English Paper 2 Questions and Answers - Mincks Group of Schools Mock Examinations 2022

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CANDIDATES

Write your name, Index number and the name of your school in the spaces provided above
Sign and write date of examination in the spaces provided above
Answer all the questions in this question paper
All your answers must be written in the spaces provided in this question paper

For Examiner’s Use Only:

	QUESTIONS	TOTAL MARKS	SCORES
1	Comprehension	20
2	Literary appreciation	25
3	Poem	20
4	Grammar	15
	TOTAL	80

QUESTIONS

COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage then answer the questions thereafter
It is a matter of time before more ex-convicts are offloaded back into communities as authorities try to decongest prisons whose populations are above the recommended capacity
Subject to the advice and recommendations of the power of Mercy advisory Committee (POMAC), about 900 “reformed” hardcore convicts will be released
This will be in addition to 3,908 petty offenders released since June 1, through a presidential pardon
The release of the huge number of prisoners comes at a time when police officers are grappling with insecurity challenges When not on standby to deal with incidents of electoral violence, the cops have to keep tabs on criminal’s gangs that have resurfaced ahead of the General election
Already these vicious gangs have wreaked havoc in Onganta Rongai, Mombasa and Nakuru where cops are struggling to tame them The presence of ex-convicts among communities is, therefore, likely to make a bad situation worse From previous experience, some of pardoned prisoners find engaging in violent robbery, burglary, motor vehicle or livestock theft irresistible
Cops generally fear the next lot of ex-convicts coming out of prisons will relapse into crime, making their work more difficult “Our worry is that many of them will go back into crime, this is not farfetched but a common trend based on past experiences Once these guys are set free, the impact will be instant with crimes shooting up” says a senior police officer, who spoke to the media, representing the views of some of his colleagues
But police spokesman Bruno Shiosso says there is no cause for alarm since officers are trained on how to deal with lawbreakers, and that ex-convicts are no exception when it comes to enforcing law and order He said they are certain that prisons authorities will only let out those who proved beyond doubt that they have reformed and become responsible citizens
“But for those who think they will go baaack to crime, we shall deal with them within the realms of the law, “noted Shioso
The police fear is understandable since recently, a former convict bludgeoned his mother to death in Riagicheru Village of Kirinyaga County Barely days after being released from jail last month Ephantus Kiura shocked locals when he allegedly killed Grace Muthoni Ndambiri on June 12 by hitting the elderly woman with a blunt object
Kiura had been imprisoned at the Gathigiriri Prison by a court in Mwea for torching his 76-year old mother’s house Upon earning freedom through a presidential pardon, the man brutally killed his mother He was among the 3,908 petty offenders released from prison in a decongestion programme
Kiura was a beneficiary of the community service order However, he never waited to serve the noncustodial sentence and is now staring at life behind bars for the alleged murder Petty offenders put on this form of light punishment are required to perform a specified number of hours of unpaid work in the community This, however, does not apply to prisoners serving jail for capital offences
Authorities admit that it is often difficult to ascertain the prisoners who correctly merit release Some of those who make it to the freedom list either fake having reformed or bribe prison officials-ultimately leading to the wrong individuals being reintegrated back into communities Though stake holders have no right prescription for selecting the right convicts for pardon, the general feeling is that more general feeling is that more attention should be put on rehabilitation of inmates to achieve the desired change
“Prisons have turned into containment facilities as opposed to rehabilitation centres where inmates and convicts are turned into responsible citizens” states Ambrose Ngare, a former prisons boss
According to Ngare, now executive director of Africa Institute of Criminology, a non-governmental organization dealing in restorative justice, it is pointless releasing prisoners without first endeavouring to reconcile them with the victims they wronged

