Section C : COMPREHENSION Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it My mother never thought it was necessary to inform any of her children that she would pay them a visit in Lagos at any time. After all, no child would refuse her entry into their home. She had always been lucky to meet a member of the household each time she came visiting and it was unimaginable to her that a day would come when no one would be at home to receive her. In her usual manner, Mama boarded a vehicle from the village at noon with all her luggage which usually comprised the local delicacies we all enjoyed eating whenever she came visiting. Since she was aware of the time of the day everyone would be back home from work, she was not worried when the bus made frequent stops to either pick up or discharge passengers. While the journey lasted, Mama chatted heartily with a fellow passenger who was also going to see her son in Lagos and the two exchanged telephone numbers. Eventually, the vehicle crawled to a final stop and everyone alighted. Mama flagged down a taxi and headed for her daughter’s house. Although the fare demanded by the driver was outrageous and the money on her could not cover it, Mama believed that when she got to the house, her daughter or son-in-law would come to her aid by making up the difference. How wrong she was! Unknown to Mama, my husband and I had travelled out of town on one of our numerous official assignments while my son had returned to the university campus. The only person on the premises was the new watchman. Mama’s dilemma, however, began with the payment of the taxi fare. When she alighted with some of her luggage, she met the cold unfriendly stare of a complete stranger. She tried frantically to introduce herself to the watchman but could not communicate effectively because of the language barrier. To her embarrassment, the taxi driver called her a fraudulent old woman, left his contact number and drove off in annoyance with one of her bags. Mama remembered the woman with whom she had travelled on the bus had given her her phone number and she decided to call her for help. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman’s son drove in his car to fetch Mama. My mother was quite grateful for that but she will never forget the fact that she had to eat spaghetti and omelette for dinner. That night, I received a call from a complete stranger informing me of my mother’s ordeal. I had to rush back to Lagos the following day to bring mama back home and get her bag from the taxi driver. My mother left for the village two days after and has since made it a point to call before she visits anyone. A. Why did the writer’s mother never inform her children of her intention to visit them? B. How did Mama while away the hours on the journey? C. State two difficulties Mama faced when she arrived Lagos. D. Why did the taxi driver leave with one of Mama’s bags? E. Why do you think that Mama will never forget what she had for dinner? F. … who was also going to see her son in Lagos… i. What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage? ii. What is its function? G. … seemed like an eternity… What does this expression mean? H. Which lesson did Mama learn from this trip? I. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage: i. Unimaginable ii. Heartily iii. Outrageous iv. Numerous v. Frantically vi. Fraudulent

Here are the answers to the comprehension questions: A. Why did the writer’s mother never inform her children of her intention to visit them? She never informed them because she believed it was unnecessary, as no child would refuse her entry, and she always expected someone to be home to receive her. B. How did Mama while away the hours on the journey? Mama whiled away the hours by chatting heartily with a fellow passenger and exchanging telephone numbers with her. C. State two difficulties Mama faced when she arrived Lagos. 1. She could not pay the full taxi fare. 2. She could not communicate effectively with the watchman due to a language barrier. D. Why did the taxi driver leave with one of Mama’s bags? The taxi driver left with one of Mama's bags because she could not pay the full fare, and he was annoyed, calling her a fraudulent old woman. E. Why do you think that Mama will never forget what she had for dinner? Mama will never forget what she had for dinner because it was likely an unfamiliar or unappealing meal (spaghetti and omelette) compared to the local delicacies she usually brought or preferred, especially after her stressful experience. F. … who was also going to see her son in Lagos… i. What grammatical name is given to this expression as it is used in the passage? This is a relative clause (or adjectival clause). ii. What is its function? Its function is to modify the noun phrase "a fellow passenger", providing more information about her. G. … seemed like an eternity… What does this expression mean? This expression means that the period of waiting felt extremely long, as if it were an endless amount of time. H. Which lesson did Mama learn from this trip? Mama learned the lesson that she should always call before she visits anyone. I. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage: i. Unimaginable: Inconceivable or unthinkable ii. Heartily: Enthusiastically or cheerfully iii. Outrageous: Excessive or exorbitant iv. Numerous: Many or several v. Frantically: Desperately or agitatedly vi. Fraudulent: Deceitful or dishonest