English Paper 2 Questions and Answers - Meru Central Cluster Exam 2020

ENGLISH
PAPER 2
COMPREHENSION, LITERARY APPRECIATION AND GRAMMAR
TIME: 2  HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS

• Answer all the questions in this paper.
• Candidates must answer the questions in English.

1. COMPREHENSION PASSAGE (20MKS)
   Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
   
   You may think that expecting food to change your life is too much to ask. But have you considered that eating the right food at the right time will increase your energy, help you manage weight and ward off major illnesses?
   
   Researchers have found that eating a meal with plenty of protein leaves you feeling more satisfied for longer when compared to a meal loaded with low - quality carbohydrates. Your body takes longer to digest protein, leading to a gradual increase in blood sugar. The high protein breakfast will therefore carry you through the morning and, more importantly, through your tea break. Many high - carbohydrate meals are absorbed quickly and send blood sugar on a roller coaster ride, taking your appetite with it and depleting your energy.
   
   Many foods contain antioxidants, but fruits and vegetables may be the richest source. Behaving like chemical warriors, antioxidants neutralize molecules known as free radicals before they damage arteries and body cells. This protects you from heart diseases, high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes; you can now see why antioxidant foods should be consumed in generous portions. Actually, forget pills - antioxidants work best when consumed in foods. In fact, nutritionists recommend that we eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. It's less daunting than it sounds: a portion equals a piece of fruit, three tablespoons of cooked vegetables or a glass of flesh juice.
   
   And do you desire to relieve yourself of some baggage? Calcium is the latest weight - loss star to appear on the scene. Scientist stumbled on its magic by accident. From a study that measured the blood pressure of obese people, it was discovered that those who took one large tub of yoghurt a day in their diet lost an average of eleven pounds of body fat in one year, even though they did not eat less.
   
   A follow - up study found that people on a high - calcium diet lost more weight and fat than did people on a low calcium diet -and again, both consumed the same number of Calories. Researcher* believe calcium encourages fat cells to stop "getting fatter". Instead, the cells burn extra fat without you having to go anywhere near a gymnasium.
   
   It probably sounds strange to say that you can eat more in order to lose weight. Obviously, the question you should ask immediately is, "Eat more of what?" We are talking about foods rich in fibre. They have what is referred to as low energy density; that translates to few calories relative to weight. This means that you can down a mountain without fear of calorie overload.
   
   Fibre also aids weight loss because it's filling. Most high fibre foods take a lot of chewing, triggering your body's fullness sensors. Moreover, you absorb the food more slowly so you feel full longer. Will the wonders of food ever cease? Not if researchers in nutrition keep up their pace. Let them keep the good news flowing - such as the fact that we don't have to starve ourselves to lose weight and keep disease at bay.
   
   Questions
   1. From the information given in the first paragraph, how can you improve your life?(2mark)
   2. In not more than 35 words, summarize the effects of eating carbohydrates. (4 marks)
   3. Explain how free radicals contribute to the occurrence of high blood pressure and cancer. (2 marks)
   4. In what two forms can antioxidants-'be consumed? (2mks)
   5. “In fact nutritionists recommend that we eat five portions of fruits and vegetable a day." Rewrite the sentence above as a question without changing the meaning, beginning: Don't………….. (1 mark)
   6. What is the attitude of the author towards calcium as a weight-cutting measure? (2mks)
   7. According to the passage, how can you use up excess fat? (2mks)
   8. Identify an instance of irony in the passage. (2mks)
   9. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. (3mks)
      1. Daunting –
      2. Baggage –
      3. Down to earth –
         
         
2. H.R. Ole Kulet, Blossoms of the Savannah
   Read the excerpt below and then answer the questions that follow. (25 marks)
   
