i) Award marks depending on the kind of sentence given by the candidate to bring the meaning.
–minute: Period of time/small
-Row :Propel a boat /line of objects e.g seats/line of entries.
-Dove –type of bird /past tense of dive.
marto answered the question on June 11, 2019 at 12:27
- Read the passage below and fill in each blank space with an appropriate word.(Solved)
Read the passage below and fill in each blank space with an appropriate word.
The much anticipated parliamentary report(1)_____________the September 21 Westgate mall(2)___________in Nairobi appears to have opted for the middle ground in its attempt to make sense of one of the Kenya’s (3)______________terror attacks.
(4)____________hard questions have been (5)______________in the aftermath of the four day(6)__________(7)______________,there have been few convincing answers.
Some legislators (8)______________include the failure(9)________________act on intelligence, endemic corruption and the looting of business premises by(10)________________soldiers.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Witi Ihimaera. The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera places very heavy responsibility on the character of Kahu. Drawing your illustrations from The Whale Rider, do you disagree...(Solved)
Witi Ihimaera. The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera places very heavy responsibility on the character of Kahu. Drawing your illustrations from The Whale Rider, do you disagree with this statement
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Give the meaning of the following idiom as used in this sentence.
(i) She looks a bit under the weather(Solved)
Give the meaning of the following idiom as used in this sentence.
(i) She looks a bit under the weather
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the correct preposition.(Solved)
Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the correct preposition.
(i) The traveler was robbed ………….all his money.
(ii) Early rising is beneficial ……..health.
(iii) It was thoughtful …….. her to apologize
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Replace the underlined word in each of the sentences below with an appropriate phrasal verb(Solved)
Replace the underlined word in each of the sentences below with an appropriate phrasal verb.
i) The messengers began their journey at dawn.
(ii) The film studio is being accused of exploiting the singer’s death.
(iii) She ensured that everybody got something to eat and drink.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences as instructed without changing the meaning.(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences as instructed without changing the meaning.
i) I saw the giraffe when I was walking to school. (Rewrite using the present participle)
(ii) “Run to church,” Lukoko told Njuru, “and ask the priest to come now.”
(Rewrite in reported speech)
(iii) You need to get up early tomorrow, ……………………………….(supply a question tag)
(iv) The teacher asked Musyoki and ………….to do it. (Me, I)
(Choose the correct pronoun to fill in the blank)
(v) Goods once sold will not be returned under any circumstances.
Begin: Under …
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow. A renowned linguist, Joshua Fishman...(Solved)
Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
A renowned linguist, Joshua Fishman, identifies one of the signals of a dying language as its loss of ‘intergenerational’ use. ‘Intergenerational’ use means that there are old people, middle-aged people and young people using it. In other words, the language is not only alive among the older generation.
It is possible to argue that there is evidence that many Kenyan indigenous languages have begun their walk towards death. Many parents in urban areas speak to their children in English or Kiswahili at home. The unfortunate thing in urban areas is that, while a child who does not learn English or Kiswahili at home will learn it well enough at school, the only social institution that would pay attention to the acquisition of the indigenous language is the home. Increased social mobility, urbanization, inter-ethnic marriages and formal education have hampered the transmission of indigenous languages to the next generation. Of these factors, urbanization is seen to have contributed to the weakening of indigenous languages in various ways.
To begin with, in urban areas and cosmopolitan areas, the natural environment for the acquisition, development and transmission of indigenous language is absent. Relatives, particularly grandparents whose only language is the indigenous language, are not part of the urban social set-up. The growing child, therefore, finds that English and Kiswahili are sufficient communication tools. This reduces the motivation to learn and use the indigenous language. Thus, many of the children growing up in urban settings lack basic oral skills in their parents’ indigenous languages. If this is not checked, these young people will have no indigenous language to pass onto the next generation, and this will keep reducing the number of speakers of those particular languages.
Another aspect of urban life that affects language transmission in Kenya is that most mothers are career women. They rely on domestic helps to bring up their children. These domestic helps, in most cases, speak a different indigenous language from that of the employers. In nearly all such situations, the parents instruct the domestic help to speak to their children either in Kiswahili or in English.
