English Paper 2 Questions and Answers - Form 3 Term 3 Opener Exams 2023

INSTRUCTIONS:

Answer all the questions.

1. COMPREHENSION.
   Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow after it:
   Those who have never travelled by air imagine that it is an interesting experience. It is, in some ways, but I would like to show some of the disadvantages. When travelling long distances, one disadvantage is the close proximity of your travelling companions. At least in a crowded train you can get up on the pretext of going to stretch your legs in the corridor, which gives you an opportunity to see if there is a vacant seat with less offensive passengers in another compartment, or, if the worst comes to the worst, you can spend the greater part of the journey in the buffet car eating tired sandwiches and drinking a brown liquid referred to as coffee out of paper cup. You may not enjoy it but it may well be the lesser of the two evils.
   
   Not so on the plane. Inevitably, you find yourself wedged in the middle of a row seating many people. How some unfortunate travellers manage to get the isle or window seats. I have never been able to discover, since they do not look significantly different from anyone else. Perhaps it is done by shameless lying: Excuse me, stewardess, but I must get a seat next to the window as I am recovering from a spinal operation, or I am afraid unless I sit by window, I will get sick and mess up everybody. All I know is, I have never been able to invent a convincing reason.
   
   So, there I am, wedged next to the fattest man on the plane on one side, and the most fidgety child on the other. No room to stretch my legs, barely room to fasten my seat belt, nowhere to rest my arms – in other words, I am sitting „encaged like a sausage, constantly squeezed and trampled over by other members of my row trying desperately to reach the aisle or get a view from the window. And when it is time for food, it is even worse. Either the fat man gets my tray as well as his own, or the child, displaying a well-timed fit of temper, sends my meat nearly flying in all directions.
   
   Time and space will not allow me to tell you about other miseries. But do you know? The stewardess could address you in a strange tongue and become impatient when you fail to respond. The food could he strange and unpalatable…….. and you never quite forget that should something happen you would meet your maker without any delay whatsoever.
   
   Well, man’s conquests of the air may be his most outstanding achievement to date, but as far as I am concerned, it’s an international disaster.
   1. In your own words, say why travelling by air is not a pleasant thing. Use the information given in the first three sentences of the passage. (2 marks)
   2. According to the passage why is it better to travel on a crowded train than on a crowded plane? (3 mks)
   3. What is implied by the food served in a train? Illustrate your answer. (2 marks)
   4. The writer points out that he has been unable to invent a convincing reason so as to be excused to occupy the window seat. What reason does he give to support this claim? (2 marks)
   5. In point form, write the reasons why the writer envies those who get the aisle or window seats. (4marks)
   6. What does the expression encaged like a sausage mean? (2 marks)
   7. Time and space will not allow me to tell you about other miseries. (Rewrite the sentence changing the underlined pronoun to subjective case) (1 mark)
   8. How offensive are the passengers is the writer referring to in paragraph 1 of the passage? (2 marks)
   9. What is the mood of this passage? (2 marks)
      
      
2. READ THE EXTRACT BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW
   Nora:              I didn’t find it dull.
   Helmer:          (smilling)But there was precious little result, Nora.
   Nora:             Oh, you shouldn’t tease me about that again. How could I help the cat’s going in and tearing everything to pieces?
   Helmer:         Of course you couldn’t, poor little girl. You had the best of intentions to please us all, and that’s the main thing. But it is a good thing that our hard times are over.
   Nora:             Yes, it is really wonderful.
   Helmer:         This time I needn’t sit here and be dull all alone, and you needn’t ruin your dear eyes and your pretty little hands-
   Nora:             (clapping her hands) No, Tovald, I needn’t any longer, need I! It’s wonderfully lovely to hear you say so! (taking his arm) Now I will tell you how I have been thinking we ought to arrange things, Torvald. As soon as Christmas is over-(A bell rings in the hall.) There’s the bell. (She tidies the room a little.) There’s someone at the door. What a nuisance!
   Helmer:          If it is a caller, remember I am not at home.
   Maid:             (in the doorway) A lady to see you, ma’am,--a stranger.
   Nora:              Ask her to come in.
   Maid:             (to Helmer)The doctor came at the same time, sir.
   Helmer:          Did he go straight into my room?
   Maid:              Yes, sir.
   
