JESUIT MEMORIAL COLLEGE

PORT HARCOURT

ENTRANCE EXAMINATION INTO JS 1 OF 2020/2021 ACADEMIC YEAR

SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2020

TEST SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TIME ALLOWED: 50 MINUTES

DO NOT open this booklet until you are told to do so.

While you are waiting, read the following instructions carefully.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. This test has 50 questions. Answer all.
2. Use HB pencil throughout.
3. Write your Name, Examination Number, Present Grade/Class, Date of Birth and Date of
Examination in the spaces provided below.
4. Answer each question by shading the box on the answer sheet (separate OMR sheet) that
corresponds to the option you have chosen.
5. For each question, shade one box only on the answer sheet (OMR sheet). If you shade more
than one box for any question, you will be marked wrong for that question.
6. If you make a mistake or change your mind about an answer, erase the mistake or wrong
shading neatly and completely with your eraser.
7. Do not waste time on any question. If you find a question difficult, go to the next question.
When you have finished answering all the questions you know, go back and answer the
difficult one(s).
8. Be sure to write your Name, Examination Number, etc. on the answer sheet (OMR sheet).

GOOD LUCK!

NAME: __________________________________________________________________________
Surname Other Name(s)

EXAMINATION NUMBER: ______________________

PRESENT GRADE/CLASS: ________________

DATE OF BIRTH: ________________________

Day Month Year

DATE OF EXAMINATION: ___________________

SECTION A
Read each of the five passages below carefully and attempt all the questions that follow it. Choose the
option, lettered A-E, that best answers the question based on the passage.

Passage I
Life is a riddle. It is as complex as the sea and as unpredictable as the weather. It can be kind, it can
be cruel. It will smile at some and frown at others. To begin with, it is important that we adopt a
positive attitude to ourselves and those around us. There is always a good side to everything, even the
most unpleasant! A positive attitude fosters self-confidence which implies belief in oneself and one’s
capabilities. We should believe that even if we are not among the top ten in class or we do not excel in
games and sports, there certainly is something we can do. All we have to do is identify it.
Some people are miserable because they have lost faith in themselves. Consequently, they become
frustrated and depressed either because they are not doing well in anything, or do not make friends
easily. Worse still, they may not get along well with anybody and unjustifiably believe that everybody
is against them. They therefore get withdrawn and build a wall between themselves and other people.
To escape from the realities of life they resort to such bad habits as smoking, drinking, and drug
abuse, all of which are injurious to health.
Drug abuse can start very casually as a joke. As a youth you see other people smoking and drinking
and you are intrigued by this. You get curious and want to get the feel of what you think is a mark of
prestige and achievement; otherwise they would not be spending so much time and money on it.
However, the hard truth is that these people would like to give up these bad habits.
Drug abuse can also be instigated by peer group pressure. Man is a social animal. Both young and old
want to belong somewhere, to hang on to something, to be accepted. Adults want to belong to a social
circle where they get together for various social functions, ceremonies, socialization or simply
interaction. Similarly, youngsters also want to seek refuge and assurance from their peer groups; they
want to be accepted. To achieve this they are expected to conform to the rules, regulations and the
code of behaviour set by the peer group. This is where the trouble begins because these rules may
have been formulated by deviants and therefore they are not compatible with the general norms.
Victims of drug abuse become social misfits. They become truants either at school or places of work
and only surface when they have nowhere else to go or the money is finished. Eventually, they may
be encouraged to engage in criminal activities. Rehabilitation is a difficult process involving co-
operation of the victim, understanding from the parents and committed professional guidance from the
social worker. Unfortunately, the treatment is not always successful because many drug addicts are
detected too late when they have become disoriented.
Briefly, then, it is important to learn to cope with the ups and downs of life, to learn to accept
ourselves as we are with our limitations and shortcomings. It is also clear that drug taking should be
avoided at all costs because what started as an innocent experiment can turn into a deadly weapon.

