefully _7_ to brew some coffee and now watched the water in the tin with the interest of women at child-birth.
  'There she is,' Chinaboy said as the surface broke into _8_. He waited for the _9_ to boil up and then drew a small crushed packet from the side pocket of _10_ shredded wind-breaker, untwisted _11_ mouth and carefully tapped raw coffee into the tin.

  He was a short man with grey-flecked kinky _12_, and a wide, quiet, heavy _13_ that had a look of patience about it, as if he had grown _14_ to doing things slowly, carefully and correctly. But his _15_ were dark oriental ovals, restless as a pair of cockroaches.

1. A. moon B. star C. sun D. ball

2. A. in B. and C. on D. so

3. A. are B. were C. is D. was

4. A. put B. blown C.lit D. stirred

5. A. balanced B. perched C. sitting D. hanging

6. A. and B. with C. of D. on

7. A. so that B. in case C. in fact D. in order

8. A. bubbles B. smiles C. ripples D. circles

9. A. coffee B. tea C. water D. mixture

10. A. the B. that C. his D. her

11. A. it's B. its C. its' D. it is 

12. A. head B. face C. hands D. hair

13. A. face B. fist C. jaw D. smile

14. A. accustomed B. expected C. prepared D. restricted

15. A.nostrils B. eyes C. hands D. ears

1. Sun. Why sun? Well, what rises in the east and sets in the west? You see, it says in the first line that - 'the _1_ hung well towards the west now; and if that doesn't convince you yet, it says - 'the thin clouds... rimmed with bright yellow like the spilt yolk of an egg...' What, among those choices, can ever be described as bright yellow, except the sun? The moon? A ball? The stars - those tiny flecks up in the sky?

2. So. Why so? According to the Oxford Advanced Learners' 8th Ed. Dictionary, from the word so (that): [as a conjunction], meaning 2 and 3;

                     - used to show the result of sth; and used to show the purpose of sth.

           eg. 2) Nothing more was heard from him so that we began to wonder if he was dead.

                3) (i) But I got you a map so (that) you wouldn't get lost!

                   (ii) She worked hard so that everything would be ready in time.

           Again, from the word so [as an adverb], meaning 1;

                     - to such a great degree.

           eg. 3) She spoke so quietly (that) I could hardly hear her.

    Applying all these to our no. 2 here, the sentence will be that 'The sun hung well towards the west now (and as a result) the thin clouds above the ragged horizon were rimmed with bright yellow like the spilt yolk of an egg...'

    Similar questions:

       a) The workers plan to go on strike __ their salaries are increased. (unless, so that, until, provided that).

       b) [KCPE 2008] The Mutukus are so kind...

                 A. because they always help people

                 B. as they always help people

                 C. that they always help people

                 D. since they always help people

       c) It is a spacious car, __ it is small. (yet, however, and, even)

          [answers]: 1. unless 2. so that 3. yet.

3. Were. Choice A and C are irrelevant since the passage is in the past tense as shown by the verb hung after the first dash and stood up after the word Chinaboy in the next sentence. That leaves us with was and were. Going back to Std. 6 and the Subject/Verb Agreement; was is a singular verb; while were is a plural verb. 'The clouds' is a plural subject, and plural subjects always take a plural verb. Easy.

   Similar questions:

       a) The public (is/are) demanding another election.

       b) The Seychelles (is/are) a large group of islands.

       c) None but the brave (deserves/deserve) the fair.

       d) Why (do/does) none of us pass our exams?

       e) How is it that your answer and your neighbour's (is/are) identical?

       f) The pair of scissors you took (is/are) mine.

             [answers]: 1. is 2. are 3. deserve 4. does 5. are 6. is.

4. Lit. Chinaboy stood up from having lit the fire under the round tin. The answer cannot be put, because a fire isn't put, it is lit. Other verbs that can be used with a fire include fan and stoke.
    The answer cannot be blown. A fire isn't blown, it is fanned and instead of being stirred, a fire is stoked.

5. The tin stood precariously balanced on two half-bricks... Precariously is an adverb from the word precarious (likely to fall or cause somebody to fall).

    e.g. He balanced the glass precariously on the arm of his chair.

    The word balanced has been used together with precariously, both in this example and in the passage, to show that the object was very likely to fall but just about managed not to. The word perched means placed in a high and/or dangerous position, but the key word is high. Seeing as the half-bricks were actually on the ground, then they cannot have been perched there. The ground isn't high, is it?

    Now, let's dismiss the other two choices - the distractors. You see in most cloze-test questions, there are usually 2 very close choices, and 2 choices that are usually just there to take away your attention, to distract you.
    OK, so here goes... It cannot have been precariously sitting/hanging since sitting does not bring up the same feelings of danger as the word precariously and hanging is not applicable here since the tin was not tied to a rope or anything of that sort.

