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.
In recent times women in Nigeria have been seeking independence and recognition. No longer content with their traditional role as housewives and mothers, the women have joined together to create a kind of women liberation movement, first under the umbrella of WRAPA, an acronym for Women’s Rights and Privileges Agency, and later under several bodies including non-governmental agencies like Women in Nigeria (WIN), Association of Northern Women in Science and Technology (ANWIST) and Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A whole federal ministry called Ministry for Women Affairs has been established since 1995 for the development and advancement of Nigerian women towards what they call ‘gender equality’.
Through all these bodies, Nigerian women hope to acquire the freedom to pursue interest outside the home, like the opportunity to acquire education or pursue a career, instead of spending all the time doing housework.
The effects of the changes brought about by these bodies are already being felt in some families. For instance, the traditional husband-wife relationship appears to be undergoing a radical transformation. Because so man6yy women are now working, men are learning to share the household tasks of cooking, cleaning and even caring for the children. In some families, there appears to be a complete reversal of the traditional roles: the husband stays home while the wife earns the family’s income. It should be pointed out, however, that this is the exception, not the rule.
The effects of women’s liberation are being felt not only in the home but also on the job. More and more women are working and they are demanding equal responsible positions. It is not uncommon these days for a woman to head major Government ministries and parastatals. Many businesses now encourage women to advance to high management positions, and every year, the nation’s higher institutions produce more women doctors, lawyers, and accountants.
Politics and government are other areas that are feeling the impact of women’s movement. Although Nigerians do not appear ready to accept a woman president, women are already being elected to public offices in increasing numbers as senators and members of the national and state assemblies. Although Nigeria is yet to have a woman governor, which is the highest office in a state, there have been a few women deputy governors and house speakers. A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.
In conclusion, women in Nigeria are acquiring greater independence which is causing sweeping changes in the society – at home, at work and in politics. Some men may not be happy with these changes but the women are always quick to point out that it was they, the men, who created the condition leading to the reaction of the women.
which of the following statement is true according to the passage? Options:The passage below has gaps. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for each gap.
PASSAGE IV
With the most profound respect to the members of the Senate, I do not think that it is within the competence of that ...1... body to pass a motion to ...2... the executive action of the President. The Senate is ...3... of the National Assembly. But it is not by itself alone the National Assembly. One can imagine the confusion, which would be created if the ...4... were to take a view diametrically opposed to that reflected in the Senate resolution. The strongest objection to the action of the Senate in passing the resolution is the fact that it constituted itself the ...5... as well as the judge of the constitutionality of the action of the President. The function of the Senate is to ...6... laws. But the Senate has no authority or ...7... to control the President in the exercise of his ...8... powers. It cannot by a mere resolution or motion give any directive to the President regarding the exercise of his powers nor can it undo what the President has done in the exercise of those powers. The only way in which the exercise of the powers of the President can be ...9... is by ...10... of the National Assembly.
Adapted from The Guardian of July 8, 1999, p. 8.
...3...
Options:Every artist’s work, unless he be a hermit, creating solely for his own satisfaction and with no need of sales, is to some extent “socially conditioned” he depends upon the approval of his patrons. Social conditioning is of course part of the field of study of the social anthropologist, yet I am not aware that the social conditioning of artists has ever been seriously studied. That such study is needed for the proper appraisal of traditional African art is evident enough when we note the igneous assumption, current in many writings on the subject, that the curve’s hand is so closely controlled by the custom of centuries that the credits for any creative imagination which is apparent in his work is due not to him but to the long succession of his predecessors.
Of course, there is an element of must in this view of the tribal artist as copyist, but it is hardly more valid for the Africa than for the European artist. In both cases the work of art is the outcome of dialectic between the informing tradition and the individual genius of the artist and in both the relative strength of these two forces may vary almost infinitely. To assess the personal ingredient in an African carving is no easy matter, especially if one is confronted with a rare or unique piece in an unfamiliar style; but the considerations involved are much the same as those employed in European art criticism.
Which of the following represents the writer’s view about African art in relation to European Art?
Options:Choose the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence.
If he were here, it would be more fun.
Options:In the question below choose the most appropriate option opposite in meaning to the word(s) underlined:
The lawyer pointed out a discrepancy in the two stories
Options:If present trends continue, the world would face major crises by end of the century: insufficient cheap convenient energy. For without such energy, industrial production will fall, agricultural output will drop, transport will be restricted and standard of living in developed countries will plummet. At present, almost all our energy comes from fossil fuels. The earth’s reserves of fossil fuels have been formed from organic matter subjected to enormous heat and pressure of millions of years. But such reserves are finite. Because power demand is increasing very rapidly, fossil fuels will be exhausted within a relatively short time. We can estimate the amount of recoverable fuel under the surface of the earth and we know the rate at which it is being extracted. Fairly simple calculation can therefore determine its remaining life. If present trends continue, gas and oil reserves will be exhausted by the middle of the 21st century-about 70 years from now. Similar estimates for coal and wood reserves suggest a projected supply of 250-300 years. Of course long before fossil fuels are exhausted, demand will greatly exceed supply.
For too many years, the world has consumed fossil fuels with little thought for the future. In fact, world energy consumption increased almost 600% between 1900 and 1965 and it is projected to increase by another 450% between 1965 and the year 2000. Crude oil has been pumped out of the ground for about 100 years, but over half of it is been consumed in the past 18 years. Coal has been mined for over 800 years, but over a half of it has been extracted in the past 37 years. In sum, most of the world’s consumption of energy from fossil fuels throughout history has taken place within living memory.
Fossil fuels as used in the passage includes Options:The medical definition of miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before twenty-four weeks. Miscarriage is very common, occurring in ten to twenty per cent, of confirmed pregnancies. Most of those feature ...16... twelve weeks of pregnancy. The most common ...17... is vaginal bleeding, which can range from light spotting to heavier than a period. You may see blood clots, brown discharge or other tissues that are not ...18... identifiable. Sometimes a sac-like structure is seen. Often, there is cramping with pelvic or back pain. You may find that the usual symptoms of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, feeling sick and having to pass urine more ...19... than usual stop unexpectedly. Sometimes there are no signs or symptoms of miscarriage and pregnancy symptoms continue, and the miscarriage only ...20... in a routine scan . About half all early miscarriages happen because of a problem in the way the genetic material from the egg and sperm have combined during ...21... it can be difficult to find out why this has ...22... , but it is more likely to be due to random chance than to any underlying problem with either parent. Imbalances in pregnancy hormones, problems in the immune...23... ,and some serious infections are also thought to make miscarriages more likely. The risk of miscarriage ...24... with age because the quality of eggs deteriorates . If a woman drinks too much alcohol or smokes heavily, the risk of miscarriage is higher. It is also increased with ...25... pregnancies such as twins.
Adapted from Saturday punch, 13 October 2007
Choose the most appropriate answer in the gap numbered 21 Options:Choose the most appropriate option opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
The elderly often fulminate against the apparent indolence of the young generation?
Options:In the question below, choose the option nearest in meaning to the word or phase in italics.
His taciturnity amazed everyone in the court during the legal tussle.