JAMB Use Of English 2023
Questions & Answers

Students might mistakenly choose options containing motor-car tyres or copper trinkets because they contain familiar objects, but these are less typical market goods. Typical goods found for sale in a market include footwear, jewelry, and clothing, making country cloth, gold trinkets, and sandals the correct combination. Common mistake: Confusing less typical manufactured items with standard market wares.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Product', 'Output', or 'Turn-out' because these terms are broadly associated with institutional numbers or student metrics. A large intake refers specifically to admitting many students into the university, so the exact opposite meaning is found in rejecting candidates rather than admitting them. Common mistake: Selecting a related statistical term instead of an antonym.

Students might mistakenly select 'Uneducated', 'Awkward', or 'Unscientific' assuming they describe someone lacking general capability or professionalism. Since an expert denotes a person who is highly skilled, the direct opposite meaning is an unskilled individual, which is precisely what amateurish conveys in the context of a mechanic. Common mistake: Confusing general incompetence with a lack of specific skill.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Strong', 'Feeling', or 'Memorable' by misinterpreting the severity of a criminal's actions. Mindless describes someone who acts without thought or consideration, meaning the exact antonym must relate to being thoughtful, which is why mindful is the correct choice. Common mistake: Choosing words related to physical or emotional traits instead of cognitive ones.

Students might mistakenly pick 'Arranged', 'Serviced', or 'Actuated' because they involve touching or interacting with the lock in some way. Vandalized specifically means that something has suffered damage, so the true opposite is fixing it to restore its original state, making repaired the correct answer. Common mistake: Confusing regular maintenance or adjustment with the reversal of damage.

Students might mistakenly select 'Unruffled', 'Cool', or 'Serene' because they all denote calmness in general contexts. Angry waves specifically point to rough, turbulent water, and the direct opposite of rough physical movement is gentle, which means calm. Common mistake: Choosing general synonyms for calm instead of the specific antonym for turbulent water.

Students might mistakenly choose options like being sent home to get fees, rest, or become realistic because they sound like alternative administrative actions. Rusticated specifically denotes a disciplinary punishment where a student is expelled for misconduct, making sent home for misconduct the closest matching definition. Common mistake: Confusing administrative suspensions or health breaks with disciplinary expulsion.

Students might mistakenly choose options involving failing love or genuine love by misunderstanding the idiomatic phrase. Cupboard love describes a false affection driven purely by personal gain or ulterior motives, which aligns with love for what he wants from her. Common mistake: Taking the literal words about a cupboard rather than recognizing the idiom for selfish affection.

Students might mistakenly select 'Under observation', 'Under the weather', or 'Confused' due to the literal imagery of a cloud or weather conditions. Being under a cloud is an idiom meaning that someone is viewed with disfavor by others, making out of favor the closest matching meaning. Common mistake: Interpreting the meteorological metaphor literally or confusing it with physical illness.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Squeezed', 'Put down', or a similar physical action by misinterpreting the verb phrase. Snuffed out is a specialized term used to describe putting an end to burning cigarettes, making extinguished or put out the closest equivalent meaning. Common mistake: Confusing the suppression of an object with physical crushing.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Remorseless', 'Heady', or 'Hardhearted' because they describe negative personality traits of a criminal. Dyed-in-the-wool refers to someone whose habits or characteristics are deeply ingrained and habitual, making hardened the closest descriptor for a seasoned convict. Common mistake: Selecting emotional attributes rather than a term denoting entrenched habit.

Students might mistakenly pick 'Dispose refuse' due to a literal interpretation of carrying, or 'Be a scapegoat' and 'Bear the brunt' which are closely related idioms. Carrying the can specifically means taking the blame or responsibility for a mistake, making accept responsibility the closest matching option. Common mistake: Confusing the act of taking blame with suffering general hardships.

