English Paper 2 Questions and Answers - Lugari Constituency Joint Pre Mock Exams 2023

Question 1
Read the passage below and answer the questions based on it (20marks)

                                                       RECOGNISING ATTITUDE

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

You should have seen her walk in with elegance and style. Even those who had no taste for beauty and art quickly realized that she stood out among the beauty contestants. This was not an ordinary beauty contest like the previous ones. The competition had moved from the mere focus on outside beauty; it required brains too. When it came to answering the questions, Atieno did not disappoint the audience. She was eloquent and articulate, answering the questions intelligently and with precision. What is more, Atieno was cool and composed. She struck an image of one who was sure of herself and her subject. She spoke on how she would plough back the prize money to educate girls in her village and help orphans ravaged by the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. When she finished speaking, I could not help but join the rest of the audience in giving Atieno a standing ovation. To me, she was the epitome of perfection, a marriage of beauty and brains.

I loved the appearance and the experience of the judges. Their resumes spoke of people who were widely travelled and had vast experience, thus they knew what to look for in the contestants. I had no doubt that they would give a fair judgment. We waited with bated breath for the judges to come back from their consultations to announce the winner. Soon we became restless as people began whispering and murmuring. When it took a bit longer, word even begun going round that the judges had disagreed on who the winner was.

Finally, the judges emerged. Looking at their faces, my instincts told me something was amiss. Without wasting time, Judge Dulo dropped the bomb shell: “The winner of Miss Kenya Beauty Contest 2023 is Mzalendo Lukenya!" Shouts of disapproval filled the room. Even the minister for Culture and Social Services who is known for his level-headedness shook his head in disapproval. Finally the master of ceremonies calmed the audience and the judges called the winner on stage. When she appeared, the hall was filled with ululation and shouts of jubilation as song and dance filled the hall. I saw the minister wipe a tear from his left eye. The judges and the contestants had played a trick on us! Mzalendo Lukenya was actually Atieno! They had agreed not to associate her with any tribe in Kenya, hence the use of the name Mzalendo Lukenya. There were more shouts, music and dance in the hall. Indeed, this was a pageant of Beauty and Brains.

Questions

1. Why was this contest different from any other? (1 mark)
2. Identify a sentence in the last paragraph that indicates that all was not well. (1mk)
3. Using illustrations from the passage describe the writer’s attitude towards Atieno (3mks)
4. Identify and illustrate a stylistic device dominating the last paragraph (2mks)
5. Why do you think the minister wiped a tear from his left eye? (2mk)
6. In a paragraph of not more than 30 words describe Atieno (5marks)
7. Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each (1mks)
   1. Atieno did not disappoint the audience(Re-write in passive voice)
   2. I had no doubt they would give a fair judgement (Rewrite using “fairly”) (1mk)
8. Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage (3mks)
   1. Epitome
   2. Resume
   3. ululations
   4. Articulate

Question 2. EXCERPT

Read the excerpt below and then answer the questions that follow. (25 marks)
Helmer: You blind, foolish woman!

Nora: I must try and get some sense, Torvald.

Helmer: To desert your home, your husband and your children! And you don’t consider what people will say!

Nora: I cannot consider that at all. I only know that it is necessary for me.

Helmer: It’s shocking. This is how you would neglect your most sacred duties.

Nora: What do you consider my most sacred duties?

Helmer: Do I need to tell you that? Are they not your duties to your husband and your children?

Nora: I have other duties just as sacred.

Helmer: That you have not. What duties could that be?

Nora: Duties to myself.

Helmer: Before all else, you are a wife and a mother.

Nora: I don’t believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am reasonable human being, just as you are – or, at all events, that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them.

Helmer: Can you not understand your place in your own home? Have you not a reliable guide in such matters as that? – have you no religion?

Nora: I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is.

Helmer: What are you saying?

Nora: I know nothing but what the clergyman said when I went to be confirmed. He told us that religion was this, and that, and the other. When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true from me.

