English Language 2017 Past Questions | WAEC
Study the following English Language past questions and answers for JAMB, WAEC NECO and Post-JAMB. Get prepared with official past questions and answers for upcoming examinations.
English Language 2017 Theory
1. Your father has just built a new house for the family. Write a letter to your elder brother who lives abroad, describing the new house and the prestige it has accorded your family.
Solution & Explanation:
16, Taye Salawu Street, Adeba Bus Stop.
lbeju-Lekki, Lagos.
25th June, 2017.
Dear Adams,
How are you and everybody over there. I hope school is going on well, it being so long that I have written to you. So, I am very sorry and thus ask for your forgiveness.
To start with, it is a great pleasure that I write to inform you about the prestigious house father built for us as family. The house is located around Lagos, close to Lekki. It was built around 25th of December 2016 and we moved into the house on the 23nd of april 2017. The colour of the house was painted Brown and Cream, which dad know that it is your favourite colour. The type of house that was built was duplex. It has five bedroom (2 down, 3 up ), including swimming pool. The house was so great that people was demanding for the plan of the house from the construction manager.
However the house has actually add prestige and respect to our family, yesterday father received a call from unknown person and was told to come and received a contract which was worth over ₦ 2 million. Also he had a call from the Ministry of Education to come and direct the contractor on how to built a day and boarding school in our area.
The community has also decided to give a chieftancy title to daddy because of the new status the new building has bestowed on our family, Due to the house we are now the new bride of the entire community, Even the school. I attended, the teaching and non-teaching staff plus my mates looked at me with a special attention and awareness.
Furthermore, the new house that father built has brought us respect and great favour in so many ways. Finally, brother I know and I pray that your holiday of this year will be filled with Joy due to what father has done for us. Extend my greetings to everybody over there, see you soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Amakah.
2.Write an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper, discussing two major problems facing your country and suggesting ways of solving them.
Solution & Explanation:
PROBLEMS FACING OUR COUNTRY (NIGERIA) AND WAYS OF SOLVING THEM.
My country Nigeria is known as the giant of Africa. The problems of Nigeria is caused by both the young and old ones in the country. The main purpose of writing this article is to discuss some problems facing Nigeria and possible ways of solving them. The article is to serve as an eye opener to citizen of my country. Embezzlement is one of the problem facing Nigeria. Embezzlement is the act of stealing the money that one is not responsible for or stealing the money that has been placed in ones care. This act begins right from home. The fact is that it is not only those that are in an office that embezzle but some children will be given money to take care of their young ones but they will prefer to spend the money all alone. This act is also called embezzlement because if those children are placed or put in an office in the future they will embezzle because they are used to that act right from their childhood days.
It is also known to all citizens of Nigeria both the ones that are in the country and the ones abroad that our country is where bribery and corruption flourish. Corruption is the will to use ones power to do dishonesty and illegal things in return for money or to get an advantage. There are so many cases where by a person who have been charged to court of law and the accused will be given life imprisonment but in a situation whereby the parent of the accused or the accused is rich they will have to release him or her and replace the accused with another person who has not done anything wrong and innocent person will be killed without any offence charged against him or her.
This problems can be solved by firstly solving the problems at home in ensuring that target parent train or teach :heir children with integrity and be God fearing after this then you change the society by making everyone in the society unite and be God fearing with that the government can then help us in making the state and country corruption and embezzlement free.
If the above listed problems and solutions are considered by the government and the citizen of the country am sure our country Nigeria will develop.
Adebayo Buhari
3. The electricity supply in your school has been irregular. As the Senior Prefect, write a letter to the Chairman of the parent -Teacher Association (PTA) telling him about the effect of this on the school and the need to provide a stand-by generator for the school.
Solution & Explanation:
Iju Grammar School,
Old Akute Road,
Obawole
Lagos State,
4th July, 2017.
The P.T.A Chairman,
Iju Grammar School,
Dbawole, Lagos.
Dear Sir.
EFFECT OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IN OUR SCHOOL
I am writing in my capacity as the Senior Prefect of the school named above. In the first place, I wish to thank you sincerely for the wonderful works you have been doing in our school.
However, on behalf of the entire school, I wish to place before you our need in the school. This has really threatened the development of our school for a long period of time and we would be grateful if you could use your good position to provide it.
First and foremost, I must inform you that up till now, our school has no constant electricity. This situation is really affecting the students. The importance of electricity in a school cannot be over emphasized. The student need electricity for doing practicals, assignments and other environmental activities such as pumping of water into the pond, adequate water supply into the toilets, using of electrical gadgets or machines. Sir, on many occasions we have to do assignment, class work during heat and summer period.
Similarly, I must bring to your notice that most of our practical machine and gadgets are getting spoilt due to no electricity to charge before use. We could not even use the toilet because there is no adequate water.
Despite the inadequate power supply, electricity fees and other charges have continued to increase. This has led to increasing withdrawal from the school The school is also no longer attracting the type of enrollment as others in its class because of heat and unventilated class and other increased charges.
In the same vein, it must be brought to your notice that our school need a standby generator. What we have could not be called a generator. The importance of the standby generator in a school is so great that we cannot fold our arms on this issue. Obviously, the academic performances of the students will be enhanced If you could provide a bigger and well-functioning generator for us.
Finally Sir, I thank you once again for your wonderful works for the development of our school, and we would be grateful if the request could be granted.
Yours faithfully, Raji Titilola.
4. Your principal is due for retirement at the end of the academic year As the senior prefect, Write a speech which you would deliver to honour him/her as a send-off party.
Correct Option: Answer is D
5.Write a story ending with the expression At last, we arrived safely.
Solution & Explanation:
AT LAST, WE ARRIVED SAFELY
Life is full of unexpected surprises. There are many opportunities when one can secretly wish for something exiting to happen. Something out of the ordinary. The real surprise is when the wish unexpectedly comes true. I never believed that something like this could ever happen to me. Such a thing that would make me stop and look back at the events in awe. I think you would agree that something as simple as being lost in the forest for less than ten minutes should have no influence on my life If you do agree, that makes both of us wrong.
Throughout my childhood, I loved the wildlife. My family and I would always go for a walk in the downtown forest of Conte’s paradise. There are many times I thought of what could happen if we were to lose our way from the trail and have to live off of the land until we found our way back to civilization. I thought it would be the greatest experience ever.
As my brothers and I grew older, we continued to go for these walks with our parent but the experience of living In the forest I soon forgot. That’s when it happened. We decided to take a different path off the main trail. Before I knew it, the path had disappeared and no one in my family could tell where we had come from It was so unexpected. it gave me a feeling of excitement that cant be described Everything in the forest seemed different. The trees were a deeper shade of green leaves. The birds chirped in a different tone. Vines covered almost every inch of the ground. One part of me never wanted this moment to end. I felt completely free from the stress of my outside of the woods. It was this moment that I realized that I would much rather stay here for the rest of my life than go back to the society.
I think that another reason that I felt carefree was because my parents didn’t panic.
Segun Abari
6. You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on this section.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
When I was in primary four. thirty-five years ago, schools closed for the day at 1:30pm. My two friends and I would then proceed for ‘full’ recreation as we either played football in hidden neighbourhoods or went downstream to swim till dusk. The reprimands and occasional spankings we got from our mothers could not deter us. Our youthful adventurous spirit would not be suppressed.. We were resolute in our desire to be free of what we thought were too many chores. As far as we were concerned, that should be the preserve of the female gender.
One day we went fishing in a stream on the outskirts of the village after we had had our fill of entertainment playing football. We each caught some fish but were not satisfied: we wanted crabs which we could sell on our way back home to augment the meagre money for recess’ that each of us got when going off to school every day. We caught two big crabs from the first two holes we dug before going for a third. Convinced that we had dug deep enough. the eldest of us dipped his right hand into the hole that was about three-quarters filled with water, and soon reported excitedly that he had made a big catch As he dragged it to the surface, we screamed in sudden terror. The ‘big catch’ was the fleshly middle part of a shimmering black snake! No one waited for the other as we scrambled for safety, leaving our other catch behind the boy splashed frantically through the water. falling over twice before reaching us on the bank of the stream None of us ventured back, more for fear of the snake than the dusk that had suddenly descended on the village.
When I got home, I met Mother. my two siblings and some anxious relations at the doorstep. They were about setting out to comb the entire village since their previous search to my school, my mates’ homes and the few playgrounds n the village had been futile. The concerned look on Mother’s face told me I had stirred up a hornets’ nest and should be prepared for the sting. My muddy legs and hands betrayed the lie I had hurriedly cooked up. I got the beating of my life, first from Mother and then Father who came into the house and upon being told what had happened, went straight for the thick rubber he had wound around his bicycle carrier for tying loads.
