Descriptive Comprehension Passage - Englishlanguage Jamb Past Questions and Answers

Question 41 :

• JAMB 1983

  The Save the Children Fund (SCF) was first started in London on 19th May, 1919 by an English woman named Miss Jebb. It is now a worldwide organization, dedicated to helping needy children everywhere. The SCF of Malawi was formed in 1953, under the patronage of His Excellency the Life President Ngawazi Dr. H. Kamuzi Banda. “Our job in Malawi is to give those unfortunate children the rights that are deprived of through no fault of theirs. These are internationally recognized as the ten rights of children and includes protection, care, food and accommodation, and relief, a spokesman for the Fund explained.
One of those who benefited from the help of the Fund is Samuel Mpetechula, a graduate of Chancellor. His sponsorship started in 1967. The SCF of Malawi found him sponsors. They were Mr. and Mrs. Sutton of Australia who paid is school fees and continued to help him financially throughout his University education. Mr. Mpetechula said, ‘They even built a house for me at home and looked after my family while I was a student. They were really helpful to me, and the thought that there were these sponsors caring, for me from thousands of kilometres away from here was an encouragement for me to work hard at college.
Another important function of the work of the SCF is in the field of nutrition. With the help of the Australian Government, the SCF established two nutrition rehabilitation centres for children; one at Mpemba and another in Mulanje’. The object of the Centre’s, explained Mr. Petre Chimbe, the Executive Secretary of the Fund, ‘is to combat malnutrition in children, by giving them the proper food’ .




In question 14 and 15 choose the meaning which best fit the underline phrases taken from the passage Combat malnutrition means

A. Sruggle against the eating of the wrong type of food
B. Fight ill health caused by over-feeding
C. Wipe out ignorance
D. Fight to wipe out ill-health caused by lack of food
E. Fight against hunger

Question 42 :

• JAMB 1983

  The Save the Children Fund (SCF) was first started in London on 19th May, 1919 by an English woman named Miss Jebb. It is now a worldwide organization, dedicated to helping needy children everywhere. The SCF of Malawi was formed in 1953, under the patronage of His Excellency the Life President Ngawazi Dr. H. Kamuzi Banda. “Our job in Malawi is to give those unfortunate children the rights that are deprived of through no fault of theirs. These are internationally recognized as the ten rights of children and includes protection, care, food and accommodation, and relief, a spokesman for the Fund explained.
One of those who benefited from the help of the Fund is Samuel Mpetechula, a graduate of Chancellor. His sponsorship started in 1967. The SCF of Malawi found him sponsors. They were Mr. and Mrs. Sutton of Australia who paid is school fees and continued to help him financially throughout his University education. Mr. Mpetechula said, ‘They even built a house for me at home and looked after my family while I was a student. They were really helpful to me, and the thought that there were these sponsors caring, for me from thousands of kilometres away from here was an encouragement for me to work hard at college.
Another important function of the work of the SCF is in the field of nutrition. With the help of the Australian Government, the SCF established two nutrition rehabilitation centres for children; one at Mpemba and another in Mulanje’. The object of the Centre’s, explained Mr. Petre Chimbe, the Executive Secretary of the Fund, ‘is to combat malnutrition in children, by giving them the proper food’ .




Deprived of means

A. Spared
B. Prevented from getting
C. Robbed of
D. Unable to take
E. Snatched from

Question 43 :

