JAMB Use of English 2006

Question 1

The root of problems which bedevil rural dwellers in Nigeria can be traced to the sad fact that work opportunities are so restricted that they cannot work their way out of poverty and misery. Though a great number of Nigerians still live in the villages and small towns, work opportunities exist mainly in the big cities where development efforts are concentrated. The reason usually given for this obvious lapse is that it is easier to establish industries and to find finance and markets to keep them going in the big cities and towns than in the rural areas where productivity is low because of mass illiteracy and poverty. As capital is the product of human work, rural dwellers who are desperate enough to overcome poverty often leave the villages in search of some kind of existence in the big cities and towns. Therefore, rural unemployment in Nigeria produces mass migration into the cities, leading to a rate of urban growth which seriously taxes the resources of even the biggest cities like Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Kano. From the sad experience of these cities, it is easy to see how rural unemployment can become urban unemployment with the attendant social problems like robbery, overcrowding and the growth of shanties or slums. Such problems cannot be wished away but will remain with us until deliberate efforts are made to bring health to economic life outside the big cities in order to check the migration of destitute rural dwellers into towns and cities that cannot absorb them. It is necessary, therefore, that at least an important part of the development effort should bypass the big cities and be concerned with the provision of viable infrastructure in the small towns and villages. In this connection, it is necessary to emphasize that the primary need is workplaces. The task should be to bring into existence thousands or millions of new workplaces in the rural areas and small towns in order to maximize work opportunities for rural dwellers. For this proposition to make sense, first, the work opportunities should be created in the rural areas where the majority of the people live, not where they tend to migrate for lack of opportunities. Second, the production method employed must be relatively simple, so that the demands for high skills are minimized not only in the production process itself but also in matters of organization, raw material supply, financing, marketing and so forth. Third, production should be mainly from local materials and for local use. Lastly, rural workplaces should be cheap enough so that they can be created in large numbers. These four requirements together meet the description of what is usually called ‘cottage industry’. Millions of them are needed for rural transformation in Nigeria and to check the dangerous process of mutual poisoning between urban and rural areas in the country.

the expression As capital is the product of human work seems to support the argument that

1. rural dwellers who move to urban cities often overcome poverty
2. urban areas will continue to experience overcrowding as long as workplaces are concentrated there
3. urban productivity is affected by mass migration from the rural areas
4. rural people are poor because they lack work opportunities to fight back poverty

Question 2

The root of problems which bedevil rural dwellers in Nigeria can be traced to the sad fact that work opportunities are so restricted that they cannot work their way out of poverty and misery. Though a great number of Nigerians still live in the villages and small towns, work opportunities exist mainly in the big cities where development efforts are concentrated. The reason usually given for this obvious lapse is that it is easier to establish industries and to find finance and markets to keep them going in the big cities and towns than in the rural areas where productivity is low because of mass illiteracy and poverty. As capital is the product of human work, rural dwellers who are desperate enough to overcome poverty often leave the villages in search of some kind of existence in the big cities and towns. Therefore, rural unemployment in Nigeria produces mass migration into the cities, leading to a rate of urban growth which seriously taxes the resources of even the biggest cities like Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Kano. From the sad experience of these cities, it is easy to see how rural unemployment can become urban unemployment with the attendant social problems like robbery, overcrowding and the growth of shanties or slums. Such problems cannot be wished away but will remain with us until deliberate efforts are made to bring health to economic life outside the big cities in order to check the migration of destitute rural dwellers into towns and cities that cannot absorb them. It is necessary, therefore, that at least an important part of the development effort should bypass the big cities and be concerned with the provision of viable infrastructure in the small towns and villages. In this connection, it is necessary to emphasize that the primary need is workplaces. The task should be to bring into existence thousands or millions of new workplaces in the rural areas and small towns in order to maximize work opportunities for rural dwellers. For this proposition to make sense, first, the work opportunities should be created in the rural areas where the majority of the people live, not where they tend to migrate for lack of opportunities. Second, the production method employed must be relatively simple, so that the demands for high skills are minimized not only in the production process itself but also in matters of organization, raw material supply, financing, marketing and so forth. Third, production should be mainly from local materials and for local use. Lastly, rural workplaces should be cheap enough so that they can be created in large numbers. These four requirements together meet the description of what is usually called ‘cottage industry’. Millions of them are needed for rural transformation in Nigeria and to check the dangerous process of mutual poisoning between urban and rural areas in the country.

the expression mutual poisoning as used in the passage suggests that

1. rural and urban areas complement each other
2. migration can make urban and rural people sick
3. rural people violate urban hygiene
4. migration negates effective urban and rural life

