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English Language
NECO SSCE 2002
Oral English: Stress, Rhymes & Intonation
Solution
Choose from the options labelled A to E, the most appropriate question to the given sentence containing; an emphatic stress word. The emphatic stress word is written in CAPITAL letters. ..........
Mary STOLE the biro in Tunde’s locker.
A
Did Mary borrow the biro in Tunde‘s locker?
B
Did Mary return the biro to Tunde‘s locker?
C
Did Mary steal the biro in Ayo’s locker?
D
Did Mary steal the biro in Tunde‘s bag?
E
Did Rosaline steal the book in Tunde’s locker?
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option A
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
When answering questions on emphatic stress, the option that negates or contradicts the word on emphasis is the correct option
From the above question, the emphatic stress is placed on the word ''stole''. So we look out for options that doesn't contain ''stole'' and completely negates the word.
Option A is correct because the word ''borrow'' contadicts the emphasized word ''stole''.
mary stole the biro in Tunde's locker. mary did not borrow the biro.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #43424)
English Language
NECO SSCE 2002
Lexis, Structure & Register (Cloze & Vocabulary)
Choose from the options A to E the one that MOST APPROPRIATELY COMPLETES THE SENTENCE
In spite of all their shortcomings, we cannot ....... admire them.
A
And
B
but
C
even
D
or
E
to
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option B
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
No expanded working has been attached for this question yet. The verified answer is Option B.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #43427)
English Language
NECO SSCE 2002
Synonyms (Nearest in Meaning)
Solution
Choose from the options A to E the one that is the NEAREST IN MEANING TO THE UNDERLINED WORD.
Several of her colleagues commiserated with her on the death of her brother.
A
Associated
B
condoled
C
identified
D
mourned
E
sympathized
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option E
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
The underlined word is “commiserated,” which means to express sympathy or sorrow for someone’s misfortune or loss.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #43434)
English Language
NECO SSCE 2002
Oral English: Stress, Rhymes & Intonation
Solution
Choose from the options labelled A to E, the one that rhymes with the word given.
Tomb
A
bomb
B
boom
C
comb
D
rumble
E
thumb
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option B
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
The word "tomb" has a silent 'b'. Therefore, it is pronounced as /tu:m/. Therefore, the option that rhymes with the given word is boom /bu:m/.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #43437)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Tenses, Aspect & Conditionals
Solution
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Scientists have made spectacular advances in genetic engineering in the last fifty years. The benefits of this genetic revolution to mankind are immense and almost limitless. In the field of medicine many of the diseases that have hitherto proved incurable can now be eradicated using genetic engineering. It is now possible to identify the specific gene responsible for any given disease and to replace the diseased gene with a healthy one This new technology can now be used to cure such serious diseases as diabetes sickle-cell anaemia and cancer. Geneticists (specialists in genetic science) claim that there are several other medical benefits that can be derived from this new science. They assert that by increasing the neurons in the brain. we could slow down the ageing process.
Scientists are now on the threshold of being able to redesign the human body to make it function more efficiently. This interesting aspect of preventive medicine involves the intervention of the doctor to ensure that the foetus contains no diseased gene that can develop into a disease later on. Moreover scientists can now build or develop organs for transplant surgery. Patients who need heart or kidney transplants no longer have to wait endlessy for donors or be worried that the donated organs would be rejected by their body's immune system.
Perhaps the greatest benefits of the genetic revolution are in the areas of crop and livestock production. Cloning. or the creation of a new plant or animal from the genetic information carried in one cell, has already been done with plants and animals. The result is the production of grains that yield their own fertilizer or can be grown in factories without sunshine and soil. Already in the United State of America genetically modified (GM) potatoes, tomatoes, apples, etc. are on sale in supermarkets. The main difference between these GM products and their conventionally produced counterparts is that the former are usually bigger and have a longer shelf-life than the latter. Consequently, most shoppers would rather go for the GM products, other things being equal. GM livestock are usually a good bargain. Imagine being offered a chicken the size of a turkey or a sheep almost as big as a cow! If the price and the taste are comparable. then the housewife would naturally prefer the GM breed. just as we now prefer the so-called "Agric" fowls to our smaller, local breed.
