KCPE PAST PAPERS 2007 ENGLISH GRAMMAR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

 Manyam Franchised Tests

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

            Few people would ___1___ that physical exercise is important for __2__ health. It is not only those who __3__ part in competitive sports and games who need to exercise __4__. Our bodies are __5__ in such a way that we tend to become weak and lazy ___6___ we remain inactive over long periods of time. The benefits of exercising are ___7___. First, we feel a sense of freshness and fitness as we move ___8___ doing our daily duties. In addition, the circulation of blood __9__ our bodies is improved. Our immune system is boosted so we don’t get ill very often. ___10__, we are able to endure longer periods of ___11___ work without feeling exhausted. Our digestive system is also improved hence our bodies get maximum ___12___ from the food we eat. Vigorous exercises done at least twice a week will enable us to enjoy these benefits ___13___, there is need to consult a doctor ___14___ a person who is experienced in physical training before starting an exercise ___15___ since our bodies differ in type of activities each of us can comfortably do.

            A                                 B                                  C                                  D

1.      Reject                          oppose                          refuse                           deny

2.      Proper                         nice                              good                             full

3.      Take                            get                                play                              have

4.      Regularly                     daily                             continuously                 repeatedly

5.      Set                              prepared                       made                            produced

6.      Since                           if                                  for                                while

7.      Much                           a lot                              enough                         many

8.      On                               about                            along                            round

9.      Through                       in                                 about                            into

10.   Furthermore                 nevertheless                  consequently                 therefore

11.   Difficult                       tough                            endless                         hard

12.   Advantage                   profit                            gain                              service

13.   Besides                        anyway                         however                        moreover

14.   Even                            with                              or                                 also

15.   Plan                             process                         practice                         programme

In questions 16 and 17, choose the best arrangement of the given sentences to make sensible paragraphs

16.   (i) they found it hard to survive

(ii) Mr and Mrs Onyancha were poor and humble

(iii) a little cassava and some porridge was their staple diet

(iv) there was hardly ever enough food in their home

A.    (ii) (iii) (i) (iv)

B.     (ii) (i) (iv) (iii)

C.     (ii) (i) (iii) (iv)

D.    (ii) (iv) (iii) (i)

17.   (i) she told of how people first came onto Earth

(ii) we really enjoyed listening to her

(iii) she also told stories about giants and strange creatures

(iv) Ahmed’s grandmother loved to tell stories

A.    (iv) (ii) (iii) (i)

B.     (iv) (ii) (i) (iii)

C.     (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)

D.    (iv) (i) (iii) (ii)

In questions 18 to 20, choose the alternative that best fits in the blank space

18.   Atieno has been married a long time. She got married_____ she was twenty three years old

A.    Because

B.     As

C.     When

D.    Since

19.   I could not sleep ____ I was very tired

A.    Although

B.     But

C.     Also

D.    And

20.   They are very kind to me. They treat me_____ their own child

A.    Like I was

B.     Like I were

C.     As if I were

D.    As if I was

for questions 21 and 22, choose the alternative that means the same as the underlined sentences

21.   Not only did they come late, but they were also untidy

A.    They were late or untidy

B.     They were late and untidy too

C.     They were untidy because they were late

D.    They were neither punctual nor untidy

22.   Lydia said she would soon be fourteen

A.    Lydia said ‘she would soon be fourteen.’

B.     “I will soon be fourteen, Lydia said.”

C.     Lydia said, ‘I will soon be fourteen.’

D.    “I will soon be fourteen,” Lydia said

In question 23 to 25, choose the alternative that means the same as the underlined word

23.   We were astonished by his wisdom

A.    Amazed

B.     Amused

C.     Excited

D.    Shocked

24.   The orphaned child acquired a new home

A.    Discovered

B.     Received

C.     Sought

D.    Found

25.   Our teacher told us never to despair

A.    Give out

B.     Give up

C.     Give in

D.    Give way

Read the passage below then answer questions 26 to 38

     Mains’s friend, Odhiambo, began to teach him how to ride a bicycle during the holidays. Odhiambo himself had no bicycle, but he could easily borrow one from a mechanic. This mechanic lived in one of the rental rooms owned by Odhaimbo’s father. During the day, he worked under a tree infront of the house. Many people brought their bicycles to him to be repaired. Sometimes they wanted the brakes mended or a puncture tube repaired. Whatever it was, the mechanic was equal to the job. If you passed by any time of the day, you would see him in his brown greasy work clothes putting life into a damaged bicycle. Usually, he turned the bicycle upside down with its wheels in the air while he worked on it. A signboard with his nickname, DOCTOR OF BICYCLES, was nailed to the tree.

     Besides the bicycles which came to him for repairs, the mechanic also had about five or six of his own which he hired out for ten shillings an hour. It was one of these that Odhiambo borrowed. He did not tell the mechanic that a learner was going to ride it.

     The bicycle was meant for adults and was too high for Maina but he made rapid progress. If he sat on the saddle, his feet would not reach the pedals. So he adopted what was called the monkey style; he rode standing on the pedals on one side of the triangular frame.

     After about one week of practice, Maina was able to ride long distances without falling off. He was even able to whistle a song as he rode along. Odhiambo was impressed with Maina’s progress and suggested that it was time he tried riding on the main road instead of the playing field.

     Maina was a little doubtful at first, but he agreed in the end to try one of the less busy roads. To his surprise, he did very well. He was so pleased that he began to whistle a popular tune and pedal to the beat. He felt very proud of himself and wondered why people said cycling was difficult. ‘It is easier that eating “ugali”,’ he thought. Just then, a car came out of a side road and was heading towards him. He lost his nerve and swerved, hitting an electricity pole. He was thrown into a nearby drain out of which he emerged dripping dirty water.

     Although Maina was only slightly injured, the bicycle was badly damaged. The front wheel was twisted and three spokes also got broken. After fruitless repair efforts, Maina and Odhiambo decided to go and report to the mechanic. They had to roll the bicycle on the back wheel as they lifted the handle bars between them.

     The mechanic was very angry. He said Maina had to pay for the damage. Maina pleaded with him saying he had no money.

     ‘if you have no money, who told you to ride my bicycle? Come and show me where you live. Your parents will pay for your foolishness. And if you don’t hurry up, I will take you to the police station right now.’ the mechanic said when Maina appeared to hesitate.

     So Maina led the way and the mechanic followed on one of his bicycles. Maina was afraid of taking the man to his uncle. So he decided to take him round and round the town. They went up one street down the next and up the third.

     ‘where do you live?’ asked the mechanic.

     ‘I don’t know the number,’ said Maina, ‘but it’s over there,’ and he pointed in front of him. After a long time they were back where they had started. The mechanic was now furious and was threatening to beat Maina. Bling with anger, he did not look where he was going and ran into a woman returning home from the market with her purchses. She immediately took off her head scarf and tied it firmly round her waist, ready for a fight. She held the mechanic by his shirt and shouted at him.

     Crowds were gathering. Some people were picking up the woman’s things and putting them back into her basket. There were tomatoes, potatoes and some fish. But her voice rose higher and higher. She said she was not going home to prepare a meal from things picked off the road. She wanted two hundred shillings in compensation.

     In the confusion, Maina melted away and ran home. In the evening, he reported to his uncle what he had done. His uncle was disappointed but he offered to pay for the repair of the damaged bicycle.

(Adapted from Chike and the River, by Chinua Achebe)

