BECE JHS English Language 2016 Past Questions

Practice each question, then open it to see the full details.

Question 4
```Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow

One major cause of environmental degradation in Ghana is gold mining. In the name of natural resource development, land is given to mining companies owned by foreigners. These foreigners milk the country dry and destroy the heritage of the people.
From the vast concessions granted them by the government, they extract the gold, destroy the rivers and other water bodies in the communities before going home, leaving the land worthless. Yet, their operations are legal.
Approved mining is, however, not the sole gold mining activity. There is also what is regarded as unauthorized mining, called galamsey. In this enterprise, adventurous Ghanaians set out to do private mining as a livelihood. They dig up the earth with tools that are not as sophisticated as those of foreigners who also dig for the precious metal.
Mining activities destroy the environment. So far, it appears that nothing can be done to reclaim the land degraded by miners; the damage is irreversible. Vast tracts of arable land have become desolate mounds because of gold digging. Nothing can grow where galamsey has taken place.
Besides, the main water sources of communities have been polluted by the activities of both legal and illegal miners. The gold extracted from dirt requires cleaning with chemicals and rinsing in water. By the time the gold searchers succeed in producing a glittering handful, large stretches of rivers, ponds of water and some lakes have been poisoned.
Pollution leaves little drinking water for man and beast. Fishes die and humans contract various diseases.```

(a) Name the types of mining activities discussed in the passage.

(b) (i) Which groups of people engage in mining?
(ii) Why does the government give licences to miners?
(c) How are the people and the land affected by the mining activities?

(d) (i) How does the writer feel about mining?
(ii) Why does the writer think that nothing can be done about the effects of mining?

(e) Explain the following expressions in your own words:
(i) milk the country dry;
(ii) leaving the land worthless.

(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase, that means the same, and can fit into the passage:
Theory
Question 34
```Read the following extract below and answer Questions 34 to 38.

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had
quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered,
rumbling, dark and angry.
The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?```

The atmosphere is ……………..
  • A.cheerful
  • B.friendly
  • C.frightening
  • D.undaunting
Objective
Question 35
```Read the following extract below and answer Questions 34 to 38.

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had
quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered,
rumbling, dark and angry.
The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?```

The state of the weather is emphasized by the word ………….
  • A.angry
  • B.cloud
  • C.flashed
  • D.grey
Objective
Question 36
```Read the following extract below and answer Questions 34 to 38.

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had
quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered,
rumbling, dark and angry.
The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?```

‘Lightning flashed …light from …..torch.’ is an example of …………
  • A.alliteration
  • B.ellipsis
  • C.parallelism
  • D.personification
Objective
Question 37
```Read the following extract below and answer Questions 34 to 38.

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had
quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered,
rumbling, dark and angry.
The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?```

What is being referred to by the question, ‘How would she ……..happened?’
  • A.Current calm
  • B.Imminent rain
  • C.Latent sky
  • D.Rumbling clouds
Objective
Question 38
```Read the following extract below and answer Questions 34 to 38.

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had
quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered,
rumbling, dark and angry.
The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?```

The extract is …………
  • A.drama
  • B.poetry
  • C.prose
  • D.story
Objective