There are, however, serious potential dangers. The greatest risk is the escape — by accident or by design of harmful microbes from the laboratory into a world that has no defences against them. Some scientists have speculated that the HIV virus may have originated from such an accidental escape. The world has not forgotten the case of Adolf Hitler who, in furtherance of his project of creating "a superior race." abused scientific knowledge and plunged the world into World War 11. For this reason, many governments have been cautious. or even reluctant, to give the geneticists the necessary approval to implement the results of their researches. There is no guarantee that man can be trusted not to use this new found "power" for destructive ends.
(a) In four sentences, one for each, summarize four benefits of genetic engineering to man.
(b) In two sentence, one for each, state two dangers inherent in genetic engineering.
A
sound
B
droning
C
cacophony
D
disturbance
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option A
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
(a)(i) It can be used to cure serious or incurable diseases.
(ii) It can slow down the ageing process in man.
(iii) Doctors can now prevent many diseases before the child is born, during pregnancy or at the foetal stage of life.
(iv) It can develop or build organs for transplant surgery.
(v) It has produced improved, genetically modified or artificial varieties of crops and livestock.
(vi) It can produce crops or livestock in larger quantities or sizes.
(vii) It can produce cheaper varieties of crops and livestock.
(b) It can lead to harmful microbes escaping from the laboratory into the environment.
(ii) The knowledge of genetic engineering can be used by man for destructive purposes.
Source: Official Exam / Past Question Archive
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Reading Comprehension, Summary & Composition
Solution
There has been a public outcry against the escalating prices of foodstuff in your area. Write a letter to your representative in the House of Assembly, stating the causes of the increases and suggesting ways or improving the situation.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
38 Oguntade Street,
Adenrele Village,
Abeokuta,
Ogun State.
16th May. 2002.
The Honourable
Representative of Adenrele Constituency,
Ogun State House of Assembly,
Abeokuta.
Dear Sir,
ESCALATING PRICES OF FOODSTUFFS IN ADENRELE VILLAGE
I am writing to bring to your notice the public outcry against the escalating prices of foodstuffs in Adenrele area of the state which as you know, represents one of the important areas in your constituency. The residents of Adenrele have been complaining bitterly in the recent time, about the increase in the prices of foodstuffs in our area.
Many families can no longer feed adequately as a result of the increase in the prices of these food-stuffs. They are indeed groaning under the heavy yoke of outrageous prices of foodstuffs which just skyrocketed recently.
Sir, this ugly development is caused by some factors. The first factor is that many young farmers have abandoned the farms as no young person wants to take to farming again. This has resulted into the drift from the rural area to the cities. Agriculture is no longer attractive to young men and women as they prefer to look for white collar jobs instead of taking to farming. Therefore, those that are left in the farm are old men and women and they practise agriculture reluctantly because they could not get white collar jobs.
Secondly, the small number of farmers we have in the area practise subsistence agriculture that could only take care of their families. There are no large scale farmers in the state, despite the fact that we have a wide expanse of land which is good for farming.
Another reason for the astronomical increase in prices of foodstuffs is that the few farmers we have lack good and adequate farming equipment. Our farmers still practise agriculture with old and obsolete farm implements which reduce farming into a worthless drudgery.
I believe however that farming could still be made attractive to the youths of the area as a way of improving the situation. The drift of young men and women into our urban centers could be reduced drastically, if farming is being made attractive by providing adequate farming equipment to our farmers. As our representative, you could use your good office to influence government's attitude to farming. If our farmers are provided with modern implements like tractors and plough, Adenrele Local Government could become the food basket of the state.
Secondly, the state government should go into large scale farming. The state government cannot claim that it has no money to fund large scale farming. The government should acquire a large expanse of land for large scale farming where food will be produced.
I would be grateful if you could give the issue raised in this letter the utmost attention it deserves in order to stem n the public outcry against escalating prices of foodstuffs in our area.
