THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

GHANA

Basic Education Certificate Examination

ENGLISH 2021

Essay and Objective

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OBJECTIVE TEST

PART I
LEXIS AND STRUCTURE

SECTION A

From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each
sentence.

1.
Can I borrow your ............ Hat?

A. B.
blue new straw new blue straw

C. D.
new straw blue straw new blue

2.
She will not give us ........... more money.

A. B.
any even

C. D.
much little

3.
You would be hungry if you ..... to eat.

A. B.
are refusing refuse
C. D.
refused were refusing

4.
You have seen them, .... you?

A. B.
did didn't

C. D.
had haven't

5.
Habib goes to school ......... train.

A. B.
by in

C. D.
on with

6.
She does not like ........ letters.

A. B.
to be writing to write

C. D.
write writing

7.
You will be ill if you ....... raw meat.

A. B.
ate eat

C. D.
had eaten have eaten

8.
It was done according .......... the rules.

A. B.
by of

C. D.
to with

9.
............... the challenges, we succeeded.
A. B.
As such However

C. D.
In spite of Nevertheless

10.
My brother, with his wife and children,........... travelling to Salaga next weekend

A. B.
are is

C. D.
was were

11.
It is high time we ...... the journey.

A. B.
are starting shall start

C. D.
start started

12.
I prefer oranges ........... mangoes.

A. B.
on than

C. D.
to for

13.
His aunt ....... spoke to us lives in Tamale.

A. B.
that which

C. D.
who whom

14.
Araba couldn't resist ....... the food while on the fire.

A. B.
by opening open

C. D.
to open opening
15.
My neighbour, ............ dog barks every night, has left town.

A. B.
which who

C. D.
who's whose

SECTION B

Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the
underlined word in each sentence.

16.
The chosen poems are very relatable

A. B.
preferred selected

C. D.
prescribed given

17.
Arming the police does not halt crime.

A. B.
avoid prevent

C. D.
stop suspend

18.
All the lax rules have been cancelled.

A. B.
mild previous

C. D.
weak wrong

19.
The youth should be ruled by the fundamental ideals of courtesy.

A. B.
essential known

C. D.
popular realistic
20.
The porter could not endure his insults

A. B.
accept agree

C. D.
approve bear

SECTION C

In each of the following sentences a group of words has been underlined. Choose from the
alternatives lettered A to D the one that best explains the underlined group of words.

21.
Azara burn her fingers when she took sides with her friend. This means that Azara

A. B.
got herself into trouble hated her friend

C. D.
showed how brave she was supported her friend

22.
A desperate man may clutch at straws to save himself. This means that he may

A. B.
decide to act bravely seize any opportunity

C. D.
try all clever means use a secret strategy

23.
Gil held her tongue on sensitive political issues. This means that she

A. B.
bit her tongue kept silent

C. D.
maintained her stand refused to laugh

24.
The project is in the pipeline. This means that it is

A. B.
being dealt with being suspended

C. D.
No longer pursued stuck in the pipe
25.
Ammon has always kept his enemies at arm's length. This means that he

A. B.
abused them shunned them

C. D.
threatened them trusted them

SECTION D

From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that is most nearly opposite in
meaning to the word underlined in each sentence.

26.
That shop has been temporarily closed down.

A. B.
constantly deliberately

C. D.
legally permanently

27.
He normally alights at the station.

A. B.
A. ascends boards

C. D.
enters joins

28.
Abeiku feels unsafe in his house

A. B.
afraid rejected

C. D.
secure unhappy

29.
The audience laughed at his funny stories.

A. B.
cheerful humourless

C. D.
familiar peculiar
30.
The prefect rebuked the student for his rude behaviour

A. B.
defended justified

C. D.
pardoned praised

THEORY QUESTIONS

This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question
from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your
answer booklet.

Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.

PART A
ESSAY WRITING
[30 marks]

Answer one question only from this part.

Your composition should be about 250 words long.

1.
Write a letter to the Ministry of Transport suggesting two ways of improving the public
transport road system in the country.

This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question
from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your
answer booklet.

Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.
2.
As the main speaker in a debate on the motion, Students should not wear uniform to
school, write your speech for or against the motion.

This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question
from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your
answer booklet.

Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.
3.
Write a letter to invite your cousin to spend the holidays with your grandparents, giving
two reasons why he/she should pay them a visit.
 This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question
from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your
answer booklet.

Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.

PART B
COMPREHENSION
[30 marks]

Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow.
4.
Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions that follows.

The tiger, the chectah and the cat belong to the same family. The tiger is the largest
member of the family. Although it is a wild animal, it is sometimes trained to assist
acrobatic in entertaining people. The chectah is the fastest animal on land. It can be trained
to hunt other animals. Cats are found in many homes but there are wild ones too.

Although cats are found in many homes, man did not intentionally domesticate them.
Before man learnt to grow crops and rear animals, he used to depend on plants and
animals in the bush for food. When he gathered grains, which were seeds of grass, he
accidentally took away the food of the rodents such as mice and rats. These followed their
foods indoors. The wild cat, the natural enemy of the rats and mice, also followed the the
domestic granaries

Cats did not eat the grains that were becoming the main source of nourishment for man.
Therefore, they were encouraged to remain at home in order to get rid of the rodents.
Man, also probably found out that cats were neater and quieter than dogs.

When ships were invented and man began to trade farther, grains were very important
commodities. They were used not only as provisions but as items of barter. The mice and
the rats went along, once again followed by the cats. In this way, a food chain that began in
grasslands to the south and east Mediterranean Sea has spread to all corners of the world.
(a)
(i)
What two types of cats are mentioned in the passage?
(ii)
How did the cat become a domestic animal?
(b)
For what two reasons did man prefer cats to dogs?
(c)
What human activity led to the spread of cats to all corners of the world?
(d)
(i)
... a food chain. What is referred to as a food chain in the passage?
(ii)
Why do you think grains were easily transported to all corners of the world?
(e)
Expain, in your own words, the following expressions as used in the passage:
(i)
the domestic granaries;
(ii)
items of barter;
(iii)
all corners of the world;
(f)
For each of the following words, give another word or a phrase that means the same and
can fit into the passage:
(i)
sometimes;
(ii)
intentionally;
(iii)
gathered;
(iv)
nourishment;
(v)
probably;

This paper consists of three parts: A, B and C. Answer three questions in all;one question
from Part A and all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your
answer booklet.

Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.

PART C
LITERATURE
[10 marks]

Answer all the questions in this part.

SACKEY J.A and DARMANI L. (COMP): The Cockcrow
5.
Question (a) to (c) are based on the abridged and simplified version of Charles Dicken's
Oliver Twist.
 CHARLES DICKENS: Oliver Twist
'Mr. Bumble mad Oliver miserable and the boy couldn't wait to get away from the
workhouse.'
(Page 104)
(a)
Mr. Bumble made Oliver miserable because .....
(b)
Who is Mr. Bumble?
(c)
How did Mr. Bumble try to get rid of Oliver?
KEN SARO-WIWA: Home Sweet Home
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions (d) and (e).
"They came in the usual assortment of rags:gowns picked up from the stores of second-
hand clothes traders, singlets bearing the words, Oxford University, mildewed blouses.
Some women wore shirts that are meant for men; one of them was in a printed cotton
nightgown that had fade beyond recognition."
(Page 178)
(d)
They refers to .......
(e)
An imagery of .......... is created in the extract.
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions (f) and (h).
AMA ATA AIDOO:The Dilemma of a Ghost
EULALIE: Ya, I remember I bought the idea, but I got the feeling ...
ATO: Heavens, women! They are always getting feelings. First, you got the feeling you
needed a couple of years to settle down and now you are obviously getting a feeling.
(Act 2, Page 46)
(f)
What idea did Eulalie buy?
(g)
What feeling has she got now?
(h)
How does Ato react to her feelings?
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions (i) and (j).
V.B AAKYE: The colour of God
How sily man is, laughs the rose
Why should he be black or white
Or green or yellow or even red?
(i)
The literary device used in laughs the rose is ...
(j)
According to the poem, what is the color of God?