New Curriculum First Term English Language examination for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Subject: English Language
Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Marks: 70

SECTION A: OBJECTIVES (50 Marks)
Instruction: Answer all 50 questions. Each question carries 1 mark.

READING COMPREHENSION — Questions 1–12

Read the passage carefully before answering the questions. Use evidence from the text where relevant.

When the principal announced that the school would conduct its next inter-house debate entirely online, the debating society celebrated. A digital event, its captain argued, would allow former pupils and families outside the city to participate without spending money on transport. The motion—“Social media has improved the quality of students’ learning”—seemed particularly suitable for such an experiment.

Preparations soon exposed difficulties that enthusiasm had concealed. One speaker found that the evidence she had collected consisted mainly of screenshots without dates or identifiable authors. Another forwarded a striking statistic about teenage reading habits, only to discover that the figure came from an advertisement rather than a research report. The team’s teacher refused to let the students use either source until they could establish its origin. “A confident voice,” she reminded them, “does not turn an unsupported claim into a fact.”

The society then organised a rehearsal. During an otherwise persuasive presentation, a microphone failed, and the speaker repeatedly interrupted his argument to complain about the connection. His opponent used the delay to send an informal message—“u guys r losing lol”—to the group’s official email address. The teacher pointed out that the tone might be acceptable among close friends but was unsuitable for formal school correspondence. She asked both students to reflect on how the intended audience should influence their language.

Three days before the event, the organisers received a request from a parent to publish each speaker’s personal telephone number on a public noticeboard. The captain replied politely that a supervised registration link would provide access without exposing personal contact details. The request had been well meant, but the proposed solution created an unnecessary risk.

On debate day, the moderator required speakers to distinguish evidence from opinion and to respond to opposing points rather than merely repeat rehearsed speeches. The audience heard one team argue that online libraries and discussion groups could widen access to learning; the other showed how distraction and unreliable information could undermine those benefits. Neither position could honestly be reduced to a slogan.

Afterwards, the society did not declare the online format a complete success or a failure. Instead, it published a report recommending stronger source checks, a technical rehearsal, a clearer code of conduct and improved access arrangements for participants with unreliable connections. The captain concluded that the experiment had been valuable precisely because it revealed problems the club had not known to anticipate.

