ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 2
SECTION A
You are advised to spend about 50
minutes on this section.

1. Write a letter to your friend in another school telling him or her about your future career and how it will be beneficial to your country.

2. The National Scholarship Secretariat is organizing an essay competition on the topic: The Menace of Fake Drugs in the Society. Write your entry.

3. As a former senior prefect, write a letter to the principal of your School on the occasion of its 60th anniversary celebration, congratulating him and offering three suggestions for the improvement of the school.

4. A new principal has just been posted to your school. As the senior prefect, write a welcome address on behalf of the students, pointing out three areas of need in the school.

5. Write a story to illustrate the saying:
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

SECTION B : COMPREHENSION
You are advised to spend about 30
minutes on this section.

6. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Alani was the seventh child of his family. When he was growing up, there was scarcely enough to go round. His mother was a petty trader while his father worked as a clerk in one of the ministries. But Alani was an intelligent child and performed brilliantly at school, This endeared him to his teachers. He represented the school at all competitions and won many laurels he won a scholarship to study at any school of his choice to university level. The future was indeed bright for him. However, having to constantly struggle with his siblings for the little sustenance provided by their parents turned him into an aggressive child.
While he was in Basic Six,

After graduation, Alani got a job with
a reputable accounting firm. He travelled far and wide and was trained extensively. He rose through the ranks and became one of the top executives.
After a while, he decided to establish
his own firm. His firm flourished because of his hard work, dedication and the huge amount of money and time he invested in the venture. After just a few years, the firm became a household name.

However, things took a bad turn. Alani’s success went to his head. He became pompous. He would get angry at the slightest provocation. He refused to take the advice of his employees, considering them all beneath him. Even when his workers had good suggestions for improvement, he would not listen. Often times, he would treat his clients shabbily. He began to lose clients one by one and his profits dwindled. His firm was on the rocks and he started to blame his employees for the downturn in his business.

He became suspicious of every move
made and action taken by his workers. Soon, Alani became a bitter man. He lost the respect of his workers because he often quarrelled with them.

However, Alani’s secretary, who was his pioneer staff did not give up on
him. She tried to talk to him and refused to resign when other members of staff were putting in their letters.
When five of his workers resigned on
the same day, that decided it! He realized that he just had to turn his life around. He went for counseling and began to turn over a new leaf. It was during one of the counseling sessions that he met a business mogul. They got talking and the man was impressed with Alani’s knowledge and expertise.
They formed a partnership and Alani’s business began to grow again. Alani had learnt a useful lesson: those who are endowed with success should nurture it with humility.

(a) What endeared Alani to his teacher?
(b) Mention two factors that accounted for Alani’s success in business.
(c) Why did Alani’s business almost collapse?

(d). What was ironical in Alani’s blaming his employees for the downturn in his business?

(e) What incident made Alani have a rethink?

(f) ….. On the rocks.
What is the meaning of this expression?

(g)….. who was his pioneer staff…
(i) What grammatical name is given to
this expression as it is used in the pas-
sage?
(ii) What is its function?

(h) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage:
(i) laurels; (ii) sustenance (iii) reputable; (iv) venture; (v) pompous; (vi) dwindled.

SECTION C: SUMMARY
You are advised to spend about 40
minutes on this section.

7. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Armed robbery is one of the most condemnable crimes in the contemporary society. People have been maimed or killed for their money or belongings in the past, but never has robbery with
VIolence been experienced on such
a large Scale as observed recently.
Armed robbery is typically motivated by the desire to obtain money and valuables. However, some armed robbers engage in the crime with the intention of boosting their status. Whatever the motivation, the act is inhumane and can result in injury and sometimes the death of the victims.
It is rather unfortunate that in almost
all modern societies there are always

groups of unemployed young people. Some are unemployed because
they have little or no education and
lack skills. What is even worse, these
young people are often unprepared for and unwilling to do any manual work to earn an honest living. They tend to blame society for their plight and retaliate by indulging in acts of crime and lawlessness. They grab money and valuable properties of their victim to enable them to survive in a society which seems to ignore them. To reduce the instances of armed robbery parents should do their best to nurture their children in the right way because charity begins at home. They should instill good values in them and should not hesitate to correct them early in life when they bring home something that does not belong to them.
The rich on the other hand, who are
mostly the target of armed robbers,
provide another cause. Some show off
their wealth ostentatiously, live flamboyantly, go about in flashy and sophisticated cars, shop from one exotic island to another on holidays, and brag about all their escapades on social media much to the annoyance and envy of the unemployed youth. To bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, the government should provide the necessities for its citizens. Social services should be made available to those without jobs. The proVision of such amenities to cater for the entire populace would help to improve the living conditions of the unemployed and underdeveloped. The adequate provision of infrastructure would ensure that every individual has access to the basic comforts of life.

The breakdown of traditional systems.
resulting in loss of moral and spiritual values, has made wealth the only
thing of value in the eyes of the youth.
The ostentatious display of ill-gotten
wealth is applauded and the society
hardly questions its source. Many
young people therefore engage in all
manner of nefarious activities including armed robbery to make money in order to enjoy the delight and comforts of modem life and above all, be celebrated by their society. Law enforcement authorities can further reduce the spate of armed robberies by monitoring places known for high incidence of the crime. Constant and intrusive patrols of crime-prone areas can deter potential offenders.

(a) In three sentences, one for each, Summarize the factors that make some youths go into armed robbery.
(b) In three sentences, one for each, summarize how armed robbery can be reduced.

Solution

No 1

No 2

2022 waec English paper 2

No 3

No 4

No 5

6(a)His academic brilliance endeared him to his teachers.
b(i) Hard work
(ii) Dedication
(ii) The huge amount of money and time he invested.
(c) He became pompous and treated everyone shabbily.
(d He himself, and not his employees/workers, was actually responsible for the downturn in his business.

(e) The resignation of five of his workers on the same day made him have a rethink.

(f) It means to be in difficulty/in trouble/on the verge of collapse/in severe crisis.

g (i) Adjectival clause/Relative clause.
(ii) It modifies/qualifies (the noun phrase) “Alani’s secretary.
h(i) laurels – medals, prizes, awards, honours.
(ii) sustenance – food, provisions.
(ii) reputable – respectable, respected, prestigious.
(IV) venture – enterprise, business, establishment.
(v) pommpous – arrogant, proud, haughty, full of himself, conceited.

7a(i) Unemployment makes some youths go into armed robbery.
(ii) The ostentatious display of wealth by the rich lures some youths into armed robbery.
(iii) Society’s disregard for moral values makes some youths go into armed robbery.

b (i) parents should raise their children properly.
(ii) Government should make available the basic needs of life to its citizens.
(iii) Law enforcement authorities should intensify their efforts to discourage armed robbery.
OR
Law enforcement authorities should constantly keep watch Over crime-prone areas.

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