ENGLISH LANGUAGE MID-TERM EXAMINATION 2026 – GENIUS KINGS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL
POEM
9. Read the poem below and answer the questions after it.
TITLE: DYING CHILD by Freeman Peter Lwamba
Thin and red,
Skinny and bald,
The boy groans on the ground.
Swollen stomach
Full of waste,
Thin legs,
Thin arms,
Twitch
As the boy
Fights with flies
Over the empty plate.
Ten years old,
He looks older than ten,
And younger than young,
And so small
As he wriggles,
Prisoner
Of his unproportioned body.
“Mother,” shouts the boy,
“When I grow up
I will carry a gun
And not a pen”
“My son,” shouts the mother,
“My son,” cries the mother
“You will never live to carry a gun
There is no meat for us”
Questions:
(a) What is the poem about?
(b) Who is persona in the poem?
(c) Indicate poetic licenses as used in the poem.
(d) What have you learnt from the poem? (Explain three lessons).
(e) What are three centre ideas can be obtained from the poem? Explain them.
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