   “What do you mean?” he asked, suddenly sitting up. “I hope you don’t imply that our culture comes second. Do you?”
   “Not really, my husband,” she said ruefully, beating a hasty retreat. “Our culture is everything and it rules our lives.”
   “Good,” he said authoritatively. “Now listen, you must immediately start counselling the girls to understand their roles as potential wives of the men of Nasila. Prepare them to appreciate and and accept their future responsibilities as mothers and home builders.”
   “I’ll do that my husband,” she said quietly.
   “One other thing,” he said evenly. “I’ll ask Simiren to request that young teacher called Parmuat, who is of our clan and therefore a brother to the girls to find time to teach them a few home truths. After that we shall call enkamuratani to play her part before we give them away.”
   Those were the words, whose utterance she dreaded. And once uttered, she knew, the words instantly became an inviolable edit. Now that he had spoken, the pain was already harrowing and torment in her unbearable. She was torn between her love for her daughters and her dutiful role of a faithful and obedient wife of Ole Kaelo. But in her culture there was no room for dissent, especially if the subject was in conformity with the culture. Who would side with her if she were to oppose the cultural rituals?
   Her only ally would be the woman the elders of Nasila contemptuously called entangoroi or the wasp. Those who honoured her called Emakererei , for she was said to have attended Makerere university in Uganda., where she attained her degree in Veterinary Science. Mama Milanoi knew her well. Her actual names were Minik ene Nkoitoi. Outside Nasila, she was respected and honoured. At thirty, she was already managing an expansive government sheep ranch reputed to hold hundreds of thousands of sheep, about one hundred kilometres away from Nasila. Under her were hundreds of employees who worked at the ranch in Nasila, however, she was regarded as the devil incarnate. She was hated and reviled for criticising and campaigning vigorously against traditions that she said abused the rights of the girl child namely girls’ circumcision and early marriages. And that had put her in direct collision with the people of Nasila. If she aligned herself with a person who Nasila regarded as having such an obnoxious reputation, where would her marriage stand?
   1. Place the excerpt in its immediate context. (4 marks)
   2. Why was Minik ene Nkoitoi regarded as a devil incarnate in Nasila? (2 marks)
   3. From the excerpt, what do we learn about Mama Milanoi? (4 marks)
   4. Explain two themes that are highlighted in the excerpt. (4 marks)
   5. “What do you mean?” {Rewrite in reported speech} (1 mark)
   6. Discuss the effectiveness of two aspects of style employed in this excerpt. (4 marks)
   7. Describe the mood at the end of the excerpt. (2 marks)
   8. Explain the meaning of the following expressions as used in the excerpt: (4 marks)
      1. Ruefully
      2. Contemptuously
      3. Devil incarnate
      4. Obnoxious
         
         
3. Read the poem bellow and then answer the questions that follow.
   My grandmother
   
   She kept an antique shop – or it kept her.
   Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glasses,
   The faded silks, the heavy furniture,
   She watched her own reflection in the brass
   Salvers and silver bowls, as if to prove
   Polish was all, there was no need for love.
   
   And I remember how I once refused
   To go out with her, since I was afraid.
   It was perhaps a wish not to be used
   Like antique objects. Though she never said
   That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt
   Of that refusal, guessing how she felt.
   
   Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put
   All her best things in one long, narrow room.
   The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,
   The smell of absences where shadows come
   That can’t be polished. There was nothing then
   To give her own reflection back again.
   
   And when she died I felt no grief at all,
   Only the guilt of what I once refused.
   I walked into her room among the tall
   Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used
   But needed: and no finger-marks were there,
   Only the new dust falling through the air.
                           - Elizabeth Jennings
   
   Questions
   
   1. Identify the persona in the above poem. (2 marks)
   2. In note form, summarize what each stanza is talking about. (4 marks)
   3. Identify and briefly explain the use of any two images in the poem. (4 marks)
   4. What does the persona feel towards the subject matter? (2 marks)
   5. What do the following lines mean in the poem? (2 marks)
      “too frail to keep a shop”
      “Only the new dust falling through the air”
   6. Describe the tone the persona uses in the poem above. (2 marks)
   7. Explain the paradox in the line: (2 marks)
      things she never used
      But needed:
   8. Explain the persona’s sense of guilt. (2 marks)
      
      
4. GRAMMAR
   1. Fill in the blanks with the correct alternative from the choices given. (2 marks)
      1. Since the introduction of community policing in our estates______ of theft have reduced. (Incidence / incident / incidents)
      2. An elephant looks after _______ calf. (it's / its)
   2. Rewrite the following sentences as instructed.
      1. Someone is following us. (Rewrite in the passive voice)
      2. The victim and the neighbours did not speak to the reporters. (Begin; Neither ..........)
      3. We light fire in the kitchen (Rewrite in past tense).
      4. Okoyo will not win the elections if he does not clear himself of the corruption charges. (Begin: unless ..........)
   3. Use the correct form of the word in brackets to complete each of the foI1owing sentences. (3 marks)
      1. Owino did not know that a tree had ___________ (strike) his house.
      2. Nobody expected the company to make __________ (lose)
      3. The three ______________ (passer-by) were arrested.
   4. For each of the following sentences replace the underlined phrasal verb with a word that has the same meaning (2 marks)
      1. I wished to meet him after classes yesterday but he didn't show up.
      2. After a hard day's work, I sat on an easy chair and dozed off.
   5. Provide the most suitable prepositions for the sentences below.
      1. The soldier was punished_______________ neglect of duty.
      2. The thief was disguised _____________ an official from the Ministry of Education.
      3. They descended ______________ a noble family.
      4. The doctor died ___________Corona virus.

