2020 WAEC (WASSCE) English Language Theory Past Questions

Answer one question only from this section. All questions carry equal marks. Your answer should not be less than 450 words.

You are advised to spend about 50 minutes on this section.

1. Your brother who is in the third year in another school has written to confide in you that he is about to stop schooling and go into business. Write a letter to him advising him against his decision.

2. Write an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper on the topic. The importance of promoting good reading habits in students.

3. As the senior prefect of your school, write a letter to the principal pointing out at least two practices among students that should be discouraged and two habits that should be promoted among teachers.

4. A new principal has been posted to your school. Write a speech you will deliver, at the welcome party organised for him informing him about some problems faced by students.

5. Write a story that ends with the statement: I had never felt so embarrassed in my life.

You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on this section.

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

My mother never thought it necessary to inform any of her children that she would pay them a visit in Lagos at any time. After all, no child would refuse her entry into their home. She had always been lucky to meet a member of the household each time she came visiting and it was unimaginable to her that a day would come when no one would be at home to receive her.

In her usual manner, Mama boarded a vehicle from the village at noon with all her luggage which usually comprised the local delicacies we all enjoyed eating whenever she came visiting. Since she was aware of the time of the day everyone would be back home from work, she was not worried when the bus made frequent stops to either pick up or discharge passengers. While the journey lasted, Mama chatted heartily with a fellow passenger who was also going to see her son in Lagos and the two exchanged telephone numbers.

Eventually, the vehicle crawled to a final stop and everyone alighted. Mama flagged down a taxi and headed for her daughter’s house. Although the fare demanded by the driver, was outrageous and the money on her could not cover it. Mama believed that when she got to the house, her daughter or son-in-law would come to her aid by making up the difference.

How wrong she was! Unknown to Mama, my husband and I had travelled out of town on one of our numerous official assignments while my son had returned to the university campus. The only person on the premisesThe premises of a property consist of the land and buildings on it, usually of a business or organization. More was the new watchman. Mama’s dilemma, however, began with the payment of the taxi fare. When she alighted with some of her luggage, she met the cold unfriendly stare of a complete stranger. She tried frantically to introduce herself to the watchman but could not communicate effectively because of the language barrier. To her embarrassment, the taxi driver called her a fraudulent old woman, left his contact number and drove off in annoyance with one of her bags.

Mama remembered that the woman with whom she had travelled on the bus had given her her phone number and she decided to call her for help. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman’s son drove in his car to fetch Mama. My mother was quite grateful for that but she will never forget the fact that she had to eat spaghetti and omelette for dinner.

That night, I received a call from a complete stranger informing me of my mother’s ordeal. I had to rush back to Lagos the following day to bring Mama back home and get her bag from the taxi driver. My mother left for the village two days after and has since made it a point to call before she visits anyone.

Questions:

(a) Why did the writer’s mother never inform her children of her intention to visit them?

(b) How did Mama while away the hours on the journey?

(c) State two difficulties Mama faced when she arrived Lagos.

(d) Why did the taxi driver leave with one of Mama’s bags?

(e) Why do you think that Mama will never forget what she had for dinner?

(f)   … who was also going to see her son in Lagos …

1. What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage?
2. What is its function?

(g) … seemed like an eternity … What does this expression mean?

(h) What lesson did Mama learn from this trip?

(i) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage.

(i) Unimaginable;
(ii) Heartily;
(iii) Outrageous;
(iv) Numerous;
(v) Frantically.

You are advised to spend about 40 minutes on this section.

There are many gifts of nature without which human survival on Earth is impossible. Some of these gifts include water, oxygen and the forest. The last is of particular interest. Forests occupy a vast landmass and are found in many parts of the world. They are uncultivated lands thickly covered with trees. Forests have played a significant role in the survival of humans. Unfortunately, thousands of hectares are destroyed each year due to human activities. It is however becoming increasingly obvious that if appropriate steps are not taken to curb the wave of forest destruction, the future survival of humans is hanging in the balance. This realisation is fuelling the campaign to preserve this wonderful gift of nature.

Forests are more important to humans than humans are to them. Forest trees serve as protection against erosion. Without the canopy provided by trees, the land will be exposed to all the elements such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. The strong winds blow the soil while running water washes away the top soil with its nutrients. Thus, the most fertile land becomes barrenBarren means incapable of producing offspring, seed, or fruit. Land or soil that is barren has no plants growing on it. It is also used to describe a woman or female... More. Wood from trees also serves as an important material in building construction. It is cut and processed for use in building houses and shelters which provide protection against the inclement weather. With this, the forest shields both humans and the Earth. It is therefore important to ensure the continued availability of this important natural resource. To this end, there is the need for the relevant authorities to enact laws that will mandate tree planting to replace felled ones. Where such laws already exist, efforts must be made to enforce compliance.

The inventiveness of humans has led to the discovery of another use for forest trees. Logs can be cut, chopped into pieces, ground by machines, and turned into wood pulp which then goes through some other processes, and paper is the end product. We can imagine the great things timber does when we look at the tons of books that are produced worldwide. Thanks to technology, it is now possible to operate a paperless societyThe term society is derived from the Latin word 'socius' meaning friendship or companionship. Society is a community, nation or group of people who share the same traditions, institutions, rules and... More to some extent. Everyone must therefore continue to make a conscious effort to protect the forest by going paperless. Soft copies of books should be preferred to hard copies. More newspaper publishers now have online outlets where news items are published. Hence, subscriptions to these outlets will ensure a reduction in the demand for paper.

Questions:

(a) In three sentences, one for each, state three benefits derived from forests.

(b) In three sentences, one for each, state three measures to control deforestationDeforestation, in simple terms, means the felling and clearing of forest cover or tree plantations to accommodate agricultural, industrial or urban use. More.