MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

NORTH WESTERN PROVINCE

SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL MOCK EXAMINATION (GRADE 12)

English Language 1121/2

Paper 2
JULY, 2024

Time: 2 hours Marks: 60

CANDIDATE NAME……………………………………………………………………….....................................

EXAMINATION NUMBER…………………………………………………………………………………….….

CENTRE NAME/CODE……………………………………………………………………………………………

Instructions for Candidates

1. Write your name, examination number and the centre name in the space provided
above.
2. There are three questions in this paper. Answer all the questions.
3. Write your answers in the spaces provided in the question paper.

Information for Candidates

1. Dictionaries and other reference materials are not allowed in the examination room.
2. Cell phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in the examination room.

For Examiner’s Use Only

Questions Mark Obtained

Question 1

Section 1

Section 2

Question 2

Question 3

Total

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QUESTION 1: STRUCTURE [20 MARKS]

There are two sections under this question. Answer both Section 1 and Section 2

Section 1: Vocabulary (10 Marks)

There are twenty sentences, each with four options. Choose the best answer and
circle it. If you change your mind, cross out the answer, choose another one and
circle it.

1. He is the backbone of his team. [½]

A. Without him his team has no backbone
B. He is the strongest man in the team
C. He is one on whom the team relies
D. He is the first born of the family
2. They are so poor that they find it hard to make the ends meet. [½]
A. Meet each other
B. Borrow money from other people
C. Live within their income
D. Buy meat except at the end of the month
3. I cannot believe that the priest is a black horse. [½]
A. Does things that people don’t expect him to do
B. Turns into a black horse at night
C. Likes wearing black clothes
D. Gives the poor in church most of the times
4. Mr Kapita is a tight-fisted man of our times. [½]
A. Stingy
B. Calm
C. Cruel
D. Has a strong hand
5. Mr Kamau advised his son to look before he leaps. [½]
A. Look and then jump
B. Look and then think
C. Look, think and leap
D. Think before acting

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6. The faces of the invited guests looked inquisitive after the announcement. [½]
A. Worried
B. Curious
C. Angry
D. Annoyed
7. Some traders dump garbage indiscriminately. [½]
A. Carefully
B. Slowly
C. Randomly
D. Deliberately
8. This book is an indispensable resource for most of the researchers. [½]
A. Necessary
B. Optional
C. Accurate
D. Useless
9. There has been incessant dripping of water from the tank. [½]
A. Continuous
B. Uncontrollable
C. Little
D. Unusual
10. The idea of putting up a school garden was seen to be very flimsy by many of the
teachers. [½]
A. Very good
B. Having little worth
C. Costly
D. Very involving
11. The teacher and the pupils get along very well. [½]
A. Go together at school
B. They live together home
C. They are in good relations
D. They drink water together from the well
12. The new girl in grade ten takes after her mother. [½]
A. She takes care of her mother
B. She looks alike with her mother

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 C. She always takes things left by her mother
D. She is the only daughter of her mother
13. The country has been advised to cut on the budget to suit the annual income. [½]
A. Include all that was removed
B. Reduce
C. Consult the budget implementers
D. Work together with communities in forming the budget
14. The police have called off the search for the missing child. [½]
A. Started investigations
B. Accelerated
C. Found
D. Postponed to another date
15. When the power supply was restored, the children were told to put out the candles.
[½]
A. Stop them from burning
B. Put them outside the house
C. Remove them from the table
D. Get ne candles and lit them
16. Birds of a feather flock together. [½]
A. Birds hatched on the same day shed their first feathers at the same time
B. Birds from the same mother feed together
C. People who are related stay together
D. People with the same behaviour and character are always found together.
17. You cannot teach an old dog new trick. [½]
A. An old dog cannot smell new smells.
B. An old dog does not keep tits kennel tidy.
C. It is not easy for old people to learn modern things.
D. You cannot teach elders how to end quarrels.
18. Not all that glitters is gold. [½]
A. Bad things are seen from how they shine.
B. Minerals that reflect are always fake.
C. Things and people are not always as good as they appear from outside.
D. Mineral that look bright are not strong.

