This practice paper covers the 2022 JAMB Use of English examination, providing a comprehensive review of core linguistic competencies through forty standard multiple-choice questions. Students will work through items testing antonyms, synonyms, idiomatic expressions, sentence completion, and a reading comprehension exercise. The material consistently highlights vocabulary precision, idiomatic phrase interpretation, and contextual grammar usage as central themes across the paper. Working through these questions helps candidates build a stronger lexical foundation and sharpens their ability to discern subtle distinctions in word meanings. Make sure to read the detailed explanations for each answer rather than merely memorizing correct options so you can master the underlying grammatical principles for the actual test.
Topics in this paper
Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word: Our government is making 'determined' efforts to eradicate illiteracy.
Distractor check: Options like Compulsory, Innocent, or Unreliable might catch your eye if you misinterpret 'determined' as relating to innocence or general certainty rather than active effort. Reasoning to the answer: The word 'determined' in this context means resolute or committed. To find the opposite, look for a term that denotes a lack of effort or impact, which describes government efforts that fail to achieve results. This leads directly to 'ineffective'. Common mistake: Choosing a distractor that sounds vaguely negative without checking if it directly contrasts with the concept of resolute action.
Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word: Florence flogged the girl 'reluctantly'.
Distractor check: Words like Calmly or Furiously might seem plausible if you confuse Florence's emotional state or manner with her level of willingness. Reasoning to the answer: The term 'reluctantly' means unwillingly. Reversing this state requires a word that denotes willingness regarding Florence's action, which points directly to 'eagerly'. Common mistake: Confusing an adverb describing manner or emotion with one describing willingness.
Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined words: Coastal plains are often 'very densely' populated.
Distractor check: Options like Weakly or Badly might seem fitting if you confuse population density terms with general descriptive adjectives about coastal regions. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'very densely' means heavily populated. To find the antonym describing coastal plains that are thinly populated, we select 'sparsely'. Common mistake: Selecting a general negative adverb instead of the precise antonym for population concentration.
Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word: The judge blamed the 'plaintiff' for misleading the court.
Distractor check: Options like Complainant, Accused, or Prosecution might be chosen because they all relate loosely to legal proceedings and courtrooms. Reasoning to the answer: A 'plaintiff' is specifically defined as the person who brings a case to court. In the context of a court case, the opposite party being sued or defended against is the 'defendant'. Common mistake: Assuming any legal term associated with the trial is an antonym rather than looking for the opposing party role.
Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined words: The demonstrators have refused to 'call off' their action.
Distractor check: Words like Consolidate, Resume, or End might be picked if you confuse stopping an action with restarting or finishing it entirely. Reasoning to the answer: The phrasal verb 'call off' means to cancel or stop an action. The exact opposite action for the demonstrators is to begin or 'start' their action. Common mistake: Choosing 'resume', which implies restarting something already underway, rather than 'start' which means to begin.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: Ngozi and Ekaette were 'fast friends' when we were in secondary school.
Distractor check: Options A, B, or D might look attractive if you take the words literally, such as imagining running quickly or fasting from food. Reasoning to the answer: The idiomatic phrase 'fast friends' refers to close, inseparable companions. Within the context of secondary school relationships, this matches 'friends who are not easily separated from each other'. Common mistake: Interpreting idioms literally instead of recognizing their figurative meanings.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined word: All we need is a 'concerted' effort to combat the epidemic.
Distractor check: Options like Persistent, Dramatic, or Concentrated might seem fitting since they all describe strong or noticeable efforts. Reasoning to the answer: The word 'concerted' specifically means a collective or joint effort. In the context of combating the epidemic, Option C, 'joint', accurately captures this shared effort. Common mistake: Choosing a word that denotes intensity rather than collective cooperation.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: Yahaya hardly knows 'on which side his bread is buttered' in the matter.
Distractor check: Options B, C, or D might be selected if you assume the idiom refers to general decision-making, navigation, or seeking assistance. Reasoning to the answer: The idiom 'on which side his bread is buttered' refers to knowing one's personal advantage or benefit. In Yahaya's matter, this translates to 'where his interest lies'. Common mistake: Guessing a literal action like traveling or asking for help instead of identifying the reference to personal advantage.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: The politician 'played to the gallery' to win the election.
Distractor check: Options A, B, or C might trick you if you interpret the politician's actions literally, such as actually visiting a physical art gallery or obeying people blindly. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'played to the gallery' is an idiom meaning appealing to popular taste for approval. To capture the politician's strategy to win the election, we look for someone who 'went out of his way to appeal to the taste of the people'. Common mistake: Taking theatrical idioms with literal geographical meanings.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined word: The popularity of the slogan is beginning to 'wane'.
