Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl whose name was Nyakio. She was tall and elegant and of fair complexion. This stunning beauty was admired by all and every young man dreamt of marrying her. She was friendly, confident and generous, but arrogant. However, Nyakio never laughed.
Suitors came and left. Some from near and others from far. Rich men, wise men, famous men and even some princes sought her hand in marriage but Nyakio remained unmoved. Exasperated, a group of people visited her early one morning and confronted her. “Tell us, Nyakio, what kind of husband are you looking for? Are you looking for a human being or an angel? We want to know,” their spokesman challenged. Nyakio looked at them calmly. Those bright bewitching eyes seemed a little amused. Then she opened her mouth and spoke, “My dear friends, I’m just an ordinary girl. I am flattered that so many of you have offered to marry me. I don’t want an angel but a man like one of you.” “Which one?” someone shouted anxiously. Nyakio seemed to ignore him and continued, “Many of you know that I don’t laugh. It’s not that I don’t want to. In fact, I long to laugh but so far I have never met anyone capable of making me laugh. So, I will now answer your question. Whoever can make me laugh I will marry right away.” From that day, different young men would visit Nyakio’s home and try to amuse her. They made every effort to make her laugh but she would merely stare at them with a bored expression. Even when others were roaring with laughter and holding their sides, Nyakio would remain unmoved. Kalulu boasted that he would succeed. He told jokes and made faces but Nyakio’s look made it obvious he wouldn’t get far. In the end he sneaked away, dejected. Then Kamongonye came to display his antics. He sang funny songs and twisted his body in all manner of ways. For two or three hours, Kamongonye entertained an appreciative audience. There was much fun but Nyakio once again proved impervious. Sweating and frustrated, Kamongonye went home heartbroken. After that, all the young men gave up, except one. This was Kasuku. When he said he would be the one to marry Nyakio, people dismissed him as a fool. And they had every reason to. He was slightly over four feet tall – a dwarf to be precise. He had a huge belly and people marvelled because he was able to walk steadily. You see, he had very thin legs. To make a long story short, Kasuku was ugly, really ugly “I wanted to give each of you a chance,” he announced confidently. “Now when I take Nyakio to my house as my bride, none of you will say I have been unfair.” They looked at him and laughed derisively. On the day he appeared before Nyakio, the whole village turned up and addressed Nyakio: “Nyakio, my love, may I come and whisper something to your ear?” The crowd watched and waited. “Of course, Kasuku,” Nyakio answered. Kasuku wobbled to where Nyakio stood. He then held her gently by the waist and moved as if he was saying something. Nyakio being much taller, had to bend so that Kasuku could whisper into her ear. But he didn’t whisper anything. Instead he put his right hand under her armpit and tickled her. It was so unexpected that Nyakio dropped her guard and laughed and laughed. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The crowd was in confusion. People gathered in groups and spoke in low tones. “Will she marry him?” They wondered aloud. “Such an ugly fellow? Good gracious!” “Well, she made a vow and she ought to keep her word.” “But what Kasuku did was so simple. Anyone could have done it!” When everyone had left, Nyakio sat quietly in her room and turned the matter over in her mind. By morning the next day, she had reached her decision. QUESTIONS
i)Giving a reason, categorize the above form. (2 marks)
…………………………………………… ii)Explain two functions that the above form serves in the society where it is told. (2 marks) …………………………………………… iii)Identify and explain the significance of two features of oral narratives evident in the above form. (4 marks) …………………………………………………………… iv)Contrast the characters of Kalulu and Kasuku as evident in the story. (4 marks) …………………………………………………… v)What lesson do we learn from Kasuku’s success in making Nyakio laugh? (2 marks) ……………………………………………………… vi) What do the following words mean as used in the passage? (3 marks) (a) Exasperated……………………………………. (b) antics ………………………………………… (c) Impervious…………………………………… vii) In your opinion, what decision did Nyakio make? Explain your answer. ………………………………………………………………………… ANSWERS
i)Giving a reason, categorize the above form. (2mks)
It is a dilemma narrative.√1m Nyakio finds herself in a fix. She is torn between keeping her word and marrying the ugliest man or going against it.√1m ii)Explain two functions that the above form serves in the society where it is told. (2mks) The functions of the form are: • Cultivates critical thinking • Enhance sound judgment √1mk • Cultivates good debating skills√1mk • Develops language skills√ • To teach a lesson • For entertainment iii)Identify and explain the significance of two features of oral narratives evident in the above form.( 4mks) Features of oral narratives evident in the form: • Opening formula – once upon a time√1m – Introduces the story and takes the audience to the world of fantasy and imagination√1m • Dialogue – Nyakio and the group of people who visit her √1m– reveals to us the main conflict of the story√1m - Reveals to us the traits of the characters like Kasuku’s humility√ - Makes the story immediate and breaks monotony of narration.√ • Irony – the least expected person wins Nyakio’s love and the contest.√ Teaches the value of appreciating everyone.√1 (Any two well illustrated and explained features oral narratives) iv)Contrast the characters of Kalulu and Kasuku as evident in the story.(4mks) Contrast in characters of Kalulu and Kasuku: • Kalulu is proud√1m while Kasuku is humble√1m – the narrator says “Kalulu boasted…”√1m while Kasuku’s humility is seen the way he presents himself.√1m • Kalulu is naive√ while Kasuku is intelligent√ – this is evident in the fact that Kalulu fails to make Nyakio laugh√ while Kasuku easily succeeds√ (The contrast must be clearly brought out for the marks to be awarded) v)What lesson do we learn from Kasuku’s success in making Nyakio laugh?(2mks) The lesson we learn is that we sometimes have to think of the easy ways of solving problems. We do not always have to go for challenging solutions√1m. Kasuku makes Nyakio laugh very easily.√1m We also learn that humility pays√. Those people we look down upon may have the solutions to our problems.√ Nyakio succeeds where those who would be considered worthy have failed.√ (Any one well explained and illustrated reason) vi)What do the following words mean as used in the passage?(2mks) Meaning of words: Exasperated – enraged, irritated√1m Antics – pranks, jests, jokes, tricks√1m Impervious – not easily influenced/ unaffected/unmoved vii)In your opinion, what decision did Nyakio make? Explain your answer .(2mks) Student’s own discretion but the answer must bring out a positive outcome. Must be well explained to award full marks Related Searches
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