WAEC English Language 2017 Theory — Question 6

SECTION B COMPREHENSION Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it When I was in primary school, thirty-five years ago, schools closed for the day at 1.30p.m. My two friends and I would then proceed to 'full' recreation as we either played football in hidden neighbourhoods or went downstream to swim till dusk. The reprimands and occasional spankings we got from our mothers could not deter us. Our youthful adventurous spirit would not be suppressed. We were resolute in our desire to be free of what we thought were too many chores. As far as we were concerned, that should be the preserve of the female gender. One day, we went fishing in a stream on the outskirts of the village after we had our fill of entertainment playing football. We each caught fish but were not satisfied; we wanted crabs which we could sell on our way back home to augment the meager 'money for recess' that each of us got when going off to school every day. We caught two big crabs from the first two holes we dug before going for a third. Convinced that we had dug deep enough, the eldest of us dipped his right hand into the hole that was about three-quarters filled with water, and soon reported excitedly that he had made a big catch. As he dragged it to the surface, we screamed in sudden terror. The 'big catch' was the fleshy middle part of a shimmering black snake! No one waited for the other as we scrambled for safety, leaving our catch behind. The boy splashed frantically through the water, falling over twice before reaching us on the bank of the stream. None of us ventured back, more for fear of the snake than the dusk that had 'suddenly' descended on the village. When I got home, I met Mother, my two siblings and some anxious relations at the doorstep. They were about setting out to comb the entire village since their previous search to my school, my mates' homes and the few playgrounds in the village had been futile. The concerned look on Mother's face told me I had stirred up a hornets' nest and should be prepared for the sting. My muddy legs and hands betrayed the lie I had hurriedly cooked up. I got the beating of my life, first from Mother and then Father, who came into the house and, upon being told what had happened, went straight for the thick rubber he had wound around his bicycle carrier for tying loads. (a) State two reasons why the writer and his friends always came home late. (b) Why did the boys get home late on that fateful day? (c) Why did the boys not realize that it was getting dark? (d) In what two ways was the writer unlucky on that day? (e) How does the writer's mother usually demonstrate her disapproval of his behaviour? "... I had stirred up a hornets' nest and should be prepared for the sting" (f) What figure of speech is used in this expression? What does it mean? "As he dragged it to the surface..." (g) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage? 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) deter; (ii) preserve; (iii) augment; (iv) ventured; (v) concerned