Reading For Comprehension

In this part you are reading with the aim of being able to answer comprehension questions. When you are answering comprehension questions, the first thing to do is read the questions carefully before you read the passage, after reading the questions, you have to read the whole passage while remembering the questions. While reading you have to note all new vocabulary, the main idea of information and specific ideas. When you are reading consider; specific ideas which may lead you to summaries the passage, answer questions and know the title, a good example of specific ideas are, definitions, reasons or causes, importance, effects e.t.c . After doing all these, you go back to the questions and answer them.

Example 1

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

ILO Convention No 138 refers to child labor as employment below the minimum of age 15 and its state that 215 million children under 18 work full time around the world. Children are denied the right to education when they are forced into the worst forms of labor, especially sexual exploitation, child trafficking, heavy manual work in mining and agricultural plantations. According to UNICEF in 2011, 90 of children involved in domestic labor are girls.

In Sub Saharan Africa, which includes developing countries like Tanzania among every four children aged 5-17 compared to the countries like Latin America where 1 among every ten children are engaged with work.

UNICEF 2010 estimated 20.7% of children in Tanzania are involved in child labor which dropped compared to 2001 when the national bureau of statistics estimated that 35.4% were child laborers. According to Tanzania legal and human rights center 2012 human rights report, child labor in Tanzania is facilitated by a number of reasons including; poverty, family separation and pastoral communities which moves from one place to another in search of water and pasture. This forces children to drop out from school and are subject to enforced labor, oftentimes out of necessity.

The constitution and laws of Tanzania state that “employing child under 14 years old is an offense and employing any person below 18 years in an an environment that will endanger their life or affect the upbringing of the child is an offense.’

The employment and labor relations act of 2004 gives the power to resident magistrate or district courts to impose the punishment of 1 year imprisonment or fines up to Sh5 million to any person found guilty under the act. Child labor is also prohibited under the law of the child act of 2009.

TALKING ABOUT A GRADUATION DAY CEREMONY AT OUR SCHOOL

My name is Jane and I am a form one student at James Sangu secondary school in the Mbeya region at Mbozi district. On the 12^thof September there was a form four graduation ceremony at our school. The ceremony started early at 8:00 am, the school bell rang and all student gathered in the assembly ground. After that, the teacher on duty gave all class leaders the event timetable and told all of us to go to the assembly hall and seat as we were arranged the day before. Students had their rows, teachers sat on the time table and parents sat adjacent to the students.

At 9:00 am teachers entered the assembly hall and all students and parents who came earlier stood to show respect. The headmistress then entered with the guest of honor; the Mbeya regional commissioner Mr. Abbas Kandor. After their entrance, all students, teachers, and others sat down. The headmistress introduced the guest of honour to the audience, then introduced teachers and the audience to the guest of honor. After the introductions, there was a short speech from the headmistress welcoming all to the event. After this form two, and form four students sand farewell songs. A speech from a form four student head prefect followed, after which there was a speech from the school head and a closing speech by the guest of honor Mr Kandoro.

After the speech Mr. Kandoro handed out leaving certificates to form four students and awards to the best students of the year from form one to form four and I was among of them! I received a gift of Sh 50000 as the best form one student and leading in seven subjects. I was so happy and surprised by the money, which I'm planning to use to buy review books for my form two national examinations.

After the awards all students and parents went to the dining hall for lunch at 3:00. Mr Kandoro and the remaining staff had lunch in the teachers’ staff room. At 4:22 the graduation ceremony was delayed.