Ghana BECE 2008 ENGLISH PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1) PASSAGE I

Since the building of the District Hospital at Kpota, there had sprung up some residential structures around the hospital. One particular cluster of houses took the fancy of Mr. Akpaloo, who told himself that if ever he wanted to build a house, it would be like one of those.

When Mr. Akpaloo thought he was ready to put up his own building, one of the things he did was to look for the plan of the houses that he so admired. He went to the office of Dr. Agbetor, the Hospital Administrator to ask for it. Dr. Agbetor explained that those houses in which Mr. Akpaloo was interested had actually been built by Dr. Grant who still had the blueprint of the structure. Obviously, the person to see was Dr. Grant.

Mr. Akpaloo went and saw Dr. Grant in his magnificent house at Tokoe. The latter explained that it was not prudent to give out the plan that had been specifically designed for those projects. However, he advised Mr. Akpaloo to go to the site and see the caretaker who would show him the rooms. Mr. Akpaloo could then make a sketch of the building.

To the site Mr. Akpaloo went. When he arrived, the caretaker took him round. What had looked like a two-bedroom house from afar, was at close quarters, four-bedroom affair. The difference that distance can make!

6) PASSAGE II

One day a poor fisherman went fishing and caught nothing. He was just about to go home when he felt the net suddenly grow heavy. He thought he had caught a large fish. But when he dragged it ashore, he found only a heavy copper pot sealed with lead. He took it and feeling sure it contained
something valuable, he took his knife, cut the lead top and tuned it upside down. For a moment nothing came out; and then it started to smoke, and this smoke slowly rose right up to the sky like a thick fog. It suddenly turned into a huge genie.

‘Bow down’ said the genie ‘and let me kill you’. ‘Why?’ ,asked the fisherman .. ‘Have you forgotten that I set you free?’
‘Yes, but I have sworn to kill you’, said the genie. ‘I’m a spirit that rebelled against the Creator and to punish me he shut me up in this copper pot. During the first century of my captivity, I swore to make anyone who freed me rich. During my second century, I swore I would grant him any three things. But after these centuries, in anger I swore to kill my liberator without mercy’

‘Well, die I must’. Said the fisherman, ‘but swear that you really were in that pot. It is too small to hold even your little finger. Unless I see it, I shall not believe it.’
‘See then and believe’ said the genie.
He slowly changed back into smoke and entered the pot. The fisherman immediately put back the lead cover and threw it into the sea.

26) From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence

I promised my parents that I. …… study very hard.