All 99 questions from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) English Language 2011 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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According to the passage, balance must be enthroned because it is ___
As evident in paragraph 4 sentence 4, 'Balance must be enthroned as a critical component of truth'. This is an interpretative question because fidelity means truthfulness, faithfulness, trustworthiness.
The word 'inclinations', as used in the passage, means ___
Inclination, as used in this context, means tendencies, disposition, learning, impulse, proclivity, propensity.
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
People do certain things in life because they know the repercussion. According to the passage, we do or behave the same way where our understanding is the same, we all do some things because we understand the consequences of doing or not doing them. Paragraph 3, sentence 4.
From the passage, it can be inferred that ___
All things in life exist on some beliefs. It can be inferred from the passage that everything in life operates under certain assumption. And assumption are like believes.
Which of the following represents the writer's view in the passage?
Evil thought may come but the there is virtue in keep them out. As evident in the last sentence of the second paragraph of the passage – 'vain thought will knock at the door, but we must not open to them'. We can infer from the passage that evil thoughts arise and appear in our hearts, but we must work very hard and vigilantly to keep them out and not allow them to reign because they always leave a trail behind.
Which of the following statements represents the view expressed by the writer in the first paragraph?
It is possible to decide what controls our thoughts. The writer opined in the first paragraph that it is possible for us to control our thoughts and mind whatever rules our minds.
From the argument in the second paragraph, it can be concluded that evil thoughts control the lives of people who ___
Treasure and ruminate on them. It can be inferred from the second paragraph of the passage that evil thoughts take over the lives of people who allow them (evil thoughts) in, thinking about them and receive them wholeheartedly.
The expression 'Think of the devil and he will appear...' as used in the passage, suggest that ___
The devil gives evil thought only to those who invite him. The expression can be interpreted as the consequence of thinking of the devil is that it appears. The devil comes with evil thought as a result of thinking of him.
Which of the following statements summarizes the argument of the last paragraph?
The more evil we think, the more we more vile we are likely to become. As evident in the last paragraph of the passage that when we fail to watch the thoughts and imagination of our hearts, evil thoughts rule and transforms us to evil people with evil deeds. But, we must strive to accept good thought and fight the bad ones.
A suitable title for the passage is ___
'Electricity and living creatures'. The most suitable title for this passage is 'Electricity and living creatures'. This is because the passage centres on how electricity is generated in the bodies of living creatures.
The writer's posture, as conveyed in the statement 'Electricity from living cells is no new idea', can be described as ___
Logical. The writer's assertion is a conclusion that is based on the propositions that followed it. Propositions gave a conclusive support to the claim (ascertain) which made the argument a deductive one.
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Sugar and fuel were initially used as sources of energy for biocells. As evident in paragraph 2: sentence 4, 'Early biocells were powered with sugar, but a wide range of fuel can be used'.
The inventors of biocell justified the need for it by saying that it would ___
Yield a source of energy without much spending. The producers of biocells stated and justified the need for it with the claim that it is cheap source of energy that is easy to maintain. This is evident in third sentence of paragraph two (2) '… scientists feel that it will one day produce power cheaply…'
According to the passage, electricity was first discovered in ___
Fish. The writer posts in the second sentence of the last paragraph of the passage that man experienced the strange 'shock' produced by some fish even before the discovery of electricity.
The word that best fills gap 16 in the passage is ___
Fast-paced. An era of fast-moving of unimaginable change, brought about by the advancement and growth in technology and industrialization.
The word that best fills gap 17 in the passage is ___
Commitments. Man's willingness and determination to promote and defend change.
The word that best fills gap 18 in the passage is ___
Variations. The deliberate effort to establish various means and methods that stimulate advancement and change.
The word that best fills gap 19 in the passage is ___
Implications. This has to do with the threatening effects and outcome of man's effort to stimulate advancement and social change.
