PAPER TWO SENIOR THREE ENGLISH

SECTION A .

 1) . Read the passage below and answer the following questions.

A Holiday Surprise

For many days after the secondary entrance examination, john wondered sadly round the village convinced that he had failed. Indeed he did not even bother to go to his school office to see the results posted on the notice board.

Then the morning after the results had been posted Mr. Okot came peddling at break neck speed along the narrow path into the village, waving a piece of paper in his hands, “young john has passed!” He shouted at every one passing. “And Mary, the girl in the next village, has passed too.

Don’t you realize these two will be the first children from my school to go to secondary school?”

At first, the people were more surprised by the sight of Mr. Okot , who was growing  fatter every year , peddling around the village in such strange manner than by what he was telling them. It took them sometime to realize that their village of all villages in the district was the first to have a boy accepted to the great school in the capital.

By then Mr. Okot had reached john’s house.” come quickly john”, he shouted. “I have good news for you.” John was sitting in the compound tossing stones in the air and catching them. He had been sitting like that for nearly two hours and had even refused to help his mother to sweep the compound.

“Come on john,” shouted Mr. Okot again. John got up slowly and went to see what it was all about. “You have passed your examination well,” shouted Mr. Okot in excitement. “I am proud of you john, as if you were my own son!” He clasped   john to his huge stomach. John was immediately transformed. He rushed into the house to tell his mother the good news. She was delighted and then became serious.

“How shall we pay? How much will it cost?”

“That is the trouble,” Mr. Okot told her. “John’s mark was not high enough to get him scholarship,” Mr. Okot said. John must apply for a bursary, but he knew it would be difficult.

Some people were already saying that john would be more useful to them in the village than outside it. If he went to the secondary school, he would not be content to stay in this out of the way village.

Two weeks later the bursary committee met and Mr. Okot informed them about john and Mary.

This worked like a charm, and the committee agreed to give john a full bursary.

Questions

1. Why was john sad?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Why did Mr. Okot pedal through the village?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Was it Mr. Okot’s habit to ride a bicycle in the village? Give a reason for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. What was John doing when Mr. Okot reached John’s house?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Was john happy when he received the news?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What surprised the villagers most?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. Why did john’s mother become serious after she received the news of john’s good performance at school?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. Give the meaning of the following phrases as used in the passage.

(a) “Delighted”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(b) “Bursary”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(c) “Transformed”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………