PAPER 2 – ESSAY

This paper consists of three parts: A, B, and C. Answer three questions in all; one question from Part A and
all the questions in Part B and Part C. Answer all the questions in your answer booklet.
PART A - ESSAY WRITING [30 MARKS]
Answer one question only from this part.
Your composition should be about 250 words long.
Credit will be given for clarity of expression and orderly presentation of material.
1. Write a letter to your childhood pen pal, reconnecting after years of lost contact and sharing updates about your
life.
2. Write an article for publication in one of your local newspapers on The effect of superstition on the people in
your locality.
3. You are selected as a contestant in a national story writing challenge. Write a story which illustrates the saying
“Honesty Pays in the Long Run”

PART B – COMPREHENSION
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it
It all as a joke, Kofi who was born and bred along the coast, was posted to a small town in the forest area of the
country where he met other young graduates. When they were not working they spent much time together eating,
sharing stories about past experiences and teasing one another.
During one of these interactions, Kofi boasted that his father was a great hunter and he, since his childhood, had
been accompanying him on his hunting expeditions. This revelation excited his colleagues who encouraged him
and, in fact pleaded with him to take hunting in order to supply them with meat. When he said that he did not have a
gun, it was suggested that he could borrow from one of the local hunters. But he said no “No I don’t hunt with
ordinary guns. Wait until we are paid, then I’ll go home for my special gun”. But they persisted and he was
compelled to give in. The die was cast. Since there was no way he could wriggle out of the tight corner he found
himself in, he agreed to go with one of the local hunters.
That night, Kofi lay in bed tossing and turning. Why had lied that he could hunt? Should he tell his colleagues the
truth? What would they think of him? Well, he had brought this upon himself and must face the music.
On the way to the forest, the hunter asked him questions about where he used to hunt and the types of animals he
killed. Kofi mumbled inaudible and evasive answers. The hunter’s suspicions heightened when he noticed how
Kofi held his gun. When they reached a part of the forest where a path branched off the main one, the hunter told
Kofi that they had to go their separate ways and meet there at dawn. On hearing this Kofi sob uncontrollably, and
tremble like a leaf in a storm. He decided to confide in the hunter, who listened silently, nodding his head. They
spent the night hunting together, the hunter killed the animals and Kofi carried them. Before they left the forest, the
hunter gives him more than half of the kill.
Kofi’s colleagues could not believe their eyes when they saw the quantity of meat he brought home. When they
asked him to tell them the details of the night’s activities, Kofi shook his head and said, “That is hunter’s secret”
Questions
a) What two lies did Kofi tell his friends?
b) How did Kofi feel the night before the hunt?
c) How do you think Kofi felt after confiding in the hunter?
d) Give an adjective to describe the hunter.
e) That is the hunter’s secret. What was the secret?
g) For each of the following words, find another or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it
is used in the passage
i) bred
ii) revelations
iii) compelled
iv) heightened
v) uncontrollably
 PART C – SUMMARISING
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Just about everything we own and use operates on electricity. Many new inventions are hinged on electricity.
Obviously, it has become an integral part of our lives. Sadly, however, one of the defining characteristics of
developing countries is the lack of short supply of electricity. The benefits that accrue from constant electricity
supply are varied and enormous.
Electricity is a form of energy that can perform a wide range of tasks that other forms of energy are unable to do.
Thus, it is a viable tool that can light up bulbs, power computers and manufacturing machinery. The consequence of
this is that there is room for multitasking, industrialised nations depend heavily on electricity as the industrial and
transport sectors use electricity to power the facilities. It is obvious therefore that an adequate supply of electricity is
necessary to industrialise a nation. When the supply of electricity is adequate, opportunities are created for further
inventions. The large population of the youth of any nation become creative and produce gadgets and appliances
that further make life easier. This means that the problem of unemployment abates. Such a country may even join
ranks of those that export technological innovations. By extension, the wealth of a nation is increased and
international ties are strengthened.
There is no doubt that the lifestyle of the people will improve when there is access sufficient power supply. In the
hot season, one can use the air conditioner. During chores and performing some other daily activities will become
less stress. Television and other forms of media that operate on electricity can be used to make life colourful. Even
crime and accident rates may be reduced tremendously. Automatic traffic lights can control traffic while electronic
doors will keep records of movement in and out. Images of the better living conditions that accompany adequate
power supply abound in developed countries. In the light of the above, it is disturbing that one of the major
challenges of developing countries is supply. One wonders why the government of these countries seem not to be
doing their best to tackle this major problem. Corruption in the public sector is the biggest demon. Funds allocated
to infrastructural development are misappropriated. There are also those who profit from the importation of
substandard electrical equipment. All these frustrate the efforts of the government to make the power supply sector
function effectively.
Besides this, the lack of a good maintenance culture bedevils the power sector. When little faults are not fixed, they
degenerate into more complex problems, which cost even more to fix. And even when there is a willingness to
maintain the facilities, a shortage of expertise may be a drawback. Personnel with technical know-how may not be
available to take care faults. Despite the many challenges getting the power sector up and running is paramount

Questions
a) Write a suitable title for the passage
b) In three sentences, summarise three benefits of constant power supply.
c) In three sentences, summarise three problems that impede adequate power supply in developing countries.