- Use the words given in brackets correctly to complete the sentences below.(Solved)
Use the words given in brackets correctly to complete the sentences below.
i) The choir sang the school anthem so .................(melody)
ii) The money was meant for our ..........at school. (sustain)
iii) The project failed because of serious ............. (manage)
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentences as instructed.(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences as instructed.
i) When they entered the field, it started raining. (Begin Hardly...) ....................
ii) She is too fearful to go out at night (Begin So...that) ........................
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Use the correct phrasal verb formed from the word given in brackets to complete the sentences below.(Solved)
Use the correct phrasal verb formed from the word given in brackets to complete the sentences below.
i) The students were told to .................... with suggestions on how to improve the performance. (come)
ii) His friends ................. during the race. (urge)
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Read the narrative below and answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the narrative below and answer the questions that follow.
HOW CIRCUMCISION CAME TO BUKUSULAND
At Mwiala wa Mango, there was a great man-eating snake. The snake usually crawled out of his dwelling place among the hills and roamed about the countryside in search of human beings. The local people did not know what to do to get rid of this menace that claimed more and more victims as days went by. Then, in their greatest hour of need, a savior in the person of Mango came.
Mango of Mwiala had by his first marriage two sons whom he greatly loved. Early one morning the boys set out to graze their father’s cattle at the riverside. While the cattle were pushing and fighting over the salt lick, the boys settled down to molding calf bulls. They had barely finished making their first two bulls when they heard a tremendous stampede from the salt lick. Cows, bulls, oxen and calves with raised tails came galloping out of the salt lick holes. The boys hastily picked up their chindare sticks and made for the nearest anthill in order to see the cause of this pandemonium. And there, below them, was the monster casually looking around. It stared at them hard and its many tongues shot out. With a cry and a leap, the boys ran for their lives but it was too late. Mango lost his loved ones to the murderous monster.
He sharpened and resharpened his embalu as tears of bitter sorrow rolled down his cheeks. “I must follow the way my beloved ones took to the ancestors.” Day came and Mango started for the hills. The sun was in the centre of the sky when he came to the lonely and forbidding hills. He looked around the cave and newly overturned pebbles showed that the beast was out seeking human flesh. Armed only with embalu and a tree stump, he crawled into the cave. At the mouth of the cave, he put the tree stump and started his long unnerving watch.
In the meantime, news of what Mango was set on doing had spread through the neighbourhood. People from far and wide had come to his home and were anxiously waiting for him. The sun slowly crept towards the west. Its gentle rays fell upon his glittering embalu and he mumbled, ‘It is the light of ghosts already.’ Suddenly, he heard the sound of stones and pebbles knocking against each other. His hand muscles stood out like twisted cords as he tightened his grip on the embalu. He spat on his palm and adjusted his grip. Raising his embalu above his head, he spat upon his chest asking for his ancestors’ protection. The cave became dark as the monsters head rested upon the tree stump. The raised hand came down swiftly and to the mark. A spout of blood told the rest of the story. At his feet lay the headless beast.
His embalu dripping with blood, he rushed to the nearest rock and gave a piercing cry into the gathering darkness. It was a cry of triumph and those who heard it jumped up for joy. He was carried shoulder high amid singing and dancing.
His heroism was acknowledged by the neighbouring Barua tribe, who offered him a beautiful bride. But he had to be circumcised first before he could take his bride. This was the custom of the Barua. Thus, Mango became the father of circumcision in Bukusuland.
a) Classify the above narrative.
b) Describe the character of the following.
i) Mango
ii) The Barua
c) How did Mango become the savior of the people?
d) Identify the socio-economic activities of the community from which the narrative taken.
e) Comment on the following.
i) The sun slowly crept towards the west.
ii) It is the light of ghosts already.
f) Explain how suspense is created in this narrative.
g) Identify FOUR features that show this is an oral narrative.
h) What do we learn from this narrative?
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow.
HELMER: Naturally you are thinking of your father.
NORA: Yes – yes, of course. Just recall to your mind what these malicious creatures wrote in the papers about papa, and how horribly they slandered him. I believe they would have procured his dismissal if the department had not sent you over to inquire into it, and if you had not been so kindly disposed and helpful to him.
HELMER: My little Nora, there is an important difference between your father and me. Your father’s reputation as a public officer was not above suspicion. Mine is, and I hope it will continue to be so, as long as I hold my office.
NORA: You never can tell what mischief these men may contrive. We ought to be so well off, so snug and happy here in our peaceful home, and have no cares – you and I and the children, Torvald! That is what I beg you so earnestly –
HELMER: And if it did?
