All 100 questions from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) English Language 2013 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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Which Question Paper Type of Use of English is given to you?
This is a factual/administrative question. The 2013 paper being referenced is Type D.
The expression '...stage and hail' as used in the passage, means the ___
'Stage' refers to the artiste/performer and 'hail' refers to the audience responding to the excitement of a moment.
From the passage, it can be deduced that music is ___
The passage states music can be a background or a concert experience — appreciation depends on environment/context.
According to the writer, live performances provide a special excitement because they are ___
Paragraph 2 states that listeners are actively involved and feelings are exchanged between artiste and audience — making it interactive.
According to the passage, music plays a vital role in human society because ___
First sentence of paragraph one: 'good music provides entertainment and emotional release.'
Which of the following was a reason for choosing Abuja as pottery centre?
Paragraph one of Passage II states Abuja has good clays, water and local sources for raw materials — proximity to raw materials.
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Last sentence of paragraph two: 'a small and medium-sized pot can be made quickly and accurately.'
From the passage, how does a potter make several pots of almost identical size?
Paragraph two: lumps of clay are weighed so each pot will be roughly the same size.
The phrase 'trims off any waste clay', as used in the passage, means to ___
'Trim off' means to cut away the excess or unnecessary parts.
The word 'congenial', as used in the passage, means ___
'Congenial' means pleasant, friendly, suitable or good-natured. 'Nice' is the closest option.
…such as volcanic ___12… But there are certain features of a man-made disturbance. The word that best fills gap 11 is ___
Natural occurrences refer to happenings found in nature and not involving anything made or done by people; synonymous with natural disaster.
The word that best fills gap 12 in the passage is ___
Volcanic eruption is a register in physics that means sudden explosion caused by a volcano.
The word that best fills gap 13 in the passage is ___
Scale in physics refers to the size or level of something, especially when large (as in a bomb explosion).
The word that best fills gap 14 in the passage is ___
Pressure air: in bomb detonation, air stored under pressure keeps it at a higher pressure. Pressure in this context is the force of a liquid or gas against an area.
The word that best fills gap 15 in the passage is ___
Detonation is an explosion caused by a device such as a gun or bomb.
The word that best fills gap 16 in the passage is ___
'High temperature' collocates with 'temperature'. A high temperature described the increase in measurement of a thing.
The word that best fills gap 17 in the passage is ___
Fireball in physics means a ball of fire caused by a very powerful explosion.
The word that best fills gap 18 in the passage is ___
Shockwaves are sudden waves or increased pressure/temperature caused by an object moving faster than the speed of sound.
The word that best fills gap 19 in the passage is ___
Atmosphere in this context refers to the environment (air).
The word that best fills gap 20 in the passage is ___
Ocean or sea has a raised line of water that moves across the surface of an area. The wave that arises due to weight is compared to ordinary wave of ocean or sea.
In their preparation for the masquerade, David and others agreed to exercise extra caution in their dealings with Samuel because he would ___
In the novel, since the boys' tour was unsuccessful, they believed it was Samuel who divulged their secret.
In the novel, Nwomiko was famous for her ___
Nwomiko is the medicine woman that removes the Ogbanje spirit from possessed children in the village.
With remarkable agility, he mounted The Fallen Go/lath and went on to stuff his mouth with earth. Who was the fallen Goliath in the excerpt above?
This is evident in the dream Obu had in teacher Zaccheus' house — he engaged in a duel with the bully Samuel and defeated him with remarkable agility.
If you have not beheld your chi in his stark nakedness, be prepared to do so as soon as you set foot in that man's house. From the excerpt, whose house was being referred to?
Teacher Zaccheus and his wife are portrayed as wicked people who are barren.
In the novel, the people of Umuchukwu likened Samuel to ___
The people of Umuchukwu village likened Samuel to an ancestral spirit because of his awful and bad behavior.
Obu dashed out of the school building because ___
He came top of Standard 1 upon topping the whole class, and rushes home to meet his mum.
