English is the study of the English language. The goal is to improve communication skills by practicing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language rules like pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence.
As debutantes in that tournament, the super eagles were up against their first opponents by three goals to nil.
Options:When did Talle stop being quiet?
Options:Read each passage and answer the question that follow
The learning of a foreign language should be an integral part of every university student’s education. As a discipline, it affords the mind excellent training. It utilizes skills needed in other subjects; the concentration required for memorizing music (not to mention for developing the ear for tone and pitch), the logical thinking for solving mathematical problems, even the deductive reasoning capabilities needed to comprehend philosophical concepts. The mind is stretched through the simple act of learning the grammatical patterns, vocabulary and phonological system of a language. At the same time, the student of a foreign language is acquiring a useful tool. This tool has a double advantage, for while most people (especially teachers) expound on the reward for being able to communicate in a second, third, or fourth language. Perhaps the more promising of the two, is being able to understand and hopefully appreciate another cultural group through their literature, their music and custom – all of which are best assimilated through the medium of their language.
'Discipline' as used in the above passage means Options:In the question below choose the word(s) or phrase(s) which best fills(s) the gap(s):
I do not intend to stay long at the function. i only want to _____
Options:The standardization processes of Nigerian pidgin seems to have started during the post-colonial period. Naturally, Nigerian pidgin appears to be the first choice of most Nigerians in informal situations, especially when they are among those from different ethnic and linguistic background. Thus, the selection process has tactically taken place. Among all the languages used in Nigeria today, English inclusive, Nigerian pidgin could be said to be the most widely spoken. Evidence abounds in motor parks, parties, congregations and most social occasions. There is also ample evidence in the electronic and print media, especially in political propaganda, campaigns and product advertisement. Thus, in terms of spread and extensive use, Nigerian pidgin could rightly be called a national lingua franca.
The use of Nigerian pidgin in contemporary Nigerian could be described as most productive, extensive and complex. It appears that the standardization processes-selection, codification, elaboration of functions and acceptance-which started in the post-colonial era, are as now being completed in contemporary Nigeria. The reason for this assumption is simple-apart from its complex use as a lingua franca, languages of media advertisement, social interaction, unofficial military training and limited literary output, Nigerian pidgin gas attained widespread acceptability in the media, political propaganda and campaigns as well as soap operas. It is also the language of radio and television jingles. Most electronic media now use appreciable percentage of their airtime to cast news and give reports in Nigeria pidgin. Even though its use in some newspaper columns has declined, especially with the demise of the ‘Waka About’ column in the Daily Times, it is however found extensively in some newspaper advertisements .
In places like Warri, Sapele and Port Harcourt, there were reports that teachers at lower primary level taught their pupils in Nigerian pidgin. This unofficial adoption of the Nigerian pidgin as the language of the lower primary education by those teachers is justifiable considering the provision in the National Policy on Education, which states that in addition to English, the major language in the child’s environment could be used at the elementary level of education. Similarly, Nigerian pidgin has become a language of religious preaching, especially Christianity. In most rural and even urban centres where congregation are not all very well-educated, pastors resort to the use of Nigerian pidgin.
The use of the Nigerian pidgin as a literary language tends to have started in the sixties with the work of Achebe, Soyinka and others. But it is in the contemporary times that it has become most widespread. The number of poems, novels and plays written and published in Nigerian pidgin is growing even more rapidly. Many more literary writers now attempt to experiment with the language. Therefore, the evidence of codification and elaboration of functions and the partial or tactical acceptance of Nigerian pidgin are clearly visible.
According to the passage, the phrase 'lingua franca' means Options:From the alternatives provided in the question below select the one which most appropriately completes the sentence:
Paulina arrived late, she _____ the right route
Options:Choose the most appropriate option nearest in meaning to the underlined words.
The rally was attended only by people who were apolitical?
Options:A wolf, seeing a lamb drinking from a river, wanted to find a pretext for devouring him, He stood higher up the stream and accused the lamb of muddying the water so that he could not drink. The lamb said that he drank only the tip of his tongue and that in any case he was standing lower down the river, and could not possible disturb the water higher When this excuse failed him, the wolf said: 'Well, last year you insulted my father.' "I wasn't even born then replied the lamb. 'You are good at finding answer' said the wolf, 'but what do you mean by taking up so much of the path where I am walking?' The lamb, frightened at the wolf's angry tone and terrible aspect, told him, with all due submission, that he could not conceive how his walking on such a wide path could occasion him any inconvenience. 'What!' exclaimed the wolf, seemingly in great anger and indignation. 'You are as impudent as your father who seized me by the throat last year and caused me to be kept in a cage for three months'. 'If you will believe me,' said the lamb, 'my parents are poor simple creatures who live entirely by green stuff, we are none of us hunters of your species.' Ah! I see it's no use talking to you,' said the wolf, drawing up close to him. 'it runs in the blood of your family to hate us wolves, and therefore,as we have come so conveniently together, I'll just pay off a few of your forefathers scores before we part.' So saying, he leapt at the lamb from behind and garotted him. Adapted from Bennet. C.H(1978)
From the way the story ended, it can be concluded that the
Options:It is said that experience is the best teacher, but to learn consciously through wisdom may even be a better and more convenient way. T learn by experience is to learn from mistakes. It means you have burnt our fingers and now your eyes are open'. This is a tough, costly and inconvenient way to learn. Rather than leaving our learning to experience, why do we not learn consciously going out way to acquire knowledge and wisdom rather than leave our learning to chance.
Surely, we can learn from mistakes but why wait till when we make mistakes before we lean? We should give more premium to learning by wisdom than by experience.
This will involve one making up ones mind to be decisive in learning. We must decide to learn consciously and not necessarily from negative experiences. The first step is to realize that life is simply the outcome and outplay of decisions. Our life now is the sum total of our decisions and our future will be determined by our decisions. Our life now is the sum total of our decisions and our future will be determined by our decisions of today. If we decide to learn today we are not likely to make mistakes and when we do not make mistakes, experience need not be our best teacher.
To avoid making experience our best teacher will take more than a decision. We must couple our decision with a complete and -wholehearted devotion. We must be resolved, resolute and resilient in our bid to learn by wisdom and not necessarily by experience. This is crucial because situations and circumstances will want us to make a detour and leave our learning and life to chance. We must therefore be disciplined to remain with our resolve to make a clean break with experience as our best teacher. Disciplined in this regard means learning something new everyday by wisdom rather than rather than experience. It
means consciously getting better by the day in your chosen field. Discipline will demand taking advantage of every learning opportunity that comes our way. It will mean we must pay the price for learning by wisdom -invest in books, magazines, seminars and other means by which we may become wiser.
It is much easier and cheaper to learn consciously by wisdom than to learn by experience. When we learn by experience , the deed is done and we are just picking up the pieces-learning in regret how to avoid such predicament next time. Consider the child who grapes a burning coal, he has learned the hard way through the painful experience, but his fingers will remain burnt. Thus the saying, that experience is the best teacher, may not be justifiable after all.
Adapted from Sunday Tribune , July 2007
The attitude of the writer of the passage can best be described as Options: