Drawing Inferences and Deductions from Unseen Passages
27 questions
Read the following extract carefully:
"For three decades, Mama Nkechi guarded the rusted iron chest beneath her bed, refusing to let even her children sweep near it. When rumor spread that the government was acquiring the ancestral land for a rail line, she did not weep or protest alongside her neighbors. Instead, she retrieved the chest, unlocked it with a key hidden inside her prayer beads, and quietly burnt every document inside before taking a single cup of cold water to bed."
From the actions of Mama Nkechi in the passage, what can be logically deduced about her relationship with the ancestral land?
Read the extract below carefully:
"Every evening after closing his shop, Pa Jeremiah would stand by the old cocoa tree, staring quietly down the winding road toward the county town. He never spoke to the passersby who greeted him, nor did he light his pipe until the sun completely vanished beneath the horizon. When his granddaughter asked why he stood there every dusk, he simply rubbed his worn wooden cane and muttered, 'A promise made in youth does not rot with age.'"
What can be inferred about Pa Jeremiah's daily ritual by the cocoa tree?
Read the dramatic extract below carefully:
BOMA: Look at the ledger again, Uncle! The figures for the palm oil shipments do not match the receipts from the port inspector.
DAPO: (Closing the book slowly) Some numbers, my boy, are like shadows—they lengthen or shrink depending on where the sun stands.
BOMA: But the auditor arrives tomorrow from Lagos!
DAPO: Then we shall ensure the sun is at noon when he looks at them. Now, light the lantern and call no one.
What can be inferred about Dapo's intention regarding the upcoming audit?
Read the unseen passage below carefully:
As the final bell echoed through the empty corridors, Mr. Okon stood by his desk, neatly stacking the uncollected report cards. He lingered at Nduka's file, tracing the sharp decline in grades over the last term, right beside the note detailing the boy's recent night shifts at the timber market. Shaking his head softly, Mr. Okon placed a fresh notebook inside Nduka's locker before locking the classroom door.
From the passage above, what can be deduced about Mr. Okon's attitude toward Nduka?
Read the extract below carefully:
'The hearth has grown cold in the chief's grand hall,
Where once laughter echoed from wall to wall.
The young warriors gather, their whispers low,
Watching the horizon where shadows grow.
No drums sound the call for the harvest feast,
While crows circle slowly above the east.'
What can be deduced about the current state of the community from the extract?
Read the unseen prose extract below carefully:
'The village elder stood silently beside the cracked, dusty bed where the river once flowed. For three consecutive seasons, dark clouds had gathered at the horizon only to scatter without dropping a single bead of rain. He stared at the hollow silos near the compound, then turned toward the distant ridges where columns of white smoke rose from neighboring altars.'
Based on the extract above, evaluate whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:
The community is experiencing a severe drought that has resulted in a critical food shortage.
Read the unseen poem extract below carefully:
The old weaver puts down his shuttle at dawn,
His tired eyes fix on the unspun thread;
The loom stands still, the hearth fire is gone,
Yet a gentle smile touches his weary head.
Based on the extract above, is the following statement true or false? "The weaver has completed all of his weaving tasks for the day."
Read the unseen prose extract below carefully:
The ink on the eviction notice had long dried, but Mama Tare remained seated by the window, rhythmically polishing her father's brass clock. Every time the heavy boots of the bailiffs resounded in the courtyard below, she did not look up; instead, she wound the clock's key half a turn tighter. Outside, her neighbors shouted in protest, but inside the small room, only the rhythmic ticking answered the commotion.
What can be deduced about Mama Tare's attitude toward the impending eviction?
Read the unseen extract below carefully:
'The rusty hinges moaned in protest as the wind threw wide the neglected door. Thick dust danced in rays of afternoon sunlight where feet had treaded long before.'
Based on the extract, it can be logically inferred that the building has experienced a long period of disuse and abandonment.
Read the extract below carefully:
CHIEF ADO: The drums of Alaro have fallen silent, yet you urge me to dance to a tune played by shadows?
KALE: Silence is not the absence of sound, my Lord, but the heavy breathing of a storm taking rest.
CHIEF ADO: Then let the storm sleep! A king who stirs a sleeping tempest inherits only ruins.
Statement: Based on the extract, Chief Ado's reluctance to act stems from a conviction that intervening during a precarious lull will trigger widespread devastation.
