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.
As the stranger approached, shola noticed that he was handsome and her excitement increased. It was of such a man she had dreamt. He had fine, arrogant carriage, like a soldier or someone in authority. When he reached the end of the pier, he addressed them in a rich, deep voice that disturbed her as the voluptuous rising of the tide had gone.
‘You’re Tunde Onu, I’m told’, he said to her father.
‘That’s right, said her father.
‘The bus conductor told me you take people to the islands’, the man continued. I’d like to go there if you can take me.
Her father examined the man from head to foot, shrewdly measuring his capacity to pay. Then he said:
‘When were you thinking of going?’
‘Right away’.
‘That’s different story, for my boatman is gone to Badagry and he won’t be back before nightfall.
‘Oh!’ said the stranger. That’s too bad. You couldn’t get someone else instead of him?
‘I would have to think hard’, he said gloomily, for its not everyone would do for the job of going with me beyond the bay to the islands at this time of the year.
Shola understood her father’s manoeuvre and felt ashamed.
Which of the following is true of the passage? Options:In 1951, the Government decided to start a Pottery Training Centre where new and more advantaged technical methods, especially glazing, could be taught. The centre was intended to serve the whole of the defunct Northern Region, and there were several reasons for choosing Abuja . The first was the excellence of the traditional pottery made in the Emirate. Secondly, firewood is plentiful; this is a most important consideration, because in the making of glazed pottery, more firewood than clay is required. Thirdly, there are good clays, and good local sources for the raw materials needed for the glazes. Fourthly, water, which is another important raw material, is plentiful. Finally, Abuja is in a central position for the whole region and is a town where learners from many different parts can find a congenial temporary home, and where the Emir and his Council are actively interested in the project.
Nearly all the making is done by a process called throwing;, so called because the lumps of clay are thrown the potter onto a wheel-head. They are weigh out so that each pot will be roughly the same size; for example, for making pint-sized jugs, the lumps of clay will be one and a half kilogrammes. The potter sits on the saddle of the wheel and spins it by pushing a pedal with his left foot. He has a bowl of water, a loofah, a bamboo knife, a pointed stick or porcupine quill, a wooden-smoothing tool which potters call a rib, and a piece of wire-like object that is used for wedging. He makes the wheel-heal slightly damp, and throws the lumps into the middle. The first work is to force the lump to the centre, then he presses his thumb into the middle of the lump, using water to keep it slippery. When the bottom is of the right thickness, he begins to draw up the walls until they are of the right height. Then he shapes the belly and shoulder of the pot. He trims off any waste clay. In this way, a small and medium-sized pot can be made quickly and accurately.
Adapted from Robert, J.M.E and Smith, L.E.M (1978) Testing English language, AUP
Which of the following is true according to the passage? 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 22 in the above passage Options:In the question below choose the option nearest in meaning to the word(s) or phrase(s) Underlined:
As the wedding day approached, the bride began to develop cold feet
Options:Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
Mutual love is what Kabi and Musa have in common and nothing else?
Options:In the question below choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined:
Can you give a good explanation for your behaviour?
Options:Select the option that best explain the information conveyed in the sentence.
The reformists say elections cannot be free and fair unless a number of constitutional changes are effected?
Options:Choose the option that best fills the gap.
That single _____ was enough to spoil a whole lifetime of good living.
Options:Like a clock with the pendulum in full swing, the mind moves as fast as time. But we ought to mind our thoughts, for if they turn to be our enemies. They will too many for us and will drag us down to ruin.
But some people may say that they cannot help having bad thought even though they sting like vipers. That may be son, but the question is do they hate them or not? We cannot keep thieves from looking in at our windows, but if we open our doors to them and receive them joyfully, we are bad as they. We cannot help the birds flying over our heads; but we may keep form building their nests in our hair. Vain thoughts will knock at the door but we must not open to them.
Though bad and evil thoughts rise in our hearts, they must not be allowed to reign. He who turns a morsel over and over in his mouth does so because he likes flavours, and he who meditates upon evil, loves it, and is ripe to commit it. think of the devil, and he will appear, turn your thoughts towards will and your hands will soon follow. Snails leave their slime behind them, and so do vain thoughts. An arrow may fly through the air, and level no trace, but an evil though always leaves a trail like serpent.
Where are is much traffic of bad thinking, there will be much mire and dirty. Every wave of wicked thought adds something to the corruption which rots upon the shore of life. It is dreadful to think that a vile imagination. Once indulged, gets the key of our minds, and an get in again very easily, whether or not we let it in, and what may follow, no one knows,. Nurse evil on the laps of thought, and it will grow into a giant.
Therefore, there is wisdom in watching every day, the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts. Good thoughts are blessed guests and should be welcomed, well fed, and much sought after, but bad thoughts must fly out as swiftly as they moved in.
Which of the following statements represents the view expressed by the writer in the first paragraph? Options: