WAEC English Language 2020 Objective Past Questions
All 80 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) English Language 2020 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
A guest should not make derogatory remarks about what he is offered by his host but ______ statements. (Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word 'derogatory')
A. candid
B. appealing
C. polite
D. complimentaryCorrect
Explanation
'Derogatory' describes a statement, remark or comment that is degrading, insulting or disparaging. The opposite is complimentary or commendatory. ('Polite' is inappropriate as the opposite since it is more about civility directed at people, not statements.)
The audience applauded the last speaker, but the first was ______.
A. booedCorrect
B. rejected
C. abused
D. scorned
Explanation
The verb 'applauded' refers to shouting and clapping in appreciation. The opposite is 'booed', which is shouting derisively, especially at a stage show or sports event, to indicate disapproval.
The commander said that raw recruits could not dislodge the enemies; he needed ______ men.
A. skilled
B. practical
C. learned
D. seasonedCorrect
Explanation
'Raw' in this context means new and inexperienced recruits; untrained beginners. The appropriate antonym is 'seasoned', meaning experienced or skilled with regard to a particular profession.
John gave a fictitious account of the incident but his son's account was ______.
A. probable
B. compelling
C. factualCorrect
D. necessary
Explanation
'Fictitious' refers to a story that is cooked up, invented or just fabricated rather than a true or factual story. The opposite is factual, true, real.
Only some of the accused were acquitted: the rest were ______.
A. remanded
B. convictedCorrect
C. detained
D. interdicted
Explanation
The verb 'acquit' means to exonerate someone or free them from the crime they are initially accused of; to publicly declare them not guilty. The opposite is 'convict' — meaning to find someone guilty of a crime or charge, through legal proceedings, and then sentence them.
The principal chastised Ben for his use of coarse language and advised him to emulate his sister's ______ behaviour.
A. pure
B. neat
C. refinedCorrect
D. organised
Explanation
Coarse language is rough, rude, uncouth, unpolished, vulgar and raw; the opposite is refined language, used politely and intelligently, considering the social context and who might be offended if used otherwise.
It would have been my pleasure to accept your invitation but I have to ______ because of a previous engagement.
A. jettison
B. defer
C. suspend
D. declineCorrect
Explanation
To accept invitation means to honour and attend the programme for which one was invited. The opposite is to decline the invitation — turn it down or reject it.
Older people are expected to be ______ where youths are green.
A. experiencedCorrect
B. cautious
C. equipped
D. considerate
Explanation
The adjective 'green' describes someone who is inexperienced, unexposed and who lacks adequate judgment of life issues because they are young and naive. The opposite of green is experienced.
I accidentally stepped on my brother but he told Mummy I did it ______.
A. thoughtfully
B. intuitively
C. deliberatelyCorrect
D. annoyingly
Explanation
'Accidentally' describes an action done unintentionally, by mistake or something that occurs by happenstance or chance; the opposite is something done intentionally, deliberately, on purpose.
The runner was ______ at fifteen seconds at the end of the race.
A. taped
B. timedCorrect
C. belled
D. flagged
Explanation
The appropriate verb is 'timed'. It means to make sure how long it takes for something to happen or for someone to do something; to measure or record the time, duration or how long something lasts.
The appellate court has ______ the decision of the lower court.
A. obstructed
B. nullifiedCorrect
C. neutralized
D. balanced
Explanation
'Nullify' is the appropriate verb for the given sentence and it means to invalidate a case or decision, to make a legal agreement that a decision or case have no legal force.
There is an election ______ pending against the senator.
A. application
B. appeal
C. petitionCorrect
D. complaint
Explanation
The correct lexis is 'petition' — it means, in the given sentence, a request by a large number of people to a court of law to take a legal action against someone or political party, or for unfair electoral practices.
The manager was not in when Addo called, so he left his ______ card.
A. supplementary
B. complimentary
C. complementaryCorrect
D. identification
Explanation
The complementary card is correct. Notice the letter 'e' in the second syllable of the word 'complementary', not letter 'i'. It's also called 'business card'. Complimentary is not correct in this context — it's a word for commending or praising someone.
Coming from the kitchen was the sweet ______ of Mummy's soup.
A. aromaCorrect
B. odour
C. fragrance
D. scent
Explanation
'Aroma' is the appropriate word for a strong pleasant smell, usually from cooked food, and drink. Other options — odour, fragrance, scent — are incorrect for the description of the smell emanating from food.
There is a need to raise teachers' salary in order to boost their ______.
A. spirit
B. moral
C. soul
D. moraleCorrect
Explanation
The verb 'boost' collocates with or goes with 'morale' — the amount of confidence or encouragement felt by person or group (in this case, teachers), especially when in a dangerous or difficult situation.
The textbook is very costly; I cannot ______ it to my students.
A. commit
B. afford
C. endorse
D. recommendCorrect
Explanation
'Recommend' is the appropriate verb because it collocates with the preposition 'to' in the sentence, as in '... I cannot recommend it to my students.' Other options will not go with 'to'. For instance, endorse will collocate with 'for'.
The weather is too hot; I need some water to ______ my thirst.
A. wet
B. quenchCorrect
C. cool
D. soak
Explanation
The verb 'quench' is correct for the given sentence. It means to satisfy your thirst by having a drink. Example: 'When it is hot, it is best to quench your thirst with water'.
My grandmother once told me that old habits die hard. This means that old habits are
A. easily corrected
B. difficult to changeCorrect
C. short-lived
D. forever changing
Explanation
'Old habits die hard' means it is difficult to learn new behaviour when you are used to behaving a certain way for a long time; difficult to break or stop a bad habit.
If you ask him to sing, he will do it at the drop of a hat. This means that he will sing
A. joyfully
B. melodiously
C. immediatelyCorrect
D. slowly
Explanation
Doing something 'at the drop of a hat' means doing it without delay, doing it immediately and without any pressure. Example: 'My friend will always help me at the drop of a hat'.
The man has lost a lot and he only keeps up appearances by driving a big car. This means that the man
A. intends to work harder
B. pretends that all is wellCorrect
C. wants everybody to see him
D. wants to please his people
Explanation
To keep up appearances means to keep an outward show of prosperity or good behaviour when you are now actually the opposite. Example: 'The man is trying to keep up appearance even though he has lost his job'.
The game was tough but our team lost by a whisker. This means that our team lost by
A. a default
B. a wide margin
C. not preparing well
D. a narrow marginCorrect
Explanation
If something happens by a whisker, it happens by a very small amount, by a very slight opportunity. Example: 'Last time she raced against the Brazilian, she won by a whisker'.
When the result was announced, it was discovered that Bimbo and Pam were neck and neck. This means that Bimbo and Pam
A. had failed badly
B. had equal result
C. were passed wellCorrect
D. (see explanation)
Explanation
If two competitors are neck and neck, they are level with each other and have an equal chance of winning; to be equal or nearly equal in a race or contest. Example: 'The two teams were neck and neck in the race to win the national championship'.
When the man was accused of stealing the money, nobody raised an eyebrow. This means that nobody was
A. sad
B. pleased
C. interested
D. surprisedCorrect
Explanation
'Raise eyebrows' means to cause surprise, shock or disapproval. Example: 'Jemma's miniskirt raised a few eyebrows at the board meeting'. If nobody raised an eyebrow, nobody was surprised.
People do not often rely on men who allow their exalted position to go to their head. This means that people shun those who
A. are highly placed
B. are conceited because of their positionCorrect
C. are rude because of their position
D. do not do their work
Explanation
If something goes to someone's head, it makes them think that they are very important and makes them become conceited — i.e. it makes them sing praises of themselves and become egoistic.
The manager hit the roof when he was presented with the estimate for the new project. This means that the manager
A. mobilised the workers
B. became very angryCorrect
C. became very suspicious
D. cancelled the project
Explanation
'Hit the roof' or 'go through the roof' means to get very angry or go into a rage. Example: 'The father hit the roof when he discovered that his son had wrecked the family car'.
When he received the news that he had lost the election, he did not bat an eyelid. This means that he
A. expected to lose the election
B. stood perfectly still
C. was shocked to have lost the election
D. showed no feelingsCorrect
Explanation
'Not bat an eyelid' means to show no sign or feeling of surprise or worry when something shocking or unexpected happens. Example: 'The policeman did not bat an eye when the criminal began to reach for his knife'.
The boy came through the window as stealthily as he could.
A. quietlyCorrect
B. carefully
C. slowly
D. quickly
Explanation
'Stealthily' describes an action done quietly and carefully in order not to be seen, heard or attract attention; secretly, furtively, covertly, sneakingly.
'Satisfied' means being pleased because you have got what you wanted, or because you are happy with the outcome of something or with the way something happened; contented, well pleased, happy.
The Vice-Chancellor's speech at the occasion was misconstrued.
A. misrepresented
B. misquoted
C. misunderstoodCorrect
D. misreported
Explanation
'Misconstrue' means to form a false understanding of the meaning or intention of something that someone says or does; misinterpret, misunderstand, misconceive, misread.
Power has not been restored ______ many parts of the town.
A. toCorrect
B. in
C. for
D. with
Explanation
The verb 'restore' collocates or goes only with the preposition 'to' anytime it is used. Example: 'After a week in bed, she was restored to power in the first free elections for twenty years.'
The sentence should read 'we got to the hall after the play had started'. Note that the two verbs underlined have two clauses (got, had started). Even though both actions were in the past, the first action (had started) happened earlier. It takes past perfect tense. The second action followed afterwards, and this takes past tense, got.
The woman said the maid should ______ all the plates before going to bed.
A. wash outCorrect
B. wash off
C. wash up
D. wash away
Explanation
'Wash (something) out' is a phrasal verb which means to remove something like stain or dirt by washing. Note that stain/dirt is washed out on object such as plate, clothes. However, 'wash up' is used for humans as in 'Junior, go wash up yourself before climbing that bed'.
In question tag, a response to a question that precedes it must be consistent with the polar that precedes it. If the polar is negative, the response must be negative, and vice versa. For the given question, the response should either be 'No, I wouldn't' or 'Yes, I would'.
When you learn something by heart, you learn in such a way that you can say it from memory, as in 'My father can still recite the poems he learnt by heart at school'. Note that you learn by heart, but you commit to memory.
The sentence is a command. In question tag, a positive command should be followed by a positive question tag. Only two auxiliary verbs ('shall' and 'will') can be used in the question tag; first person (I, we) takes shall while second person pronoun (you) and third person (he, she, it) take 'will'. The sentence 'Let's begin all over again' has 'let us'. Us is a first person pronoun whose subject is 'we'. So, the question tag is 'shall we?'
Something must be wrong with the school driver, he is ______ today.
A. rather driving carelesslyCorrect
B. carelessly driving rather
C. driving rather carelessly
D. rather carelessly driving
Explanation
The sentence should read '... he is rather driving carelessly'. Note that both rather and carelessly are adverbials qualifying driving; it is grammatically wrong to use these two consecutively (together) either before or after the verb driving.
What I admire about our football team is that they love ______.
A. themselves
B. one anotherCorrect
C. the other
D. ourselves
Explanation
The sentence needs a reciprocal pronoun 'one another' to mean each person in the team likes the others. Note that 'themselves' is reflexive; it is not correct here since it would mean each player loves himself, not each other.
The sentence should read, 'This is the teacher (I said) told me the answer'. 'I said' is just a parenthetical expression and can be removed. Note that 'who' is a relative pronoun referring to a noun that is a subject of the second clause, while 'whom' is used if the noun is an object of a verb or preposition.
Mary shouldn't have disobeyed the teacher, ______?
