Primary Leaving Examination 2014 — English Language
RNEC Revision Quiz · Auto-correcting · All sections
📝 Student Details
Section A — Comprehension (30 marks)
Read the passage “Keeping Cattle” carefully, then answer all questions in Section A.
Keeping Cattle
People raise cows to get fresh milk, cream, cheese and butter. Cheese, butter and ice cream are all made from milk. Today, people buy milk at the supermarket in cartons or bottles. Cows now live on big dairy farms. Cattle is another word for cows. Cows are female cattle; male cattle are called bulls. Cattle can weigh over 200 kg, are covered with hair, have a tail, four legs with hooves, and some have horns.
Like all mammal mothers, cows give birth to live babies called calves. To milk a cow by hand, you sit on a stool and squeeze milk from the udder. Some cattle are raised for meat (beef cattle). Beef is used for steaks and hamburgers.
Cattle eat grass and have special stomachs with four parts. They chew food twice — first swallowing it into the first stomach part where it becomes a cud, then bringing the cud back to chew again before swallowing through the other stomach parts.
Dairy cows graze in pastures. Farmers give dairy cows special food to produce more milk. Beef cattle are fed corn and special food to gain weight fast.
A.1 — Answer questions based on the passage (20 marks)
1Why do people raise cows?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: The passage states people raise cows to get fresh milk, cream, cheese and butter — and also for beef (meat). Option B best captures both purposes mentioned. → Answer: B.
2Where do people buy milk today?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: The passage states directly: “Today, people buy milk at the supermarket in cartons or bottles.” → Answer: C — From supermarkets.
3Which products are made from milk?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Cheese, butter and ice cream are all made from milk.” → Answer: B.
4How do people milk a cow by hand?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “To milk a cow by hand, you sit on a stool and squeeze milk from the udder.” → Answer: B.
5Give two characteristics of cattle mentioned in the text.2 mks
💡 Worked solution: The passage lists: “four legs with hooves” and “covered with hair.” Option B correctly picks two of these characteristics. → Answer: B.
6What is the main food for cattle?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Cattle eat grass.” Corn is only supplementary feed for beef cattle to gain weight fast. → Answer: C — Grass.
7Why do farmers give special food to dairy cows?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Farmers give dairy cows special food to produce more milk.” Gaining weight fast applies to beef cattle, not dairy cows. → Answer: B.
8What makes the stomachs of cows special?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Cattle … have special stomachs with four parts.” → Answer: C — They have four parts.
9How many times do cows chew the grass?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: Cows “chew food twice” — first swallow it as cud, then bring it back to chew again. This is called rumination. → Answer: B — Twice.
10Why do beef cattle farmers feed them with special food?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Beef cattle are fed corn and special food to gain weight fast” — heavier cattle produce more meat. → Answer: B.
A.2 — Give the synonym of the underlined word (4 marks)
11“Cows are an IMPORTANT source of food for people.” — Synonym of IMPORTANT:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Important = having great significance or value. Significant / meaningful are its closest synonyms. → Answer: B.
12“Cows PRODUCE more milk than their calves need.” — Synonym of PRODUCE:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: To produce = to make or yield something. “Give or offer” captures the meaning of supplying/yielding milk. → Answer: B.
13“Dairy farms can have HUNDREDS OF cows.” — Synonym of HUNDREDS OF:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Hundreds of = a large unspecified number, synonymous with many / a lot. → Answer: B.
14“The udder hangs UNDER the cow’s body.” — Synonym of UNDER:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Under = in a lower position. Below / beneath are direct synonyms indicating a position lower than something else. → Answer: C.
A.3 — Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage (6 marks)
15What does “MAMMAL” mean as used in the passage?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: A mammal gives birth to live young and feeds them milk. The passage confirms: “Like all mammal mothers, cows give birth to live babies called calves.” → Answer: B.
16What does “TO GRAZE” mean as used in the passage?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: “Dairy cows graze in pastures” = they feed on growing grass in open fields. Graze = to eat grass in a field. → Answer: C.
