JAMB English Language 2019 Past Questions & Answers

The word 'derogatory' means showing a critical or disrespectful attitude, which is insulting. The question asks for the word that is nearest in meaning. 'Unsavory' means disagreeable and offensive, which best captures the insulting and unpleasant nature of a derogatory remark.

Common mistake: Students may wrongly select 'unwarranted', thinking that an insulting remark is always unjustified, but 'unwarranted' means 'not necessary' and does not share the core meaning of being disrespectful.

The phrase 'a taste of their own medicine' is an idiom which means to be treated in the same unpleasant way that you have treated others. In the sentence, it implies that the men will only stop causing trouble when they experience the same negative actions they inflict on people. Therefore, to be 'revenged on' is the nearest in meaning, as it means to have someone get back at you for the wrong you have done.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'cured' because the word 'medicine' makes them think of healing or a solution, but the idiom actually refers to negative retaliatory treatment.

The word 'sovereignty' means the supreme power or authority to govern oneself without outside control. In the sentence, it refers to people's desire for independence and self-rule. The word 'autonomy' also means self-government or the right to be independent, which makes it the nearest in meaning to 'sovereignty'.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'leadership' because a sovereign ruler is a leader, but 'sovereignty' refers to the ultimate power of self-rule, not just the act of leading.

The sentence presents two contrasting ideas: 'many years of success' and 'didn't come without challenges'. The word 'However' is a conjunctive adverb used to introduce a statement that contrasts with the previous one. It fits perfectly in the sentence, separated by commas, to show that despite the success, there were still challenges.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'but' because it also shows contrast, but its use as a coordinating conjunction does not fit the grammatical structure of this sentence where the connecting word is set off by commas.

This question tests your knowledge of homophones, which are words that sound exactly the same but have different spellings and meanings. The word 'thyme' is pronounced exactly like 'time'. Both words have the sound /taɪm/, making them homophones and making 'time' the correct answer.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'climb' or 'lime' because they rhyme with 'thyme', but the question is looking for a word that sounds exactly the same (a homophone), not just one that rhymes.

The question requires you to find the option that is closest in meaning to the word 'virtuous'. A virtuous person is someone with high moral standards and good character. Among the choices, 'upright' also means being honest and morally good, which makes it the best synonym for 'virtuous' in this context.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 'intelligent' or 'clever' because they are also positive qualities, but these words relate to mental ability, not a person's moral character like 'virtuous' does.

The word 'typical' means having the usual features or qualities of a particular group or thing. In the sentence, it describes a response that is expected from a lazy teacher. The word 'characteristic' also means a quality that is typical and helps to identify a person or thing, making it the nearest in meaning.

Common mistake: Students may wrongly choose 'symptomatic' because the response can be seen as a symptom of laziness, but 'characteristic' is a more direct synonym for 'typical' as it refers to a common quality.

The question tests your ability to identify words with the same vowel sound. The vowel sound in the bracketed part of 'orthop[ae]dic' is the long 'ee' sound, phonetically written as /i:/. The word 'elite' is the correct option because its first syllable also contains the same long /i:/ sound.

Common mistake: Students often get confused by spelling and might choose 'sharp' or 'impasse' because they see the letter 'a', forgetting that in English, the same letter can represent different sounds.

The question requires you to find the word that has the same vowel sound as the letter 'a' in 'Band[a]ge'. The 'a' in 'Bandage' is pronounced with the /æ/ sound, like the 'a' in 'cat' or 'man'. The word 'cacophony' is the correct option because the first 'a' in it also produces this same /æ/ sound. The other options have different vowel sounds: 'kite' has the /aɪ/ sound, 'says' has the /e/ sound, and 'cage' has the /eɪ/ sound.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'cage' because it also contains the letter 'a', but it has a different vowel sound, /eɪ/, as in 'late'.

The term Mass Communication occurs when information is disseminated to a relatively large number of people in different places. it should be seen as the same thing with talking face to face with someone else. With mass communication, there is no answer, smile, laugh or lock of surprise. the people who receive the message are as far away from the source of the message as far away as you are from the announcers on the radio or from the newscasters on television, or from the writer of a column in the local newspaper. There are three identifiable means of errors in mass communication. There is one done through the printed words, books, magazine and newspapers. The other is primarily radio, but also records and tape recordings. Also, it can be done through a combination of sound and pictures as in television, films and the more recently popular video tape. Together, they are referred to as the mass media.

All media can be used to inform and entertain. However, there are coverts roles played. It may be to educate as in school broadcast. Again, the aim may be to persuade as when the media are used by advertisers or for political broadcasts. The media are often in strong position to influence public opinion because they select the topics to be presented and can stress the importance of one issue over the other.

The mass media have, in recent times, come under acerbic criticism. Many presenters have become not only conscientized but also immensely concerned about the possible effects that science of violence and bad behavior may have on their children. More worrisome are the potential danger of political and commercial propaganda.

This question requires you to understand the main idea of the entire passage to choose the most suitable title. The passage discusses what mass media is, how it reaches people, its roles, its power to influence public opinion, and the concerns people have about it. Option B, 'The mass media and the people', is the best choice because it covers this complete relationship between the media and its audience, which is the central theme of the text.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Mass communication' (Option A) because the passage begins with this term, but a good title must cover the entire passage, not just the introduction.