Waec comprehension Passage - SS1 English Lesson Note

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

When Miss Anna Bonsra entered the classroom, a deep silence descended on the class. Then her shrill voice pierced the silence, “Kwaku Ananse,” she called, “come forward and give your oral presentation”. At once my heart began pounding like our old school corn mill.

I realized at that moment how much she disliked me. She had more than forty students to choose from, but she selected me. I was partially hidden behind the burly Owo, who sat in front of me. I had looked everywhere except towards the front of the room. But my ploys were unsuccessful. I had been called upon at long last to give a presentation. “Don’t get nervous; be a man,” I said to myself, as I y myself to face the class.

With sweating hands, I took my notes, which I had tucked away in my notebook. She watched me with that familiar mocking half-smile of hers which seemed to say she knew I wasn’t as though I hadn’t had enough time to prepare for the presentation. It was no surprise assignment.

For weeks we had gone over the fundamentals of writing a research paper and had been told to hand in a twenty-page paper which we would present orally to the class. I had typically waited until the last few days. Then I thumbed desperately through an encyclopedia for a suitable topic.

I finally settled on William Shakespeare because there were some recordings of some of his plays in the school library. I figured that playing some portions of these films would not only take up part of the required time but also make my presentation unique.

After three days and three long nights, my paper was ready, Never had I written a paper so quickly, or one with so little content. Once I was before the class, my main thought was getting done with.

With very little feeling, I told the class what I knew about the renowned playwright, my mouth was so dry that I wasn’t sure whether it would open again for another sentence. My hands shook uncontrollably as I turned the pages in front of me.

Finally, refering to my notes more often than was expected, I finished the oral part of my presentation. All that was left was to show the slides. The worst was over!