EXCELLENCE TUITION CENTRE

EASY WAY TO SUCCESS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REVISION PAMPHLET

FOR GRADES 10-12 AND GCE CANDIDATES

VOLUME 2 : COMPREHENSION

REV. ISAAC THOMAS SAKALA

GRADE 12/ GCE ENLISH EXAMINER
 INTRODUCTION

For some people, passing an examination in English language is a night-mere. Some people,
especially those not in a regular school system, who want to write examination waste their
money and time and fail to get the grades they want. During the thirty years that I have been
involved in the preparation of both school pupils and GCE candidates for Examinations, I have
discovered that most people fail because of lack of proper coaching and practice. It is therefore
the aim of this pamphlet to provide both coaching and practice.

The second of these pamphlets deals with one important components of English language
paper 2. This is Comprehension (20 Marks).

For this component, I have given guide lines and tips and also exercises for practice. Answers
are also provided for you to mark your own work.

I hope this small pamphlet will help you obtain the grade you have always dreamed of.

God bless you!!.

DEDICATION

This small pamphlet is dedicated to my late mother, Anneli who always encouraged me and not
to give up. In her own Nsenga language she used to say “chu inisha nkumba suchiziwika”
(Nobody knows what makes the pig fat).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This pamphlet has prepared due to the demand from people who want to sit for the English
language examination, especially those who attend my tuition lessons.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my profound appreciation and gratitude to miss. Gladys Kaoma who type this
pamphlet.
 COMPREHENSION

The word comprehension comes from the word comprehend which means understand. Therefore,
comprehension tests our understanding. We can only show that we understand what we read by
answering question correctly.

WHY CANDIDATES FAIL COMPREHENSION

1. Lack of teaching. Most teachers concentrate on testing at the expense of teaching (Just give
work to pupils).
2. Failure to understand the passage.
3. Failure to understand the questions
4. Failure to locate information.
5. Failure to select the best alternative from those given (Usually guess the answers).
6. Failure to understand skills involved in comprehension.

SKILLS INVOLVED IN COMPREHENSION

Passing comprehension is not by luck or through guess work. It involves understanding and application
of the skills. Some of these skills:-

1. Reading and understanding the passage

2. Reading and understanding the questions.
3. Locating information (Scanning)
4. Deducing meanings of words by using context
5. Finding main points of paragraphs.
6. Finding the main points of the whole passage
7. Finding implied meaning of expressions (Inference)
8. Listing down points forms a paragraph or past of the passage
9. Matching words of similar or opposite meaning (Vocabulary)
10. Identifying True or False statements.

HOW TO ANSWER MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

In English language paper Two comprehensions, Eight to nine questions are multiple choice. Therefore, a
candidate’s ability to correctly answer these will help such a candidate perform very well. The multiple
choice questions and answers are prepared as follows:

Two of the answers are obviously wrong

One of the answers is a distracter (An answer which is so close to the best answer that it is not
easy for a candidate to arrive at the best alternative.)
One is the best answer (Not the correct answer because all the alternatives can be correct or
true).

To arrive at the best answers, candidates should, thereof, eliminate the wrong answers.
 COMPREHENSION (20 MARKS)

1. JUSTICE

Centuries ago when man was accused of a crime, he often had to go through a strange test. In one
country, the local prince used a pot of boiling oil. A metal bar was dropped into the pot. The prisoner
then had to put his hand into the oil and take the bar. The prince believed that the oil would not burn
the hand of the innocent man. He thought that the guilty man would be burnt by the oil.There is no
record that any prince plucked up the courage to try the justice of this harsh test on himself.

Another foolish method was used in Europe many years ago. When a man was accused of a crime, he
was taken to a pool of a river. A rope was tied to the man and he was then thrown into the water. If he
floated, the people declared that he was guilty. They took him out of the water and punished him.
Sometimes, he was killed. However, if the man floated, the people maintained that he was innocent.
They pulled him out of the water quickly and released him. We do not know what happened happened
if he learnt to swim under the water.

Today our methods are much better. An accused man is taken to a law court. When the offense is small,
a magistrate judges the case. If the offense is serious, the people on the jury decide whethe r the
prisoner is innocent or guilty. An innocent man is set free, while a judge decides the punishment for a
guilty man.

Answer the questions below:

1. What was put into the pot before the metal bar was dropped in
A. Man’s hand B. Some oil C. The local prince D. Nothing
2. In the sentence of the first paragraph, which word suggests that the test was an unjust one?
A. JustB. plunked C. test D. Harsh
3. Which expression in the second paragraph shows that the author thought that the boiling oil
test was not a good one?
A. Another foolish method B. He was guiltyC. Taken to a pool of water

D. Accused of

4. The last paragraph says : “ Today, our methods are much better.” In what way are they better?
A. They are cheaper B. Only the innocent are punished C. An accused person gets a fair trial
D. Justice is done less frequently
5. What is the meani ng of accused in line 1/
A. Found guilty B. Charged with C. Proved guilty D. proved to have
committed a crime
6. What is the meaning of Believed in line 4?
A. Knew B. Thinks C. Though D. Knows
7. What is the meaning of justice as it is used in line 7 of the passage?
A. Cruelty B. Mildness C. Swiftness D. Fairness
8. What is themeaning of maintained as it is used in line 4 of the passage?
A. Were convicted B. Declared in a rather doubtful manner C. Refused to believe
B. Wondered whether
9. Which of the following explanations describes a magistrate?
A. A person found in a local court , with power to arrest people and send them to prison
B. A lawyer or barrister
C. A civil officer, lower in rank than a judge who has power to deal with a person charged with
minor offences
D. A man who has the power to punish people
10. Find words in the passage which mean the same or nearly the same as…
A. A group of people who preside over a case……………………………………….
B. Gathered…………………………………….
C. Not guilty……………………………………..
D. Not wise………………………………………..

2. COMPREHENSION

One day William Tell went to the town of Altdorf. Switzerland was under the rule of the
Austrians. Governor, Gessler, had ordered that all swiss people had to salute to the Austrian
flag. Tell refused to do so.

He was at once caught by some Austrian soldiers, and Gessler was about tokilll him when Tell’s
young son rushed through the crowd and stood beside his father. Gessler suddenly had an
amusing idea. Smiling, he turned to Tell.

“You are a famous shot with a bow,” he said, “I want to see you shoot. We will put your son
against that tree. With an apple on his head. If you can hit the apple, you shall go free. If you
miss, you will die.”

“I can’t do it,” said Tell. “No father could shoot an inch above his son’s head.”
“Well, you either shoot or die.”
“Then I will die.”
“And first we will cut your son’s head off.”
“Give me the bow,” said Tell angrily.

Very carefully he tested his bow and chooses two arrows. The for a moment he stood in prayer.
The crowd was silent as Tell lifted the bow and fitted the arrow to the string.
He shot, the apple was cut in half, and a great shout went up from the crowd. Gessler said, “A
good shot. But why did you take two arrows?”
“If the first arrow had hurt my boy, the second would by now have been in your heart.”

Choose the best answer to each of the following questions –a, b, c or d.

1. Gessler smiled because

A. Tell, his enemy, was going to die B. He thought it would be funny to make Tell kill
his own son C. He thought Tell was a very foolish man D. He wanted to please
the swiss people who had formed a crowd
2. At first Tell refused to shoot at the apple because.
A. If he missed he would die B. He hated obeying his enemy C. He feared he
might hit his son D. He preferred to die
3. What persuaded Tell to accept the challenge?
A. His son was threatened B. Gessler mocked him C. Tell was a good shot
with the bow D. He was offered his life if he accepted the challenge.
4. Tell made his son face the tree so that.
A. He would not see the crowd B. He would not move C. He would not be frightened
D. His face would not be injured
5. Tell took two arrows.
A. To kill Gessler with the second B. To try again if he missed C. To be sure to cut the
apple D. To kill himself.
6. What do you think Gessler’s feelings were when he head why Tell had chosen two arrows?
A. He was pleased and content B. He was angry and pit C. He was sorry and
filled with pity.
7. It was unwise of Tell to explain the purpose of the second arrow because.
A. The Austrian soldiers would be angry B. He had won his freedom and now
endangered it C. Every one would know that Tell was not confident of his own skill
with the bow. D. His son would realize how close death he had been.
8. The writer of this story.
A. Describes the story of Switzerland under Austria rule.
B. Explains how the bowmen long ago had their skill tested
C. Related the adventure of a proud swiss long ago
D. Relates the conversion between William Tell and Governor Gessler
9. A good title of the passage is
A. The Austrian flag B. Governor Gessler C. William Tell D. A good shot
10. Find the words among the underlined words which mean same as the following.
A. Well-Known………………………………………………………………
B. Interest…………………………………………………………………….
C. Tried………………………………………………………………………….
D. Commanded…………………………………………………………….
 3. COMPREHENSION
(Basu is a foreigner who has not yet been accepted by the rest of the class: Some one in the
class has failed to own up to breaking a thermometer, and as a result the class has been kept in.)
Someone threw a book at Basu and said, ‘confess’!
Basu backed on to a wall. “To God, I shall call the police if anyone strikes me,“ he cried fiercely.
“He thinks he can buy the police,” a voice called.
“That proves it,” someone shouted from the back.
“Yes, he must have done it,” the others said, and they starts throwing books at Basu.
Sorrie waved his arm for them to stop, but they did not. Books, corks, boxes of matches rained
on Basu.
He bent his head and shielded his face with his bent arm.

“I did not do it; I swear I did not do it. Stop it, fellows,” he moaned over and over again. A small
cut had appeared on his temple and he was bleeding. Kojo sat quieltly for a while. Then a
curious hum started to pass thiugh him, and his hands began to tremble, his armpits to fell
curiously wetter. He turned round and picked up a book and flung it with desperate force at
Basu, and then another. He felt somehow that here was an awful swelling of guilty which he
could only shed shed by punishing himself through hurting someone. Anger and rage against
everything different sized him, because if everything and everything and everyone had been
happy. He was carried away now by a torrent which swirled and pounded. He felt that somehow
Basu was in the wrong, must be in the wrong, and if he hurt hard enough he would convenience
the others and therefore himself that he had not broken the thermometer and that he had
never done anything wrong. He gropped for something bulky enough to throw, and picked up
the bible.

“Stop it, you hooligans, you beasts.”

They all became quiet and shamefacedly put down what they were going to throw. Basu was
crying quietly and hopelessly, his body was shaking.
‘Go home, all of you go home. I am ashamed of you.’ His black face shone with anger.
‘You are an utter disgrace to your nations and to your race.’
They crept away quietly, uneasily, avoiding each other’s eyes, like people caught in a secret
passion.
Vernier went to the first-aid cupboard and started dressing Basu’s wounds.
Vernier put Basu’s bandaged head against his waist coat and dried the boy’s tears with wi th his
handkerchief, gently patting his shaking shoulders.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if I had done it, sir, he mumbled, snuggling his head against
Vernier,’ but I did not do it. I swear to God I did not.’
‘Hush, hush.’ Said vernier comfortingly
‘Now they will hate me even more, he moaned.
‘Hush, hush.’
‘I don’t mind the wounds so much , they will heal.’
‘Hush, hush.’
‘They’ve missed the football match and now they will never talk to me again, oh ee, oh -ee, why
have I been so punished?
‘As you grow older,’ Vernier advised,’ You must leaern that men are punished not always for
what they do, but often for what people think they will do, for what they are.
Remember that and you will find it easier to forgive them.’

1. We can infer from Basu’s words and action at the very beginning of passage that.
A. He is angry and frightened
B. He is guilty
C. He is willing to bride the police to protect him
D. He is really a coward
2. The boys’ agreeing that ‘He must done it shows that
A. Basu was quilt
B. They thought he was guilt
C. They wanted to shield the real offender
D. They knew someone else was guilt, but they wanted to pin the blame on Basu.
3. Kojo threw books at Basu because
A. He thought Basu was quilt
B. He wished to punish Basu
C. He wished to himself by hurting someone
D. He wished to protect Bandele, the real offender
4. After Verier entered the room they all felt because they knew that
A. Although Basu was guilt, they should not have taken the law into their own hands
B. They should not have taken the law into their own hands, especially if the had no reai
evidence of Basu’s guilt.
C. They have been damaging school text-books.
D. They were in wrong.
5. Basu was upset particularly because.
A. The older boys had made him cry.
B. He had been wounded.
C. He knew he was innocent.
D. His former friends had turned against hihm.
6. We can infer that the boys had probably allowed their feelings to run away with them
because.
A. They thought it was so fair that they had been kept in.
B. They had been made to miss the football match.
C. Of all these reasons mentioned in A and B.
D. They were angry that the offender had not owned up.
7. Who do you infer was guilty?
A. Basu B. Basu and Kojo C.Kojo D. It is impossible to deduce this from the
passage.
8. Why do you think the boys picked on Basu?
A. Because he was very intelligent.
B. Because he was a foreigner.
C. Because he had not yet been accepted.
D. He was very bold and confronted other boys.
9. What do you think would be the best title of the story?
A. The broken thermometer B. Racism in class C. Kojo and Basu D.
Classroom violence.
10. From the underlined words in the passage select one which means the same as
A. To take something in one’s hand and suddenly use force…………………………..
B. Moved around quickly with a circular movement……………………………………….
C. Putting something or someone into a warm comfortable position……………..
D. Having a strong desire to know…………………………………………………………………..

4. COMPREHENSION
DISAPOINTED
I had just completed Grade 12 when I fell in love with a girl called grace. It would not be easy for
me to marry her because we belonged to different religious denominations. I was a member of
the Reformed church of Zambia while grace was a Jehovah’s Witness. I did not regard the
difference as important because I was very much in love .

When our love was well established, I went to tell my elder brother about my intention to marry
a girl from the watchtower sect. Hardly had I started narrating my story when he intervene to
say that women from that denomination were indiscipline. I was reminded that, besides the aim
of my family in sending to school was to enable me to become a pastor.

Although he made me promise to abandon my already established love, doing so was no easy
matter. I secretly continued to visit my girlfriend, but dared not tell her views of my parents. My
aim was to make her pregnant so that my parents would have no choice but to le t me marry
her.

I achieved the first part of my aim but still my parents rejected my pleas that we should marry.
They claimed that Grace was going about with other men. I was taken to court but my parents
drilled me in how to deny the charge of paternity. They even gave me tradition medicine so that
I would be acquitted. It would not be possible for me to deny the charge, but he threatened to
eat me up if I married a watchtower girl.

During the court hearing, Grace wore a wonderful dress I had secretly bought for her. Although I
loved her very much, I felt compelled to lie. The early stage of her pregnancy made her look
even more beautiful. As I saw her in the box, I smiled. My brother saw me and gave me a glum
look.

As case proceeded, Grace stated categorically that I was responsible for her pregnancy. When I
was asked to defend myself, I became tang-tied. I turned towards my brother and just felt
worse. Knowing everybody was waiting to hear from me. I remembered that he would beat me
up if I didn’t do as I had been told and so I began to tell lies just to please him. I said it was
ridiculous for the girl to accuse me of making her pregnant when I had bee away in Lusaka. I
went on to tell the court as I had been drilled, that I knew somebody who had been going with
her. Meanwhile my brother had recruited someone to accept responsibility for the pregnancy.
When the court asked me to name the person responsible, I said it was Kachingwe. To support
this, my brother came in and said he had on several occasions found Kachingwe in Grace’s house
late at night.

Kachingwe was called to give evidence and accepted responsibility for having made Grace
pregnant.

COMPREHENSION 5
DEBBIE GONZALES….CAN TAKE CARE HERSELF

The small dark-haired preparing to slam a karate kick is Debbie Gonzales. She is an Eighteen-
year old student at the university of New Mexico. Debbie is a girl whose main interests range
from Karate to Yoga to Piano playing.

She is a member of a small group of young people who enjoy what they believe i s the world’s
only Karate class for the blind. Debbie has been blind since birth and first learned about the
Karate class through an announced sent out by services for the blind.

“I always like to try something new,” she says with a smile. I hope Karate might help me with
grace and coordination. It did that and even more important, it brought me into contact with
some wonderful people. “Among these are her fellow students and their young teacher, Gil
Johnson.

Gil, who is only a couple of older than Debbie, got the idea for his class while in the military
service in Hawaii. It di enthusiasts and expert, he and his class mates would practice on the grass
late in the evening. As the light lessened, they found that they were using methods far different
from those they used in the day time. Since they could see little in the darkness, what they could
hear become more important.
 “As darkness closed in,” Gil says, “We started relying more on sound. We discovered to our
surprise that we were able to locate and control attacks even though we weren’t able to see the
person attacking. Echoes of movements reflected off objects around us, and we got so we could
judge their distances down to a degree of inches.”

After leaving the military service, Gil became a student at the university of New Mexico. But his
experiences in Karate fighting in the darkness continued to interest him. He decided to organize
a class using the same methods and techniques with students who actually were blind. One of
the first of these was Debbie.

“Debbie was always being independent,” Says her mother, Mrs Manual Gonzales, with a note of
pride in her voice. “She gets herself all over town using the public bus system. And most people,
seeing her the first time, would never know she has a sight problem.

Debbie adds with a smile, “ And I manage to do some bumping into things.” But surprisingly this
rarely happens. An explanation of this is given by her Karate practice partner, Terry Juvenile.
Terry has ‘Twilight vision’ which provides him with a small amount of sight in bright sunlight but
almost none or in the shade.

“Blind people move in a different world,” he says. “When you can’t see, you develop you other
senses. I can walk down a street, for instance, in the evening when I can’t see at all, and hear the
parked cars. It’s very plain, this sensation as you approach objects. There’s a kind of of
warmness, perhaps due to changes in the air pressure. You can hear all kinds of things, like tress
and poles, as you come upon them, If you’re paying attention. If you’re not, well then you are
out of luck.”

It’s this specials awareness that makes Karate for the blind possible. Watching Debbie in
practice, sparing, kicking, dodging and diverting her opponents’s attacks, a spector would never
guess that she cannot see. Herr reactions are sure and fast.

Debbie herself sees little that’s usual about her achievements. “There’s no end to what a non-
sighted person can do for herself,” she says.

Comprehension question:
1. Debbie is interested in………………….
A. Skimming a Karate kick
B. Being a student
C. Karate and Piano
D. Yoga, playing Piano and Karate
2. Her class is unique because
A. It is a small group
B. It is the world’s only Karate class
 C. It is the only blind Karate class
D. It is a class of young people
3. Why did Debbie join Karate?
A. She hoped it would help her try something new
B. It would be helped to be graceful and coordinate
C. It would help with grace, coordination and meet wonderful people
4. Who was a girl?
A. Young teacher
B. A Karate enthusiast, expert and teacher
C. A soldier in Hawaii
D. A female teacher
5. As darkness closed means…………………
A. Approached B. Far away C. Was near D. Was thinning
6. Which of these statements is untrue?
A. Debbie was blind
B. Gil was student at the university
C. Debbie was the first in her class
D. Gil organized a class after leaving military service
7. Who was Terry to Debbie?
A. The one who practice Karate with Debbie
B. Debbie’s boyfriend C. Debbie’s Karate teacher D. Debbie’s father
8. What is the author’s attitude towards Debbie?
A. He is neutral B. He praises her C. He is puzzled D. He opposes her
9. No one can guess that Debbie is blind because she can do
a. …………………………………………………………………………………………….
b. …………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. …………………………………………………………………………………………….
d. …………………………………………………………………………………………….
10. Find words in the passage which mean the same or nearly the same as……………….
a. Depending (Par. 5)…………………………………………………………….
b. Not often (Par. 8)………………………………………………………………
c. Lover (Par. 4)……………………………………………………………………..
d. Put together (Par. 6)………………………………………………………….

6.THE ROMANCE OF SCENT

Today, perfumes are made in different countries. England has its famous lavender water, and
huge factories the entire world over are turning out mass- produced synthetic-scents. But
although the compositions which are produced in chemical laboratories are witness to the great
progress of science, they can never equal the unique, delectable and delicate aroma that nature
provides in its flower gardens.

So let us turn to the south of France where the genuine article is made. Here each year, 3000
tones of rose petals alone are used in stills; tens of thousands of tones of a hundreds different
flowers go to the perfume factories which now cover many areas and which consist of office
buildings, laboratories, workshops, storerooms, sorting sheds, packing warehouses, and
garages, were founded around 1820, after the Napoleonic wars.

The people who work here- the peasant girls craftsman the fragrant blossoms on the plantations
the experts in the laboratories, the craftsmen in the still -rooms even the packers and van-
drivers- come from families who have worked at Grasse for generations. This gives a definite
family feeling to his unique industrial town.

Grasse guards its trade secrets jealously, but I have many friends there, and I will conduct your
imaginations on a tour through the many buildings, where strangers are not encourage d to
enter. The world famous firm, whose factories we now visit, started from small beginning in a
tiny one store-storey workshop more than a hundred years ago. It still belongs to the same
family; the founders grandsons and great grandsons are now the directors. They control the big
business concern from the handsome, tall office buildings where modern office machines,
clattering typewriters and purring calculators blend with dignified old mahogany future and
portraits of the firm’s pioneers.

Our visit is to a large air shed firms windrows. It is one of many where women and girls sort the
different kinds of flowers which are brought from plantation. They strip the petals with quick yet
gentle movements just as their mothers and their grand mothers did before them. The petals
are placed into large basket and then taken to distilling rooms. Here modern science comes into
its own. The flowers blossoms and fragrant roots are put into a huge tank which is mechanically
rotated and filled with ether or petrol, and in less than an hour a solid base is produced from
which essence is recovered by artificial evaporation. There are, of course, various other
methods, some applied to certain kinds of flowers. Volatile solvents are used for instance, for
orange blossom and mimosa. The natural of the flowers passes into benzene which is then
evaporated, leaving the heavily scented essence. Steam distillation is used for sandalwood, grass
and herbs.

The fragrant essences of the blossoms are but one of the many ingredients for making
perfumes. Other components may be added before a perfume is perfected. Strange substances
come from every corner of the earth to Grasse. Ethiopia sends the honey-coloured, sticky,
transparent liquid from the civet cat. Although it has a revolting smell when undiluted, a little of
it is added to all the best perfumes to give the lingering quality of aroma, so much in demand.
From Tibet comes a substance which is taken from the male musk deer. Its powerful, sweetish
smell is a vital component in the manufacture of most to Grasse all the way from Venezuela and
Brazil to yield the peasant- smelling coumarin powder; close- grained sandalwood comes Indian
and Pakistan; petty grass from Paraguay; orris root from Sicily.