MARKING SCHEME

1. COMPREHENSION PASSAGE
   1. Eating the right kind of food.(2mks)
   2. Consider the following points
      • Makes one feel less satisfied for long
      • Foods rich in carbohydrates are absorbed quickly therefore sugar is sent on a roller coaster ride.
      • As a result, ones appetite is taken away
      • Energy is depleted. (4mks)
        Must be in prose form – if not deduct 50% ( ½ marks)
   3. They damage arteries and body cells. (2mks)
   4. Antioxidants can be consumed in the form of fruits and vegetables. (2mks)
   5. Don’t nutritionists recommend that we eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day?(1mk)
   6. That of approval – shown by “researchers believe calcium encourages fat cells to stop “getting fatter” and the cells burn extra fat with you having to go anywhere near a gymnasium” (2mks)
   7. Excess fat can be used up by eating a high-calcium diet as calcium encourages fat cells to stop getting fatter. (2mks)
   8. It is ironical that you can eat more in order to lose weight. (2mks)
   9.       
      1. daunting – difficult /challenging /discouraging
      2. baggage – weight
      3. down a mountain – consume a large amount of food.
2.    
   1. Before: Ole Kaelo had woken up his wife in the morning after the homecoming ceremony asking her if she was aware of what the culture they had been ushered to demanded of them. 1mk She tells him that she understands but proposes that they think about the interests of the family first. 1mk
      After: Mama Milanoi decides to play along with her husband’s demands since she knew there was no room for her to dissent. 1mk She decides to broach the subject of F.G.M with the daughters to see how much they knew about it. 1mk
   2. She is regarded so since she criticised and campaigned against girl’s circumcision and early marriage, traditional practices that Nasila people valued. (2 marks)
   3.          
      • She is submissive/obedient 1mk –this is seen from the fact that she was a faithful and obedient wife to Ole Kaelo as said in the excerpt. We see she could not dissent with him even when she does not support his proposal that the girls be prepared for circumcision. 1mk
      • She is informed – she knows so much about Minik ene Nkoitoi including her education background and even the different views that the people held about her. 1mk – she also knows her age and occupation. 1mk “At thirty, she was already managing an expansive government sheep ranch.”
   4.         
      • Place of women in society – 1 mk The society presented expects women to be submissive by being faithful and obedient to their husbands as is the case with mama Milanoi – 1mk
      • Conflict – 1mk The writer tells us that Minik ene Nkoitoi campaign against girl’s circumcision and early marriages had put her in direct collision with the Nasila people. 1mk
      • Traditions – 1mk We see that people of Nasila practise female circumcision and early marriages, which is why Emakererei is despised for campaigning against them. Ole Kaelo asks his wife to start counselling the girls in readiness for circumcision. 1mk
   5. He asked her what she meant/ Ole Kaelo asked his wife what she meant. 1 mark
   6.            
      • Geographical allusion 1mk – Minik had attended Makerere University in Uganda. This allusion makes the story authentic and believable. 1mk
      • Dialogue 1mk – there is dialogue between Mama Milanoi and Ole Kaelo as they discuss the way forward for their daughters. This makjes the story realistic and helps in displaying the traits of the speakers. 1mk
      • Rhetorical questions 1mk – “Who would side with her if she were to oppose the cultural rituals?” It brings out the turmoil that Mama Milanoi is going through. 1mk
   7. The mood is uncertain, pensive and fearful. 1mk – Mama Milanoi wants to help her daughters but she is afraid of the repercussions. 1mk
   8.             
      • Regretfully 1mk
      • Scornfully 1mk
      • Extremely wicked/evil person 1mk
      • Highly offensive 1mk
3.      
   1. The persona is a grandchild “My grandmother” (2 mks)
   2.             
      
      • Stanza 1: describes her grandmother (1x4 mks)
      • Stanza 2: describes the incident which causes guilt
      • Stanza 3: shows her grandmother in retirement
      • Stanza 4: after her grandmother has died, the persona reflects on her grandmother’s life and her own memories
   3.          
      • Simile - “like antique objects” to show persona’s objection to the way she was treated by the grandmother (2 mks)
      • Metaphor – “the smells of absences; the place smelt old” (2 mks)
   4. The persona feels indifferent towards her grandmother. “and when she died I felt no grief at all” (2 mks)
   5. Symbolic of her death and absence. (2 mks)
      • The persona uses a regretful tone. “I still could feel the guilt …Of that refusal, guessing how she felt” (2 mks)
      • It means that the grandmother was attached to the things she had but she really didn’t use them. They did not have any value to her apart from being attached to them. (2 mks)
      • The persona feels guilty for having failed to accompany his/her grandmother out, because he/she didn’t want to be used as one of the antique item. (2 mks)
4.          
   1.                
      1. Incidents
      2. Its (2mks)
   2. (4mks)
      1. We are being followed
      2. Neither the victim nor the neighbours spoke to the reporters
      3. We lit fire in the kitchen
      4. Unless Okoyo clears himself of the competition charges he will not win the elections.
   3.                  
      1. Struck
      2. losses 
      3. passers-by 
   4.              
      1. Appear
      2. Slept
   5.              
      1. for
      2. as
      3. from
      4. of