Students might mistakenly select 'Gloomy', 'Hiding bleached skin', or 'Upset' by misinterpreting a figurative color idiom. Off color is a common phrase used to describe someone who is feeling unwell, meaning slightly sick is the closest correct choice. Common mistake: Assuming the phrase relates to mood or appearance rather than health.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Highly irritable', 'Elated', or 'Pompous' by misjudging the emotional aftermath of poor exam results. Crestfallen describes a state of deep sadness and disappointment following a setback, making dejected the closest matching option. Common mistake: Confusing disappointment with anger or arrogance.

Students might mistakenly pick 'Setting', 'Repository', or 'Cell' because they sound like structural or linguistic locations. Nucleus refers to the central, most important part of something, which makes core the closest direct synonym in the context of an urban environment shaping a dialect. Common mistake: Confusing a biological or physical container with a conceptual center.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Excellent', 'Superlative', or 'Expensive' because grandeur is often associated with high cost or quality. Superfluous specifically means being more than is needed or excessive, making too much the closest matching definition. Common mistake: Equating grand scale with excessive quantity.

Students might mistakenly select 'Convert', 'Reverse', or 'Revise' because they share prefixes or look similar to the target verb. Revert means to return to a previous state or condition, which properly fits the context of falling back into old habits after ineffective training. Common mistake: Confusing formal vocabulary words that share similar Latin roots.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Delusive', 'Illusive', or 'Deceptive' because they deal with trickery or false appearances. Elusive specifically describes someone or something that is difficult to find or catch, fitting Okwu's hard-to-locate nature. Common mistake: Confusing trickery with physical elusiveness.

Students might mistakenly pick 'Unsuspected', 'Unexpecting', or 'Unexpected' due to confusion over proper adjective suffixes applied to victims of fraud. Unsuspecting correctly describes people who are completely unaware of the danger or plot against them, making it the proper modifier for fraud victims. Common mistake: Using passive participles instead of active adjective forms for victims unaware of a threat.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Intention', 'Intend', or 'Intendment' due to grammatical confusion regarding nouns and verb forms. Intent serves as the proper noun meaning purpose or design within this sentence structure, indicating the laughter had no purpose to ridicule. Common mistake: Choosing the longer nominal form instead of the standard noun.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Watchful', 'Miserly', or 'Hesitant' because financial austerity forces people to alter how they spend money. Circumspect means to be wary, cautious, and careful to consider all circumstances before acting, which fits financial caution. Common mistake: Confusing general caution with stinginess or mere hesitation.

Students might mistakenly select 'With regards', 'With regard', or 'Regarding' because variations of this prepositional phrase are common in correspondence. As regards is the idiomatically correct phrasal preposition used to open a statement referring to a specific request. Common mistake: Adding an unnecessary 's' to the prepositional phrase.

Students might mistakenly pick 'Stair', 'Height', or 'Climb' because they relate to elevated architecture or movement. Flight is the specific collective noun used to describe a continuous series or set of steps between floors. Common mistake: Using a singular structural term instead of the collective noun for steps.

Students might mistakenly choose 'Good spirits', 'Good spirit', or 'High spirit' by mixing up the fixed idiomatic expression. High spirits is the correct fixed phrase denoting a cheerful, lively, and exuberant mood among the dancers before departure. Common mistake: Altering the fixed plural or adjective of an idiomatic expression.

Students might mistakenly pick options using 'than' or mixing infinitives and gerunds because the verb 'prefer' can be tricky. When comparing two activities using 'prefers', parallel gerunds linked by 'to' are required, making 'Baking/to making' the correct structure. Common mistake: Mixing infinitives with gerunds or incorrectly using 'than' with preference.

Students might mistakenly select 'called for' or 'called off', assuming those phrasal verbs fit managerial commands, but the context requires a term for making a formal request. The correct option is 'called on', which translates directly to requested, fitting the strike context precisely. Common mistake: Confusing 'called on' with 'called for' when dealing with authoritative directives.

Learners could lean toward 'me accepting' or 'me to accept', failing to recognize the required possessive determiner before the gerund. The correct choice uses the possessive form combined with a gerund, perfectly matching the host's insistence on the action. Common mistake: Forgetting to use the possessive pronoun 'my' before a gerund.

Test-takers might be tempted by 'in obtaining' or 'for obtaining', confusing prepositional collocations with infinitive markers of intent. The correct answer employs 'to obtain' because it indicates purpose, fitting seamlessly into the hostage context. Common mistake: Using 'for' instead of the infinitive 'to' to express purpose.

Candidates might choose 'look out' or 'search out', thinking they relate to finding information, but those phrases carry different literal meanings. The correct selection is 'look up', which means find, fitting textbook use when seeking specific information. Common mistake: Selecting 'search out' instead of the idiomatic 'look up' for consulting a book.

A student might incorrectly select 'a heart' or 'a cheek', assuming they form common idiomatic expressions about personal traits. The correct phrase is 'an eye', because having 'an eye for' means attraction, fitting Mark’s statement about pretty girls. Common mistake: Substituting 'an eye' with other body parts in fixed idioms.

An examinee might gravitate toward 'to be keeping' or 'for being kept', misapplying infinitive structures after verbs of emotion. The correct form uses 'being kept' because it applies a gerund structure fitting the context of waiting for appointments. Common mistake: Using an infinitive instead of a gerund after verbs expressing feelings like hate.

A test-taker could mistakenly choose 'on the spur' or 'in a jiffy', drawn to familiar idiomatic phrases involving time or speed. The correct option is 'in my stride', as this idiom means handle calmly, fitting problems without getting upset. Common mistake: Mixing up idiomatic phrases that denote speed with those meaning emotional composure.

Students might select 'pick' or 'lift', ignoring the specific phrasal verb needed for gathering passengers. The correct choice is 'pick up', which means collect, fitting transportation needs for students going to Lagos at 7 a.m. Common mistake: Using the verb 'pick' without the particle 'up' when referring to collecting passengers.

Candidates could mistakenly choose 'undiscipled' or 'indisciplined', falling for misspelled or slightly altered prefix variations. The correct answer is 'undisciplined', which means lacking discipline, fitting the exact reason for the students' suspension. Common mistake: Using incorrect spelling or prefix forms like 'indisciplined' instead of 'undisciplined'.

Learners might choose 'to worry', incorrectly applying a full infinitive after a common adjectival phrase. The correct option is 'worrying', which properly utilizes a gerund after 'no good', fitting the advice given before the exam. Common mistake: Using an infinitive instead of a gerund following the phrase 'it's no good'.

An examinee might pick 'more cleverer' or 'much more clever', applying double comparatives or incorrect modifier rules. The correct choice is 'much cleverer', representing the proper comparative form reinforced by an intensifier. Common mistake: Using double comparative markers like 'more cleverer'.

A student could mistakenly select 'improved soil fertility', 'reduced rainfall', or 'increased forest cover', misinterpreting ecological impacts. The correct answer is 'loss of biodiversity', because the source passage explicitly states loss of biodiversity as a consequence of deforestation. Common mistake: Assuming deforestation leads to positive environmental changes like increased cover.

Test-takers might choose 'rare' or 'limited', missing the requirement for an antonym and selecting synonyms instead. The correct option is 'abundant', because 'scarce' means in short supply while 'abundant' means plentiful, providing the true opposite in meaning. Common mistake: Selecting a synonym like 'rare' instead of an antonym for 'scarce'.

Candidates might lean toward 'obstacle' or 'burden', misinterpreting the metaphorical weight of a structural metaphor. The correct choice is 'support', because 'backbone' means main support, making 'support' closest in meaning for teachers in the education system. Common mistake: Confusing metaphorical structural terms with negative concepts like burdens or obstacles.

An examinee could mistakenly select 'fascinating', 'inspiring', or 'lively', forgetting that positive adjectives do not trigger early departures. The correct answer is 'tedious', which means boring, fitting why students left the lecture early. Common mistake: Choosing positive descriptors when the outcome implies a negative experience.