1. The captain initially supported an online debate chiefly because it would … (a) eliminate the need to verify evidence   (b) allow distant audiences to join without travel   (c) prevent opposing views from being expressed   (d) guarantee victory for the affirmative team
2. Why did the teacher reject the screenshot evidence? (a) Its source and reliability could not be established   (b) Only printed books are acceptable in debates   (c) The motion did not permit numerical evidence   (d) Screenshots cannot contain any factual information
3. The phrase “enthusiasm had concealed” suggests that the organisers … (a) were unwilling to listen to supporters   (b) deliberately hid the event from teachers   (c) had planned every technical detail   (d) overlooked practical difficulties at first
4. Which incident most directly illustrates a mismatch between register and audience? (a) Asking a supplier to identify an advertisement   (b) Registering distant parents for the debate   (c) Rehearsing a speech before the event   (d) Sending informal mockery to an official email address
5. The request to publish personal phone numbers was declined mainly to … (a) protect speakers’ privacy while maintaining access   (b) exclude parents who lived outside the city   (c) force every visitor to buy a ticket   (d) prevent audiences from asking questions
6. A reader can infer that the captain’s final report was … (a) an announcement that debates are useless   (b) reflective and constructive rather than defensive   (c) proof that social media always improves learning   (d) an attempt to conceal the failed rehearsal
7. Which claim does the passage most clearly challenge? (a) Technical rehearsals can reveal problems   (b) A persuasive delivery is sufficient evidence of truth   (c) Debate speakers should address counterarguments   (d) Audience awareness influences language
8. The teacher’s comment about an unsupported claim serves as … (a) a request to use more difficult vocabulary   (b) a rule against numerical arguments   (c) a warning against confusing confidence with evidence   (d) a criticism of speaking clearly in public
9. The conclusion avoids a simple “success or failure” judgment because … (a) the moderator cancelled the motion   (b) nobody attended the debate   (c) the audience refused to evaluate the speakers   (d) the experiment produced both benefits and difficulties
10. All of these practices improve the credibility of a debate except … (a) checking when a source was published   (b) inventing an impressive statistic to strengthen a claim   (c) responding directly to an opposing point   (d) distinguishing observation from opinion
11. What is the relationship between the writer’s measured tone and purpose? (a) It supports a balanced evaluation of digital participation   (b) It ridicules all attempts at student communication   (c) It creates panic so readers abandon online events   (d) It presents the opposing team as dishonest
12. The most appropriate title is … (a) The History of Nigerian Telephones   (b) An Advertisement for Digital Textbooks   (c) Why Schools Should Abolish Debating   (d) Beyond the Screen: Lessons from a School Debate
13. In a formal debate, the moderator should first … (a) announce the motion and explain speaking rules   (b) declare a winner before both teams speak   (c) deliver every rebuttal for the proposition   (d) prevent the opposition from questioning claims
14. A speaker says, “We acknowledge the benefit, but the evidence remains incomplete.” The phrase “but” introduces … (a) a qualification of the preceding concession   (b) the conclusion of a list   (c) a comparison of two identical claims   (d) an unrelated change in tense
15. The strongest rebuttal to “online resources always improve performance” is … (a) a personal attack on the first speaker   (b) evidence that benefits depend on access, quality and use   (c) a louder repetition of the original motion   (d) an assertion that all students dislike computers
16. Which pair is a natural collocation in formal reporting? (a) reach a conclusion   (b) hold a conclusion   (c) do a conclusion   (d) cook a conclusion
17. To select a register for an email to the principal, the writer must consider … (a) audience, purpose and institutional relationship   (b) only the number of emojis available   (c) whether a slang phrase is fashionable   (d) the colour of the recipient’s device
18. ________ identifies the dictionary feature showing how a headword is pronounced. (a) A bibliographic footnote   (b) A thesaurus entry for opposites   (c) The running title of a chapter   (d) Phonetic transcription
19. The ________ in a dictionary entry helps distinguish a noun from a verb. (a) list of book publishers   (b) postal code of the editor   (c) part-of-speech label   (d) line number of a poem
20. An email sent to several recipients while concealing their addresses from one another uses … (a) Subject   (b) Reply all   (c) CC   (d) BCC
21. Which revision best suits a formal apology for a missed deadline? (a) “Stop complaining; I sent something.”   (b) “I apologise for the delay and have attached the revised work.”   (c) “This is literally your problem.”   (d) “Lol, you know how things get.”
22. The expression “verify the claim” most nearly means … (a) repeat it with greater confidence   (b) remove its supporting details   (c) confirm it using reliable evidence   (d) circulate it to more strangers
23. Which sentence uses an appropriate banking register? (a) “The customer requested a statement of account.”   (b) “The nurse credited an injection.”   (c) “The judge deposited a witness.”   (d) “The patient prescribed a withdrawal.”
24. A statement describing a suspect as “innocent until proven guilty” belongs most naturally to … (a) a sporting commentary on scores   (b) a family birthday invitation   (c) a recipe for pastry   (d) legal discourse