(a) State two reasons why the writer and his friends always came home late.
(b) Why did the boys get home late on that fateful day?
(c) Why did the boys not realize that it was getting dark?
(d) In what two ways was the writer unlucky on that day?
(e) How does the writer’s mother usually demonstrate her disapproval of his behaviour?
(f)…. I had stirred up a hornets’ nest and should be prepared for the sting”
(i) What figure of speech is used in this expression?
(ii) What does it mean?
(g) “As he dragged it to the surface. “
(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage? What is its function? (ii) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it s used in the passage:
(I) deter;
(ii) preserve;
(iii) augment:
(iv) ventured;
(v) concerned.
Solution & Explanation:
(a) (i) They stayed back to play football/swim
(ii) They wanted to avoid chores
(b) (i) They had played football for a long time
(ii) They had gone fishing/crab hunting
(c) The boys were engrossed in fishing and catching crabs
(d) (i) The writer lost the fish and the crabs they caught (ii) The writer got the beating of his life
(e) She always reprimands or spanks the writer for coming home late
(f) (i) Metaphor
(ii) The writer had looked for trouble and should be ready for the consequence/punishment.
(g) (i) Adverbial clause (of time) (ii) It modifies/qualifies (the verb) “screamed”
(h) (i) deter-stop, hinder, check, restrain
(ii) preserve-duty, role, function, specialty
(iii) augument-supplement, add to, increase
(iv) ventured-dared go, risked going, had the guts/courage to go, attempted going, went, turned
(v) concerned – worried, anxious, troubled, distressed
7. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Young people are usually faced with several challenges as they grow up These challenges have increased dramatically as a result of the present impressive advances in science. The Internet and the mobile phone, for instance, have indeed reduced the whole world to a global village and given birth to social media. Social media itself has made it possible for anyone to instantly keep abreast with happenings all around the world.
But many people are worried that a lot of youths use social media in various negative ways that tend to ultimately increase the challenges they face in life. First, Internet chatting and dating have become common among youths, They spend valuable time in internet cafes or glued to their smart phones with the hope that through Skype or Facebook “luck” would come their way. The time wasted in this way could have been spent on studying and helping their parents with household chores.
Another downside of social media is the easy access to pornography that it offers. Attracted like gnats to bright light at night, many youths spend hours watching pornography This has the inevitable effect of corrupting their minds. in the fantasy world that pornography plunges them into. they care little for anything else. In the end, the casualties are their studies and their morals.
Again, youths are often driven by the “get rich quick” syndrome as they observe successful and affluent members of the society all around them who flaunt their wealth by driving expensive cars and living ostentatious lifestyles. Because many youths are seized by the irresistible desire to become like these people overnight, they readily resort to any available means to succeed, including cyber crime. Since face-to-face contact is not involved, it is easy for these misguided youths to plan and executive all manner of scams on social media.
What can be done to rescue the youths from these influences? First, parents have a crucial role to play. Many youths have improper home training and most parents leave their children to learn life’s lessons on their own. They allow them to find solutions to their problems with minimal guidance. The reality is that the sooner parents change their method of raising children, the better.
Teachers also have to play a crucial role. Teachers should realize that just as parents take over the responsibility of teaching when their children are at home, they in turn become the youth’s parents at school. They should therefore ensure not only that the right skills are taught the youth, but also that the right attitudes are instilled in them.
The society at large should also realize that at their impressionable age, youths are simply influenced by what they observe happening around them, whether good or bad. So, instead of emphasizing materialism and flaunting of wealth, the society’s responsibility towards the youths should be mainly to instil in them its norms, customs and values through proper role modelling. Then the world will become a better place for the youth, because they will be able to control their own destiny.
(a) In three sentences, one for each, summarize the negative influences of social media on youths.
(b) In three sentences, one for each, summarize what must be done to rescue the youths from these influences.
Solution & Explanation:
(a) (i) Social media encourage youths to waste valuable time.
(ii) Social media exposes youths to pornography/Social media corrupts the minds/morals of youths
(iii) Social media encourages youths to engage in cybercrime
(b) (i) Parents should bring up their children properly
(ii) Teachers should instil the right skills and attitudes in the youth.
(iii) The society should produce proper role models for youths OR The society should instil its values in youths
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