- EXTRACT
GUEST :( seeing and shrieking): Good God! Jussup!
Everyone leaps up in alarm. The women rush to the door. GRUSHA, still on her knees, turns around...(Solved)
EXTRACT
GUEST :( seeing and shrieking): Good God! Jussup!
Everyone leaps up in alarm. The women rush to the door. GRUSHA, still on her knees, turns around and stares at the man.
PEASANT: A funeral supper! You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you? Get out before I throw you out! (As the guests stampede from the house, gloomily to (GRUSHA ;) I’ve upset the apple cart, huh? (Receiving no answer, he turns round and takes a cake from the pan which his mother is holding.)
SINGER: O confusion! The wife discovers she has a husband. By day there’s the child, by night there’s the husband. The lover is on his way both day and night. Husband and wife look at each other. The bedroom is small. Near the bed the PEASANT is sitting in a high wooden bathtub, naked, the
MOTHERN-LAW: is pouring water from a pitcher. Opposite
GRUSHA: Cowers with MICHAEL, who is playing at mending straw mats.
PEASANT: (to his mother): That’s her work, not yours. Where’s she hiding out now?
MOTHER-IN-LAW: (calling): Grusha! T--he peasant wants you
GRUSHA (to MICHAEL): There are still two holes to mend.
PEASANT (When GRUSHA approaches): scrub my back!
GRUSHA: Can’t the peasant do it himself?
PEASANT: “Can’t the peasant do himself?” Get the brush! To hell with you! Are you the wife here? Or are
you a visitor? (To the MOTHER-IN-LAW:) It’s too cold!
MOTHER-IN-LAW: I’ll run for hot water.
GRUSHA: Let me go.
PEASANT: You stay here. (The MOTHER-IN-LAW exits.) Rub harder. And no shirking.
GRUSHA stops scrubbing him, starts back. Enter the MOTHER IN-LAW.)
PEASANT: A nice thing you’ve saddled me with! A simpleton for a wife!
Questions:
a) A funeral supper? You’d enjoy that, would you? Get out before I throw you out! Briefly explain the circumstances that have lead to this utterance.
b) Who and where is the lover mentioned in this extract?
c) Why is the bedroom said to be small?
d) Describe the peasant and Grusha’s character in the extract
e) Make notes on how Grusha comes by the child mentioned in the extract.
f) Comment on the effectiveness of the following diction in context.
I’ve upset the apple cart, huh?
‘A nice thing you’ve saddled me with’
g) What conclusions can you draw about the society portrayed in this extract?
h) ‘Where’s she hiding out now? Asked the peasant. Rewrite in reported speech.
i) Identify the mood at the beginning of this excerpt.
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- Re-write correcting the part of the student in the conversation to make it an acceptable interaction
between a teacher and a student(Solved)
Re-write correcting the part of the student in the conversation to make it an acceptable interaction
between a teacher and a student
Student : Where is Mr. Ketu?
Teacher : I am sorry, he is not in, how can I help you?
Student : No, you can’t. I want Mr. Maina (shouting).
Teacher : It is unfortunate that you are turning out to be rude. Please leave the staffroom.
Student : But am not rude, it is urgent!
Teacher : If I can’t assist you, kindly leave the staffroom.
Student : (shouting out) It is okey
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- During one of the English group discussions you realized that most members did not benefit from it.
(Solved)
During one of the English group discussions you realized that most members did not benefit from it.
Explain three ways in which you can create orderliness in a discussion so as to benefit all the group
members.
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- Doubtlessly, many of us consider ourselves patriots. And we have evidence to prove it; we cheer Hararnbee Stars hoarse when they are playing international matches....(Solved)
Doubtlessly, many of us consider ourselves patriots. And we have evidence to prove it; we cheer Hararnbee Stars hoarse when they are playing international matches. What’s more, when our athletes are competing in foreign capitals, we root for them with all enthusiasm we can muster. Actually, some of us have been observed to heave and pant in rhythm with our fellow Kenyan competitors as we watch them on television, Wonderful and noble though it is to identify with, and celebrate the exploits of our country men and women, we need to do a lot more to earn the label ‘patriot’.