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 19. Two is company, three is a crowd. [½]
A. The third person is the one who make the group big.
B. Three people can make a party.
C. Three people are dangerous and always form a gang.
D. The third person is not welcome when two people want to be together.
20. We should let the sleeping dogs lie. [½]
A. To avoid dogs barking we should let them sleep.
B. IF a dog strays it is useless to go looking for it.
C. Ignore a problem because trying to deal with it may cause even more difficult
situations.
D. If a dog is walking around the yard, do not disturb it.

Section 2: Transformations (10 Marks)

In each of the following items, Sentence A is complete, but the Sentence B is

incomplete. Complete the second sentence, each time making it as similar as
possible in meaning to the first sentence. Make the second sentence as one
sentence, never two.

Example:

A: Smoking cannot make a boy strong.

B: A boy……………………………………………………………………………………….

Answer: A boy cannot be made strong by smoking.

1. A. The school bus almost left the pupils as they were crossing the busy road.
B Crossing …………………………………………………………….…………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
2. A. The head teacher and the teachers are inspecting the dormitories.
B The head teacher, together with………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………..[1]
3. A It is very clear that Mwabuka likes his new job.
B That …………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

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 4. A Let us meet and discuss this issue.
B It’s high time……………………………………..……………....................................
5. A Mathews lost the money for school fees before depositing it in the bank.
B Before……………...………..........................…………………………….......………...

...........................................................................................................[1]

6. A ‘‘I have never failed a Zambian language test in my life,’’ said Angel.
B Angel ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………….. [1]
7. A Because he was very exhausted, he could not continue working.
B He was too ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
8. Although the thief ran very fast, the police managed to apprehend him.
B: Notwithstanding……………………………………………………………………...........................
................................................................................................................ [1]
9. I will never accept your proposal until you tell me who stole the books from the
headteacher’s office.
B: Not until ……………………………………………………………………………...............................
................................................................................................................. [1]

10. A Immediately I completed my assignment, I went to watch a soccer match.

B Hardly had.............................................................................................................

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

QUESTION 2: COMPREHENSION [20 MARKS]

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow.

WHO KILLED KANGAMITI?

1. There is confusion because Kudakwashe still insists that he did not see it first.
Regardless of whoever did, the twig snake caused quite a stir. Some of us who were
engaged in a fierce tennis ball game on the pitch, scrambled to the orchard where the
snake was reported to be. When we arrived at the small lemon tree, there was already a
crowd of people who had caught wind of the news before us. The snake lay motionlessly

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 and straight across three branches of the lemon tree. Its dark-brownish colour blended
perfectly with that of the tree. Absolutely nothing about it suggested it could still be
alive.
2. ‘It’s dead!’ Godfrey shouted above the excited murmur. ‘It’s alive!’ cried more than a
dozen voices. ‘Kudakwashe poked it and it writhed,’ panted Jane. If you think it is
seriously dead, try poking it, here is a stick. Take the stick Godfrey!’ Someone shouted.
Godfrey shot a scared glance at the stick and took two steps backwards. ‘I never said it
was not alive,’ he whimpered. ‘OK, then let’s kill it.’
3. Although Francis now vehemently denies having said that, everyone maintains he did.
In my case I did not only hear him say it, I swear I saw him say it, I cannot be wrong,
he was standing so close to me. It was in response to his exhortation that we all
rushed to collect stones.’ In a very short time, the job was thoroughly done. The
writhing had stopped feebly under the pile of stones and debris. The snake’s head,
apparently unscathed, lay wedged between two stones. Its bluish, unblinking eyes
shone as if in complete agreement with our accomplished task, as if we had relieved it
of the burden of lifetime. There was something unnerving and unearthly about the
snake.
4. If it had not been for the lemon tree, perhaps the incident might have gone unnoticed.
The headmaster, Mr. Moyo, always emphasizes the need to plant and preserve trees. By
the time we had finished with the twig snake, the lemon tree was already gone torn,
ripped and broken. How the headmaster came to know about it, is still to most of us a
mystery. It was not rare for the headmaster to call an impromptu assembly when
there was an important announcement to make.
5. ‘Everyone, sit down in your lines!’ he barked. ‘While the whole school is busy planting
and preserving trees, some vandals are stripping our orchard of its glory. His little round
eyes scanned us. It was my first time to hear the word vandal, and that only added to
my fright. ‘All those who took part in the killing of the snake, come up front.’ Jane stood
up and unashamedly walked to the front. Chipo, Anna, Susan, Lizzy, the whole wretched
group followed suit. I remained glued to my spot, my eyes staring unseeingly at the
ground, my heart bouncing and lurching, my heads became hot.
6. ‘So you are the culprits who were stripping the orchard?’ ‘Excuse me sir!’ interjected
Francis. ‘There are still people who haven’t come up front.’ My inside collapsed, I knew
Francis meant me. I blindly stood up and stumbled to the front. ‘You Owl!’ the
headmaster shouted and the whole school broke into echoes of laughter. With the

