2013 WAEC English Language Theory Questions

You will find below, questions from the 2013 WAEC English Language theory paper. It will be good practice for you to attempt answering all the questions.

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Section A: Essay Writing

Answer one question only from this section. All questions carry equal marks. Your answer should not be less than 450 words. You are advised to spend about 50 minutes on this section.

Section B: Comprehension

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Mr. Ogun it was that wooed me for school. That was decades ago, I had resisted vehemently; I even ran away to hibernate with my maternal grandmother. I had told Granny that I wanted to spend a few days with her. By nightfall, my father, who suspected that I was hiding there, came to take me away.

The following morning, he dragged me all the way to school where Mr. Ogun received all fresh students.

I swore secretly that I would abscond at the first opportunity, but throughout the day, Mr. Ogun kept a watchful eye on fresh pupils. He had a smiling face and looked very friendly. As soon as he had registered our names, he led us to the field to play. Of all the children, I was probably the only one who looked forward to an opportunity to abscond. Mr. Ogun seemed to have read my mind, he used my name in the songs we composed as we marched round the field. He once held me by the hand and marched along with me.

As we went on, he announced, “What a smart fellow! Clap for him.”

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In the classroom, Mr. Ogun told me to sit in front as he stated, “My Smartic will keep the pieces of chalk and the duster.” Gradually, I was mellowing in my plan to abscond. I began to think that I could give school a try. At the end of that day, my father was around to take me home. Perhaps he decided not take chances.

During the first week, my father took me to school every day. Somehow, my resistance was softening to his surprise. Every morning, as I produced the pieces of chalk from the cupboard, Mr. Ogun smiled broadly, nodding approvingly. Before we left the classroom for recess, for games or for home, I dutifully kept the materials safe, and as soon as we returned, I produced them. It took some time before I realized that my role was crucial since the pilfering of such materials was common in all the other classes.

My father soon stopped bothering about me as I would get up from bed, take my bath, and get into my uniform without any prodding. My love for school was deepening, especially when I discovered that I was among the few that always did well in most tests. And Mr. Ogun would praise me to the skies.

Towards the end of the school year, we learnt that Mr. Ogun was going on transfer to another school. How devastated I felt. Now, at last, was the time to abscond from school. But then, I simply could not take that crucial step because mv bond with school had become very firm.

Questions on Comprehension Passage 1

2013 WAEC English Theory: Comprehension Passage 2

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

When the principal introduced Mr. Njobe as our new Mathematics teacher, we did not think much of him.

He did not look very likeable nor did he appear to be an achiever. Nothing was spectacular about him apart from the fact that he was a South African. Most of us, who knew the goings-on in his country regarded him one of the luckless from the apartheid regime. After the mild clapping, we forgot about the man with giant, hungry looks.

During his first lesson in our class, it struck me that not once did he consult the textbook. Rather, to teach the properties of the square and rectangle, he made us measure the top of our tables, the classroom doors, and other objects around. From there, we discovered that these objects had opposite equal sides, and all the angles were equal. We did not have to learn these from books, he made us find out. When later I consulted my textbook, what Durell, the great mathematician, wrote came very much alive. I started to see Mr. Njobe as equal to Durrell.

With time, we began to like his teaching. He taught with zeal and usually through play-like methods. His class was always lively and full of jokes. For instance, to teach us the properties of a circle, he instructed to bring out the bowls which we used for the midday meal. During the lesson, he made each one of us measure the distance round his bowl. Incidentally, almost every bowl was different in size. We laughed at sizes of the different bowls while we meticulously measured them. Throughout the lesson, there was much laughter. Finally, he told each student to divide the distance round the bowl by the distance through the centre. Imagine our amazement when we discovered that, whatever the size of the bowl, all the answers were the same. This he explained is the base in all computations regarding the circle. That was 50 years ago and I have not forgotten. He actually tamed Mathematics for us, terrifying as it was.

Then, one day, we learnt that Mr: Njobe was on admission Wesley Guild Hospital. Our representatives sent to convey our good wishes were refused entry into the intensive care unit: they were told that his condition was critical. We virtually went into mourning for weeks. But just as we were writing him off our mind, one hot afternoon, his car crawled into the school compound. As he stepped out, students swarmed out, carried him shoulder-high and danced round the school, chanting spontaneously, “Njobe, welcome! Mathematics welcome!”

Comprehension 2 Questions

Section C: Summary

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions it.

Have you ever wondered how books get published before reaching the reader? Perhaps you assume that the author is solely responsible for designing, printing and getting the books distributed to readers. Actually, in most cases, it is not the author who originally conceives the idea of a book; rather, it is the publisher, based on the results of a market research, who decides on the type of book to publish. So, usually, the concept of a book begins with market research which is an exercise carried out to establish the type of books which would sell fast among a specific group of readers.

The task of hunting for a good writer follows. The publishing house goes out to source for a good, writer usually among the academics in the secondary or tertiary institutions. Sometimes, however, such a writer is found in other professions. For instance, for a good law book, a senior advocate might be the consult. Discussions are held with the chosen writer to map out precisely the level of the language and the size of the book.

When the manuscript is submitted to the publisher, it is subjected to rigorous screening to establish whether it is good enough. Usually, a neutral assessor found to do a thorough critique and recommend its suitability or otherwise. If it is found unsatisfactory, it is simply returned and that is the end of the matter.

However, if it is found publishable whatever amendments recommended by the assessor are used by the author as guidelines to update the work.

When the final manuscript has been accepted, it is further subjected to in-house editing by the editorial staff in the publishing house. Of course most of these are themselves experts in English Language as well as specialists in the particular field that the book covers. In most cases, they take a critical look at the language, as well as the currency of the content. So, where outdated facts are identified the editorial division does the rectification. Furthermore, editors are good at economizing words; very often they cut down on the length of the material.

Whatever leaves the table of the editorial division goes into the publishing section. This has the task of doing the final typesetting, providing the pictures and illustrations where needed, and arranging for a printing press to handle the final production of the book. Contrary to what most people often assume, a printing press is not the same as a publishing company. Indeed, most publishing companies do not have printing presses. A printing press charges money for the printing and production of the number of copies demanded by the publishers. Once the payment has been made for the printing, and the copies have been delivered by the printer, the role of the printer ends.

The publisher’s marketing division takes over the copies, advertises the book, goes out to the potential users and makes sales. Advertisement may be done on the radio and television networks, in newspapers and on billboards. The staff of the marketing division may meet schools and the ministry of education to get the book adopted. The wider the publicity the higher the sales are likely to be.

Questions on Section C

Well Done!

Congratulations on finishing the 2013 WAEC English Theory Questions!

You are well on your way to an excellent result if you keep practicing.

You can check past questions from other WAEC English examination years, or you can take a quiz built with questions from the 2013 WAEC English Objective Paper.