ATTANZIL ISLAMIC MODEL COLLEGE (AIM-C)
3RD TERM EXAMINATION, 2023/2024 SESSION
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SS 1
SECTION A
Answer one question only from this section. All questions carry equal marks. Your answershould not be less than
450 words.
1. There is a gang of miscreants living close to your house who constitute a menace to the society. Write a letter to
the Commissioner of Police in your country giving their identity, their mode of operation and how they can be
nabbed.
2. Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on the need to patronise home-made goods in your
country.
3. You are one of the speakers in a debate on the topic: 'Modern day youths are less diligent than their
predecessors.' Write your speech for or against the topic.
4. Write a letter to a close friend of yours intimating him of the career you have chosen, why you have chosen the
career and what you need to do to achieve your goal
5. Narrate to your friends an experience you had or heard about which proves the saying: 'So it pays to heed the
advice of elders.'
SECTION B: COMPREHENSION
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
One of basic language skills is reading. In any literate society, very essential reading is an aspect effective of
communication in daily activities. Reading has been many things to many people. To some people, it is like looking
at printed words while most students see it as tedious task that has to be performed in order to pass a particular
examination. Reading, like any other term, has been described in several ways, such as: 'Reading is an intellectual
activity directed towards the e extraction of information from a written piece." One of the causes of mass failure in
various examinations among candidates is their inability to imbibe the good reading culture. With poor reading
habit, learners cannot comprehend the intention of the writer. The need to cultivate a very good reading culture so
as to be well informed and ofcourse to pass examinations cannot be over-emphasised.
One of the ways of improving the reading culture in our society is through the provision of adequate and relevant
textbooks for schools. Textbooks are reservoirs of knowledge. They provide readers an opportunity of interacting
with the best of brains living and dead. Facts in the textbooks are researched into and so almost invariably provide
scholars with an almost in fallible source of knowledge. They are indispensable tools to reading, so they should be
readily available to both the teacher and the taught.
Teachers must be well equipped in their chosen profession by consulting various textbooks relating to their
disciplines. Moreover, they should live abreast of time in their noble profession by organising and attending
workshops and seminars aimed at educating and refreshing them. In this way they will be purged of outdated or
obsolete methods and facts and adorned with modem methods and current facts.
The school environment has to be made inviting if learners are to be encouraged to imbibe the reading culture.
The structures in the school must be attractive and well ventilated. They should be adequately furnished and
provided with conveniences, The provision of a good and functional library should be a matter of priority.
Questions
(a) How do students perceive reading?
(b) What is the aim of reading?
(c) Why, according to the writer, do candidates perform poorly in examinations?
(d) How can the culture of reading be improved in the society?
(e) What, according to the writer, should be done to attract learners to read?
(f) 'Textbooks are reservoirs of knowledge'
(i) What figure of speech is used in this expression? (ii) What does it mean?
(g) Facts in the textbooks ...'
(i) 'What grammatical name is given to the above expression as 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 can replace it as it is
used in the passage.
(i) tedious (ii) extraction (iii) comprehend (iv) infallible (v) taught (vi) inviting
SECTION C: SUMMARY
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
A lot of students have an erroneous notion of the learning process. They think it is a passive one. Their perception
of it goes thus: You wait till the teacher comes in and starts teaching. He may tell you what the topic is before he
starts or he may expect you to guess it as he goes along. Anyway, you listen to him and take notes ifhe writes them
on the board and tells you to copy them. When the lesson is over, you close your book and leave it closed till the
next lesson. Frantically at the end of the term or year you learn by heart those incomprehensible notes and pour
them out during the examination. Little or no learning takes place.
There are, however, number of methods a student can employ to make learning more effective. First, it is a useful
idea to get to know in advance what topics are planned for the term, for the week and eventually for the lesson.
One can do some reading on the topics before hand. Even if the topic seems somewhat confusing the student will
have an idea of where his difficulties are. A first quick skimming will give an idea of the general direction of the
writer's thoughts. Later, a more careful reading will give more detailed infomation.
During the lesson, the student must listen with rapt attention and be ready to ask questions if he does not
understand. It is a good practice to try to pick out the important points as the lesson proceeds. These points may
be written in a notebook. If the teacher does not give notes then at least there is something written down as a
reminder of what has been said. If the teacher gives notes to be copied, the student's own notes may be compared
with the teacher's so as to discover how well the student has understood the topic taught. As soon as possible
after the lesson, re-read the notes so as to correct any errors made when writing at speed.Then try and recall the
main points of the lesson. Another useful idea is to discuss the main points of the lesson with friends as this wiIl
help the student to better understand the points. This will also give him a clear picture ofwhat the lesson is all
about.
As the weeks go by, the notes and textbook should be re-read at intervals. In this way the he will be able to build
up an overall picture of what has been taught so far. This will help him in understanding better where all the parts
of the subject fit and will make fuiure lessons more comprehensible.
In short, effective studying means repeated movement backwards and forwards over the area of study.
(a) In one sentence, state what a student should do before the lesson
(b) In three sentences, state what a student should do during the lesson
(c) In two sentences, state what a student should do after the lesson