Read the passage below carefully:
The harbor master folded the telegram thrice before slipping it into his coat pocket. He walked past the eager crowd of merchants waiting on the pier, refusing to meet their eyes. When his assistant handed him the sea forecast, he merely shook his head and ordered the red warning lantern to be hoisted to the top mast.
What can be logically deduced about the harbor master's situation from his actions in the passage?
Read the unseen dramatic extract below carefully:
BIODUN: The ledger shows the harvest was bountiful, yet the silos in the north remain empty. Where did the grain vanish to, Brother?
EFOSA: The rats in the market carry sharp teeth and wear embroidered agbada, Biodun. Ask the merchants who bought new horses this morning.
BIODUN: [Pauses, closing the ledger] Then Father’s signature on the clearance warrant was not signed in light.
EFOSA: He signed it with a barrel pressed against his ribs and a pen dipped in his own sweat.
BIODUN: Then we are not investigating a theft; we are unmasking a siege.
Based on the extract above, what can be deduced about Father's role in authorizing the removal of the grain?
Read the poem below carefully:
The old blacksmith turns his back on the glowing coals,
His heavy apron cast beside the anvil's base.
Where hammers once rang out like thunderous tolls,
Now silent cobwebs weave across the space.
He sweeps the iron filings from his palm,
And steps into the evening's quiet calm.
Based on the extract above, what can be inferred about the blacksmith's situation?
Read the verse extract below carefully:
"The old fisherman mends his net by dusk,
His calloused hands working without a pause.
He gazes not at the dark, rolling waves,
Nor listens to the tide's familiar roar.
Yet, when a faint lamp flickers on the shore,
He folds his nets and quietly walks home."
Based on the extract above, what can be inferred about the flickering lamp on the shore?
Read the prose extract below carefully:
"Judge Vane smoothed the hem of his velvet robe and stared past the triumphant defense counsel toward the empty gallery seats. The acquittal was lawful, the evidence insufficient, yet his quill hovered over the official ledger for several minutes before making a single mark. He closed the thick volume with a heavy thud, refusing the congratulations of the court clerk."
Based on the extract above, what can be inferred about Judge Vane's attitude toward the trial's outcome?
Read the unseen dramatic extract below carefully:
EBI: (Tracing the dust on the mantelpiece) Father left the grandfather clock to Nnamdi, though Nnamdi hasn't stepped into this compound since the rainy season of '98.
TENA: (Pausing as she polishes the silver cutlery) And he left you the mahogany writing desk, Ebi—the one with the locked bottom drawer whose key was buried with him.
Based on the extract above, evaluate the truth of the following statement:
It can be deduced from the extract that the father intended for a vital aspect of Ebi's inheritance to remain physically inaccessible.
Read the passage below carefully:
'The surveyor folded the topographical map, pressed his thumb against the damp parchment until the ink smeared over the northern boundary, and handed the roll to his assistant without a word. He looked back once at the sprawling ridge where the ancient baobabs stood, then instructed the team to mark the soil as unfit for cultivation in their official log.'
From the passage, what can be inferred about the surveyor's underlying motivation?
Read the unseen passage below carefully:
The archivist carefully turned the brittle parchment of the 1898 ledger. The official log recorded that three crates of brass artifacts were lost during a river transit to Lagos. However, a hasty note scrawled at the bottom of the page read: 'Crates loaded onto the Liverpool vessel at midnight; tell the elders the current swept them away.'
Statement: Based on the passage, it can be deduced that the reported loss of the brass crates in the river was a deliberate cover-up for their secret shipment abroad.
Read the verse extract below carefully:
"The clock-smith wipes the brass casing clean,
Yet leaves the rusted springs untouched within.
He polishes the face to catch the gleam,
While quiet shadows warp the gears within.
A passerby admires the golden chime,
Unaware the pendulum has ceased its time."
From the extract above, what can be deduced about the clock-smith's work?
Read the prose extract below carefully:
"The village elder unrolled the parchment decree on the wooden table, his finger pausing over the newly affixed red wax seal. Without uttering a word to the waiting assembly, he pulled the oil lamp closer, held the corner of the document over the flame until it caught fire, and tossed the blazing parchment into the iron brazier. He then turned to the messenger and nodded slowly once."
From the elder's deliberate actions, which of the following is the most valid deduction regarding his position on the decree?