BECE Past Questions & Answers – 2013 (English)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE 2
1 hour
Answer two questions in all; one question from Part A and all the questions in Part B. Your composition should be about 250 words long.
PART A
[30 marks]
Answer one question only from this part
1. Write a letter to your friend telling him or her three ways in which the computer has made learning easier for students.
2. Write an article for publication in a national newspaper discussing at least two reasons why students should cultivate the habit of reading
3. Describe one national event that took place recently and state at least two effects it had on the people in your area.
PART B COMPREHENSION
4. Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.
Nobody wanted Ananse to succeed in drinking the cup of hot water and win, Adiefe, the Chief‟s
beautiful daughter.
Ananse grabbed the cup of hot water, bowed as gracefully as possible and smiled confidently. He lifted the cup and said, slowly and calmly. „Nana, look …..!‟ Nana Apo barked, „yes, it‟s hot. Drink it right now!‟ But Ananse kept a cool head. Then, in the full glare of all present, he shook the cup vigorously for some time in order to cool its content. After this, he began to sip the now lukewarm water as if it was still hot. Between the sips, the pain he seemed to be going through made him frown. He shut the left eye and his right eye shone brightly. He deliberately let his left hand drop loosely by his side.
Nana Apo smiled. Queen Amola grinned. Adiefe giggled – all in happy anticipation of Ananse‟s failure.
Suddenly, Ananse began to drink the warm water more quickly and noisily. Soon, all was gone. He turned the cup upside down towards Nana and, indeed, there was not a single drop in it. Lo and behold, Kweku
Ananse, the notorious trickster, had succeeded where all others had failed. There was complete silence. Even the wind seemed to have stopped blowing. The impossible had happened and people‟s expectation that Kweku Ananse would lose the contest had failed. Eventually, Kweku Ananse‟s victory had won him the hand of pretty Princess, Adiefe.
Nana Apo and Queen Amola, with great reluctance, led their daughter, Adiefe, and handed her over to victorious Kweku Ananse.
(a) What was the attitude of the people present before the contest? (b) Why do you think Ananse shook the cup?
(c) State the three tricks Ananse used to show that he was in pain.
(d) (i) Why did Ananse turn the cup upside down?
(ii) What was the mood of Nana Apo and Queen Amola in the end?
(e) Explain the following expressions in your own words: (i) „Ananse kept a cool head‟
(ii) „all was gone‟
(iii) „The impossible had happened‟
(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage:
(i) grabbed
(ii) barked
(iii) deliberately (iv) Eventually (v) pretty
CLICK TO VIEW ANSWERS TO PART 2
ENGLISH LANGUAGE 2
SOLUTIONS
4.
a) The attitude of the people present before the contest
Resentment or disapproval or dislike or despise or Hostile or Unfriendly or Antagonistic or
Unsympathetic or unsupportive
or wanted him to fail
or Opposed to Ananse
b) Why Ananse shook the cup
To make the hot water cool faster
c) The three tricks Ananse used to show he was in pain
(i) he frowned
(ii) he closed his left eye leaving the right eye shining brightly
(iii) he let his left hand drop loosely by his side
d) (i) Why Ananse turned the cup upside down
To prove that he had really drunk all the water
Or
To show that the cup was really empty
(ii)
The mood of Nana Apo and Queen Amola in the end
They were sorrowful or sad or distressed or unhappy or displeased or disappointed.
e)
(i)
Ananse ‘kept a cool head’
Ananse remained calm or composed or unruffled or undisturbed or unperturbed
(ii)
‘all was gone’
It (the water) was finished
or There was no water left
(iii) ‘The impossible had happened’
The unexpected had happened
or
The highly unlikely event had taken place.
or
The unthinkable had come about.
or
Something that no one ever thought would occur had occurred
f)
(i)
grabbed – gripped or clutched or grasped or firmly held or took or held or seized or took
hold of
(ii)
barked – shouted or exclaimed or screamed or spoke loudly or yelled or snapped or
retorted or replied angrily or answered quickly or responded sharply
(iii) deliberately – intentionally or consciously or on purpose or knowingly
(iv) Eventually – in the end or in the long run or ultimately or finally or at last or at long last or
lastly.
(v) Pretty – beautiful or good-looking or attractive or fine-looking or striking or lovely or
nice or charming.