Questions (20 mks)
1. What is the main reason the advisory committee gives for the release of convicts? (1 mk)
2. Give the main concerns of the police officers in connection to the release of the ex-convicts (2 mks)
3. State the crimes the offenders have been accused of engaging in (3 mks)
4. Give the total number of ex-convicts the police officers expects in the communities (1 mk)
5. In about 55 words, chronologically summarise the criminal life of Ephantus Kiura (5 mks)
6. Cops generally fear the next lot of ex-convicts will relapse into crime Identify the phrasal quantifier in the sentence (1 mk)
7. Identify the attitude of the public towards the released ex-convicts (3 mks)
8. What does the writer mean by (2 mks)
  ‘Prisons have turned into containment facilities as opposed to rehabilitation centres’
9. Give the meaning of the following words (2 mks)
  1. grappling
  2. right prescription
EXCERPT (25 MARKS)
That alarmed Resian but strangely, the alarm turned into optimism As she quickly walked to the living room where their father was still seated, she felt optimistic: glad tidings had finally come Either their mother had successfully argued their case before their father and he had finally consented to their request to enrol at Egerton University, or her sister Taiyo had at last done it Oh, wonderful sister Taiyo! She was still replaying those pleasurable words when she reached where her father was seated
“Yes papaai, “Resian said apprehensively “I am here Taiyo tells me you are calling me?”
“Yes, yes,” her father replied “please take a seat”
“Yes, papaai,“ Resian repeated as she sat on a chair far away from her father
“Come nearerchild,” her father said pleasantly “Why do you sit a mile away? Come nearer”
Resian moved her chair hardly an inch from where it was and then she looked up into her father’s face with eager expectation
“If I do remember well,“ her father began in a low even tone, “you will be nineteen in September this year, am I right?”
“You are quite right, papaai” Resian answered eyeing him curiously His face was unusually kind His eyes held hers as he smiled, broadly, “That’s it!’ she thought triumphantly “That must be it!’
“You and I have not discussed important issues for a long time,“ he said with a friendly chuckle that was intended to bring her closer to him “I thought today would be the best day to break the news Your future is very important to me, my dear child”
Resian thought the concern in her father’s voice, rang false She hesitated, but could not hold herself any more The anxiety was too great
“Papaai, is it Yeiyo or Taiyo who spoke to you?” she asked sensationally, thinking she was stating the obvious But seeing her father’s face cloud, she added quickly “Who between them spoke to you about our enrolment at the Egerton Univesity?”
“What are you talking about, child?” her father who seemed dumbfounded, asked after a long and uncomfortable silence
“Both Yeiyo and Taiyo promised to talk to you about it, and I thought she had”
1. Place this excerpt in its immediate context (4 mks)
2. Identify and illustrate any one thematic concern evident in the excerpt? (2 mks)
3. What is the relationship between Resian and the father? (2 mks)
4. Identify and illustrate two stylistic devices in the excerpt (4 mks)
5. Please take a seat (Add a question tag) (1 mk)
6. Describe the character traits of the following (4 mks)
  1. Resian
  2. Olekaelo
7. From your knowledge of the text, what did Olekaelo want to tell Resian concerning her future? (3 mks)
8. What is the prevailing mood in the excerpt? (2 mks)
9. What do the following words in the excerpt mean? (3 mks)
  1. Tidings
  2. Triumphantly
  3. Dumbfounded
Read the poem below and answer questions that follow:

I AM TIRED OF TALKING IN METAPHORS
I will talk plainly,
Because I am moved to abandon riddles,
I will tell you of how
We held our heads in our hands
Because the owl hooted all night
And the dogs howled as if mourning
We waited the bad news
We received it
Our mother blinded in one eye
Crippled in the right leg
Because she did not vote
For her husband’s candidate

I will remind you
Of when the peeled plantains
Stood upright in the cooking pot
We slaughtered a cock,
Anticipating an important visitor
We got her:
Our daughter – piece of flesh in a sack
Our present from her husband

No! I will not use metaphors
I will just talk to you:
I do not fight to take your place
Or to constantly wave my fist in you face
I refuse to argue about

