Common Entrance English 2021

 

2021 ENGLISH STUDIES (NCEE) Time allowed: 60 minutes

SECTION A COMPREHENSION

Read the passages below carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate of the options A – E(Nos. 1 – 10).

 

Passage 1

There was famine in the land. The wise old fox was very hungry. He met a lean dog on the way. They wandered everywhere in search of food. At last, they spotted a farmhouse, but the door was locked. Soon they caught a rat trying to enter the farmhouse. The rat sobbed and pleaded that they should spare his life. The rat soon bore a hole under the door. The three friends were soon eating hungrily inside the farmhouse. The fox ate and peeped through the hole repeatedly.

Not quite long, the farmer returned. The rat was the first to run out. The farmer pursued the rat with a stick. The fox squeezed himself through the hole and escaped. The greed dog could not pass through the hole. He was caught by the famer and tied with a strong cord on the neck.

 

1.      The rat pleaded with the fox and the dog because he    A. knew he was not safe.  B. wanted to enter the farmhouse.   C. was hungry.  D. was scared of being caught.  E. was smaller than them.

2.      The animals entered the farmhouse through   A. a hole bore by the fox beneath the door.   B. a hole dug by the rat beneath the door   C. a hole on the roof of the house   D. the door   E. the window.

3.      The word “hungrily” as used in the passage is    A. an adjective   B. an adverb   C. a noun   D. a preposition   E. a verb

4.      The dog was unable to escape because    A. he could not pass through the hole   B. he was still eating   C. he was too full   D. the farmer caught him   E. the farmer tied a rope around his neck

5.      Which of these words can replace “greedy” as used in the passage?   A. cunny   B. fearful   C. hungry   D. sluggish   E. unsatisfied

 

Passage II

There lived in a village a poor but worthy farmer who had to support himself, a wife and seven children on the returns of his small farm. One day, when walking through the fields and thinking of how he could add to his income, he found a purse of gold which had been dropped by some passers-by. He carried it home and showed it to his wife who advised him to use it or at least a part of it in helping them out of their difficulty. The honest farmer reminded his wife that honesty was the best policy, and refused to use any of the money until he had done his best to find its owner. After a short time, he found that the purse belonged to a wealthy “Zemindar” who lived in the neighborhood and gave it back to him, receiving no other reward than the thanks of the owner.

When the farmer’s wife heard of the way her husband had been treated, she reproached him for his excessive honesty. The man only kept on saying “honesty is the best policy”.

A few months afterwards, the poor but honest farmer received an invitation to dine with the Zemindar whose money he found. After entertaining him, the Zemindar gave him a reward of ₦200,000.00 and told him that because of his honesty, he had been appointed as the overseer of his land on a good salary.

The farmer, full of joy, thanked his benefactor and returned to his wife and children to tell them how he had been so well rewarded. His wife was then convinced that after all, honesty was the best policy.

 

6.      The lesson derived from this story is that we should be    A. hardworking    B. honest   C. patient   D. tolerant   E. united

7.      The farmer was rewarded in the following ways except that he   A. was given ₦200,000   B. had dinner with the Zemindar   C. received a letter of commendation   D. was appointed an overseer of Zemindar’s farm   E. he was placed on salary

8.      Which of these words can replace overseer as used in the passage?  A. captain   B. leader   C. owner   D. partner   E. supervisor

9.      The farmer’s wife was disappointed because her husband   A. found a purse of gold   B. found the owner of the purse   C. returned the purse to the owner    D. was not rewarded immediately   E. was very hardworking

10.  Which of these statements is not true according to the passage? The farmer   A. was poor    B. had a small farm   C. had seven children   D. found a box of gold   E. lived in a village

 

Section B: Lexis

Choose from the options lettered A –E the one that is nearest in meaning to the word in italics (Nos. 11 - 15).

 

11.  She constantly stayed back to help her grandmother.  A. always   B. hardly   C. occasionally   D. rarely   E. seldomly

12.  The boy wandered far into the forest.  A. journeyed   B. ran   C. roamed   D. trekked   E. walked

13.  Only pupils who were healthy enrolled in the sporting program.  A. agile   B. confident   C. muscular   D. smart   E. tall

14.  The bead teacher told us to note the important points.  A. best   B. cold   C. difficult   D. minor   E. relevant

15.  The pupils were given enough examples  to Complete   A. Complete   B. few   C. more   D. sufficient  E. suitable

 

Choose from the options lettered A-E the one that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word or expression in italics (Nos. 16-20).

 

16.  Our school team lost to the visiting team. A. Booed B. Embraced C. Engaged D. Invited E. Won

17.  The little boy spent all the money his parents left for him.  A. Hid B. Lost C. Saved D. Shared E. Used

18.  I believe whatever my brother tells me.  A. Accept B. Doubt C. Hate D. Like E. Listen to

19.  The girl was asked to pick up an empty bottle from the store.  A. A broken B. A filled C. A short  D. An old  E. An opened

20.  The mad man was knocked down by a reckless driver.  A. Careful B. Careless C. Senseless D. Strange E. Wicked

 

SECTION C: STRUCTURE

Complete each of the following statements with the most appropriate of the options lettered A-E (Nos. 21-40).

21.  Aisha ___ the piano every week  A. play B. plays C. played D. is being playing E. is playing

22.  He is the ___ of the two brothers  A. more older B. most oldest C. most old D. older E. oldest

23.  All the ____ in my kitchen are blunt  A. knife B. knifes C. knife’s D. knives E. kniveses

24.  Ada is the captain of her team. ___ she?  A. couldn't B. is C. isn't D. was E. wasn't

25.  Which of the following words contain the /ɒ/ sound?  A. cat B. cold C. fin D. ten E. woman

26.  The farmer stored his hay ___ a barn.  A. at B. by C. in D. on E. with

27.  The prefix ____ will combine with the word “agree” to form a new word.  A. dis- B. in- C. mis- D. re- E. un-

28.  My son took a ____ of the burning house  A. photugraph B. photograp C. photograph D. photograhp E. fotograph

29.  The books on the table belong to Ade and Olu. They are  A. mine B. theirs C. their’s D. ours E. yours

30.  Mother said, “Do not put all your eggs in one basket.” This means that we should   A. not use basket to carry egg B. not put eggs in one place C. not put our efforts in one thing D. not invest in eggs E. invest our resources in one thing

31.  The deceased's children are fighting ____ father's property.  A. at B. by C. in D. over E. with

32.  Direct Speech: "I am travelling by rail," she said. Indirect Speech: She said that she ___ by rail.  A. has travelled B. is travelling C. travels D. will be travelling E. was travelling

33.  Peter will always remember his ____ day    A. graduation B. grajuation C. graduasion D. gradaution E. graudation

34.  Which of the following suffixes can combine with the word "season" to form a new word?   A. ment B. al C. less D. ness E. ly

35.  The teachers ____ in the staffroom when we arrived.  A. has been B. is C. is being D. was E. were

36.  She doesn't plait her hair on Sundays, ____ she?  A. did B. does C. doesn't D. don't E. didn't

37.  Grace ____ some mangoes from the market yesterday  A. bought B. buy C. buys D. has bought E. was buying

38.  This is the man from ____ we bought the apples.   A. which B. who C. who's D. whom E. whose

39.  My father has a ___ of cars  A. company B. fleet C. flock D. galaxy E. group

40.  Active Voice: Bola saw a big snake. Passive Voice: A big snake ____ by Bola.   A. is being seen B. is seen C. was seeing D. was seen E. were seen