1. The main point of the passage is that the reader should________.

A. belong somewhere
B. get the feel of what he/she thinks is a mark of prestige or achievement
C. give up bad habits
D. learn to cope with the ups and downs of life
E. make friends easily
2. According to the passage, one cause of drug abuse is _________.
A. achievement
B. curiosity
C. drinking
D. prestige
E. smoking
3. As used in the passage, “rehabilitation” means _________.
A. experiment
B. riddle
C. socialization
D. treatment
E. weapon
4. The expression “Life is a riddle” is a/an __________________.
A. irony
B. metaphor
C. paradox
D. personification
E. simile
5. The tone of the writer is _________.
A. critical
B. harsh
C. hypocritical
D. objective
E. persuasive

Passage II
The little hut lay far from the lively and noisy village down the hill. Throughout our walk, one got the
impression that the journey was not going to be long. It must have been our anxious anticipation and
desire to get better that led us through the many kilometres of dry and dusty land with little effort.
When we got there, it was evident from the appearance of the compound that the witch doctor laid no
stress on beauty or cleanliness. There were broken gourdes and pots scattered around the tilted hut.
There were also weird and unhealthy-looking plants grown in a disorderly manner quite close to the
hut. Perhaps, those were the herbs that would cure me.
As we neared the door, neither of us looked ready to step in first. I was the more frightened though. I
wondered how the witch doctor looked and what he would do. A gentle knock by Maro led me into
the dimly lit interior. One could distinguish the items that were frequently used from those that were
just symbols. There was an old goat skin mat on which the patient sat. Maro led me to it. Around me
were grotesque, archaic items that were more disorderly than the pots and gourdes outside. A huge
dark threatening stature in rags towered over me as the witch doctor mumbled in a language I had
never heard before. There was a collection of cowry shells which he gracefully shifted from one hand
to another. A basket of dry twigs and bird’s feathers rested close to his left thigh, which was slightly
elevated from the floor.
In the midst of all this confusion and intimidation was the man himself. He had a long mane-like
beard and dirty nails. His eyes were red and piercing. His skin was dry and wrinkled. His neck was
thin and it held the motionless head firmly above the skinny body. It was difficult to say what
complexion he had.
Just as I prepared to feel at home and accept the healer as he was, he yelled and shook me roughly,
challenging the spirit in me to have a taste of his medicine. He poured some smelly liquid on me and
told me it was my aunt causing all the trouble I had with my stomach. He said she would soon have
nothing to celebrate, as nobody ever withstands his medicine. As the doctor stood and skipped around
me, Maro looked like he wanted to flee. I could not imagine being left alone with the doctor.
Once the skipping was over, the man forced my mouth open and I found myself gulping down some
bitter liquid. He ordered me to stand up and return home without talking to anybody until the next
day. He promised I would heal because my aunt was now powerless over my stomach. But I did not
have an aunt! My mother was an only child and my father had three brothers. And I had a painful ear
not stomach!

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6. According to the passage, the narrator was ________.
A. a herbalist
B. a patient
C. a witch doctor
D. named Maro
E. with a patient

7. According to the passage, the narrator had ________.

A. a brother
B. an aunt
C. no sibling
D. three brothers
E. three uncles

8. According to the passage, the narrator had a problem with his/her ________.
A. ear
B. hand
C. leg
D. mouth
E. stomach

9. As used in the passage, a “witch doctor” is a/an ________________.

A. exorcist
B. fortune-teller
C. healer
D. spiritualist
E. wizard

10. At the end of the passage, the narrator was ______________.

A. anxious
B. confused
C. disappointed
D. fearful
E. satisfied

Passage III
Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband,
Pierre, she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied uranium and
other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie's amicable collaboration later helped to unlock the
secrets of the atom.
Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. At an early
age, she displayed a brilliant mind and a carefree personality. Her great exuberance for learning
prompted her to continue with her studies after high school. She became disgruntled, however, when
she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. Determined to receive a higher
education, she left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university, where she earned
her master's degree and doctorate in physics.
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day,
one of whom was Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive
years working together in the physics laboratory. A short time after they discovered radium, Pierre
was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by this horrible misfortune and
endured heart-breaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that
they had shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to raise by herself
greatly increased her distress.

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Curie's feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her husband as a
physics professor at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a professorship at the world-
famous university. In 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium. Although
Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long exposure to radium, she never became
disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she had dedicated herself to science
and to revealing the mysteries of the physical world.

11. A good title for the passage is ______________________.

A. Brief History of Marie Curie
B. Brief History of Pierre Curie
C. Discovery of Radium
D. Discovery of the Cure of Cancer
E. Tragedy of Pierre Curie

12. According to the passage, “the university in Warsaw was closed to women”. This means that the
university was ______________________.
A. admitting men only
B. admitting women only
C. close to where men lived
D. close to where women lived
E. forbidding women to go out

13. According to the passage, Marie suffered a fatal illness. This means that she _________.
A. died because of the illness
B. gained much weight because of the illness
C. lost much weight because of the illness
D. took a long time to recover from the illness
E. was incapacitated by the illness

