KCPE PAST PAPERS 2011 ENGLISH QUESTION PAPER

 Manyam Franchised Tests

ENGLISH   |   KCPE   |   2011

 

NAME…………..……………..…………. SCHOOL…………….…………………DATE……………… TIME: 2 hours


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

            It is often ___1___ that all living things, plants and animals, have a ___2___ for existence. Each living organism plays an important role ___3___ it exists. However, there is one creature whose importance is ___4___ to see. This is the mosquito. What most people know ___5___ this tiny beast is that it is the major ___6___ by which Malaria is spread. It is therefore not ___7___ that some people have demanded the complete elimination of ___8___ species from the face of the earth.

            It is interesting to note that the insect does not ___9___ to spread disease. It just wants to feed itself and to reproduce. Researchers have discovered that the female mosquito needs to feed on blood in order to lay eggs. As it moves from one source to another in ___10___ of blood, it ends up picking up and spreading the organisms that cause the disease. A common rule of nature is ___11___ at work here; the survival of one creature means the death of another.

            Some scientists have argued that the insect is not___12___useless. It serves as food for some other creatures such as lizards, geckos and birds. The lives of these predators ___13___ be at risk if there were no mosquitoes, and this would ___14___ affect the population of animals that in turn feed on the predators. All this would finally affect the food chain, causing an imbalance___15___nature.

            A                                 B                                  C                                  D

1.      Seen                             felt                               thought                         said

2.      Part                              reason                           cause                            purpose

3.      Wherever                      where                           whenever                      when

4.      Hard                             impossible                    easy                              clear

5.      With                             on                                of                                 about

6.      Way                             means                           style                             method

7.      Shocking                      surprising                      astonishing                    amazing

8.      That                             those                            this                               these

9.      Set off                          set about                       set out                          set forth

10.   Search                          need                             hunt                              chase

11.   Seen                             found                            noticed                         observed

12.   Actually                        fully                             extremely                      completely

13.   Would                          must                             will                              may

14.   Lastly                           eventually                     furthermore                   therefore

15.   For                               on                                in                                 against


For questions 16 and 17 select the alternative that best fills the blank space in the sentences below

16.   They had just finished reading the story______

A.    Had they?

B.     Did they?

C.     Hadn’t they?

D.    Didn’t they?

17.   She often sings in the choir_____?

A.    Isn’t it

B.     Doesn’t she

C.     Does she

D.    Is it

For questions 18 to 20, chose the alternative that can best replace the underlined phrase

18.   The little boy decided he would no longer put up with the bullying

A.    Accept

B.     Receive

C.     Take

D.    Tolerate

19.   Tomno had not made up his mind where he would spend the holidays

A.    Decided

B.     Planned

C.     Said

D.    Imagined

20.   She complained that most of her classmates looked down on her

A.    Rejected

B.     Despised

C.     Abused

D.    Hated

In questions 21 and 22, choose the alternative that is correctly punctuated

21.   A. “Juma, the teacher asked, where have you been since yesterday?”

B.  “Juma?” the teacher asked, where have you been since yesterday.”

C.  “Juma,” the teacher asked, “where have you been since yesterday?”

D.  “Juma, the teacher asked where have you been since yesterday?”

22.   A.  The doctor said, “Keep medicine out of children’s reach.”

B.  The doctor said, keep medicine out of children’s reach.”

C.  The doctor said, “keep medicine out of childrens’ reach.”

D. The doctor said, “keep medicine out of children’s reach.”

For questions 23 to 25, choose the alternative that means the opposite of the underlined word

23.   When I asked him why he had arrived late, I found his answer unsatisfactory

A.    Sensible

B.     Reasonable

C.     Incorrect

D.    Unacceptable

24.   It is risky to cross the bridge at night

A.    Safe

B.     Dangerous

C.     Harmful

D.    Secure

25.   The headteacher forbade the pupils to bring cooked food into the school compound

A.    Told

B.     Encouraged

C.     Allowed

D.    Advised


Read the passage below and then answer questions 26 to 38

      “I wonder what Aoko is doing at home,” Njeri said, looking at her friend Cherono. “Why don’t we go and find out?”

      The three were close friends. In fact inseparable. They spent most of the day together, especially during the school holidays like now. Nine o’clock always found the girls together, and they would not part till evening. Strangely today, Aoko was nowhere to be seen yet it was already 10 o’clock.

      The two girls walked to Aoko’s home. As they neared the house, Njeri called out, “Aoko, you have visitors!” There was no response. Obviously their friend was not in.

      Outside the house was seated an old lady the two girls had never seen before. They went up to her and Cherono greeted her in Aoko’s mother tongue. Cherono spoke the language fluently, one could not tell she was from a different community. The old lady responded and smiled broadly, exposing toothless gums. Njeri guessed the old lady was probably a hundred years old. Cherono then asked her where Aoko was.

      “I sent her to the shops to buy something, just get in and wait. I’m sure she’s on her way back,” said the lady.

      Njeri did not understand a word. She just followed her friend into the house.

      Half an hour later, the girls were still waiting. Impatience got the better of Njeri. She suggested that they go away and return later. Cherono on the other hand had a different idea. She was curious about the old lady seated outside.

      “Why don’t we go out and chat with the lady, you know these old people usually have fascinating stories to tell,” she said.

      “But I won’t understand a thing. For you, the language is not a problem, so you’ll probably enjoy the stories,” grumbled Njeri.

      After a little persuasion, Njeri gave in on condition that Cherono would translate everything into English or Kiswahili. They went out and found the lady humming a tune. She was in a world of her own, her face a picture of happiness. She did not seem to notice the two girls, who also did not want to break in on her bliss.

      “Oh!” she exclaimed when  she realised she was being watched, “I really love singing. It is good for the sould. Do you also sing?” she asked.

      Njeri looked at Cherono expecting her to translate what the lady had just said. And she did.

      “I see you friend does not understand our language. The lady commented in English. The two girls were taken aback. “I just wanted to find out whether you two also love to sing,” she said, looking at Njeri.

      “Yes,” replied Njeri. “buy I do not know you spoke English.”

The lady let out a hearty laugh, once again exposing her toothless gums. She then went on to explain that she was a retired teacher of English, having taught for forty years.

      “I was taught the language by its owners,” she boasted.

      “Just as I learnt your language from its owners,” Cherono remarked proudly. It was the lady’s turn to be astonished. “You mean you do not come from our community yet you speak our language so well?”

      Aoko arrived to find the three deep in conversation. She was holding a newspaper. She explained that she had had to walk all the way to the shopping centre for it. “My great grandma loves reading and as soon as she arrived here this morning she asked for a newspaper.”

Soon afterwards the three girls skipped away leaving the old lady buried in the paper.


26.   Njeri wondered what Aoko was doing at home because

A.    It was already 10 o’clock

B.     She wanted to play with her

C.     They were close friends

D.    It was unusual for Aoko to be late

27.   During the school holidays, the girls

A.    Always met at nine o’clock

B.     Loved listening to stories

C.     Became close friends

D.    Spent the better part of the day together

28.   Why did Njeri suggest that they “go away and come back later?”

A.    She was bored

B.     She was nervous

C.     She was impatient

D.    She was worried

29.   Which of the following statements best explains why Cherono greeted the old lady in Aoko’s mother tongue?

A.    She knew the old lady did not know English

B.     She assumed the old lady was from Aoko’s community

C.     She knew the old lady could not understand the language

D.    She wanted to surprise the old lady by speaking her language

30.   Whe Njeri did not understand what the old lady was saying, she must have felt

A.    Embarrassed

B.     Annoyed

C.     Frustrated

D.    Rejected

31.   Which of the following is not a possible explantion why Cherono ws curious about the old lady?

A.    The old lady was about a hundred years old

B.     She had never seen the old lady before

C.     The old lady had toothless gums

D.    She had learnt the old lady’s language

32.   Njeri was reluctant to ‘go out and chat’ with the old lady because

A.    Only Cherono could understand the old lady’s language

B.     She did not enjoy stories in another language

C.     She thought the stories would not be in English

D.    The old lady was not from her community

33.   The phrase ‘buried in the paper’ as used in the passage means

A.    Covered with the paper

B.     Reading the paper keenly

C.     Looking at the paper

D.    The old lady was dead

34.   The expression ‘taken aback’ as used in the passage means

A.    Shocked

B.     Surprised

C.     Frightened

D.    Excited

35.   Why do you think the old lady ‘let out a hearty laugh?”

A.    She was amused by the girls’ ignorance

B.     She wanted to surprise the girls

C.     She wanted to show off that she knew English

D.    She was proud about her community

36.   The old lady was ‘astonished’ because Cherono

A.    Was not from her community

B.     Had been taught the language

C.     Was a good interpreter

D.    Could speak her language fluently

37.   Which one of the following statements is not true about Aoko?

A.    She was shocked to find her friends with her great grandmother

B.     She had been away for over thirty minutes

C.     She was an obedient girl

D.     She loved being with her friends

38.   Which of the following sayings can best apply to this passage?

A.    A stitch in time saves nine

B.     Do not judge a book by its cover

C.     Experience is the best teacher

D.    Better late than never


 

Read the passage below and then answer questions 39 to 50

      One of the most amazing things about the discovery of a 2,000 year old cemetery in the Bahariyah Oasis in Egypt was that no one was looking for it. No one even knew it existed. It had been completely buried by sand.