Distractor check: Options like Wear, Slide, or Thin out might seem similar in tone regarding a reduction in popularity. Reasoning to the answer: The word 'wane' means to decrease. In the context of the slogan's changing popularity, 'decline' is the closest synonymous word. Common mistake: Selecting a colloquial synonym instead of the most precise direct match.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: 'Marcus bears watching,' remarked Emperor Nero.
Distractor check: Options like Deserves, Favors, or Enjoys might be chosen if you misinterpret Emperor Nero's attitude toward Marcus. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'bears watching' means that something requires observation. Fitting this context of Nero's remark, 'needs' is the correct replacement. Common mistake: Confusing a requirement of observation with a personal favor or preference.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: The senior had the habit of 'setting the cat among the pigeons' whenever matters concerning his constituency came up for debate.
Distractor check: Options A, B, or C might look correct if you think the senior member simply dominated speeches or clarified confusing points during debates. Reasoning to the answer: The idiom 'setting the cat among the pigeons' means causing disruption or trouble. For the constituency debates, this corresponds to 'introducing elements of controversy and confusion'. Common mistake: Assuming colorful idioms refer to positive or neutral participation like clarifying issues.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: When the man lost his two sons in a motor accident, he 'cracked up'.
Distractor check: Options A, B, or D might be picked because they all describe intense grief or emotional upset following a tragedy. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'cracked up' means suffered a mental breakdown under extreme pressure. In the context of the man's tragic loss, 'became slightly deranged' fits the psychological breakdown implied. Common mistake: Conflating deep sorrow or heartbreak with a literal mental crack or derangement.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined phrase: The man rebuked his son severely, but his words seem to have 'cut no ice'.
Distractor check: Options A, C, or D might catch your attention if you focus on the boy's temper or the father's specific words rather than the outcome. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'cut no ice' means to have no impact or produce no result. In the context of the rebuke's outcome, it means the words 'had no effect'. Common mistake: Interpreting the idiom as a failure to persuade rather than a total lack of effect.
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined word: I shall be with you 'presently'.
Distractor check: Options A, C, or D might be chosen if you confuse the temporal meaning of the word with 'currently' or immediate action. Reasoning to the answer: The word 'presently' in standard usage means soon or shortly. Fitting the context of the promise made, 'in a moment' is the correct meaning. Common mistake: Confusing 'presently' (meaning soon) with 'at present' (meaning now).
Choose the word or phrase that best fills the gap: The students went on whispering in ____ of the teacher.
Distractor check: Options like Dishonor, Disagreement, or Disobedience might seem like logical choices if you focus broadly on bad student behavior. Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'in defiance of' specifically means acting in direct opposition to authority. This fits the context of students whispering despite the teacher's presence, making Option C correct. Common mistake: Choosing a general negative noun instead of the precise prepositional phrase required by the context.
Choose the word or phrase that best fills the gap: You could see that Akpan did not give his evidence ____.
Distractor check: Options A, B, or C might be selected if you place the adverb before the adjective or mix up word forms. Reasoning to the answer: To properly modify the verb phrase, we need an adverb modifying an adjective, which in turn describes how the evidence was given. 'Completely honestly' uses the correct adverbial modification order to describe giving evidence, making Option D correct. Common mistake: Placing an adjective where an adverb is required to modify another adverb.
Choose the word or phrase that best fills the gap: The ____ of the participating countries will hold a pre-conference on the eve of the conference.
Distractor check: Options A, C, or D might be chosen if you pluralize the wrong word or neither word in compound titles. Reasoning to the answer: In compound titles like Auditor General, the primary noun takes the plural form while the modifier follows. Thus, 'Auditors General' is the correct plural form for the title, fitting the context of the conference. Common mistake: Pluralizing the modifying noun instead of the main noun in compound titles.
Choose the word or phrase that best fills the gap: The drummers struck their drums with great efforts and the surging crowds of dancers ____ and ____ the grounds around the palace.
Distractor check: Options A, C, or D might look plausible if you mix up dance actions with stroking or licking, which make no sense in a traditional dance context. Reasoning to the answer: The sentence describes vigorous traditional dance movements performed by surging crowds. 'Kicked and stamped the grounds' correctly describes these powerful dance steps around the palace. Common mistake: Picking words that describe casual movements rather than vigorous traditional dancing.
Choose the word or phrase that best fills the gap: The water is not good for drinking; it's been ____ by the dead rabbit.
Distractor check: Options like Infested, Spoilt, or Diseased might be picked if you think about general damage rather than water purity ruined by a foreign body. Reasoning to the answer: The word 'contaminated' means made impure or polluted. This fits the context of water affected by a dead rabbit, making Option A correct. Common mistake: Selecting 'spoilt' which is too general for water rendered unsafe by biological matter.
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