A reliable yardstick where patriotism is concerned is our taste in various things. Take music for example. Most of us like listening to it as it is pleasant to the ear and soothing to the heart. The question is, what music do you predominantly listen to? Some wouldn’t be seen dead listening to local music. To them, it is ‘uninspiring’ and ‘primitive’. They prefer foreign lyrics, and drug abuse. The moral damage inflicted upon the impressionable minds of our youth by such music is immense.
There are several reasons why we should cultivate a liking for local music. To begin with, our artist are now producing music that can hold its own anywhere. Most of them pass information with positive values such as obedience, respect and the importance of avoiding HIV infection. Secondly, when we buy local music, we help to create employment in the music and tourism industries. Besides, we promote talent and enhance the local languages in which some of the music is composed.
Another area in which some have turned their backs on Kenya is education. After fourth form, there are those who opt to study abroad even though the very courses they want to do there are available locally. They either mistakenly believe that Kenyan education is substandard or they are simply lured by the mirage of better prospects abroad.
There are obvious advantages of studying locally. In terms of cost, it is much cheaper here. Needless to say, you are spared the added cost of air tickets and the hustle of obtaining travel documents. Your money remains here and boosts our economy; more lecturers, non academic staff and even suppliers find employment. Moreover, you remain close to your family and friends and thus avoid the nasty culture shock experienced by those who go abroad.
Supposing somebody offered to sponsor you for a sight-seeing tour to place of your choice. Which country would you choose? Chances are that it wouldn’t be Kenya, right? Yet, the reality is that most of us know very little of this gem of a country whose natural endowments beckon so many from so far. We are ignorant about the world’s finest safaris, commanding waterfalls, spectacular lakes, in parallel array of big game and varied cultural activities the induce adrenchin rush. Such scenic splendor, or heritage, left to be savored almost exclusively by foreign tourist! Hasn’t our government heavily subsidized domestic tourism? Why then should some Kenyans save up to go to Seychelles or Hawaii before they have tasted their own mother’s appetizing dish?
If we were true patriots, we would fully familiarize ourselves with our local attractions before going to foreign destinations. Apart from the guaranteed pleasure we would derive from such local adventures, we would, more importantly, be building the Kenyan economy in various ways. Tourism is directly linked to the hotel, entertainment, transport, trade and agriculture industries.
Lastly, let us desist from talking ill of our country. True, there may be many things that have gone wrong in Kenya but let us try to look for a positive speck even in the muck. Lets criticize constructively for the betterment of our nation. We only demean ourselves when we strip our motherland naked for all and sundry to ridicule.
Most of us feel the itch of patriotism. Let us now scratch that itch by promoting what is truly uniquely Kenyan. Our choices in the past may have made the present bleak, but our future as Kenyans does not have to be bleak.
Answer the following questions
a. Why does the author mention Harambee Stars in paragraph one?
b. Rewrite the last line of paragraph one to start with: Though
c. What is the position of the author on foreign music?
d. In note form summarize the reasons we should cultivate a liking for local music.
e. What view of local education do those who study abroad have?
f. Why would it be advantageous to study locally. Give any two reasons.
g. Explain the irony in paragraph six.
h. What is the author’s partying shot on patriotism’?
i. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as used in the passage.
I. Yardstick
II. Own mother’s appetizing dish
III. Muck
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- Construct two sentences for each word given below to convey the two meanings in the words(Solved)
Construct two sentences for each word given below to convey the two meanings in the words
i) Dove
ii) Wind
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- (Solved)
Read the items below and answer the questions that follow
i) Hurry hurry has no blessings.
ii) He who laughs last laughs loudest.
1) Name the category to which the items belong.
2) Identify and illustrate two aspects of sound used in each of the items above
3) Give two characteristics of the above genre
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- Identify the word with a different sound(Solved)
Identify the word with a different sound
i) excited.............packet...........laughed
ii) leisure...............measure...........pressure
iii) echoes.............arch.............monarchy
iv) leaf..........dough.................rough
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- The rains presently pounding most parts (1) _______________________ Kenya are heavy. (Solved)
Read the passage below and fill in each blank space with an appropriate word
The rains presently pounding most parts (1) _______________________ Kenya are heavy. There has
(2) ___________________________ a significant number of fatalities, thousands of people displaced
(3) _____________________ floods, property destroyed and crops washed (4) ___________________.