Yours faithfully,
(signature)
Oluwole Abiala O.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51457)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Concord (Subject-Verb Agreement)
Solution
Your school's Literary and Debating Society has organized a debate on the topic; "The Television is Doing More Harm Than Good to Our Youths.' Write your contribution for or against the topic.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
TELEVISION IS DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD TO OUR YOUTHS
Mr. Chairman, panel of judges, time-keeper. co-debators. Ladies and Gentlemen I am here to support the motion which states that "Television is doing more harm than good to our youths Television is one important aspect of mass media. It is a means by which information can be disseminated to the public while, at the same time, entertaining them. Television itself is a means of broadcasting still and moving pictures, and sound over a distance by means of electrical waves moving through the air.
Television has done a lot of harm to our youths A lot of wrong information is passed through it to our youths. The way we use television in this part of the world is nothing to write home about. Pornographic pictures in form of blue films and obscene plays are shown on our television thereby sending wrong signals to the young people. Under this circum-stance, our youths are worse off; they are badly affected They have wrong and perverted views about life and in most cases makes them not to think straight. Their mode of dressing is also harmpered. just as their thinking faculties. Nudity is the order of the day in our society Girls and young ladies who should have constituted a bunch of virtuous group of future women in our society are being led wrongly into prostitution Through television a lot of obscenity is being passed to our youths, and before we know it, a lot of damage has been done. The reason why we have many girls going into prostitution is not only traceable to the pervading poverty in our society but also to misguided information being sent through television.
Mr. Chairman Sir. panel of judges I know that you agree with me that we have lost our African values, culture and tradition as a result of the Western values and culture we have erroneously imbibed through television Our values are now skewed and twisted Western values have been imposed on us through the television and we are now in a di-lemma. Youths no longer have respect for elders, community leaders and parents When our youths have more faith in the western culture and values than our own indigenous values, how would they respect their leaders and parents?
The increasing wave of crime and violence in our society is as a result of violent western films imported into our country through television Violence and gangsterism abound in western films and this is what our youths embrace. We are complaining of armed robbery and violence, why would we not reap violence and gangsterism when we allow our youths to keep on imbibing violence through television? The youths learn how to handle sophisticated guns from most of these western films and the worst aspect of it is that our indigenous films mimic these western films by patterning their own films after the western ones. This makes them to lose their originality.
The most irritating aspect of the harm television does to our youth is that it makes studying burdensome for them. Our youths who are mainly students have abandoned their studies for television. Majority of them waste their valuable time, which should have been used for studying, watching television. Youths prefer to stay glued to their television, commit time of programmes into memory and keep time with programmes on television to the detriment of their studies. This is a dangerous trend that we have to reverse if we are not going to jeopardise the future of our youths.
Mr Chairman Panel of judges and Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope with these few points of. I have been able to convince you that television has done more harm than good to our youths. Thank you.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51461)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Reading Comprehension, Summary & Composition
Solution
Write a story which ends with the words, "Had I known, I wouldn't have believed him."
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
HAD I KNOWN, I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED HIM
I am in absolute misery right now as I write this story. I took a decision some years ago and now, I will live to regret it for the rest of my life. My name is Ronke and I am twenty-three years old. I will live to curse the Dare, the man who ruined my entire life.
I come from a very good family. Though we are not very wealthy, we are morally upright and I am proud of my family But I have brought shame and disgrace to them with my actions that I now regret. If I could turn back the hands of the clock, I would do things differently.
I had just graduated from the university at a tender age of eighteen and my parents were proud of me. They want me to get a good paying job and begin a good life. This was what I had in mind, until I met Dare. That fateful morning, I was on my way to a job interview. I am sure that if I had gone for the interview that day, I would have gotten the job with the oil company. Unfortunately, as I was going to board a bus, a car stopped beside me and I bent over to see if the driver of the vehicle was someone I knew. To my surprise, I saw a very handsome young man smiling at me. His smile was so captivating that I fell in love with him immediately. Then he said, "Hello" to me and I was lost in his deep baritone voice, My knees turned jelly and I would have fallen if the car was not beside me to lean on. He told me his name was Dare and that he wanted to give me a ride to wherever I was going. I did not even object; I just got into the car and he started driving. We started discussing as if we had known each other for a long time. I totally forgot about the interview I was supposed to go for. I ended up in his bed that same day.
