BECE 2016 English Language Past Questions

PART I

LEXIS AND STRUCTURE
SECTION A
from the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each
sentence

1. He is .... poor that he cannot pay his bills.
A. so
B. too
C. very
D. rather

2. You will be late .... you hurry.
A. if
B. or
C. unless
D. while

3. Aminu has been absent from class .... one month.
A. in
B. for
C. from
D. since

4. Many people have been invited, but .... will be employed
A. few
B. a few
C. little
D. a little

5. The teacher told the girl he had received .... of the two exercises.
A. all
B. any
C. none
D. neither

6. My father has bought a .... car.
A. private brand new
B. new brand private
C. private new brand
D. brand new private

7. Mama is never .... ready for anything.
A. so
B. ever
C. even
D. rather

8. Akua was .... that she won four prizes.
A. a girl so brilliant
B. a so brilliant girl
C. so brilliant a girl
D. a brilliant so girl

9. Before he entered the classroom, we .... the chalkboard.
A. cleaned
B. have cleaned
C. had cleaned
D. are cleaning

10. I have forgotten all .... my friend told me.
A. this
B. that
C. what
D. which

11. The supervisor will ask the .... to come and repair the pipe in the bathroom.
A. mason
B. repairer
C. plumber
D. lumber

12. The stone fell into the river with a loud....
A. bang
B. crash
C. noise
D. splash

13. Aggie got .... mark for French in the examination.
A. bad
B. worse
C. the worse
D. the worst

14. We won the school debating contest, .... we?
A. hadn’t
B. didn’t
C. couldn’t
D. did

15. Kwame looks very handsome, .... ?
A. isn’t he
B. isn’t it
C. doesn’t he
D. does he

16. Nana Yaa was suffering .... measles.
A. by
B. with
C. from
D. through

17. The suspect was charged .... ... pickpocketing.
A. of
B. for
C. on
D. with

SECTION B

Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.

18. One essential item for making local soap is soda ash.
A. correct
B. main
C. real
D. important

19. Pupils are to read the instructions carefully.
A. notices
B. demands
C. commands
D. directives

20. The dog saw its image in the water.
A. nature
B. condition
C. reflection
D. attraction

21. We shall have the final rehearsal for the play tonight.
A. meeting
B. practice
C. trial
D. preparation

22. My mother is skilled in domestic affairs.
A. local
B. internal
C. everyday
D. household

SECTION C

In each of the following sentences, a group of words has been underlined. Choose from the
alternatives lettered A to D, the one that best explains the underlined group of words.

23. Akweley was taken aback on seeing a stranger in her room. This means Akweley was very
A. angry.
B. afraid.
C. confused.
D. surprised.

24. The employees saw eye to eye with their manager. This means that the employees
A. agreed completely with him
B. were very close to him
C. rarely saw him
D. greatly respected him

25. The priest was in high spirits during the sermon. This means that he was
A. content
B. cheerful
C. spiritual
D. annoyed

26. The opponents decided to bury the hatchet. This means that they decided to
A. make peace
B. bury their guns
C. hold discussions
D. suspend the fighting

27. The headmaster took the students’ version of the theft with a pinch of salt. This means that the headmaster
A. believed the students’ version
B. doubted the students’ version
C. accepted the students’ version
D. ignored the students’ version

SECTION D

From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word underlined in each sentence.

28. The judge acquitted four of the accused but .... the rest.

A. convicted
B. discharged
C. cautioned
D. rebuked

29. It pays to be courteous rather than being ···········
A. rude
B. wicked
C. disobedient
D. boastful

30. Drivers who do not drive with care are sometimes charged with ....
A. speeding
B. drunkenness
C. disobedience
D. recklessness

31. King David was the heir to the throne while the brother was the....
A. usurper
B. successor
C. claimant
D. descendant

32. The secretary intentionally hid the documents but the clerk .... burnt them
A. willingly
B. hastily
C. mistakenly
D. carelessly

PART II

LITERATURE
From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one that correctly answers each question or completes the sentence.

33. A poem of six lines is called a/an ....
A. octave
B. opera
C. sextet
D. sonnet

Read the following extract and answer
Questions 34 to 38

The sudden change in the weather frightened Araba.
The bright orange colour of the sunset sky had quickly turned dull as the grey clouds gathered, rumbling, dark and angry. The booming voice of thunder was intimidating.
Lightning flashed shards of light from his formidable torch.
Araba was a cornered rat.
How would she get home if the worst happened?

34. The atmosphere is ....
A. cheerful
B. friendly
C. frightening
D. undaunting

35. The state of the weather is emphasised by the word....
A. angry
B. cloud
C. flashed
D. grey

36. ‘Lightning flashed .... light from .... torch is an example of ....
A. alliteration
B. ellipsis
C. parallelism
D. personification

37. What is being referred to by the question, ‘How would she .... happened?’
A. Current calm
B. Imminent rain
C. Latent sky
D. Rumbling clouds

38. The extract is ....
A. drama
B. poetry
C. prose
D. story

39. One special feature of prose is the ....
A. paragraph
B. stanza
C. stage direction
D. rhyme

40. The work of the novelist is in ....
A. drama
B. poetry
C. prose
D. verse