In the novel, Bright lived with Teacher because ___
Bright's father gives his son to serve teacher Zaccheus because he cannot pay his debt.
According to the novel, Obu was good at ___
Obu is involved in a verbal competition on exchange of proverbs he engaged in with Bright. He loses and blames his loss on not being good at interpretation of proverbs, then boasts he is unbeatable in jokes.
Uke was conscripted into the military because ___
Uke has engaged in instances of theft and has been arrested several times. His conscription is thought to force him to learn his lesson.
In the novel, the 'pad' was a symbol of ___
In the novel, 'pad' symbolizes 'failure'. People that take the last position in class are instructed to carry 'pad'.
It can be inferred from the novel that Mr. Eze was Terkura Atsen's ___
Terkura Atsen admires the Ibo businessman, Mr. Eze, who often lodged in the Provincial Hotel. He is endeared to Mr. Eze who tells him tales of business travels.
From the novel, David thought Ifenne should be involved in politics because he wanted him to ___
David notes they should participate in politics — 'we should not just sit back. We should get involved in the process of selecting those who will be able to win elections'.
The civil war created business opportunities for people like Owoicho because ___
Before the civil war, industrious Ibos occupied several lucrative endeavours in Jos, Markurdi etc. Upon eruption, their departure created a business vacuum.
'My boy, your future is bright, you can be anything you want to be…' The statement was made because Ifenne had ___
This statement is uttered by Oga Olu to Ifenne when the boy has imbibed discipline and responsibility.
The departure of Ibo competitors to the East had devoured ___
The war has a positive impact on Okoh's mother's petty trade. She now had monopoly with the departure of Ibo competitors to the East.
The team's poor performance at the tournament plumb the depths of horror.
'Plumb the depths' is an idiomatic expression meaning to reach the extremes of evil, disappointment, or unhappiness.
Tolu and Chinedu live in each other's pockets.
'Live in each other's pockets' means to be with each other at all time and dependent on each other.
As the drama unfolded, Olatinuke was advised to keep her shirt on.
'Keep your shirt on' is an idiomatic expression that means to control one's temper; stay calm.
He is a clinging child.
'To cling' means to hold on/stay or stick unto something tightly, refusing to let go. It means to be selfish, tightfisted, stingy etc.
Zinana's examination result was not unfavourable.
Two negatives nullify each other. 'Not unfavourable' means 'favourable'. The statement is dysphemistic saying pleasant things in a negative way.
You need to brush up on your Spanish.
'Brush up on' is a phrasal verb meaning to improve one's knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten.
Amaka would pass for a beauty queen.
'Pass for somebody/something' means to appear to be somebody else or to make people believe that they are — acting as a beauty queen.
'I can't wait to become a mother,' the new bride declared.
'Can't wait' as used means to be very excited about something, and being eager to do or experience it.
Usman needs to get his act together if he wants to pass the examination.
'Get one's Act Together' is an idiomatic expression that means to organize oneself in a manner required to achieve something.
Ramatu expressed her feelings in no uncertain terms.
'In no uncertain terms' is an idiomatic expression which means to express clearly and forcefully.
Chibuzor gave a curt nod and walked away.
'Curt' means rude as a result of being brief, blunt, succinct, terse. Opposites are polite, wordy, ceremonious, civil, gracious, lengthy, long-winded.
The girl took a cursory glance at the letter and hid it.
'Cursory' means a brief, careless, fast, hurried look. Opposites are lasting, careful, complete, detailed, meticulous, perfect, thorough.
The relationship between the couple has been frosty.
When frosty, they are hostile, unfriendly and unwelcoming. The opposite is cordial, friendly, responsive, warm.
The Nobel laureate's activity in the field of science is heinous.
'Heinous' means offensive, shocking, scandalous, hateful, bad, awful. The opposite is laudable, which means commendable, deserving, worthy, credible, impressive or admirable.
The accused was eventually convicted.
'Eventually' means in the end or at the final stage, after a long time or a lot of effort, problems. The opposite is 'Initially', which means at the beginning, first or originally.
