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THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL GHANA

Basic Education Certificate Examination

English Language 2010

OBJECTIVE TEST

SECTION A

From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.

Question 1

Our teacher was late for school because he............ a flat tyre.

Question 2

We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant where I............ fried chicken.

Question 3

Ama's father asked her to choose............ John and William.

Question 4

Willie has malaria and is not............ enough to go to school.

Question 5

The school band............ two days a week.

Question 6

Philomina............ passed the examination if she had tried harder.

Question 7

The law was passed according to strict legal.............

Question 8

The book, as well as several others,............. interesting reading.

Question 9

............ Joe scored the first goal, he was injured in the process.

Question 10

Neither Kojo nor his friend............ the issue clearly.

Question 11

The............ centre is located in the hill.

Question 12

One of the cows............ from the herd.

Question 13

At the party, the guest placed an order for a large............ of drinks.

Question 14

The hall was so small that it could............ contain all of us.

Question 15

If I were a manager, I............ satisfy my customers.

SECTION B

Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D, the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.

Question 16

Florence performs creditably in all examinations.

Question 17

The choir sang some melodious songs at the function.

Question 18

Jane is always immaculately dressed.

Question 19

The village was enveloped in a thick fog.

Question 20

The inquisitive stranger asked many questions.

Question 21

Whenever Kweku goes to Kumasi, he puts up with his uncle. This means that Kweku............ his uncle.

Question 22

I glanced over the papers as I walked home. This means that I quickly............ the papers.

SECTION C

In each of the following sentences a group of words has been underlined. Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one that best explains the underlined group of words.

Question 23

The woman entered the room to find her daughter with her eyes glued to the television. This means that her daughter was............ the television.

Question 24

Kojo was dragged to the farm like a lamb to the slaughter. This means that Kojo was dragged............

Question 25

The bully was ordered to leave his younger brother alone. This means that the bully was told............

Question 26

Some of the guests at the party were rude.

Question 27

The lawyer supported his argument with copious evidence.

SECTION D

From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word underlined in each sentence.

Question 28

If you want to be believed, you must be objective.

Question 29

In all boarding schools, going out in the night is prohibited.

Question 30

The surest way to avoid defeat is to strive for............

Question 31

Suddenly the sky became dark and there was a rainstorm.

Question 32

The athlete looked dejected at the end of the race.

PART II LITERATURE

From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that correctly answers each question or completes the sentence.

Question 33

Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions below. Question: The extract is an example of............

Question 34

Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions below. Question: The extract is about............

Question 35

Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions below. Question: 'The moon that walks beautifully across the sky' is an example of............

Question 36

'Young lady, you are like.............. An eagle feather worn by a husband' Question: The above extract is an example of............

Question 37

The writer of a poem is called............

Question 38

'The potter puts the puts in the pans' is an example of............

Question 39

'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.' Question: The rhyme scheme of the above verse is............

Question 40

'Afua Bonsu is the apple of my eye'. This is an example of............

THEORY

THEORY QUESTIONS

This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your answer booklet. Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.

Question 1

Write an article for the publication in a national newspaper on the topic, _The harmful effects of examination malpractice._

Question 2

As the senior prefect of your school, write a letter to the headmaster, discussing two reasons why, the school should instill moral values into the students.

Question 3

Write a speech you should give to the people in your community on how to keep the environment clean.

Question 4

The academic performance of students in the olden days was golden. Students knew the essence of education and made efforts to achieve __excellence__. Reading whatever material, they came across not only helped thier mental development but also made them self-reliant and confident. Students __burn the midnight oil__ in order to make grades and to come out of the school as better people. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of students today. Whatever students achieved in the past is considered __archaic__. The emergence of improver technology has bedevilled the society. Students prefer staying in touch with friends and loved ones. The use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, __has taken over their entire being__. Reading useful materials like dailies, storybooks and others is now a thing of the past. The negative influence of social media has deprived students of achieving excellence. Examination malpractices, mass failure in examination and bad language have become __the order of the day__. Modern technology has its own benefits. In addition to serving as a great tool for businesses, it enables students to access informations easily. What is more, it enables easy interactions between friends and loved ones. As much as these are important, students should realise that, without good moral practices, education and reading, the future remains __blurred__. Students can __eradicate__ the negative effects of modern technology has on them if only they remain focussed on their academic work

Question 5

State two benefits of reading mentioned in the passage.

Question 6

For what two reasons did students study late into the night in the past?

Question 7

State two benefits of modern technology

Question 8

How can students get rid of the harmful influence of social media?

Question 9

Explain, in your own words, the following expressions as used in the passage:

  1. Burn the midnight oil;
  2. Taken over their being;
  3. The order of the day.

Question 10

For each of the following words, give another word or a phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage:

PART AESSAY WRITING

Answer one question only from this part. Your composition should be about 250 words long.

Questions for this section are in the printed paper.

PART BCOMPREHENSION [30 MARKS]

Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.

Questions for this section are in the printed paper.