6. And. Anyone would know that it takes three stones to make a traditional/normal fireplace. In this case, two half-bricks and a smooth stone.

7. We had built the fire carefully in order to brew more coffee...

    This could, I repeat could - not is, classed as a conjunction showing the purpose of something; just as so (that) in Qn. 2 was. However, in the dictionary, it is listed as an idiom under the word order, i.e. with the purpose/intention of doing something.

This makes sense. Seriously. Why had they built the fire carefully? In order to brew... END OF DISCUSSION.

8. "There she is," Chinaboy said as the surface broke into bubbles.

    [Note here that she is used here by Chinaboy to refer to the water]

    OK, back to where we were... when water boils, the surface usually breaks violently, as opposed to gently when a very small stone is dropped into a pool. In the case of the very small stone, ripples are formed. Do not call them circles, or even waves. However, in the case of water boiling, aren't bubbles seen? Check this out, meaning 1 example 1.

9. He waited for the water to boil up and then...

    Why water? He hadn't added the coffee yet. Answers (B) and (D) are just insane.

10. He... drew a small crushed packet from the side pocket of his shredded wind-breaker.

     Pretty obvious, eh? Chinaboy is male.

11. He... drew a small crushed packet from the side pocket of his shredded wind-breaker, untwisted its mouth and carefully tapped raw coffee into the tin.

    What is the difference between it's and its? One has an apostrophe between t and s, and the other doesn't.
    Because one is the short form of it is and the other is a possessive pronoun? Let me take you back to Std 6, in short forms. What is the short form for will not? Won't. Shall not? Shan't. Cannot? Can't etc. etc. And then what's the short form for it is? It's. For instance, it is raining can be re-written as it's raining.

    Now to possessive pronouns. Something that belongs to her is? Hers. That belongs to him? His. That belongs to it? Its. Without an apostrophe.

    Here, we are trying to show that the mouth - the opening - belongs to the packet. He untwisted its mouth. He untwisted the mouth belonging to the packet. Let me quit waffling on and on, I don't want to start to bore you.

    Similar questions.

          a) Thank God __ Friday. (its, it's)

          b) I prefer this phone because __ battery is long-lasting. (its, it's)

          c) Give me that. __ mine. (Its, It's)

                  [answers: 1. it's 2. its 3. It's].

12. Kinky is an adjective meaning tightly twisted or curled; and can be - not is - used to describe hair that is like that.

    However, even if you hadn't known that, you could still have eliminated face, head and hands since none of them can be grey-flecked. Grey-flecked means having a few strands of grey in between black hair. Or something like that.

13. Wide and heavy may be used to describe a jaw, as in wide thickset jaw, etc. but what makes face the answer here is that it is said to have 'a look of patience' about it. You can't possibly describe a jaw as having a look of patience about it. Neither can you a fist. I think the answer here is quite straightforward.

14. As if he had grown accustomed to doing things slowly. Can also be re-written as 'as if he had grown used to doing things slowly.

[note that accustomed is always followed by a verb in the continuous tense. E.g. 'accustomed to eating ugali' etc.]

15. Eyes. Only eyes can be described as dark oriental ovals. Plus 'restless' means they move/shift a lot. Nostrils and ears cannot move. And again, hands aren't oval, even if they can move.

From questions 16 - 18, replace the phrasal verb with the best option.

16. The meeting was put off until the following week because of poor attendance.
      A. postponed B. extinguished C. abolished D. cancelled

 Phrasal verbs. These you must obviously have been drilled on at school, and if you haven't, click on that link, look around. 

     Now, phrasal verbs are there to make everyday language colorful. Instead of saying 'we attacked them' it becomes 'we set upon them'. Sounds better, eh? Now each, or rather, most phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. Just look up for instance, turn over, in the dictionary. It's got around 4 or 5 different ones I think. 

     But of course they won't test you on all these in KCPE. They'll test you on the meaning, among all those different ones, that is most used in everyday language. Which is where you must focus. You don't also have to cram every single phrasal verb in the English language.

     No. You see, as phrasal verbs are a combination of a main verb and either an adverb(s) or verb(s), you'll find that for instance, the verb look has quite a host of phrasal verbs derived from it.

    -look up

    -look out

    -look into

    -look after

    -look up to

... and many more. So all you have to do is focus on the main verb(s), make a list of about ten of the most commonly 'derived from' main verbs, e.g. give, make, go, put, look, come, turn, and take. Then practice using each main verb's different phrasal verbs. Piece of cake.

