Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Reading is one of the most powerful habits a person can cultivate. Unlike television or social media, which deliver information passively and in pre-digested fragments, reading demands active mental engagement. The reader must decode symbols, construct meaning, hold ideas in the mind, compare them with prior knowledge, and arrive at independent judgements. This mental exercise, performed regularly, strengthens concentration, expands vocabulary, and develops the capacity for critical thinking — skills that are indispensable in every area of life. Yet in many Nigerian homes, the culture of reading for pleasure is virtually absent. Children grow up in environments where books are scarce and where the television set is the unchallenged centre of family life. Schools, under pressure to produce examination results, often reduce reading to a mechanical exercise of extracting answers from texts rather than fostering a genuine love for literature and ideas. The result is a generation that is technically literate — able to read words on a page — but functionally illiterate in the deeper sense: unable to read critically, to analyse an argument, or to write with clarity and persuasion. Parents bear a significant share of the responsibility. A child who sees adults reading is far more likely to read. Conversely, a child who grows up in a home where the only reading material is a television remote control will naturally regard books as alien objects. Libraries, once the pride of communities, have in many places been allowed to fall into disrepair, their shelves emptied by neglect and their doors closed by indifference. Reviving the culture of reading requires deliberate effort at every level. Publishers must make books more affordable. Government must fund and maintain public libraries. Teachers must recommend books beyond the prescribed syllabus and model the behaviour of enthusiastic readers. Parents must read aloud to their children from the earliest age and fill their homes with books. And individuals must make the personal decision to choose a book over a screen, at least some of the time. The rewards — a sharper mind, a richer inner life, and a more informed participation in society — are well worth the effort. (a) According to the passage, what makes reading different from watching television or using social media? [3 marks] (b) Explain in your own words what the writer means by saying that a generation is 'technically literate' but 'functionally illiterate'. [4 marks] (c) State THREE things the writer says parents can do to encourage the reading culture in their children. [3 marks] (d) For each of the following expressions as used in the passage, give the meaning: (i) pre-digested fragments [2 marks] (ii) indispensable [1 mark] (iii) conversely [1 mark] (iv) deliberate effort [1 mark] (v) model the behaviour [2 marks] [Total: 17 marks — scored out of 15 after adjustment as indicated in scheme]