Zambia School Certificate / GCE — Icibemba (3153)

What is the standard class 1 / class 2 prefix pair for people nouns such as umuntu?

• Aumu- (singular) / aba- (plural)
• Bici- (singular) / ifi- (plural)
• Caka- (singular) / utu- (plural)
• Dubu- (singular) / ama- (plural)

What is the plural of icitabo (book) in standard Icibemba?

• Aamatabo
• Bifitabo
• Cabatabo
• Dimitabo

Which noun-class pair does imbwa (dog) belong to?

• AClass 1/2 umu-/aba- (persons)
• BClass 7/8 ici-/ifi- (things and languages)
• CClass 9/10 in- / in- (many animals and some objects; plural concord often shi-)
• DClass 14 ubu- (abstracts only)

What is the regular plural of umuti when it means tree or medicine?

• Aabati
• Bifiti
• Cimiti
• Damati

Why is the language called Icibemba rather than Umubemba?

• ALanguage names in Icibemba typically take the class 7 ici- prefix
• BAll proper names in Icibemba must begin with Ici-
• CUmubemba would be ungrammatical because umu- can only mark infinitives
• DIci- is only a polite greeting prefix attached to ethnic names

Which prefix pair marks diminutives such as a small thing or a small mouth (akanwa)?

• Aumu- / aba-
• Baka- / utu-
• Cici- / ifi-
• Dulu- / ama-

Which class prefix typically forms abstract or mass nouns such as ubushiku (night) and ubwato (boat/canoe)?

• Aaka-
• Bici-
• Cubu-
• Din-

What does the uku- prefix mark in a form such as ukulya or ukusambilila?

• AA class 1 person noun
• BThe class 15 infinitive (to eat, to learn)
• CA class 9 animal plural
• DThe past-tense ending of every verb

The Zambian Languages syllabus asks learners to segment a noun into its constituent parts. What are those parts in umwana?

• AA silent English article plus the whole word
• BA noun-class prefix umu-/umw- plus the stem -ana
• CA tense marker -le- plus a locative -ku-
• DA plural suffix -s plus a possessive -andi

What is the regular plural of isabi (fish)?

• Aabasabi
• Bifisabi
• Camasabi
• Dimisabi

Kinship nouns such as tata (father) and mayo (mother) often take ba- even for one person (batata, bamayo). What does that ba- mark?

• AA locative meaning ‘inside the father’
• BA respectful or honorific class 2 form used with kinship and some titles
• CThe class 7 language prefix, as in Icibemba
• DThe negative marker that means ‘not a father’

Which listing correctly pairs each singular with its standard plural?

• Aumwana → abaana; icitabo → ifitabo; umuti → imiti; isabi → amasabi
• Bumwana → imwana; icitabo → amatabo; umuti → abati; isabi → ifisabi
• Cumwana → utwana; icitabo → ututabo; umuti → amatabo; isabi → abasabi
• Dumwana → umwanaa; icitabo → icitabos; umuti → umutis; isabi → isabis

Both umuti and a class 7 form built on the same root (icimuti) can appear in Icibemba. What is the safest class analysis for school grammar?

• AThey are free spelling variants with identical class and concord
• Bumu- places the noun in class 3 (plural imiti); ici- places a related noun in class 7 (pl…
• Cici- always means the noun has become a person and takes aba- in the plural
• DClass 3 and class 7 prefixes may be stacked as umuici- on one noun

How do the locative prefixes pa-, ku- and mu- differ from a noun-class pair such as umu-/aba-?

• AThey are just three more singular/plural pairs that replace umu-/aba- on people nouns
• BThey are locative classes (on/at, to/from, in) that attach to a noun without being its ba…
• CThey are past-tense markers placed on every verb of motion
• DThey are English prepositions written in front of Icibemba nouns with no agreement effect

Which verb form agrees with the class 1 subject umwana?