The word that best fills gap 20 in the passage is ___
A foremost. Climate change is now an issue of serious concern and debate globally because of its adverse effect.
The word that best fills gap 21 in the passage is ___
Ingenuity. A major test of Africa's ability and capability to deal with issues that are confronting and threatening its existence.
The word that best fills gap 22 in the passage is ___
Societies. Human's actions and deeds acting against the growth and changing the earth's climate now create great danger and disturbance in human societies.
The word that best fills gap 23 in the passage is ___
Warming. The resultant effect of climate change brings about 'Global Warming'.
The word that best fills gap 24 in the passage is ___
Emissions. The level of greenhouse emissions which has been forcefully ejected.
The word that best fills gap 25 in the passage is ___
Credible. The appeal made by well-meaning global citizens appealing for the rest of the world to take responsibility for the challenges and problems of Africa as not viable, trustworthy and potent enough.
Since its inception in 1983, the newspaper has attracted thousands of readers.
Commencement. The noun 'Inception' means the creation or beginning of something; the establishment of an institution or organization; beginning, commencement, inauguration, initiation, origin, rise, start.
Mrs. Asie wanted her sister to stop being so detached.
Indifference. The adjective 'detached' is one of the adjectives that are derived from verbs through the suffix 'ed'. In the context of its usage in the sentence, it means showing no bias or emotional involvement; disinterested, indifferent, unbias, non-partisan.
Lantana dwelt in a ruined cottage on the hillside.
Lived. The verb 'dwell' is the past and past participle form of the 'dwell' which means to live somewhere, abide, inhabit, live, lodge, remain, reside, rest.
The mistake brought the show to an ignominious end.
A disgraceful. The adjective 'ignominious' means that which makes you feel ashamed; disgraceful, humiliating, shameful, scandalous, opprobrious, infamous.
He compliments me on my way of doing things.
Praises. The verb 'compliments' is the singular form of the verb 'compliment' which is an expression of praise, it is used to tell someone that you like or admire something they have done or their appearance, to congratulate, commend, eulogise, extol, flatter, laud, praises.
The girl is angry with her friend who had ensnared her into this relationship.
Tricked. The verb 'ensnare' means to make somebody or something unable to escape from a difficult situation or from a person who wants to control them; trap, catch, entrap. The verb 'ensnare' has gone through the process of 'conversion' which is a world formation process. It has been formed from the noun 'snare' which means 'a trap' to become 'ensnare'.
Their new house was roofed with corrugated sheets.
Folded. The adjective 'corrugated' means bent into regular curves folds or groeves: marked with parallel folds, ridges, or furrows.
The stockbroker said it was an astute move to sell the shares then.
Shrewd. The adjective 'astute' means being very clever and quick at taking a decision in a difficult situation, of getting an advantage; shrewd, acute, cunning, deep, discerning, ingenious, intelligent, penetrating, perspicacious.
The principal described Oche as the most tactful person he had ever worked with.
Discreet. The adjective 'tactful' means to be careful not to say or do anything that will annoy or upset other people; diplomatic.
The old woman is suffering from dementia.
Senility. Dementia is a medical condition that causes a gradual worsening in the brain and other metal abilities such as the memory, attention, judgment, language, and problem solving. Senility is the act of being senile.
Some drugs have a deleterious effect on a child's development.
Harmful. The adjective 'deleterious' means harmful and damaging; destructive, deadly, lethal, poisonous, hurtful, injurious, pernicious, unwholesome.
Fila has always been described as belligerent.
Combative. The adjective 'belligerent' means acting violently towards others, always willing to fight or argue, unfriendly, and aggressive; hostile, antagonistic, bellicose, combative, quarrelsome, truculent, pugnacious.
Laraba saw a forlorn little figure sitting outside the class.
Lonely and unhappy. The adjective 'forlorn' means appearing lonely and unhappy; left alone and not care for; abandoned, deserted, forsaken, destitute, disconsolate, solitary, cost.
