This 2021 WAEC English Language paper focuses on assessing candidate proficiency in core lexical items, sentence completion, idiomatic expressions, and spoken English elements. The questions heavily feature vocabulary in context, meaning interpretation of idioms and figures of speech, and phonetics covering word stress and vowel sounds. Students should use this page to thoroughly analyze the correct answers and phonetic rules rather than simply memorizing options.
Topics in this paper
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes the sentence. While Mr. Ade is ____, his son is a 'novice'.
1) Distractor check: Options like 'enlightened', 'clever', or 'competent' might look plausible since they are positive traits, but they do not create the necessary contrast with the second half of the sentence. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The word 'novice' denotes a beginner, creating a direct contrast within the sentence that requires an antonym. Therefore, 'experienced' is the correct choice to oppose being a novice. Common mistake: Choosing a synonym instead of an antonym for contrast.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes the sentence. The animosity between Fato and Sheku is shocking, considering they once shared ___.
1) Distractor check: A student might lean toward 'peace' or 'understanding', thinking they relate to past harmony, but they fail to contrast properly with the current hostility. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The term 'animosity' signifies hostility or bitter enmity, which creates a striking contrast with a prior positive relationship. Thus, sharing 'friendship' fits the context of former closeness followed by conflict. Common mistake: Ignoring the contextual contrast signaled by 'considering'.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes the sentence. The younger brother insisted that he should be a ___ to the account.
1) Distractor check: A student might choose 'partner', 'guarantor', or 'participant' because they sound like common financial or institutional roles. 2) Reasoning to the answer: A bank account requires a person who is legally authorized to sign documents and authorize transactions. Therefore, a 'signatory' is the precise term for someone linked to an account in this manner. Common mistake: Confusing a general financial helper with an authorized account sign-off person.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes the sentence. She gave her poem to her teacher to ___ for the school magazine.
1) Distractor check: A student might select 'read', 'correct', or 'label' thinking of general handling of a school assignment rather than publication preparation. 2) Reasoning to the answer: Preparing written creative work for a magazine requires making necessary changes and polishing the text. Consequently, the teacher needs to 'edit' the poem for publication. Common mistake: Confusing general review with editorial preparation.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes the sentence. The committee has submitted its report ___ the students’ riot.
1) Distractor check: Options like 'for', 'about', or 'at' might be mistakenly chosen based on casual speech patterns regarding reports and events. 2) Reasoning to the answer: Standard prepositional usage pairs reports concerning a specific topic, event, or incident with the word 'on'. Hence, the committee submitted its report 'on' the students’ riot. Common mistake: Using 'about' instead of the standard preposition 'on' for formal reports.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the interpretation that is most appropriate for the sentence. The recruits are under his tutelage. This means that he
1) Distractor check: Students might pick 'assigns work', 'disciplines them at work', or 'protects them' by assuming tutelage implies general oversight or management. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The term tutelage specifically denotes instruction, guidance, or training provided by a teacher or guardian. Therefore, saying recruits are under his tutelage means that he trains them. Common mistake: Equating mentorship or tutelage with general physical protection.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the interpretation that is most appropriate for the sentence. He listened attentively to her 'cock-and-bull story'. This means that she told
1) Distractor check: Students might choose options involving terrifying or interesting stories by misinterpreting the informal tone of the idiom. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The phrase 'cock-and-bull story' is a well-known idiom used to describe an absurd, fabricated, or improbable tale. Thus, listening to such a story means she told an incredible story. Common mistake: Taking idiomatic expressions literally.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the interpretation that is most appropriate for the sentence. The bus driver smelt a rat when an unregistered vehicle trailed him for several kilometers. This means that the bus driver
1) Distractor check: Students might choose options like increasing speed, becoming nervous, or alerting passengers by guessing how someone would react to being trailed. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The idiom 'smelt a rat' specifically means to detect something fishy, suspicious, or amiss. Therefore, noticing the unregistered vehicle caused the bus driver to become suspicious. Common mistake: Confusing the detection of suspicion with the physical reaction that follows.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentence. So much 'effluent' has been poured into the stream that its water has become unsafe for drinking.
1) Distractor check: A student might select 'oil', 'disinfectant', or 'concoction' by assuming any liquid pollutant matches the industrial context. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The word 'effluent' specifically refers to liquid waste or sewage discharged into natural water bodies. Since the water became unsafe for drinking due to this substance, 'sewage' is the correct nearest meaning. Common mistake: Confusing specific liquid waste with generic chemical pollutants.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentence. The students became 'restive' after the authorities increased their tuition fees.