The meteorological department is warning that the rains will not let (5) __________________ soon,
while the Kenya Red Cross has issued a detailed (6) ___________________ on the damage. It is
ironical that Kenyans spend (7) ________________________of the year lamenting about the drought
(8) _____________________ famine, then when the rains come, (9) _________________ subject
thousands of families to (10) _______________________ misery.
Date posted: October 7, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fill in the blank spaces with the correct prepositions.
(i) The final match is ___________________20th July 2013.(Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces with the correct prepositions.
(i) The final match is ___________________20th July 2013.
(ii) She is threatening to file a petition___________________ divorce.
(iii) They thanked him for his indulgence_________________ letting them go down.
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- (i) The quieter of the three babies fell asleep before the others(Solved)
Correct errors in the following sentences.
(i) The quieter of the three babies fell asleep before the others
(ii) The teacher asked the student to raise up his hand in class
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- (i)David was shaken when the counselor told him that his problem was______________(solve)(Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces using the correct form of the word in brackets
(i)David was shaken when the counselor told him that his problem was______________(solve)
(ii) The court ordered the firm to pay the cost of the legal ___________ (proceed)
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- (i) As the soldiers advanced, we retreated(Solved)
Replace the underlined words in the following sentences with the correct phrasal verbs.
(i) As the soldiers advanced, we retreated
(ii) The child is growing bigger. You will have to make his clothes wider
(iii) He was selected to represent the students during the last Board Meeting
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- (i) The teachers are being interviewed by the director.(Rewrite using ‘interviewing)(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each.
(i) The teachers are being interviewed by the director.(Rewrite using ‘interviewing)
(ii) Paul said that he had spoken to his brother the previous week.(Rewrite to end with ‘last week)
(iii) Fishing near the South Coast is a holiday treat. (Underline the noun that has been used as an adjective)
(iv) That behaviour is impossible to correct.(Replace the underlined word with one word)
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- Along time ago there was old man whose name was Ramogi. This old man had two sons. These two sons called Labon’go and Gipir had...(Solved)
Along time ago there was old man whose name was Ramogi. This old man had two sons. These two sons called Labon’go and Gipir had wives. Labon’go was the elder of these two. When Ramogi died, Labon’go became the chief of the homestead. He was to look after his father’s property, including the family’s sacred spear.
There was a lot of forest land and elephants were in plenty. The elephants used to come and destroy crops. One day, when Labon’go was out hunting, an elephant came near the homestead and destroyed some of the crops. Gipir, who was still at home, was so furious that he quickly, without thinking, picked up the family spear and threw it at the elephant. The spear stuck into the elephant’s side and the elephantescape. The elephant ran with the spear until it reached the forest. When Labon’go came back from hunting ,his wife told him about the loss of his spear. She explained to him how an elephant had damaged the crops and how Gipir had bravely driven it away losing the sacred spear in the process. On hearing this Labong’o angrily went straight to his brother’s house and and demanded the spear , saying, Gipir, see that you return the family sacred spear and make sure it is that particular one that you threw at the elephant”Gipir tried to appease his brother by making beautiful spear but Labon’go refused to accept them.
One day Gipir told his wife, “ Please prepare for me a lot of food. I have a long journey to make.” The wife prepared for him a lot of food and Labon’go set out. After a long, dangerous journey, in which his life was threatened by wild animals and huge poisonous snakes, he reached a forest called gondliech, the home of elephants. In the forest he met an old woman. This old woman asked him, “What have you come to do here in the forest?”.Gipir told her what had happened. He told her how he had pierced an elephant with the sacred family spear, and that the elephant had run with it into the forest.
The woman became angry and said “so it is you who is killing my elephants?” Gipir replied politely and said that all the he wanted was the sacred spear of the family , if she could kindly help him to find it. The old woman then showed him where she kept spears. He searched among them and found the spear that Labon’go wanted. The old woman then gaveGipirsome beads to take to his wife.
When Gipir reached home he immediately took the spear to Labon’go. Labon’go was very happy and he thanked him.