• JAMB 1983

  Typical Zacharia! Devil-may are and irreverent as ever. No doubt he was just the same when he was cook to a Greek trader in the town. In fact, I suspect that to him the Reverend Father is just another sort of trader. Conceited ass, thinking himself superior to the Father! And in what is he superior? Success with women perhaps? Zacharia knows that they all admire him and is always striving for still more admiration. He dresses sharply and walks in a haughty manner that suits in his tallness. And then he feeds his pride on the swarms of girls who run after him. It’s maddening to him how little you need to attract them. I remember my mother coming home from market in the town, after selling her vegetables and cocoa. How indignant she was ‘It’s so shameful, ‘she cried,’ our best-looking and most respectable girls go to town and throw themselves at strangers as ugly as sin, speaking the most outlandish tongue. Men I can scarcely look at without shuddering! And why? Just money! Money! Ah, what a world! And my father replied in a buried voice, ‘It is the times!’ ‘the times!’ shouted mother ‘can you imagine my child Ann with creatures like those?
But perhaps the girls who chase Zacharia aren’t drawn by his tallness or his leather shoes. Perhaps they’re only after childish things, a bit of bread or a pot of jam, knowing that he’s a cook. My father often says women are like children in their desires. And after all, I too can boast a little. Plenty of women turn to look at me, especially when I’m dressed all in white! But I’m not vain enough to fuse over a little thing like that. Not like Zacharia, who doesn’t know women are simply children.




which of the following was NOT a quality of Zacharia''s character

A. Vanity
B. Lack of respect for others
C. Humility
D. Arrogance
E. Insubordination

Question 44 :

• JAMB 1983

  Typical Zacharia! Devil-may are and irreverent as ever. No doubt he was just the same when he was cook to a Greek trader in the town. In fact, I suspect that to him the Reverend Father is just another sort of trader. Conceited ass, thinking himself superior to the Father! And in what is he superior? Success with women perhaps? Zacharia knows that they all admire him and is always striving for still more admiration. He dresses sharply and walks in a haughty manner that suits in his tallness. And then he feeds his pride on the swarms of girls who run after him. It’s maddening to him how little you need to attract them. I remember my mother coming home from market in the town, after selling her vegetables and cocoa. How indignant she was ‘It’s so shameful, ‘she cried,’ our best-looking and most respectable girls go to town and throw themselves at strangers as ugly as sin, speaking the most outlandish tongue. Men I can scarcely look at without shuddering! And why? Just money! Money! Ah, what a world! And my father replied in a buried voice, ‘It is the times!’ ‘the times!’ shouted mother ‘can you imagine my child Ann with creatures like those?
But perhaps the girls who chase Zacharia aren’t drawn by his tallness or his leather shoes. Perhaps they’re only after childish things, a bit of bread or a pot of jam, knowing that he’s a cook. My father often says women are like children in their desires. And after all, I too can boast a little. Plenty of women turn to look at me, especially when I’m dressed all in white! But I’m not vain enough to fuse over a little thing like that. Not like Zacharia, who doesn’t know women are simply children.




The girls were apparently attracted to Zacharia by

A. Wealth
B. The life of towns
C. The appearance of the young men
D. The fact that the young men spoke strange dialects
E. Food

Question 45 :

• JAMB 1983

  Typical Zacharia! Devil-may are and irreverent as ever. No doubt he was just the same when he was cook to a Greek trader in the town. In fact, I suspect that to him the Reverend Father is just another sort of trader. Conceited ass, thinking himself superior to the Father! And in what is he superior? Success with women perhaps? Zacharia knows that they all admire him and is always striving for still more admiration. He dresses sharply and walks in a haughty manner that suits in his tallness. And then he feeds his pride on the swarms of girls who run after him. It’s maddening to him how little you need to attract them. I remember my mother coming home from market in the town, after selling her vegetables and cocoa. How indignant she was ‘It’s so shameful, ‘she cried,’ our best-looking and most respectable girls go to town and throw themselves at strangers as ugly as sin, speaking the most outlandish tongue. Men I can scarcely look at without shuddering! And why? Just money! Money! Ah, what a world! And my father replied in a buried voice, ‘It is the times!’ ‘the times!’ shouted mother ‘can you imagine my child Ann with creatures like those?
But perhaps the girls who chase Zacharia aren’t drawn by his tallness or his leather shoes. Perhaps they’re only after childish things, a bit of bread or a pot of jam, knowing that he’s a cook. My father often says women are like children in their desires. And after all, I too can boast a little. Plenty of women turn to look at me, especially when I’m dressed all in white! But I’m not vain enough to fuse over a little thing like that. Not like Zacharia, who doesn’t know women are simply children.




From the passage we can conclude that the young girls were

A. Attractive
B. Religious
C. Modern
D. Easily led
E. Indifferent