Your “manly pact”
with my father
You’ re buying me for a bag of potatoes
And pepper
All I want
Is for you to stop denying me
My presence needs no metaphors

I am here
Just as you are
I am not a machine
To dismantle whenever you whim
I demand my human dignity
Questions
1. Who is the persona in this poem? (2 mks)
2. What are the thematic concerns of the poem (4 mks)
3. Explain the speaker’s attitude towards the subject matter (3 mks)
4. Give a character trait of the speaker (2 mks)
5. Discuss two elements of tradition highlighted in the poem (4 mks)
6. Identity two features of style used in the poem (4 mks)
7. Our mother blinded in one eye Crippled in the right leg (Join using a conjunction) (1mk)
GRAMMAR (15 MKS)
1. Give the meaning of the idiomatic expression used in the following sentences (3 mks)
  1. The long-awaited guests arrived at the eleventh hour
  2. After thorough revision of the text the teacher told the students’ the ball is in your court’
  3. After being arrested the thief spilt the beans about their spoil
2. Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each (3 mks)
  1. Njoki did not know it was a dangerous vocation (Rewrite using how)
  2. Someone saw Kirimi leaving the plane in Khartoum (Begine: Kirimi)
  3. She opened the window and a bat flew out (End in: a bat)
3. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the word given in brackets
  1. Sophie’s mother ........................................... of her wearing very tight clothes in church (approve)
  2. His ........................................... cost him his job (efficient)
  3. The ........................................... of the traveller’s was hindered by the poor roads (mobile)
4. Replace the underlined word with the gender neutral word
  1. The foreman arrived late and delayed the construction
  2. The housegirl died in the inferno
5. Explain the two different meanings in each of the following sentences (4 mks)
  1. The students will read the books in the library
  2. The man looked at the cow with one eye

