BECE Past Questions & Answers – 1994 (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
A long time ago, the world was in total darkness. There was neither water nor fire. Men lived in this condition for a long time because King Eagle, who was the custodian of the sun, moon, stars, water and fire, had bullied them into accepting that situation.
Meanwhile, Eagle had a charming daughter who had fallen in love with Crow – a handsome spotless white bird. As their friendship grew stronger, Crow got to know what Eagle was keeping away from men. On one of his visits, therefore, he secretly stole Eagle‟s hidden treasure that consisted of light, water and fire and flew away with it.
As soon as he got outside, he hanged the sun in the sky. Instantly, the whole world was brilliantly lit up. When the sun set, he fixed the moon and spread the stars around it. Then the darkness of the night began to lift. He was so thrilled by his achievement that he glided and swerved in a beautiful display in the sky. While he was doing this, the water fell to the ground and formed rivers, lakes and streams.
He still held fast unto the fire in his beak. Suddenly some strong and violent winds blew smoke from the fire over Crow‟s beautiful feathers. The smoke made the feathers jet-black leaving a band of white feathers around his neck.
1. Why did men not complain about their condition? Because they …………
A. thought fire was too hot
B. were afraid of Eagle
C. were satisfied with what they had
D. enjoyed darkness
E. did not like water
2. Crow released the stolen treasure to the world in the following order: A. sun, moon, water, fire
B. sun, fire, water, moon C. moon, water, fire, sun D. sun, water, moon, fire E. sun, moon, fire, water
3. Which of the following actions was a deliberate one by Crow? The …………
A. dropping of water to the ground
B. appearance of violent winds
C. burning of his beak
D. hanging of the sun in the sky
E. blowing of smoke over his feathers
4. Thrilled in the passage means
A. afraid
B. excited
C. surprised D. thankful E. popular
5. Eagle‟s action can best be described as
A. clever
B. dangerous
C. famous D. kindly E. selfish
PASSAGE II
As we were eagerly preparing for our special supper of roasted chicken, pepper sauce and fried yam, we heard another loud knock at the door. Papa opened the door to let in a fast-talking handsome stranger.
According to him he was passing to the next village but there were no vehicles. Therefore he was
stranded. My parents with their customary generosity allowed him to stay the rest of the day with us. Soon after, supper was ready. We the younger children had to eat in the kitchen, whilst my parents and the others ate in the dining room.
From where we were eating we could hear and see the adults. “Now, Mr Anang,” said my father, “you being the last to arrive will share the chicken,” “Very well said,” agreed Mr Anang. He began by cutting the head of the chicken, which he gave to Papa saying, “You are the head of the family, so you get the head.” To my mother, he said, “You are the next to the head; therefore, get the neck.” My elder brother, Yoofi, and sister,
Aba had wings because they were of age and would need wings to fly away from the family nest. The other two
guests got the feet in order that they could walk to their destinations. Finally, he declared in a loud voice, “I, a poor wandering man, who must treat my kwashiorkor once and for all, will take the rest!” There was a long silence after this around the dining table.
6. The writer‟s family were preparing for ………………
A. a birthday party
B. an extraordinary supper
C. a celebration
D. their usual supper
E. a family
7. The handsome stranger stopped at the writer‟s house because…………
A. he did not know the way to his village
B. he was hungry
C. it was very late in the night
D. there was no transport
E. he wanted to meet her family
8. Their customary generosity in the passage tell us that the parents were usually ………..
A. proud
B. strict
C. attentive
D. kind
E. inquisitive
9. How many people had their meal in the dining room?
A. four B. five C. six
D. seven
E. eight
10. Which of the following is true according to the order in which the roasted chicken was shared in the passage?
A. head, feet, wings, body, neck
B. head, wings, neck, body, feet C. head, neck, wings, feet, body D. head, neck, feet, wings, body E. head, feet, wings, neck, body