From then onwards, there was no looking back for me. I fell head-over-heels in love with him. My parents then noticed that I had changed. I acted absent-mindedly whenever I was at home. They talked to me about getting a job, but when I told Dare, he said I did not need a job, that he would take good care of me. I should have refused him then and gone ahead to get a job, but, as stupid as I was, I listened to him and sat down at home, collecting money from him to take care of myself.
Some months later, I found out that I was pregnant and I was very happy thinking that Dare would get married to me and we would live happily. I never knew Dare would be so callous as to do what he did to me. He seemed so nice, caring, kind and gentle. When 1 told him that I was carrying his baby, he gave me the biggest shock of my life. He denied being responsible for my pregnancy, calling me "a lying bitch." I was so flabbergasted that I just opened my mouth and nothing could come out of it. He then told me to get rid of the "bastard" in my womb and when I found my speech, I told him that I could not endanger my life in the process of having an abortion. He then told me that he already had a wife and three kids in the United States of America and that he loved his wife. He asked me to go and take care of myself. I asked what he was doing with me in the first place when he loved his wife as he claimed. He just stormed out of the house, leaving me there alone.
I never set my eyes on Dare after that day. It was like he just disappeared from the face of the earth. He is probably in America now with his wife and kids. I am now six months pregnant and my parents have kicked me out of the house because of the shame I have brought on them. I am now squatting with a friend of mine, with no money and no hope of taking care of the child I will soon give birth to. Anytime I think of my affairs with Dare, I blame myself and regret my stupidity. Had I known, I wouldn't have believed him.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51463)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Reading Comprehension, Summary & Composition
Solution
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
When health workers first came to the village and talked about family planning, no one took, them seriously, including Amusa, whose young wife was then pregnant with their first baby. Had their fathers and fore before them not had as many wives and children as they desired? And had the not been able to take care of their families? So everyone shunned the family planning clinic which was established in the village shortly afterwards.
Twelve years later, Amusa was a clerical assistant in the city and lived with his wife and eight children in a single room because he could not afford larger quarters. For as long as he could remember, his large family had been gong sent going through difficult times, which appeared to be worsening lately. Only yesterday, his third child had been sent away from school because her parents could not replace her old and torn school uniform. Last year, their first son could not proceed to the secondary school as the family could not afford the cost. Then recently, the landlord had announced his intention to increase the rent.
Amusa found himself thinking about the days when he was himself a young child. His own father had had two wives and thirteen children, yet as far as he could remember, the family had not faced anything similar to what he was going through now. He suddenly realized that this was because the times had changed and that the requirements of modem living put great pressure on large family sizes. His father's time and age had been different: he had been a successful farmer in the village, had lived in his own house, employed members of his large family as farm hands and fed everyone from the abundance of the farm. On the other hand, Amusa lived in the city on a limited income. He had no farm land nor Amusa's shoes became wiser only when it was too late. family. And at four or five times what they cost a few years before! even a vegetable garden, and had to pay for everything, from his rented room to the smallest domestic need of his.
It was then that he sadly remembered the health workers and their gospel of family planning. How he wished he had listened and taken their advice! Unfortunately, he had not. And what was even more unfortunate was that the millions in Amusa's shoes became wiser only when it was too late.
(a) What advice do you think the health workers gave to the villagers?
(b) Give two reasons why the villagers did not take the health workers seriously.
(c) Give two indications of Amusa's financial difficulties.
(d) Mention any two differences between Amusa's condition and his father's
(e) "And what was even more unfortunate... (I) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage?
(ii) What is its function?
(f) "And had they not been able to take care of their families?"
(i) What literary device is used in this expression?
(ii) What does it mean?
(g) For each of the following words or phrases, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) shunned; (ii) established; (iii) announced; (iv) going through, (v) limited; (vi) shoes
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
(a) The health workers advised the villagers to practise family planning, i.e.to limit their family size and not to have too many children.