It takes almost a life-time to become an expert in the perfume laboratory. No one who has less
than ten years of experience and training is given a responsible job in any factory. Blending a
perfume depends also greatly on the sense of smell, and next to the laboratories are the rooms
of the ‘smellers’ and ‘sniffers’. At every stage of the process, they examine the rough and half -
finished products.

Finally, there is the strong room, a place where strangers are never invited. Here, thousands of
jars and tins of essence and concentrates are stored, worth tens of thousands of Kwacha. A few
small jars may hold the essence of jasmine or lilly, and many tones of blossoms will have gone
into the making of this tiny quality.

Questions.
1. Which provides the best perfume?
A. England B. Grasse C. Factories D. Nature
2. The perfume industry in Grasse
A. Was established in the nineteenth century B. Is hundreds of years old C. Is modern
D. Was founded after the Napoleonic wars
3. Why are strangers not encouraged to enter certain buildings?
A. The writer has many friends in Grasse
B. Grasse has many valuable secrets
C. The firm is a family concern
D. Strangers may not enter many of the buildings
4. ‘Our first to a large, airy shed with high windows’ (Paragraph 5). Where is our next visit?
A. All office buildings
B. Sorting rooms
C. Distilling rooms
D. A tiny one-storey workshop
5. A perfume is made up of
A. Fragrant essence plus other components
B. Strange substances
C. Flower-blossoms and fragrant roots
D. Honey- coloured, sticky, transparent liquid
6. What kind of job do ‘sniffer’ and ‘smellers’ have?
A. A responsible, skilled job
B. An expert
C. A responsible, skilled job involving checking the quality of the perfume’s blend at certain
stages
D. A job requiring a life time of training and experience
7. What are the two main pieces of information given in the second paragraph?
 A. The location of a famous perfume industry and its stage
B. The Napoleonic wars took place before 1820
C. The modern factories were founded in 1820
D. Many flowers are used in making perfume
8. What is the main point in paragraph 7?
A. Much skill is needed to blend the essence with other ingredients
B. It takes almost a life time time to become an expert in the perfume laboratory.
C. Blending a perfume greatly depends on the sense of smell
D. One must have training and experience to have responsibility job in a perfume factory
9. What is the main point of the concluding paragraph?
A. The essence are stored in a strong room
B. Strangers may not enter the strong room
C. The essences and concentrates are worth thousands of Kwacha
D. The finished product is very precious, for it takes many tones of blossoms to make a
small quality of natural perfume.
10. From the underlined words in the passage find a single word which means the same as:

(a). Slow to go away……………………………………..

(b). Parts of a mixture……………………………………..
(c). Well- known………………………………………………
(d).Liquids which dissolve something…………………………..

7. COMPREHENSION CRIME
Crime, if the headines are anything to go by, is a subject of enormous interest and concern. So is
chasing and catching the criminal. What happens to him after he is caught/ Where he goes and
where he offends again- these consequences trail into the mists. Sometimes penetrated by the
press, but generally out of public sight and mind.
In this region can go badly wrong without the public knowing or caring very much. They are
going for a mixture of reasons. Our prisons with 40 000 inmates- a figure rising by about 1000
years are scandalously overcrowded. In self-confidence, not simply in pursuit of progressive and
so suspect ideas, we have been compelled to seek fresh methods of containing criminals outside
prison.

More supervised liberty is a plain necessity. For this we need an expanding adquetly paid and
independent probation service. Unfortunately the reverse is happening; expansion of probation
service is far behind our needs its members feel-ill paid, their independence is threatened.

Supervised liberty also makes sense finally. It must surely carry weight with the public that the
cost of a man on probation is little more than K2 a week. In prison he costs K50 a week, to which
we must add social security for his dependants and the loss of his productivity.
Despite their growing burden of work, and their indispensability to a modern penal system,
probation officers see themselves as poor relations to child-care officers, social workers and the
like. And because the probation service takes pride in the autonomy of its officers and keeps
bureaucratic structure light, the plums at the top of their own service are few and far between.

So it may be asked, why do we not incorporate probation into the new expanding social work
departments towards which some probation officers are already moving? For any part I can
accept the instance of professionals that a separate and independent probation service is
essential. These officers are not social workers, but the servants of the court. If modern penal
methods are to be publicly accepted, probation should be seen as part of the offenders
punishment. It is part of the judicial process.

Another modern penal method, that of parole, has proved a success so far not least because
selection has been cautious, it is a real test and the test of probation service will come if and
when we release more difficult cases. It is not putting to high to say that the capacity of the
probation now influences the quality of justice. A court’s decision to keep a man out of prison.
There should not be public misapprehension on that score. For a wide range of offences, prison
is increasingly seen to be contrary to the public interest.

One curse of the wage inflation we suffer the sectional clamour to which it gives rise, is that we
tend to loose sight of the social priorities. If we lose sight of this one, we shall not only
jeopardize attach on crime, about which the public cares a lot.

