English Paper 2 Questions with No Answers - Maseno Mock Exams 2020/2021

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education 2020
101/2- ENGLISH -Paper 2
(Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar)
2 ½ hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

1. Answer all questions in this question paper.
2. All your answers must be written in the spaces provided in this question paper.
3. Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain that all the pages are Printed and that no page is missing.

1. COMPREHENSION (20Marks)
   
   Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
   
   When God made women out of man according to the Biblical story of creation), He did not restrict her from doing certain types of jobs, nor did He forbid man from doing any kind of chores. The only problem with us today is that we think like those who lived in an age where men’s roles and women’s roles were clearly specified.
   
   Consequently, it is rare to find a man at home doing chores like washing the dishes, preparing supper for the family or even cleaning the house while the women of the house sits to watch the news or a programme she enjoys on television. This mindset has also been passed down to children, where you will find a girl working tirelessly around the house while her brother is comfortably stretched out on the sofa watching a movie. Why can’t we train our children to do what needs to be done irrespective of their gender?
   
   Personally, I was brought up in a home where chores are divided equally among those present, and no amount of protesting could exonerate me from my assigned chores, which is why I find this gender sensitivity somewhat discriminative. I once broached the issue of sharing chores with a friend of mine and his reaction was unpredictable, “You expect me to cook, wash the dishes, clean the house and look after the baby? These are things I can’t do no matter how much I love her! My job is to put food on the table and secure our children’s future,” he responded passionately. These are biases so deeply ingrained that it seems odd if a man tells you that he is a nurse. The question that naturally comes to mind will be, “Isn’t that a woman’s job?” because you expect a nurse to be a woman in a pretty white or small stripped dress and a white cap. However, the truth is that men are just as capable of providing nursing care as their female counterparts.
   
   And turning to politics, how many of our constituencies have female representatives in parliament? Just a handful. And how many countries in the world have women presidents or prime ministers? Another handful. Many women have joined politics hoping to succeed where men have failed but quit after being frustrated by men’s obvious lack of trust in their abilities. But from those who have persevered, we can see that women do better than men since they start this from the basic level of the home, where they take care of their families and do everything to keep them going.
   
   Another very peculiar field is football. Fans flock pubs to watch male players juggle the ball and make their fancy moves and sometimes fights erupt after heated arguments about football games like the World Cup, premier League and other tournaments. But I have never heard people fight over the Women’s World Cup or anybody disappointed after a women’s team he supports took a thrashing from an opponent.
   
   Careers like engineering have also been affected by this negative trend. It is getting increasingly rare to find a woman in overalls lying under a heavy truck checking for engine trouble or repairing the brakes. This is considered a man’s job and many people believe a woman cannot do it properly.
   
   I believe is it time we got rid of these outdated beliefs and started appreciating women for who they are. We should give them a chance to prove themselves and open up more opportunities for them. Men should also realize that to do perfectly, one requires brain, not brawn, and if this continues, it will do more harm than good. Besides, what a man can do, a woman can do, sometimes even better. Giving women an opportunity, will create a balance and bring out the best in everyone.
   (Adapted from: Daily Nation 24thFebruary 2010, Living Magazine page 2-Gichuru Hebson)
   
   Questions
   1. According to the passage, what seems to cause conflicts in gender roles today?(1mark)
   2. What is the author’s opinion of defined gender roles? (1mark)
   3. How has his upbringing contributed to this opinion? (1mark)
   4. Make notes on duties of men and women as brought out in the passage. (5marks)
   5. According to the passage, why are some careers considered male dominated in our society today? (3marks)
   6. In your opinion, should there be gender defined duties for boys and girls? (2marks)
   7. According to the passage, what should be done to get rid of the outdated practice of defined gender roles? (3marks)
   8. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. (4marks)
      1. Exonerated
      2. Ingrained
      3. Peculiar
      4. Brawn
2. Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow
   
