EXCERPT (BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH
(a) Place this excerpt in its immediate context.
Before – at the shop-Resian is told by her father of Oloisudori’s intention to marry her
- She refuses, shouts cries and screams and accuses her father of betrayal
- her father slaps her twice but still refuses
- she insists that she will not marry Oloisudori and must go to university
- She turns and walks to the door and leaves the shop
- walks towards Nasila River
After – Olarinkoi promises to take her to a family in Nasila to spend the night
- He organizes transport so that they leave early the following day
- Early the following day, Resian is woken up by the kind-hearted old woman who accommodated her, with hot porridge
- A pick-up hoots outside the old woman’s house
- Olarinkoi tells Resian to climb onto the back of the pick-up and they leave
(Expect two points for before and two for after)
b) Describe the incident that Olarinkoi claims to have rescued Taiyo and her sister.
- The two sisters were walking back home from the shop late in the afternoon (3 oclock). Two men appeared and blocked the road. One tried to Drag Taiyo into the bush while the other wrestled Resian. Suddenly a stranger appeared (Olarinkoi) and fought the two men thereby becoming the hero of the day.
C) Discuss a thematic concern found in the excerpt.
- Determination – Resian is determined not to be married to Oloisudori, hence decides to run away.
- Hope – “asked Resian a flicker of hope lighting her heart.”
- Education - “ who knows there could still be a chance to join Egerton university.”
(Any other relevant answer with illustration)
d) What does the author imply when he says, “ could the answer to her woes be in that river?”
- Means that Resian is thinking of ending her life by drowning in river Nasila.
e) Explain the irony in the excerpt.
- Olarinkoi claiming to take Resian to safety while in the real sense he is forcefully taking her to be his wife.
f) Explain two styles that the writer has used in the excerpt. (4 Mks)
- Dialogue- between Resian and Olerankoi- indicates the urgency of Resian’s problem and possible solution/breaks monotony of narration
- Description- river Nasila is described…cool, smooth, silent swirled quietly – to symbolize the peace that can be found by the river side
- Historical allusion – Egerton university- makes the story real/believable
- Local words/dialect- Emakererei, maa- shows origin of the story/setting
- Proverb – home is never far from one who is still alive. – brings to view the rich heritage in language/ points to Resian’s start of a new home.
g) From elsewhere in the novel, state the prophecy that Olarinkoi is trying to fulfil when he plans to rescue Resian.
- Olarinkoi’s mother had prophesied that Ole Kaelo would relocate to Nasila, and bring along with him his intoiyie nemengalana, her son Olarinkoi would move to that home, live with the Kaelo’s for some time and eventually bring one of his daughters to be circumcised and be given to him as his wife.
h) Comment on the character of Olarinkoi later in the novel.
- Unreliable/traitorous/untrustworthy/pretentious/inhumane/insensitive/brutal/inconsiderate etc
i) What is the attitude of Resian towards Oloisudori’s proposal?
- Contemptuous/hateful
j) Give the meaning of the following words.
i) Nonchalantly – casually, relaxedly, calmly, in a calm manner, half-heartedly, disinterestedly
ii) Put one and one together - Guess the truth about the situation from what you have seen or heard/ understand something by using situation you have
francis1897 answered the question on November 22, 2022 at 06:07
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Breakthrough
When I reached the threshold
The gate was quickly locked
Though loud and long knocked
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I stood outside for long
Wondering what was wrong
Honour wouldn’t let me
A peeping to be
When night tiptoed behind
Me a stranded pilgrim
Ah, I made up my mind
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I crashed open the gate
Uncaring it was wrong
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A welcome initiate
(Anonymous)
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Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
- Fill in the blank with the correct forms of the words in brackets.i) The tragedy was beyond everyone’s ……… (comprehend)ii) The driver of the lorry...(Solved)
Fill in the blank with the correct forms of the words in brackets.
i) The tragedy was beyond everyone’s …………………………………………….. (comprehend)
ii) The driver of the lorry declined to accept……………………………………….. (liable)
iii) She filed a……………………………………………(sue) against her employer.
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
- Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow
...(Solved)
Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow
“For heaven’s sake Resian ,” Taiyo said turning round to face her sister. “how I am supposed to know?”
“I suppose it’s going to be very different from the kind of life we are used to here, isn’t it ?”
“Most likely so, yes.”
“It seems so very strange,” Resian pressed on relentlessly, “to be leaving Nakuru town.”