HELMER: Of course! – if only this obstinate little person can get her way! Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff, to let people think that I am a man to be swayed by all sorts of outside influence? I should very soon feel the consequences of it, I can tell you! And besides, there is one thing that makes it quite impossible for me to have Krogstad in the Bank as long as I am a manager.
NORA: Whatever is that?
HELMER: His moral failings I might have perhaps overlooked, if necessary
NORA: yes, you could – couldn’t you?
HELMER: And I hear he is a good worker, too. But I knew him when we were boys. It was one of those rash friendships that so often prove an incubus in afterlife. I may as well tell you plainly, we were once on very intimate terms with one another. But this tactless fellow lays no restraint on himself when other people are present. On the contrary, he thinks it gives him the right to adopt a familiar tone with me, and every minute it is “I say, Helmer, old fellow!” and that sort of thing. I assure you it is extremely painful for me. He would make my position in the Bank intolerable.
NORA: Torvald, I don’t believe you mean that.
HELMER: Don’t you? Why not?
NORA: Because it is such a narrow-minded way of looking at things.
HELMER: What are you saying? Narrow-minded? Do you think I am narrow-minded?
NORA: No just the opposite, dear – and it is exactly for that reason.
HELMER: It’s the same thing. You say my point of view is narrow-minded, so I must be so too. Narrow-minded! Very well – I must put an end to this. (Goes to the hall door and calls) Helen!
a) Briefly explain Nora’s fear as revealed in the extract
b) According to the excerpt, why is Helmer reluctant to retain Krogstad as a worker in the Bank?
c) Helmer is disingenuous in his dismissal of Nora’s suggestion that Krogstad should be retained in his job. Explain this statement with clear illustrations from the excerpt.
d) Contrast the character of Krogstad as revealed in the excerpt.
e) Comment on Nora’s character as brought out in in the excerpt.
f) Torvald refers to Nora as an ‘obstinate little person.’ What does this reveal about Torvald’s attitude towards Nora as his wife? Cite one example from this excerpt and another one from elsewhere in the play to illustrate your answer.
g) Describe the mood created at the end of the excerpt.
h) Torvald says, 'His moral failings I might have perhaps overlooked, if necessary –.' By whom and how else in the play is Krogstad referred to in a disgraceful manner in the play?
i) ‘...an incubus in afterlife.’ What does this phrase mean as used in the excerpt?
j) What happens immediately after this excerpt and how does it finally affect their marriage?
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
A team of ninety experts has been dispatched this morning to audit the teaching and understanding of the new curriculum in public schools across the country. The Government officials, largely drawn from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, (KICD) will conduct impromptu visits to schools in eighteen counties as they seek to enforce implementation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).
A detailed document on the monitoring exercise seen by The Standard reveals that during the visits, the experts will sit in classrooms during lessons, hold feedback meetings with teachers and file daily reports on progress of the implementation of the CBC. For the next ten days, the experts – also known as curriculum developers – will demonstrate to the teachers how CBC lessons should be taught in the classroom. The exercise will end on May 3.
KICD Chief Executive Officer Jwan Julius said the process will provide the teachers with real, first-hand experiences on curriculum implementation. Dr. Jwan said the process will also identify opportunities to improve the curriculum designs and how to transfer lessons from field experiences to subsequent designs.
“What is envisioned in the curriculum designs and what is being taught in class should come out clearly. Where there are gaps in lesson delivery, the experts will take the teachers through the process,” said Jwan. The Standard established that the curriculum developers had already completed three days orientation on a new monitoring methodology dubbed Do It Yourself.
The experts will now spend the next seven days in the field and later meet for debriefing where feedback will be shared to identify areas for correction and improvement. The development comes as the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) threatened to rally teachers to revert to the old teaching methods under the 8-4-4 system. Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion described the curriculum implementation process as illegal.
'We shall not teach the CBC way as they are pushing us to do until they address all the gaps.'
i) Why have the experts been dispatched?
ii) What is the main intention of the government officials?
iii) In point form, summarize how the experts will carry out the exercise during the visits.
iv) What according to the KICD Chief Executive Officer will the process achieve?
v) Why is the Kenya National Union of Teachers opposed to the new program?
vi) Paraphrase the following, 'What is envisioned in class and what is being taught in class should come out clearly. Where there are gaps in lesson delivery, the experts will take teachers through the process.'
vii) In view of the KNUT Secretary’s remarks, comment on the use of irony.
viii) Give the meaning of the following words and expressions as used in the passage.
i) impromptu
ii) first-hand experience
iii) revert
Date posted: September 24, 2019.