17What is “THE CUD” as used in the passage?2 mks
💡 Worked solution: The passage explains: food is swallowed into the first stomach where it “becomes a cud,” then brought back to the mouth to chew again. → Answer: B.
Section B — Grammar (40 marks)
B.1 — Fill in the blank spaces with the suitable word (5 marks)
18B.1.1 — “What ___________ you doing now?”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Subject you takes auxiliary are in present continuous: “What are you doing now?” “Is” = he/she/it; “were/was” = past. → Answer: B — are.
19B.1.2 — “The passengers are ready ___________ enter the bus.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Ready to + infinitive is the correct structure: “ready to enter.” “Ready for” needs a noun; “ready and do” is ungrammatical. → Answer: B — to.
20B.1.3 — “___________ a wonderful creature an elephant is!”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Exclamations with a noun phrase use What: “What a wonderful creature!” “How” exclaims about adjectives alone without a noun: “How wonderful!” → Answer: B — What.
21B.1.4 — “John ___________ Peter came home together.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: And is the coordinating conjunction joining two subjects who did the same thing together: “John and Peter came home together.” → Answer: C — and.
22B.1.5 — “He ___________ does his best shall be praised.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Who is the relative pronoun referring to a person (he) in the subject position of the relative clause: “He who does his best…” → Answer: C — who.
B.2 — Choose the right answer from the list (5 marks)
23B.2.1 — “I ___________ Kamali in town yesterday.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Time marker “yesterday” signals simple past tense. Saw is the simple past form of see: “I saw Kamali in town yesterday.” → Answer: B — saw.
24B.2.2 — “Gasore ___________ ill since last week.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Since last week” signals present perfect. Singular subject Gasore → “has been ill since last week.” → Answer: D — has been.
25B.2.3 — “Have some more rice, ___________?”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: An imperative offering something takes the tag “won’t you?” — it invites acceptance: “Have some more rice, won’t you?” → Answer: C — won’t you.
26B.2.4 — “They asked me where ___________.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: In reported (indirect) speech, word order becomes statement order (subject + verb): “Where had she gone?” → “where she had gone.” → Answer: C.
27B.2.5 — “The teacher ___________ the lesson when the bell rang.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Two past actions — teacher finished first, then bell rang. The earlier action uses past perfect: “had finished.” → Answer: D — had finished.
B.3 — Re-write each sentence as instructed (10 marks)
28B.3.1 — “I did my homework. I went to school.”
Start with: “After ___ing”1 mk
Start with: “After ___ing”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: After a preposition like after, verbs take the gerund (-ing) form: “After doing my homework, I went to school.” → Answer: B.
29B.3.2 — “Abdul is strong. His brother is also strong.”
Join using: “as ___ as”1 mk
Join using: “as ___ as”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Equal comparison: as + adjective + as → “Abdul is as strong as his brother.” Never use than or like here. → Answer: C.
30B.3.3 — “Honey is made by bees.”
Start with: “Bees ___”1 mk
Start with: “Bees ___”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Converting passive to active: “bees” becomes the subject → “Bees make honey.” → Answer: C.
31B.3.4 — “I read for a few minutes. Then I went to sleep.”
Re-write using: “Before + ing form”1 mk
Re-write using: “Before + ing form”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Before as a preposition takes a gerund: “Before going to sleep, I read for a few minutes.” → Answer: B.
32B.3.5 — “Let’s have a cup of coffee. Then we’ll go out.”
Begin: “Let’s ___ before + ing”1 mk
Begin: “Let’s ___ before + ing”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Before + ing”: “Let’s have a cup of coffee before going out.” Option C uses the gerund correctly. → Answer: C.
33B.3.6 — “The woman went to the hospital. She was sick.”
Join using: “because of ___ + noun”1 mk
Join using: “because of ___ + noun”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Because of” must be followed by a noun: adjective sick → noun sickness: “because of her sickness.” → Answer: C.
34B.3.7 — “Cheese comes from milk. Butter also comes from milk.”
Join beginning: “Both ___”1 mk
Join beginning: “Both ___”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Both … and …” = plural subject → plural verb: “Both cheese and butter come from milk.” No “of” after both. → Answer: A.
35B.3.8 — “A man went to Kigali last week. He is the driver of the bus.”
Join using: “who”1 mk
Join using: “who”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: The relative clause “who went to Kigali last week” identifies the man and must follow “A man” immediately: “A man who went to Kigali last week is the driver of the bus.” → Answer: A.
36B.3.9 — “He is a cruel man. Everybody fears him.”
Re-write using: “such ___ that”1 mk
Re-write using: “such ___ that”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Structure: such + a/an + adjective + noun + that → “He is such a cruel man that everybody fears him.” “So” modifies adjectives without a noun. → Answer: B.
37B.3.10 — “Maria was very tired but she continued to work.”
Begin: “Although ___”1 mk
Begin: “Although ___”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Although already expresses contrast — never add but or however: “Although Maria was very tired, she continued to work.” → Answer: C.
B.4(i) — Write the PLURAL form of the underlined word (5 marks)
38B.4i.1 — “We do English QUIZ every week.” → Plural of quiz:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Words ending in -z double the z and add -es: quiz → quizzes. (buzz → buzzes, fizz → fizzes.) → Answer: B — quizzes.
39B.4i.2 — “My mother will buy MANGO at the market.” → Plural of mango:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: The standard plural of mango is mangoes (or mangos). In the original exam context, mangoes is the expected answer. → Answer: B — mangoes.
40B.4i.3 — “A new ROAD will be built in our village.” → Plural of road:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Regular noun ending in a consonant — simply add -s: road → roads. → Answer: C — roads.
41B.4i.4 — “I took a PHOTO at the ceremony.” → Plural of photo:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Clipped words like photo add just -s: photos. (piano → pianos, radio → radios.) → Answer: C — photos.
42B.4i.5 — “Mahoro was invited to the PARTY.” → Plural of party:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Consonant + y → change y to i, add -es: party → parties. (city → cities, baby → babies.) → Answer: C — parties.
B.4(ii) — Write the SINGULAR form of the underlined word (5 marks)
43B.4ii.1 — “Impolite workers don’t respect their BOSSES.” → Singular of bosses:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Words ending in -ss add -es for plural. Reverse: bosses → boss. → Answer: C — boss.
44B.4ii.2 — “Many people are proud of their FAMILIES.” → Singular of families:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Reverse the plural rule: families → change -ies back to y → family. → Answer: C — family.
45B.4ii.3 — “The WAYS of God are very many.” → Singular of ways:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Way ends in vowel + y → pluralises by adding -s. Singular = way. → Answer: D — way.
46B.4ii.4 — “Many LEAVES die and fall off trees in dry season.” → Singular of leaves:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Irregular plural: -f/-fe → -ves. Reverse: leaves → leaf. (knife → knives, wife → wives.) → Answer: C — leaf.
47B.4ii.5 — “Many traders in Rwanda import GOODS from Dubai and China.” → Singular of goods:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Goods (merchandise) is the plural of the noun good (a product/commodity). → Answer: B — good.
B.5 — Choose the correct adjective or adverb from the brackets (10 marks)
48B.5.1 — “He slapped him ___________ on the back.” (friendly / in a friendly way)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Friendly is an adjective, not an adverb — it cannot modify the verb “slapped.” Use the adverbial phrase “in a friendly way.” → Answer: B.
49B.5.2 — “Does the bus go ___________ to Gisenyi?” (direct / directly)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: An adverb modifies the verb “go.” Directly = without stopping or changing route. → Answer: B — directly.
50B.5.3 — “Many of the workers are ___________ concerned about their pension.” (serious / seriously)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Seriously (adverb) modifies the adjective “concerned”: “seriously concerned” = deeply concerned. → Answer: B — seriously.
51B.5.4 — “There has been a lot of talk about DRC joining the EAC ___________.” (late / lately)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Lately = recently (used with present perfect). Late = not on time. The present perfect “has been” confirms lately is needed. → Answer: B — lately.
52B.5.5 — “My new mobile phone fits ___________ into the pocket.” (easily / ease)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Adverb needed to modify verb “fits.” Adjective easy → adverb = easily (without difficulty). → Answer: B — easily.
53B.5.6 — “The path leads ___________ to the front door.” (straight / straightly)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Straight is a flat adverb (used without -ly): “leads straight to the door.” “Straightly” is not standard English. → Answer: B — straight.
54B.5.7 — “Animals are now able to wander ___________ throughout the game reserve.” (free / freely)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Freely (adverb) modifies the verb “wander”: “wander freely” = without restriction. (Free as flat adverb usually means at no cost.) → Answer: B — freely.
55B.5.8 — “The minister will begin with a statement. ___________, you can put your questions to him.” (after / afterwards)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Afterwards = sentence adverb meaning “later, following that.” After needs an object (“after the statement”). Here no object follows. → Answer: B — Afterwards.
56B.5.9 — “Jackson came pretty ___________ to winning that last race.” (close / closely)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Idiom: “came close to” = nearly. Close is the correct flat adverb here. “Closely” means carefully/attentively (e.g. “watched closely”). → Answer: A — close.
57B.5.10 — “Some of these people drive their cars very ___________.” (fast / fastly)1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Fast is a flat adverb — it functions as both adjective and adverb without -ly. “Fastly” does not exist in standard English. → Answer: B — fast.
Section C — Vocabulary (30 marks)
C.1 — Choose the correct answers and complete the sentences (10 marks)
58C.1.1 — “How are you?” → Best response:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “How are you?” asks about wellbeing → standard response: “Very well, thank you.” “How do you do?” responds to formal introductions, not this greeting. → Answer: A.
59C.1.2 — “He ___________ a teacher.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Third person singular (he/she/it) takes is: “He is a teacher.” (am = I; are = you/we/they.) → Answer: B — is.
60C.1.3 — “Good luck in your exam.” → Best response:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: When someone wishes you good luck → polite response is “Thank you / Thanks.” “I hope so” suits predictions, not wishes. → Answer: D — Thanks.
61C.1.4 — “She and her friend ___________ tennis.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “She and her friend” = plural subject (they) → verb without -s: “play tennis.” (If singular: “She plays.”) → Answer: A — play.
62C.1.5 — “Please give me ___________.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Soap is uncountable — cannot use a or a few. Uncountable nouns use some: “some soap.” → Answer: B — some soap.
63C.1.6 — “Tom is ___________ the house.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Tom is ___” = present continuous → gerund/present participle: “Tom is painting the house.” → Answer: B — painting.
64C.1.7 — “Can I have ___________?”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Water is uncountable. In polite requests, some is used: “Can I have some water?” (Any is for negative sentences/formal neutral questions.) → Answer: C — some water please.
65C.1.8 — “We will wait till you ___________ your lunch.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: In time clauses (till/until/when/before/after), use simple present for a future idea: “We will wait till you finish.” → Answer: A — finish.
66C.1.9 — “If you ___________ her she would have come.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Third conditional (unreal past): If + past perfect … would have + past participle. → “If you had called her, she would have come.” → Answer: C — had called.
67C.1.10 — “Congratulations upon success in examinations.” → Best response:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: When congratulated → respond: “Thank you.” “Same to you” is only used when a wish applies to both parties (e.g. Happy New Year). → Answer: C — Thank you.
C.2 — Choose the correct preposition or phrase (5 marks)
68C.2.1 — “She is good ___________ dancing.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Good at” is the fixed collocation for skill: “good at dancing, good at maths.” → Answer: A — at.
69C.2.2 — “We go to school ___________.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “On foot” is the fixed idiomatic expression for walking. “By walk/feet” are not standard English. → Answer: C — on foot.
70C.2.3 — “I told him everything ___________ the telephone.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “On the telephone” is the standard prepositional phrase for phone communication: “told him everything on the telephone.” → Answer: B — on.
