English Questions And Answers - KCPE 2022 Past Papers

Questions

Questions 1 to 15
Read the passage below. It contains blank spaces numbered 1 to 15. For each blank space, choose the best alternative from the coices given.

For me the actual writing of a composition seems fairly easy. I sit down     1     my desk and write. It is the      2     up of  the story that is     3    difficult. Most of my compositions are done early in the morning     4    . I find myself fresh. the process of writing     5     compositions is clear. After I have drafted the composition says exactly what I    6      to put across. I used to     7     this important step, but I have slowly come to realise that it may be      8    most important part of writing. Besides, correcting    9   . I cross out unnecessary words, and I    10     find myself adding o0ther words. Depending on the    11      of my composiiton, I may do this three or four times. I guess that I only spend about 30 percent of any    12     time actually writing the composition. another 40 percent or     13      is used in thinking and coming up with a story, with the   14     used in doing revision. I don't think I will ever be able to just sit down and wstart writing without   15    planning.
(Adapted from English and Communication (6th ed.) by Stewart Zimmer Clark, Me graw Hill: USA, 1961)

For questions 16 and 17, choose the option which means the same as the underlined word. 

16. The robber surrendered after a long chase by the police.
    
    1. went in
    2. went down
    3. gave in
    4. gave out
17. The girl disclosed her elder brother's plan to marry her off.
    1. announced
    2. showed
    3. concealed
    4. revealed

For questions 18 and 20 , choose the alternative that best fills the blank space

18. Neither of my parents  ________  at home now.
    1. is
    2. are
    3. was
    4. were
19. She has been ______ in the field for the last twenty minutes.
    1. laying
    2. laid
    3. lying
    4. lain
20. We are three girls in our family and Jane is the _______ .
    1. elder 
    2. eldest
    3. older
    4. oldest

For each of questions 21 to 23, choose the best sentence that means the same as the underlined one.

21. If it had not rained, we would have done enough practice
    
    1. We did enough practice because it had rained.
    2. It did not rain, so we did enough practice
    3. The rain did not stop us from doing enough practice.
    4. We did not do enough practice because it had rained.
22. It hardly rains in the Sahara desert.
    1. It never rains in the Sahara desert.
    2. It often rains in the Sahara desert.
    3. It rarely rains in the Sahara desert.
    4. It heavily rains in the Sahara desert.
23. “Mutai won the 1000 metres race in Tanzania," Kogo said.
    1. Kogo said that Mutai will win they 1000 metres race.
    2. Kogo said that Mutai had won the 1000 metres race in Tanzania.
    3. Kogo said that Mutai wins the 1000 metres race in Tanzania.
    4. Kogo said that Mutai would win the 1000 metres race.

For questions 24 and 25, choose the sentence ame which is correctly punctuated.

24.    
    1. Did you watch news yesterday? asked Tony.
    2. "Did you watch news yesterday?" Asked Tony.
    3. "Did you watch news yesterday?" asked Tony.
    4. Did you watch news yesterday? Asked Tony.
25.    
    1. As soon as it rains we will plant maize.
    2. As soon as, it rains we will plant maize.
    3. As soon, as it rains we will plant maize.
    4. As soon as it rains, we will plant maize.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 26 to 38.