“We have always known that it was our father’s plan to end up in Nasila,” Taiyo told her sister, trying hard not to answer her directly. “Thatis why he built that shop that he has always spoken about. Now that he has been retrenched….”she hesitated a moment. It transpired that the more she spoke of the relocation, the harder the reality that she was about to leave Nakuru town for good hit her. The twenty years of her life had been spent there. She loved its crowded streets, the bustle and the excitement of its wholesale and retail markets, and boisterous bus stage. But the most painful to leave behind was her boyfriend Lenjirr, the lanky dark-haired, blunt-faced young man whose big languid eyes had always smiled at her warmly fostering in her the dreams of young womanhood.
“Taiyo -e-yeiyo?” Resian called, lifting her head to look up; suspiciously into the face of her tall sister. “Is something amiss?”
“No nothing is amiss.”
“I’m somehow worried dear sister. Resian’s voice dropped a little with apprehension. “What do you think will happen to us if the shop father intends to open does not become as successful as he hopes?”
“Resian-e-yeiyo, I don’t know any better than you! Father thinks the shop will be a success. I overheard him tell one of his friends that he was going to stock agricultural input such as fertilizer, seeds, animal drugs and chemicals. Nasila is an agricultural area and business is bound to do well. Let us have faith in him and hope for the best.”
a) Place the excerpt in its immediate context.
b) From the excerpt above describe the character trait of both Taiyo and Resian.
c) From elsewhere in the novel, describe how the news of Ole Kaelo’s Retrenchment had been received by both mama Milanoi and Ole Kaelo himself.
d) Comment on the author’s use of language in the above excerpt.
e) Describe any two thematic concerns addressed in the above excerpt.
f) “We have always known that it was our father plan to end up in Nasila”
Taiyo told her sister, trying hard not to answer her directly. Rewrite the above statement in reported speech.
g) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the excerpt.
i. Retrenched
ii. Transpired
iii. Inputs
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
- COMPREHENSION
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow
...(Solved)
COMPREHENSION
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow
When God made women out of man according to the biblical story of creation, He did not restrict her from doing certain type of jobs, nor did He forbid man from doing any king of chores. The only problem with us today is that we think like those who lived in age where men’s roles and women’s roles were clearly specified.
Consequently, it is rare to find a man at home doing chores like washing the dishes , preparing supper for the family or even cleaning the house while women of the house sits to watch the news or a programme she enjoys on television. This mindset has also been passed down to children, where you will find a girl working tirelessly around the house while her brother is comfortably stretched out on the sofa watching a movie. Why can’t we train our children to do what needs to be done irrespective of their gender?
Personally, I was brought up in a home where chores are divided equally among those present, and no amount of protesting could exonerate me from my assigned chores, which is why I find this gender sensitive somewhat discriminative. I once broached the issue of sharing chores with a friend of mine and his reaction was unpredictable, “You expect me to cook, wash dishes, clean the house and look after the baby? These are things I can’t do no matter how much I love her! My job is to put the food on the table and secure my children’s future,” he responded passionately. These are biases so deeply ingrained that it seems odd if a man tells he is a nurse. The question that naturally comes to mind will be, “Isn’t that a woman’s job?” because you expect a nurse to be a woman in pretty white or small stripped dress and white cap. However, the truth is that men are just capable of providing nursing care as female counterparts.
And turning to politics, how many of our constituencies have female representatives in parliament? Just a handful. And how many countries in the world have women presidents or prime ministers? Another handful. Many women have joined politics hoping to succeed where men have failed but quit after being frustrated by men’s obvious lack of trust in their abilities. But from those who have persevered, we can see that women do better than men since they start from basic level of the home, where they take care of their families and do everything to keep them going.
Another very peculiar field is football. Fans flock pub to watch male players juggle the ball and make their fancy moves and sometimes fight erupt after heated arguments about football games like world cup, premier League and other tournaments. But I have never heard people fight over Women’s World Cup or anybody disappointed after a women’s team he supports took a thrashing from an opponent.
Careers like engineering have also been affected by this negative trend. It is getting increasingly rare to find a woman in overalls lying under a heavy truck checking for engine trouble or repairing the brakes. This is considered a man’s job and many people believe cannot do it properly.
I believe it is time we got rid of those outdated beliefs and started appreciating women for who they are. We should give them a chance to prove themselves and open up more opportunities. Men should also realize that to do perfectly, one requires brain, not brawn, and if this continues, it will do more than good. Besides, what a man can do, a woman can do, sometimes even better.