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 remaining pockets of dishonesty flushed out, the headmaster continued his sermon.
‘These are the people who go out mutilating our efforts, they are scoundrels,
plunderers, they are not worthy to stay here, their place is in the desert. Just today they
have destroyed the lemon tree in the orchard because they wanted to kill a snake.
There is something that particularly worries me, I am worried about the retaliation of
the winds.’
7. ‘The snake they have killed is called Kangamiti and it is a sacred snake. It is the royal
courier of our ancestral spirits. That snake should never be killed, it never dies, it is not
of this world. The spirit of the dead might decide to retaliate against those who are
responsible for killing the snake.’ We felt doomed. ‘Who ordered to kill it? ‘Francis’ I said
breathlessly. Francis shot a fiery glance and calmly said, ‘I don’t remember ever saying
that.’ ‘it was Francis!’ Jane echoed from the blue like a sweet saviour. I heaved a sigh of
relief, I badly needed assurance. ‘I know you all threw stones but the person who killed
the snake is the one in real trouble, when this kind of a snake dies, it requires the
sacrifice of human blood to follow it immediately.’
8. His voice suddenly became murky, the worried look enveloped his face and said
glumly, ‘You may go back to your classes.’ The matter had been decided. Halfway
through the lesson, Francis staggered up to the teacher sweating, it was obvious he was
sick. And at lunch time we learnt that Kudakwashe had been taken by a sudden
sickness, we were slightly puzzled. And when the following morning, we saw Francis and
Kudakwashe slightly sick, but back at school, we felt a bit unsure. When we saw them
again the next morning, now positively fit, we no longer knew what to believe in!

In each of the questions 1 – 9, select the best answer from the four options
provided. Indicate your answer by drawing a circle around the letter on the question
paper. If you change your mind, cross out the initial choice very neatly then circle
your revised answer clearly. For question 10, answer as instructed.

1. Paragraph 1: The word ‘it’ in the first part of the story refers to: [2]
A. The lemon tree
B. The twig snake
C. The tennis ball
D. The stir

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2. Paragraph 1: The writer thought ‘absolutely nothing about it could be alive’ because...
[2]
A. It did not move.
B. Its head was wedged between two stones.
C. Its blood flowed into the branches of the tree.
D. Its colour blended with that of the tree.
3. Paragraph 2: ‘Godfrey shot a scared glance at the stick and took two steps backwards’
because... [2]
A. He was confident that the snake was alive
B. The stick resembled the snake in its shape
C. The snake had writhed when he poked it
D. He realised the snake might be alive
4. According to the evidence in the story, which of the following statements is not true?
[2]
A. Everyone agrees that Francis suggested killing the snake.
B. Francis denied that he suggested killing the snake.
C. The writer is confident that Francis suggested killing the snake.
D. Francis heard the writer warning others not to kill the snake.
5. Complete the sentence below by supplying the missing words. [2]
Its bluish,......................................... eyes shone as if in ...........................................
agreement with our ................................... task, as if we had relieved it of the
..................................................... of lifetime.
6. Which is the most probable way by which the headmaster found out about the incident?
[2]
A. The writer reported the incident to him.
B. The headmaster caught the boys attacking the snake.
C. The damaged lemon tress must have attracted his attention.
D. He observed the incident from his office.
7. Paragraph 6: The statement, ‘with the remaining pockets of dishonesty flushed
out’ means... [2]
A. All the children’s pockets were searched.
B. The headmaster had identified and isolated all the guilty children.
C. The headmaster extracted a handkerchief from his pocket to blow his nose.
D. There were still more guilty children who had not yet confessed.