25. Which combination correctly distinguishes a monophthong from a diphthong? (a) A written capital versus a small letter   (b) A steady vowel quality versus a glide between vowel qualities   (c) Two syllables versus four syllables   (d) A voiceless consonant versus a voiced consonant
26. The vowel sound in “seat” contrasts with the vowel in “sit” mainly in … (a) the number of written consonants   (b) vowel quality and length   (c) the word’s grammatical function   (d) the speaker’s social position
27. Why is /eɪ/ in “day” described as a diphthong? (a) The tongue moves between vowel positions during its articulation   (b) The word contains two complete syllables   (c) Its spelling contains a silent vowel at the end   (d) The first sound is a stop consonant
28. The consonants /f/ and /v/ differ primarily in … (a) the number of letters in a word   (b) whether the sound is a vowel   (c) whether the lips are rounded   (d) whether the vocal cords vibrate
29. The word “ship” begins with the ________ sound. (a) /ʒ/   (b) /s/   (c) /ʃ/   (d) /tʃ/
30. Which pair contrasts the final consonant by voicing? (a) day and day   (b) mine and mine   (c) leaf and leave   (d) seat and seat
31. The correct spelling for “receeve” is … (a) receive   (b) recieve   (c) receve   (d) receeve
32. All of the following words are correctly spelt except ________. (a) beginning   (b) decision   (c) accomodation   (d) embarrassment
33. ________ is the appropriate spelling in “The committee reached a unanimous ___.” (a) desicion   (b) dicision   (c) decision   (d) decission
34. The idiom “break the ice” is best used when someone … (a) publishes a private message   (b) makes an unfamiliar social situation more relaxed   (c) damages a frozen drinking cup   (d) refuses to begin a discussion
35. An editor says, “She kept her head above water despite the bills.” The expression implies that she … (a) refused to pay any bill   (b) became a professional swimmer   (c) received money from swimming   (d) managed her difficulties without being overwhelmed
36. The social-media term “algorithm” refers in context to … (a) the number printed on a phone screen   (b) rules a platform uses to organise or recommend content   (c) the physical case protecting a computer   (d) a private personal opinion posted online
37. Which action is NOT responsible social-media communication? (a) correcting misinformation promptly   (b) checking a claim before reposting   (c) Sharing a classmate’s address without consent   (d) matching the language to the intended audience
38. A paragraph begins with a claim, offers evidence and closes with a qualification. Its organisation demonstrates … (a) coherence through a logical progression of ideas   (b) an unrelated collection of sentences   (c) deliberate avoidance of the stated topic   (d) the removal of links between clauses
39. Choose the most coherent pair of sentences. (a) “The evidence was incomplete; however, because therefore.”   (b) “The evidence was incomplete; meanwhile, its colour was blue.”   (c) “The evidence was incomplete; therefore, the team withheld its claim.”   (d) “The evidence was incomplete; the football slept.”
40. The ________ in “Although the connection failed, the debate continued” signals contrast. (a) plural noun   (b) indefinite article   (c) subordinate conjunction   (d) direct object
41. A post begins, “ALL THESE STUDENTS ARE LIARS!” The principal asks for revision primarily because … (a) it contains exactly six words   (b) it fails to mention the author’s birthday   (c) it is not written on coloured paper   (d) its accusatory tone and unsupported generalisation are inappropriate
42. In a persuasive debate, effective supporting detail should be … (a) repeated regardless of the motion   (b) based only on the speaker’s popularity   (c) chosen solely for dramatic effect   (d) directly relevant and verifiable
43. The correct step before sending a school-wide notice is to … (a) verify the facts and check the intended recipients   (b) include every private phone number available   (c) send immediately without proofreading   (d) remove all dates and references
44. Which sentence best uses a law-related collocation? (a) “The court cooked the judgment before evidence.”   (b) “The lawyer harvested the sentence in a field.”   (c) “The court heard the evidence before delivering judgment.”   (d) “The witness borrowed the verdict from a nurse.”
45. The meaning of “a close shave” in a report of a near accident is … (a) a lengthy formal debate   (b) a narrow escape from danger   (c) a carefully trimmed beard   (d) a large financial profit
46. To avoid a misleading social-media caption, a writer should … (a) exaggerate the result to attract comments   (b) distinguish a verified fact from an interpretation   (c) delete the original source immediately   (d) substitute a hashtag for every explanation
47. Which feature is absent from a suitably formal email? (a) Slang used to ridicule the recipient   (b) a clear purpose and request   (c) an informative subject line   (d) an appropriate salutation
48. A meaningful comparison of a paper and electronic dictionary should focus on … (a) whether the user owns a social-media account   (b) the price of an unrelated notebook   (c) how each supports word meaning, pronunciation and usage   (d) the number of colours on its cover alone
49. The main reason for citing a reliable source in debate is … (a) to guarantee the speaker’s personal popularity   (b) to make an argument open to independent checking   (c) to replace every rebuttal with a quotation   (d) to hide uncertainty from listeners
50. Which closing sentence suits a courteous email requesting clarification? (a) “Your instructions make no sense whatsoever.”   (b) “Answer me now or else.”   (c) “No need for accuracy; just send anything.”   (d) “Thank you for your assistance; I look forward to your response.”