               I soon learned that life for a growing boy was not all play; at least not for boys with parents like mine. Although my mother had never had the benefit of formal education herself, she was determined that I should be sent to school at the earliest opportunity. My father, due to my mother's persuasive power, was strongly in favour of this also. Even though I could often get round my father, I knew that once my mother's mind had been made up, there was nothing I could do about it.
               I found my first day at school so disappointing that I ran away, determined never to return. But my mother turned a deaf ear to my protests and firmly dragged me by the arm every morning and deposited me in the school. Eventually, I realised that I had lost the battle. I decided that since I was going to
 forced to stay in school, I might as well get to like it and do what I could to learn something. To my surprise, I soon found that I enjoyed my lessons and looked forward to going to school. However, we lived in fear of the teacher because of his firm belief in the old adage: 'Spare the rod and spoil the child'. I disliked being forced to do things against my will because I was not used to it. I used to think what a paradise school would be if we were left in peace to do our studies without the presence of a master.
               All the various grades occupied one room, and the teacher used to teach a class at a time. It must have been a hard job for him, and we did not do much to make it easy for him. Luckily, I was keen on learning. In fact, I was so keen that my only dread was that my father might one day be unable to afford the school fees which at that time amounted to ten shillings a term. Because of this, I began rearing chickens which I sold for fifty cents each. By this means, I could not only help to meet my school fees, but I had money to buy books as well.
               One thing in particular stands out in my mind during my early school days, probably because it was my first lesson in discipline. We were not fond of the teacher because of his frequent use of the bark stick, often without a good reason. One day we learnt that an inspector was coming to the school and immediately saw our chance to get our revenge on the teacher. We got together and decided to stay away from school the whole day during the inspector's visit. My one regret was that I was not able to see the expression on the inspector's face when he found an empty classroom or, better still, the look of horror and amazement on the face of the teacher. It certainly must have caused him a lot of embarrassment but the following morning he got the last laugh. As soon as we showed our faces, he had his stick ready. We were each given twenty-four lashes on our bare bottoms. This hurt so much that for the next three days, I was unable to sit down at my desk. But I knew I deserved it. From that day, I have learnt to accept punishment that I feel I have justly earned.

(Adapted from Ghana by Kwame Nkurumah)

26. Why did the writer's father support his going to school?
    
    1. He knew his son would be successful.
    2. The writer's mother convinced him.
    3. His love for education was great.
    4. He had to agree with the writer's mother.
27. The writer says he was often able to 'get round' his father. This means that he could
    
    1. influence his father to do what he wanted.
    2. walk together with his father.
    3. ask his father difficult questions.
    4. make his father like him much more.
28. 'But my mother turned a deaf ear....' This means that the writer's mother 
    
    1. did not hear everything he said.
    2. did nothing to help him.
    3. did not listen to him.
    4. did not understand him at all.
29. What battle is the writer referring to in the second paragraph?
    1. The harrassment by the teacher at school.
    2. The great disappointment suffered at school.
    3. The way his mother dragged him to school.
    4. The struggle to avoid going to school.
30. Why was the writer surprised to find out that he soon enjoyed going to school?
    
    1. He had known that schooling was the hardest thing to do.
    2. He had not expected he would ever like going to school.
    3. He still believed that school was not for boys like him.
    4. He had not thought school would become a paradise.
31. The writer's teacher believed that
    1. children need to be disciplined.
    2. children are naturally lazy.
    3. children should respect visitors.
    4. children require a lot of care.
32. How many classrooms did the writer's s school have?
    1. Many
    2. Two
    3. One
    4. None
33. The word 'dread' as used in the passage or means
    1. trouble.
    2. fear.
    3. idea.
    4. question.
34. The writer started rearing chickens in order to
    1. help his father feed the family.
    2. have something to do after school.
    3. practise what he had learnt at school.
    4. take care of the cost of his education.
35. The writer's mother can be described as
    1. harsh
    2. stubborn.
    3. persistent.
    4. generous.
36. Why did the pupils decide to stay away from school?
    1. To avoid the teacher's punishment.
    2. To make the teacher feel ashamed.
    3. To shock the school inspector.
    4. To have a whole day to themselves.
37. What lesson did the writer learn about discipline in school?
    1. That one should be in school when inspectors visit.
    2. That one should accept punishment if it is justly given.
    3. That one should avoid taking revenge when punished.
    4. That one should keep away from bad company.
38. Which of the following would be the most suitable title for this passage?
    1. My early school years
    2. My day of punishment
    3. My day of revenge
    4. My love for school

Read the following passage and then asnwer questions 39 to 50

              One day, Hare met Elephant on the way to the forest. As Hare is a cunning and clever animal, he wanted to fool Elephant. He started talking to Elephant," Elephant my brother, good morning. What is the matter? Why are you walking all alone like that, my friend? Why don't you ask me to walk along with you through the forest?"
             After they had walked together for some time, Hare said  "Elephant my brother, I want to go on a rope-pulling contest with you. I know that I can defeat you miserably, for I am stronger than you." Elephant replied, "You are too small to contest with me. You are playing about, my brother, think twice."

