SECTION B: COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it. You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on this section.

I got home late on the day of the party. Although I had planned to be home early, the heavy traffic scuttled my plan. The party was in full swing by the time I arrived, with our street lined up with cars. I entered the compound and stood for several minutes, watching the scene before me with awe. My wife had spared no expenses in organising the party. 

I watched my son beam with delight. He made me proud and was now getting his reward. My plan had worked. I hadn't believed it would do the trick but I knew I just had to motivate him to do better than being content with the tenth position every term for the past two years. I knew he could be the best in his class, but he was just not trying hard enough. His lack of push was a weight on my shoulders and it was clear he needed an incentive. So, when he approached me with his yearly demand for a party, an idea occurred to me. I had always declined his request for an elaborate celebration. It was not for lack of money; I just never believed in living ostentatiously. Maybe my austere background had something to do with it. After all, as a manager of a reputable bank, I earned enough to make life comfortable for my family of four.

My plan to have a small family sprang from my desire to give my children the best in life. They were in one of the best schools and were always well-groomed. 

Looking at the children enjoying themselves took me down memory lane. I remember my days in school when I was at that age. Things were quite difficult for me while growing up. My parents were separated and my father had taken another wife who treated me with disdain. I worked like a grown-up man on my father's farm to get produce to sell so as to pay my school fees. My consolation those days was my strong belief that I would make it one day, after all, every cloud has a silver lining. 

After my secondary school education. I knew I had to get a job, as any hope of going further in my education was slim despite my good grades. I went to live with my uncle, who was accommodating and soon got me a job in a bank. Through hard work and after passing various professional examinations, I rose to the peak of my career. 

The joyous shouts of the children roused me from my reminiscences, I realised that if I had not used my son's obsession with a party as a carrot for push, we wouldn't be celebrating his resounding success today. As soon as he knew the reward for coming first in his class, he worked hard like never before. He also surprised us by being the best student in all his subjects, even in Mathematics, which used to be his Achilles heel. 

The plan was worth it, though I still lament the amount of money it gulped.