Next morning Gipir spread out the beads he had been given by the old woman, in preparation for his wife to string them. Everyone in the homestead came out to see the beautiful beads .Labon’go’s child was playing where the beads were being strung. Without being noticed, he took one and swallowed it. Gipir knew that his time for revenge had come. until the child excreted. The excrement was searched thoroughly, but no bead was found . This action was repeated several days of trying and failing. Labon’go asked Gipir to cut the child open and take his bead. Gipir realized that this was a trap and he refused. He knew that if he killed the child and took out the bead Labon’go would certainly say that he wanted Gipir’s child.
Meanwhile Labon’go grew tied of the continual reminder from Gipir that he wanted his bead back, just as the demand for the sacred spear had tired Gipir.
When Labon’go killed and cut up the child, the bead was found hidden in the linings of the stomach. The child was buried. When this happened Gipir was forced to shift from his homestead to another land.
Labon’go also moved and they never saw one another again.
“I hope I grew and attain the height of the tree at my uncle’s place.
(a) How did Gipir lose the sacred spear?
(b) Do you think Labon’go’s demands were justified? Give a reason to support your response
(c) What does the chief’s demand reveal about his character?
(d) With an illustration for each, describe any two character traits of Gipir.
(e) What role does the old woman play in this story?
(f) Identify and explain any two features of style used in this narrative
(g) What is the moral lesson of this story?
(h) There was a lot of forest land and elephants were plenty
(Begin: Not only..............................)
Date posted: October 3, 2019. Answers (1)
- “ Let them show us that my daughter is not going to starve in that wasteland they call a home”.(Solved)
“ Let them show us that my daughter is not going to starve in that wasteland they call a home”. They trooped back into the hut and the negotiation began in earnest. “ Brothers, people of Sakwa, we are pleased to welcome you to Yimbo. It is customary because of the gooddak between us, for you to marry our daughters and we yours. We are therefore more than neighbours , we have great wat between us because of the intermingling of blood though this has not occurred between our two lines so there is no danger of brother marrying sister- a great taboo.
“Since you” are our brothers, we will not make things difficult for you. Here , he stopped to take a
sip of kong’o and you could have heard the ants talk, so great was silence.
However, nobody was fooled by his sweet words.
He continued enjoying immensely the tension he was creating “Our daughter ,
AdoyoObanda is a great beauty whose assets have been praised and sung by many a nyatiti- singer
from here to chumbuKombit, from Sakwa to LokaNam. She is as fleet as a gazelle and her flying feet
have been incorporated into the sayings of our village so that mothers sending their daughters on
errands tell them to run like Adoyo of the flying feet. She has been taught all the requirements of
chik. She is a very apt pupil, and will therefore not bring shame and ruin to her husband by improper
conduct.
Her antecedents are peerless for she can trace her bloodline clear to Ramogi our great father
and her blood is pure for we have always taken care to marry correctly. She is also the eldest
daughter of our great chief, a man whose fame is known throughout the land. After careful consideration, we have therefore decided that thirty head of cattle should be the proper bride price
Was that an inaudible gasp from someone at the back? Chief OwuorKembosignalled to his uncle and
the old man spoke.
(a) Place this excerpt in its immediate context
(b) Sate the importance of this ceremony
(c) Illustrate any two themes brought out in this passage
(d) Identify and explain any one feature of style used in the passage
(e) Cite evidence of Akoko’s attributes referred to in the passage
(f) “......................................we have therefore decided that thirty heads of cattle should be the bride price.” From elsewhere in the novel , why does this become a source of conflict and with what consequences?
(g) “ Let them show us that my daughter is not going to starve in that wasteland they call home.”
Explain chief Odero Gonni’s character brought about by this statement
(h) However, nobody was fooled by his sweet word. (Change into active voice.)
Date posted: October 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fiction originally meant anything made up or shaped. As we understand the world now, it refers toprose stories, short or long-a meaning it has retained...(Solved)
Fiction originally meant anything made up or shaped. As we understand the world now, it refers to
prose stories, short or long-a meaning it has retained its first recorded use in this sense.
Fiction is distinguished from the works it imitates such as historical accounts, reports,biographies,
autobiographies , letters, personal memoirs and meditations. While fiction often resembles these
forms, it has a separate identity because it originates not in historical facts but in the imaginative and creative of powers the author. Writers of fiction may include historically accurate details, but their primary goal is to tell a story and say something significant about life.
