2001 WASSCE Comprehension: Bitrus Speeding
The 2001 WASSCE comprehension passage opens with the words: Bitrus, a middle-aged man, was speeding along the hot tarmac one afternoon, oblivious to the countryside.
In many ways, it is not different from all other WASSCE English Language reading comprehension passages. The questions on the 2001 WASSCE comprehension passage cover the major topics in the syllabus, including identifying facts in the passage, vocabulary, synonyms, literary appreciation, and grammatical functions.
What You Must Do
Read the passage and answer the questions on your own before checking our recommended answers.
Passage
Bitrus, a middle-aged man, was speeding along the hot tarmac one afternoon, oblivious to the countryside. By his side, reading a magazine was his first son, a twenty-year-old university computer science student. On the man’s mind was the contract he was pursuing in the capital city. It was worth several million dollars. Although he had handled bigger contracts before, Bitrus was preoccupied with this new challenge, his mind far away from the road before him. His son was also buried in the magazine he was reading. So neither saw the goat crossing the road early enough. Like an automaton, Bitrus jammed on the brakes. In a flash, there was a skid and a somersault. The villagers worked for almost an hour on the huge Mercedes before rescuing the two.
There, in the casualty ward, the duo lay on the stretchers. Bitrus was soon in a fairly stable condition, but anybody would know that the son needed prompt specialist medical attention. The doctor was sent for, a surgeon who regularly handled such cases. Soon enough, the doctor came. The nurses heaved a sigh of relief. But then… “Oh no, I can’t handle this case. He’s my son!” Everyone was shocked. One of the nurses pleaded. “But doctor, you must do something otherwise,… “No, he’s my son. I’ll have to transfer this case.” And so tearfully, more agitated than anybody around, the doctor hurried away to call a colleague.
Here was Bitrus, with multiple injuries, but not in danger. In the adjoining room was his son, still comatose. How then could a doctor come in and say, “This is my son”? Wasn’t Bitrus the father after all? Most people would reason that the doctor was truly the secret biological father. Others, reasoning hard, would conclude that the doctor was Bitrus’s father and thus was right in describing him as his son. But for how long would people continue to think that all doctors must be male? Couldn’t the doctor have simply been Mrs Bitrus?
Questions
(a) (i) What was the remote cause of the accident? (ii) What was the immediate cause?
(b) What does the passage suggest about doctors’ attitude to the cases they handle?
(c) Describe the conditions of Mr Bitrus and his son at the hospital.
(d) What assumption about doctors does the passage illustrate?
(e) His son was also buried in the magazine he was reading.
(i) What type of figurative expression is this?
(ii) What is its function as it is used in the sentence?
(f) …that the doctor was truly the secret biological father.
(i) What grammatical name is given to this expression?
(ii) What is its meaning as it is used in the sentence?
(g) For each of the following, find a word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage:
(i) oblivious
(ii) prompt
(iii) regularly
(iv) pleaded
(v) agitated
(vi) adjoining
Suggested Answers to 2001 WASSCE Comprehension
6 (a)
(i) Bitrus was speeding absent-mindedly.
(ii) The goat’s sudden crossing of the road
(b) Emotional considerations can affect the way they handle cases.
(c) Mr Bitrus had multiple injuries while his son, whose condition was more severe, lay unconscious.
(d) Most people tend to assume that all doctors are male.
(e) (i) Metaphor (ii) It means that the boy was engrossed in what he was reading
(f)(i) Noun clause (ii) object of the verb ‘Would reason’
(g)(i) oblivious — unmindful
(ii) prompt — immediate
(iii) regularly — usually
(iv) pleaded — entreated
(v) agitated — troubled
(vi) adjoining — adjacent
Related Posts
Next Steps
You can learn more about how to answer comprehension questions in another post.
It is best to study other WASSCE comprehension passages apart from the 2001 passage about Bitrus speeding on the hot tarmac. The good news is you can find a lot more at AOne English College.
If you need SHS English Language textbooks to help you prepare effectively for the exam, visit the AOEC bookshop for the best offers.
You can also take a couple of English Learning courses from Alison or Coursera to improve your mastery of the areas you may be interested in.
Finally, there are multiple sample questions and answers covering the various topics in the WASSCE/SHS English Language syllabus. So, you might want to test yourself with a few mock questions.
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