• AUmwana baya ku sukulu
• BUmwana aya ku sukulu
• CUmwana ciya ku sukulu
• DUmwana fiya ku sukulu

Which sentence shows correct class 2 subject concord?

• AAbantu aya ku ng’anda
• BAbantu baya ku ng’anda
• CAbantu ciya ku ng’anda
• DAbantu iya ku ng’anda

Which verb prefix agrees with icitabo in Icitabo _____ pa tebulo (the book is on the table)?

• Aa- (alit…)
• Bba- (balit…)
• Cci- (cili…)
• Dtu- (tuli…)

Which form correctly agrees with ifitabo (books)?

• AIfitabo cili pa tebulo
• BIfitabo fili pa tebulo
• CIfitabo ali pa tebulo
• DIfitabo bali pa tebulo

How do you say ‘my book’ with the correct class 7 possessive?

• Aicitabo wandi
• Bicitabo bandi
• Cicitabo candi
• Dicitabo shandi

Which possessive form correctly means ‘his/her child’?

• Aumwana wandi
• Bumwana wakwe
• Cumwana wesu
• Dumwana wenu

Which form correctly means ‘my dog’?

• Aimbwa candi
• Bimbwa wandi
• Cimbwa yandi
• Dimbwa twandi

In Icibemba, where does a qualifying adjective or descriptor normally stand, and what must it do?

• AIt stands before the noun and never changes form
• BIt follows the noun and takes a concord prefix that matches the noun’s class
• CIt replaces the noun-class prefix on the noun itself
• DIt is written only in English after an Icibemba noun

Why is *Abantu aya ku sukulu* judged ungrammatical?

• ABecause ku sukulu cannot follow a verb of motion
• BBecause the class 2 subject abantu requires ba- on the verb, not class 1 a-
• CBecause abantu must take the diminutive prefix aka-
• DBecause school vocabulary forbids the verb -ya

In Bamumona umwana (they see the child), what is the function of the -mu- before the verb root?

• AIt is the class 15 infinitive prefix uku- shortened
• BIt is the class 1 object marker ‘him/her’ agreeing with umwana
• CIt is the future tense marker -ka- in disguise
• DIt is a locative meaning ‘in the child’

Which set is the usual three-way class 1 demonstrative contrast?

• Auyu muntu (this person), uyo muntu (that person), ulya muntu (that person over there)
• Bici muntu, ifi muntu, ifyo muntu
• Cpa muntu, ku muntu, mu muntu only — demonstratives do not exist
• Dmuntu uno, muntu uno, muntu uno (one form for all distances)

Which numeral phrase is correctly inflected?

• Aumuntu bili
• Babantu babili
• Cifitabo tatu (no class prefix on the numeral)
• Dimbwa umo (class 9 with a class 1 numeral)

What is the infinitive ‘to eat’ in Icibemba?

• Andelya
• Bukulya
• Cnkalya
• Dnshilya

In ndelya, what does the -le- marker express?

• ARemote future time
• BPresent progressive / continuative aspect (I am eating)
• CA polite plural imperative
• DThe class 7 subject prefix

Which form means ‘we will go’ using the common future marker -ka-?

• Atuleya
• Btukaya
• Ctatuya
• Dtwaciya

The word mailo can mean either ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’. What tells the listener which one is intended?

• AMailo is only a place name, so tense is irrelevant
• BThe verb tense/aspect: past forms yield ‘yesterday’, future forms yield ‘tomorrow’
• CMailo always means yesterday unless you add an English word
• DOnly a raised voice can distinguish the two meanings

Which form is the regular first-person singular negative of ‘I eat / I am eating’?

• Andelya
• Bnshilya
• Ctukalya
• Dbalelya

Which is the regular negative of abantu baya (the people go)?

• Aabantu nshiya
• Babantu tabaya
• Cabantu tukaya
• Dabantu ciya

What does naciya typically express?