    Don't be afraid though, I recommend Golden Tips English and Gateway English for that. The Oxford Dictionary 7th/8th Ed. too. You'll find them most helpful. Or you can be visiting this site regularly for a million and one such questions as this no. 16, 17 and 18.

    Now, lest I forget all about this question, let me take you through it. Question no. 16. Now put off, put out, call off and write off each have 2 or 3 different meanings - but I'll only give you the most commonly tested. That doesn't mean you should completely disregard the other meanings though, OK?

          put sth off - postpone

          put sth out - extinguish

          call sth off - cancel it

          write sth off (a debt) - cancel or forgive a debt

    With that I'm sure you can figure out what happened to the meeting? It was postponed. It was pushed to a later date.

    Most people can't help confusing put off and put out. Don't be like most people.

    Before I move on to the next answer, abolish - what does it mean? Click on it.

17. Jane puts forward some very useful ideas during meetings.
      A. decides B. thinks C. provides D. proposes

 Put sth forward - to suggest or propose sth for discussion in, say, a meeting. It can also mean the opposite of put off (postpone); that is, to bring sth forward to an earlier date.

     Most people mix it up with put sth across (to explain sth, or to successfully communicate sth especially ideas, to someone) and put sth down (write down a point or note that you've heard in, say, a discussion, a class etc.). Don't, again, be like most people.

     In the meaning of put sth forward the key word is propose. Don't ever forget that. I have told you that with every phrasal verb there is that one meaning among the many that it has, that is tested the most. Now I'm telling you that in that one meaning, there is usually a key word or two that is unique to it. Always look out for them.

     Like in this question 17, there were two very close choices - provides and proposes. It's easy to fall for provides, as would happen if you read the sentence aloud to yourself with provides instead of puts forward. Go on. Sounds just fine, doesn't it. 

    That's why you need to pay attention to those key words I've told you about. They make all the difference.

18. Agnes' application was turned down by the headmistress.
      A. accepted B. rejected C. proved useful D. was refused admission

To turn sth down is to reject or refuse an offer/proposal/application/invitation - usually politely. Now, to turn sb away from sth is to refuse sb entry to a place, especially at the gate or door to that place. For instance, 'Hundreds of fans were turned away at the stadium for possessing fake tickets'.

     Most people usually mix up the above two phrasal verbs. Again I say, you know the drill.

     Choice D is a bit tricky. You can't refuse admission to an application, you can only refuse admission to a person. An application is a thing. I think here they meant 'admit' a person.

     Do make sure you polish up exhaustively on phrasal verbs. Free marks await.

In questions 19 and 20, choose the most appropriate question tag.

19. He has a really nice car, __ ?
      A. hasn't he B. doesn't he C. does he D. isn't it

 Question Tags.

      Let me take you briefly through the basics of question tags. They are formed from the helping verb in the main sentence, NOT the main verb, and if the main sentence has a negative in it (i.e. no, not, never, nil, hardly, scarcely, barely, rarely, seldom, zero, few, little, none, etc.) then the question tag must be positive (i.e. not have any negative in it) - and if the main sentence is positive, come on, you know how this works.

      For example: He has more sweets left, __? You can't say 'leftn't he?'. You mustn't form a question tag with the main verb. Use the helping verb. In this case, 'has'. So the question tag becomes, 'hasn't he?' The main sentence was positive - it had no nots, nevers, nils, nones and so on - so I made the question tag negative. I put 'not' in it.

      Now in the absence of a helping verb, for example in - She eats slowly, __? the invisible helping verb is assumed to be 'does' but that's only in the present tense. If the example were - She ate slowly, __? the invisible helping verb would be assumed to be 'did'. Which means that the question tags in each of these examples would be 'doesn't she?' and 'didn't she?' respectively.

On to the answer to no. 19 now: He has a really nice car, doesn't he?

     You see, 'has' here has been used as the main verb. Just like you do when you say 'He has two brothers'.

     The only verb there is 'has'. It is therefore the main verb. It is the only verb. Again, 'I have a headache'.

     Have, though mostly used as a helping verb, is in this sentence the only verb. Thus the main verb.

     All this means that no. 19 has no helping verb. So what do we assume to be the invisible helping verb in such cases? That's right, 'does'. Question answered.

20. Few athletes can beat Kipkorir in a one-hundred-metre race, __ ?
      A. can't they B. can they C. couldn't they D. isn't it

 Few athletes can beat Kipkorir in a one-hundred-metre race, can they?

     The presence of 'few' in the main sentence - which when used this way usually means 'almost none' (just click on it and see) - means that the sentence is negative. 

     That is, not many athletes can beat Kipkorir...

     Therefore, using the helping verb 'can', we need to make the question tag positive. There you go.

Re-arrange the following sentences to make sensible paragraphs.


