JAMB Use Of English 2020
Questions & Answers

1) Distractor check: Students might choose tough, thinking it is a synonym rather than an antonym, or bedridden because of the military context. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Hard-nosed' means tough or stubborn, so the opposite is 'weak', fitting the context of the General’s demeanor. 3) Common mistake: Forgetting to look for an antonym and accidentally selecting a synonym.

1) Distractor check: Students might select struggling with or combating, which are actually synonyms of the underlined word rather than opposites. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Contending' means struggling or fighting against, so the opposite is 'avoiding', meaning to steer clear, fitting the context of dealing with evils. 3) Common mistake: Selecting a word that means the same thing instead of its polar opposite.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose hoarders or savers, which describe the very behavior of misers rather than the opposite. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Misers' hoard money, so the opposite is 'spendthrifts', who spend freely, fitting the context of being loved. 3) Common mistake: Confusing the definition of the target word with its antonym.

1) Distractor check: Students might select qualified for or eligible, missing the negative prefix in the phrase 'not entitled'. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Not entitled' means lacking the right, so 'disqualified from' is closest, fitting the context of access to commodities. 3) Common mistake: Ignoring the word 'not' when evaluating the options.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose extinguished or dead, assuming those are standard geological terms for landforms. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Extinct' for a volcano means no longer active, so 'inactive' is closest, fitting the geological context. 3) Common mistake: Choosing a literal descriptor like dead instead of the standard technical term.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick robbed or were angry, assuming emotional states or crimes describe a chaotic event. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Went on rampage' means became violently out of control, so 'turned violent' is closest, fitting the trade fair context. 3) Common mistake: Selecting a mere emotional reaction instead of actual aggressive action.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick briskly or boldly, confusing secretive movement with confident or fast actions. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Stealthily' means secretly or quietly, so 'quietly' is closest, fitting the context of the nephew’s entry. 3) Common mistake: Equating stealth with speed rather than covertness.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick impresses or frustrates, mixing up positive feelings or general annoyance with direct anger. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Infuriates' means to anger, so 'annoys' is closest, fitting the reaction to patience. 3) Common mistake: Underestimating the exact degree of irritation implied by the root word.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose grandeur or faith, leaning toward abstract nouns associated with lifestyle descriptions. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Make-believe' means pretense or fantasy, so 'fantasy' is closest, fitting the context of his life. 3) Common mistake: Choosing a worldly noun instead of one denoting imagination.

1) Distractor check: Students might select always or very often, failing to notice that the frequency adverb is negative in implication. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Seldom' means rarely, so 'hardly ever' is closest, fitting the teacher’s punctuality. 3) Common mistake: Misinterpreting a low-frequency word as high frequency.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick in anticipation or in anxiety, focusing on emotional states rather than the legalistic security of the action. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'In good faith' means with trust and honesty, so 'in trust' is closest, fitting the Director’s action. 3) Common mistake: Confusing moral assurance with emotional expectation.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick confidential or classified, thinking administrative tasks always involve high-security clearance. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Miscellaneous' means varied or mixed, so 'assorted' is closest, fitting the clerk’s duties. 3) Common mistake: Equating miscellaneous with secret or restricted files.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose real or concerned, mistaking a superficial expression for genuine care. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Affected' means feigned, so 'pretended' is closest, fitting her interest. 3) Common mistake: Assuming 'affected' means influenced rather than put-on.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick withdraw or challenge, thinking about opposing or backing away from previous statements. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Reiterate' means to restate, so 'repeat' is closest, fitting the context of the points. 3) Common mistake: Confusing reiteration with retraction.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose encouraged or rewarded, misinterpreting the idiom as a positive career development. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Put paid to' means to end, so 'terminated' is closest, fitting the Minister’s ambition. 3) Common mistake: Interpreting a destructive idiom as a supportive action.

1) Distractor check: Students might select 'to' or 'in', confusing the phrasal verb with prepositional movement. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Take on' means to challenge or fight, fitting the boxer’s context. 3) Common mistake: Using the wrong preposition for idiomatic challenge phrases.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick fruitful or futile, confusing sound-alike adjectives with contextually appropriate markers of destiny. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Fateful day' means a day marked by a significant event, fitting the father-in-law’s death. 3) Common mistake: Choosing a word based on phonetic similarity rather than precise meaning.

1) Distractor check: Students might select the whole or every, missing plural agreement rules with the noun guests. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'All the guests' correctly refers to the entire group, fitting the party context. 3) Common mistake: Failing to match determiner pluralization with countable nouns.

1) Distractor check: Students might choose up or out, relying on casual speech patterns rather than standard phrasal verb usage. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Rounded off' means concluded, fitting the ceremony’s end. 3) Common mistake: Confusing 'round up' with 'round off' in event contexts.

1) Distractor check: Students might pick student or students, failing to apply the correct plural possessive form for a group department. 2) Reasoning to the answer: 'Students’ Affairs Officer' uses the possessive plural to indicate the officer’s role for students. 3) Common mistake: Misplacing the apostrophe in plural possessives.