English is the study of the English language. The goal is to improve communication skills by practicing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language rules like pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Choose the option that best completes the gap(s).
An acceptance of the offer would be a departure from the several rejections that _____ .
Options:The obvious function of a daily paper is to give news to the people, but this, at the moment, may be done in three ways, which are not all equally laudable. First, there is the paper which set out to give a brief resume of the news and backs this up by well-written articles on the current affairs by leading writers and experts. Secondly, there is the ‘daily’ which caters for popular taste, and contains only the most sensational and exciting bits of news, supporting them with comic-strips, pictures children’s corners, women’s sections and readers’ letters on anything but weighty topics. Thirdly, there is the propaganda type of paper, which presents only those versions of the news which agree with its own particular political outlook. All this gives news in different ways; but what deeper function can the ideal daily paper have?
In the case of the Nigerian daily newspaper, the first type gives the thinking reader an unbiased view of the world situation, so that he can judge the importance of recent events for himself, but it does not indicate to him what he ought to think. The drawbacks to this is that semi-literate or uneducated find it dull or difficult and so are discouraged from reading such a paper regularly, because it demands too much thought and effort from them. The main advantage of this type of paper, however, is its soundness, excellent English expression and general effect of widening the readers’ knowledge on a variety of subjects.
The second type interest the majority and give them more striking items of news in an easily comprehensible way, accompanied by lavish photographs and usually with some slight political bias towards the left and the interests of the working class, from which most of its readers come. The drawback of this type is that there is not enough solid thinking mater and the English is often faulty in style – tending towards ‘journalese’. The advantage is that it is quickly and easily read, on the bus or train or over the breakfast table, and gives a superficial knowledge of current affairs to people who would not have the time or inclination to read ‘heavier’ literature. Also, it is a ‘family’ paper, which every member of the household can enjoy, since there is something to please all their tastes.
The third type to some extent, appeals to emotion, not reason. It instruct the reader in exactly what that particular editor believe he ought to think, and does not give him a chance to have a mind of his own by letting him hear the other person’s point of view. The drawback is that it prevents people from thinking for themselves, and causes political hysteria rather than logical thinking. the only advantage is that it does represent the ‘freedom of the press’ to publish whatever it likes, and allows discontented people to air their grievances instead of letting them smoulder underground.
From these examples, it should be clear that the ideal function of a daily paper would be to present the news clearly and simply, and to support it with articles in good English which shows the points of view of various competent people of different outlooks on current problems. The reader could then choose which line of thought appealed to him most. Women’s and children’s sections would be good so long as they did not grow so out of proportion that the paper depended solely upon them for its popularity. Good pictures would add to the paper’s instructive value as well as to its interest; and advertisements, kept in bounds, might be helpful, both as shopping guides and as a financial help to the paper itself. All these points seem to be desirable in a daily paper now that the radio helps in giving news headlines.
according to the passage the desirable newspaper is that which Options:The medical definition of miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before twenty-four weeks. Miscarriage is very common, occurring in ten to twenty per cent, of confirmed pregnancies. Most of those feature ...16... twelve weeks of pregnancy. The most common ...17... is vaginal bleeding, which can range from light spotting to heavier than a period. You may see blood clots, brown discharge or other tissues that are not ...18... identifiable. Sometimes a sac-like structure is seen. Often, there is cramping with pelvic or back pain. You may find that the usual symptoms of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, feeling sick and having to pass urine more ...19... than usual stop unexpectedly. Sometimes there are no signs or symptoms of miscarriage and pregnancy symptoms continue, and the miscarriage only ...20... in a routine scan . About half all early miscarriages happen because of a problem in the way the genetic material from the egg and sperm have combined during ...21... it can be difficult to find out why this has ...22... , but it is more likely to be due to random chance than to any underlying problem with either parent. Imbalances in pregnancy hormones, problems in the immune...23... ,and some serious infections are also thought to make miscarriages more likely. The risk of miscarriage ...24... with age because the quality of eggs deteriorates . If a woman drinks too much alcohol or smokes heavily, the risk of miscarriage is higher. It is also increased with ...25... pregnancies such as twins.
Adapted from Saturday punch, 13 October 2007
Choose the most appropriate answer in the gap numbered 16 Options:Though assumption is the lowest level of knowledge; It is still a form of knowledge, and knowledge is key. Assumptions are the foundation upon which interpretations and conclusion are built. Everything I life operates under certain assumptions.