   Questions
   1. What does Nora refer to in her opening words in this extract? (2 marks)
   2. What has happened that has made the couple happy? (2 marks)
   3. Discuss two themes evident in this extract. (4 marks)
   4. “There’s someone at the door.” Add a question tag (1 mark)
   5. A lady has come to see Nora as reported by the maid. Who is this lady and how does her coming affect the Helmers from the rest of the play. Write your answer in note form. (6 marks)
   6. Discuss one aspect of style in this extract. (2 marks)
   7. Briefly explain what happens after this extract. (4 marks)
   8. Explain the meaning of the following expressions as used in the excerpt. (4 marks)
      1. Tease
      2. Dull
      3. Nuisance
      4. A caller
         
         
3. Read the narrative below and then answer the questions that follow.
   There was a famine in the animal kingdom. This famine had lasted so long that any existing source of food had been completely depleted. The animals knew they had to do something real quick or they would all die off one by one. They called a meeting where every animal was in attendance and they determined that they had to do something drastic. It was decided that the mothers would be sacrificed to ensure the continuation of the animal races. They would eat their mothers.
   
   The dog who had been at the meeting decided to hide his mother. He was not going to sacrifice his mother, so he hid her in the sky. Every day, he would go to a particular spot where he sang a song asking his mother to drop a rope.
   
   Dog would sing:
   Mother Mother send down your rope
   All have killed and eaten their mothers
   Dog has taken his mother to the sky
   Mother Mother send down your rope
   
   His mother would drop a rope and the dog would climb to the sky where his mother would have a feast waiting for him.
   
   One day as the dog was singing for his mother to drop the rope, the tortoise was passing by and he hid himself to observe what was going on. He heard the song dog was singing, then he saw a rope being dropped from the sky with which the dog climbed to the sky.
   
   The following day, the tortoise went to the same spot and disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before. A rope dropped from the sky and the tortoise began to climb this rope. At this same time, the dog was just approaching the same spot and he saw the tortoise climbing to the sky. The dog immediately started to sing to his mother. This time, he sang that he was not the one climbing the rope and his mother should cut the rope. Dog’s mother got a pair of scissors and cut the rope sending the tortoise crashing to the ground. This caused tortoise shell to break into several pieces. He managed to glue these pieces together but that is how the tortoise ended up with the rough shell we know today.
   1. With a reason, classify this oral narrative. (2marks)
   2. Identify and illustrate two features of oral narratives evident in the story above. (4marks)
   3. How important is the song sung by dog to his mother? (2marks)
   4. Why did the dog have to sing at that particular spot? (2marks)
   5. Describe two character traits of Dog as depicted in the story. (4marks)
   6. Explain one theme evident in the story. (2marks)
   7. The following day, the tortoise went to the same spot and disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before. (1mark)
      Rewrite beginning with: The tortoise…
      Give the meaning of the following words as used in the story. (3marks)
      1. Drastic
      2. Disguising 
      3. Glue
         
         
4. GRAMMAR
   1. Use the correct form of the word in brackets to complete the following sentences:    [5 marks]
      1. The dress I bought for my baby has……………………..(shrink)
      2. The government promised to cushion Kenyans against Covid-19 until…………………. returns.(normal)
      3. The financial experts advised me that it is…………………….. (hazard) to think of investing now.
      4. Resian lives in a…………………………….. (dominant) male society.
      5. Taiyo and Resian’s lives were………………………….(separate) linked.
   2. Replace the underlined word in each of the following sentences with appropriate phrasal verb. [3 marks]
      1. Agege always visits at meals time.
      2. The late president of Burundi refused to relinquish power in 2015 leading to bloodshed.
      3. The ten people who tested positive for Covid-19 are stabilizing at Mbagathi Hospital.
   3. Rewrite the following sentences as instructed. Do not change the meaning: [4 marks]
      1. It was a bizarre incident.[Rewrite beginning: How……………..]
      2. Walking around without wearing a mask is dangerous.[Rewrite using a to infinitive]
      3. It would be unwise to open schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic. (extremely). [Put the word in brackets in its correct position in the sentence]
      4. When the people burst into the councilors office he had not even sat down. (Begin: Hardly)
   4. Fill the blank spaces with the correct preposition
      1. I am indebted _____________________ him for the help he gave me.
      2. She has always confided ____________________________ him.
      3. The ailing man has been in bed _________________________ the whole week

MARKING SCHEME

1. 
   

   (a)	- Travelling by air is unpleasant because one sits too near1 the other passengers/friends/travellers that there‟s hardly any room for personal space.	The candidate must paraphrase the words ‘close proximity’ and ‘companion’ No mark if the response has been lifted. (2x1=2 marks)
   (b)	-In a train you can walk in a corridor/stretch your legs, look for a vacant seat in a different compartment or spend the time eating snacks in the buffet car;	3x1=3 marks Key words: walk/stretch your legs, vacant seat and eating snacks.
   (c)	- The expression, „tired sandwiches‟and „a brown liquid‟referred to as coffee give the impression the writer considers the meals uninteresting/unimaginative/unappetizing/unpalatable/perhaps stale the type of food one is forced to eat; Or the author doesn‟t like/hate the food served in the train as he refers to it as „brown liquid‟, „tired sandwiches‟.	Key words: Brown liquid Tired sandwiches Doesn’t like/hates/detests Unappetizing/stale (2x1= 2 marks)
   (d)	-Those who get lucky or are fortunate are shameless liars/lie about it/ They are dishonest about it/pretend to be unwell./ The feels he cannot lie / get favours in an improper way.	(2x1= 2 marks)
   (e)	- The writer envies those who get the window seat because: They can afford to stretch their legs; They can easily fasten their seat belts; Have a chance to rest their arms; Have access to the view outside; They can easily access meals/food; They are saved from being pushed from every side;	Any 4 points; 4x1=4 marks. The responses must be in point form.by use of dashes, bullets, and numbers. If not penalize by reducing ½ mark from the total scored. Do not penalize for faulty expressions.
   (f)	-This is a simile. It means the speaker is squeezed from every side/with no room for maneuver just like a sausage in a packet/ he feels hopeless/useless.	The candidate must appreciate/recognize that this is a simile, followed by an explanation. A ward 1 mark if this is not done; (2x1=2 marks)
   (g)	-I will not tell you about other miseries because of/due to time and space./Due to time and space, I will not tell you about other miseries.	For the second option accept the response if it is well punctuated with a comma. Otherwise, a ward zero if any of punctuation marks is missing
   (h)	-The passengers referred to are the fattest man and the fidgeting child.The fat man grabs and eats the writer‟s food/He loses his food to the fattest man. Secondly, the fidgeting child scatters his food. Thirdly, the writer is wedged/squeezed/trampled such that he can‟t find ample space to even stretch himself.	(2 marks) 1 mark for identity of the passengers; 1 mark for an explanation of how offensive they are;
   (i)	- The author tries to down play the much hyped travel by air. He shares with us his tribulations while travelling by air thus capturing our mood. The mood therefore is described as: Fearful/tensed/anxious/frightening/nervous/terrifying indicated by phrases like, „….meet your maker without delay,‟ „…… it is an international disaster; Sympathetic/bitter/dismayed/disappointed/critical. We feel sympathetic/feel sorry for the woes the writer goes through/ what he is subjected to. He does not get proper meals nor does he feel comfortable.	2 marks Identity of the correct mood; 1 mark; Illustration/explanation; 1 mark; NB. No mark without explanation/illustration.