The circular supersedes all previous correspondence on the matter.
Displaces. The verb 'supersede' means to take the place of something/something that is considered to be old-fashioned or no longer available; replace or displace; whatever supersedes is considered – the first of all.
Her problem was exacerbated by the loss of her father.
Aggravated. The verb 'exacerbate' means to make something which is already bad worse, especially a disease or problem. Though to aggravate means to annoy someone. It also means to make a bad situation worse and this is the sense in which exacerbate is used in the sentence.
If he were here, could be more fun.
He did not show up and so the occasion lacked much fun. This means that if he had shown up, he would have made the occasion fun filled, but he did not show up, and that made the event lacked much fun.
The secretary said that the postponement of the meeting was due to unforeseen circumstances.
The date of the meeting was shifted as a result of unexpected reasons. The date of the meeting was postponed as a result of some reasons or issues that were not expected.
The hunter has a bird's eye view of the animals.
He views animals from a high position. The idiomatic expression 'bird's eye view' means a view of something from a high position looking down.
Even though Susan was the last in the examination, her result wasn't too different from what had been expected.
Her result was as expected. Swan's result was very poor, but it was just as expected. So, she did not disappoint people.
Mrs. Adasu does all her work with more haste, less speed.
She does everything carefully to avoid mistakes. 'More haste, less speed' is an idiomatic expression which means a view of something from a high position looking down.
She stopped her education as her uncle left her in the lurch.
Her uncle refused to help her. 'To leave somebody in the lurch' is an idiomatic expression that means to fail to help somebody when they are relying on you to do so.
The plan to upgrade the dispensary to a general hospital did not materialize.
The arrangement did not work out as wished. If a plan does not materialize or fails to materialize, it means that the plan does not work out as expected or wished.
Okon's company took a hit last year.
His company was badly damaged last year. 'Make a hit' (with somebody) is an idiomatic expression which means to be liked very much by somebody when they first meet you while 'Take a hit' is an idiomatic expression which means damaged, or badly affected by something.
My eldest son, who is in Lagos, studying English.
One of my sons is in Lagos studying English. It means that, I have more than one son, and one of them is in Lagos studying English.
If I went to the village I would visit the king.
I did not go to the village. I did not visit the king. The statement is conditional or hypothetical.
The warring communities were coerced into negotiating a settlement.
Persuaded. The verb 'coerce' means forcing someone to do something by using threat, force, compel, urge, constrain. The opposite is persuade.
His father served as a mercenary in the army.
Regular. The noun 'mercenary' is used to refer to a soldier who will fight for any group or country that offers payment. The opposite is regular.
Jummai is cruel to her husband.
Passionate. The adjective 'cruel' means having a desire to cause pain and suffering. The opposite kind or passionate is the opposite word.
The teacher who beat the student was treated with mercy.
Kindness. The noun 'mercy' means a kind or forgiving attitude toward somebody that you have the power to harm or right to punish; clemency, compassion, gentleness, kindness, lenience, leniency, lenity, mildness, pity, tenderness. Vengeance is the opposite.
His wife hates his garrulous attitude.
Reticent. The adjective 'garrulous' means talking a lot, especially about unimportant things; talkative, blabbing, loquacious, prating, prattling. The opposite is 'Reticent' which means 'saying little'.
'Agoshito is a callow youth', said the teacher.
An experienced. The adjective 'callow' refers to young person often without experience; inexperienced, immature, sappy, silly, soft, unfledged. The opposite in meaning is experienced.
What you are asking me to do is a herculean task.
An easy. The adjective 'Herculean' is used when a task needs a lot of strength, determination or effort; vigorous, difficult, hard, laborious, perilous, toilsome. The opposite is easy.
Nkechi was a novice when she was first employed.
Professional. The noun 'Novice' is a person who is new and has little experience in a skill job, or situation; beginner, learner, tyro apprentice. Professional is the opposite.
