Zambia Primary School Leaving Examination — Icibemba (5/2)

Choose the Icibemba pair that names one person and then more than one person.

• Aumuntu / abantu
• Bicitabo / ifitabo
• Cumuti / imiti
• Disabi / amasabi

Which prefix pair carries umwana (child) from singular to plural?

• Aici- / ifi-, as in icitabo / ifitabo
• Bumu- / aba-, the people pair
• Cumu- / imi-, as in umuti / imiti
• Daka- / utu-, the small-thing pair

Which word means books?

• Aicitabo
• Bamatabo
• Cifitabo
• Dabatabo

Umuti can mean a tree or a medicine. What is its regular plural?

• Aabati
• Bifiti
• Camati
• Dimiti

Choose the sentence that is correct.

• AUmwana baya ku sukulu.
• BUmwana aya ku sukulu.
• CUmwana faya ku sukulu.
• DUmwana shaya ku sukulu.

Choose the sentence in which the verb agrees with the plural people noun.

• AAbantu baya ku ng'anda.
• BAbantu aya ku ng'anda.
• CAbantu caya ku ng'anda.
• DAbantu fili ku ng'anda.

Which sentence says that the books are on the table?

• AIfitabo bali pa tebulo.
• BIfitabo ali pa tebulo.
• CIcitabo baya pa tebulo.
• DIfitabo fili pa tebulo.

What does icitabo candi mean?

• Ayour books
• Btheir children
• Cmy book
• Dour water

Which word correctly names the Bemba language?

• AIcibemba
• BUmubemba
• CAbabemba
• DUbubemba

Akanwa is a small-mouth form. Which prefix pair makes that kind of small noun?

• Aumu- / aba-
• Bici- / ifi-
• Caka- / utu-
• Duku- / ama-

Ubushiku (night) and ubwato (canoe) share which prefix?

• Aumu-
• Bubu-
• Caka-
• Difi-

Which word is an infinitive, the 'to …' form of a verb?

• Aicitabo
• Babantu
• Camenshi
• Dukulya

What does ukusambilila mean?

• Ato learn
• Bto eat
• Ca small mouth
• Don the table

In Ifitabo fili pa tebulo, what does pa mean?

• Ain
• Bon or at
• Cto eat
• Dmy

Choose the locative that best completes the sentence: Umwana aya _____ sukulu.

• Aifi
• Baka
• Cku
• Dubu

Which phrase means in the house?

• Apa tebulo
• Bku sukulu
• Cicitabo candi
• Dmu ng'anda

What is the regular plural of isabi?

• Aifisabi
• Bamasabi
• Cabasabi
• Dimisabi

Imbwa (dog) often keeps the same noun shape when you mean more than one dog. How is that plural usually shown?

• AOn the concord, often with shi-
• BBy changing imbwa to ababwa
• CBy changing imbwa to ifibwa
• DBy adding the English ending -s

Choose the sentence that talks about more than one dog.

• AImbwa aya ku sukulu.
• BImbwa candi fili pa tebulo.
• CImbwa shili pano.
• DImbwa baya Icibemba.

Which word is a noun, not an infinitive?

• Aukulya
• Bukusambilila
• Cukuya
• Damenshi

Batata and bamayo begin with ba- because

• Athey are book nouns like icitabo
• Bba- is an honorific on kinship words
• Cthey are infinitives like ukulya
• Dba- is the locative meaning on

Choose the best word for the gap: _____ candi cili pa tebulo.

• AIcitabo
• BAbantu
• CAbaana
• DAmenshi

Locatives pa-, ku- and mu- are added in front of a noun. What happens to the noun’s own prefix?

• AIt is always changed to ici-.
• BIt is always changed to aba-.
• CIt is deleted and replaced by pa- only.
• DIt stays; the locative is added without replacing the basic class.

Which sentence uses both a correct people plural and the matching verb?

• AUmwana baya ku ng'anda.
• BAbantu aya ku ng'anda.
• CAbaana baya ku ng'anda.
• DIfitabo baya ku ng'anda.

Which choice correctly pairs a singular noun with its plural?

• Aumuntu / imiti
• Bicitabo / ifitabo
• Cumwana / amasabi
• Disabi / abantu

Which sentence is fully correct in noun, verb agreement and locative?