14. As used in the passage, the word “accomplished” is a/an ____________.

A. adjective
B. adverb
C. conjunction
D. noun
E. verb

15. According to the passage, Marie was _______ years old when she became a widow.
A. 24
B. 28
C. 35
D. 39
E. 44

Passage IV
When is a person too fat? Some vested interests, such as insurance companies, provide tables
purporting to give ideal weights for particular heights and ages. These have found their way into
serious works of reference and so are often accepted without questioning.
But none that I have seen mentions the three basic shapes of man: the endomorphic, ectomorphic and
mesomorphic. In plain English these are the stocky, short-necked man; the long thin man; and the one
who is a bit of both. Thus the endomorphic comes off very badly in those tables because of his natural
squareness and shortness.
Now, obesity is a condition marked by a morbid accumulation of fat in subcutaneous and deep tissues
and is as obvious to the victim as to his friends. Men’s collar sizes creep up; buttons must be moved
frequently; and the women find they must sneak into outsize department. Among the physical
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penalties of obesity are diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, varicose veins, joint troubles (notably
in the hips and knees), flat feet, respiratory troubles, indigestion, gall-stones, piles, general lassitude
or the state of being tired and weak, and many more – including added risks in any operation.
There are certain obvious reasons for obesity such as excessive eating, or even emotional distress,
which may decrease the appetite in some and increase it in others. Then there is the heredity factor,
although this often means that parents who overeat tend to encourage their offspring to do likewise.
Irregular eating habits – for example the wolfing of sandwiches brought round by office messengers
to bored executives – can be harmful. Certain very rare diseases may cause particular forms of
obesity.
I can imagine protesting voices claiming, ‘But I scarcely eat anything, doctor’, as well as the sad
complaint ‘I only eat half what so and so person does, yet he is as thin as a rake – it’s not fair’.
Although it is of no comfort to the sufferers, it is at least honest to admit that the reason for this
paradox is not known.

16. The writer expressed ______________ vis-à-vis ideal weights that vested interests provide.
A. approval
B. hypocrisy
C. indifference
D. scepticism
E. scorn

17. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. basic shapes of man
B. eating
C. ideal weights
D. obesity
E. vested interests

18. The tone of the writer is __________.

A. harsh
B. hypocritical
C. judgmental
D. objective
E. persuasive

19. The expression “this paradox” refers to the fact that __________.
A. emotional distress may decrease appetite in some people and increase it in others
B. ideal weights provided by vested interests are accepted without questioning
C. ideal weights provided by vested interests would not mention the basic shapes of man
D. people who eat less would gain more weight than people who eat more
E. people with much weight would claim not to eat as much as people with less

20. As used in the passage, “wolfing” means ___________.

A. accumulation
B. consumption
C. purchase
D. reception
E. wastage

Passage V
In 1892, the Sierra Club was formed. In 1908, an area of coastal redwood trees north of San Francisco
was established as Muir Woods National Monument. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a walking trail
from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney was dedicated in 1938. It is called the John Muir Trail.

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John Muir was born in 1838 in Scotland. His family name means "moor", which is a meadow full of
flowers and animals. John loved nature from the time he was small. He also liked to climb rocky cliffs
and walls. When John was 11 years old, his family moved to the United States and settled in
Wisconsin. John was good with tools and soon became an inventor. He first invented a model of a
sawmill. Later, he invented an alarm clock that would cause the sleeping person to be tipped out of
bed when the timer sounded.
Muir left home at an early age. He took a 1000-mile walk south to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867 and
1868. Then he sailed for San Francisco. The city was too noisy and crowded for Muir, so he headed
inland for the Sierra Nevadas. When Muir discovered the Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevadas, it
was as if he had come home. He loved the mountains, the wildlife, and the trees. He climbed the
mountains and even climbed trees during thunderstorms in order to get closer to the wind. He put
forth the theory in the late 1860s that the Yosemite Valley had been formed through the action of
glaciers. People ridiculed him. Not until 1930 was Muir's theory proven correct.
Muir began to write articles about the Yosemite Valley to tell readers about its beauty. His writing
also warned people that Yosemite was in danger from timber mining and sheep ranching interests. In
1901, Theodore Roosevelt became president of the United States. He was interested in conservation.
Muir took the president through Yosemite, and Roosevelt helped get legislation passed to create
Yosemite National Park in 1906.
Although Muir won many conservation battles, he lost a major one. He fought to save the Hetch
Hetchy Valley, which people wanted to dam in order to provide water for San Francisco. In late 1913,
a bill was signed to dam the valley. Muir died in 1914. Some people say losing the fight to protect the
valley killed Muir.