Inter-ethnic marriages are more common in urban areas than in the rural areas. Within the patriarchal family structure in Kenya, it is expected that the wife in such a marriage will learn her husband’s language and then pass it on to the children. However, the environment in urban area does not enable the wife to learn her husband’s language. In many of such cases, the wife chooses to address the children in Kiswahili or English and leaves the husband, in the limited time he has with the children to pass on his language. It is thus, understandable if such children, who also spend most of their playtime with children from other language groups, develop better skills in a common language such as Kiswahili or English.
Another characteristic of the urban areas is that the desire to communicate across language groups surpasses the wish to express oneself in the indigenous language. The language of choice in social gatherings is therefore a common language such as Kiswahili. Insistence on using indigenous languages in such social gatherings is viewed as arrogance.
It is important to note that a lot of development in Kenya takes place in the urban areas and, therefore, the urban population is associated with prestige and is viewed as the pacesetter in many aspects of life. Thus, what happens in urban centres soon spreads to rural areas, including the use of a common language for communication.
Urbanization and westernization have also led to the disintegration of the traditional social structures within which the various genres in indigenous languages were used. Ceremonies in which people expressed themselves in song, dance, poetry and speeches in their indigenous languages have been largely replaced by modern ceremonies conducted either in Kiswahili, in English, or in both Kiswahili and English. This reduces the environments in which indigenous languages are used and makes it difficult for the young generation in the urban areas to develop language skills in these languages.
History shows that urbanization is here to stay. It is, therefore, important for societies to find ways of keeping the indigenous languages alive.
a) Drawing your illustration from the first paragraph, identify one signal of a dying language.
b) What evidence does the writer give to prove that Kenyan indigenous are dying out.
c) State the factors that have hindered the transmission of indigenous languages to the next generation.
d) Identify and explain the imagery in the second paragraph
e) In what ways does the urban social set-up interfere with the natural environment for the acquisition of the indigenous language.
f) What role do domestic helps play in language transmission?
g) In note form outline the writer’s argument on how urbanization has contributed to the weakening of indigenous languages.
h) Explain the meaning of the following expression as used in the passage.
checked
patriarchal family structure
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the following conversation between Paul and the principal and then answer the question that
follow.(Solved)
Read the following conversation between Paul and the principal and then answer the question that
follow.
Principal: Welcome Paul, please have a seat.
Paul: (After sitting down) Sir, why did you call me?
Principal: I would like us to have a chat about ………..
Paul: I have not done anything wrong; you can even ask Elijah, the class prefect I was with him the
whole day yesterday.
Principal: Actually the reason why I called you is because……
Paul Speaker louder, I can’t hear you.
Principal: (In a louder voice). The reason why I sent for you is because I have just received news
from …………….
Paul: (shouting!) David! I knew that fool could not be trusted with a secret. Okay, it’s true that
Elijah and I sneaked out of school yesterday but we were hungry, really hungry. All we did was buy a loaf of bread and then sneaked back to school.
Principal: Paul, I wish you could listen to me. The reason I called you here is because I have received
news that you have won an award in the creating writing contest that you entered last year. I have a cheque here for you; however, you have raised a matter that I would like to attend to without further delay. Please go and call Elijah. By the time you get back I will have decided on the best punishment for you two.
Focus on English book 4.
i) How does Paul demonstrate lack of etiquette in his speech.
ii) What should Paul do to improve his listening skills
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and fill in each blank space with the most appropriate word.
(Solved)
Read the passage below and fill in each blank space with the most appropriate word.
As a student who does well in Science and Maths, I always wonder why English is taught as a _______________ (1) subject in high school. We were taught spelling and punctuation from Primary school. But this fizzles out once we ______________ (2) to high school. Now, I can understand the teaching of English if it involved things such as ________________ (3) to write a thesis paper or how to write a proposal. But we are taught to analyse _____________(4) and what they mean to us. We are made to ____________ (5) lengthy essays on a weekly basis explaining things such as “How women have played a significant role in the development of their society,” and we have to include examples and quotes from different texts. The _________________ (6) work is then marked according to how well they _______________ (7) and are generally not marked _________________ (8) because of things such as ____________(9) and punctuation. I believe that what we learn in primary school should be a ________________ (10) of what to expect in secondary school.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- George does not smoke. He does not drink. (Join the sentences using: Neither……nor…..)(Solved)
George does not smoke. He does not drink. (Join the sentences using: Neither……nor…..)
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Punctuate the following sentence. How many times have I warned you not to dirty your clothes mother asked my little brother...(Solved)
punctuate the following sentence.
