English Paper 2 Questions and Answers - 2021 KCSE Eldoret Diocese Mock Exams

Questions

Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

• Answer ALL the questions in this question paper.

1. Read the passage below then answer the questions that follow:
   
   If one said, “The room had an extremely obnoxious smell.” And another said, “The room had the smell of rotten fish.” Which of the two sentences is appealing? Whereas the first sentence may look superior with the word ‘obnoxious’ making it pronounced, the second one stands out. Why? It is more subtle, graphic and appeals to our senses of sight, smell and even taste. Apart from that it is memorable. This is the residence of imaginative or creative writing.
   
   Writing is arguably the highest in the order of skills in language acquisition. It combines: listening, speaking and reading. When one writes, it is for reading and when one reads they are in a one- on-one conversation with the writer; laughing at the jokes, frowning and being drawn to feel with what the writer is saying. If this is the case then there is need for anybody who wants to write to give it some thought.
   
   Good writing that evokes feelings begins with a mindset that delves beneath the surface of things. Creative writings swim in the undercurrents of human existence seeking to bring to the fore hidden nuances of things and human life. In imaginative writing one explains the universal significance of what they observe. For instance, if the twins born together but raised apart eventually reunite and seek to locate the fact surrounding their parentage, creative writing would focus on the twists not the obvious based on the phenotypically acknowledged attribute that a DNA test would readily confirm. But a captivating writing would be if the test also revealed that the fathers who have raised them are not their biological fathers. This would unearth more than what looks true in the surface.
   
   It is this imagination that rises above the mundane human realities that would form some fodder for thought as one gleans through what has been creatively written. Scintillating stories have lived with humanity from the adorable age of oral narratives when animals satirized human foibles. Again, these were not stories for stories’ sake but ones with didactic values; a take-home that would make the human world a better place.
   
   The significance of expressive language cannot be gainsaid in writing. Even scientific reading would be made more accessible and enjoyable if they employed not the jargons that exist in their registers but in how the scientific writers would manipulate language in such a way that would draw attention to itself. Deliberate diction and syntax would create a definite pattern in such writing so as to communicate the complex scientific terminologies with a light timbre of humour.
   
   It is the writer’s thinking captured in images using words and phrases with an obvious appeal and impact on the senses of taste, touch, hearing, smell and sight that would engrain what is read into the hearts and minds of the readers. It is the sensory details communicated through words that are impressionistic. And writing is as good as the indelible impression it leaves on the reader’s mind.
   
   Through good creative works, the reader is transported to worlds far and wide, real and imagined while unveiling the new insights that traversing such worlds bring to human experiences. It is the writer’s conscious effort that concretizes these fictional and real worlds in any written piece. In such writings, love comes through as a beautiful flower and kindness as the milk of human life.
   
   Sustained vivid accounts of human experiences captured in words using mental pictures engraved in human senses would make creative writing be in a better stead than an action-pact movie.
   
   (Adapted from a paper presented by Oloo Oliver on Creative Writing to teachers at Star of the Sea; Mombasa County; 2017)
   
   Questions
   1. According to paragraph one, what does creative writing entail? (2marks)
   2. Why is it important for anyone who wants to write to think? (2marks)
   3. Scintillating stories have lived with humanity from the adorable age of oral narratives when animals satirized human foibles. (Rewrite beginning: Satirizing…) (1mark)
   4. How would creative writing work as a ‘mode of transport’? (2marks)
   5. Explain why twins are mentioned in this passage. (2marks)
   6. In note-form mention any three things one needs to consider in creative writing. (3marks)
   7. Why do you think impression is important in creative writing? (2marks)
   8. According to the passage, what is the significance of creative writing? (2marks)
   9. Describe how creative writing would outdo movies. (2marks)
   10. Give the meaning of the following word and expression as used in the passage
       1. Indelible
       2. engraved in human senses.
          
          
2. Read the excerpt below then answer the questions that follow
   
   Nora: (begins to unpack the box, but soon pushes it away from herself) If only I dared go out. If only no one would come. If only I could be sure nothing would happen here in the meantime. Stuff and nonsense! No one will come. Only I mustn’t think about it I will brush my muff. What lovely, lovely gloves! Out of my thoughts, out of my thoughts! One, two, three, four, five, six- (screams) Ah! There is something coming -, (makes a movement towards the door, but stands irresolute) (enter MRS. LINDE from the hall, where she has taken off her cloak and hat)
   
   Nora: Oh, it’s you Christine. There is no one else out there, is there? How good of you to come!
   
   Mrs. Linde: I heard you were up asking for me.
   
   Nora: Yes, I was passing by. As a matter of fact, it is something you could help me with. Let us sit down here on the sofa. Look here. Tomorrow evening there is a fancy-dress ball at the Stenborgs’, who live above us; and Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher girl, and dance the Tarantella that I learned at Capri.
   
   Mrs. Linde: I see; you are going to keep up the character.
   
   Nora: Yes, Torvald wants me to. Look, here is the dress; Torvald had it made for me there, but now it is all so torn, and I haven’t any idea—
   
   Mrs. Linde: We will easily put that right. It is only some of the trimming come unsewn here and there. Needle and thread? Now then, that’s all we want.
   
   Nora: It is nice of you.
   
   Mrs. Linde: (sewing) So you are going to be dressed up tomorrow Nora I will tell you what -- - I shall come in for a moment and see you in your fine feathers. But I have completely forgotten to thank you for a delightful evening yesterday.
   
   Nora: (gets up, and crosses the stage) Well, I don’t think yesterday was as pleasant as usual. You ought to have come to town a little earlier, Christine. Certainly Torvald does understand how to make a house dainty and attractive.
   
   Mrs. Linde: And so do you, it seems to me; you are not your father’s daughter for nothing. But tell me, is Dr. Rank always as depressed as he was yesterday?
   
   Nora: No; yesterday it was noticeable. I must tell you that he suffers from a dangerous disease. He has consumption of the spine, poor creature. His father was a horrible man who committed all sorts of excesses; and that is why his son was sickly from childhood, do you understand?
   
   Mrs. Linde: (dropping her sewing) But, my dearest Nora, how do you know anything about such things?
   
   Nora: (walking about) Pooh! When you have three children, you get visits now and then from---- from married women, who know something of medical matters, and they talk about one thing and another.
   
   Mrs. Linde: (goes on sewing a short silence) Does Doctor Rank come here everyday?
   
   Nora: Everyday regularly. He is Torvald’s most intimate friend and a great friend of mine too. He is just like one of the family.
   
   Mrs. Linde: But tell me this---- is he perfectly sincere? I mean, isn’t he the kind of man that is very anxious to make himself agreeable?
   
   Nora: Not in the least. What makes you think that?
   
   Mrs. Linde: When you introduced him to me yesterday, he declared he had often heard my name mentioned in this house; but afterwards I noticed that your husband hadn’t the slightest idea who I was. So how could Doctor Rank---?
   
   Nora: That is quite right, Christine. Torvald is so absurdly fond of me that he wants me absolutely to himself, as he says. At first he used to seem almost jealous if I mentioned any of the dear folk at home; so naturally I gave up doing so. But I often talk about such things with Doctor Rank, because he likes hearing about them.
   
   Questions
   1. Why does Nora look disturbed at the beginning of this excerpt? (3marks)
   2. Who brought the box that Nora is unpacking at the beginning of this excerpt why did Nora want it? (2marks)
   3. “Yes, Torvald wants me to. Look, here is the dress; Torvald had it made for me there, but now it is all so torn, and I haven’t any idea-----“
      1. What does this reveal about the character of Nora? (2marks)
      2. From this statement, describe the relationship that exists between Nora and Torvald.(2marks)
      3. Identify and explain a dramatic technique used in this statement (2marks)
   4. Cite two things that indicate that Nora is lying about Dr. Rank’s sickness in this excerpt. (2marks)
   5. Explain the message in Dr. Rank’s story as narrated by the two women in this excerpt. (2marks)
   6. Apart from repairing the fancy dress, what else does Mrs. Linde repair in this play and how?(3marks)
   7. How is morality explored in this excerpt? (3marks)
   8. Describe Mrs. Linde’s attitude towards Dr. Rank in this excerpt. (2marks)
   9. Explain Nora’s voice at the end of this excerpt (2marks)
   10. Explain the word ‘dainty’ as used in this excerpt. (1mark)
       
       
3. Read the story below then answer the questions that follow
   
   Long time ago, the Hyena and the Rock where bosom friends. Whenever the Hyena was idle with nothing to eat, the Rock provided him with some warmth as he yawned away the day. He could sleep on the Rock, roll over to the other side and when he felt any movement, especially of what was edible, he stood on the Rock with a limp and peered into the horizon for what lady luck might have brought to his door-step.
   
   On a rainy day, the Hyena would bring home huge chunks of carcasses, lay them on the Rock and devour ravenously. When his meal was over, usually after a day or two, he spent the rest of the days uncertain of his next meal, licking the remnants of blood left on the Rock. He licked these for days and the Rock remained silent and obedient.
   
   One day when the Hyena had a meal- a smelly piece of meat he had salvaged from a pride lions in the vast savannah grassland, there was a big fight between the Hyena and the vultures who wanted to have a piece from his hard-earned meal. The Hyena bared his teeth to scare off the reluctant birds but the vultures with their sharp pointed beaks flew away with some pieces of the rotten bones. The struggle left the back of Rock with scratches and bruises.
   
   That evening it rained heavily. The Hyena searched and searched and searched but he did not find a crack or space within the rock in which to hide. When morning came, the Hyena looked feverish as he went atop the Rock to await the warmth from the rising sun. The water from its now wet fur dripped down on the rock and when the sun’s eyes peered from the eastern horizon, the droplets glittered and reflected in the Hyena’s eyes. “Hmmm’ it feels good to be warm. But I’m hungry,” the Hyena said.
   
   In the sweltering afternoon sun, the Hyena moved away to a shade that the canopy of trees had provided. In a short time, deep sleep overcame him. He slept carelessly having had no sleep the previous night. He slept on his belly, his sides and on his back snoring loudly. Suddenly his stomach rumbled like thunder and before he knew it, the contents of his bowels spewed out on the green grass. The smell was awful. He gave the steaming mixture a gleeful look before he pounced on it again. He guessed the future would be stormy without any morsel in sight.
   
   After the long rains came a long dry spell. People waited for the rains. The pregnant clouds had receded and the sky was sapphire blue. The birds moved higher up the mountains. Even the King of the Jungle roamed keenly near the few watering points that still had the precious liquid- water. There was no prey in sight The Hyena lurked lazily behind prides waiting to scavenge.
   
   After several days, weeks and months the Hyena approached the Rock again. He looked him more keenly this time. He prayed that God would grant the desires of his heart. “What a lovely back, the Rock has!” he thought, “he could make a meal in this adversity.” He moved closer and now the rock resembled a Hippo. As he went closer and closer, the Rock now changed to look like a sleepy antelope.
   
   “Rock, you know I’m hungry yet you lie here like a meal,” the Hyena said. The Rock was quiet. “I will eat you one day. I will plunge my teeth into your neck and belly then you will be my meal.” But the Rock was still silent. “And you will make my meal for days. I will eat you in bits.” Again the Rock was dumb. The Hyena walked away singing happily:
   
   A meal, meals you people
   Let the hungry cry
   And the weak die
   But the lame will eat, eat and eat.
   
   When the Hyena looked back, the back of the Rock looked yummy. He said, “God this one I have found out of my hand work. But you can still go ahead and find me another one.” Then to the Rock he said, “Even though you are quiet, you have heard.” Two days later, the Hyena became the vultures’ sumptuous meal on the rock.
   