- Read the following conversation and answer the following questions.(Solved)
Read the following conversation and answer the following questions.
You have been summoned in a court of law after being arrested in a swoop targeting hawkers.
You have been put on your defence
Prosecutor: is your name James Wambua
You: ...............................................................................
Prosecutor: (addressing the magistrate) sorry for that mix – up your honour the name is James Wambura not James Wambua.
( to the defendant) You are accused of contravening the city by laws CAP 16/2B of the county Government by hawking goods without a license. What is your plea?
You:.......................................................................................
Prosecutor: If you were truly coming from school, would you prove to this court that you are really a student?
You: ...........................................................................
Prosecutor: (passing some document to the magistrate) your honour the document looks genuine and has a school stamp (To the defendant) but exactly where were you arrested and what were you doing there at that time?
You: ..........................................................
Prosecutor: (to the magistrate) your honour since the accused is a minor, I have no intention of proceeding with the prosecution of this case.
Magistrate: alright: case dismissed.
You:................................................................
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Use the words in bracket in their correct form to replace the underlined words.
(Solved)
Use the words in bracket in their correct form to replace the underlined words.
1.The candidate was not popular amongst the electorate. (famous)
2.The vehicle that was moving very fast caused the accident. (speed)
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Replace the underlined words with phrasal verbs formed from the words in brackets(Solved)
Replace the underlined words with phrasal verbs formed from the words in brackets
1. Lucy asked Julius not to involve himself with her personal matters. (keep)
2. My mother accidentally met me along Jamhuri highway in the town (run)
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentences to correct the errors.(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences to correct the errors.
1. Of the two books, the first is longest
2. The quarter of the three girls sleeps earlier.
3. I did not find any fellow colleagues in class when I arrived late.
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Do not change the meaning.(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Do not change the meaning.
1. The children welcomed the teachers.
(Begin with: The teachers)
2. John does not take Lunch. His sister does not take Lunch.
(Begin with: Neither)
3. Gatwiri asked, "Can we meet here tomorrow morning?"
(Rewrite in direct speech)
4. This novel is far better than the one I bought last week.
(Rewrite using the word ‘superior’)
5. It is not necessary to collect the garbage today.
(Rewrite being: You do not )
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow .(Solved)
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow .
Cities and towns are experiencing massive population growth the world over receiving huge numbers of migrants ever year.
In 1950, urban population accounted for only 29 percent of the world population, according to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At the turn of the century, the figure had risen to 45 percent. This was enough to declare the Twentieth Century the century of urbanization and city life. Now the figure is projected to hit 70 percent by 2025.
In Africa, urbanization is most intense in Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa, which have more than 50 percent of their population living in urban areas. Generally, cities in the developing world are growing at a rate of 3.5 per cent per annum.
These figures indicate that there is a continuous massive movement of people from rural to urban areas worldwide. Driven by the desire for better living conditions, they flock to cities in droves in search of greener pastures. But, slowly the illusion disappears, and is replaced by harsh realities of urbanism: unemployment or underemployment, crime, poverty, hunger and life in the slums.
To cope with this fast – moving wave of rural flight requires new strategies for urban planning and the use of urban spaces. Thus urban planners, policymakers and governments seek pragmatic and timely ways of addressing this challenge. The process of urbanization transforms land use and farming systems, patterns of labour force participation, infrastructural requirements, and natural resource systems. When cities grow, their population expands, putting a strain on food production.
As a way of easing the food shortage, many urban households, particularly the poor, have taken to growing food on small plots. Today, if you take a walk through some of the residential estates in Nairobi such as Ngara, Eastleigh and Buru Buru, you might be forgiven for thinking that a green revolution is under way. And on the outskirts of the city, green – houses and ponds compete for space with small gardens planted with flowers, vegetables and fruits. Banana plants and palm trees dwarf wrought – iron gates, their green dotting the skyline, Kale, cabbage and maize gardens sprout in the middle of urban squalor. In this unusual rare blend, urban features and rural agrarian patterns are combined in a new form of settlement and one might call ‘garden cities.’