A. should sheCorrect
B. did she
C. could she
D. shouldn't she
Explanation
A question tag rule says the auxiliary verb of the statement must be used in the tag; and if the statement is negative, the question tag must be positive, and vice versa. The statement 'Mary shouldn't have disobeyed the teacher' has 'shouldn't' as its auxiliary and it is negative. 'Should she' would be the appropriate positive question tag.
She wondered if the water was not ______ hot for drinking.
A. very
B. so
C. much
D. tooCorrect
Explanation
In collocation, 'too' usually goes with 'for' as in 'you are too difficult for liking'. Also, 'so' goes with 'that' as in 'He was so hungry that he ate his brother's meal'. The sentence should read: 'She wondered if the water was not too hot for drinking'.
'Play with something' is a phrasal verb. It is often used disapprovingly to mean to keep touching, moving, or meddling with something delicate or dangerous. 'Play with fire' is an idiom, which means to act in a way that is very dangerous or risky.
'Very' collocates correctly with 'much' as in 'The children don't eat very much but they seem quite healthy'. The given sentence should read: 'We enjoyed ourselves very much at the party'.
The ushers told the people to ______ their shoes before they enter the hall.
A. put off
B. put out
C. take offCorrect
D. take out
Explanation
'Take off something' (in this case shoes) means to remove something, especially clothes/shoes. Note that 'put off something' means to postpone, suspend or delay a programme.
'Neither' collocates with 'nor', while 'either' collocates/goes with 'or'; and this should not be interchanged. Example: (i) They neither travelled nor stayed at home. (ii) They will either travel or stay back.
The sentence should read 'The man gave the girl a small new blue fountain pen'. The usual adjectival order is: modifier — quality — size — shape — age — colour — Noun/Headword. In this order, small is size; new is age; blue is colour; fountain (pen) is the headword.
The boy had been warned not to ______ the money given to him.
A. loosen
B. loose
C. lost
D. loseCorrect
Explanation
'Lose' is the right verb to mean to misplace something or to no longer know where it is because it has been stolen from you. 'Lose' is different from 'loose', which means to unfasten or make less tight of a grip, knot or hold. In the sentence 'to lose' is a to-infinitive verb, so 'lose' cannot be used in the past tense form.
The newspaper reported that everybody died in the accident ______.
A. hardly
B. almostCorrect
C. scarcely
D. barely
Explanation
Hardly, scarcely and barely are synonymous, and they are unfit for the sentence because they would contrast the meaning. 'Almost' in the sentence '...almost everybody died in the accident' is correct to mean a large number of people died; hardly/scarcely/barely would instead be used as in '...people hardly/scarcely/barely survived the accident'.
The adjective 'prone' always collocates with 'to'. 'Be prone to something' means tending to suffer from an illness or show a particular negative characteristic.
'Meted' collocates with both the adverb 'out' and the preposition 'to' when the phrasal verb is used. Example: 'Victorian school teachers regularly meted out physical punishment to their pupils.'
The team practised intensely for weeks before the match ______ it lost.
A. still yet
B. for
C. yetCorrect
D. despite
Explanation
The conjunction 'yet' means despite, in spite of, or still. It is a contrastive conjunction and is appropriate for the sentence. Note that 'still yet' is repetitive and so, incorrect.
The sentence should read, 'You cannot come between my sister and me'. The space provided is an object space and needs an object pronoun, 'me'. The sentence can be rewritten as 'You cannot come between us (= my sister and me)'.
Hardly a day passes without news of terrible accidents on our roads. Most of the time, these are caused by the ignorance and ______ of drivers. [Cloze passage gap 71]
A. Forgetfulness
B. carelessnessCorrect
C. kindness
D. abruptness
Explanation
'Carelessness' fits the context — accidents caused by the ignorance and carelessness of drivers.
Learner's permit precedes getting a driver's license. It is a legal authorization that allows learners for practice driving with an instructor for a period of time, to gather experience on the road.