1) Distractor check: Options like 'alarmed', 'hostile', or 'noisy' might appeal to students thinking about student reactions to fee hikes, but they do not match the exact definition. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The word 'restive' describes someone who is unable to keep still or calm due to impatience, restlessness, or dissatisfaction. When tuition fees were increased, the students became 'agitated'. Common mistake: Selecting 'noisy' or 'hostile' instead of the precise emotional state denoted by restive.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentence. Ali plays the guitar with great 'dexterity'.
1) Distractor check: Students might select 'wisdom', 'experience', or 'pride' by associating musical mastery with general personal qualities or tenure. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The term 'dexterity' denotes proficiency, facility, or skill in performing tasks, especially with one's hands. Playing the instrument well corresponds directly to having great 'skill'. Common mistake: Confusing general talent or experience with manual dexterity.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentence. The electricity supply in this community is 'erratic'.
1) Distractor check: Students might pick 'disorderly', 'low', or 'temporary' by thinking of common issues associated with poor utility services. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The word 'erratic' means lacking consistency, having no fixed course, or being irregular in pattern, which makes it unpredictable. Therefore, an inconsistent electricity supply is best described as 'unpredictable'. Common mistake: Equating intermittent service issues with low capacity.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. Life in the city is ___ expensive for most people.
1) Distractor check: Students often mistakenly choose 'too much' or 'very much' due to colloquial phrasing patterns in everyday speech. 2) Reasoning to the answer: Standard grammar rules dictate that when modifying an adjective with an excessive degree, the correct intensifier order places 'much' before 'too'. Hence, life is 'much too' expensive. Common mistake: Placing 'too much' directly before an adjective instead of a noun.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. The fireman managed to ___ the raging fire.
1) Distractor check: Students might choose 'off', 'down', or 'away' by pairing random prepositions with the verb 'managed'. 2) Reasoning to the answer: Extinguishing a fire requires the specific phrasal verb 'put out', where 'out' is the necessary particle to complete the action of suppressing flames. Common mistake: Using 'off' instead of 'out' for extinguishing fires.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. Get to work! Don’t sit ___ doing nothing.
1) Distractor check: Students could pick 'up', 'on', or 'by' by mixing up common positional prepositions used with sitting. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The fixed idiom 'sit about' is used to describe sitting idly or wasting time without any purpose. Thus, telling someone not to sit about doing nothing completes the phrase correctly. Common mistake: Choosing 'by' instead of the idiomatic 'about'.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. We should tell the truth, ___?
1) Distractor check: Students might mistakenly select 'isn't it' or 'wasn't it' by failing to match the auxiliary verb used in the main clause. 2) Reasoning to the answer: Question tags must match the auxiliary verb and polarity of the main statement. Because the sentence uses the affirmative modal 'should', the correct matching negative tag is 'shouldn’t we?'. Common mistake: Using a default tag like 'isn't it' regardless of the sentence's verb.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. No sooner had we set off ___ it started to rain.
1) Distractor check: Students often select 'when' or 'as' due to confusion with clauses beginning with words like 'scarcely' or 'hardy'. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The correlative conjunction structure requires 'no sooner' to be paired specifically with 'than' to indicate immediate succession of events. Therefore, 'than' correctly completes the sentence. Common mistake: Pairing 'no sooner' with 'when' instead of 'than'.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. Several ___ attended the two-day economic summit.
1) Distractor check: Students might choose options with 'states' pluralized or 'head' singular by misunderstanding compound noun pluralization rules. 2) Reasoning to the answer: In the compound title 'head of state', the pluralization applies to the primary noun rather than the modifying phrase. Consequently, multiple leaders are correctly referred to as 'heads of state'. Common mistake: Pluralizing the final noun in a compound phrase instead of the head word.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. The children ___ in the pool after school.
1) Distractor check: Students might incorrectly choose 'swum', 'swimming', or 'swim' by misapplying participle forms or present tense rules to past events. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The sentence describes a completed action that occurred in the past after school, requiring the simple past tense form 'swam'. Common mistake: Using the past participle 'swum' without an auxiliary verb like 'have'.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. The African extended family system gives security to ___ members.
1) Distractor check: Students might pick singular pronouns like 'his' or 'her', or the subjective pronoun 'they', by failing to check plural agreement. 2) Reasoning to the answer: The noun phrase has the plural antecedent 'members', which requires a plural possessive pronoun that fits gender-neutral agreement. Therefore, 'their' correctly serves this function. Common mistake: Matching pronoun gender to the modifier instead of the plural head noun.
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