Try Your Hands On This English Comprehension. This comprehension is a bit tough, technical, and lengthy. But it is worth trying. This is because understanding more difficult ones prepare candidates faster for less lengthy and technical ones.
COMPREHENSION TEXT
Among the Akan communities of Ghana, when you sneeze, people you have never met, complete strangers, say ‘Life to you” – Nkwa. The superstition is that the soul escapes from the body when one sneezes. To say, ‘Life to you’ is an earnest wish for the soul to be restored.
Examples abound to show that although we live in a technologically advanced age, superstition is as widespread now as it has ever been. Consider the following instances of superstition. Some people consult soothsayers or fetish priests before any undertaking. An athlete, although he has trained intensively, credits his victory to a mere article of clothing. A particular T-shirt first worn on the day of triumph, becomes a charm thereafter. Such a piece of cloth is never to be washed for fear that some of the magical powers of the charm might be washed away. A student uses a certain pen for an examination and passes well. Thereafter, he views the pen as a ‘luck’ object.
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A superstitious mind believes that certain objects, places and animals bring luck. Some people will embark on enterprises only on certain dates and under the influence of superstition will act against their better judgment, instincts or consciences. The case of the chain letter, which is a letter that is sent to several persons with the request that each sends copies to many others aptly illustrates this. The one who passes on such a letter is promised good luck, whereas the one who breaks the chain is supposed to experience ill-luck.
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Is superstition really harmful? Some people might dismiss this question or deny the dangers associated with superstition. Nonetheless, it can lead to unpleasant consequences. Take for instance, the case of Mma Kema who lived in a village where she bought and sold chicken. Her enterprise was lucrative. Believing that she could have her profit multiplied, she once took all her money to a fetish priest who it was believed had spirits which could do virtually anything for anybody. The priest put her money into a big envelope and asked her to leave it beside a black pot in his shrine.
Mma Kema was asked to come back for her money after seven days. Very early on the appointed day, she enthusiastically hurried to the shrine, oblivious of the morning dew on the grasses along the path. The priest handed a bag to her and instructed her to bury it in her shop for three days. She did exactly as she had been ordered. The three days looked like a century. When she finally opened the envelope she saw plain papers in it. In a frenzy, she rushed to the shrine to complain about her discovery only to find out that the priest had disappeared.
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Questions
a) Give two instances of superstition from the second paragraph of the passage.
b) What is the writer’s attitude towards those who believe that objects can bring luck?
c) What does the story of Mma Kema illustrate about superstition?
d) How would you describe the character of the fetish priest?
e) What was Mma Kema’s state of mind during her second visit to the shrine?
f) ….. although he has trained intensively…..
i) What is the grammatical name for this expression as it is used in the passage?
ii) What is its function in the sentence?
g) … as a ‘luck’ object.
Why is the word luck enclosed in inverted commas?
h) For each of the following words underlined in the passage, give another word or phrase which means the same and can replace it in the passage:
i. restored
ii. triumph
iii. enterprises
iv. harmful
v. lucrative
vi. oblivious
THESE ARE THE ANSWERS
Recommended Answers for Passage 1
a) i) Some people consult soothsayers or fetish priests before embarking on any project.
ii) Athletes believe that their T-shirts can possess certain magical powers which will help them to perform well.
b) He pities them.
c) Superstition can be counter-productive
d) He is a swindler( or a trickster)
e) She had very great expectations.
f) i) Adverbial clause of concession
ii) It is modifying the verb, “credits”
g) It is to show that “luck” is not a completely suitable word or idea to be associated with an ordinary pen.
h )
i. restored – regained/returned
ii. triumph – victory
iii. enterprises – undertakings/projects/ventures
iv. harmful – dangerous/counterproductive
v. lucrative – profitable
vi. oblivious – unmindful