WAEC English Language 2005 Past Questions

Your friend in another school has requested some information about your school to enable him decide on moving over to your school. Write a letter to him discussing at least three areas in which your school excels.

Write an article for publication in your school magazine, discussing the reasons children in your area drop out of school and suggesting ways of minimizing this negative trend.

There has been a continuous discussion on the evils of unemployment. Write a letter to the Commissioner for Labour highlighting at least three of these evils and ways of addressing them.

You are one of the speakers in a debate on the topic: Women should not be in paid employment while they are still bearing children. Write your contribution for or against the proposition.

Write a story ending with the words: I wish I had listened to my father.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question on it.

      The chalkboard is by far the commonest teaching aid used at virtually.all levels of education from the nursery to the university. It is the most enduring teaching aid and perhaps will be the most difficult to replace. In the advanced-countries of the world, it is being threatened by the overhead protector. However, the overhead projector requires constant supply of electricity which is one reason we cannot rely on it yet. The chalkboard used to be black, which why the name "blackboard" stuck for ages; but today, there are boards of various colours: blue, green, even white.

      Now, most chalkboards are made of wood nailed to the wall, instead of the concrete board made of cement and f ine sand that was more common. some are also made of metal. The chalkboard has the advantages of low cost, availability and ease of maintenance, usually involving mere cleaning and occasional retouching of the surface with the renovator. However, if the board is metal, the felt marker should be protected against drying by replacing the cap When it is not in use. The major drawback in the use of the chalkboard is that the information on it can only be temporary. if there is only one board for the class, it is usually impossible to leave the information there for more than a few hours, since other teachers would want to use it.

      It is not easy to draw complex diagrams showing minute details, such as part's of the body and contours, unless one is a good artist. Where one has succeeded with laborious  illustrations, using different colours, it could be painful when the board has to be cleaned by the next teacher. However, there are nowadays various innovations, including foldable boards made of plywood, which allow teachers more room to leave their materials for longer periods.

      Finally, it is a great disadvantage that during the course of teaching, more time is spent writing on the board than when one is using the overhead projector. So, in all, more time is needed for any lesson when one uses the board rather than the overhead projector.

(a) Why does the writer use the word chalkboard rather than blackboard most of the time?

(b) Mention two different types of chalkboard that have been in use.

(c) Mention two disadvantages of the chalkboard.

(d) Why should the cap of the felt pen be re placed when the pen is not in use?

(e) The major drawback in the use of the chalkboard  (i) What grammatical name is given to the expression as it is used in the passage? (ii) What is its function?

(f) ...it is being threatened by the overhead projector... (i) What figure of speech is used in this expression? (ii) What does it mean? (g) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it used in the passage: (i) virtually (ii) constant (iii) various (iv) temporary (v) laborious (vi) room

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

      Dele groaned and got out of bed. There was no clock on the mantle-piece and the room was still dark, but he knew that he was already late for work, probably by up to an hour. He was a commercial bus driver and had to get started as early as 5.00 a.m. and go almost non-stop until about 9.00 p.m. to be able to make the daily returns that the bus owner demanded.

      On the previous day, he had attended an all-night party - a late uncle's burial ceremony - where he had drunk himself almost senseless before crawling home on his face and hurried off to work, but not before carefully fastening on his upper left arm the amulet he had always worn for protection against accident. A similar amulet hung concealed under the steering column of his bus. On his way, still feeling groggy,  he caught his left toe against a stump and had some misgiving.  It was a bad sign, and he was supposed to go back home and then set out again. But there was no time for that now, so he hurried on. At the bus station,  Dele quickly loaded his bus and sped off without any of the necessary checks on the vehicle. He had to make up for lost time. It was the rush hour, so the bus was overloaded as it often was, with many passengers hanging on to the doors. The tyres were threadbare, the brakes were faulty and the road was wet, but, still feeling a little sleepy, Dele sped on. Many passengers protested about his reckless  driving, but he would not listen. After all, didn't he have protection against accident?  

      As the vehicle took the last turn before its destination, Dele saw a broken-down truck blocking his side of the road. Under normal circumstances, he could have brought the bus safely to a halt, but the circumstances were far from normal. The careening bus hit the parked vehicle, swerved wildly across the road and plunged into a ditch. Dele's surprise before he sank into oblivion was the failure of his supposed protective amulets.

(a) Why did Dele wake up late?

(b) ...he caught his left tow against a stump and had some misgiving. What does this tell us about Dele?

(c) Give two reasons why Dele drove recklessly.

(d) Why was Dele unable to stop his faulty vehicle?

(e) What was Dele's condition after the accident?

(f) After all; didn't he have protection against accident? What literary device is used in this expression?

(g) ...wildly across the road... (i) What is the grammatical name given to the expression as it is used in the passage? (ii) What is its function? (h) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) probably (ii) returns (iii) groggy (iv) misgiving (v) threadbare (vi) reckless.

 Read the following passage carefully and answer the question on it. .

      You cannot expect to go through life without meeting problems. Difficulties, perplexities and frustrations are an inevitable part of human experience. Accepting this idea of the inevitability of problems will help you to approach them in a robust frame of mind rather than thinking that you are a victim specially singled out by a malignant fate.

      When confronted with a problem, the first thing to do is to gather i all relevant data to get acquainted with all the facts of the case. Then write down exactly what the problem is, stating it simply in black and white. This gives you something definite with which to come to terms. The problem is, assessed and you will now have something concrete to deal with.

      Next, give serious thought to the problem, making sure that such thought does not degenerate into worry as worry accomplishes nothing. Aim at clear, dispassionate thought, viewing the problem as if it were friend's and not your own. Look at it from all angles and from the view point. of all concerned. You court disaster if you are entirely selfish in your outlook. The single important purpose of all this is to discover all possible solutions to the problem.

      Having examined the problem broadly and impartially, carefully examine all the possible solutions or courses of action. the knowledge that you have done this will keep you from useless regrets later, when you can remind yourself that all possible courses of action were examined and you chose what appeared to be the best. Next, eliminate all proposed solutions which are seen on further thought to be impracticable.

      You will now find that your list has been whittled down to two or three possibilities. At this stage it is often a good plan to get out into the open air. go for a walk or a ride, preferably somewhere with wide horizons. There out in the open, review the problem afresh. You will find it appears much less formidable. Ask yourself how the difficulty will appear in ten years time, or even one! This fresh review enable you to make a final choice as you turn to the remaining solutions and. before you return home, decide which you are going to adopt. As you go to sleep that night, let your last thoughts be upon your decision. If, in the morning, you still feel it is the best one to take, go ahead.

      If you have a friend you think is capable of giving sound advice, consult him. Do this before your final decision, so that you will have the benefit of his views before you decide. Talking things over with another is always a great help. It enables you to isolate the problem and to decide which are the important factors. Even if the friend offers no advice, a sympathetic word will help you, you will see them in a clearer light. Some will appear impossible even while you speak. Alternatively, one will appear most attractive.

      In dealing with problems, remember the time factor. Although some problems solve themselves in time, and delaying tactics are therefore the best form of action for them, most other problems generally get more complicated the longer they are left. You should therefore get to grips with problems immediately they occur.

      All told, reasonable foresight and imagination can prevent many problems ever arising. Tact, thoughtfulness and responsible conduct can also keep life largely problem-free.

(a)In six sentences. one for each, summarise the steps to be taken when faced with a problem and state why each step is necessary.