'I do not trust him', he said, in a rare moment of candour.
Dishonesty. The noun 'candour' means the quality of saying you think openly and honestly; frankness, fairness, impartiality, openness, sincerity, straightforwardness, truthfulness, honesty.
Mrs. Akunilo looks anaemic today.
Strong. The adjective 'anemic' means to look weak, and having much effect; feeble. The opposite is 'strong'.
It is inconceivable that the son shone in the night.
Credible. The adjective 'inconceivable' means impossible to imagine or believe; unthinkable, incomprehensible, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable. The opposite is 'credible'.
She only gives a superficial impression of warmth and friendliness.
A deep. The adjective 'superficial' means appearing to be true, real or important until you look at it more carefully; not concerned with anything serious or important and lacking any depth of understanding or feeling; shallow, untrustworthy. Opposite is 'Deep'.
As a prudent businessman, Adayi does not leave anything to chance.
Careless. The adjective 'prudent' means to be sensible and careful when one make judgments and decisions; avoiding unnecessary risk, cautious, careful, circumspect, considerate, discreet, heedful, judicious, politics, provident. The opposite is 'careless'.
His antipathy affected the growth of is business.
Loyalty. The noun 'antipathy' is the opposite of 'sympathy'. It means strong dislike or opposition towards something. It means to have a strong feeling of dislike; disgust, detestation, hatred, loathing, abhorrence, aversion. Its opposite is 'receptiveness'.
Unknowns naliant right foot did the magic in n football match.
Harmless. The adjective 'lethal' means deadly, destructive, fatal, mortal, murderous. The opposite is 'harmless'.
When his car tyre … on the way, he did not know what to do.
Burst — The verb 'burst' means to break open or apart, especially because of pressure from inside. It is a form of irregular verb because it cannot take the past form of 'ed'.
Lami's father … as a gardener when he was young, but not he is a driver.
Used to work — The modal auxiliary verb 'used to' is used to say or denote past action. It means it is what has been done before, but it has been stopped now. It refers to an habit done in the past that does not continue to the future.
…he switches on the light, the shadow disappears.
Whenever — This sentence has an adverbial clause of time, which has been introduced by the conjunction 'whenever'. It means that everytime he switches on the light, the shadow usually disappears.
It is important that you clear the refuse in front of your house every…
Fortnight — 'Fortnight' means two weeks or the interval of two week. Note the spelling, it is 'fortnight' and not 'fourthnight' or 'forthnight'.
The policemen became suspicious as the boodlums… in their office.
Ferreted about — To 'ferret' means to search for something that is lose or hidden among a lot of things. Ferreted is the past tense of this word. As a phrasal verb, 'ferreted about' collocate with 'about' or 'around' as it is a type of fixed collocation.
Suara needn't come with us…?
Need she — There must be consistency in the statement. Whenever 'one' is used, the question tag should be pronoun form. 'Suara' has been identified to be a female, so the pronoun in the question tag is 'she'.
Unoka… the whole house to find his missing wristwatch.
Scoured. The verb 'scout' means to search an area or various area in order to find or discover something. The past tense is 'scouted'.
Ife asked me…
What time it was. This is an aspect of reported speech. Speech are meant to be reported in the past tense. In a reported speech, the verb in the present tense changes to the past.
There are many ways to kill a rat, so we should be… in our approach to the task ahead of us.
Eclectic. The adjective 'eclectic' means a wide variety: not following one set ideas but choosing from or using. An eclectic approach is an approach that has many ways of conceiving an idea not in a single way.
Audu took these actions purely… his own career.
In furtherance of. 'In furtherance of' is the process of helping something to develop or to be successful, advancement. In this context, it means the development of or success of his own career.
Here is Mr Odumugu who teaches English … in our school.
Pronunciation. This has to do with the test of spelling which is the way in which a language or a particular word is pronounced. The verb 'pronounce' has the letter 'o' in the second syllable, but in the noun 'pronunciation', the 'o' is removed.