Questions

Questions 1 to 15
Read the passage below. It contains blank spaces numbered 1 to 15. For each blank space, choose the best alternative from the coices given.

For me the actual writing of a composition seems fairly easy. I sit down     1     my desk and write. It is the      2     up of  the story that is     3    difficult. Most of my compositions are done early in the morning     4    . I find myself fresh. the process of writing     5     compositions is clear. After I have drafted the composition says exactly what I    6      to put across. I used to     7     this important step, but I have slowly come to realise that it may be      8    most important part of writing. Besides, correcting    9   . I cross out unnecessary words, and I    10     find myself adding o0ther words. Depending on the    11      of my composiiton, I may do this three or four times. I guess that I only spend about 30 percent of any    12     time actually writing the composition. another 40 percent or     13      is used in thinking and coming up with a story, with the   14     used in doing revision. I don't think I will ever be able to just sit down and wstart writing without   15    planning.
(Adapted from English and Communication (6th ed.) by Stewart Zimmer Clark, Me graw Hill: USA, 1961)

For questions 16 and 17, choose the option which means the same as the underlined word. 

16. The robber surrendered after a long chase by the police.
    
    1. went in
    2. went down
    3. gave in
    4. gave out
17. The girl disclosed her elder brother's plan to marry her off.
    1. announced
    2. showed
    3. concealed
    4. revealed

For questions 18 and 20 , choose the alternative that best fills the blank space

18. Neither of my parents  ________  at home now.
    1. is
    2. are
    3. was
    4. were
19. She has been ______ in the field for the last twenty minutes.
    1. laying
    2. laid
    3. lying
    4. lain
20. We are three girls in our family and Jane is the _______ .
    1. elder 
    2. eldest
    3. older
    4. oldest

For each of questions 21 to 23, choose the best sentence that means the same as the underlined one.

21. If it had not rained, we would have done enough practice
    
    1. We did enough practice because it had rained.
    2. It did not rain, so we did enough practice
    3. The rain did not stop us from doing enough practice.
    4. We did not do enough practice because it had rained.
22. It hardly rains in the Sahara desert.
    1. It never rains in the Sahara desert.
    2. It often rains in the Sahara desert.
    3. It rarely rains in the Sahara desert.
    4. It heavily rains in the Sahara desert.
23. “Mutai won the 1000 metres race in Tanzania," Kogo said.
    1. Kogo said that Mutai will win they 1000 metres race.
    2. Kogo said that Mutai had won the 1000 metres race in Tanzania.
    3. Kogo said that Mutai wins the 1000 metres race in Tanzania.
    4. Kogo said that Mutai would win the 1000 metres race.

For questions 24 and 25, choose the sentence ame which is correctly punctuated.

24.    
    1. Did you watch news yesterday? asked Tony.
    2. "Did you watch news yesterday?" Asked Tony.
    3. "Did you watch news yesterday?" asked Tony.
    4. Did you watch news yesterday? Asked Tony.
25.    
    1. As soon as it rains we will plant maize.
    2. As soon as, it rains we will plant maize.
    3. As soon, as it rains we will plant maize.
    4. As soon as it rains, we will plant maize.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 26 to 38.