Question
1. The writer realizes that the public is interested in crime because
A. It is exciting to chase and catch a criminal
B. The press deals with this topic at length
C. There is concern about the seriousness of the crime
D. Crime is an interesting subject
2. Which of the following is true about the passage?
A. When a criminal is caught he disappears
B. The press always makes enquiries about what happens to a criminal
C. The public lose sight of one criminal because so many are caught
D. The public is indifferent to the fate of a criminal after he has been caught
3. Which of the following ideas does the author put forward for containing criminals?
A. More people should be prepared to defend themselves
B. The liberty of an individual should be supervised
C. He does not forward any ideas for reducing crime
D. The probation service should be expanded
4. We can deduce from the passage that the main job of the probation service involves:
A. Looking after the offenders who are sent to prisons
B. Supervising 40 000 inmates in prison
 C. Seeking fresh methods of preventing crime outside prison
D. Large-scale expansion to combat the increase in crime.
5. One convincing argument improving the probation service is that:
A. It provides social security and makes up for the loss in productivity
B. It costs far less to operate than the prison service
C. It is extremely successful so far
D. For the prisoner, it would be more comfortable than an over crowded prison.
6. The plums at their own service are few and far between. This means that;
A. People on probation should grow fruit
B. The exchange of promotion is slim
C. The best jobs are reserved for bureaucrats
D. There are not many senior positions in the probation service.
7. The test of the probation service in future will be on.
A. Whether it can influence the quality of justice
B. Its success with more difficult cases
C. The cautious selection of people who are put on probation
D. The development of other penal methods
8. The most significant ideas of paragraph seven is that;
A. Prisons sentences are not in the public interest
B. While some offenders must go to prison, it would be in the public interest to support
the ideas of supervised ‘liberty’ for many others
C. There is now a define alternative to prison
D. The probation service is now capable enough to influence the court and public opinion
9. In the opinion of the writer, why should the public be concerned with penal reform?
A. Penal reform is of great social importance
B. Penal reform will help the attach on crime
C. If penal reform will help attach on crime
D. The public cares a lot about the prevention of crime
10. From the underlined words in the passage, choose those which mean the same or nearby
the same as:
A. Being essential………………………
B. Demand…………………………………
C. Forced………………………………………
D. Independence…………………………
 8. COMPREHENSION DOWN THE MINE

The actual process by which coal is extracted is well worth watching, if you get the chance and are
willing to take trouble.

1. When you go down a coal-mine, it is important to try and get to the coal face when the ‘fillers’
are at work. This is not easy because when the mine is working, visitors are a nuisance and are
not encouraged, but if you go at any other mine, it is possible to come away with a totally wrong
impression. On a Sunday, for instance, a mine seems almost peaceful. The time to go there is
when the machines are roaring and their air is black with coal dust, and can you actually see
what the miners have to do. At those times the plane is like hell, or at any rate like my own
mental picture of hell. Most of the things one imagines in hell are there-heat, noise, confusion,
darkness, foul air, and above all unbearably cramped space. Everything except the fire, for there
is no fire done there except feeble beams of davy lamps and electric torches which scarcely
penetrate the clouds of coal dust.
2. When you have finally got there- and getting is a job in it self. I will that in a moment you crawl
through the last of pit props and see opposite you a shiny black wall there or four feet high. This
is the cola face. Overhead is the smooth ceiling made by the rock from which the coal has been
cut; underneath is the rock again, so that the gallery you are in is only as high as the l edge of
coal itself, probably not much more than a yard. The first impression of all, overmasting
everything else for a while, is the frightful, deafening din from the conveyor belt which carries
the coal away. You can not see very far, because the fog of coal dust throws back the beam of
your lamp, but you can see on their side of you the line of half-naked kneeling men, one to every
four or five yards, driving their shoves under the fallen coal and flinging swiftly over their
shoulders. They are feeding it on to the conveyor belt, a glittering river of coal races constantly.
In a big mine it is carrying away several tones of cola every minutes. It bears it off to some place
in the main roads where it is shot into tubs holding half a ton, and thence dragged to the cages
and hoisted to the outer air.
3. It is impossible to watch the fillers at ‘work’ without feeling a pang of envy for their toughness. It
is a dreadful job that they do, an almost superhuman job by the standard of an ordinary person.
For they are not only shifting monstrous qualities of coal, they are also doing it in a position that
doubles or trebles the work. They have got to remain kneeling all the while-they could hardly
rise from their knees without hitting the ceiling and you can easily see by trying it what a
tremendous effort this means. Shoveling is comparatively easy when you are standing up,
because you can use your knee and high to drive the shoved along; kneeling down, the whole of
the strain is thrown upon your arm and belly muscles.
4. The other condition do not exactly make things easier. There is the heat-it varies, but in some
mines it is suffocating and the cola dust that stuffs up your throat and nostrils and collects along
your eyelids, and the unending rattle of the conveyor belt, which in that confined space is rather
the rattle of a machine gun. But the fillers look and work as though they were made of iron.
Questions

1. According to paragraph one, ‘it is implied that it may be difficult to get the chance of watching
coal being extracted because
A. It is dark, confused and cramped down a mine
B. It is possible to come out with a completely false impression
C. Visitors tend to get in the way on work-days, and are thereforediscouraged
D. The fillers are too busy working to talk
2. The main job of the writer seems to be
A. Cutting through the rock to get at the coal
B. Getting to and from the coal-face often by crawling
C. Feeding the conveyor belt with coal
D. Shoveling the coal swiftly over their left shoulders
3. We can infer from the passage that the men are half naked because
A. They are so poor that they cannot afford proper clothes
B. It is so hot
C. It is so dirty that they wish to preserve their clothes
D. It is so cramped that shirts would get in their way while working
4. The ‘fillers’ face many difficulties in performing their task. The passage suggests that the worsts
is
A. The frightful din of the conveyor belt
B. The position in which they have to work
C. The quality of coal they have to move
D. The difficulty of seeing what they are doing
5. The text implies that above all things the ‘fillers’ need
A. To have strong arm and stomach muscles
B. To have good eye-sight to see what they are doing
C. To have almost super-human skill
D. To be fairly short
6. The writer’s chief impression of the mine is that it is
A. Pity for the ‘fillers’
B. Administration for the ‘fillers’ and envy for their toughness
C. Anger with the authorities for allowing such conditions to exist
D. Horror at the overmastering of the conveyor belt
7. The writer’s chief impression of the coal mine is that it is
A. Like hell
B. A necessary worth
C. Well-worth watching
D. Hot, dirty and noise
8. Paragraph 3 suggests that the coal mine
A. Is an enjoyable place to work on
B. Is exactly a place like hell
 C. Has the difficulties equivalent to punishment
D. Can even accommodate the lazy
9. According to paragraph 2, the height of the coal face is
A. Three feet
B. Five feet
C. Seven feet
D. Either or four feet
10. Find underlined words from the passage which means nearly or the same as
(a) Imagination…………………………………………..
(b) Threatening…………………………………………..
(c) Miners…………………………………………………..
(d) Dangerous……………………………………………..

