It’s that time of the year again as thousands of Nigerian students participate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). As usual, the English Language paper was held on May 17th, and it proved to be an interesting one. Among the many questions, some stuck out, not for their difficulty, but for their reflection of concepts previously covered in the Punch English Class.
Here are four questions from the paper’s section that required candidates to select expressions that accurately completed given sentences:
1. The thug was … murder.
The right sentence completion here is “charged with.” The question tests the candidate’s understanding of legal terms such as accuse, charge, and convict and the prepositions that follow them. It is essential to remember that you accuse someone “of” committing a crime and sue them “for” it. The person can then be charged “with” the crime (allegation) and can subsequently be convicted “of” it. The correct answer to the question is, therefore, “The thug was charged with murder.”
2. The material used for sewing my dress is … to yours.
Candidates had to select the expression that best completed this sentence, and it was “superior to.” The question aimed to test the students’ familiarity with prepositions like “prefer to” and “superior to” as acceptable collocations. Many misspell “superior” by adding “than” or “more” which is grammatically incorrect. The correct sentence, in this case, is “The material used for sewing my dress is superior to yours.”
3. The test seemed … simple that we thought we would all pass.
To complete this sentence as accurately as possible, the appropriate answer is “so.” The question requires understanding of how “so” and “that” are used together. The correct option is, therefore, “The test seemed so simple that we thought we would all pass.”
4. Tayo: I think I can now solve the problem. Essien: …
Out of the four given options, “So can I” is the right answer. This question tests the students’ understanding of the proper use of auxiliary verbs that follow affirmative statements.
Although these questions may seem straightforward, the English Language paper for WASSCE consists of 80 objective questions and several other sections that can pose a challenge to many students. The other sections include “the most nearly opposite,” “the nearest in meaning,”, and the “passage with missing words.”
In conclusion, the WASSCE English Language paper is not a walk in the park, and students must dedicate adequate time to study the language’s rules, structures, and other elements such as vocabulary and comprehension. Our hope is that the students excel in the test and achieve distinctions and towering credits.