• AA remote future (‘I will one day go’)
• BA recent or immediate past (‘I have just gone / I went a moment ago’)
• CA habitual necessity that is always true
• DA class 7 subject referring to a book

Which row gives the regular affirmative subject prefixes for I / you (sg) / he-she / we / you (pl) / they (people)?

• An- / u- / a- / tu- / mu- / ba-
• Bci- / fi- / ka- / tu- / pa- / mu-
• Cnshi- / ta- / taba- / tatu- / tamu- / tau-
• Duku- / umu- / ici- / aba- / ifi- / in-

Many ‘specific’ or yesterday/remote past forms use a modified verb stem. Which change is the regular pattern?

• AFinal -a becomes -ile (or -ele / -ine / -ene, depending on the stem vowel and a final nas…
• BFinal -a is always deleted and uku- is added at the end
• CFinal -a becomes -eni in every past tense, singular and plural
• DThe stem is replaced by mailo

Tukamonana mailo uses a reciprocal extension. What does -ana add to ukumona (to see)?

• ACausative meaning ‘to make someone see’
• BReciprocal meaning ‘to see each other’
• CPassive meaning ‘to be seen’
• DDiminutive meaning ‘to see a little’

How is a typical passive or ‘being done’ form built, as in ukusungwa from ukusunga (to keep/save)?

• ABy placing -w- before the final vowel of the verb
• BBy replacing the whole stem with nshi-
• CBy adding aba- in front of the infinitive
• DBy doubling the first syllable only

The applied (applicative) extension, as in ukubombela from ukubomba, typically adds which meaning?

• AThe action is done for, at or on behalf of someone (an extra object)
• BThe action is strictly reciprocal
• CThe action is cancelled or undone
• DThe subject becomes a class 14 abstract noun

How is a simple plural imperative usually formed from a verb such as ukulya?

• AKeep the dictionary form lya for both one person and many people
• BChange final -a to -eni: lyeni (eat! — said to more than one person)
• CPrefix nshi- to make the command stronger
• DUse only the infinitive ukulya as the command

How does a present progressive such as alebomba differ in typical use from a simple/habitual form such as abomba?

• Aalebomba locates the work as going on now; abomba more readily states a fact, job or habit
• BThey are forbidden in writing and appear only in songs
• Calebomba is always past; abomba is always future
• Dabomba can only be used with class 7 subjects

What does amenshi mean?

• AFire
• BWater
• CA book
• DA dog

What is a standard way to say ‘thank you’ in Icibemba?

• ANatotela
• BImbwa
• CUkulya
• DAwe saana as a greeting to start a letter

Which greeting is the respectful or plural ‘How are you?’?

• AUli shani?
• BMuli shani?
• CNshilya?
• DIcitabo cili?

Which word is the closest everyday synonym for -suma when describing something good or fine?

• Abwino (as in Ndifye bwino)
• Bawe
• Cubushiku
• Dimbwa

Which pair is a true antonym pair in everyday Icibemba?

• Aee (yes) and awe (no)
• Bicitabo and ifitabo
• Cukulya and ndelya
• Damenshi and umenshi as random spellings of the same word

Choose the locative that best completes the meaning ‘the water is in the pot/house-space’ as opposed to ‘on’ or ‘to’.

• Apa ng’anda (on/at the house, surface or site)
• Bku ng’anda (to/from the house, directional)
• Cmu ng’anda (in the house, interior)
• Duku ng’anda as a past-tense verb

The syllabus asks learners to use homophones in sentences. What is a homophone?

• ATwo words that sound the same (or nearly the same) but have different meanings, which con…
• BAny two words that share the same noun class
• CA proverb and its English translation
• DA verb and its infinitive prefix uku-

Which row correctly matches the everyday nouns?

• Asukulu = school; ng’anda = house; icitabo = book
• Bsukulu = water; ng’anda = dog; icitabo = fire
• Csukulu = thank you; ng’anda = yes; icitabo = no
• Dsukulu = night; ng’anda = month; icitabo = chief