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 8. Paragraph 6: ‘I am worried about the retaliation of the winds.’ In this statement the
headmaster was implying that: [2]
A. The ancestral spirits would seek revenge for the death of the snake.
B. Since the lemon tree had been damage, winds would blow freely through the
orchard.
C. Because of the incident, more snakes would visit the orchard.
D. The news of the incident would travel far and the school would be blamed.
9. Paragraph 8: We no longer knew what to believe in means... [2]
A. they began to doubt whether the snake had really died.
B. they were not sure if the snake possessed mysterious powers.
C. they could not decide which one of them had killed the snake.
D. they were now certain that all of them would fall ill.
10. From the underlined words in the passage, find one which means the same or nearly
the same as the following phrases. Spell the words correctly.
(i) Squeezed tightly………………………………………..........................….. [½]
(ii) Mixed smoothly……………………………………………........................... [½]
(iii) Revenge…………………………………………………….............................. [½]
(iv) Miserably……………………………………………………….......................... [½]

QUESTION 3: SUMMARY [20 MARKS]

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the question that follows.

1. When mature, the coconut palm stands anything from fifty to a hundred feet high. Its
slender, graceful trunk is crowned by a feathery plume of green leaves.
2. It has fragile look but it is well equipped to withstand strong wind. The flexible trunk of
the coconut palm bows before the wind. As the wind drops, it strengthens itself up to
tower proudly over the coast.
3. High out of reach, in the middle of clusters or foliage, grow the coconuts, about fifty on
each tree. They take a year to ripen. Hard fibrous shell surrounds the kernel of the fruit.
Inside is a white, fresh material which the food which feeds the plant seed when it starts
to grow. The centre of the coconut is filled with ‘milk’ which serves to nourish the
germinating plant. Coconuts are often blown from the trees and washed out to sea. The
nuts float easily on water and can be carried to far places. If they settle on dry lands

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 near the coast, the nuts grow into coconuts palm trees. It is this way that it has become
so widely spread along the coasts of many countries and islands. The people who live at
the coasts are always ready to climb the trees when the crop is ripe, cutting away the
nuts and letting fall to the ground to be collected together.
4. The coconut tree has always grown fairly close to the sea, and the rough brown fibre
that covers the nuts has acquired a great resistance to salty water. The fibre, called coir,
is used for making ropes, brushes and brooms. The hard part of the shell, which is
smooth and watertight, makes excellent drinking vessels. The leaves are woven, while
still green, into mats and baskets and in many parts of the coasts, are used for
thatching.
5. The most valuable part of the tree is the copra, the nutty part of the fruit which is dried
and squeezed for its high oil content. Copra may be dried in the sun, or by machines in
factories. Coconut oil is a very important raw material which is bought and sold
throughout the world. It provides us with soap, detergent, glycerine, synthetic rubber
and even brake fluids. In refined form, it is very nourishing, and it is used for cooking.
Coconut oil contains an acid which prevents food from going bad. For this reason, the oil
is used in cakes and bread as food preservative to give food a longer shelf-life. But the
greater demand for coconut oil comes from manufacturers of margarine, who use it in
large quantities.
6. The people who live at the coat make a drink from the sap or juice which is obtained by
making a cut on the flower stalk. This liquid may be drunk fresh or it may be fermented
into highly alcoholic palm wine, which when distilled, makes a very strong drink.
7. The same buds that produce this drink develop into cabbage like growths which are
eaten as a salad. If the buds are left to ripen, they eventually form a type of a coconut
whose oils, extracted from the copra, provide a livelihood for many people. When the
tree has reached a ripe old age, it is felled and used for building houses. For the people
who live at the coast and know its many uses, the coconut palm is a queen among
trees.

In not more than 150 words, write a well-connected summary on the values of a
coconut tree. The summary has been started for you.

Coconut oil is a very important raw material which is bought and sold throughout the world.

.................................................................................................................................

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