JAMB English Language 2017 Past Questions & Answers

The question requires you to find the word that is opposite in meaning to 'exciting'. 'Exciting' describes something that is interesting and makes you feel enthusiastic. The direct opposite of this is 'boring', which describes something that is dull and not interesting. The sentence shows a contrast between how life was at first ('exciting') and how it became later.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'tiring' because an exciting life can make one feel tired, but 'tiring' is a possible result of excitement, not its direct opposite.

The phrase 'Achilles' heel' is an idiom that refers to a person's single, fatal weakness or vulnerable spot. This expression comes from the Greek myth of the warrior Achilles, whose only weak point was his heel. In the sentence, it means that the man's greatest weakness is women, making option A the correct explanation.

Common mistake: Students who do not know the meaning of the idiom might guess that it means the opposite, a source of strength, and incorrectly choose option B.

The word 'Constitution' is a four-syllable word (con-sti-tu-tion). For words ending in the suffix '-tion', the primary stress is placed on the syllable immediately before it. In this case, the syllable before '-tion' is 'TU', making the correct stress pattern con-sti-TU-tion.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option D, thinking the stress should fall on the final '-TION' syllable, but the rule is to stress the syllable *before* this suffix.

This question tests your ability to identify consonant sounds. The letters 'sh' in the word 'clash' produce the consonant sound /ʃ/, which is the same sound you hear at the beginning of the word 'shoe'. The correct option, 'sharp', also contains the letters 'sh' which produce the exact same /ʃ/ sound.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'cheap' because the 'ch' sound (/tʃ/) is phonetically similar to the 'sh' sound (/ʃ/), but they are two different consonant sounds in English.

The question asks for the word that has the same consonant sound as the 'wh' in 'who'. The letters 'wh' in 'who' produce the /h/ sound, as the 'w' is silent. The correct option is 'hammer' because it also contains the /h/ sound at the beginning. The other options are incorrect because the 'h' is silent in 'vehicle' and 'rhyme', while 'kh' in 'khaki' makes a /k/ sound.

Common mistake: The most common mistake is choosing 'vehicle' because it contains the letter 'h', without realizing that the 'h' in 'vehicle' is silent and does not produce the required /h/ sound.

This question tests your ability to identify similar sounds in words. The capitalized word DISPOSITION ends with the letters '-tion', which are pronounced with a /ʃən/ sound, like in 'nation'. The correct option D contains the word 'complexion', which ends in '-xion' and is pronounced with the exact same /ʃən/ sound, making it the correct match.

Common mistake: Students often mistake this for a vocabulary question and choose option B, because 'unfriendly' is the opposite of 'amiable', but the capitalization of a word usually signals a test of stress or sounds.

The word 'palatable' is a four-syllable word (pal-a-ta-ble). In spoken English, the primary stress or emphasis is placed on the first syllable. This means the 'PAL' part of the word is pronounced with the most force, making it sound louder and slightly higher in pitch than the rest of the word. Therefore, the correct stress pattern is PAL-a-ta-ble.

Common mistake: Students might wrongly apply a general stress rule for long words, placing the stress on the second or third syllable, but 'palatable' is an exception where the stress falls on the first syllable.

The question asks for the best interpretation of the sentence. The key phrase is 'remunerated rather handsomely', which means to be paid a generous or large amount of money. In this context, 'handsomely' refers to the size of the payment, not physical appearance. Therefore, the statement means the workers received good salaries, which is best described as 'attractive salaries'.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose option B because they interpret the word 'handsomely' literally to mean good-looking, instead of its figurative meaning of 'generously' when discussing payment.

The word 'parsimonious' means being very unwilling to spend money or use resources; it means being stingy. The question asks for the option that is opposite in meaning. 'Generous' means being ready to give or spend money freely, making it the correct antonym for 'parsimonious'.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 'thrifty' because it is also related to money, but 'thrifty' means being careful with money and not wasteful, which is different from being generous.

The expression 'to make much of someone' is an idiom that means to treat a person with great attention and importance, often because you value them. In the sentence, Nancy started treating Michael as important only after he became rich. This shows that she now values him because of his new status.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option B because they connect Michael's riches directly to Nancy getting money, but the idiom 'make much of him' refers to her attitude and how she treats him, not what she receives from him.