   “For heaven’s sake Resian,” Taiyo said turning round to face her sister. “How am I supposed to know?”
   “I suppose it’s going to be very different from the kind of life we are used to here, isn’t it?”
   “Most likely so, yes.”
   “It seems so very strange,” Resian pressed on relentlessly, “to be leaving Nakuru town.”
   “We have always known that it was our father’s plan to end up in Nasila,” Taiyo told her sister, trying hard not to answer her directly. “That is why he built that shop that he has always spoken about. Now that he has been retrenched....” she hesitated a moment. It transpired that the more she spoke of the relocation, the harder the reality that she was about to leave Nakuru town for good hit her.
   The twenty years of her life had been spent there. She loved its crowded streets, the bustle and excitement of its wholesale and retail marksets, and the boisterous bus stage. But the most painful to leave behind was her boyfriend Lenjirr, the lanky dark-haired, blunt-faced young man whose big languid eyes had always smiled at her warmly fostering in her the dreams of young womanhood.
   “Taiyo-e-yeiyo?” Resian called, lifting her head to look up; suspiciously into the face of her tall sister. “Is something amiss?”
   “No nothing is a miss.”
   “I’m somehow worried dear sister. Resian’s voice dropped a little with apprehension. “What do you think will happen to us if the shop father intends to open does not become as successful as he hopes?”
   “Resian-e-yeiyo, I don’t know any better than you! Father thinks the shop will be a success. I overheard him tell one of his friends that he was going to stock agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, seeds, animal drugs and chemicals. Nasila in an agricultural area and business is bound to do well. Let us have faith in him and hope for the best.”
   1. Place the excerpt in its immediate context. (6marks)
   2. From the excerpt above, describe the characters of both Taiyo and Resian. (4marks)
   3. From elsewhere in the novel, describe how the news of Ole Kaelo’s retrenchment had been received by both mama Milanoi and Ole Kaelo himself. (4marks)
   4. Comment on the author’s use of language in the above excerpt. (4marks)
   5. Describe any thematic concerns addressed in the above excerpt. (2marks)
   6. “We have always known that it was our fathers plan to end up in Nasila” Taiyo told her sister, trying hard not to answer directly. Rewrite the above statement in a reported speech . (2marks)
   7. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the excerpt. (3marks)
      1. Retrenched...................................................................................................
      2. Transpired...................................................................................................
      3. Inputs.........................................................................................................
3. Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. (20marks)
   
   No coffin, No grave by Jared Angira
   
   He was buried without a coffin
   Without a grave
   The scavengers performed the post-mortem
   In the open mortuary
   Without sterilized knives
   In front of the night club
   
   Stuttering rifle put up
   The gun salute of the day
   That was a state burial anyway
   The car knelt
   The red plate wept, wrapped itself in blood its
   Master’s
   
   The diary revealed to the sea
   The rain anchored there at last
   Isn’t our flag red, black and white?
   So he wrapped himself well
   
   Who could signal yellow
   When we had to leave politics to the experts
   And brood on books
   Brood on hunger
   And school girls
   Grumble under the black pot
   Sleep under torn mosquito net
   And let lice lick our intestines
   The lord of the bar, money speaks madam
   Woman magnet, money speaks madam
   We only cover the stinking darkness of the cave of our mouths
   And ask our father who is in hell to judge him
   The quick and the good.
   
   Well, his diary, submarine of the Third World
   War
   Showed he wished
   To be buried in a gold-laden coffin
   Like a VIP
   Under the jacaranda tree beside his palace
   A shelter for his grave
   And much beer for the funeral party
   
   Anyway one noisy pupil suggested we bring
   Tractors and plough the land.
   
   QUESTIONS:
   1. Who is being referred as “we” in the 4th stanza? (1marks)
   2. Briefly explain what this poem is about. (3marks)
   3. Comment on the use of two stylistic devices in the above poem. (6marks)
   4.  Explain the tone of the poem. ` (2marks)
   5. What is the attitude of the persona towards his or her subject? (2marks)
   6. In your own words, suggest ways people can bring changes in society without assassinating politicians. (2marks)
   7. Explain the meaning of the following lines (2marks)
      1. Who could signal yellow.................................................................................................
      2. Submarine of the Third World War................................................................................. .
   8. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the poem. (2marks)
      1. Anchored...........................................................................................................................
      2. Brood................................................................................................................................
4. GRAMMAR (15MARKSS)
   1. Fill in the blank with the correct forms of the words in bracket. (3marks)
      1. The tragedy was beyond everyone’s________________________ (comprehend)
      2. The driver of the lorry declined to accept_______________________ (liable)
      3. She filed a______________ (sue) against her employer.
      4. Choose the right word from the options given to fill in the blanks. (3marks)
         1. We went home before it ..............(begun/began)the rain.
         2. Doctor Rank always______________(visit/visits) Torvald and family.
         3. Always do the right thing to avoid__________________ (embarrasing, embarrassing, embarassing) yourself.
   2. Punctuate the following sentences correctly. (3marks)
      1. I need a copy of memories we lost and other stories.
      2. Why does he James like chicken?
      3. Everyone knows hard work pays.
   3. Explain the ambiguity in the following sentences. (3marks)
      1. The tourist saw the monkey with a telescope.
      2. He narrated to him hi success story.
      3. Valentine spent all the money he had set aside for emergency.
   4. Supply the correct question tag. (3marks)
      1. Let us go.
      2. You had some coffee before assembly.
      3. We have a lot to do.