• AIfitabo bali mu tebulo.
• BUmwana baya pa sukulu.
• CAbantu aya mu icitabo.
• DIfitabo fili pa tebulo.

A learner writes Umubemba for the language paper. Why is that form wrong here?

• ALanguage names take ici-, so the language is Icibemba.
• BEvery language name must take aka-.
• CThe only correct language name is Amabemba.
• DLanguage names take uku-, like ukulya.

Which set keeps people, things and diminutives in the right prefix families?

• Aumuntu; icitabo; ukulya
• Bakanwa; abantu; ifitabo as three people words
• Cumwana / abaana; icitabo / ifitabo; akanwa with aka- / utu-
• Dimbwa / ababwa; umuti / abati; isabi / ifisabi

Which sentence uses a possessive that matches its noun?

• AAbantu candi baya ku sukulu.
• BIcitabo candi cili pa tebulo.
• CAbaana candi fili pa tebulo.
• DAmenshi candi aya ku ng'anda.

A sentence needs the idea 'to learn' after a child. Which choice is the infinitive that can complete Umwana aya _____?

• Aicitabo candi
• Bpa tebulo
• Cabantu
• Dukusambilila

What does amenshi mean?

• Awater
• Ba canoe
• Ca dog
• Dnight

What does ukulya mean?

• Ato learn
• Ba book
• Cto eat
• Don the table

In school language, sukulu means

• Aa canoe on the river
• Bschool
• Ca fish from the market
• Dnight-time

What does ng'anda mean in Abantu baya ku ng'anda?

• Athe table
• Bthe dog
• Cthe language
• Dthe house or home

Bamayo in a family sentence names

• Amother, said with respect
• Ba pile of books
• Ca small mouth
• Da fishing canoe

Batata in a family sentence names

• Awater from the river
• Ba canoe used on the water
• Cfather, said with respect
• Da proverb

What does imbwa mean?

• Afish
• Bdog
• Ctree
• Dbook

Isabi is to amasabi as icitabo is to

• Aabantu
• Bimiti
• Camenshi
• Difitabo

In a river sentence, ubwato means

• Acanoe
• Bnight
• Ctable
• Dschool

What does ubushiku mean?

• Aa learner
• Bnight
• Ca market fish
• Dmy book

Tebulo in Ifitabo fili pa tebulo means

• Ariver
• Bfather
• Ctable
• Dproverb

Umuti is used for a tree. In a clinic or home-medicine sentence the same word can also mean

• Aa greeting
• Ba school desk
• Ca praise song
• Dmedicine

Which list contains only Icibemba words for people?

• Aicitabo, ifitabo, tebulo
• Bumuntu, umwana, batata, bamayo
• Cisabi, amasabi, imbwa
• Dukulya, ukusambilila, ubwato

A learner wants the word for stories in oral literature. Which word is correct?

• Ainshimi
• Bamenshi
• Cimiti
• Damasabi

Which word is the singular proverb form, not the plural?

• Aamapinda
• Binshimi
• Cipinda
• Difitabo

Read the passage and answer the question. Lelo Mutale aya ku sukulu ku Kasama. Umwana aleeta icitabo. Ifitabo fili pa tebulo. Mutale alesambilila Icibemba no kulemba. Bamayo amupeela amenshi. Umwana aya ku ng'anda ubushiku. Where does Mutale go today?

• ATo a canoe on the river only
• BTo school in Kasama
• CTo sell fish in Ndola
• DTo sleep under a tree in Mpika

Read the passage and answer the question. Lelo Mutale aya ku sukulu ku Kasama. Umwana aleeta icitabo. Ifitabo fili pa tebulo. Mutale alesambilila Icibemba no kulemba. Bamayo amupeela amenshi. Umwana aya ku ng'anda ubushiku. What is on the table?

• AIfitabo (the books)
• BAmasabi (the fishes)
• CUbwato (a canoe)
• DImbwa (a dog)

Read the passage and answer the question. Lelo Mutale aya ku sukulu ku Kasama. Umwana aleeta icitabo. Ifitabo fili pa tebulo. Mutale alesambilila Icibemba no kulemba. Bamayo amupeela amenshi. Umwana aya ku ng'anda ubushiku. What does alesambilila tell you Mutale is doing?

• ASelling canoes
• BChasing a dog
• CSleeping at the market
• DLearning, here Icibemba and writing