(b)The villagers did not take the health workers seriously because: (i) their fathers and forefathers had large families and they were reluctant to abandon their traditional way of life. (ii) They were able to take care of their family.
(c)The indications of Amusa's financial difficulties are:
(i) Amusa could rent only one room for his large family.
(ii) He could not replace his child's old and torn school uniform. (iii) He could not send his son to secondary school.
(iv) He could not feed his family adequately.
(d)The differences between Amusa's condition and his father's are:
(i) His father had been a successful farmer (in the village) while Amusa was a poor clerical assistant (in the city).
(ii) Amusa was a tenant while his father had owned his own house.
(iii) His father could easily feed his family while Amusa had difficulty in doing so.
(e)(i) The grammatical name given to the expression is Noun clause.
(ii) The function of the expression is that it serves as subject of (the•verb) "was"
(f)(i) The Literary device used in the expression is Rhetorical question.
(ii) It means they took care of their families
(g)(i) shunned — rejected, avoided, disregarded, ignored (ii) established — built, set up, constructed, founded.
(iii) announced - disclosed, stated, declared, made known, expressed, revealed
(iv) going through — enduring, suffering, experiencing, undergoing, encountering, facing,
(v) limited — meager, low, poor, little, small
(vi) shoe —position, predicament, circumstance, situation, plight, condition, state
(a) The health workers advised the villagers to practise family planning, i.e.to limit their family size and not to have too many children.
(b)The villagers did not take the health workers seriously because: (i) their fathers and forefathers had large families and they were reluctant to abandon their traditional way of life. (ii) They were able to take care of their family.
(c)The indications of Amusa's financial difficulties are:
(i) Amusa could rent only one room for his large family.
(ii) He could not replace his child's old and torn school uniform. (iii) He could not send his son to secondary school.
(iv) He could not feed his family adequately.
(d)The differences between Amusa's condition and his father's are:
(i) His father had been a successful farmer (in the village) while Amusa was a poor clerical assistant (in the city).
(ii) Amusa was a tenant while his father had owned his own house.
(iii) His father could easily feed his family while Amusa had difficulty in doing so.
(e)(i) The grammatical name given to the expression is Noun clause.
(ii) The function of the expression is that it serves as subject of (the•verb) "was"
(f)(i) The Literary device used in the expression is Rhetorical question.
(ii) It means they took care of their families
(g)(i) shunned — rejected, avoided, disregarded, ignored (ii) established — built, set up, constructed, founded.
(iii) announced - disclosed, stated, declared, made known, expressed, revealed
(iv) going through — enduring, suffering, experiencing, undergoing, encountering, facing,
(v) limited — meager, low, poor, little, small
(vi) shoe —position, predicament, circumstance, situation, plight, condition, state
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51470)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Reading Comprehension, Summary & Composition
Solution
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
The great white shark is at the top of the marine food chain. In the shark family, it is the king, it will eat anything, even other sharks. But as it gets older, bigger and slower, it develops a preference for seals, penguins and carrion, especially dead whales.
In locating their food, most sharks use all their senses, including excellent vision. Their sense of smell is incredible and their ears are aided by pressure-sensitive cells along each side of their body. Nothing escapes this eavesdropping system, which is attuned to vibrations in the water. Sharks also have a sixth sense which enables them to detect the weak electrical fields emanating from the beating heart or the swimming muscles of a potential prey.
The white shark's most fearsome assets are its huge head, its black eyes, and its razor-sharp, serrated teeth. The circulatory system of the white shark is different from that of most other sharks. Its blood temperature is about three to five degrees Celsius above water temperature; this speeds up digestion and adds to its strength and endurance.
It is known that the white shark spits out its wounded prey after an initial, powerful bite. Then it waits for the victim to die before eating it. Why does it use this bite-and-spit strategy? Experts speculate that this is because of its eyes. sockets when a collision is Unlike other sharks, the white shark has no eyelid-like membrane to protect its eyes; rather, it rotates them in their sockets when a collision is imminent. At the moment of impact, the eye is left exposed, perhaps to the flaying claws of a seal. Therefore, for the white shark, a quick mortal strike and release is common behaviour.