Although it is often not given much attention, urban agriculture is steadily increasing. The practice involves cultivating, processing and distributing food in and around a town or city. It also encompasses an array of activities including horticulture, aquaculture, animal husbandry and bee keeping
a) What are the challenges facing major cities and towns
b) What does the mention of 70% by 2025 reveal?
c) What do we learn about urbanization in Africa from the passage
d) Mention the reason for rural to urban migration
e) How are urban households easing the problems of food shortage?
f) What is meant by the term ‘garden city?’
g) In note form, list the influences of urbanization
h) Urban populations accounted for only 29% of the world population
(Rewrite the statement adding a question tag)
i) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage
i) Illusion
ii) Pragmatic
iii) Squalor
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- For each of the following sentences, replace the underlined phrasal verb with a word that has the same meaning.(Solved)
For each of the following sentences, replace the underlined phrasal verb with a word that has the same meaning.
a) I expect him to pull through within a week.
b) I have been at the police station. Our house was broken into last night.
c) Everybody knows how good you are. There is no need to show off.
d) After a hard day’s work, I sat on a cosy chair and dozed off.
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Explain the difference in meaning between these two sentences.(Solved)
Explain the difference in meaning between these two sentences.
a)The hawker was selling ten day- old chicks.
b)The hawker was selling ten- day old chicks.
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Use the correct form of the word in brackets to fill in the blanks.(Solved)
Use the correct form of the word in brackets to fill in the blanks.
a)There was enough............... (prove) that examination had leaked.
b)The student gave a very good............. ( describe) of the party.
c)The painting................. (steal) from the museum
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Fill in the blank spaces in the following sentences with the most appropriate preposition.(Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces in the following sentences with the most appropriate preposition.
a) Inoculation gives protection ............ infection.
b) We agreed ................ the general procedure.
c) It has been the same old story ever ................ he was a small boy.
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentences as instructed. Do not change the meaning of the sentences(Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences as instructed. Do not change the meaning of the sentences.
a) Marylyn Monroe was the most beautiful woman in Hollywood in the sixties( Begin:No............)
b) I did not know that there was trouble ahead ( Begin; Little..............)
c) All except Maina went for games. Rewrite using 'save for'
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.(Solved)
Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
Happiness arises largely from the mental qualities of contentment, confidence, serenity and active good-will. It includes the pain of losing as well as the pleasure of finding. It thrives best in a crowded life. The men and women who are recorded in history and biography as the most happy were with always somewhat to do than they could possibly do. Every waking hour of their lives was occupied with ambitious projects, literature, love, politics, science, friendship, commerce, professions, trades, their religious faith, and a thousand other matters. The secret of happiness may be found by making each of these interests count to its utmost as part of the fabric of life.
We need to avoid the extremes of sluggish placidity and feverish activity. we are not going to be satisfied with felicity which resembles that of a stone, unfeeling and unmoving, but will look back from future ears with sorrow and regret if we run to and fro, giving it what Socrates called ‘the itch’.
Happiness obviously includes two sorts of behavior: active and passive. We may say the active consists in searching and sharing, while the passive part is made up security and possession. Neither part is complete in itself, nor does neither yield full satisfaction if it is over-emphasized. Philosophers from the ancient Greeks to present day have been extolling a balanced life as the most happy life,and many unhappy people can, when they face the issue, trace their discontent to imbalance.
The recipe for happiness cannot be given in any single word, because its many virtues have to be combined in their proper quantities, at the proper times for proper purposes.
It is legitimate to seek happiness. We cannot help observing that while followers of some schools of thought are telling us to avoid seeking happiness; they intimate that if we do so we shall be happy.
The search requires a plan. We need to know what sort of happiness we seek, what the ingredients are, what our strongest wants are, and what we have to start with. We should train ourselves to keep the program me simple, and free from complications and side trips, to pay attention to little things to deflate quickly after being praised and to bounce back quickly after disappointment, to seize to create opportunities to put our special abilities to work, to seek excellence in everything we do, to remain modest and to review and revise periodically.
Most of us do not really have to seek far and wide. Happiness grows at our fireside, if we cultivate it.
a) According to the writer, what is the source of happiness?
b) What two sorts of behavior does happiness include?
c) What does the writer mean when he talks about a balanced life?
d) In a paragraph of about 30 words, summarize the things we must know as we search for happiness?
e) Explain the writers point in the last paragraph of the passage. (2mks)
f) The recipe for happiness cannot be given in any single word.
(Rewrite the sentence beginning: No single word....)
g)Identify and comment on the figures of speech used in the following:
(i) It (Happiness) thrives best in a crowded life.
(ii) ... as part of the fabric life.
h)Describe the tone of this passage.
i)Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage.
(i) Extolling-
(ii) Intimate-
(iii) Felicity-
(iv) Legitimate-
Date posted: September 12, 2019.