How many times have I warned you not to dirty your clothes mother asked my little brother.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Use the appropriate pronoun to fill the blank spaces. Do not use the pronoun 'you'(Solved)
Use the appropriate pronoun to fill the blank spaces. Do not use the pronoun 'you'
i) Peter and ………… won our matches.
ii) I wish I were …………
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following sentences filling the blank spaces with the correct complex preposition(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences filling the blank spaces with the correct complex preposition.
i) People need to learn basic first aid so that …………..an accidentally they can be of assistance.
ii) …………….. her disability, she runs a very successful business enterprise.
iii) Most companies had to lay off workers……….. the poor economic situation.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Replace the underlined word (s) with a suitable phrasal verb formed using the words in brackets(Solved)
Replace the underlined word (s) with a suitable phrasal verb formed using the words in brackets
i) The dog attacked the stranger the moment the gate was opened. (go)
ii) The patient recovered from his injuries sooner than we expected. (get)
iii) Linet was deceived by the smartly dressed man. (take)
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. We often fail to recognize opportunities. Indeed, even when we see an opportunity....(Solved)
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
We often fail to recognize opportunities. Indeed, even when we see an opportunity we often manage it poorly. In the end, it does not give us the desired results. Tragically, opportunities do not come by every day. This is regardless that the focus is on business, or on any other workplace or on life generally.
Great opportunities are few and far between. When they finally arrive, they are likely to take the least expected character. This makes them difficult to recognize. We may only recognize them when they have already passed us by. Of course all of us have missed one opportunity or the other. However, a keen mind will help you to minimize missed chances.
It helps to be curious. This calls for deep insightful questions about the situations and environments that you find yourself in. when you seek to know new things you are more likely to generate new ideas that will lead to hidden opportunities. Curiously keeps your mind exercised and appropriately stretched.
Like a well-exercised muscle, your mind legs better and more effective when exercised this way. An exercised mind generates new ideas. It brings better insights and helps you to grab opportunities. A generous mind set is likely to see new opportunities. Such a mindset willing to give opportunities to others. It particulary recognizes opportunities that may be more useful to others than to the person seeing them. When you approach life this way, you are likely to see opportunities for yourself, too.
The greatest problems we encounter will most likely bring with them our lifetime opportunities. A difficult boss or a difficult business market may be what we need to open your eyes to that great opportunity and even personal potential.
It therefore pays to preserve. It is the persistence that will open up that opportunity. Quiting closes the door. A persistent mind-set hangs on long enough to see what lies at the end, you must have a confident mind-set.
There is always a light side to most circumstances. A mind-set that sees opportunities will appreciate the light side of things. It may from time to time even tends towards the “playful” and will be willing to break a few rules.
Sometimes things might not be as bad as they look. It might be when you are laughing at yourself that you see a whole new dimension of the circumstances. A bit of fun in difficult circumstances may be the energy needed to move on. Some of our worst moments might as well be our most hilarious ones in retrospect. That is why a mind-set with hindsight identifies opportunities faster because it is able to discern parallels between the present and the past. It seems the similarity of current circumstances and the likely outcomes of different courses of action. You develop hindsight by taking time to reflect on the past and particularly on the worst circumstances.
Finally, is the role of a grateful spirit. Gratitude shines a light on opportunities. When you are thankful for previous opportunities that have put you where you now are, you are more likely to see where else you should be. But when you are grumpy, all opportunities that you should see will blurred by dumbness of your grumpiness. Opportunities are managed by your mind-set and rarely by the many qualifications you my hold.
Adapted from the Daily Nation 19th may 2015
a) Referring to the first paragraph, what is tragic about opportunities?
b) Why is it difficult to recognize opportunities?
c) Identify and explain the style used in paragraph 4 of this passage.
d) In not more than 55 words, write a summary on the ways in which a persistent minds-set open up opportunities.
e) Explain the assertion that “sometimes things might not be as bad as they look.
f) i) Rewrite the following sentence beginning:
‘when exercised this way….’
Like a well-exercised muscle, your mind gets better and more effective when exercised this way.
ii)of course all of us have a missed one opportunity or other. Add a question tag
g) Explain the meaning of the following expressions As used in the passage.
i) Retrospect
ii) Grumpy
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Study the following conservation then answer the questions that follow. Michael: Hey, you! What is it?...(Solved)
Study the following conservation then answer the questions that follow.
Michael: Hey, you! What is it?