21. i) I was glad to hear you arrived home safely.
      ii) Many thanks for your letter, I received it yesterday.
      iii) When you come bring us some mangoes.
      iv) We look forward to seeing you when you visit us next month.
      A. ii, iv, i, iii B. ii, i, iii, iv C. ii, i, iv, iii D. ii, iv, iii, i


This one was a bit straight-forward. On to the next one.


22. i) When she saw the fish she clapped her hands and hugged the boys.
      ii) They wanted to show Atieno, their mother, what they had caught.
      iii) Omondi and Onyango ran all the way home.
      iv) She was in the kitchen when they arrived.
      A. iii, ii, iv, i B. iii, iv, ii, i C. iii, iv, i, ii D. iii, ii, i, iv

 You can't have a pronoun coming before the noun it is supposed to be replacing. That is, presented with the sentence 'He is carrying a big stick', you'll ask 'who is 'he'?' Thus in this question, the sentence 'They wanted to show Atieno, their mother, what they had caught' can't come before 'Omondi and Onyango ran all the way home', because 'they' stands for Omondi and Onyango. Similarly 'She was in the kitchen...' can't come before we've known who 'She' is.

     Thus the answer here is A.

Choose the alternative that means the same as the underlined word.


23. Nyaga and Kinoti ate slowly in order to taste the full sweetness of the soup.
      A. measure B. enjoy C. relish D. cherish

To cherish is to keep an idea/memory/feeling for a long time or to love sb very much while to relish is to enjoy the full taste/flavour of something. e.g. chicken soup, victory, etc. Relish can also be interchanged with savour.




24. Cassey and Tito are to organize the concerts because we know they are always punctual.
      A. timely B. procrastinating C. swift D. prompt

Prompt means the same as punctual, i.e. arriving at the right time; while timely means happening at exactly the right time - but by luck or chance. There is a difference. Read that again.

     Swift means quickly/immediately while to procrastinate is to delay or put off something that you should do especially due to laziness.

     The answer here, as you must have gathered by now, is prompt. Most people usually mix up prompt and timely. Don't. For instance, which sentence below needs 'prompt' and which one needs 'timely'?

      e.g. 1. The paramedics arrived ___ at the scene of the accident and were able to save many lives.

            2. Just as I was about to drown, I felt a tug on my shoulder and suddenly I was above the water sucking in lungfuls of precious oxygen. My brother had saved me. His appearance had been ___.

Change the following sentence into the passive voice.


25. Mutuma and Joel drank the milk.
      A. Milk was drank by Mutuma and Joel.
      B. Milk was drunk by Mutuma and Joel.
      C. Milk was being drunk by Mutuma and Joel.
      D. Milk was being drank by Mutuma and Joel.

Since the original sentence is not in continuous tense, i.e. has no -ing (the sentence is not 'Mutuma and Joel were drinking the milk') then choices C and D are out of the question.

      Now, 'was' is a helping verb, and with helping verbs, the main verb must be in past participle. The past tense of 'drink' is 'drank' - but the past participle is 'drunk'.

      Thus, the correct answer is 'The milk was drunk by Mutuma and Joel'.

Read the following passage carefully before answering questions 26 to 38.


     "How are you travelling?"
     "Oh, by air of course. So much easier and quicker." How often nowadays one hears a similar scrap of conversation. A hundred years ago, your trip would have been an impossible fairy tale. Now the world is covered by a network of air routes, traversed by planes of more than a hundred airline companies making air travel possible to almost every part of the globe. Here are two contrasting stories about the beginning of air travel:
     The first is a Greek legend, retold by Pevelope - a farmer. In order to escape from a prison on an island, Daedalus and his son Icarus made a pair of wings by glueing feathers together. One day, many months later, they flew out of prison.
     Higher and higher flew Daedalus and Icarus, down below on their ploughs people looked up into the sky, shading their eyes against the sun. Washerwomen dropped the clothes they scrubbed. fishermen let all their nets, boat-builders laid down the saws that Daedalus had made. When they began to fly across the seas, sailors came running to the sides of their ships to stare at them. All imagined they saw gods, not men.

