Ghana BECE 2003 ENGLISH PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1) The parents also sang and danced because

The children rushed out of school that afternoon innocently singing the song they had just learned: Rain, rain, go away.
Go and come another day. Little children want to play. Rain, rain, go away

2) But they stopped abruptly when they looked up and saw dark clouds racing across the sky. These were signs of rain and the children were beside themselves with joy. Then they burst into yet another song:

The rains will soon come. The sky will be bright And the guns will boom

As they sang and danced, they were soon joined by their parents in their happiness. It was six months since it had last rained and all that time the farmers prayed for rain that would not come. The result was famine in the country for the land became so dry that new crops could not be sown and cassava could not be uprooted. The streams and the wells had also dried up and the people could find very little water for themselves and their livestock. Was it then strange that adults danced and sang like children in the hope that their troubles would soon be over? They were sure that the fetish priest‟s sacrifices would not be in vain.

But they woke up the next morning to find that the land was still dry; there was not a drop of rainwater anywhere.

Then they became angry and ran after the fetish priest. But he was gone before they could lynch him.

1. The children changed their song because

3) Which of the following is true?

4) Abruptly in the passage means

5) The people wanted to lynch the fetish priest because

6) From the passage we learn that

Teacher Amu never lost the opportunity to give pep-talks to his students. „Variety is the spice of life,‟ he often
began. Then he would tell them how life has opposites, like good and bad. He would talk about the variety of

7) birds, the different kinds of fish and species of trees. His students could always tell when teacher Amu‟s sermons were about to end. He would raise his voice and loop up as he made his point: “God made them all and He said, „It is good‟.”

These words had a lasting effect on his students. When the class was over, they would go on reeling with laughter as they recited these words. Soon, it was not surprising when they began to call Teacher Amu, „God made them all‟ whenever his back was turned.

But one of them, Kofi Abre, did not consider Teacher Amu‟s pep-talks funny at all. He was not amused that his classmates joked with his teacher‟s words. Teacher Amu had said that the world was made up of different things, different people and different habits. So why did they bother when he, Abre, acted differently?

The other day, he shouted down a school mate who called him lazy. He almost bloodied a friend‟s nose too when this friend scolded him for not doing his homework. Teacher Amu warned that he would punish Abre. It was an act of indiscipline. Kofi Abre shook his head. It was his friend who offended him yet Teacher Amu would punish him for being violent and different.

7. The expression, „Variety is the spice of life‟ means life

8) The students called Teacher Amu „God made them all‟ because

9) Kofi Abre did not like the jokes because he

10) The word scolded in the passage means

11) Teacher Amu punished Kofi Abre because he

12) Abass was not selected to play because he had little stamina.

13) Abass was not selected to play because he had little stamina.

14) The town was deserted after the war.

15) The police interrogated the suspect at the police station.

16) John was impressed with Joana‟s gift.

17) Most doctors are cautious in treating patients.

The Chairman was disturbed because only fifteen members turned up for the meeting. This means that
fifteen members ………….the meeting

19) Tony held his tongue for an hour before speaking. This means that Tony

20) Jones will let the cat out of the bag if he is invited. This means he will

21) The PTA Chairman cleared the air about the increase in dues. This means that he

22) Charles Taylor‟s shot missed its target by a hair ‟s breadth . This means that

23) Applying cocoa butter to the skin makes it smooth.

24) Do not despise poor people because you are rich.

25) Hearing is an involuntary action.

26) Iddrisu swore that he would rather be a spendthrift than a ………

27) Our friends gave us a cordial welcome.

28) The youth are advised to abstain ………..sex.

29) Bulky goods are transported …………..sea.

30) Life skills ………my favourite subject when I was in school.

31) „Will you mind if I borrowed your book?‟

32) „Has Sister Edith ……………her glass of water this evening?‟

33) If my uncle had come I …………have had some money

34) Newspapers are …………magazines.

35) I have discovered a new ……….rhyme.

36) I told mum I ………..take my breakfast later.

37) The final match was played ………… three and five o‟clock in the afternoon.

38) The girl told her mother that she ………….from church.

39) ………….. I joined the class late I could pass the examination.

40) The book was ………difficult to read.