The public image of sharks has been greatly coloured by the novel Jaws which was turned into a popular movie. Overnight the white shark became evil incarnate. However, it is not a demon craving human flesh. The smell of blood does not drive it into a feeding frenzy as it does certain other sharks. Nevertheless it is a dangerous animal that should be treated with caution and respect
(a) How do sharks used their sixth sense?
(b) In what significant way is the circulatory system of the white shark different from that of other sharks?
(c) What according to the passage. is the probable reason why the white shark waits for its victim to die before eating it?
(d)(i) What is the writer's attitude to the white shark?
(ii) Quote an expression expression from the passage to support your answer.
(e) "At the moment of impact..."
(i) What grammatical name is given to this given to this expression as it is used in the passage.
(ii) What is its function?
(f) "However, it is not a demon craving human flesh." What figure of speech is contained in this expression?
(g) For each of the following words. find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage.
(i) preference; (ii) incredible, (iii) emanating: (iv) speculate: (v) mortal: (vi) coloured.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
(a) They use it to detect electrical fields coming from a prey and the location of a prey.
(b) The circulatory system of the white shark is different from that of other sharks because their blood is warmer.
(c) The shark waits for its victim to die before eating it because a (thrashing) victim can cause damage to the shark's unprotected eyes.
(d)(i) The writer fears the white shark.
(ii) The expressions that support my answer are " fearsome assets,..." paragraph 2, "It is a dangerous animal","....treated with caution ..." last paragraph Or (i) The writer admires or respects the white shark.
(ii) The expressions that support my answer are "Its eavesdropping system...", "... excellent vision...", "Their sense of smell is incredible ..." paragraph 2
(e)(i) The grammatical name given to the expression is adverbial phrase of time Or The grammatical name of the expression is prepositional phrase.
(ii) Its function is that it qualifies or modifies the verb "is left" in the sentence, i.e., it serves as adverb modifying the verb "is left"
(f) The figure of speech contained in this expression is metaphor.
(g)(i) Preference - liking, taste, desire, fondness (ii) Incredible - Unbelievable, wonderful, excellent, amazing, extraordinary
(ii) Emanating - coming, issuing, originating, arising, resulting.
(iv) Speculate - think, guess, opine, assume claim
(v) Mortal - fatal, deadly, lethal
(vi) Coloured - influenced, distorted, prejudiced, affected
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51474)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Reading Comprehension, Summary & Composition
Solution
Your sister wants to marry a man from another ethnic group against your mother's wishes. Write a letter to your mother giving at least three reasons why she should accept your sister's decision.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
Air force Secondary School,
P.M.B. 32162,
Ikeja,
Lagos.
16th May, 2002.
Dear Mother,
I am writing with a mixture of sadness and joy. I am happy because I received your letter after a long break in communication and sad because of your decision to disallow my sister, Meimuna to marry Nasiru, her choice simply because he belongs to a different ethnic group from ours.
The main aim of writing you this letter is to tell you to reconsider your decision about not allowing Meimuna to marry the man of her choice. Firstly, I would like to tell you that I have met Nasiru. Although it was Meimuna who introduced him to like me, he appeared calm reserved and composed. He was very jovial and he told us a lot of jokes. I would sincerely like to tell you, Mum, that I like him very much. Whenever we were at home, he was always taking us to one place or the other. I think he is a good man amiable in character, well-reserved and kind. He socialises with other people very well despite the fact that he comes from the Southern part of the country.
Secondly, apart from the fact that I like him, he is also a Muslim and he is very religious. You once told us that If we are to marry anybody, the most important criterion should be that such person must be a pious muslim. Nasiru is a very religious man who knows how to take care of a woman and I can tell you that Meimuna is a very lucky lady to have a man like Nasiru.
Thirdly, Nasiru is from a very good family. The problem here is that you simply don't want Meimuna to marry Nasiru because he is a Yoruba man. Mum, you are being tribalistic and your tribalism is not helping anybody at all. His parents are very nice, understanding, caring and well-to-do. The way they welcome Meimuna whenever she visits them is always very cordial. It is as if Meimuna is their long lost daughter.
Moreover, Meimuna is threatening to elope with Nasiru, if you refuse to give her your blessing. Don't you want to be there when your daughter is getting married? Do you want your daughter to get married without your blessing? Don't you also believe that Meimuna is old enough to know what she wants and how to get it? Mum, I implore that you should please reconsider your decision and allow Meimuna to get married to Nasiru, because at the end of the day, everybody will be miserable and sad if you refuse to oblige her request.
Finally, if you allow them to get married, you will be bringing two different tribes together, all for a better Nigeria. This is what we need in Nigeria today. We should even encourage more inter-ethnic marriages so as to achieve unity and harmony in the country. Mum, I think you should start on this path by allowing Meimuna, your daughter to marry Nasiru, a Yoruba man.
Send my regards to the whole family and also to my friends. I'm wishing them all the best.
Yours sincerely,
Hadiza
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51448)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Question Tags, Modals & Pronouns
Solution
The rising incidence of road traffic accidents nowadays. In a articles suitable for publication in an international magazine, discuss at least three factors responsible for this and suggest ways of improving the situation.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
HOW TO CONTROL INCESSANT ACCIDENTS ON NIGERIAN ROADS
The alarming increase in the incidence of accidents on Nigerian roads is a source of worry to many people within and outside the country. Road accidents are daily occurrences across the country and many Nigerians have lost their lives through those accidents while many others have been maimed. According to the United Nations reports, about fifteen thousand Nigerians die yearly through accidents.
What could have been responsible for this alarming rate of accidents on the Nigerian roads? Definitely, there are number of factors responsible. Firstly, majority of the drivers on Nigerian roads are reckless in driving. It seems as if there is no traffic laws in Nigeria as many drivers do not obey traffic rules. As a result of their poor attitude towards obeying traffic rules, many drivers drive recklessly on Nigerian roads not minding the safety of other road users. Pedestrians too are also in danger, as they are often run down by fast moving vehicles.
Secondly, many drivers drive under the influence of alcohol and hard drugs. It is only in Nigeria that you find a driver behind the wheel after taking some bottles of beer or other forms of alcoholic drinks. These drivers mostly over-speed and do not obey the traffic rule. They overtake other vehicles at dangerous bends and drive their vehicles with their eyes half closed.
The problem of teenage drivers is another important factor responsible for incessant road accidents on Nigerian roads. In Nigeria, many parents release their cars for their children who are often too young to drive. They do this to show class or status and even when parents do not give approval for their teenage children to drive their cars, these teenagers often surreptitiously get hold of the keys to their parents cars only to drive carelessly and recklessly on the roads, thereby putting no value on either their lives or that of others plying the roads.
Moreover, in Nigeria it is not an offence to drive without licence. Many drivers do not have driving licences and some that have do not go through the rigorous exercise of learning how to drive before the licences are issued to them. Some obtain their driving licences without being tested. because their driving licences are given to them right in their homes.
However, incidences of road accident on Nigerian roads can be curbed. if not totally eradicated through these means; Traffic rules and laws must be enforced if we want to reduce the rate of accidents on our roads. The Road Safety law enforcement agencies must be alive to their responsibility. Erring drivers who violate traffic rules must be dealt with and prosecuted, so as to serve as deterrent to others. The fact is that these drivers are often let off the hook, once they accept to grease the palms of the traffic regulatory officers. Moreso, alcohol centers and beer parlors should be outlawed in Nigerian motor garages, This would go a long way in reducing incidence of accident on Nigerian roads. Anybody caught selling alcohol or hard drugs within the garages should be prosecuted according to the law,
It is the wish of all well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to see Nigerian roads being safe for everybody. This can only be achieved if all hands are put on deck to enforce traffic rules on our roads.
John Adebisi
Government College
Ikirun, Osun State.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51453)
English Language
WAEC / WASSCE 2002
Tenses, Aspect & Conditionals
Solution
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Scientists have made spectacular advances in genetic engineering in the last fifty years. The benefits of this genetic revolution to mankind are immense and almost limitless. In the field of medicine many of the diseases that have hitherto proved incurable can now be eradicated using genetic engineering. It is now possible to identify the specific gene responsible for any given disease and to replace the diseased gene with a healthy one This new technology can now be used to cure such serious diseases as diabetes sickle-cell anaemia and cancer. Geneticists (specialists in genetic science) claim that there are several other medical benefits that can be derived from this new science. They assert that by increasing the neurons in the brain. we could slow down the ageing process.
Scientists are now on the threshold of being able to redesign the human body to make it function more efficiently. This interesting aspect of preventive medicine involves the intervention of the doctor to ensure that the foetus contains no diseased gene that can develop into a disease later on. Moreover scientists can now build or develop organs for transplant surgery. Patients who need heart or kidney transplants no longer have to wait endlessy for donors or be worried that the donated organs would be rejected by their body's immune system.
Perhaps the greatest benefits of the genetic revolution are in the areas of crop and livestock production. Cloning. or the creation of a new plant or animal from the genetic information carried in one cell, has already been done with plants and animals. The result is the production of grains that yield their own fertilizer or can be grown in factories without sunshine and soil. Already in the United State of America genetically modified (GM) potatoes, tomatoes, apples, etc. are on sale in supermarkets. The main difference between these GM products and their conventionally produced counterparts is that the former are usually bigger and have a longer shelf-life than the latter. Consequently, most shoppers would rather go for the GM products, other things being equal. GM livestock are usually a good bargain. Imagine being offered a chicken the size of a turkey or a sheep almost as big as a cow! If the price and the taste are comparable. then the housewife would naturally prefer the GM breed. just as we now prefer the so-called "Agric" fowls to our smaller, local breed.
There are, however, serious potential dangers. The greatest risk is the escape — by accident or by design of harmful microbes from the laboratory into a world that has no defences against them. Some scientists have speculated that the HIV virus may have originated from such an accidental escape. The world has not forgotten the case of Adolf Hitler who, in furtherance of his project of creating "a superior race." abused scientific knowledge and plunged the world into World War 11. For this reason, many governments have been cautious. or even reluctant, to give the geneticists the necessary approval to implement the results of their researches. There is no guarantee that man can be trusted not to use this new found "power" for destructive ends.
(a) In four sentences, one for each, summarize four benefits of genetic engineering to man.
(b) In two sentence, one for each, state two dangers inherent in genetic engineering.
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
(a)(i) It can be used to cure serious or incurable diseases.
(ii) It can slow down the ageing process in man.
(iii) Doctors can now prevent many diseases before the child is born, during pregnancy or at the foetal stage of life.
(iv) It can develop or build organs for transplant surgery.
(v) It has produced improved, genetically modified or artificial varieties of crops and livestock.
(vi) It can produce crops or livestock in larger quantities or sizes.
(vii) It can produce cheaper varieties of crops and livestock.
(b) It can lead to harmful microbes escaping from the laboratory into the environment.
(ii) The knowledge of genetic engineering can be used by man for destructive purposes.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #51480)
English Language
NECO SSCE 2002
Oral English: Stress, Rhymes & Intonation
Solution
Choose from the options labelled A to E, the one that rhymes with the word given.
Tomb
A
bomb
B
boom
C
comb
D
rumble
E
thumb
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option B
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
The word "tomb" has a silent 'b'. Therefore, it is pronounced as /tu:m/. Therefore, the option that rhymes with the given word is boom /bu:m/.
Source: Official Exam / Past Question Archive
Biology
UTME / JAMB 2002
Variety of Organisms & Classification of Living Things
An amoeba and an unlaid chicken egg are
A
anial tissue
B
organelles
C
single cell
D
organisms
medium Difficulty
Verified Correct Answer: Option C
Biological Concept & Syllabus Guide
No expanded working has been attached for this question yet. The verified answer is Option C.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #6665)