     "What say you, mighty gods? Have you changed men into birds to make them fly? Icarus remains but a boy, he flies like an eagle through the air."
     Icarus flew more like a gull than an eagle now, skimming low, delightfully across the shimmer of the sea so that his father had to shout and wave at him to keep his feathers dry. Though annoyed at first to be put off his game, he was soon seized by still greater joy, moving his arms in more and more powerful strokes; swooping, soaring upwards like the eagle that his father imagined him.
     Daedalus returned to his god-like dreams and failed to watch the flight of his son Icarus. Other men need gods to make them fly. Icarus has only his mortal father Daedalus.
     Higher and higher flew Icarus, towards the strengthening sun. The air was hotter, the sun more brilliant, dazzling his eyes. He had forgotten all the warnings now, flying nearer to that golden orb as if drawn to it, like a moth towards a lamp.
     And slowly the wax on his wings began to melt. It softened gently, then dripped a little. In slow, thick drops. A feather slipped from his arm, drifting, sailing down towards the sea. Other feathers followed, singly at first, but more and more of them at once. and suddenly though the ecstatic Icarus confidently moved his wings, there were not enough feathers left to hold the air, to keep him up in flight.
     His father looked back to see his son plunge headlong, faster than the feathers, passing everyone. Straight as a gull, he fell towards the sea, but did not swerve safely like a gull above the glittering waves. He plunged right into the heart of them and their startled waters closed above his head. All that remained of Icarus were some feathers floating on the sea, while his father flew, weeping in the sky alone.
     Here is another thrilling story: not a legend but a true one. One day in December 1903, a young American named Wright climbed into a queer-looking contraption with wings and to the astonishment of the onlookers, flew into the air. After a few hundred metres, he crashed. But in that first flight, the Air Age had begun.


26. What is meant by 'a scrap of conversation'?
      A. Piece of talk
      B. Brief conversation
      C. Lengthy conversation
      D. Halt in some talk

 A scrap is a small piece of something, so a scrap of conversation should be a 'piece of talk', i.e. a sentence or two of conversation that you hear a lot of time probably even everyday.

     That's how it differs from a 'brief conversation'. A brief conversation is short, yes, but it is not something you hear every day. I might come and talk to you right now for about 5 minutes. That is brief. It may be that the next time I talk to you might be a year from now. Our brief conversation won't happen everyday.

     I want you to understand that a scrap of conversation is something that's spoken by many people all over, like a popular joke that Churchill told on TV and that you now hear everyone repeating everywhere.

     Choice C and D, pfff... let's not waste time on them.

27. There are four people mentioned in the passage. Who do you think was indeed the first to fly in the air?
      A. Daedalus B. Pevelope C. Wright D. Icarus

The last paragraph of the story starts like this: 'Here is another story: not a legend but a true one.'

      Not a legend but a true one. That means a legend is not true. So what is a legend? A legend is a story from ancient times about people and events, and which is not necessarily true. A myth. So, if the story about Daedalus and his son Icarus is a legend - they might actually not be real. They might not really have existed. Wright, however, was real. That sentence above says so. He's the answer.

28. Which of the following statements tells us that Daedalus was indeed a clever craftsman?
      A. He was the first man to make wings of feathers
      B. Boat-builders used saws made by Daedalus
      C. He was the inventor of human flight
      D. He succeeded in escaping from prison

Who is a craftsman? A skilled person, especially one who makes beautiful things by hand. In other words, you need special training and ability to be a craftsman. It is not a profession for every Tom, Dick and Harry. Yes, Daedalus did make the saws used by the boat-builders (the passage says so), but making saws... pfff, anyone can do that. I don't think it requires any special skill. Plus saws really aren't beautiful things. Remember, craftsmen make beautiful things.

     You don't need to be clever to make saws - let alone be a craftsman. Speaking of clever, how many people could successfully escape from a prison, any prison? Very few. Now, out of those very few, how many could do it by actually flying out, at a time when human flight was virtually unthinkable? Zero people. None. But Daedalus did according to the story. I don't know about you, but I think that is very CLEVER, and takes quite some skill. Do you think designing wings is easy? Let's see you try. 

     My answer is A. C is wrong, as he didn't actually do it - Wright did. Daedalus isn't actually real, remember? D, well, is clever, but A is cleverer, and is something that a craftsman would do. I don't think craftsmen escape from prison as part of their profession.

29. What was Daedalus' warning to his son Icarus about flying over the sea?
      A. Make sure that the wax does not dissolve in sea water
      B. Make sure that the wings do not get destroyed by waves
      C. Make sure that he does not get drowned
      D. Make sure not to fly too low across the sea

 It says in the passage that Daedalus shouted and waved at his son to keep his feathers dry. You see when things become wet, they also become a bit heavier. If wings get heavy, won't one be unable to move them easily, get tired and thus be unable to fly?

     The warning wasn't about drowning if he flew over the sea, or about the waves or the wax dissolving - none of these are mentioned in the passage.

30. One of the ends of this statement is correct. Daedalus wished Icarus... ?
      A. wouldn't fly too low over the sea
      B. wouldn't plunge right into the heart of the waves
      C. would keep his feathers dry
      D. wouldn't fly too close to the sun

Re-read the argument above if you've got that short a memory.