Helmer: This is unheard of in a girl of your age! But if religion cannot lead you alright, let me try and awaken your conscience. I suppose you have some moral sense? Or – answer me – am I to think you have none?

Nora: I assure you, Torvald that is not an easy question to answer. I really don’t know. The thing perplexes me altogether. I only know that you and I look at it in quite a different light. I am learning, too, that the law is quite another thing from what I supposed; but I find it impossible to convince myself that the law is right. According to it a woman has no right to spare her old dying father, or to save he husband’s life. I can’t believe that.

Helmer: You talk like a child.

Questions

1. Place the excerpt in its immediate context (4mks)
2. Contrast the character traits of Nora and Helmer in this excerpt (4mks)
3. Discuss two themes evident in this excerpt. (4 mks)
4. Identify and illustrate one style used in this excerpt. (2 mks)
5. From elsewhere in this play, mention how Nora spares her old dying father and saves her husband’s life. (4mks)
6. Identify Nora’s tone in this extract. (2mks)
7. “You talk like a child.” Which other two characters treat Nora as a child and how? (2mks)
   1. Perplexes
   2. Content
   3. Conscience

Question 3. ORAL LITERATURE

Read the narrative below and then answer the questions that follow. (20mks)

                                                                      THE CRUEL STEP – MOTHER

Once upon a time, there was a man and wife who had a baby girl. Unfortunately, the wife died and so, the man married again. He got another girl with the second wife.

The two girls became extremely close, so close that whenever the mother sent one on an errand, the other was sure to accompany her. The mother, however, did not like the child of the deceased. She would always show her dislike by denying her certain favours. Her feelings became so bad that she decided to get rid of the girl. To do this, she dug a hole in her bedroom on a day when the husband was absent and covered the hole with a cow’s hide. She then called her daughter and sent her to the house of a friend some kilometers away. As usual, the two girls wanted to go together but the woman refused, giving the excuse that she wanted to send the other one elsewhere.

After the departure of her daughter, she called the other girl and sent her for her snuffbox in the bedroom. Unaware of what lay ahead, the girl eagerly rushed into the room only to fall into a hole! The mother very quickly filled the hole with soil, completely disregarding the girl’s screams for help.

When the daughter came back, she merely assumed that the absence of her dear companion was justified. After hours of waiting, she, however, became impatient and questioned the mother.

‘Where is my sister?’ she asked.

‘But she followed you. As soon as she did what I wanted, she ran after you. Now stop bothering me,’ the mother retorted.

Time passed and the now anxious girl went round calling out the name of the other one, but all in vain. Alas…. She cried the whole night and the next day and refused to touch any food. The father helped in the search but to no avail.

After three days, the girl still cried and called the other one. She then heard a very weak voice responding in song:

                                                                    Maalya Maalya
                                                                    Maalya Maalya
                                                        Na mwenyu niwe mwai iiee malya,
                                                                 Ekwinza muthiko iiee malya,
                                                                 Wakwisa kunthika iiee malya
                                                                 Wakwisa kunthika iiee malya
                                                                            (Maalya Maalya)

                                                     And your mother is the wise one iiee malya,
                                                                 She dug a grave iiee malya,
                                                                For interring me in iiee malya.

The girl dashed towards the direction of the voice, repeated her cries and again go the same response. She came to the conclusion that whoever was responding was definitely underground somewhere in the house. Immediately the father came that day (before the arrival of the mother), she told him what had happened After hearing the song, the father dug up the place and pulled out an extremely weak and
disfigured daughter. All three wailed and wailed. Eventually, the father gave her a mixture of blood from a goat and milk to drink after which she vomited all the soil she had eaten. He gave her some more of the mixture on after which he hid her. When the wife eventually came back, the man did not let her get into the house but sent her for a cow in a far off place. He explained away his action by telling her that he had decided to host a feast for relatives (including his in-laws). In the meantime , he sent for all of them. When the woman came back with the cow, she found everyone waiting for her. Uneasy now, she sat down in the place she was shown by her husband.He then stood up and after welcoming all, reminded them of the lost daughter. He then called upon the wife to explain the circumstances leading to the sad episode. She hauntingly repeated the now commonly known story. When she sat down, the husband told this woman’s daughter to repeat her earlier wails after which all heard: 

                                                                     Maalya Maalya
                                                                    Maalya Maalya
                                                        Na mwenyu niwe mwai iiee malya,
                                                                 Ekwinza muthiko iiee malya,
                                                                 Wakwisa kunthika iiee malya

All were surprised to hear the words of the other girl’s song and at that moment, the ‘dead’ girl joined them. The woman was as though paralysed by shock.

The husband then explained the truth of the matter and told his in-laws to take their daughter with them.They said that if that was what she had done to the girl, they couldn’t have such a monster in their house. The woman was disowned by all and chased away.

Questions

1. To which audience and when can such a story be told? (2mks)
2. Explain three features of style employed in the narrative. (6mks)
3. Contrast the character of the mother and her blood daughter. (4mks)
4. Explain two problems you are likely to encounter when collecting materials for such a genre (4mks)
5. What does the author mean by the following sentences as used in the passage?
   1. “When the daughter came back, she merely assumed that the absence of her dear companion was justified.” (1mk)
   2. And your mother is the wise one iiee Malya. (1mk)
6. What is the moral lesson of this narrative? (2mks)

Question 4. GRAMMAR (15mks)

1. Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given without changing the meaning. (4 marks)
   1. He was dismissed for negligence rather than incompetence.
      (Begin: Negligence …)
   2. As we grow older, we tend to give less respect to our elders.
      (Rewrite: The older ……. elders.)
   3.  Alice was angered by her husband. She decided to leave the home immediately.
      (Join into one sentence using a past participle.)
   4. Did the darkness frighten you?
      (Rewrite in the passive voice.)
2. Use the correct form of the verb given in bracket. (2 marks)
   1. Measles ____________________ not common among adults. (be)
   2. The contestants have _________________________ across the channel. (swim)
3. Use the appropriate word derived from those given in brackets in the blank spaces. (3 marks)
   1. Your ___________________________ to your uncle’s illness is shocking.
   2. The beautiful scenery was ______________________________________(awe)
   3. He is a spontaneous and ____________________________ speaker. (wit)
4. Add a question tag to the following sentences. (2 marks)
   1. Come here 
   2. It might rain 
5. Fill in the blank spaces in each of the sentences below with appropriate prepositions to complete the phrasal verb. (3 marks)
   1. At first no one liked the song, but it soon got ___________________________
   2. After writing the fair copy, cross _____________________________ the rough draft.
   3. Sometimes Mary gets __________________________ with her bad behaviour without being punished.
6. Explain the two different meanings of the following sentence. (1 mark)
   1. He hit the woman with a walking stick.

                                                                                        MARKING SCHEME 

1. Unseen passage
   1. The competition was different from others because it emphasized both beauty and brains (1mk)
   2. Looking at their faces, my instincts told me that something was amiss.
   3. The write admires Atieno. He describes her using phrases such as: she walked with elegance and style; she stood out among the beauty contestants; she was eloquent and articulate; she answered questions intelligently and with precusion, she was cool and composed; etc
      (1 mk) for describing attitude
      (2mks) for giving atleast illustrations
   4. Irony. The audience expected Atieno to be announced the winner but the judges went ahead and announced someone else. Secondly the audience did not know that mzalendo Lakenya was Atieno(2mks)
   5. The minister was overcome by joy and excitement as the tufn of events made him extremely happy (2mks)
   6. Atieno walked elegantly and in style has intelligent, articulate and composed. She was also humane and beautiful. She was a mamage of beauty and brains (5mks)
   7. 1. The audience was not disappointed by Atieno(1mk)
      2. I had no doubt they would judge fairly (1mk)
   8.  
      1. Epitome-embodiment, perfect example.(3mks
      2. resumes –qualifications and achievements/cvs
      3. Ululations –long cries of joy
      4. articulate –clear, effective

EXCERPT 25 MARKS

1.  
   • Before
     Nora agrees with Helmer that she is not fit to bring up their children and that she must undertake the task of educating herself√. She informs Helmer of her plans to leave the following day √ 2mks
   • After
     Nora tells Helmer that she was going to see if she could make out who was right between the world and herself √ Helmer accuses Nora of being ill, delirious and out of her mind√ 2mks
2. Nora is non-conformist/liberal √ as she questions the society and religion √ while Helmer is a conformist/conversative/rigid/traditional √ who abides and does not question religion and society norms. √ 4mks(must use a contrasting word e.g. “while”) (any other relevant trait)
3. Place of women√ “…….. are they not your duties to your husband and children?” √ 2mks Feminism/Female empowerment√ “…… I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being just as you are …”√ 2mks
        (any other relevant well illustrated themes)
4. Irony √ – Helmer thinks that Nora doesn’t understand her role in her own home yet she does. √ 2mks ((any other relevant well illustrated styles)
5. Torvald’s life was in danger √as he was ill and to save him, the doctors said that the only way was for him to live in the south√. Nora therefore forged her father’s signature √ as he was gravely ill then andshe did not want to trouble him as a guarantee to enable her obtain two hundred and fifty pounds from Krogstad to take her husband to the South thus saving his life. √ 4mks
6. Nora is skeptical/ doubtful √……She questions everything that Helmer tells her as she tries to convince her not to leave. She questions her place as a woman, religion and even the law. √ 2mks(any other relevant adjective)
7.  
   • Mrs Linde √ ½ – Thinks Nora doesn’t know much about the world i.e. its trouble and burdens of life. √ 1/2 (1mk)
   • Nora’s father √ ½ – Nora tells us that her father called her his doll child and played with her. He did not allow her to put across her opinion. √ ½ (1mk)
8. • Perplexes – confuses√
   • Content – satisfy √
   • Conscience – moral sense/ value. √ (3mks

Oral narrative

1.  
   • The audience — Young women preparing to get married - when
   • when being prepared for marriage/being educated as the role of good wife. (2mks)
2.  Features of style used.
   1. opening formula
      • Once upon a time ……………
        
      • announcing the coming of the narrative or attracts the attention of the audience.
   2. Use of song
      • Maalya ………………..Maalya
        
      • Ironically emphasizing the wrongness of the mother’s deed.
   3. Dialogue
      • Between/ mother and daughter
        
      • Character of sister brought out as loving/concerned/ character of the mother as being cruel comes_out.
3. The mother is cruel/callous as seen from the mistreatment she gives to the step-daughter whereas the daughter is kind/loving/ concerned as seen from the concern she has for the step sister when she goes missing. (4mks)
4. Problems you are likely to encounter when collecting materials for the given genre:
   • Suspicion by some members of the community from which-you do your research.
     
   • informants may demand cash payment
     
   • Language if research is carried out of ones community
     
   • Good informants and performers may not be available
     
   • Religious convictions
     Any two well illustrated (4mks)
5.  
   1. It never occured to her that her dear companion was being gotten rid of for no apparent reason*
      
   2. It is ironical reference to the mother's cruel character.
6. That we should show love to all irregardless of their relationship to us.

Grammar

(Please take particular note of punctuation and capitalization in this section – the mechanics of writing.)

1.  
   1. Negligence, rather than incompetence, was the reason for his dismissal.
   2. The older we grow, the less respect we give to the elders.
   3. Angered by her husband’s behavior, Alice immediately decided to leave the home.
   4. Were you frightened by the darkness?
2.  
   1. is 
   2. swum
3.  
   1. indifference
   2. awesome
   3. witty
4.  
   1. Come her, will you?
   2. It might rain, mightn’t it?
      (If no comma deduct ½ mk; if tag begins with a capital letter, or question mark is missing, give a zero score mark.)
5.  
   1. on
   2. out
   3. with
6. The two different meanings:
   1. The man used a walking stick to hit the old woman.
   2. The man hit the woman who had a waliking stick.
      (The difference must come out clearly to score.)