JAMB Use Of English 2019
Questions & Answers

Students might mistakenly choose 'correct', 'stiff', or 'upright' because they relate to rigidity or standards. 'Flexible' means adaptable, so the opposite is 'rigid', meaning inflexible, fitting the context of Mr. Jack's instruction. Common mistake: Selecting 'stiff' which refers to physical objects rather than the behavioral adaptability implied by instruction style.

Students might pick 'bad' or 'harsh' due to a general negative connotation associated with an uncomfortable floor. 'Coarse' means rough, so the opposite is 'smooth', fitting the context of the floor's texture. Common mistake: Confusing texture opposites with general qualitative judgments like bad or harsh.

Students might mistakenly choose 'ignored' or 'rejected' because they share a negative sentiment with turning someone down. 'Declined' means refused, so the opposite is 'accepted', fitting the context of giving an audience. Common mistake: Equating the act of declining with ignoring instead of recognizing the direct positive opposite.

Students might select 'calmed', 'extracted', or 'excited' by misinterpreting the direction of the medical treatment. 'Soothed' means calmed or relieved, so the opposite is 'worsened', meaning made worse, fitting the context of the tooth's condition. Common mistake: Choosing 'extracted' assuming a dental context automatically implies tooth removal.

Students might choose 'punished', 'remanded', or 'locked out' thinking of legal or physical barriers rather than freedom. 'Locked up' means imprisoned, so the opposite is 'released', meaning freed, fitting the context of confinement. Common mistake: Selecting 'locked out' which implies denial of entry rather than liberation from imprisonment.

Students might mistakenly select 'at an advantage', 'opportune', or 'right' because they sound like positive idiomatic expressions. 'Free to leave' means having permission to go, so 'at liberty' is the closest in meaning, fitting the context of leaving the hall. Common mistake: Confusing permission status with advantageous positioning.

Students might pick 'specialized', 'intellectual', or 'unruly' by reading personal bias into the nature of the argument. 'Animated' means lively or spirited, so 'lively' is the closest in meaning, fitting the context of the discussion. Common mistake: Associating animated conversations with being unruly rather than energetic and spirited.

Students might select 'change', 'slide', or 'disappear' because they imply movement or reduction over time. 'Decline' means to decrease, so 'wane' (meaning to diminish) is the closest in meaning, fitting the context of popularity. Common mistake: Choosing 'disappear' which implies total loss rather than a gradual decrease or waning.

Students might mistakenly choose 'false', 'reliable', or 'trial' because they describe witness characteristics or legal settings. 'Prosecution' refers to the side representing the government in a trial, so 'government' is the closest in meaning, fitting the context of the witness. Common mistake: Confusing the legal party representing the state with the trial process itself.

Students might select 'unsuccessful', 'frustrated', or 'disqualified' because they represent negative outcomes of an action. 'Nipped in the bud' means stopped early, so 'cut short' is the closest in meaning, fitting the context of his attempts. Common mistake: Confusing early termination with total failure or disqualification.

Options like 'Look around' or 'Look out' might tempt you since they involve visual verbs related to the word 'watch', but they miss the core meaning of caution. To be careful and alert matches the robber's warning, making 'be vigilant' the right choice in this context. Common mistake: Confusing literal physical looking with figurative alertness.

Students might erroneously select 'encountered grief' or 'became grieved' by taking the word 'grief' in its literal emotional sense. When these highwaymen met with disaster during their shootout with law enforcement, they effectively reached a disastrous outcome, pointing directly to 'came to a bad end'. Common mistake: Assuming idiomatic phrases share the literal meaning of their individual component words.

The distractor 'pay for' might seem plausible because people usually pay money when they 'buy' goods. However, the expression is used metaphorically regarding a novel concept, where agreement is signified rather than financial transaction, making 'accept' the correct fit for the new product idea. Common mistake: Interpreting metaphorical business verbs literally.

An unwary test-taker could pick 'brings high prestige' because prestigious careers often attract students. Yet, the specific term highlights profitability rather than social standing, aligning neatly with 'brings plenty of profit' to explain why the profession is so heavily chosen. Common mistake: Confusing high social status with financial profitability.

Options mentioning physical movement like 'return to a place' might look attractive due to the literal verb 'go back'. When a person gives an assurance and then breaks it, they are failing to maintain their word, so 'fail to keep my promise' correctly reflects this meaning. Common mistake: Translating idioms literally instead of looking at their figurative definitions.

A student might lean toward options containing different prepositions like 'looks up on' or 'looks up for' due to guessing phrasal verb structures. Showing deep admiration and respect for a superior requires the specific phrasal verb 'looks up to' in the context of the team leader. Common mistake: Mixing up the correct preposition accompanying the phrasal verb 'look up'.

Literal choices such as 'took his audience on a journey through a street called Memory Lane' are traps for those who ignore idioms. The speaker was actually reminiscing about bygone days, meaning 'recalled events from the past' accurately translates the phrase used before the lecture topic. Common mistake: Treating idiomatic expressions as literal geographic locations.

Students could mistakenly choose 'gives out branches of the olive tree' by taking the figurative phrase literally. Offering a gesture of reconciliation means the religious figure is attempting to make peace, rendering 'sues for peace' the precise contextual equivalent. Common mistake: Falling for literal interpretations of symbolic diplomatic idioms.

Literal distractions like 'set fire to the account books' or 'destroyed the account books by cooking them' play humorously on the word 'cooking'. The expression actually refers to fraudulent financial manipulation, meaning the clerk 'falsified the accounts to his advantage' during his criminal acts. Common mistake: Applying culinary meanings to financial jargon.

A student might choose 'perform' or 'undertake' thinking they sound more formal for academic settings. However, conducting or executing an assessment is best captured by the simple synonym 'give' when discussing the morning schedule for students. Common mistake: Overcomplicating word choices by selecting unnecessarily formal verbs.