31. The word 'swooping' indicates movement: a sudden downward rush or attack as a bird of prey. Which group of verbs all show movement?
      A. soaring, plunge, drift
      B. loitering, soaring, plunge
      C. plunge, stare, swerve
      D. sailing, startled, skimming

Let's consider A. Soaring, plunging and drifting are all words that describe movement. Just click on each and see what they mean.

     So what exactly is wrong with choices B, C and D? Well, in B, loitering is the odd one out. I know most people use it to mean 'walking around aimlessly', but they are wrong. Go ahead, look it up. The words they should actually use are wander/roam. To loiter is to stand around/wait somewhere, especially with no obvious reason. In other words to hang around. There is no movement involved there. 

     In choices C and D, the word stare does the trick. I'm hoping you know what to stare is.

32. The phrase 'a moth towards a lamp' means?
      A. A moth attracts a lamp
      B. A moth attracts the light of a lamp
      C. Rushing instinctively towards something
      D. Do something purposely

Ever been in a room with a moth that's fluttering annoyingly around the light bulb? It mustn't actually be a moth - it could be a beetle, one of those insects I hear being called 'sausage-flies' (I don't think that's their actual name), or it could even be a bee! OK, so you decide to turn off the lights in a bid to make the stupid thing go away. It does. And after a while, once there is no more buzzing and there is peace in the room once more, you flick the switch on.

    You slide back into the couch, let out a sigh of relief, and you allow your mind to drift away - problem solved. Suddenly, to your sheer disbelief, a buzz. You look around, fist clenched, and you spot the insect on the floor moving around in circles trying to pick itself up. You get up, but just before you can slam your foot on it to squish it triumphantly, it takes off and rushes instinctively toward the light bulb, leaving you utterly frustrated and cursing fitfully.

    Choice C. Need I say more?

33. Complete this analogy as refers to the above story:
      Moth is to lamp as Icarus is to __
      A. Sun B. Girl C. Eagle D. Bird

My grandmother in her sleep, could get this question right. She used to be a rocket scientist, you know. I'm just playing, relax.



34. How did Icarus react to his father's warnings?
      A. Followed them to the letter
      B. Forgot them
      C. Got annoyed
      D. Ignored them

Paragraph 8, third sentence: He had forgotten all the warnings now, flying nearer as if drawn to it [the sun], like a moth towards a lamp.

35. Which one of the following statements is TRUE?
      A. Daedalus kept a constant watch over his son's flight
      B. Daedalus landed safely soon after his son's misfortune
      C. Icarus did not know that the feathers were falling off his wings
      D. Wright failed to demonstrate that man can fly in air

 Let's sift them one by one - see which one is true:

     A. He didn't. Paragraph 7 says he returned to his god-like dreams and failed to watch over his son Icarus.

     B. Soon after? No... uh uh. Second last paragraph, last sentence: All that remained of Icarus were some feathers floating on the sea, while his father flew, weeping in the sky alone.

The story in fact, doesn't say if he did land at all.

     C. Paragraph 9. We are told that Icarus moved his wings confidently - what does confidently mean? He was sure of himself, you do something confidently when you know that everything is alright - nothing is wrong. But something was wrong. The wings were losing feathers. But he didn't know - he just kept moving his arms, oblivious to the danger that lay in wait.

This choice is the answer.

     D. Yes, he did crash. But the next sentence goes on to say that he did succeed in showing that human flight was possible. It says: 'But in that first flight, the Air Age had begun...' The days of flying, the days of airplanes had begun, people saw that it was possible to fly, and they did. Choice D is therefore false.

36. The word 'thrilling' as used in the passage could be replaced by which other word?
      A. Threatening B. Amusing C. Exciting D. Loving

Thrilling means exciting and enjoyable, so there's your answer.

     However, had you not known the meaning of thrilling, you would still have been able to find out the answer. The sentence in which it is used would have given you an idea of its meaning, and armed with that you would have gone eliminating the wrong choices one by one and been left with the answer.

     Here's the sentence: 'Here's another thrilling story: not a legend but a true one...' Thrilling is used to describe the two stories that the passage is narrating. How did you find the stories? Interesting, entertaining, enjoyable, adventurous... etc. I don't think they were threatening, were they?

     Were they loving? Did they love you? That does not make sense, eh. And even if choice D were 'lovely' - I don't think you could decribe these two stories that way. Maybe if they were fairy tales - you know, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Soy tu Duena (did I just say that?) and so on.

     OK, that eliminates choices A and D.

     Now, were the stories amusing or were they exciting. Amusing means funny, making you laugh. They weren't funny, were they? Like Churchill, etc... no.

     That leaves choice C.