- The school’s dining hall roof has been destroyed and is under renovation following a heavy downpour. Students have been requested to take their meals in...(Solved)
The school’s dining hall roof has been destroyed and is under renovation following a heavy downpour. Students have been requested to take their meals in a makeshift structure as construction is being completed. On two occasions, form four students have been pushing, jostling and edging out form ones as they demand to be considered in the first eating shift. As a dining hall captain, you are called to arbitrate the case. As a good negotiator, what three aspects would you consider as you try to reach an agreement.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- During the prize giving day, you have been asked to present a narrative to the guests. State any three ways in which you would...(Solved)
During the prize giving day, you have been asked to present a narrative to the guests. State any three ways in which you would make your story interesting.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- You are attending a debate club in your neighboring school. When a student from your school takes the podium, you notice that he/she is afraid....(Solved)
You are attending a debate club in your neighboring school. When a student from your school takes the podium, you notice that he/she is afraid. Write down two indicators that would tell you that the student is anxious and suggest how to overcome them.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- State whether you would end with a rising or falling intonation against each of the following sentences. ...(Solved)
State whether you would end with a rising or falling intonation against each of the following sentences.
i) What an awesome sight!
ii) I have a riddle, are you ready to take it?
iii) Are you going to the meeting?
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Identify the silent letters in the following words (Solved)
Identify the silent letters in the following words
i ) Baguette
ii) Poignant
iii) Succumb
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Read the following oral poem and answer the questions that follow. (Solved)
Read the following oral poem and answer the questions that follow.
There was a little man
There was a little man
And he had a little gun
And his bullets were made of Lead, Lead, and Lead
He went to the brook
And he saw a little duck
And he shot it right through the head, head, and head.
He carried it home
To his old wife, Juan
And lit her fire to make, make, make
To roast the little duck
He had shot in the brook
And he’d gone and fetched her the drake, drake, drake.
The drake was swimming with his curly tail,
The old man made his mark, mark, mark
He fired his shot
But he fired too soon,
And the drake flew away with a quack, quack, quack.
Questions
1. Identify and illustrate how rhythm has been achieved in this oral poem
2. Imagine you are performing this poem to learners who are visually impaired. Explain three ways in which you would ensure that they get the message effectively.
3. If you are performing this poem, to an audience, in which ways would you enliven your presentation?
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- 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.
Cigarette smoking is one of the major causes of death (1)........ adults and teenagers both in developed and developing countries. Unfortunately, very little has been done to educate these product (2)............. on the dangers of smoking. Smoking has adverse (3)............. especially if one smokes more than one pack a day, or has smoked for a long time. The full extent of smoking on one’s body (4).............. from person to person, since it depends on the person’s vulnerability to the chemical in the cigarette or tobacco smoke. The effects also vary depending (5)............. the number of cigarette sticks a person smokes (6)............ day, the age when the person started to smoke and the number of years the person has (7)............. smoking. Recent studies further indicate (8)..................... every year hundreds of thousands of people from all corners of the world die from medical complications caused by smoking. Apart from causing death, cigarette smoking is(9)............. by a couple of complications, which include: a rise in a person’s blood pressure, heart rate, decrease in a person’s blood flow to body extremities like the finger and toes, dizziness ,nausea, watery eyes, hyper acidity, loss (10).............. taste, smell and loss of appetite.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentence correctly. (Solved)
Rewrite the following sentence correctly.
I went for shopping yesterday.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate preposition.(Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate preposition.
a.) The new student was so confused that he was lost ............. words.
b.) My father deals ............ second-hand clothes.
c.) John is very good ................ English
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- In each of the following sentences, give an appropriate phrasal verb that means the same as the underlined word. (Solved)
In each of the following sentences, give an appropriate phrasal verb that means the same as the underlined word.
a.) The thief confessed after a thorough beating by the irate mob.
b.) The grandmother liked her grandchildren .
c.) The meeting was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Fill in the blank spaces with the correct form of the word in bracket. (Solved)
Fill in the blank spaces with the correct form of the word in bracket.
a.) He _____________ visits his grandparents. (often)
b.) Our roads are being renovated to increase their ______________ . (wide)
c.) The party rebels were ___________________ subjected to bombarding from the party leaders. ( relent)
d.) Men are not expected to show signs of _____________ . (coward)
Date posted: September 11, 2019.
- Rewrite the following sentences according to the instruction s given after each without changing the meaning. (Solved)
Rewrite the following sentences according to the instruction s given after each without changing the meaning.
a.) He submitted his poem for publication after being encouraged by his friends. (Begin: Encouraged...)
b.) Mother asked Mutiso if he would make breakfast the following day. (Change to direct speech)
c.) But for the pilot's quick action, the plane would have crashed. ( Begin: Had it ...)
d.) My brother and me have been taking violin lessons for two months. (Rewrite the sentence correctly. )
Date posted: September 11, 2019.