All 80 questions from the National Examinations Council (NECO) English Language 2024 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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Abdul's contribution at the meeting was seen by many as invaluable but the chairman said it was ..........
Invaluable means extremely valuable or helpful. The opposite would be something with no value or use. Insincere implies a lack of honesty, and preposterous means ridiculous. Only useless directly contrasts with invaluable.
The boy may be culpable but his brother is surely ..........
Culpable means blameworthy. The opposite is someone with no blame, which is innocent. Ignorant implies a lack of knowledge, accountable suggests responsibility, and honest simply means truthful.
Our class teacher used to be rigid in his opinions but he is now ............. of other people's views.
Rigid means inflexible and unwilling to consider other viewpoints. The opposite is someone who accepts and respects the views of others, which is tolerant.
Some workers were quite affable at the meeting but their leader was rather ..................
Affable means friendly and approachable. The opposite is someone who is hostile or actively opposes others, which is antagonistic.
The driver believed he would be castigated by all the passengers but he was ..................
Castigated means severely criticized or condemned. The opposite is commended - a formal way of saying 'praise', often used when expressing approval in a professional setting.
The manager was eulogized for his speech while his assistant was ...................
Eulogized means praised highly. The opposite is to be criticized or spoken of negatively. Denounced is a stronger term meaning to publicly condemn.
Some people are generous towards strangers, while others are ................. towards them.
Generous describes someone willing to share and give. The opposite, mean, describes someone unwilling to share or give, selfish and focused on keeping things for themselves.
The baby who had all along been calm suddenly became .................
Calm means quiet and peaceful. The opposite is to be restless or fidgety.
While Ade is .................., his wife is quite self-effacing.
Self-effacing means deliberately not drawing attention to oneself. The opposite is someone arrogant and with an inflated sense of their own importance, which is conceited.
Bakary is a prudent husband while Musa is .................
Prudent describes someone who shows careful consideration and good judgment. Mindless means done without thinking or considering the consequences - the opposite of prudent.
The incumbent chairman won the election by a ................. of twenty votes.
Margin refers to the difference between two quantities, especially in a vote or competition.
Since all items on the agenda had been discussed, the meeting was .................
Adjourned means to postpone a meeting to a later date, which fits after all agenda items are discussed.
The police explained that all the aggrieved persons should seek ................. in the court of law.
Redress means correction of a wrong or injustice, which is what aggrieved persons seek in court.
Our principal has a large ................. of cows.
Herd refers to a large group of grazing animals, typically cattle or sheep.
The first storey building in Nigeria stands as a historic .................
A monument is a large and permanent structure erected to commemorate an important person or event.
I returned from the vacation refreshed and .................
Rejuvenated means made to feel or look younger and healthier, fitting the sense of renewed energy after a vacation.
She was advised to see a ................. because she had an unusual skin disease.
A dermatologist specializes in diagnosing and treating skin conditions, making them the relevant specialist for a skin disease.
The doctor's ................. was that the patient was suffering from cancer.
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a disease, which comes after examination.
Tom's father gave him a valuable gift as an ................. to make him work harder in school.
An incentive is something that motivates or encourages someone to do something, specifically designed to motivate action.
We have not yet heard the weather .................
A forecast is a prediction about the future, especially about the weather.
Ojo was cautioned not to jangle the old man's nerve. This means that Ojo was cautioned not to .................
To jangle someone's nerves means to make them feel on edge, anxious, and tense - i.e., to annoy them.
Amina was completely swept off her feet the first time she met Gabriel. This means that she .................
Being swept off your feet is an idiom describing being overwhelmed by a powerful feeling, often love, suggesting Amina fell deeply in love with Gabriel.
His responses showed that he kept abreast of events in the country. This means that he was .................
Keeping abreast of something means staying up-to-date and informed about current events.
Our school is the last but one on that road. This means that our school is .................
'Last but one' is an idiom meaning the second to last in a sequence, so the school is the one before the last.
The new shopping plaza is easy on the eye. This means that the shopping plaza is .................
'Easy on the eye' is a way of saying something is pleasing to look at, i.e., attractive.
That nonchalant attitude of Jonah really gets my goat. This means that Jonah's attitude .................
'Getting your goat' is an idiom meaning to annoy or irritate someone.
A good friend is supposed to be with you through thick and thin. This means that a good friend should .................
'Through thick and thin' means during both difficult and easy times, so a good friend should stand by you in good and bad times.
Willy has been under the weather for some days. This means that Willy has been .................
'Under the weather' is an idiom meaning feeling unwell or slightly sick.
Tayo was beaten at his own game. This means that .................
Being 'beaten at your own game' means to be defeated by someone using the same tactics as you.
We never believed that Father would pull through that fever. This means that we did not believe that he would .................
'Pulling through' an illness means to survive or overcome it, i.e., to recover.
It was apparent that John damaged the desk.
Apparent means clear and easily understood. Evident is a synonym, both suggesting something is obvious and readily noticeable.
Some of the merchant's goods were impounded by the customs officers.
Impounded means seized or taken into official custody. Confiscated is a synonym, both referring to the legal taking of property by authorities.
My trust in Abah suddenly began to wane.
Wane suggests a gradual and natural lessening. Decrease is the general term for becoming smaller in amount or intensity, the closest synonym here.
Some believe it is ominous for the owl to perch on the roof of a house.
Ominous suggests the possibility of bad luck or disaster, foretelling something negative. Prophetic (foretelling the future) is the closest option among those given, carrying a similarly foreboding sense in this context.
The new shopping mall is on the fringe of the town.
Fringe means the outer border or edge of something. Edge is a direct synonym, both referring to the outermost part of an area.
The supervisor spurned the offer of help from the cleaner.
Spurned means to reject something with contempt or disdain. Rebuffed is a synonym implying a harsh or dismissive rejection.
I have eventually found the book.
Eventually means in the end or after a long time. Finally is the most precise synonym here, indicating the search is complete after some effort or delay.
It is not good for an unduly inquisitive person.
Inquisitive means eager or curious to learn or know something, capturing the essence of someone asking too many questions.
Kofi is rather audacious; he jumps off high fences.
Audacious means showing a willingness to take bold risks. Daring is a direct synonym, both suggesting a fearless and adventurous spirit.
The criminal approached the crowd menacingly.
Menacingly means in a way that is threatening or likely to cause harm. Threateningly is the most direct synonym.
He said that they.............painting the house by now.
This sentence refers to a hypothetical past situation. 'Would have finished' indicates an action they likely would have completed by now according to plan.
I will wear my............. dress for the dance.
Adjectives describing an object typically follow a specific order. Here, adjective of age (new) comes before adjective of colour (blue): 'new blue silk'.
If I....an eagle, I would fly to distant lands.
'Were' is the subjunctive mood used in the conditional clause 'If I were...' to express an imaginary or unreal situation.
The teacher needs.....to write the note on the chalkboard.
'Some' is the most indefinite quantifier here, suggesting the teacher needs an unspecified amount of chalk.
The man said that he had..........
In indirect speech, 'yesterday' changes to 'the previous day', giving 'had eaten there the previous day'.
To be healthy, we need to eat a .................dict every day.
A balanced diet refers to one that includes a variety of foods from all food groups, providing nutrients the body needs.
I can rustle.............an omelette, at least.
'Rustle up' is a phrasal verb meaning to quickly prepare or produce something, often food.
Banku was ..................unhappy after the fight.
The intensifier 'very' is the most appropriate to emphasize the degree of Banku's unhappiness after the fight.
Everything would be ....................cheaper in the sales.
'Considerably' means to a significant degree, suggesting prices would be noticeably cheaper.
The boot of my new car was.............in the accident.