9. COMPREHENSION CHURCH AT CASABLANGA

Life seemed especially attractive that morning. The heavy of the Casablanga conference was over and I
had two clear days in front of me to forget the war momentarily.it was therefore with a light heart that I
walked out of the Mamounia Hotel to get into the car for a day’s trip in the Atlas mountains and a day’s
partridge shooting to look forward to. Fate had , however, decided otherwise.

Before I reached the door of the car, I was stopped by a shout informing me that I was wanted on the
telephone. This turned to be a call from Winston requesting me to come round to Mrs. Taylor’s village at
once. I went there and I was shown into his room where he was in bed. I had frequently seen him in bed,
but never anything to touch this. It was all I could do to remain seriously. The room must have been Mrs.
Taylor’s bedroom and was gone up in Moorish style, the ceiling a marvelous fresco of green, blue and
gold. The head of the bed rested in an Alcove of Moorish design with a religious light shining on either
side: The bed was covered with a light blue silk covering trimmed with lace and the rest of the room was
in harmony with the Arabic ceiling. And there in the bed was Winston in his green, red and gold dragon
dressing gown, his hair or what there is of it, standing on end, the religious lights shinning on his checks
and a large cigar in his face, I would have given anything to be able to take a coloured photocopying o f
him.

He greeted me by telling me that we were off at 6pm. I replied that I was under the impression we had
come here for him to paint the scenery he had been longing to get at for the last six years. He said he
would paint for two hours in the afternoon that we should start at six pm. I drew his attention to the
fact that even he could not hope to do justice to the wonderful effects of palm trees and snow peaks in
two hours. He replied again, “I am off at 6pm.” By the way of clinching the argument ,I then said, “All
right if we are off at 6pm, where are we going?” His reply was typical. “I have not decided yet, I am
either going to answer questions in the house of commons tomorrow or I am or aim going to Cairo.” On
being questioned as to what would decided him, I was informed that he was a telegram from Anthony
Eden concerning his proposed visit to the Turks. If the cabinet agreed, we would go to Cairo. I had one
final attempt to save my partridge shooting and drew his attention to the fact that there was little time
in which to warm Cairo. The telegram would have to be encoded here, decoded in London, re -encoded
and finally decoded in Cairo. Miles Lampson would only receive it late in the evening. I was told it would
be ample time. He repeated that he was going at 6pm and crashed all my hopes of my partridge shoot.
The wire from Anthony Eden arrived afterwards.

Now answer the following questions:

1. On that morning in Casablanga the author was feeling:

A. Happy because he had forgotten about the war
B. Cheerful because they had just finished the conference
C. Pleased because he was looking forward to a short holiday
D. Delighted because he was going to shoot pigeons
2. Before he got into his car somebody called to say that:
A. Someone on the telephone wire wanted him
B. Winston Churchill wanted to speak to him
C. Someone wanted to talk to him on the telephone
D. He was to go to Mrs. Taylor’s house immediately
3. The author says that:
A. Chance had decided that he should not have gone shooting
B. Destiny had another card up its sleeve for him
C. Chance had a large part in running his pleasure
D. Destiny had determined to allow him to the Atlas mountain
4. When he first saw Churchill sitting up in Bed
A. He felt very serious and religious
B. It was just like any other time he had seen him in bed
C. He badly wanted to laugh at the sight
D. He wanted to go up to the bed and it to be sure it was real
5. The bedroom in which Churchill was sleeping was:
A. Lavishly and unusually decorated to English eyes
B. The usual sort of room found in the houses of rich Arabs
C. The finest piece of Moorish architecture he had ever seen
D. Extravagantly but economically decorated
6. The author believed that:
A. The ceiling had been painted for Mrs. Taylor by the moors
B. The room was used by Mrs. Taylor for religious purposes
C. The room had originally been used for religious purposes and then converted into a
bedroom
D. The room was the one normally used by the owner of the house
7. The author
A. Took a coloured photo of Churchill ion this room
 B. Took a black-and-white photograph of Churchill in this room
C. Took a photo of Churchill smoking a cigar
D. Had no camera and therefore could not take a photograph
8. After Churchill had told him that they were leaving, the author reminded him that he;
A. Wanted to put paint on the scenery of Casablanga
B. Had taken painting six years before
C. Badly wanted to record the beauties of Casablanga
D. Was giving him a good impression of the scenery of Casablanga
9. In asking him where they were going the author hoped to:
A. Have their departure put off while Church made
B. Persuade Churchill to go out and enjoy a day painting
C. Be able to go shooting instead of going back to London
D. Confuse Churchill because he knew that he had an answer
10. From the underlined words in the passage, find words which mean the same or nearly the same
as;
(a) Enough…………………………………………………………………
(b) Cut………………………………………………………………………..
(c) Meeting………………………………………………………………..
(d) Asking……………………………………………………………………
 10.COMPREHENSION MUSHROOMS

For a long time scientists held that mushrooms was a special and somewhat mysterious kind of
plant. Nowadays most biologists classify mushroom as a higher order of mold. They call
mushrooms an independent group of organisms, citing their usual body structure, growth and
manner of getting nutrition. Many mushrooms are edible, and some even have medicinal
properties. Others, though, are hallucinogenic or poisonous. The mushroom has the scientific
name mycota or mycetes. The scientific of funguses such as mushrooms is thus called mycology.

