WAEC English Language 1990 Past Questions

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

Question 7

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions which follow.

      Though Hitler is dead, many mysteries about him remain unravelled. especially the mystery  of how he was able to rise to supreme power. The source of his strength, the nature of his ultimate beliefs, and the workings of his fatal weaknesses, all these would be debated for many years to come. No final assessment could be made at the time, nor can we reasonably expect to reach a final assessment in our generation. Hitler's verdict on himself was given in the testament he drew up the day before his suicide. It is an astonishing  and revealing document. Having sacrificed millions of Germans to his own glory, he claimed that all his actions had proceeded out of love and loyalty to his people. With perfect detachment and single-mindedness, he claimed that he had shown the German people the way which destiny had pointed out to them, and it was not his fault that they had proved unworthy of the task. He urged the Germans to continue the struggle.

      While he was dictating these words. the Russians had encircled Berlin and the Chancellery was being bombarded by Russian guns at close range. Hitler wrote that he chose to die by his own hand rather than submit  to cowardly abdication or capitulation. But the most revealing paragraph of his testament referred to his possessions, which he bequeathed to the party, or if the party was no longer in existence to the state. 'Should the state too be destroyed, no further decision on my part is necessary'.

(a) From the passage. what type of ruler was Hitler during his life?

(b) (i) How did Hitler die? (ii) Why?

(c) What was the last thing Hitler did before his death?

(d) At the time of his death, how was Germany performing in the war?

(e) What two options did Hitler give for disposing of his possessions?

(f) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and which can replace it in the passage:

(i) mystery; (ii) verdict; (iii) astonishing, (iv) detachment; (v) submit; (vi) bequeathed.

(g) 'While he was dictating these words (i) What is the grammatical term used to describe the above expression, as used in the passage? (ii) What is the function of the expression in the sentence?

Theory
Question 8

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions on it.

      When neighbours learnt that the Umorus household had been raided by robbers, they were genuinely downcast because the easy-going Umorus minded their own business and had contributed immensely  to the development of the area. Visitors early that morning were shocked at the way the doors were vandalized  before the robbers forced their way into the living-room to make away with the radio, the television, the wall clock, and the video cassette recorder.

      As some sympathizers discussed the perfection with which modern robbers strike nowadays, a few of them drove to the police station and soon arrived with detectives. Quickly, statements were obtained from the couple and a few neighbours, all in an attempt to pin down  suspects. From these statements. it was learnt that the bushes and uncom-pleted houses nearby had not been searched. The officer ordered his men to comb  the bushes and the unfinished structures. While this lasted, he stood over the culvert near one of the buildings.

      Thoroughly, from room to room, from tree to tree, the searchers toiled. But it was a fruitless exercise. The help rendered by neighbours did not yield clues. At last, the police boss concluded that the robbers were beyond their reach, and so called off their chase.  He blew his whistle and ordered his men into the jeep. Reassuring Mr. Umoru that the search would continue, he instructed the driver to move.

      All the while, in the culvert, their booty by their side, the two robbers snored on. Had a stray dog not given them away, later in the afternoon, they would have escaped with their booty.

(a) Why were the neighbours concerned about the robbery in the house of the Umorus?

(b) Identify the two types of sympathizers mentioned in the passage.

(c) (i) Were the Police careful enough in their search? (ii) Why do you think so?

(d) What finally happened to the robbers?

(e) 'Had a stray dog not given them away'

(i) What is the grammatical term used to describe the above expression, as used in the passage?

(ii) What is its function?

(f) Give one word that could replace each of the following as used in the passage: (i) immensely; (ii) vandalized; (iii) pin down (iv) comb; (v) structures; (vi) chase.

Theory
Question 9

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions on it.

      A study conducted in Nigeria recently recognized three varieties of spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of 'internal interpretation from the mother-tongue into English. Thinking and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Thus, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is thus a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speakers. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother-tongue to be maximally meaningful, and then responses are translated from the mother-tongue into English. Consequently, the long, indirect routes make statements slow, halting and jerky.

      The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.

      With the third variety speakers, thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts - and these come quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word 'rain', the speaker of variety III recognizes distinctions between 'shower', down-pour' drizzle'. 'mist'. 'deluge', etc.. and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.

      We need to recognize, however, that most Nigerian learners of English 'graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety Ito the highest stratum of that variety. and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length of periods of education. exposure to standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

      Finally, we must recognize that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones, if they choose. Thus we can find even a Nigerian professor of phonology switching to the lowest stratum of variety I if he feels so inclined when discussing with a house-servant or a porter.

(a) In three sentences. one for each, summarize the distinctive characteristics of the speakers of the three varieties of English described in the passage.

(b) In two sentences, one for each, describe the conditions under which a person can:

(i) move from lower varieties to the upper ones: (ii) switch from a higher variety to a lower one.

Theory