A dent is a hollow or inward curve in a surface, often caused by a blow - best describing likely damage to a car boot in an accident.
Parents should create an environment.............their children can grow.
'In which' is a relative pronoun phrase introducing essential information about the environment where growth can happen.
In spite of their shortcomings, we cannot..........admire them.
'But' is a coordinating conjunction contrasting the acknowledgment of shortcomings with the fact that admiration is still possible.
Amadi's plan..........at the last moment.
'Fell through' is a phrasal verb meaning to fail to happen as planned.
You think I am hungry,........?
The question tag depends on the subject 'you think', which is a positive statement, so a negative question tag 'don't you' is required.
Maria........tears when she was told that she failed the final examination.
'Broke into' tears describes a sudden and uncontrollable outburst of emotion upon hearing the news.
Jide..................before I arrived.
'Had eaten' is the past perfect tense indicating Jide finished eating sometime before you (the speaker) arrived.
He claimed to be an expert, but he knew next to...............about it.
'Next to nothing' is an idiom meaning very little or almost nothing, emphasizing the contradiction with his claim of expertise.
.............the textbooks, he advised his daughter to face her studies.
'Having bought' is the past participle form indicating the textbooks were purchased before the advice was given.
Deficiency...............just one essential vitamin may cause illness.
'Deficiency in' something means a lack of something specific; the noun 'deficiency' collocates with the preposition 'in'.
This is the............he has submitted his assignment since joining the class.
'Earliest' is the superlative of the adverb 'early', referring to the furthest time in the past among his submissions.
It is wise to..................with what you have than go borrowing.
'Make do' means to manage with what you have available, even if it's not ideal.
The teacher was..................hasty in meting out punishment.
'Somewhat' is an adverb meaning 'to some degree or extent' - the statement is true but not completely.
Everybody should treat their parents with respect, .................?
This is a question tag for confirmation; since the statement is positive, the negative tag 'shouldn't they' is required.
The experienced clerk found herself at...........
'A crossroads' is the most common and idiomatic way to express a point where a difficult decision needs to be made.
We are playing...........the problems of the company.
'Playing down' something means to minimize its importance or seriousness.
You .................have walked home alone so late at night.
'Ought not to' expresses a stronger recommendation about something someone should not have done.
Did you notice that the................had been removed?
'Price tag' is a single noun phrase referring to the label attached to an item showing its price.
One has to be careful of...............friends.
'One's' is the possessive pronoun used with the indefinite pronoun 'one', indicating caution regarding one's own friends.
It is mandatory that consumables should have.................dates.
'Sell-by date' is the most common term indicating the last date a product is considered safe or at peak quality for sale.
Don't judge the boy...............his past.
'By' is the most appropriate preposition to introduce the basis for judgment (his past).
The ......... of the local government chairman would soon elapse.
'Tenure' is the period of time when somebody holds an important job, especially a political one.
This would commence with the selection of ......... by registered political parties.
'Candidates' are people nominated or put forward for a position, such as in an election.
They will present their ......... to the public to inform them of their intentions.
'Manifestoes' are public declarations of policy or intentions, often used by political parties during elections.
The process of ......... for votes has a timeframe.
'Canvassing' refers to actively soliciting votes from potential voters.
Voting is usually done by universal .........
'Suffrage' is the right to vote in an election.
Every citizen above eighteen is ......... to vote provided he/she is duly registered.
'Eligible' means having the right or qualification to do or be something, in this case, to vote.
On the day of the election, voters go to the polling .........
A booth is a small confined place where you can do something privately, such as vote - a polling/voting booth.
They go through the voter's register for ......... before casting their votes.
'Accreditation' is the process of confirming a voter is registered and eligible to vote.
The counting of votes will be done by the ......... under the supervision of party agents.
The 'returning officer' is the official responsible for overseeing the electoral process, including counting votes and declaring the winner.
At the end of the exercise, the winner will be .........
'Announce' is the most formal and official way to declare the winner of an election.
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