26.   From the first paragraph, we can tell that Odhiambo

A.    Came from a poor family

B.     Was easy to get along with

C.     Liked to teach people things

D.    Lived near the mechanic

27.   The expression “the mechanic was equal to the job” means that the mechanic was

A.    Willing to do the job

B.     The same as other mechanics

C.     Better than other mechanics

D.    Highly skilled at the job

28.   Which of the following does not explain why the mechanic was nicknamed ‘Doctor of bicycles?’

A.    He turned bicycles upside down

B.     He put life into damaged bicycles

C.     He mended punctures and brakes

D.    He repaired bicycles for many people

29.   If the mechanic had known that his bicycle would be ridden by a learner, he would probably have

A.    Charged more than ten shillings

B.     Accompanied the learner

C.     Refused to lend it out

D.    Warned the learner

30.   Odhiambo used to get a bicycle without paying any money because

A.    He was trusted by the mechanic

B.     The mechanic was his father’s tenant

C.     He hid information from the mechanic

D.    The mechanic had several bicycles

31.   According to the passage, a good rider is one who is able to

A.    Ride on the main road

B.     Whistle while riding along

C.     Use the monkey-style

D.    Ride over long distances

32.   Which of the following best describes Maina’s attitude as he rode on the main road?

A.    Pleased

B.     Proud

C.     Excited

D.    Overconfident

33.   The actual cause of Maina’s accident was

A.    The fact that he panicked

B.     His swerving the bicycle

C.     His hitting the electricity pole

D.    The car that was heading towards him

34.   Odhiambo and Maina decided to report the matter to the mechanic only after

A.    They knew they could not escape

B.     Three spokes were broken

C.     Failing to mend the wheel

D.    The front wheel failed to roll

35.   Maina led the mechanic round and round because he did not

A.    Know the actual street

B.     Want his uncle to know the truth

C.     Know the number of their house

D.    Want to be taken to the police station

36.   What do the mechanic and the woman in the story have in common? They both

A.    Have their rights

B.     Are abusive

C.     Are ready to fight

D.    Are unforgiving

37.   The words ‘melted away’ suggest that Maina disappeared from the scene

A.without being noticed

Very quickly

Very confidently

Without making noise

38.   What is the most important lesson to be learnt from this passage?

A.    Pride goes before a fall

B.     Look before you leap

C.     Hurry, hurry has no blessings

D.    Treat others as you would want to be treated

Read the passage below and then answer questions 39 to 50

     The way we relate with other people determines whether our loves will be happy or not. Therefore it is important to choose our friends carefully. If you have the wrong kind of friends, your life could be miserable, full of pain and a disappointment. You need to associate with those who love and accept you just as you are. They are likely to bring joy into your life. People who possess the following qualities are the right ones to befriend.

     First of all, go for those who respect you. Those who allow you to be yourself, listen and care about your feelings. Such people do not do or say things that make you feel small or useless. You see, certain people are so full of themselves that they do not value anyone else’s opinion. They think that they are always right. They ridicule and belittle the contributions of others. Keep away from such characters. They are not good for you.

     Another characteristic to look for in a friend is trust. Relate with people you can rely on. Such people keep their promises. When you live with others at home, community or school, you soon discover that many of them keep letting you down. I have known people who pretend to be my friends, only to realise later that they were not sincere. They just wanted to use me for their own gain. They took advantage of our relationship. I have occasionally shared some personal information with friends and I have expected them to keep it secret. But the very following day, the story is on everybody’s lips. At such times, I have felt so embarrassed that I have wished the earth would open up and swallow me. So a friend you can depend on is a gem, a rare treasure.

     Thirdly, in a world where people are so rude and inconsiderate, you should look for people with good manners. Life is much more enjoyable when we are thoughtful and courteous towards each other. Saying ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’ sounds very simple. However, these wonderful expressions do not exist in many people’s vocabulary. Associate with people who show gratitude and who remember to apologise when they offend you. Avoid the bad-mannered because they will only cause you heartaches.

     There is another quality that few people seem to possess. This is a sense of humour. Many of us take life too seriously and focus on the negative side of things. Do not be like that. Gather around your friends with whom you can enjoy heartly belly laugh, those who can even point out things about you that you can laugh at. Of course you should not laugh at others. No! That is unkind. But befriend people who help you to notice the funny side of life.

     Finally, do relate with people who share your interests. If you associate with people with whom you have nothing in common, you will soon get bored. Therefore, if you want to have an exciting time with people, pick those who identify with your goals and dreams. Yes, those who can encourage and help you realise the things you hope for