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Reading comprehension test

We walked home. The pleasure and pride we had felt earlier in the evening had helped us. We rather had regret, sorrow but we did not blame anyone.

Our main concern was how to get well and fit by the following morning, for the boys and girls at school we were bound to ask questions. What answer would we give? What would our teachers do? Perhaps they would flog us on top of it all for going honey hunting when we should be doing our homework. We were in a sorrowful trouble.

When my sister shows us she was shocked. She clapped her hands out of the concern she felt for us and she dashed in to tell my mother. Before mother came out, I was shivering with fever and fear. Why father was not in and in this I was lucky for he, a severe man, would not mind whipping me then and there.

I was lead on a mat and covered with many clothes. The village doctor was sent for and when he came he gave me some medicines mixed with honey to lick. Every part of my body was rubbed with the same kind of medicine and I felt sticky. In about ten minutes I was sick all over the place. A little while after that I felt asleep and woke up in the morning healed. All the swelling on my face and body had disappeared in my sleep. As I got ready for school, I wondered what had happened to the others. Just then Darry came in looking happy. We were satisfied that nobody would here of our adventure at school.

I. Reading comprehension: (08pts)

A) Multiple choices

1. Choose the best title of the text (01pt)

a) Missing the classes.

b) The incident of collecting honey.

c) Falling from the honey tree.

2. What do the following groups of words mean? Choose the best answer by referring to the text. (01pt).

“My sister dashed in” means: My sister

a) Moved quickly in. ……………………………………..

b) Walked slowly. ………………………………………..

c) Sat down right away. ………………………………….

“Girls and boys were bound to ask questions” means: Girls and boys

a) were proud to ask questions

b) were obliged to ask questions

c) were foolish to ask questions

B) True or false statements: say whether the following sentences are true or false. Justify by quoting from the text. (03pts)

1. The boys didn’t worry at all about what happened to them and how the students and teachers would react.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The boys had nothing to do when they went honey hunting.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. The village doctor used magic power to treat the boy.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

C) Vocabulary in context (02pts)

1. Find the synonyms of the words bellow from the given paragraphs of the text.

a) To treat …………………………………….. (paragraph 2)

b) Trembling ………………………………….. (paragraph 3)

2. Find the opposites of the words bellow from the given paragraphs of the text.

c) Courage …………………………………….. (paragraph 3)

d) Not ill (healthy) ……………………………. (paragraph 4)

D) Referencing: what does this word refer to in the text? (01pt)

They (would flog us) …………………………………….

II. Linguistic competence: (07pts)

A/ Complete the following passage with suitable pronouns. (03pts)

After their misadventure, the boys were quarrelling among …………………. About the one ………………… made the proposal. They all knew ……………….. was awaiting …………………… when they go to school on the morrow, …………………. Made them feel terribly sad. There was nothing or nobody ………………. Could prevent them from being severely punished.

B/ Feel in the gaps in the following dialogue with the appropriate questions, answers and tags. (03pts)

Kally: I guess you are fond of honey hunting, …………………….?

Samba: No, I ………………., but I like honey a lot.

Kally: And ……………………………………………………… that job?

It is very lucrative.

Samba: I don’t like practicing it because it is more risky than lucrative, ………………….?

Kally: Yes, ………………….. But ………………………………………. to go at least?

Samba: Yes, I have once tried to bees bit me so much that I intend never do it again.

C/ Put the verbs in following dialogue into the right tense (01 pt)

Aly: this man ……………(go) honey hunting everyday. His wife is a honey-seller at the market.

Abdou: How much money ……………………………………. (earn) a day?

Aly: I don’t know exactly but, she always ménages to make  ends meet. She …………. …………..… (do) this job for a long time.

Abdou: You’re right. Yet, as soon as she gets better job, ………………… (give) it up.

III. Essay writing (05pts) choose one topic and deal with it.(max.10 lines)

Topic1: write a passage about a bad experience that happened to you, your friend or your relative

Topic2: Every so often, young children don’t tell the truth to their parents about things that happen to them. Write a passage to explain the problem and say what attitude parents and children should adopt.