The plebs can be found in every society of the world.
The plebs are known to be people of a low social class. The opposite is the elite, which means someone of high birth, social position, aristocratic, exclusive.
Everyone's condition was appalling.
'Appalling' means awful, terrible, shocking, and very bad. The opposite is pleasant — affable, amiable, civilized, polite, pleasurable.
The man's mordant wit is apparent to the entire village.
'Mordant' especially funny means sarcastic, cruel, disrespectful, sardonic, criticizing in an amusing way. 'Kind' is the only word from the options that could pass for the opposite.
The war against malaria keeps waxing.
When something is waxing, it gains strength and grows stronger. The obvious opposite is Decreasing.
The soldiers tried in their dogged defence of the city.
'Dogged' means to be determined or persistent. The opposites are indifferent, flexible, undetermined, unrealizable, weak.
Ayodeji is an ardent supporter of education for the girl child.
'Ardent' means showing strong feelings; passionate, enthusiastic, devoted, fervent, zealous, staunch.
The scholar's epitaph was demolished.
Epitaph as used in this context means what is created in remembrance of somebody especially after their death. A monument is an creation done in remembrance of someone.
Mohammed does his work with so much ardour.
'Ardour' means great enthusiasm or love, passion, eagerness, devotion, dedication.
The athlete is proud to be in the vanguard of sports development.
'Vanguard' in this context means the person(s) at the forefront of any group or movement. Synonyms are frontline, forefront, van, lead.
Nwankwo was on the verge of signing a two-year contract with the club.
'Verge of something': if you are on the verge of something or come to the verge of something, you are very near to experiencing it; brink, edge, lip.
I am tired of your eternal argument.
'Eternal' describes something lasting forever or for a long time. It can also mean constant, unending, interminable, unceasing.
The lamb is a feeble little animal.
'Feeble' means weak and without energy, strength or power. Therefore the synonym is weak.
The actress screamed when she noticed an object behind her.
'To scream' means to cry or say something loudly and usually on a high tone especially because of strong emotions such as fear, excitement or anger. The synonyms are wail, cry, shriek, shout, scream.
The exhibition was an eye opener to all.
'Exhibition' is a situation whereby objects such as paintings are shown to the public, or when someone shows a particular skill or quality. Synonyms are display, show, present.
As a journalist, Bala has always had a nose for stories.
'To have a good nose for something' means to be good at finding things of the same type. For example: As a counsel, he has a nose for cross-examination.
The girl says she is averse… what others admire.
The adjective 'averse' collocates with the preposition 'to'.
Your teacher defined … in his introductory lesson.
The correct spelling is 'onomatopoeia'.
The philanthropist devoted himself … the poor.
The verb 'devote' collocates with 'to'. Whenever devoted, devote or devotion is used, it must collocate with the preposition 'to'.
Tinu likes apples … she does not like oranges.
'But' is a coordinating conjunction of contrast. The sentence is compound with 'but' showing contrast between two independent clauses.
The students had a …on Independence Day.
'March past' is a ceremony in which soldiers march past an important person or high-ranking officer.
Do you mind … another hour or two?
Phrases or clauses such as 'do you mind...?' 'I don't mind...', 'I look forward to...' etc. are always followed by a gerund.
The continuous rain has really… the soil.
The verb 'saturate' means to make someone or something completely wet.
The police described the boy as being … hand.
'Out of hand' means beyond control or responsibility. When a situation is out of hands it is beyond control.
It was very easy for the two political parties to form a … government.
'Coalition' is the coming together of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose usually for a short period of time.
All farmers were encouraged …carry out fumigation on their farms.
The verb 'encourage' collocates with 'to'.
There are lots of … in a park.
This has to do with adjectival order (DOSASHCONM). Fast-moving is a compound adjective describing luxury buses.
Yours is to command, … is to obey.
The possessive pronoun 'theirs' does not attract apostrophe.
Local governments are authorized to pass A. bye-laws.