2.  EXTRACT
   1. She refers to the previous Christmas when she spent every evening for three full weeks making ornaments for the Christmas tree. Her husband says it was the dullest three weeks he had spent. (2 marks)
   2. The couple is happy that Mr. Helmer has been to the level of a bank manager. They are happy that the position will ease their financial burden and they will have a lot of money to spend. (2 marks)
   3. Parental responsibility/the role of women in the society. Nora is committed to please her family. Krogstad says, “You had the best of intentions to please us all”
      Falsehood-Mr Helmer tells Nora to say he is not at home if it’s a visitor. (4 marks)
   4. isn’t there? (1 mark)
   5.  
      • The lady is Mrs. Linde.
      • She is Nora’s school days times.
      • She asks Nora talk to her husband to give her job because of his title.
      • She gets the job which is to make Krogstad lose his job.
      • Krogstad writes a letter exposing Nora’s forgery to prevent Helmer from sacking him.
      • Mrs Linde speaks to Krogstad on her behalf and Krogstad withdraws his revenge plans.
      • The Helmers reputation is protected although their marriage finally breaks. (6 marks)
   6. Flashback. “How could I help the cat’s going in and tearing everything to pieces?” This refers to the previous Christmas (2 marks)
   7. Helmer goes into his room while the maid ushers in Mrs. Linde. Mrslinde greets Nora in a dejected voice but Nora does not seem to recognize her. Later she remembers her as christen and observes that Christine has changed greatly. She agrees she has changed because they last met nine or ten years back. (4 marks)
   8.  
      1. Provoke
      2. Boring/uninteresting
      3. Bother, an inconvinience
      4. Visitor
         
         
3. ORAL NARRATIVE
   1. With a reason, classify this oral narrative. (2marks)
      • Aetiological narrative. Explain the cause of tortoise’s rough shell.
   2. Identify and illustrate two features of oral narratives evident in the story above. (4marks)
      • The use of song. There is a song sang by dog to signal to the mother to drop the rope.
      • There is fantasy. There’s dog’s mother in the sky and the singing.
   3. How important is the song sang by dog important to his mother? (2marks)
      • She is reminded that she is the only mother left.
      • She gets the signal that dog is waiting for the rope to be dropped.
   4. Why did the dog have to sing at that particular spot? (2marks)
      • So that his mother would drop a rope for him to climb to the sky where his mother would have a feast waiting for him.
   5. Describe two character traits of Dog as depicted in the story. (4marks)
      • Wise. Does not kill his mother has other animals do. He hides her in the sky.
      • Protective. He warns the mother that it is not him climbing the rope and that she should cut the rope.
   6. Explain one theme evident in the story. (2marks)
      • Selfishness. All the other animals sacrifice their mothers for their survival.
   7. The following day, the tortoise went to the same spot and disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before. (1mark)
      Rewrite beginning with: The tortoise…
      • The tortoise went to the same spot the following day and disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before.
   8. Give the meaning of the following words as used in the story. (3marks)
      1. Drastic        extreme/radical
      2. Disguising   hiding/concealing
      3. Glue            stick
         
         
4. GRAMMAR
   
   

   (a)	(i)  shrunk  (ii) normalcy  (iii) hazardous  (iv) predominantly  (v) inseparably	5x1=5 marks;  Reject for a misspelt word;
   (b)	(i) turns up/drops in/shows up;  (ii) hand over;  (iii) calming down;	(3 marks)  Note the tense of the phrasal verb. If changed, reject
   (c)	(i) How bizarre was the incident!  (ii) To work around without a mask is dangerous;/It is dangerous to walk around without a mask;  (iii) It would be extremely unwise to open schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic;  (iv) Hardly had the councilor sat down when the people burst into his office	Deny ½ mark if the response is correct but poorly punctuated; 4x1=4 marks
   (d)	(a) to  (b) in  (c) for