We make management decisions based on the assumptions we hold about how management ought to function and how people ought to be governed. For others, it is unconsciously but potent all the same. Our assumptions will either drown us or help us soar through life.
We have always seen life as an immense mansion with many rooms. Some roots lead to wealth others to the opposite. Ultimately, we decide where was end up; and life, thus far, has proved that every one of us decides well. We all behave differently where we have different levels of understanding, and behave the same way where our understanding is the same. We eat because we all understand the consequences of not eating. We all wear clothes because each of us comprehends lunacy. The list goes on and on. It is inevitable that some of us will make choices that get and keep us on the lover rung of the ladder by reason of exposure, training or some other variables. Life is about roleplaying. We choose our roles wisely or foolishly, consciously or unconsciously. Some of us get wiser to new levels of self-awareness enough to redefine our roles. Others make no effort to build further capacity and therefore remain where they are.
It is based on these realities that we draw the conclusion that not everyone will be wealthy in life. We lead, inspire and motivate people to strive and succeed. It is also important that we paint the full and true picture of life so that we an discourage vain pursuits. Balance must be enthroned as a critical component of truth, and people know, for instance that ‘top ‘is not a place that all must ascent.
Our greatest consolation lies in our deep conviction that true prosperity is in fulfilment through hard work that in intangible acquisitions. There are set roles that some of us have been wired up to paying life but which we are not content enough to pay because society esteems such roles to be inferior. Take the almost sacred office of a teacher for instance, there are people who have the natural gifts and inclinations to be school teachers. but the teaching profession, as it is, does not appear to be lucrative. So we have people who would have been fulfilled and effective working as school teachers serving in banks.
According to the passage, balance must be enthroned because it is Options:Choose the most appropriate option for each group for questionsAlice, a small fragile-looking Ugandan mother, is dying of AIDS. She lives with her son and daughter in a tin-roofed shack on the .....1... of Kampala. When her husband died of AIDS in 1987, Alice discovered she was HIV positive. Frequent ...2..... of sickness forced her to give up her embroidery job. She was so depressed that she just wanted to eat. ....3.... by a neighbour, the mobile care unit from Nsambya hospital went to her home. They convinced her to start taking proper ..4....... After three months of ....5.... treatment, she regained her will to live. The AIDS time bomb .....6... on relentlessly. The World Health Organization ....7.... that 1.8 million Ugandans are HIV positive, nearly one in eight of the total population. The Ugandan AIDS Commission set up by President Museveni ..8...... the spread of the disease. However, under-porting and the lack of post-mortem and ...9..... makes it impossible to establish exact figures. No one ....10.... that it is a disaster far worse than the years of civil war.
No one ....10.... that it is a disaster far worse than the years of civil war.
Options:Select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence.
The voyager's fetched up Nigeria?
Options:Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word(s).
The action was premeditated?
Options:''I want to know you intimately...''
The speaker of the excerpt above is_____
Choose the option that best completes the gap(s).
They have had their debt written _____ by their creditors?
Options:When I set out for London, little did I suspect that I was not on a journey to God’s own city where harmony reigned supreme. So used to the frenzied life of Lagos was I that I had come to associate that city with everything that was chaotic, and there was no doubt in my mind that Lagos was one giant symbol of our backwardness. As the plane taxied its way out of the tarmac of our national airport, of our national airport, I heaved a sigh of relief, not so much because I was leaving my own country as that I was being relieved of the tension that had possessed me during those tense hours in the untidy lounge. I had felt so uneasy, my thoughts racing from one uncertainty to another. But at least I was air-borne, moving away from the whole uncertainty, from the whole load of fear towards a place which I supposed would be El Dorado.
Everything that happened in the plane passed through my eyes like pictures on the screen. The white air hostess who instructed me on how to use the safety belt was an angel, what with her beauty, her pretty blue dress, and her ever-smiling face. The same lady of the air served me snacks and supper. Another angel, whose queenly voice through an invisible public address system, dished out occasional information on the progress of our journey. I had never felt so relaxed, and my jolted heartbeats each time the plane took what appeared like a sudden brief descent, did not matter. When eventually we were set for landing, the anxiety that came over me was almost thrilling. What was the wonderland going to be like? So overwhelmed was I that I almost lost consciousness of what happened thereafter.
But I would never forget the shock that greeted me when we arrived in the tube station and boarded a train to behold the sea of white faces and furtive glances from apparently indifferent co-passengers. I believe that the nostalgic feeling for Lagos which later became part of my life all my days in London began at a point.
The writer, attitude to the air hostesses can be described as Options: