If you are a BECE candidate looking for some trial questions in the English Language to try your hands-on, then you are on the right page.
On this page, we are giving out some English Trial Question Paper two which comprises Essay writing, Comprehension, and Literature. You can go through them for your own studies.
Please note that we only provide these questions taken from waec previous year’s exams. The below questions are not leakage papers but rather past questions that can be helpful to you in your studies towards the BECE 2021 examination.
PART A – ESSAY WRITING
1. Write a letter to your headteacher discussing two games that should be encouraged among the students.
2. Write an article for publication in your school magazine on why every student should be computer literate.
3. Write an interesting story which ends with the words, “it pays to be kind to strangers”
PART B – COMPREHENSION
4. Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions which follow
Friends are meant to help each other when the need arises. At school, some people develop friendly relationships which continue throughout
their lives. One thing which helps people to stay together as intimate friends are the ability to communicate freely among themselves and endeavor to be each other’s keeper.
What destroys friendships mostly is friends being suspicious of each other. That is why a popular adage says, “Suspicion is the bane of friendship”. People attend school not only because they want to make friends but also to acquire knowledge and skills for employment. Education helps people to be polished in their manners. The school prepares its students to
become useful citizens.
At school, Tono was not in the good books of the teachers because he behaved in an unruly manner. Initially, everyone avoided his company;
he could be violent at times. Worst of all, he would refuse to do his assignment and was a habitual latecomer. With the passage of time, he was realized the need to work diligently in order to have a bright future. His academic work therefore improved by leaps and bounds.
Fortune separated us. I traveled abroad for further studies. I stayed away for two decades. On my return, I went to my former school for my
certificate. There, I met a middle-aged gentleman who also came to the office for the same purpose. I could not recognize him because time had wiped off all memories of school. However, the names on the certificates revealed that we were classmates. After further discussions, Tono invited me to be his business partner.
Questions:
(a) (i) State one thing which helps people to be close.
(ii) How can friendships get destroyed?
(b) Give two reasons why people to school.
(c) (i) Why did people avoid Tono’s company?
(ii) State Tono’s reason for visiting his former school.
(d) Why could the writer not recognize Tono?
(e) In your own words, give another word or a phrase that means the same, and can fit into the
passage;
(i) Was not in the good books of teachers
(ii) With the passage of time
(iii) by leaps and bounds
(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same, and can fit into the passage:
(i) intimate;
(ii) adage;
(iii) acquire;
(iv) polished;
(v) initially
Answers to Comprehension
(a) (i) People’s ability to communicate freely among themselves and being each others’ keepers.
(ii) Friendships are destroyed when friends get suspicious of each other.
(b) (i). To acquire skills for employment.
(ii) To make friends
(c) (i) He could be violent at times. / He behaved badly. / He was disliked by his teachers.
(ii) Tono visited his former school in order to collect his certificate.
(d) He had not seen Tono in over two decades.
(e) In your own words, give another word or a phrase that means the same, and can fit into the
passage;
(i) was not in the good books of teachers – The teachers were displeased with his behavior
(ii) with the passage of time – As time proceeded.
(iii) by leaps and bounds – tremendously /Rapidly / swiftly/quickly
(f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same, and can fit into the passage:
(i) intimate – very close / dear
(ii) adage – proverb / saying
(iii) acquire – obtain / gain
(iv) polished – refined / fine-tuned
(v) initially – From the start / At first / in the beginning
PART C – LITERATURE
5. Question 5(a) to 5(c) are based on the abridged and simplified version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist
CHARLES DICKENS: Oliver Twist “stop, thief!” he shouted, thinking Oliver had robbed him. The poor boy
found himself being chased by people and even dogs! Someone in the crowd, a young man with purple lips and red sores all over his hands,
grabbed Oliver and knocked him down…” (Page 109)
Questions
(a) The one described as a young man with purple lips and red sores all over his hands is ………
(b) Why did the ‘young man with purple lips and red sores all over his hands’ want to harm Oliver?
(c) How did Mr. Brownlow help Oliver at the end of the story?
Answers
(a) Monks / Edward Leeford
(b) He intended to keep all of their father’s wealth to himself.
(c) He helped Oliver Twist discover who his real parents were.
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(d) and 5(e)
KEN SARO-WIWA: Home Sweet Home
“Born, say, our young Miss has arrived heavily laden with all the good things of this earth. I should think Dukana will soon float on a sea of
wealth” (Page 178)
Questions
(d) Who is referred to as our young Miss?
(e) The library device used in heavily laden with all the good things of the earth is………
Answers:
(d) The Author
(e) Hyperbole
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(f) to 5(h)
AMA ATA AIDOO: The Dilemma of a Ghost “X: It was a couple of days ago that we met. What came out of the
meeting is that we must come and ask you and your wife what is preventing you from giving your grandmother a great-grandchild
before she leaves us.”
(Act 4, Page 66)
Questions
(f) The speaker represented by ‘X’ in the extract is…….
(g) According to Ato, what is preventing him and his wife from having children?
(h) The figure of speech that describes she leaves us in the extract is……….
Answer
(f) Petu
(g) An unknown reason / Nothing
(h) Euphemism
Read the following extract carefully and answer Questions 5(i) and 5(j)
THERESA ENNIN: Makola “Head bent, rags all around the upside-down pan Picking her nose, shuffling her feet, oblivious to the bustle”
(Page 158)
(i) Write one group of words in the extract that brings out the theme of uncleanliness.
(j) The words Head bent, rags all around the upside-down pan appeal to the reader’s sense of…….
Answer
(i) Rags all around
(j) sight/sympathy
I would like to know more about literature (cockcrow).
It very good