BECE Past Questions & Answers – 1993 (English)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PART 1
OBJECTIVE TEST
45 minutes
SECTION A COMPREHENSION
Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions which follow
PASSAGE I
Bako was both intelligent and hardworking so he soon learnt all that Garba taught him of the art of reading and writing. Now he was able to earn a little extra income as a letter-writer and reader to his fellow illiterate labourers. All the people trusted him because he never revealed any information he got from the letters to anyone.
Bako‟s happiest moments came on Saturdays when he received his pay and on Mondays when the labourers returned to work bringing with them all the gossip and laughter of their villages. Unfortunately, a misfortune befell Bako. One day, as he stood gazing proudly at a big tree, which he had just felled, another tree being cut down by a fellow labourer struck him on the head. The branches tore his face and he fell unconscious. His friends carried him to Adom Hospital.
The accident changed Bako‟s life. His handsome face became permanently scarred. He lost his strength
and job. At first, he hoped that in time he would regain his strength but Bako grew weaker and weaker.
1. According to the passage, Garba taught Bako to ……..
A. use a matchet
B. fell trees
C. read and write
D. gossip and laugh
E. read and fell trees
2. Bako got additional income by
A. cutting down trees
B. going to the hospital
C. meeting his friends on Monday
D. working as a letter-writer and reader
E. felling trees and reading letters
3. The people trusted Bako because he ………… A. kept what he knew about them secretly B. wrote and read their letters
C. gossiped and laughed with them
D. was hardworking and clever
E. earned extra income
4. How did the accident affect Bako?
A. He lost his senses and job
B. He could not read and write again
C. He became weak and jobless
D. His face was stitched
5. Bako liked Mondays because …………
A. Monday started the week
B. He met all his friends again
C. He received his pay
D. He wrote and read letters
E. He heard news from other villages
6. He fell unconscious means he
A. fell asleep
B. became mad
C. lost his confidence
D. lost awareness of his surroundings
E. fell down and died
PASSAGE II
We can have close friends for a very long time. But when friendship and duty come into conflict, as I
once experienced, many problems may occur.
Almost all my friends and I are leading members of our school‟s Supporters Club. In the beginning of our
final year it was time to elect new officers for the club. Everyone stood the chance of being elected.
When I was elected as President, I knew it would be a tough job because I would be in charge of my closest friends. The real test would come when the sports season started.
Just as I had imagined, there were many disputes. No one listened to what I said. Everyone just wanted to have fun instead of cheering our athletes. I knew I had to motivate them and use discipline and that was exactly what I did.
Many of my friends could not understand this. While some of them stopped coming to the games others were not talking to me at all.
I finally decided to have a talk with everyone. I frankly admitted that I did not like the job but since I had it, I was determined to do my best. I also told them to leave sports matters on the field because my friends were more important to me than the job. From that little talk, I had everything resolved.
7. Why did the writer think his job would be difficult?
A. The other members were final year students
B. He had to control his closest friends
C. He was inexperienced
D. He had to work with new officers
E. Some of his friends stopped talking to him
8. Which of the following words best describes the behaviour of the writer‟s friends?
A. Uncooperative
B. Jealous C. Insulting D. Funny
E. Talkative
9. According to the passage which of the following statements is true? The writer
A. settled the misunderstanding between him and his friends
B. stopped talking to his friends
C. lost all his closest friends
D. appointed only his friends as officers
E. did not listen to the advice of his friends
10. The word disputes means
A. misgiving
B. debates C. insults D. wars
E. differences