Instead of …, she lied.
Pleading. The noun 'pleading' means an act of asking for something that you want very much, in an emotional way; a formed statement of somebody's case in court. In the sentence, the noun 'pleading' is used a gerundive noun.
Of the three girls, Jilia is the … to match notorious ones.
Naughtiest. The adjective 'naughty' has a comparative of 'naughtier' and the superlative 'naughtiest'. The superlative form is what is required in the sentence.
I wonder how he will…, being absent from school for a long time.
Makeup. The phrasal verb 'make up' means to do something that corrects a bad situation. Hence, it means to make up for the time wasted ins school.
Please sit on the …
Career. The noun 'carries' is used to refer to a military vehicle or ship that carries solders or equipment from one place to another.
I want to … this chance to acquaint you with the latest development.
Seize. The verb 'seize' in this context means to use an opportunity or make use of a chance; grab an opportunity. The verb 'cease' on the other hand means to stop happening or exiting, to stop something from happening or existing.
A well-paid job nowadays is an… task.
Uphill. The adjective 'uphill' means an argument that is difficult to win and takes a lot of effect over a long period of time, hard, laborious, strenuous, toilsome, wearisome.
The secretary has no right to … my affairs.
Meddle in. 'the meddle in' something means to become involved in something that does not concern you; interfere.
Bola studiously avoided… the questions.
Parrying. When you answer questions, you attend to or proffer answers to them. But when you parry questions, you avoid having to answer a difficult question or criticism.
The school authority dismissed him for… but I won't tell you about it yet.
A certain reason. The article 'a' or 'an' can only collocate or introduce a singular noun. Therefore, 'certain' or 'some' will be used with plural nouns.
fuel
Cruel. Cruel has the rhyme as fuel; fuel /fjuːɔl/, rule /ruːl/, cruel /kruːɔl/, fool /fuːl/, field /fiːld/
match
Batch. Batch has the same rhyme as match; match /mæts/, harsh /hɑːs/, batch /bæt/, such /sʌts/, watch /wɔts/
shear
Ear. Ear has the same rhyme as shear; shear /siɔ/, sheil /sɪɪɔ/, are /keɔ/, ear /ɪɔ/, sheery /sɪrɪ/
termination
TermiNAtion — Polysyllabic words that end in the suffix 'ion' are always stressed on the syllable before the suffix 'ion'.
meditative
MEditative — Words that end with 'ative' are stressed on the syllable as that of the root or base word. The root word here is 'meditate'. Words that end in 'ate' are stressed on the third to the last syllable. Therefore, in 'Meditate', the third to the last syllable is 'ME' in Meditate. Eventually, 'meditative' will be stressed on the first syllable which gives us 'MEditative'.
suggestible
SuGGEStible — Words that end with the suffix 'ible' are stressed on the syllable before 'stible'. 'GGE' is the syllable before 'stible'.
bubble
Half — bubble has the same vowel /ʌ/ sound as half.
weight
Whale — weight has the same vowel /eɪ/ as whale.
leach
Cheer — leach has the same vowel /iː/ as cheer.
mention
Church — mention has the same consonant /tʃ/ as church.
prestige
Badge — prestige has the same consonant /dʒ/ as badge.
knot
Cot — knot has the same consonant /n/ as cot (silent k).
Uche LOVES Toyota cars.
Who loves Toyota cars? The emphasis is placed on 'LOVES'. The question option A reinforces the emphasis.
The POLICE arrested the suspect.
Who arrested the suspect? The emphatic stress is on POLICE. Option B reinforces who performed the action.
Maiduguri is the CAPITAL of Borno State.
Which State is Maiduguri the capital of? The emphasis is placed on 'CAPITAL'. The question in option B is the answer because its response will reinforce the emphasis placed on the speaker's statement.
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