JAMB English Language 2004 Past Questions & Answers

The correct option is 'pastime/through'. 'Pastime' is the correct single word for a hobby or an activity done for fun, not 'pass-time'. The phrasal verb 'get through' means to finish or complete a task, which is the right expression for dealing with a difficult assignment.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'pass-time' because it seems logical for an activity that 'passes the time', but the correct spelling for a hobby is the single word 'pastime'.

The sentence already contains the negative word 'not'. In standard English grammar, you cannot use another negative word like 'nobody', 'no one', or 'nothing' in the same clause, as this creates a 'double negative'. The correct word to use in a negative statement like this is 'anybody'. Therefore, the complete and correct sentence is 'Agbo says he is not afraid of anybody'.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'nobody', thinking it strengthens the negation, without realizing that using 'not' and 'nobody' together creates an incorrect double negative which changes the meaning of the sentence.

The correct option is 'their' because it is a possessive adjective used to show that something belongs to 'they'. In English grammar, a possessive adjective like 'their' must come before a noun, which in this case is 'responsibility'. The word 'theirs' is a possessive pronoun and stands on its own, while 'theirs'' and 'their's' are incorrect forms.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'theirs' because they confuse the possessive pronoun, which stands alone, with the possessive adjective 'their', which must be followed by a noun.

The word 'exemplify' means to give an example of something. The question requires a word with a similar meaning because of the conjunction 'or', which suggests an alternative or equivalent action. 'Demonstrate' means to show or explain something clearly, often by giving proof or an example, making it the best synonym for 'exemplify' in this context.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'supply' because one can 'supply' an example, but the sentence requires a verb that is a direct synonym for 'exemplify', not just an action related to it.

The correct option is 'due to' because it is used to explain the reason for something, meaning 'as a result of' or 'because of'. The sentence explains that the reason Muhammad could not come to school was his illness. 'Due to' correctly and appropriately introduces this cause at the beginning of the sentence.

Common mistake: Many students mistakenly choose 'owing to' because it has a very similar meaning, but 'due to' is the most standard and appropriate choice in this formal context to link the cause (illness) to the result.

The correct option is 'paid off' because this phrasal verb means 'to be successful and bring good results after a lot of effort'. The sentence mentions 'so many trials', which implies a lot of work was done. Therefore, the phrase 'paid off' correctly communicates that the effort was worthwhile and the experiment was a success. The other options are incorrect as they relate to financial payments and do not fit the context.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'paid for', thinking it refers to the financial cost of the experiment, without understanding the special idiomatic meaning of 'paid off' which means to succeed.

This question tests your knowledge of word formation. The sentence needs an adjective to describe Mariam's character. While 'tricky' is the common adjective, the provided options test your understanding of suffixes. The intended answer 'trickly' follows a pattern where the suffix '-ly' turns a noun into an adjective, like how 'friend' becomes 'friendly'.

Common mistake: Students may choose 'tricker', but this is a noun that refers to a person who plays tricks, not an adjective that describes a quality.

The sentence is in reported speech and expresses uncertainty about a past event. The correct grammatical structure to show possibility in the past is a modal verb (like 'might') followed by 'have' and the past participle ('been'). Therefore, 'might have been' is the only option that correctly completes the sentence to show that the impeachment was a possibility.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'may have being' because they confuse the present participle 'being' with the required past participle 'been' that must follow the auxiliary verb 'have'.

The correct option is 'whom' because it is an objective pronoun, which is needed here as the object of the preposition 'to'. The phrase is 'to whom the job was given'. 'Who' is a subjective pronoun and would be used if it were the subject, for example, 'the one who was given the job'. A simple test is to see if 'he' or 'him' fits; since you would say 'the job was given to him', you should use 'whom'.

Common mistake: Many students choose 'who' because it is more common in everyday conversation, but they forget the grammatical rule that 'whom' must be used as the object of a verb or preposition.

This question tests your knowledge of question tags. The rule is that a negative statement is followed by a positive tag. The statement 'You may not have heard...' is negative because of the word 'not', so it needs a positive tag. We form the tag using the auxiliary verb 'have' from the main sentence and the subject 'you', which gives us 'have you?'.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'haven't you' because they either miss the word 'not' in the sentence or forget the rule that a negative statement requires a positive tag.