               I soon learned that life for a growing boy was not all play; at least not for boys with parents like mine. Although my mother had never had the benefit of formal education herself, she was determined that I should be sent to school at the earliest opportunity. My father, due to my mother's persuasive power, was strongly in favour of this also. Even though I could often get round my father, I knew that once my mother's mind had been made up, there was nothing I could do about it.
               I found my first day at school so disappointing that I ran away, determined never to return. But my mother turned a deaf ear to my protests and firmly dragged me by the arm every morning and deposited me in the school. Eventually, I realised that I had lost the battle. I decided that since I was going to
 forced to stay in school, I might as well get to like it and do what I could to learn something. To my surprise, I soon found that I enjoyed my lessons and looked forward to going to school. However, we lived in fear of the teacher because of his firm belief in the old adage: 'Spare the rod and spoil the child'. I disliked being forced to do things against my will because I was not used to it. I used to think what a paradise school would be if we were left in peace to do our studies without the presence of a master.
               All the various grades occupied one room, and the teacher used to teach a class at a time. It must have been a hard job for him, and we did not do much to make it easy for him. Luckily, I was keen on learning. In fact, I was so keen that my only dread was that my father might one day be unable to afford the school fees which at that time amounted to ten shillings a term. Because of this, I began rearing chickens which I sold for fifty cents each. By this means, I could not only help to meet my school fees, but I had money to buy books as well.
               One thing in particular stands out in my mind during my early school days, probably because it was my first lesson in discipline. We were not fond of the teacher because of his frequent use of the bark stick, often without a good reason. One day we learnt that an inspector was coming to the school and immediately saw our chance to get our revenge on the teacher. We got together and decided to stay away from school the whole day during the inspector's visit. My one regret was that I was not able to see the expression on the inspector's face when he found an empty classroom or, better still, the look of horror and amazement on the face of the teacher. It certainly must have caused him a lot of embarrassment but the following morning he got the last laugh. As soon as we showed our faces, he had his stick ready. We were each given twenty-four lashes on our bare bottoms. This hurt so much that for the next three days, I was unable to sit down at my desk. But I knew I deserved it. From that day, I have learnt to accept punishment that I feel I have justly earned.

(Adapted from Ghana by Kwame Nkurumah)

26. Why did the writer's father support his going to school?
    
    1. He knew his son would be successful.
    2. The writer's mother convinced him.
    3. His love for education was great.
    4. He had to agree with the writer's mother.
27. The writer says he was often able to 'get round' his father. This means that he could
    
    1. influence his father to do what he wanted.
    2. walk together with his father.
    3. ask his father difficult questions.
    4. make his father like him much more.
28. 'But my mother turned a deaf ear....' This means that the writer's mother 
    
    1. did not hear everything he said.
    2. did nothing to help him.
    3. did not listen to him.
    4. did not understand him at all.
29. What battle is the writer referring to in the second paragraph?
    1. The harrassment by the teacher at school.
    2. The great disappointment suffered at school.
    3. The way his mother dragged him to school.
    4. The struggle to avoid going to school.
30. Why was the writer surprised to find out that he soon enjoyed going to school?
    
    1. He had known that schooling was the hardest thing to do.
    2. He had not expected he would ever like going to school.
    3. He still believed that school was not for boys like him.
    4. He had not thought school would become a paradise.
31. The writer's teacher believed that
    1. children need to be disciplined.
    2. children are naturally lazy.
    3. children should respect visitors.
    4. children require a lot of care.
32. How many classrooms did the writer's s school have?
    1. Many
    2. Two
    3. One
    4. None
33. The word 'dread' as used in the passage or means
    1. trouble.
    2. fear.
    3. idea.
    4. question.
34. The writer started rearing chickens in order to
    1. help his father feed the family.
    2. have something to do after school.
    3. practise what he had learnt at school.
    4. take care of the cost of his education.
35. The writer's mother can be described as
    1. harsh
    2. stubborn.
    3. persistent.
    4. generous.
36. Why did the pupils decide to stay away from school?
    1. To avoid the teacher's punishment.
    2. To make the teacher feel ashamed.
    3. To shock the school inspector.
    4. To have a whole day to themselves.
37. What lesson did the writer learn about discipline in school?
    1. That one should be in school when inspectors visit.
    2. That one should accept punishment if it is justly given.
    3. That one should avoid taking revenge when punished.
    4. That one should keep away from bad company.
38. Which of the following would be the most suitable title for this passage?
    1. My early school years
    2. My day of punishment
    3. My day of revenge
    4. My love for school

Read the following passage and then asnwer questions 39 to 50

              One day, Hare met Elephant on the way to the forest. As Hare is a cunning and clever animal, he wanted to fool Elephant. He started talking to Elephant," Elephant my brother, good morning. What is the matter? Why are you walking all alone like that, my friend? Why don't you ask me to walk along with you through the forest?"
             After they had walked "Elephant my brother, I want to go on a rope-pulling contest with you. I know that I can defeat you miserably, for I am stringer than you', Elephant replied, "You are too small to contest with me. You are playing about, my brother, think twice."
             They then planned to go on a contest the next day in the forest. Elephant went away laughing, thinking that Hare could do nothing to him.
             The same day, Hare met Hippo and started talking to him saying, "Hippo my brother, I want you to contest with me one of these fine days. We shall pull a rope across the forest and see who the winner will be." Hippo said, ' Don't play with me, brother. You are just too tiny to contest with me." He made the same plan, just as he had done with Elephant.
             The next morning, Hippo and Elephant went to the opposite sides of the forest thinking that he was going to contest Hare. They started pulling the rope. Meanwhile, Hare was sitting on a high hill looking at what was happpening below. he sang a song to taunt Elephant and Hippo. As he sang, Hippo and elephant6 pulled harder. They pulled and pulled and got very weary. At dusk, they almost fainted and stopped pulling.
             Hare immediately went ot the elephant and asked, "Am I not great?"
             Elephant replied, "Oh, Hare, mr brother, I agree that you are really great. I've has it tough the whole day."
             Hare then ran to Hippo and told him the same thing he had told Elephant. Hippo wondered at the strength of Hare and said, "Hare my brother, I've just realised that you are very strong. In fact, you should be made King of the jungle!" Hare went away merrily playing his flute.

39. The word "cunning" as used in the first paragraph can best be replaced by
    
    1. tricky.
    2. brave
    3. honest.
    4. proud.
40. Hare asked Elephant questions in order to
    1. praise Elephant.
    2. test Elephant's courage.
    3. attract Elephant's attention.
    4. tease Elephant
41. The word "defeat" as used in the story has the same meaning as
    1. win.
    2. beat.
    3. pull.
    4. hit.
42. Which one of the following can best replace "think twice" as used in the story?
    
    1. Think carefully
    2. Think aloud.
    3. Think big.
    4. Think two times.
43. What brought the contest between Elephant and Hippo to an end?
    
    1. Darkness set in.
    2. Hare stopped it.
    3. They became tired.
    4. They lost breath.
44. Why was Hare singing during the contest?
    
    1. To make Elephant and Hippo strong.
    2. To entertain Elephant and Hippo.
    3. To mock Elephant and Hippo.
    4. To cheer on Elephant and Hippo.
45. "I have had it tough the whole day" means
    1. Elephant felt angry.
    2. Elephant got ashamed.
    3. Elephant had struggled.
    4. Elephant was strong.
46. Why did Hare organise the contest between Elephant and Hippo?
    1. To test if Elephant and Hippo were obedient to him.
    2. To make them believe that he was the strongest.
    3. To find out who was stronger between Elephant and Hippox
    4. To be declared the king of the jungle by Hippo.
47. Which of the following words best describes Elephant and Hippo?
    1. Foolish.
    2. Patient.
    3. Grateful.
    4. Stubborn.
48. Which one of the following statements is true according to the passage?
    1. We should not trust friends too much.
    2. We should not compete with our friends.
    3. We should not take part in contests.
    4. We should not sing as we work.
49. What do you think was in the minds of Elephant and Hippo as they started pulling the rope?
    1. They would have a tough contest.
    2. The competition would be easy.
    3. They feared losing the contest.
    4. The winner would be Hare.
50. What lesson do we learn from the story?
    1. Small animals are cunning.
    2. Wisdom is strength.
    3. Determination is success.
    4. Big animals are weak

Marking Scheme