BECE Past Questions & Answers – 1999 (English)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PART 1
OBJECTIVE TEST
45 minutes
SECTION A COMPREHENSION
Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions which follow
PASSAGE I
The persistent sound of the big bell at that time of the day surprised everybody. What could the matter be? The pupils, bumping into each other, raced to the assembly hall. In less than a minute, Mr Amoh, the
headmaster, stood with a grim face before them. He raised his hand and everybody was quiet.
“Children,” he began. “The reason why I have summoned you here is to tell you that, at long last, we have
found the students who stole the school‟s microphones. Bring them here!” he commanded.
Necks craned to catch a glimpse of the thieves. There was Kofi Smith, the best footballer in the school. Eyes popped out. “Shiee!” exclaimed the students, completely surprised. Next was Akwesi Ameko. “What…!” blurted out someone from the back. “Is he not the Form Two Class Prefect?” As if that was not enough, Akwasi Osei appeared last, his withered leg dangling on a crutch. The students exploded into uncontrollable laughter. The Senior Prefect had to shout his head off before silence was restored. Everybody was at a loss as to what came over the trio to commit such a crime.
In a clear voice, the headmaster handed down the punishment – two weeks‟ suspension.
1. Why was everybody surprised when the bell rang?
A. the students bumped into each other
B. they ran to the assembly hall
C. the students saw the headmaster standing before them
D. they did not expect the bell to ring at that time
2. The students raced to the assembly hall because the
A. headmaster was annoyed
B. headmaster asked them to come
C. bell rang many times
D. bell rang at the normal time
3. There was laughter in the assembly hall because
A. Mr Amoh stood before them with a grim face
B. Kofi Smith the footballer was involved
C. Akwesi Ameko surprised them
D. Akwasi Osei the cripple was also involved
4. The expression at a loss means
A. dissatisfied
B. angry
C. confused
D. surprised
5. What did the headmaster do to the thieves? He A. warned them not to repeat the offence B. asked a teacher to cane them
C. sent them home to call their parents
D. asked them to stay away from school
PASSAGE II
Before Obu left the house that morning for the Christmas service, he tried on his brand new clothes together with a cap which was beautifully embroidered with yellow thread. He wore the cap at various angles, using a hand mirror to choose the most suitable.
During the service, Obu caught himself several times admiring his clothes. Whenever the congregation sat down, he switched his attention from the clothes to his shoes, nicknamed “stand by”, his first pair ever. He was not alone. Even the choristers who should have joined the procession preferred to sit with the rest of the congregation in order to show off their new clothes. The church itself was in a festive mood, beautifully decorated with palm fronds and flowers.
Obu‟s only problem was that he could not wear his cap inside the church. Outside, the harmattan wind was dry and dusty, making one thirsty. One could not even smile without bleeding since one‟s lips were so dry. Despite this, Obu preferred staying outside to being inside the church where he could not display his cap. Therefore, when the catechist was on his way to the pulpit for the sermon, Obu lied to the Warden that he wanted to relieve himself outside.
6. Obu was inattentive in church because of………….
A. the Christmas
B. the harmattan
C. his new dress
D. his embroidery
7. Obu‟s shoes were special to him because they…………
A. were called “stand by”
B. were his first
C. made noise
D. looked very beautiful
8. According to the passage the choristers………..
A. disliked their robes
B. did not like singing
C. wanted to display their dresses
D. preferred sitting to standing
9. Obu went outside the church……….
A. since it was so warm inside
B. because he did not like the catechist
C. in order to relieve himself
D. so that he could wear his cap
10. He was not alone tells us that Obu was not the only one who was……..
A. in church that day
B. happy
C. wearing new clothes
D. celebrating