The essence of fiction, as opposed to drama, is narration, the recounting or telling of a sequence of
events or actions. The earliest works of fiction relied almost exclusively on narration , with speeches
or dialogue being reported rather or quoted directly. Much recent fiction includes extended passages of dialogue, thereby becoming more dramatic even though narration is still the primary mode.
Fiction is rooted in ancient legends and myths. Local priests narrated stories about their gods and
heroes, as shown in some of the narratives of ancient Egypt. In the course of history, travelling story
tellers would appear in a court or village to entertain listeners with tales of adventure in faraway
countries.Although many of these were fictionalized accounts of events and people who may not
even have existed, they were largely accepted as fact or history. An especially long tale, an epic, was
recited over a period of days. To aid their memories and to impress and entertain their listeners, the
storytellers chanted their tales in poetry often accompanying themselves on a stringled instrument.
Indeed, fiction is strong because it is so real and personal. Most characters have both first and last
names; the countries and cities in which they live are modeled on real places; and their actions and
interactions are like those which readers themselves have experienced, could experience, or could
easily imagine themselves experiencing.
Along with attention to character, fiction is concerned with the place of individuals in their
environments. In the simplest sense, environment is a backdrop or setting within which characters
speak, move and act. But more broadly, environment comprises the social, economic, and political
conditions that affect the outcomes of people’s lives. Fiction is usually about the interaction among
people. Indeed, in typical work of fiction there are always many forces, both small and large , that
influence the ways in which characters meet and deal with their problems.
The first true works of fiction in Europe, however were less concerned with society or politics than
adventure. These were the lengthy Spanish and French romances of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries . In English the word novel was borrowed from French and Italian to describe these works and to distinguish them from medieval and classical romances as something that was new. Once great numbers of people could read for themselves, the paying audience for literature expanded. A writer could write a novel and receive money for it from a publisher, who could then profit from a wide sale.
Reading a novel could even be a social event , for people would reach to each other as a means of
sharing the experience. With this wider audience , authors could make a career out of writing. Fiction
had arrived as a major genre of literature.
(Adapted from Literature. An introduction of reading and writing .By Edger V Roberts and Henry
E Jacobs.Preictice Hall, Inc.)
(a) What is fiction as hinted out in the first paragraph?
(b) Why is fiction distinct from other forms of writings?
(c) Using information from the passage , what is the significance of environment to writing of fiction?
(d) In what ways had fiction writing become an economic activity?
(e) The first true works of fiction in Europe, however were less concerned with society or politics than adventure. (Rewrite adding a question tag)
(f) What is the writer’s attitude towards fiction? Give reasons from the passage to support your answer.
(g) Identify the methods the storyteller has used to make the story interesting and explain their effects.
(h) Fiction had arrived as a major genre of literature. What is the meaning of this statement?
(i) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage.
(a) Narration
(b) Backdrop
Date posted: October 2, 2019. Answers (1)
- Fill in the most suitable preposition.(Solved)
Fill in the most suitable preposition.
i. The boy went ............the classroom.
ii. She is worried....................her exams.
iii. Let me pay ..............Tom.
iv. I have been expelled .............school for my bad behavior
Date posted: September 30, 2019. Answers (1)
- Without using the words underlined, rewrite the following as questions beginning with the words in brackets.(Solved)
Without using the words underlined, rewrite the following as questions beginning with the words in brackets.
i. People handle old violins carefully. (how)
ii. I saw him yesterday. (when)
iii. Pianists sometimes play duets. (how often)
iv. Some students play everywhere in the field. (where)
Date posted: September 30, 2019. Answers (1)
- Write the correct form of the adjective given in brackets.(Solved)
Write the correct form of the adjective given in brackets.
i. The artist’s fingers were ............ than Juan’s. (sensitive)
ii. Vera used the ............. materials she could. (good)
iii. Musa ground the colours into the ................... powder. (fine)
iv. The .................... moment came when the principal asked Gifter to draw his picture. (exciting)
Date posted: September 30, 2019. Answers (1)
- Use the most appropriate form of the word in brackets to fill the blank space.(Solved)
Use the most appropriate form of the word in brackets to fill the blank space.
i. He is my .............. friend. (child)
ii. The teacher expected all of us to demonstrate .............. (kind)
iii. ...............will make you successful in life. (honest)
iv. What a provocative .................that was! (laugh)
Date posted: September 30, 2019. Answers (1)