Use Of English 2008 Jamb Examination

Life is often difficult to describe. Men of wisdom in every society often find time to discuss life in order to explain it to the younger generation. I had been present in some meetings a number of times. One topic that was discussed in one of them was the beginning of life. ‘When did life begin?’ asked one of the men of wisdom. It was such an open-ended question. None of us could say precisely what happened when he was born.

If he was born poor, he hardly would be very rich, particularly if he was born honest in a corrupt society. If he was born rich, he might lose all his riches in one day. So, we often gather to tell one another about life.

Recently, a statement was introduced into the vocabulary of the English language — ‘The rich also cry.’ The statement demonstrates, to a large extent, that even rich people have their own period of time when life may prove very difficult and even meaningless to them. Have you not heard the experience of a very rich family whose vast business empire crumbled in just one day? I have heard of a very rich man who lost his wife and three children in just one accident. Another rich man lost his thriving manufacturing company in an inferno. The compensation from his insurer could not solve half his financial problem.

When one is poverty-stricken, that is a difficult dimension to the story of life. The poor person may prefer to die. Imagine when members of a family eat once a day! The quality of food becomes a different kettle of fish in such a circumstance. The dietician’s prayer that every normal human being must have a balanced diet is a cock-and-bull story to the poor.

It is either that the poor do not have any opportunity that serves as recourse for them to be rich, or that they are lazy people. Provisions must be made to create opportunities for self-development and self-realization. A lazy person cannot have his cake and eat it. People like him are not just a problem to themselves but also to others in society. At times, such people are dangerous to their communities.

Finally, what can one say about people who are terminally ill or insane? Perhaps silence becomes golden in that respect.

When a mother is afraid that her child would die when it has only a pimple or a slight headache, we speak of anxiety. But if she is afraid when the child has a serious illness, we call her reaction ….16…. [A. hysteria B. xenophobia C. fear D. foolish].

If someone is afraid whenever he stands on a height or when he has to discuss ….17…. [A. workshop B. a seminar C. a topic D. an exercise] he knows well, we call his reaction ….18…. [A. incompetence B. anxiety C. anger D. immaturity]; if someone is afraid when he loses his way high up the mountain during a heavy thunderstorm, we would speak of ….19…. [A. trepidation B. ignorance C. depression D. apprehension].

Thus far, we have a simple and near distinction between the two, namely, one is a reaction that is proportionate to the danger one has to face whereas the other is ….20…. [A. an unrelated B. a dissimilar C. an equal D. an unparalleled] reaction to danger or even a reaction to ….21…. [A. imaginary B. unrealistic C. ominous D. unusual] danger.

This distinction has one ….22…. [A. direction B. flavor C. flaw D. meaning], however, which is that the decision ….23…. [A. as to B. as from C. as in D. as of] whether the reaction is proportionate depends on the average knowledge existing in the particular ….24…. [A. medium B. culture C. feature D. institution].

But, even if that knowledge proclaims a certain attitude to be unfounded, a neurotic will find no difficulty in giving his action a ….25…. [A. rational B. reactional C. proactive D. radical] foundation.