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I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill among nations and that if only the common people of the world could meet one another at football or squash, they would have no inclination to meet on the battle field. Even if one didn’t know from concrete example (the 1936 Olympic games, for instance) that international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred, one could deduce it from general principals.
Nearly all the sports practiced nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning. Unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and not feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simple for fun of it and exercise, but as soon as the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is frankly a mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators and behind the spectators are the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests and seriously believe at any rate for short period that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.
Even a leisurely game demanding grace rather than strength can cause much ill-will. Football, a game in which everyone gets hurt and every nation has its own style or play is far worse. Worst of all is boxing. One of the most horrible sights in the world is a fight between white and coloured boxers before a mixed audience
Boxing is regarded as the worst game in the passage because Options:choose the most appropriate option nearest in meaning to the word(s) underlined.
He maintained that Nigerians need a leader with an iron fist
Options:Religion in its various forms is very strong in Nigeria. In other words, Nigerian people are very religious most of them believe that there is an unseen supernatural world, apart from the natural world we see around us. This other world is inhabited by beings who are the source of our knowledge of good and evil. They watch and judge us, and if we offend them they may have to be appeased with prayers and sacrifices. Certain individuals in the natural in the natural world-priests, prophets and diviners- are believed to be endowed with special powers to make contact with the other world. These individuals lay down ceremonies or rituals which must be observed if due honour is to be paid to the unseen beings. The religious belief and practices of Nigerians can be classified under three main headings: Traditional religion, Islam and Christianity. In this passage, our focus is on traditional religion.
Traditional or indigenous religion continues to exert a strong influence on many people's mind partly because of its association with their birth places and families. Each ethnic group has its own religious traditional and these are often linked to some sacred spots in the ethnic homeland. Yet the various traditional religions have much in common: a remote but benevolent high god; under him, a number of lesser gods who interact with mankind; and below them various spirits who inhabit natural objects (trees, streams, rock, etc); below them again, and closest to living men and women, the spirits of the ancestors.
In the Yoruba tradition, for example, there are more than 400 lesser deities presided over by the high god, olorun. Because he is remote from mankind, shrines are not built to him and worship is not offered to him directly. The lesser gods, on the other hand, are the subject of special cults, each with its own priests and devotees. Eshu, the messenger of the gods; lfa, the god of divination; Shango, the god of thunder, and so on. Traditional religion was also strong in other parts of Nigeria. In lgbo Traditional religion, there were fewer gods. Although there was a remote high god, the most important figure was Ala or Ani, the goddess of the earth. In Hausaland, traditional religion has largely gone underground owing to the influence of lslam, but belief in the existence of 'Bori' spirits and their power to possess people, especially woman, is strong in some areas. Each spirit is associated with certain type of behaviou, which is manifested by the possessed individual
Divination - the discovery of what is unknown or is yet to happen by supernatural or magical means - is an important element of traditional religion. It is often one of the functions of medicine - men or herbalists. In lgboland, there also used to be several oracles which people consulted in order to seek solutions to their problems. With the coming of Christianity, their influence has however waned, but in areas like Arochukwu and Okija, the influence of such oracles is still strongly felt.
According to the first paragraph, Nigerians believe that the Options:The passage below has gaps numbered 16 to 25. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate for each gap. Each question carries 2 marks.
Publishing is the fast growing business in Nigeria and there are therefore, many publishing houses all over the country. When ……..16……..[A. an article B. an essay C. a book D. a manuscript]. is submitted by an author, the publisher sends it to ……..17……..[A. an assessor B. an evaluator C. a checker D. an examiner] to know if it is actually publishable. This is important because the publisher wants to make sure that the book catches the ……18…..[A. market B. audience C. students D. shops] when it is eventually published. In a good publishing house, there is …….19……[A. an error-proof B. an editor C. a lithographic D. an evaluation] section which is concerned with……..20……[A. proof-reading B. reading over C. scanning over D. skimming over] the manuscript and correcting both the spelling and typing errors. After this, the manuscript is ………21…….[A. typewritten B. typeset C. double-spaced D. single-spaced] in readiness for …….22…..[A. photocopying B. Xeroxing C. filming D. printing].
The printed ……..23……[A. items B. bulletin C. copies D. specimen] are then stored in the warehouse and a few of them may be sent to the author as ……..24……[A. complementary B. complimentary C. acknowledgement D. sample] copies. Since it is not just the aim of the publisher to offset the cost of production but also to make some gains, there is a strong marketing division which promotes sales. A certain percentage of the cover price of the book is paid to the author as ……..25……[A. royalty B. honorarium C. dividend D. interest].
Select the correct option for the space numbered 24 in the above passage Options:Rufus Okeke – Roof, for short – was a very popular man in his village. Although the villagers did not explain it in so many words, Roof’s popularity was a measure of their gratitude to an energetic young man who unlike most of his fellows nowadays, had not abandoned the village in order to seek work, any work, in the towns. Roof was not villages tout either. Everyone knew how he had spent two years as a bicycle repairer’s apprentice in Port-Harcourt and had given up of his own free will a bright future to return to his people and guide them in these political times. Not that Umuofia needed a lot of guidance. The village already belong en masse to the People’s Alliance Party, and its most illustrious son, Chief the Honorable Marcus Ibe, was Minister of Culture in the outgoing government (which was pretty certain to be the incoming one as well). Nobody doubted that the Honorable Minister would be elected in his constituency. Opposition to him was like the proverbial fly trying to move a dung-hill. It would have been ridiculous enough without coming, as it did now, from a complete nonentity.
As was to be expected, Roof was in the service of the Honourable Minister for the coming elections. He had become a real expert in election campaigning at all levels – villages, local government or national. He could tell the mood and temper of the electorate at any given time. For instance, he had warned the Minister months ago about the radical change that had come into the thinking of Umuofia since the last national election
The reference to Okeke's 'bright future' in Port-Harcourt can be described as being Options:The passage below has gaps numbered 16 to 25. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate for each gap. Each question carries 2 marks.
Publishing is the fast growing business in Nigeria and there are therefore, many publishing houses all over the country. When ……..16……..[A. an article B. an essay C. a book D. a manuscript]. is submitted by an author, the publisher sends it to ……..17……..[A. an assessor B. an evaluator C. a checker D. an examiner] to know if it is actually publishable. This is important because the publisher wants to make sure that the book catches the ……18…..[A. market B. audience C. students D. shops] when it is eventually published. In a good publishing house, there is …….19……[A. an error-proof B. an editor C. a lithographic D. an evaluation] section which is concerned with……..20……[A. proof-reading B. reading over C. scanning over D. skimming over] the manuscript and correcting both the spelling and typing errors. After this, the manuscript is ………21…….[A. typewritten B. typeset C. double-spaced D. single-spaced] in readiness for …….22…..[A. photocopying B. Xeroxing C. filming D. printing].
The printed ……..23……[A. items B. bulletin C. copies D. specimen] are then stored in the warehouse and a few of them may be sent to the author as ……..24……[A. complementary B. complimentary C. acknowledgement D. sample] copies. Since it is not just the aim of the publisher to offset the cost of production but also to make some gains, there is a strong marketing division which promotes sales. A certain percentage of the cover price of the book is paid to the author as ……..25……[A. royalty B. honorarium C. dividend D. interest].
Select the correct option for the space numbered 16 in the above passage Options:Choose the option that best completes the gap.
The chairman refused to shake __________ with the secretary.
Options: