English Paper 3 Questions and Answers - Form 4 End Term 1 Exams 2023

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

• Answer three questions.
• Questions one and two are compulsory.
• In question three choose only one of the optional texts you have prepared on.
• Where a candidate presents work on more than one optional text, only the first one to appear will be marked.
• Each of your essays must not exceed 450 words.
• All questions have equal marks.

1. Imaginative composition
   Either
   1. Write an interesting story beginning with.
      I had not thought it was such a big problem until I got involved. (20 marks)
      Or
   2. Imagine that you are the Minister of Environment. Discuss the measures you would take to curb flooding in Kenyan urban areas. (20 marks)
2. The Compulsory Set Text (20mks)
   HR Ole Kulet, Blossoms of the Savannah
   " Failure of parents has devastating effects on children" validate this drawing illustration from Henry Ole Kulet's novel Blossoms of the Savannah.
3. The Optional Set Texts (20 Marks)
   Either
   1. The short story : Chris Wanjala (Ed) Memories we lost (20 marks)
      Though now independent, African countries still face many challenges. Using illustrations from Benjamin Branoff’s Window Seat, write a composition in support of this statement.
      Or
   2. The play: inheritance by David Mulwa. (20 marks)
      “Lacuna’s poor governance results to the suffering of the people of Kutula.” Using Judah Zen Melo’s family, write an essay depicting the truth of the statement.
      Or
   3. The novel: the pearl by John Steinbeck. (20 marks)
      “Our lives are controlled by destiny.”
      Write a composition in support of this statement with illustrations from the novel, ‘The pearl.’

MARKING SCHEME

1.  Imaginative Composition
   Paper 101/3 is intended to test the candidates ability to communicate in English. Communication is established in different levels of intelligibility, correctness, accuracy, fluency, pleasantness and originality. It is the linguistic competence shown by the candidate that should carry most of the marks.
   NB: The candidates should begin with the prescribed statement. If not deduct 2 marks – AD
   Category – marks
   A 10 – 20 The candidate deliberately manipulates language to serve his purpose.
   B 11- 15 This class is characterised by greater fluency and ease of expression. The candidate demonstrates that he can use English as a normal way of expressing himself.
   C 6 – 10 The candidate communicates understandably but only more or less clearly. He is not confident with the language.
   D 01-05 There is generally no communication.
2. The Compulsory Set Text
   Henry Ole Kulet - Blossoms of the Savanna
   “Failure of parents has devastating effects on children.”
   Introduction; Parenting goes beyond giving birth.
   Accept any other relevant introduction. (2 marks)
   • Ole Kaelo fails to initiate the girls at tender age. This makes the girls to be discriminated against by being referred to as ‘Intoiye Nemengalana’ they are not decent women since they are not initiated. The girls are hurt by this mistreatment.
   • The parents did not take the girls to their relatives and even being exposed to their culture. They thus do not know their relations. One of their cousins attempts to rape them Ntare-Muyo.
   • Responsible parents help their children in choice of career. Ole Kaelo denies Taiyo a chance to practice her music talent when she had been chosen by a radio station to attend a music extravaganza in Mombasa. This pains Taiyo and almost destroys the close daughter- father tie.
   • Parents are expected to love their children. Ole Kaelo however fails when he hates Resian. This makes Resian sullen. He is harshly impatient towards Resian, Taiyo takes the duty of soothing Resian’s anger. It also makes Resian uncomfortable with her father
   • According to Maa culture parents were to keep girls away from male visitors. The Kaelos’ however force their daughters to serve Oloisudori and his friends. This exposure makes the girls tortured. It also made Resian to be a victim to Oloisudori; hence the forced marriage.
     Accept any other valid reason the candidate must say how the failure affect the children to score a full Mark: 3; 3; 3; 3 = 12Marks
     Conclusion:
   • Parents should avoid irrational decision making on behalf of their children. 2 marks
     Accept any other reasonable conclusion.
3.  
   1. The Short Stories:  The Memories We lost and other stories by Chris Wanjala
      There are various challenges faced by African countries many years after they attained their independence. The ‘mzungu’ while taking a ride in a daladala through Dar es Salaam describes some of these challenges as will be illustrated below
      Accept any other relevant introduction:award 2 marks. (Can be general, contexualized or general-contextualized
      Body
      • Lawlessness on the roads. The vehicles should follow traffic laws for safety. However, law and order is not followed as it should be. Passengers are literally packed. A daladala which is the size of a minivan and should therefore carry ten passengers is loaded with 25 passengers.
      • Poor infrastructure. The roads are in bad condition. We are told that most of the road is a dusty stretch. 
      • Poverty. People on the buses are said to be in sandals and others are barefoot. This means that they cannot afford better shoes or cannot afford any shoes at all. The narrator describes Kanga as having a trimmed figure ‘molded by beautiful genes and a lifetime of never ending work and deprivation of luxuries’
      • Corruption. The police who are supposed to guarantee safety collude with drivers. They solicit bribes to an extent of removing car keys from the ignition.
      • Pollution. There is pollution everywhere, air pollution from the dust, noise pollution from conductors advertising their daladalas etc. there is also dirt flying by and people burning rubbish and dead foliage on the sides of the road.
        Any four well illustrated points *3=12 (3:3:3:3)
        Conclusion
        From the above illustrations, it is clear that post independent East African countries still face a lot of challenges.
        Any other relevant conclusion, award 2 marks.
        Introduction: 2 marks
        Content: 12 marks
        Conclusion: 2 marks
        Language: 4 marks
   2. The inheritance
      In David Mulwa’s “The Inheritance”, Lacuna Kasoo’s brutal and harsh leadership causes a lot of harm to his subjects. Case in point is the family of Judah who end up undergoing psychological and physical torture for going against the regime. My essay illustrates this further.  Romanus Bengo, Judah’s brother is detained unlawfully for being against the leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. When Lacuna was conducting his campaigns, Bengo stood to compete him. Bengo says that he was headed for a landslide win against the incumbent and this must have threatened Kasoo’s leadership. First Lacuna asks Judah to kill him as a proof of his loyalty to the king to which he refuses as Bengo is his brother and he cannot get himself to commit the atrocity. The king opts to jail Bengo so as to silence him and kill his fight for liberation. Romanus ends up being separated from his close family as a consequence of being against the regime.
      Judah ends up losing his job in the government for going against the wishes of Lacuna. While Judah was still working in the palace at the right hand of Lacuna, his brother was leading a strong revolution against Lacuna’s leadership. This angers Lacuna and he asks Judah to prove his loyalty by killing Romanus Bengo. Despite Lacuna’s promises of wellness to his family, Judah refuses to betray his brother and mother by committing this act. For his act of refusing to help King Kasoo, Judah says that he has been unable to find work as no one in Kutula wanted to be associated with someone who had refused to help the king. Lacuna had closed all paths for him. After a long while, he ends up getting a watchman’s job at the mines far from home where he resorts to being an alcoholic so as to get a promotion. Judah loses his job and becomes an alcoholic as a result of going against Kasoo’s leadership.
      Judah is beaten up and eventually killed by Kasoo’s government. After refusing to prove his loyalty by killing his own brother, Bengo, Judah was beaten up and left for dead. Tamina says that even though Judah had tried to make up for his mistake of going against Kasoo’s wishes, the king still struck and he was beaten up badly and left for dead at their doorstep. It took the intervention of Dr. Jonathan to save his life as he was left in a bad state. He spends a long time recuperating in the hospital before getting back to his feet. While working in the mine, he suffers an accident while operating the machines and dies as explained by Lacuna. Robert later says that they have done their investigation and found out that it was murder and not an accident. Lacuna’s anger at the statement shows that he had a hand in the murder. Judah is not only beaten up but also loses his life because of Kasoo’s poor leadership.
      Lulu, Judah’s daughter is held at the palace on Lacuna’s orders but against her wish. After conducting the commemoration ceremony for his late father, King Kutula XV, Lacuna insists that Lulu must stay behind without offering an explanation. Lacuna intends to satisfy the ancestors wish by laying with the girl and marrying her without her consent. Lulu insists that she wants to go home because she is not of age and Lacuna is old enough to be her father but Lacuna refuses. She is worried that the she is being labelled as a gold digger by others and fears that her mother is worried about her. She also says that she respects Melissa who is Lacuna’s wife and she does not want to be in her bad books. Lacuna spends a lot of money ensuring she is spoilt lavishly to convince her but Lulu is uncowed. When she gets news of her father’s death, she tells Lacuna that she wants to go home to pay her last respect to which Lacuna refuses. He even goes ahead to slap her thus inflicting further pain on Lulu. Lulu’s forced stay at the palace causes pain to her and she suffers from Lacuna’s dictatorship.
      Lastly, Tamina Zen Melo undergoes a lot of frustrations from Lacuna’s government. Her husband is beaten up and left for dead at her doorstep. When Judah loses his job, all the luxuries that she was accustomed to are take away. She mentions that her cars and government house are taken away and her coffee farm is bought by Chipande, Lacuna’s advisor, for peanuts as he has monopolized coffee growing. As a result, she has become poor and she has to fend for her family especially Lulu who still needs school fees that her mother cannot raise. She also suffers psychologically when Lulu is kept at the palace against her will and she thinks that her daughter is after the riches and she disowns her. Later her husband is murdered at the mines and this tortures her mentally, her frustration clear from how she reacts at the news almost losing reason and wanting to fight Sangoi as she goes to avenge her husband’s death. Tamina, Judah’s wife, undergoes a lot of mental torture and frustrations under Kasoo’s leadership.
      In conclusion, poor leadership results to the torture of innocent individuals especially those who are against a regime as is evident in Judah Zen Melo’s family.   
   3. The Novel.
      The pearl By John Steinbeck
      “Our lives are controlled by destiny.”
      Write a composition in support of this statement with illustrations from the novel, ‘The pearl.’
      Introduction 2marks
      Our destiny in life is shaped and controlled by forces beyond our control. What a number of characters so through in the pearl is predetermined.
      • Kino has been taught his entire life that it is wrong to try to better himself beyond the position in which God placed him. Any attempt to struggle against the power of destiny is heavily punished.
      • The death of baby Coyotito is pre-determined. However much the family tries to protect and save him, he is shot dead by the trackers.
      • The pearl itself is destined to be in the ocean. Terrible things continue to happen to Kino’s family until Kino realizes that he needs to throw the pearl to the sea. This is after be unsuccessfully tries to sell it. The Pearl buyers collude to deny him the opportunity to sell it by setting very low price for it. They also try to convince him that the big Pearl is a monstrosity. 
      • Failure by Kino to get to the Pearl buyers or best price is beyond his control. He becomes a target of thieves. The thieves attack him in quick succession and when he kills one of them they burn down his house and destroy this canoe.
        The stinging of baby Coyotito by the scorpion is predetermined. The scorpion stings Coyotito irrespective of Kino’s attempt to kill it. The sting is preceded by the evil music of the enemy. Juana muttered some magical words but they did not help Kino moved slowly towards the scorpion but still missed it and it strikes Coyotito.
        Conclusions 2mks
        (any appropriate conclusion summarizing the points)
        Mark                any 4 well developed points@3:3;3;3
        Introduction    2 mks
        Conclusion     2mks
        Language       4mks
        Total              20 marks