SECTION B: WRITING (20 Marks)
Instruction: Answer ONE question only. Your answer should suit its stated purpose, audience and register.

Question 1. Write a formal email to the principal recommending how the school should verify information before sending debate invitations. Propose three practical safeguards and use an appropriate subject line and closing.

Question 2. Write a balanced argumentative essay on “Online communication helps learning only when information is checked”. Address one counterargument and maintain a coherent register.

Objective Marking Scheme

Question 1 – ✅ (b) allow distant audiences to join without travel
Question 2 – ✅ (a) Its source and reliability could not be established
Question 3 – ✅ (d) overlooked practical difficulties at first
Question 4 – ✅ (d) Sending informal mockery to an official email address
Question 5 – ✅ (a) protect speakers’ privacy while maintaining access
Question 6 – ✅ (b) reflective and constructive rather than defensive
Question 7 – ✅ (b) A persuasive delivery is sufficient evidence of truth
Question 8 – ✅ (c) a warning against confusing confidence with evidence
Question 9 – ✅ (d) the experiment produced both benefits and difficulties
Question 10 – ✅ (b) inventing an impressive statistic to strengthen a claim
Question 11 – ✅ (a) It supports a balanced evaluation of digital participation
Question 12 – ✅ (d) Beyond the Screen: Lessons from a School Debate
Question 13 – ✅ (a) announce the motion and explain speaking rules
Question 14 – ✅ (a) a qualification of the preceding concession
Question 15 – ✅ (b) evidence that benefits depend on access, quality and use
Question 16 – ✅ (a) reach a conclusion
Question 17 – ✅ (a) audience, purpose and institutional relationship
Question 18 – ✅ (d) Phonetic transcription
Question 19 – ✅ (c) part-of-speech label
Question 20 – ✅ (d) BCC
Question 21 – ✅ (b) “I apologise for the delay and have attached the revised work.”
Question 22 – ✅ (c) confirm it using reliable evidence
Question 23 – ✅ (a) “The customer requested a statement of account.”
Question 24 – ✅ (d) legal discourse
Question 25 – ✅ (b) A steady vowel quality versus a glide between vowel qualities
Question 26 – ✅ (b) vowel quality and length
Question 27 – ✅ (a) The tongue moves between vowel positions during its articulation
Question 28 – ✅ (d) whether the vocal cords vibrate
Question 29 – ✅ (c) /ʃ/
Question 30 – ✅ (c) leaf and leave
Question 31 – ✅ (a) receive
Question 32 – ✅ (c) accomodation
Question 33 – ✅ (c) decision
Question 34 – ✅ (b) makes an unfamiliar social situation more relaxed
Question 35 – ✅ (d) managed her difficulties without being overwhelmed
Question 36 – ✅ (b) rules a platform uses to organise or recommend content
Question 37 – ✅ (c) Sharing a classmate’s address without consent
Question 38 – ✅ (a) coherence through a logical progression of ideas
Question 39 – ✅ (c) “The evidence was incomplete; therefore, the team withheld its claim.”
Question 40 – ✅ (c) subordinate conjunction
Question 41 – ✅ (d) its accusatory tone and unsupported generalisation are inappropriate
Question 42 – ✅ (d) directly relevant and verifiable
Question 43 – ✅ (a) verify the facts and check the intended recipients
Question 44 – ✅ (c) “The court heard the evidence before delivering judgment.”
Question 45 – ✅ (b) a narrow escape from danger
Question 46 – ✅ (b) distinguish a verified fact from an interpretation
Question 47 – ✅ (a) Slang used to ridicule the recipient
Question 48 – ✅ (c) how each supports word meaning, pronunciation and usage
Question 49 – ✅ (b) to make an argument open to independent checking
Question 50 – ✅ (d) “Thank you for your assistance; I look forward to your response.”

English Writing Marking Scheme (20 Marks)
Content and development of relevant ideas: 8 marks; Organisation, coherence and paragraphing: 5 marks; Expression, register and vocabulary: 5 marks; Spelling, grammar and punctuation: 2 marks. Award credit for sustained argument, appropriate evidence, effective narrative structure or clear formal document conventions, as demanded by the chosen task.

VERBAL APTITUDE — SEPARATE ASSESSMENT (10 Marks)
Instruction: Answer all 10 questions. These marks are assessed separately and are NOT part of English Language’s 70 marks.

1. Evidence : claim :: example : … (a) generalisation   (b) audience   (c) microphone   (d) dictionary
2. Moderator : debate :: chairperson : … (a) paragraph   (b) newspaper   (c) meeting   (d) password
3. Credible : trustworthy :: dubious : … (a) accurate   (b) scientific   (c) questionable   (d) courteous
4. The word most nearly opposite in meaning to “concede” in an argument is … (a) admit   (b) contest   (c) acknowledge   (d) grant
5. All statements in a reasoned argument require proof except … (a) a plainly labelled personal preference   (b) an accusation of misconduct   (c) a claim about cause and effect   (d) a verifiable numerical assertion
6. Choose the pair related as “editor : manuscript”. (a) pharmacist : courtroom   (b) audience : dictionary   (c) navigator : debate   (d) referee : match
7. If every debater is a speaker but not every speaker is a debater, which follows? (a) Every speaker is a moderator   (b) All speakers must be debaters   (c) No debater can be a speaker   (d) Some speakers may not be debaters
8. Complete the analogy: dictionary : meaning :: atlas : … (a) invoice   (b) location   (c) permission   (d) accusation
9. The correct order from least certain to most certain is … (a) possible, probable, certain   (b) certain, possible, probable   (c) probable, certain, possible   (d) possible, certain, probable
10. In “The message was terse but polite,” the contrast implies that “terse” means … (a) uncertain   (b) brief   (c) informal   (d) offensive

Verbal Aptitude Marking Scheme — Separate (10 Marks)

Question 1 – ✅ (a) generalisation
Question 2 – ✅ (c) meeting
Question 3 – ✅ (c) questionable
Question 4 – ✅ (b) contest
Question 5 – ✅ (a) a plainly labelled personal preference
Question 6 – ✅ (d) referee : match
Question 7 – ✅ (d) Some speakers may not be debaters
Question 8 – ✅ (b) location
Question 9 – ✅ (a) possible, probable, certain
Question 10 – ✅ (b) brief