      In 1996, a donkey belonging to a guard at the neraby temple stumbled into a hole in the sand a mile from the temple. When the guard peered into the hole, he saw something shining brightly. He reported the discovery to Egyptian archaeologists right away.

      However, the archaeologists did not begin serious digging immediately. They did not have the workers or the money. So they made a quick survey of the site, and then covered everything up again. They wanted to hid it from thieves and protect it from exposure to the sun and weather. Finally, in 1999, they had enough money to begin exploring the site.

      On their very first day of work, after digging only several feet into the sand, they found a lot of mummies. Mummies are dead bodies that have been preserved for a long time. They are mostly found in Egypt. One of them had an especially beautiful mask. It was no a pharao’s mummy, though. It turned out that none of the tombs in this cemetery belonged to royalty. Most of the people buried here came from families that grew rich by trading in wine.

      The most spectacular of these mummies have masks made of plaster covered with a thin layer of gold. Many are in wonderful condition. And because grave robbers never found these tombs, everything that was buried with them is still there. Most of the mummies have been left where they were found, but a few of the best preserved ones are on display in the Bahariya Museum, where the public can take a look at them.

      Two mummies were found lying side by side and were probably a husband and a wife. His mask and chest plate were decorated with religious figures. Her head was turned in his direction, indicating that the husband had died first.

      The other mummies are of children. Archaeologists think they were brother and sister because they were found together. The boy was probably about five years old. His mask with its painted eyes and features are so real – he almost seems alive!

      Did archaeologists find treasures in these tombs? It depends on what you mean by ‘treasures’. They have not found any solid gold, but they have discovered all sorts of objects. The people buried in the cemetery may have thought some of these items would be useful in the afterlife. Or some may have been intended as gifts to the gods. For example, archaeologists have unearthed small statues of various gods. They have found many pieces of jewellery – necklaces, bracelets and anklets – made of copper, glass, ivory and semi-precious stones.

      They have also discovered many pottery pieces used for storing, cooking or serving food. There were some bronze Greek and Roman coins too. And in the children’s tombs, they found toys – carved animals for the children to play with in the afterlife.

      Archaeologists will be able to learn more about these people and their way of life by further studying their mummies and the things buried with them. And so many mummies were buried in the valley of Golden Mummies that excavation and learning will continue at the site for years to come.

(Adapted from secrets of past by World Book, Inc. 2002)

 


39.   The discovery of the 2,000 year old cemetery in Bhariyah was

A.    Very sudden

B.     Really surprising

C.     Quite accidental

D.    Extremely important

40.   Who actually discovered the cemetery?

A.    The guard

B.     The donkey

C.     The archaeologists

D.    The egyptians

41.   What can we tell about the archaeologists from the information in the third paragraph?

A.    They did not do things in a hurry

B.     They had a lot of digging to do

C.     They received reports from guards

D.    They did not have much money

42.   Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A.    Robbers can interfere with the mummies

B.     Thieves have also discovered the cemetery

C.     Exposure to the weather can affect the mummies

D.    There was enough sand to cover the cemetery

43.   The first day of digging can be described as

A.    Very stressful

B.     Quite amazing

C.     Very successful

D.    Quite interesting

44.   “none of the tombs in this cemetery belonged to royalty” means that

A.    The royal family did not own that cemetery

B.     Members of the royal family were not buried there

C.     It was not good enough for kings and queens

D.    You do not bury such important people anywhere

45.   What evidence is there that people buried there were rich?

A.    They traded in wine

B.     They were well preserved

C.     Their bodies were beautifully decorated

D.    Their masks are covered with a layer of gold

46.   What can we assume about the culture of the people buried in this cemetery?

A.    Members of the same family were buried together

B.     The people were buried side by side

C.     The woman was supposed to face her husband

D.    They used masks in their religious ceremonies

47.   According to the passage, the word ‘treasures’

A.    Means different things to different people

B.     Is an important word in the passage

C.     Refers to all sorts of objects

D.    Refers to items found in tombs

48.   It is obvious that the people in the community believed

A.    They would meet some gods later

B.     These gods expected some gifts

C.     There was life after death

D.    They needed some items after dying

49.   The word unearthed means

A.    Removed

B.     Discovered

C.     Exposed

D.    Recovered

50.   Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A.    The unusual discovery

B.     The mummies of Bahariyah

C.     The wonders of Ancient Egypt

D.    The work of archaeologists

 

 

 

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