   (Taken from Oloo Oliver’s Collection for Oral Narratives; 2019; Unpublished)
   Questions
   1. What in the story suggests that the relationship between Hyena and Rock was lopsided? (1mark)
   2. Explain what the phrase “rainy day’ in paragraph two of the story reveals about the Hyena’s life? (2marks)
   3. How does the saying: “When two bulls fight it is the grass that suffers,” apply in this story? (2marks)
   4. Cite two evidences from the story that indicate that Rock shielded Hyena from crisis. (2marks)
   5. Comment on any two features of oral narratives in this story (4marks)
   6. What two functions does Hyena’s song serve in this story? (2marks)
   7. Explain what this story teaches us about human relationships. (3 marks)
   8. Identify any two values that can be derived from this story. (2marks)
   9. What two instances show Hyena’s greed in this story? (2marks)
   10. Explain what led to the death of the Hyena in the story? (2marks)
       
       
4. Grammar
   1. Rewrite the following sentence according the instructions give after each. Do not change the meaning. (5marks)
      1. Zena studied her opponent’s face because she wanted to win contest. (Rewrite beginning with a present participle)
      2. They were unaware that the thieves had dug a whole behind their house. (Begin: Little…)
      3. The teacher asked us to write down the notes and show him at the end of the lesson. (Rewrite in direct speech)
      4. The bachelor prepared his own supper. (Rewrite to remove gender bias)
      5. You can serve me now. (Add a question tag)
   2. Replace the underlined words with appropriate phrasal verbs. (3marks)
      1. The thug could not escape from the hands of the police-officers.
      2. I will visit you next week.
      3. My parents provide my basic needs at school.
   3. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. (3marks)
      1. Our principal is revered for her…………………………. character. (conscience)
      2. The newspaper has a …………………………of over a million readers. (read)
      3. That club does not entertain those who are …………………………. in environmental conservation. (interest)
   4. The following sentences contain errors. Rewrite them correctly (2marks)
      1. We are discussing about how to improve in English.
      2. They say he does not reply messages sent to him.
   5. Use complex prepositions to complete the sentences below. (2marks)
      1. Rana visited the yard ……………………………….. buying a brand new car.
      2. ………………………. lethargy, most students do not like reading set books.