37. The BEST title for this passage would be?
      A. Daedalus and Icarus
      B. A Greek legend
      C. The first men ever to fly
      D. The beginning of the Air Age

Which title here best summarizes this passage?

      A. Was the story only about Daedalus and Icarus? NO. There was Wright too.

      B. Same as above.

      C. There are three men mentioned in the passage. Two of the are not real. Only one did actually fly. He is not 'men'. He is 'man'. Singular.

      D. Try and disqualify it - you can't. This passage is actually all about flying, and how man began to fly, it says so in paragraph one, go on - read it.

Read the next passage carefully and answer the following questions.


     Dr. Jean Mbogo became the headmaster of Ranges coastal in Ghana when he was only twenty years old. He made the 400 pupils in his school work hard, but every now and then he used to tell them stories. This is one he liked to tell:
     One day a farmer caught a young eagle in the forest, brought it home and put it with his chickens in the run. He decided to bring it up as a chicken.
     A visitor came to the farm a few weeks later and saw the young eagle.
     "That isn't a chicken," he said. "Surely it's an eagle?"
     "Yes you are right," answered the chicken farmer, "only it isn't a chicken any more. You see, I've brought it up as a chicken. It will never fly again."
     "I think it will," said the visitor. "It is an eagle." After that, he took the bird out of the chicken run and held it in the air. It looked up at the sky and then looked down again and finally it jumped back among the chickens. The visitor did this several times, but each time, it jumped back to earth.
     "You will never turn that bird into an eagle."
     The next day at day-break, the visitor carried the bird to the top of a high hill and there made it look straight into the rising sun. Suddenly the bird shook itself all over, stretched out its wings and flew up and away. It had proved that it was an eagle after all.
     The headmaster would look at his pupils and say, "Many people think we Africans are chickens and I really think we sometimes believe it ourselves. But it's not true! We too, can be eagles! Let's look into the  rising sun and stretch our wings!"
    Teaching was not Jean's only interest. He also learnt to print and helped to write and print a local newspaper. But in spite of so many things he did, he grew restless. He felt a strong desire to get more education but at that time there were no colleges in Ghana he could go to. The Methodist Church found a college in North Carolina, Southern U.S and Jean sailed for America.
     Few Americans had ever met an educated African before but Jean soon was as good as any of his fellow students. After studying for four years, he was asked to teach at the college. He married a negro woman, Rosebud Douglas and began studying to be a minister.
     He did not return to Africa until 22 years later, when he was invited to join a group of American teachers who were studying education in Africa. They toured West, South and Eastern Africa. He always stressed that girls as well as boys should be educated and that white and black people should work together to improve education in Africa. He used to point at a piano and say, "You need both white and black keys for harmony."


38. Which one of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
      A. Dr Mbogo was once a headmaster
      B. Dr Jean Mbogo did not live beyond 23
      C. Dr Mbogo was a long-time scholar
      D. Dr Mbogo told stories and preached in church

Well, you know the drill with questions of this type - you have to carefully analyse each choice, eliminate those that will get you no marks, and leave the one you feel is correct.

      So:

      A. He was a headmaster. That much is obvious from the very first sentence of the passage so we move on to;

      B. Of course he did live past the age of 23. He got to be headmaster at 20, we have no idea how long he stayed as headmaster before sailing for the land of opportunity - but we are told at the beginning of the last paragraph that he did not return to Africa until 22 years after he had, I think, become a religious minister. Add 22 to 20, and you get that he did indeed get to live beyond 23.

Choice B then is false.

     C. A scholar is a learned person who has become sort of a master in a particular field or subject. This guy studied and taught for more than 22 years. I don't know about you, but that sure does sound like a seriously long time to me.

     D. What's the work of a minister? And no, not the one you know, not the government fella, no, a minister, from church, trained in religion and such stuff. They preach don't they? Where? In church.

39. Why did the visitor in the story take the eagle out of the run?
      A. It was disturbing the chickens
      B. It was not a chicken but an eagle
      C. He wanted to prove that the eagle could still fly
      D. They were arguing with the owner

 ".... You see, I've brought it up as a chicken. It will never fly again."

      "I think it will," said the visitor. "It is an eagle."

      After that, he took the bird out of the chicken run and held it in the air.... the visitor did this several times, but each time it jumped back to earth.

      "You will never turn that bird into an eagle." Next day at daybreak, the visitor ---- oh, come on, you know how the story goes...

     He managed to prove that it was an eagle after all. So you see, it's not that it had been disturbing the chickens, or that they'd been arguing with the owner... no. 

     Also, that bird was not a chicken that was turned into an eagle - instead, it had been an eagle all along, only that it had been made to forget how to fly. It's called brainwashing.

