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English Language 1994 WAEC Past Questions

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106

 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.


      I am a foot taller than the tallest girl in my village and twice the weight of the fattest. On my only visit to a beautician. the woman said she found my face a challenge. Yet, despite these social disadvantages, I feel cheerful, happy, confident and secure. 
      Several years ago, I visited the city for the first time. and I saw something there that made me realize the stupidity of trying to conform - of trying to be like everybody else - even with particular physical disadvantages. There was a small plump woman all dressed up but looking really stuffed and funny in the fashion wear. She also carried a shooting stick. But because she was so plump, when she sat on the stick, it went deep into the ground and she couldn't pull it out. She tugged and tugged. tears of rage in her eyes. When the final tug brought it out, she crashed with it to the ground. I saw her walk away. Her day had been ruined. She had made a fool of herself in public. She had impressed nobody. In her own sad eyes, she was a failure. 
      But hardly anyone took any notice of her and her misery in the busy street. I remember well when I was like that in the days before I learned that nobody really cared what you did. And watching that miserable small woman as she walked away gave me renewed inspiration. 
(a) Briefly describe two physical characteristics of the writer as shown in the passage. 
(b) Why is the writer not bothered about her social disadvantages? 
(c)(i) How did the woman with the shooting stick feel after the incident? (ii) Why was the feeling unnecessary. 
(d) .... when she sat on the stick... (i) What grammatical name is used to describe the above expression? (ii) What is its function? 
(e) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it in the passage: 
(i) disadvantages; (ii) conform; (ii) tugged; (iv) miserable; (vi) inspiration 

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107

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

 
      Between 1921 and 1930, the population of Jos town rose from 8.000 to 11.000. These were very important years in the history of Jos town. It was in 1921 that the administrative headquarters of Jos Division was transferred from Naraguta to Jos. In 1926, Plateau Province was created with its headquarters in Jos also. The new province was carved out of the then Mubi, Nasarawa and Bauchi provinces. Jos, therefore assumed dual administrative functions as the divisional and provincial headquarters. A crop of new employees and labourers started moving into the city to serve the two administrations respectively. During the same period, the tin mining industry was experiencing a boom. 
      The boom was further buttressed by other developments in the area. In 1927, the Eastern Railway Extension reached its Jos terminus, via Kafanchan. A new era was in sight with promises of plenty for all, because the mining industry was passing through its greatest moment of prosperity. The said administrative change, the boom in the tin industry, the new communication network and similar developments on the Jos Plateau, created a myth of the wealth and prosperity in Jos. However, the boom was short-lived. By 1929 it receded, and then collapsed in 1931. The mine labourers were thrown out of employment and most of them trooped into Jos in search of food and shelter. During this depression, Jos was likened to a ghost city. The population of Jos shrank from 11,000 in 1930 to 9,000 in 1933. 
      By the mid 1930, the price of tin rose in the world market and the tin industry was about to pick up once more. A new characteristic feature of the growth of Jos came into sight. This was the influx of Indians and Levantines into Jos. This continued and increased after the Second World War in 1945. These were mainly traders, transporters and middlemen who, like their European counterparts, contributed in no small measure to the exploitation of Nigerians and the economy of the country. 
      The number of Europeans, up to the eve of independence in 1960, was second only to that of Lagos throughout the English-speaking West Africa. These white elements addressed themselves to the building of luxurious hotels for their exclusive use. The African elite, in their tradition as copy-cats, were not left behind. The European policy of segregation however, ensured that the Africans and the Europeans never mixed. 
      The European quarters were far removed from those of Africans. The provision of social amenities followed the same pattern. Thus, there were separate African and European hospitals, schools, clubs and the like. It is interesting to note that the situation has barely changed quantitatively since independence. The Nigerian elite in the civil service and the private sector have merely moved away from their own people into the positions formerly occupied by the Europeans. 
(a) In four sentences, one for each, summarize the factors that were responsible for the growth of Jos as described in the passage.

(b) In two sentences, summarize the common features of the organization of social life in Jos as described in the passage. 

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