MINESEC/DECC BEPC 2009

COEF: 3 TIME: 2 H

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SECTION A: GRAMMAR (10 MARKS)

I- Change and rewrite the following sentences according to the

instructions in the brackets. (5marks)

1) Ali buys two exercise books every month. (turn into the passive voice)

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2) “I can cook plantain better than rice”, said Essono. (reported speech)

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3) “Where are you going to?” (past tense)

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4) She likes mangoes. (negative form)

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5) If he comes tomorrow, he will meet me. (replace “tomorrow” with “yesterday”)

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II- Combine the following pairs of sentences into one and write down the
final sentences. (5marks)

1. Where has she gone to? I wonder.

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2. They did not travel yesterday. They travelled this morning instead.

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3. I saw you with a cap. Where is the cap?

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BEPC 2009, TYPED BY BRANDON N. NZE, BILINGUAL TEACHER (ENGLISH FOREIGN LANGUAGE / FRENCH FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

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 4. A man opened the main door. I do not know the man who opened it.

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5. You have a new shirt. What a nice shirt!

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SECTION B: VOCABULARY (10 MARKS)

I. From the list in the brackets, choose one item which is nearest in
meaning to the underlined word or expression and then write the
chosen item in the space provided. (5marks)

1. School usually resumes in September each year. (carries on, begins, continues):
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2. The pastor will bless you if you go to see him before your journey. (wound, wish you well, cause an
injury): ______________________________________________
3. The train arrived later on. (soon afterward, very late, too late): ___________________
4. After their father’s death they were hopeless. (homeless, discouraging, desperate):
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5. Everybody wants to be rich, don’t they? (wealthy, reach, well): __________________

II. Match the words with the sounds. Write each word under the correct
sound. (3marks)

List of words: lime, liver, listen, pike, right, sister

Words with the sound (I) Words with the sound (aI)
1. ____________________________ 1. ______________________________
2. ____________________________ 2. ______________________________
3. ____________________________ 3. ______________________________

III. Complete the sentences with appropriate words or phrases. (2marks)

1. “Do your homework now; you will ____________________________ TV later.”

2. We have a new English teacher; the _________________________________one has been appointed
in the Ministry.

BEPC 2009, TYPED BY BRANDON N. NZE, BILINGUAL TEACHER (ENGLISH FOREIGN LANGUAGE / FRENCH FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

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SECTION C: READING COMPREHENSION (10 MARKS)

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions below it,
using your own words as far as you can.

Most of the young women in some areas of Mobololand speak simple English, but are unable to read
and write. As children, they had no opportunity to go to school, but as time goes on, they are beginning to be
interested in reading, writing English and French. “It is never too late to learn”, said Aisha, a young lady
from Mobololand. “People here used to think that women’s education was important. For the people of my
area, women ought to stay at home, do the housework, get married, and have children.”

“I have no time for such beliefs”, replied Mariama. “Those who say those things make me angry.
Look at Mrs Egogo, the Maths teacher in our school village; she has no husband and earns her living very
well. When you go to the city, you find so many women teachers, doctors, engineers, and even architects.”

“Many families in my area are very poor”, said Amira. When money is available for education, it is
the boys who are the first to have their fees paid. It is said that girls will soon get support from their
husbands.”

“Look at my case: My father Amadou has two children, a boy and me, and he could not send both of
us to school because he is too poor. In addition, my mother is always sick and cannot take care of the home.
So my father needs me at home. What would you do if you were him?”

When a girl does not go through formal education, she cannot read a magazine, write letters, or read
instructions on a medicine packet. If she wants to read or write a letter, she gets someone to do it for her. So
she has no privacy, since people know about her private life.

A new school for adult women is going to be opened in a village near Mobololand. The only
entrance qualification for the school is the desire to learn. Mama Myriam, aged 45, has a lot of that! She
says that her education will help her family: “I will never have a problem with my husband because we both
earn money and there will be peace in the family. Even when I have a good education, I will always obey
and respect my husband”, she concludes.

QUESTIONS

1. Give two reasons why girls are not allowed to go for formal education.

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2. Name two things that a woman who has not received formal education cannot do.

BEPC 2009, TYPED BY BRANDON N. NZE, BILINGUAL TEACHER (ENGLISH FOREIGN LANGUAGE / FRENCH FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

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3. On what condition are women admitted to the village school?

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4. Why do such women not have privacy?

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5. When parents are poor, do you think it is good for them to send only the boys to school and leave the
girls? Give your reasons.

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SECTION D: COMPOSITION (10 MARKS)

Write a composition of between 150 – 180 words on any one of the following
topics.

1) The job I like most.

2) Explain the advantages and drawbacks of arranged marriages.

3) Do you agree that people should love one another? Talk about it and explain your own idea about
true friendship between boys and girls.

BEPC 2009, TYPED BY BRANDON N. NZE, BILINGUAL TEACHER (ENGLISH FOREIGN LANGUAGE / FRENCH FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

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