71C.2.4 — “I have been awake ___________ five hours.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: For expresses duration (a period): “for five hours.” Since expresses a point in time: “since 5 o’clock.” → Answer: B — for.
72C.2.5 — “My brother is ___________ old.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: The full expression of age = sixteen years old. The sentence reads: “My brother is sixteen years old old” — the “old” in the sentence IS the final word, so the blank fills with “sixteen years” making “sixteen years old.” → Answer: C.
C.3 — Write down the abbreviation for the following words (5 marks)
73C.3.1 — Abbreviation for “I would“:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: I’d = I would (or I had). The apostrophe replaces “woul” from “would.” → Answer: B — I’d.
74C.3.2 — Abbreviation for “Mister“:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Mr. = Mister (title for a man). Ms. = woman (marital status unknown); Mrs. = married woman. → Answer: C — Mr.
75C.3.3 — Abbreviation for “Doctor“:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Dr. is the standard abbreviation for Doctor: e.g. Dr. Mugabo, Dr. Smith. → Answer: C — Dr.
76C.3.4 — Abbreviation for “East African Community“:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: EAC = East African Community — the regional organisation whose members include Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan and DRC. → Answer: B — EAC.
77C.3.5 — Abbreviation for “United Nations“:1 mk
💡 Worked solution: UN = United Nations — the international organisation founded in 1945. (UNA = United Nations Association.) → Answer: C — UN.
C.4 — Use words from the box to complete the passage (10 marks)
Word Box
Head Teacher · interested · nearby · father · people · farms · see · happy · pupils · schoolPassage: “Good morning everyone. As the (1)___ of Kabaya Primary School, I am very (2)___ to welcome you to our Open Day. Today the school is open not just to parents of our pupils, but also to anyone else (3)___ in seeing the school. I will start by telling you about the school and after that you can walk around and (4)___ it for yourselves. We take most of our pupils from the two (5)___ villages of Kabeza and Gihinga. When the (6)___ was originally established in 1989, almost every child’s (7)___ worked in the (8)___. However, the (9)___ are no longer there because of the city, and many (10)___ left the area as a result.”
78C.4.1 — “As the ___________ of Kabaya Primary School…”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: The speaker is making a formal welcome address — only the Head Teacher (school principal) holds this role. → Answer: A — Head Teacher.
79C.4.2 — “I am very ___________ to welcome you to our Open Day.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “I am very happy to welcome you” expresses joy at receiving guests — the natural expression for a welcome speech. → Answer: C — happy.
80C.4.3 — “…to anyone else ___________ in seeing the school.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Interested in + gerund” is a fixed collocation: “anyone interested in seeing the school” = wanting to see it. → Answer: C — interested.
81C.4.4 — “…you can walk around and ___________ it for yourselves.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Walk around and see it” — the verb see fits grammatically (parallel with “walk”) and contextually (come and observe firsthand). → Answer: A — see.
82C.4.5 — “We take most of our pupils from the two ___________ villages of Kabeza and Gihinga.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Nearby = close in distance. The school draws pupils from the two neighbouring/closest villages. → Answer: B — nearby.
83C.4.6 — “When the ___________ was originally established in 1989…”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Institutions are “established,” not people or farms: “When the school was established in 1989.” → Answer: C — school.
84C.4.7 — “…almost every child’s ___________ worked in the farms.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: “Every child’s father worked in the farms” — the possessive structure needs a family member. Father is the only one in the word box. → Answer: C — father.
85C.4.8 — “…almost every child’s father worked in the ___________.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Fathers “worked in the farms” = agricultural labour. This also links to the next sentence: “the farms are no longer there.” → Answer: B — farms.
86C.4.9 — “However, the ___________ are no longer there because of the city…”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: Continues from the previous blank — the farms that once existed are “no longer there” due to urban expansion. → Answer: C — farms.
87C.4.10 — “…and many ___________ left the area as a result.”1 mk
💡 Worked solution: When the farms disappeared, “many people left the area.” People migrate when their livelihoods vanish — the logical conclusion of the passage. → Answer: C — people.