21. Based on the passage, Muir was _______ years old when he first walked to the Gulf of Mexico.
A. 22
B. 25
C. 29
D. 30
E. 54

22. Muir’s theory was proven correct __________ years after the death of Muir.
A. 16
B. 17
C. 24
D. 70
E. 84

23. According to the passage, which major conservation battle did Muir lose?
A. Creating the Yosemite National Park
B. Establishing the Muir Woods National Monument
C. Forming the Sierra Club
D. Founding the Yosemite Valley
E. Protecting the Hetch Hetchy Valley

24. As used in the passage, “ridiculed” means ________.

A. agreed with
B. argued with
C. disagreed with
D. laughed at
E. listened to

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25. Which of the following sentences is in the passive voice?
A. A bill was signed.
B. It was as if Muir had come home.
C. Muir was interested in conservation.
D. The city was too noisy.
E. Yosemite was in danger from timber mining

SECTION B
From the options, lettered A-E, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the
following sentences.

26. The boy often arrives at school early as he always _________ an early bus.
A. catch
B. catched
C. catches
D. catching
E. caught

27. The driver did not know what to say when the police asked him, _________.
A. “Where his license was?”
B. “Where is his silence?”
C. “Where is your license?”
D. “Where was this license?”
E. “Where your license is?”

28. The strike has been called ________.

A. at
B. in
C. of
D. off
E. out

29. Temi seems to be getting better, _________?

A. do she
B. does she
C. doesn’t she
D. don’t she
E. isn’t it

30. “You didn’t quite understand the explanation, did you?” _________.
A. “No, I did”
B. “No, I didn’t”
C. “No, I don’t”
D. “Yes, I didn’t”
E. “Yes, I do”

31. We are all Nigerians; we should not discriminate _________ one another.
A. against
B. among
C. at
D. between
E. from

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32. James, like John, ______ smaller than Peter.
A. are
B. can
C. is
D. may
E. were

SECTION C
From the options, lettered A-E, choose the part of speech of the underlined word in each of the
following sentences.

33. Doctor John takes good care of his patients.

A. Adjective
B. Adverb
C. Noun
D. Pronoun
E. Verb

34. The robbers searched the rooms desperately.

A. Adjective
B. Adverb
C. Noun
D. Pronoun
E. Verb

35. The defeated team left the field looking completely dejected.
A. Adjective
B. Adverb
C. Noun
D. Pronoun
E. Verb

SECTION D
From the options, lettered A-E, choose the most suitable word or group of words to fill the blank
space in each of the following.

36. An application letter is an example of a _______________ letter.

A. classified
B. confidential
C. formal
D. informal
E. semi-formal

37. An essay on the topic “How I Spent my Last Holiday” is a/an ______________ essay.
A. argumentative
B. descriptive
C. expository
D. narrative
E. persuasive

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38. A person who writes books is called a/an ____________.
A. author
B. journalist
C. publisher
D. secretary
E. typist

39. A/An _______________ requires a signature at the end.

A. expository essay
B. formal letter
C. informal letter
D. narrative essay
E. argumentative essay

40. A/An ______________ primarily aims to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view.
A. argumentative essay
B. expository essay
C. formal letter
D. informal letter
E. narrative essay

41. The central idea of a play or novel is called the ______.

A. plot
B. setting
C. storyline
D. summary
E. theme

42. The clothes worn by actors on stage are called _______.

A. clothes
B. costumes
C. dresses
D. paraphernalia
E. wardrobe

43. “The sun was just peeping behind the cloud when I set off for school”. The figure of speech used
in the above is ____________.
A. hyperbole
B. metaphor
C. paradox
D. personification
E. simile

44. The headmaster advised Musa and Tope to bury the hatchet. This means that Musa and Tope
should ________________.
A. be serious with studies
B. keep the hatchet out of reach
C. make peace with each other
D. be obedient
E. tell the truth

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45. It rained cats and dogs on Christmas day. This means that _______ on Christmas day.
A. it drizzled
B. some cats and dogs were left in the rain
C. there was a downpour
D. there were many pets
E. there were no pets

46. Blew is to blue; buy is to bye; through is to _____.

A. thorough
B. though
C. threw
D. trough
E. true

47. Aid is to help; ally is to friend; smell is to ______.

A. nose
B. odour
C. pig
D. smoke
E. toilet

48. Right is to wrong; fast is to slow; exit is to _______.

A. departure
B. entrance
C. exeat
D. return
E. withdrawal

SECTION E
From the options, lettered A-E, choose the word that has the phonetic symbol given in each of the
following

49. /k/
A. chain
B. champion
C. chin
D. choir
E. chosen

50. /f/
A. Paediatrics
B. Physics
C. Psychology
D. Shepherd
E. Stephen

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