Marking Scheme

1.          
   1. According to paragraph one, what does creative writing entail? (2marks)
      • Creative writing making expression which are subtle, graphic and appealing to the human senses so as to be memorable
   2. Why is it important for anyone who wants to write to think? (2marks)
      • It is the highest in the order of skills in language acquisition that combines all the other skill; listening, speaking and reading.
   3. Scintillating stories have lived with humanity from the adorable age of oral narratives when animals satirized human foibles. (Rewrite beginning: Satirizing…) (1mark)
      • Satirizing human foible, scintillating have live with humanity from the adorable age of oral narratives.
   4. How would creative writing work as a ‘mode of transport’? (2marks)
      • Through good creative works the reader is transported to worlds far and wide, real and imagined while unveiling the new insights that traversing such worlds bring to human experiences.
   5. Explain why twins are mentioned in this passage. (2marks)
      • To show that good creative writing should focus on twists and turns and not the obvious/ that creative writing goes beneath the surface.
   6. In note-form mention any three things one needs to consider in creative writing. (3marks)
      • Expressive language
      • Deliberative diction and syntax.
      • Thinking in terms of images.to create an indelible impression
   7. Why do you think impression is important in creative writing? (2marks)
      • It engrains what one reads into the heart and mind to leave and indelible impression
   8. According to the passage, what is the significance of creative writing? (2marks)
      • To be able to manipulate language in a manner that draws attention to itself to make reading enjoyable.
   9. Describe how creative writing would outdo movies. (2marks)
      • By sustained vivid accounts of human experiences captured in word using words engraved in human senses.
   10. Give the meaning of the following word and expression as used in the passage
       1. indelible
          • inerasable/lasting/unforgettable/memorable/rememberable/ingrained/indestru ctable
       2. engraved in human senses.
          • Carved/etched/embossed/furrowed/embedded/chiseled/imprinted/lodged
2.         
   1. Why does Nora look disturbed at the beginning of this excerpt? (3marks)
      • Krogstad had visited her and threatened her with dire legal consequences arising from the discrepancy in the bond she signed when she took a loan of 250pounds to save Torvald. She is also afraid that her much guarded secret might be revealed and this might ruin her relationship with the husband.
   2. Who brought the box that Nora is unpacking at the beginning of this excerpt why did Nora want it? (2marks)
      • The nurse brought the box. Nora wanted it so that it can be repaired in readiness for the fancy-dress ball coming up at the Stenborgs’.
   3. “Yes, Torvald wants me to. Look, here is the dress; Torvald had it made for me there, but now it is all so torn, and I haven’t any idea-----“
      1. What does this reveal about the character of Nora? (2marks)
         • She is obedient/submissive- wants to go by what Torvald wants.
         • She is honest/sincere/truthful- admits that she has no idea how to fix the torn fancy dress.
      2. From this statement, describe the relationship that exists between Nora and Torvald. (2marks)
         • It is a hypocritical/pretentious. She wants to please Torvald by doing what he wants not because she likes it.
         • It is also cordial/warm. Torvald had a dress made for Nora.
      3. Identify and explain a dramatic technique used in this statement. (2marks)
         • Symbolism. The torn fancy dress that needs repair. It symbolizes the pretentious relationship between Nora and Torvald that requires fixing.
         • Suspense/Ellipsis. Nora doesn’t say the idea she doesn’t have for the dress. This keeps the audience guessing hence heightens the tension in the play. Situational irony. Nora’s dress is new yet it torn and requires repair. It helps heighten the tension in the play.
           (1 mark for identification and illustration; 1 mark for explanation)
   4. Cite two things that indicate that Nora is lying about Dr. Rank’s sickness in this excerpt. (2marks)
      • When asked by Christine how she gets to know about such details, she becomes restless and walks about
      • She also hesitates/stammers when she says that she gets visitors who have a medical knowledge.
      • She gives a flimsy reason- that because she has three children she gets visits from married women who know something about medical matters.
      • It is evident that her reasons are based on gossip- that the women talk about one thing and another.
        (Accept any two well explained)
   5. Explain the message in Dr. Rank’s story as narrated by the two women in this excerpt. (2marks)
      • Love/Friendship. Dr. Rank is Torvald’s intimate friend and Nora’s great friend too.
      • Morality. Dr. Rank suffers because of the excesses committed by his father- that if you live immoral life, it will make your children or relatives suffer too.
   6. Apart from repairing the fancy dress, what else does Mrs. Linde repair and how? (3marks)
      • She goes all out to repair Torvald-Nora relationship/marriage to make it be premised on truth and honesty rather than pretence. She does so by asking Krogstad not to withdraw the bond so that the truth about Nora’s secret can be known to Helmer. She also insists that Nora should let Helmer know about her much guarded secret.
      • Christine repairs her broken relationship with Nils. She seeks him out, invites him to Helmer’s house, opens up to him and accepts to be the mother to his children.
   7. How is morality explored in this excerpt? (3marks)
