KENYA TECHNICAL TRAINERS COLLEGE

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

LANGUAGE USE END OF TERM EXAMINATION

MARCH 2019 TIME: 2 HRS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper has TWO sections, A and B

2. ALL questions are compulsory
3. Answer all questions in the spaces provided
4. Do not bring Mobile Phones, or any form of written material in the examination room
5. Do not leave the examination room when the examination is in session.

QUESTION NUMBER MAXIMUM SCORE ACTUAL SCORE

Q 1(a-h ) 30

Q 2 – Q 11 70

TOTAL 100%

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SECTION A : Comprehension and Summary

1. Read the following passage and then answer the questions. (30 marks)
After staying a few days in my uncle’s house, I realized I was in great demand as an ‘educated’
town dweller in rural community. Every family wanted me to visit them. As a result, the invitations and
evening parties succeeded each other endlessly. I was no longer my own master; more and more I had
become my uncle’s property. He famed me out to the hosts in my absence. Every invitation was
accepted, and when I reappeared, he contended himself with informing me, very blantly, when out next
visit was to be. I never once thought of protesting. You may well ask what the cause of this astonishing
passivity was. I simply do not know the answer. All the same, I can’t help feeling that anyone,
confronted with a man as self-confident and mysterious as my uncle, would think twice about asserting
themselves.

The morning after every visit, valuable presents w ould arrive at my uncle’s house and they were
nearly always the same kind of sheep. Soon, it was no longer possible to tether them at random behind
the house and we constructed a sort of corral to park them in. I notice that my uncle would often lean
out of his workshop window and gaze at these animals with obvious affection.

As the size of the flock increased, so did his marks of respect and friendship towards me. He
now went as far as talking at great length to me, even laughing in my company! I found this behaviour
extremely flattering. My own father have never treated me as a friend, but rather as a kind of small
dog which you must avoid beating too often if you want to get the best out of it. In my uncle’s
company, on the other hand, I felt very much like a grown up man, despite this habit he had of pushing
me around from party to party. In fact, the realization of my importance and uniqueness now began to
colour my outlook more deeply. I become dangerously full of myself. I was, in short, developing a
swelled head.

One morning,, for want of something better to do, I went down to the workshop to watch my
uncle work. Cabinet making is a craft that exercises no particular fascination over me. On the other
hand, it involves certain gestures and repetitive actions which I find very satisfying and which I never
tire of watching. My uncle greeted me as I can in, though I forget the exact cheerful phrase he used.
Then he paused for a longish interval, as though to separate this interchange of courtesies form the
lesson in higher philosophy which he was about to administer to me.

“My boy, ‘” he said at length, still planning away at a long board while he talked.

“My boy, do you know what blood means?”

“Blood, uncle”

“Yes blood”

“Why, yes….er, that is, yes….. I do know what is is……..”

He lifted his plane from the wood and looking directly at me, his expression a queer mixture of
irony and curiosity. It was the kind of expression that may often be observed on the face of a bloody-
minded examiner who has just asked a candidate a really fiendish question hoping that the candidate
won’t be able to answer it.

“Of course I know what blood is, uncle……It is not a difficult thing to define.

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Blood is a red liquid circulating through our veins and …….”

He interrupted me with a loud bark of laughter, after which he shook his head a little and
returned to his planning. I was left open-mouthed with astonishment. His strokes with the plane were
now long, slow and sure; it almost seemed as though he used the strokes in the way because he knew I
admired it so. He was stripped to the waist, and all his muscles seemed to form part of a single unified
mechanism, directing energy from its source in his body to the trips of the fingers which held the plane.

(Adapted from Mission to Kala by Mongo Beti)

a) In what ways had the narrator become his uncle’s property? (2 marks)

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b) How did the narrator’s uncle benefit from the visits? (2 marks)

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c) How did the gifts, visits and parties affect:

i) The uncle’s attitude towards the narrator; ( 2 marks)
ii) The narrator’s character? ( 2 marks )

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d) What does the narrator reveal about his relationship with his father? (3 marks)

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 …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

e) In about 50 words, describe the character of the uncle as revealed by the narrator.
(10 marks)

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f) What do you think the uncle might be referring to when he talks of “blood”?

(2 marks)

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g) State the narrator’s attitude towards his uncle’s ability as a carpenter. (3 marks)

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h) Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as used in the passage.