Paul : Two fifteen. Can’t you buy your own watch?
Michael: Ah! Don’t ask me funny questions. Is there a bus stop here?
Paul : Yeah that way, towards the market. You don’t know where to board a bus? Some people are
clueless?
Michael: Don’t you see I’m a stranger? Where did you say the bus stop is? Near which market?
Paul : Ah! I told you that way! Don’t you have ears? The bus stop is that way, towards the market!
Michael: Don’t shout at me! Don’t shout! I don’t know what’s wrong with some people. I just don’t
know!
Paul: Go away. I don’t know what’s wrong with you either.
i) What is the setting of this conservation?
ii) Identify instances of breach etiquette committed by the two.
iii) What should Paul have done in order to improve on his giving direction?
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. There are words like freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say...(Solved)
Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow.
There are words like freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say
On my heartstrings freedom sings
All day everyday
There are words like liberty
That almost makes me cry
If you had known what I know
You would know why.
(Langston Hughes)
i) Describe the rhyme scheme of the poem.
ii) How would you perform line 6 of the poem.
iii) Give two pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
iv) Why do you think the words freedom and liberty are in italics.
v) Provide homophones for the following words used in the poem.
a) There
b) Sweet
c) Know
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the passage below and fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate word.(Solved)
Read the passage below and fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate word.
Some students know so (1)________ that they are unable to understand and do the tasks that the examiner requires of them. This is also, (2) ________ often the result of lack of proper preparation on their part (3) _______ the teacher’s (4) _______to teach them. Rarely is this (5) ____ due to lack of teaching and access to books. Another aspect is the unfortunate desire (6) _____ many student’s part to try to impress. The desire often leads to (7) ______ use of vocabulary that distorts communication completely. Students are advised to use vocabulary that they are (9) ______ with and understand their meaning if not, the examiner is more likely to find out the fault with your diction than be impressed (10) ________ it.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
County Public Service Boards are finding themselves caught between a rock an d a hard place, owing to competing personal and political interests.
Many boards are enmeshed in an intricate web of personal interests and political arm-twisting by Governors, Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) and any other county politicians, even as they are required to observe the law.
These politicians are mainly interested in controlling the organization, staffing and functioning of workers at the county level-an exclusive function of the county boards.
“The issue has been problematic. Some boards are just hiring without following the human resource procedures and paying little attention to the wage bill problem, which is undermining economic development, “said Public Service Commission Chairperson Margaret Kobia.
Each of the 47 countries has public service board whose members are appointed by governors, with the approval of country assemblies. Clause 58 of The County Governments Act, 2012, provides that the membership of the board is comprised of a chairperson, at least three, and no more than five, other members and a certified public secretary who is the secretary to the board.
The boards according to clause 59 of the Act, are required to establish, fill and abolish offices in the county public service, advise the county government on human resource management and development, and make recommendations to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission on the remuneration, pensions and gratuities for county public service employees.
In addition, the boards, like the national government equivalent –public service commission-have powers to discipline county public servants.
While the Act is clear on their role on recruitment of county staff, Sunday Nation established that some boards have been reduced to rubberstamps for governors and county executives, who Handpick staff.
In such cases ,the governors merely forward the names of their appointees to the boards to regularize and include them in the county government payroll, something Prof. Kobia said should never happen in a professionally run board.
(a) Why are county public service boards finding themselves in difficulties according to the first paragraph.
(b) What does the writer mean by the expression ‘between rock and a hard place’
(c) According to clause 59 of the County Government Act 2012, make notes on the duties of the county Public Service Boards.
(d) In what ways are the rules of recruitment of county staff flouted?
)
(e) The issue has been problematic. (Rewrite adding a question tag)
(f) What is the writers’s attitude towards the County Public Service Board?
(g) Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as used in the passage
i) Enmeshed
(ii) Arm-twisting
(iii) Procedures
(iv) Handpick
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)
- Rewrite the following passage changing all gender specific nouns to neutral ones.(Solved)
Rewrite the following passage changing all gender specific nouns to neutral ones.
Yesterday I took a taxi to the interview venue. On reaching the gate, I found a watchman who directed me to the room where the panel was sitting .I found several young men and women waiting to go in. A beautiful lady came and called me. In the interview room, I found the chairman and other members of the panel seated. They were all friendly except one man who kept asking me very difficult questions.
Date posted: June 11, 2019. Answers (1)