How the mushrooms propagate was long mystery to science. Today we know that the adult
mushroom scatters microscopic spores, which are distributed by air currents. From this net, the
fruiting body of the mushroom grows. That is the part we are accustomed to seeing and picking.

To survive, mushrooms need all kings of organic matter. In the wild, therefore, they grow
primarily in forests, gardens and grassy areas. Sick or dead trees form their staple food and thus
mushrooms play an important role in the cleaning of forests. By consuming the remains of
plants, leaves and twigs, mushrooms help to create natural humus enriching the soil . Some
mushrooms live in symbiosis with healthy trees, mycelium of the mushroom absorbs water and
nutrient from the soil and transfers to the plant. The plant reciprocates by feeding the
mushroom.

Mushroom also needs moisture and warmth. That is why they spring up after a summer rain.
Unfavorable conditions some species will grow to their full size overnight. One species are
exceptional for their life plan. The mycelium from which the body of the mushroom grows can
live for centuries. The funguses that form part of the lichens can, according to some data, live up
to nearly 600 years.

Mushroom picking has been there for centuries in many places of the world. This needs careful
consideration and examination to decide if the mushrooms picked are edible. The pickers go for
those they are absolutely sure of the species. After picking, they do not put them in plastic bags
or containers because the mushrooms would start fermenting and would be spoiled. Mushroom
spoil easily and therefore it is necessary to handle them the day are picked. Abady stored edible
mushroom can become quite poisonous. If you do not want to eat mushrooms right away, you
may choose to dry or sterilize them.

Finally if you have never picked mushrooms and would to try, it is very important that you start
with some careful research. Find out what edible and poisonous mushrooms grow in your area
and learn to recognize them. You may want to consult an expert such as a pharmacist, an
apothecary, or a mycologists. Otherwise mushrooms can be poisons.

Question
The passage is about…

A. How mushrooms grow

B. Poisonous mushrooms
C. Mystery of mushrooms
D. Picking mushrooms.

C is the best answer and as you can see it has been ringed.

1. According to paragraph 1.
A. Mushrooms have remained a mystery
B. The mystery surrounding mushrooms have been removed
C. Most of the mushrooms are poisonous
D. Very few mushrooms are edible
2. According to paragraph 2 mushrooms are a product o f…
A. Bacteria B. Microbes C. fungi D. Decayed organisms
3. The word ‘propagate’ as used in paragraph 2 mushroom means to…………………
A. Fight for B. Remove C. Scatter D. grow from
4. In paragraph 3 mushrooms play a very important role by ……………….
A. Cleaning the forests
B. Absorbed water from nutrients
C. Enriching the soil
D. Consuming plants, leaves and twigs
5. For mushrooms to grow well, they need ……………………..
A. A lot of rainfall B. Dry growing period C. High temperature D. water and heat
6. Some mushrooms have a longer life span that can be up to ……………
A. More than 600 years B. less than 14 years C. Hundreds of years D. exactly 600 years
7. Mushroom picking, according to paragraph 5, has been there for………………..
A. Thousands of years B. a period of ten years C. Hundreds of years D. Millions of years
8. Mushrooms should be examined carefully before picking them for consumption because they …
A. Can be rotten and spoiled
B. May be edible
C. May be too delicate and break
D. Can be poisonous
9. According to the last paragraph, what do you need to do before picking mushrooms for
consumption?
A. Pick mushrooms for research
B. Research carefully
C. Consult a scientist
D. Identify them
10. Choose the underlined words in the passage that mean the same or nearly the same as the
phrases below. Write the words against each phrase.
A. To give something in return …………………
B. Know someone or something…………………………….
C. Change chemically………………………………………………..
D. Very unusually………………………………………………………
 VOLUME 2: COMPREHENSION

MODEL ANSWERS:

1. JUSTICE 5. DEBBIE GONZALES

1.B 1.D
2.D 2.C
3.A 3.D
4.C 4.B
5.B 5.A
6.C 6.C
7.D 7.A
8.A 8.B
9.C 9.(a ) s paring (b) kicking (c) dodging (d) diverting her
opponent’s kicks
10.A. jury B. pl ucked C.i nnocent D. foolish 10.A. rel yi ng B. ra rely C. Entusiasts D. organize

2. QUESTION 2 6. THE ROMANCE OF SCENT

1.B 1.D
2.C 2.B
3.A 3.B
4.C 4C
5.A 5.A
6.B 6.C
7.B 7.A
8.A 8.A
9.D 9.D
10.A. fa mous B. a musing C. tes ted D. Ordered 10.A.l i ngering B. Ingredients C. fa mous D. solvents

3. .QUESTION 3 7. CRIME
1.A 1.C
2.D 2.D
3.C 3.D
4.B 4.A
5C 5.B
6.C 6.D
7.C 7.A
8.B 8.D
9.D 9.B
10.A. fl ung B. swirled C. pa tting D. Curious 10.A. enormous B. Reverse C. es sential D. consequence

4. DISAPPOINTED 8. DOWN THEMINE

1.D 1.A
2.C 2.C
3.A 3.B
4.C 4.B
5.B 5.A
6.B 6.B
7.A 7.D
8.C 8.C
9.D 9.D
10.A. a ba ndon B. rejected C. Na rra ting D. compelled 10.A. mental picture B. frightful C. fi lers D. dreadful
 9. CHURCHIL AT CABLANGA 10. MUSHROOMS
1.B 1.B
2.C 2.C
3.B 3.D
4.C 4.A
5.A 5.D
6.D 6.C
7.D 7.C
8.C 8.D
9.A 9.B
10.A. ample B. trimmed C. conference 10.A.Receprocates B. Recognize C. Fermenting
D. requesting D. Exceptional