Giving women an opportunity, will create a balance and bring the best in everyone.
(Adapted from: Daily Nation24thFebruary2010, Living Magazine page 2 – Gichuru Hesbon)
Questions
a) According to the passage, what seems to cause conflicts in gender roles today?
b) What is the author’s opinion on defined gender roles?
c) How has upbringing contributed to this opinion?
d) Make notes on duties of men and women as brought out in passage.
e) According to the passage, why are some careers considered male dominated in our society today?
f) In your opinion, should there be gender defined duties for boys and girls?
g) According to the passage, what should be done to get rid of outdated practice of defined gender roles?
h) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage.
I. Exonerated
II. Ingrained
III. Peculiar
IV. Brawn
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
- Complete the telephone conversation below with appropriate responses.
You: ...
Teacher: Yes, you may come in. How can I help you, Maria?
You: Sorry to bother you, Sir....(Solved)
Complete the telephone conversation below with appropriate responses.
You: ...
Teacher: Yes, you may come in. How can I help you, Maria?
You: Sorry to bother you, Sir. Could you please show me Mr. Karanja’s desk?
Teacher: ...
You: He has sent me to pick a Geography textbook from his desk and to ask you to assist us with a pair of binoculars.
Teacher: The desk is over there. The book should just be on the table.
You: ...
Teacher: ...
You: Oh, here it is. You were right, Sir, it must have fallen from the desk.
Teacher: Now hurry up. The lesson is almost over and the teacher must be waiting for the book.
You: ...
Teacher: Oh, sorry. Here is the pair of binoculars. Be careful as you handle since its casting is broken.
You: ...
Teacher: ...
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
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i) Identify the above genre.
ii) Give the two possible meanings of the above.
iii) Give one function of the above genre.(Solved)
Mary cannot bear children
i) Identify the above genre.
ii) Give the two possible meanings of the above.
iii) Give one function of the above genre.
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
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i) Have all the students been registered?
ii) Stop wasting time.
iii) That was superb!
iv) There is hope...(Solved)
Indicate the appropriate intonation at the end of each sentence.
i) Have all the students been registered?
ii) Stop wasting time.
iii) That was superb!
iv) There is hope for Cancer patients.
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
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i) Know
ii) Gate
iii)...(Solved)
For each of the following words, write another that is pronounced the same way but is spelt differently and has a different meaning.
i) Know
ii) Gate
iii) Bare
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
- Read the following narrative and answer the questions that follow.
One afternoon, a big wolf waited in a dark forest for a little girl to come...(Solved)
Read the following narrative and answer the questions that follow.
One afternoon, a big wolf waited in a dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally the little did come along and she was carrying the basket of food. Are you carrying the basket to your grandmother? asked the wolf. The little girl answered,
“ ”Yes I am.” So the wolf asked the girl where her grandmother lived. When the girl told him, he disappeared to the woods.
When the little girl opened the door of her grandmother’s house, she noticed there was somebody in bed with a night cap and a night gown. She realized that it was the wolf, so the little girl took a gun from her basket and shot the wolf dead.
i) If you were narrating this story, how would you ensure your audience remains glued to the story?
i) How would you say the words of the girl and the wolf in your narration?
ii) How would you prepare yourself to effectively tell the story?
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)
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Fill in the blanks in the passage below with an appropriate word.
Four weeks to the Africities Summit, (i) …………………………..host city of Kisumu is bristling (ii) ……………………………………. excitement and anticipation, with good reason.
(iii) ………………………………….. 10,000 visitors are expected to converge on the lakeside city, drawn (iv) …………………………. By a continental summit that happens one every three (v) ………………………… About 5,000 of them will be foreign delegates keen to join in a discourse that African cities and how they evolving into a truly unpredictable (vi) …………………………… The other 4000 will be exhibitors at a gigantic exhibitions Center and service providers to ensure that the (vii) ………………………………. do not lack anything.
Many have been skeptical (viii) ………………………….. Kisumu could handle such a large influx of people even if it is the third largest city in the country. Well, the city is well-prepared in all aspects.
It has been for a while. Significant investments have been made in infrastructure and (ix) ……………………………. is still going on to complete roads around and near the Mambolea ASK Showground where the event will be held. The major streets are spruced up, as they have been for many months, thanks to the work done (x) …………………………. the County Government of Kisumu.
Date posted: November 21, 2022. Answers (1)