Usually students pass through a state of uncertainty and excitement before the prize giving day because

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions by selecting the most appropriate options.

The most memorable experience of my life was an inci­dent that occurred some thirty years ago when I was in the secondary school. In those days, the speech­making and prize-giving day was always a great event. It was always a day when the results of the promotion examinations were announced to the students after weeks of suspense.
The afternoon commenced with all students taking their seats in the large hall, and the members of staff, led by the principal, filing in. There were also three guests, each of them an important figure in the town. The principal and the dignitaries made speeches admonishing the students to work hard in order to attain their goal. Then the prize-giving commenced. Soon, it was the turn of my class. For the overall best student, my name was called. This was not unexpected, the position having become almost identified with me. Amidst the clap­ping, I stood up and moved towards the principal whose outstretched hand held a fat book. I was already before him when he peered through his heavy spectacles, surveyed my figure and held back the book. There was a sudden silence. Students were amazed at this turn of events. Then he ex­plained: “You will have prize when you pay your outstanding fees.”
l stood there, almost petrified. Had I been warned of this disgrace, I would simply not have stood up, let alone bothering to go forward. There I was - the sorry focus of attention. l wished my legs would refuse their function but they did no such thing. On the other hand, they refused to beat a retreat, at least, for those burning seconds. Then sud­denly spontaneously, the students started clapping and hail­ing me. Thus, my return .journey was more loudly cheered than the outward journey.
For the prize in English, my name was also called. Of course I sat still, but the students hailed on. 'The prize was kept. For Mathematics, it was the same drama. Somehow, the students' behaviour saved the day for me.
Poorly clothed, in torn tennis shoes and being a debtor, I was the talk of the school. The little fee I had paid that year was earned through doing menial jobs at weekends, supple­mented with donations from some school mates. Father's financial difficulties had been aggravated by a protracted court case. He had no alternative but to ask me to withdraw from school and look for a job. This one I had refused to do.

I had borne the cross gallantly until that day when the principal's action threatened to kill whatever courage remained in me. It ordered the tears to gush out to flood my sad face, but the ovation forced the spring to remain dry. I had the loudest ovation that day: the students' response to my plight was my own prize.