MARKING SCHEME

1. The release of convicts is a way of decongesting prisons whose populations are above the recommended capacities.
2. The concerns of the police officers is inter presence to security challenges.
  Cops Fear the next lot of ex-convicts will relapse into crime making their work more difficult.
3. Crimes offenders have been accused of
  - Robbery with violence (violent Robbery)
  - burglary
  - meter vehicle theft
  - livestock theft
4. Total number of ex-convicts expected
  3908
  +900
  4,808 ex-convicts
5. Chronologically summarise the life of Ephantus Kiura.
  Ephantus Kiura torched his 76-year-old mother’s house. √ He was imprisoned at Gathigiriri prison by a court in Mwea.√ He became a beneficiary of the community service order and never ½ served the noncustodial sentence as expected. Later, he was released through the presidential pardon order. √ He went back to the village and hit the elderly woman using a blunt object at Riagicheru village, Kirinyaga county.√ Instantly killing the mother.√// (68 words)
6. - Lot of ex-convicts
7. Attitude of the writer
  Sceptical/doubtful
  The public fears that the ex-convicts have not changed/reformed and may result to worse crimes than before.
8. Containment facilities – They are only kept for a while until their terms in prison is served.
  - They leave jail without acquiring requisite basic skills that are essential for survival.
  - Since they are taught nothing in jail they end up becoming hardcore criminals who pick up from where they left.
  - Rehabilitation centres where the inmates and convicts acquire basic survival skills and make them responsible citizens.
9. - grappling – struggling
  - right prescription – proper measure/gauge/Yardstick
EXCERPT (20 MKS)
1. - Taiyo is having a conversation with Ole Kaelo
  - She realises her father’s thoughts are no longer with her. She gives up the idea of speaking to him about admission/enrolment to the university. The father requests Taiyo to call her sister Resian. Resian responds to the call and feels alarmed on what the father wants/requires.
  - Resian asks the father who had hinted to him about their enrolment at Egerton University.
  - The father is agitated and furious on what Resian was inquiring.
2. - Education –Who between them spoke to you about enrolment to the university (P 183)
  - Resian thought that their father had finally consented to their request to enrol at Egerton University(P182)
  - Optimism – Resian felt optimistic, glad tidings had finally come (P182) She felt that either mother had successfully argued their case before their case.
    (Any other theme present)
3. - Tense/strained “That alarmed Resian.
  - Resian feels it is unusual for the father calling her.
4. - Dialogue – Conversation between Resian and her father.
  - Local dialect/ - use of words papaai, Yeiyo language
  - Cross purpose – Resian thinks that the father wants to inform her about their enrolment at Egerton University while the father wants to inform her about her marriage to Oloisudori.
  - Irony – The father ironically tells Resian her future is very important to him which he had received bride price from Oloisudori to marry Resian.
    (Any other)
5. Please take a seat, will you?
6. Characters of Resian
  1. Optimistic – Resian has hope that the father has finally consented to enrolling them at Egerton University.
    Determined – She feels that the father has agreed/accepted to enrol them at the university.
  2. Ole Kaelo – Hypocritical – He tells the daughter (Resian) that you future is very important to me.
    Temperamental – In contempt, he asks Resian what are you talking about child?
    (Any other)
7. Ole Kaelo wanted to tell Resian about her marriage to Oloisudori and he thought he would pursued her to accept to marry Oloisudori. He also felt that he would change her mind about pursuing further studies at Egerton University.
8. Tense ………………her father who seemed dumbfounded, asked after a long and uncomfortable silence.
9. glad tidings – good news
  triumphantly – successfully
  dumbfounded – surprised/shocked
POTRY
1. A woman√ 1 mk who is violated/oppressed/exploited by men.
  She says she was bought for a bag of potatoes and pepper.
  I am not a machine to dismantle whenever you whim√1 mk
  1 mk for identification
  1 mk for illustration
2. 1. The poem talks about domestic violence√ 2 mks
    Our mother blinded in one eye√1 crippled in the right leg √1 mk
  2. Oppression/exploitation of women√2 mks
    Your manly pact with my father, you’re buying me, for a bag of potatoes and pepper.√1 mk
    …………….stop denying me√1 mk
    (main point = 2mks)
    (2 illustrations each 1 mk)
3. An attitude of bitterness/anger/displeasure√(2 mks)
  She is lamenting on violence and death inflicted on women by their husbands√ (1 mk)
  She feels it is unfair for men to mistreat men.
  (2 marks for attitude)
  (1 mark for illustration)
4. Assertive √ (1 mk) – is not ready to be mistreated.
  “I am not a machine to dismantle whenever you wish.”√ 1 mk)
  Or
  Superstitious √(1mk) – participated in the slaughter of the cock, when peeled plantains stood upright in the cooking pot. √ (1 mk)
  When the dogs hassled as if mourning, awaited bad news√ (1 mk)
  1 mk – identification
  1 mk – illustration
5. 1. Superstition – The speaker says when the owl hooted, the dog howled, they expected bad news√ 1mk
  2. Payment of bride price√1mk – Girls bought for pepper and a bag of potatoes.
6. features of style
  1. Repetition √1 mk – I will…..√1 mk
  2. Sarcasm√ 1 mk – she says the pieces √ 1 mk) of flesh which was their daughter were our present from her husband.
  3. Metaphor (√) 1 mk – I am not a machine √ (1 mk)
    1 mk – identification
    1 mk – illustration
7. Our mother blinded in one eye and crippled in the right leg. (1 mk)
1. 1. last minute
  2. up to you to make the next decision
  3. reveal the secret/plan
2. 1. Njoki did not know how dangerous the vocation was
  2. Kirimi was seen leaving the plane in Khartoum
  3. She opened the window and out flew a bat
3. 1. disapproves
  2. inefficiency
  3. mobility
4. 1. supervisor
  2. househelp
5. 1. The students will read the books in the library
    - The students will read the books which are present in the library
    - The students will go to the library carrying books and will read them there.
  2. The man was using one eye to look at the cow.
    The cow the man was looking at had one eye.