This has to do with the plural of compound nouns. Bye-laws is a law made by local government that only relates to its particular region.
Umar: I have never visited the dentist. Aliyu: …
We have substitution in the given sentence — clausal substitution where the whole clause is substituted. 'Neither have I' = 'I have never visited the dentist either.'
Usman would have won the race A. only if he could run fast.
This is a hypothetical conditional sentence. 'If + past tense + conditional perfect'. 'If he had run fast, I would have won' uses past perfect.
My father told me to take the money from… it.
The indefinite pronoun 'whoever' is the subject that attracts a singular verb. 'Whoever' is an indefinite pronoun in the objective case and will not fit into this structure of the sentence.
Our teacher defined… as the killing of one's mother.
Matricide is the killing of one's own mother.
If you are confused… anything, phone my office.
The adjective 'confused' always collocates with the preposition 'about'. While the verb 'confuse' always collocates with 'with'.
We have a family mutiny … our hands.
'On your hands' means to have a difficult situation on your hands. If the boy continues like this, he will have a riot on his hands.
We should try to help….
'Less fortunate' refers to a category of people. It does not take the suffixe 's'. The correct form is 'the less fortunate'.
gl_a_sier
The sound /el/ is a diphthong. This sound is also found in 'feign': Glasier /glɛlzɔ/, glass /glæs/ gleam /gliːm/, feign /feɪn/
l_au_d
The sound /ɔː/ represents a long vowel sound. This sound is also clear in 'core'; laud /lɔːd/; core /kɔː/; lavatory /lævətri/; loud /ɔud/; lathe /leɪð/
c_o_ma
The vowel sound /ɔu/ is a diphthong. This soud is also found in 'cogent': coma /kɔumɔ/; colonel /kɔːnɔ/ cogent /kɔudsɔnt/; come /kʌm/
tangerine
The voiced alveolar fricative consonant sound /z/ has been indicated. This sound is also found in 'noise': lose /luːz/, horse /hɔːs/; mouse /mɔus/; nurse /nɜːs/; noise /nɔɪz/
guitar
The voiced velar plosive consonant sound /g/ has been indicated. This sound is also found in rogue: Guitar /gitɔː/; rogue /rɔug/; jam /dsæm/; strange /streɪndz?/; judge /dsnds/
loose
The voiceless alveolar fricative constant sound /s/ is indicated. The sound is also found in 'sell': loose /luːs/; sell /sell/; fuse /fjuːz/; close /uɔuz/
rite
The last two sounds of 'rite' are /ɔɪ/ and /t/. They are the last sound in Wright: rite /rɔɪt/; rim /rɪm/; list /lɪst/ wit /wɪt/; Wright /rɔɪt/
joys
The last two sounds of 'joys' are /ɔɪ/ and /z/. These sounds are also the last sound 'boys': Joy /dsɔɪz/; elbow /elbɔu/; pot /pɔts/; boys /bɔɪz/.
call
The last two sounds of 'call' are /ɔː/ and /l/. These sounds are also the last sound in 'wall': call /kɔːl/; quail /dɔl/; slate /c. wall D. quail
dedication
Polysyllabic words that end in the suffix 'ion' do have their stress on the syllable before the 'ion'. Other examples are education, ContriBUtion, transcription.
international
Must polysyllabic words retain the stress pattern even they attract suffix and/or prefix. The word Nation is on 'NA'. The stress still remain on 'NA' in international.
information
As noted in question 95 above, most words that end in 'ion' do have their stress on the syllable before the 'ion'.
Adamu is leaving a CAR behind A.
The emphasis is placed on 'car'. The question 'What is Adamu leaving behind?' is the answer because its response will reinforce the emphasis placed on the speaker's statement.
Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig.
The emphatic stress is on TOOK OFF. The answer to the question in option D will emphasize 'TOOK OFF'. What did Lambusa do? Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig.
The bed is IN the room.
The emphasis is placed on 'IN' in the given sentence. In given answers 'where is the bed? Will reemphasize the word 'IN'.
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