40. In the story of the eagle and the farmer... ?
      A. the bird could not be turned into an ideal eagle
      B. the eagle had been tamed and would permanently remain in the run
      C. it was proved that the eagle had not actually become a chicken
      D. the farmer was annoyed that his bird had flown away

 Follow the explanation above. Should help.


41. Why did Dr Jean Mbogo tell his pupils the story of the eagle?
      A. He wanted to discourage people who wanted to tame wild animals
      B. It was his belief that Africans and birds were friends
      C. He wanted to disapprove of those who believed that Africans could never learn anything
      D. He wanted to show that Africans are chickens

A, B and D are so ridiculous I don't think you'll ever come across an easier question in your life.


42. Which one of the following didn't Dr Mbogo do?
      A. He headed Ranges Coastal School
      B. He wrote and printed a church magazine
      C. He was a great politician
      D. He preached

Was he a politician? He did head Ranges Coastal, that's true, and he did preach - we've already seen that. Plus he did help write and print a church magazine - check out paragraph 7, it's all in there. What doesn't sound right was that he was a politician. It isn't mentioned.


43. Which of the following words could have been used instead of asked?
      A. Commanded B. Inquired C. Questioned D. Requested

 '... After studying for four years, he was asked to teach in the college...' 

      One of the many meanings of 'to ask' is to tell somebody that you'd like them to do something or that you would like something to happen, in summary to request.

      On the other hand, to inquire/enquire is to ask for information about something.

      Dr Mbogo wasn't asked for information, he was requested to do something. He was asked. Now, he couldn't have been commanded. That involves force, and if not force, then you'll find that mostly soldiers, policemen and the like get that - he was not any of these, he was a teacher.

44. Which of the following statements was NOT Dr Mbogo's preaching?
      A. Africans should be left alone in their countries
      B. Whites and Africans should love one another
      C. Pupils should work hard
      D. Girls and boys should all be educated

When he was headmaster of Ranges Coastal, the second sentence of the first paragraph says that he used to make the 400 pupils in his school work hard - so choice C is taken care of there.

      The third sentence of the last paragraph says that he always stressed that girls as well as boys should be educated - that covers choice D - and that white and black people should work together... He used to point (the very last sentence) to a piano and say, "You need both white and black key for harmony." Doesn't that cover choice B?

      This point is actually the complete opposite of choice A, so I think this A is the answer.

45. This was one of Dr Mbogo's pieces of advice to Africans.
      A. They should marry negro women
      B. They should work together with Whites just like white and black keys
      C. Whites must not marry African women
      D. Africans must study hard to become church ministers

If you've followed the above argument well, you should have no problem here.


46. How old was Dr Mbogo when he came back to Africa?
      A. 22 B. 40 C. 42 D. 20

Just like it was in Question 38, add 22 to 20, what do you get?


47. According to the story, what proves that the bird was an eagle?
      A. It looked up at the sky
      B. It jumped back to earth
      C. It flew up and away
      D. It shook itself and stretched out its wings

Well, chickens don't fly, do they?


48. It is TRUE to say that Dr Mbogo was... ?
      A. born in the U.S.A
      B. born in North Carolina
      C. born in Ranges Coastal
      D. born in Ghana

What I said in Question 41 was wrong, wasn't it?


49. At what time did the stranger take the bird to the top of the hill?
      A. Dusk B. Day C. Dawn D. Twilight

 '... Next day at daybreak the visitor carried the bird to the top of a high hill...'

      Daybreak. What time is daybreak? Very early in the morning. Dawn. Just before the sun rises, yet the darkness has disappeared. The opposite - the time when the sun has set, but darkness is yet to fall - is dusk, or twilight.

50. The BEST title for this story would be?
      A. How Dr Mbogo married a negro woman
      B. Dr Mbogo the great African educator
      C. Why Dr Mbogo went to America
      D. Dr Mbogo's story of the eagle

This story isn't only about the story of the eagle, or only about his marriage, or only about how he got to the US, it is about all of this. It is about Dr Mbogo's life. This is best shown by choice B.


Now, a summary of the answers. Here they are:

   

1.    C

2.    D

3.    B

4.    C

5.    A

6.    A

7.    D

8.    C

9.    C

10   C

11.   D

12.   D

13.   A

14.   A

15.   B

16.   A

17.   D

18.   B

19.   B

20.   B

21.   C

22.   A

23.   C

24.   D

25.   B

26.   A

27.   C

28.   B

29.   D

30.   C

31.   A

32.   C

33.   A

34.   B

35.   C

36.   C

37.   D

38.   B

39.   C

40.   C

41.   C

42.   C

43.   D

44.   A

45.   B

46.   C

47.   C

48.   D

49.   C

50.   B

      Thanks for trying this paper. Hope I helped.