      • Dr. Rank’s father committed excesses in his youth and as a result his son suffers from a disease- the consumption of the spine- that would finally kill him. This is a warning to people to live moral lives devoid of excesses.
   8. Describe Mrs. Linde’s attitude towards Dr. Rank in this excerpt. (2marks)
      • She is critical/condemnatory/spiteful/sarcastic of Dr. Rank. She thinks that he is not perfectly sincere.
   9. Explain Nora’s voice at the end of this excerpt (2marks)
      • Conceited/exultant/boastful/arrogant voice. She talks of how much Torvald possesses her jealously
      • Ironic voice. That Torvald is absurdly fond her yet there are things she can only share with Dr. Rank and not Torvald.
   10. What does the word ‘dainty’ mean in this excerpt (1mark)
       • Beautiful/Charming/Exquisite/Lovely/Neat/Elegant.
3.                
   1. What in the story suggests that the relationship between Hyena and Rock was lopsided? (1mark)
      • It is always the Hyena that benefited from the rock.
   2. Explain what the phrase “rainy day’ in paragraph two of the story reveals about the Hyena’s life? (2marks)
      • The Hyena’s life depended on opportunities/chances that he did not work for/ the Hyena never worked for his own.
   3. How does the saying: “When two bulls fight it is the grass that suffers,” apply in this story? (2marks)
      • The fight between the Hyena and the vultures over a smelly piece of meat, the back of the rock is left in scatches.
   4. Cite two evidences from the story that indicate that Rock shielded Hyena from crisis. (2marks)
      • The Hyena searches for a long time on the rock for a crack to hide in when it rains.
      • When the Hyena is feverish after a heavy downpour he goes atop the rock to await the warm from the rising sun.
      • When he is hungry with nothing to eat, he wants to eat the rock. (Expect any 2)
   5. Comment on any two features of oral narratives in this story (4marks)
      • Opening formula eg. “Long time ago..” Transports the listener to the world of fantansy where the events of the story are plausible.
      • Repetition eg. “..searched and searched and searched.” Creates rhythm/shows the Hyena’s desperation.
      • Personification/Use of Dialogue eg. Hyena tells the rock that he would it it one ady but the rock remains silent. This makes the sory real and dramatic.
      • Use of song eg. The Hyena sings with joy at the sight of the rock after staying for long without a meal. It develops plot/ breaks the monotony of narration.
      • There is a moral lesson eg. Greed is bad.
        (Expect any two. No mark for identification without illustration.)
   6. What two functions does Hyena’s song serve in this story? (2marks)
      • It breaks the monotony of narration.
      • It develops the plot- prepares us for the encounter with the rock.
   7. Explain what this story teaches us about human relationships. (3 marks
      • Human relationships are characterized by betrayals eg. The Hyena turns on the Rock when hungry in spite of the rock’s hospitality.
   8. Identify any two values that can be derived from this story. (2marks)
      • Patience- Rock remained patient/calm despite the suffering he undergoes because of the Hyena.
      • Love- the Rock remained a true friend to the Hyena even in times of crises.
   9. What two things show Hyena’s greed in this story? (2marks)
      • He gives his own smelly vomit a gleeful look then pounces on it.
      • He imagines that the rock is now an antelope or hippo and wants to eat it.
   10. What do you think led to the death of the Hyena in the story? (2marks)
       • Hunger
       • He might have attempted to eat the rock and this left him seriously injured.
4. Grammar
   1. Rewrite the following sentence according the instructions give after each. Do not change the meaning. (5marks)
      1. Zena studied her opponent’s face because she wanted to win contest. (Rewrite beginning with a present participle)
         • Wanting to win the contest, Zena studied the opponent’s face.
      2. They were unaware that the thieves had dug a hole behind their house. (Begin: Little…)
         • Little did they know that the thieves had dug a hole behind their house.
      3. The teacher asked us to write down the notes and show him at the end of the lesson. (Rewrite in direct speech)
         • The teachers asked us, “Write down the notes and show me at the end of the lesson.”
           OR
           “Write down the notes and show me at the end of the lesson,” the teacher told us.
           OR
           “Write down the notes,” the teacher told us, “and show me at the end of the lesson.”
      4. The bachelor prepared his own supper. (Rewrite to remove gender bias)
         • The unmarried prepared their own supper/The single prepared their own supper.
      5. You can serve me now. (Add a question tag)
         • You can serve me now, will you?
   2. Replace the underlined words with appropriate phrasal verbs. (3marks)
      • The thug could not escape from the hands of the police-officers.
        break away
      • I will visit you next week.
        call on
      • My parents provide my basic needs at school.
        cater for
   3. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. (3marks)
      1. Our principal is revered for her conscientious character. (conscience)
      2. The newspaper has a readership of over a million readers. (read)
      3. That club does not entertain those who are disinterested in environmental conservation. (interest)
   4. The following sentences contain errors. Rewrite them correctly (2marks)
      1. We are discussing how to improve in English.
      2. They say he does not reply to messages sent to him.
   5. Use complex prepositions to complete the sentences below. (2marks)
      1. Rana visited the yard with a view to buying a brand new car.
      2. Due to lethargy, most students do not like reading set books.