(5 marks)

i) No longer my own master

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ii) Corral

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iii) Extremely flattening

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iv) Fiendish question

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v) fascination ……………………………………………………………………………………

SECTION B GRAMMAR ( 70 marks)

2. Change the following words into nouns ( 3 marks)

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 a) attend …………………………………………………………………………………..
b) grow ……………………………………………………………………………………
c) submit …………………………………………………………………………………..
d) navigate …………………………………………………………………………………..
e) convey ……………………………………………………………………………………
f) receive …………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Complete each of the following sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets ( 7 marks)

a. The members of the club will choose the ………………..(good) bags.

b. Understanding adjectives is …………………….. (easy) than working out verbs.
c. It is right for us to make such a ………………………. ( decide) at this time.
d. The sick child will be …………… (transfer) to a better hospital.
e. Nyumba kumi is an ……………………….. ( intiate) of the county governments.
f. This is a community …………………………………. ( engage) and a good way of solving
problems.
g. We shall succeed if the patrols are …………………………. ( intense) forthwith.

4. Complete the following sentences using appropriate prepositions. (8 marks)

a. . She told us that her country is backward …………………… many aspects.

b. Do you think we can bank ………………. him this time?

c. During his regime, Presidentt Abubakar brought ……………….. many reforms.

d. Joshua informed his friend that he was not good ………………… cooking.

e. She was blue ……………….. cold and flu by the time we arrived t home.

f. The principal congratulated the students ……………….. their graduation.

g. All the participants had to agree ………………… the way to proceed.

h. All her animals were infected ……………………… a strange disease.

5. Fill the gaps with the most suitable form of verb from the one given in brackets ( 7 marks)

a. The prices of houses ………………………. ( rise) dramatically in recent years.

b. Unemployment ………………………….. (drop) every year until 2013 and then it started to rise.

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 c. It has been so cold that we………………………………………. (stay) in the house all day.

d .I never ………………… …………………..( see) any one play so well in my whole life.

e. Sales ……………………………………………. (increase) for some time now.

f. This …………………………………………… ( be) his home for twenty years and he does not
intend to leave it.

g. We …………………………………… ( reside) at a small hotel near the lake for a week now.

6. Replace the underlined word or words with a phrasal verb. (3 marks)

a. That vehicle is old and it’s always failing in the middle of a journey. ………………………………..

b. The car came to a halt outside the bank. ……………………………………………………………….

c. The boss said there would be trouble if the problem arose again.

………………………………………

7. Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Do not change the
meaning. ( 10 marks )

a. The road has been graded up to the shops. It will become impassable soon. ( use ‘ although’ )
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b. The driver who caused the accident was sleepy. The driver was tired. ( join using
‘either………or’ )

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c. The members had just entered the hall when deafening gun shots were heard. ( Begin with
Scarcely…………………)
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d. The is bag very heavy, Mutai cannot lift it. ( join using so …that)

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 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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e. The board members held a disciplinary meeting. They inspected the newly completed building
( Begin: Not only …)
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f. Did you find the students in class? The students were waiting to sit for an examination. ( Join
using a relative pronoun)
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g. If you do not do thorough revision, you will not do well in the forthcoming examinations.
(Begin: Unless…)
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h. Peter was playing in the garden when he hurt his uncle.
( Begin: Playing...)
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i. He was cautioned by his friend. He continued visiting the illegal drinking dens. .( Begin: In spite
of ….)
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j. Innocent people should not be molested while going about their businesses. (Begin: No one….)
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8. Punctuate the following sentences (10 marks)

a. On arrival at the airport he found his excellency kaguta museveni the president of uganda.
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b. Marion’s favourite subjects are chemistry mathematics physics and biology

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 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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c. We shall stop at red heron shopping mall for we need salt sugar cooking oil and rice.
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d. kitengela rongai kiserian and isinya are the fastest growing towns in kajiado county
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e. Mary took biology as an examination subject and ignored chemistry despite being advised by
professor ngugi
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\9. Correct the mispelt words in the following sentences. (7 marks)

a. My mother was busy working obliviuos of the hot sun which was burning her face.
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b. A thundrouse applause followed her maiden speech.
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c. We are all struggling to attain exellence in our studies.
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d. Pertet has completed writing the aknowledgement.
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e. Wanga has fiervently prayed that her mother would come

back home.
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f. The diliberations took a whole day to everyone’s suprise.
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10. Change the following into the active or passive. (5 marks)

a. The homework has just been completed.

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b. Some passersby are destroying our flower garden.
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c. The parcel will have been sent by next Monday.
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d. The police had arrested the thief when the guests arrived.
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e. The boy is being praised by the teacher for good performance.
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11. Change the following to the reported speech. (10 marks)

a. . ‘Are you going to the party?’ Sam asked me.

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b. Martin said, ‘I don’t like this party that is being advertising with so much enthusiasm.’
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c. Salim asked, ‘Where is my bag? I need to search for the lost ring.’
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g. ‘Where are you going in such a hurry?’ the policeman asked the woman.
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e. ‘I will be working late tonight,’ Suma said to her mother. ‘Expect me at midnight.’

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