Question 4

The root of problems which bedevil rural dwellers in Nigeria can be traced to the sad fact that work opportunities are so restricted that they cannot work their way out of poverty and misery. Though a great number of Nigerians still live in the villages and small towns, work opportunities exist mainly in the big cities where development efforts are concentrated. The reason usually given for this obvious lapse is that it is easier to establish industries and to find finance and markets to keep them going in the big cities and towns than in the rural areas where productivity is low because of mass illiteracy and poverty. As capital is the product of human work, rural dwellers who are desperate enough to overcome poverty often leave the villages in search of some kind of existence in the big cities and towns. Therefore, rural unemployment in Nigeria produces mass migration into the cities, leading to a rate of urban growth which seriously taxes the resources of even the biggest cities like Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Kano. From the sad experience of these cities, it is easy to see how rural unemployment can become urban unemployment with the attendant social problems like robbery, overcrowding and the growth of shanties or slums. Such problems cannot be wished away but will remain with us until deliberate efforts are made to bring health to economic life outside the big cities in order to check the migration of destitute rural dwellers into towns and cities that cannot absorb them. It is necessary, therefore, that at least an important part of the development effort should bypass the big cities and be concerned with the provision of viable infrastructure in the small towns and villages. In this connection, it is necessary to emphasize that the primary need is workplaces. The task should be to bring into existence thousands or millions of new workplaces in the rural areas and small towns in order to maximize work opportunities for rural dwellers. For this proposition to make sense, first, the work opportunities should be created in the rural areas where the majority of the people live, not where they tend to migrate for lack of opportunities. Second, the production method employed must be relatively simple, so that the demands for high skills are minimized not only in the production process itself but also in matters of organization, raw material supply, financing, marketing and so forth. Third, production should be mainly from local materials and for local use. Lastly, rural workplaces should be cheap enough so that they can be created in large numbers. These four requirements together meet the description of what is usually called ‘cottage industry’. Millions of them are needed for rural transformation in Nigeria and to check the dangerous process of mutual poisoning between urban and rural areas in the country.

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

1. Rural work opportunities could reduce urban unemployment
2. Providing work opportunities in the rural areas will lead to low productivity, illiteracy and poverty
3. Urban workplaces are responsible for rural poverty and misery
4. Urban workplaces absorb rural/urban migrants

Question 10

The obvious function of a daily paper is to give news to the people, but this, at the moment, may be done in three ways, which are not all equally laudable. First, there is the paper which sets out to give a brief resume of the news and backs this up by well-written articles on the current affairs by leading writers and experts. Secondly, there is the ‘daily’ which caters for popular taste, and contains only the most sensational and exciting bits of news, supporting them with comic-strips, pictures, children’s corners, women’s sections and readers’ letters on anything but weighty topics. Thirdly, there is the propaganda type of paper, which presents only those versions of the news which agree with its own particular political outlook. All these give news in different ways; but what deeper function can the ideal daily paper have? In the case of the Nigerian daily newspaper, the first type gives the thinking reader an unbiased view of the world situation, so that he can judge the importance of recent events for himself, but it does not indicate to him what he ought to think. The drawback to this is that the semi-literate or uneducated find it dull or difficult and so are discouraged from reading such a paper regularly, because it demands too much thought and effort from them. The main advantage of this type of paper, however, is its soundness, excellent English expression and general effect of widening the readers’ knowledge on a variety of subjects. The second type interests the majority and gives them more striking items of news in an easily comprehensible way, accompanied by lavish photographs and usually with some slight political bias towards the left and the interests of the working class, from which most of its readers come. The drawback of this type is that there is not enough solid thinking matter and the English is often faulty in style – tending towards ‘journalese’. The advantage is that it is quickly and easily read, on the bus or train or over the breakfast table, and gives a superficial knowledge of current affairs to people who would not have the time or inclination to read ‘heavier’ literature. Also, it is a ‘family’ paper, which every member of the household can enjoy, since there is something to please all their tastes. The third type, to some extent, appeals to emotion, not reason. It instructs the reader in exactly what that particular editor believes he ought to think, and does not give him a chance to have a mind of his own by letting him hear the other person’s point of view. The drawback is that it prevents people from thinking for themselves, and causes political hysteria rather than logical thinking. The only advantage is that it does represent the ‘freedom of the press’ to publish whatever it likes, and allows discontented people to air their grievances instead of letting them smolder underground. From these examples, it should be clear that the ideal function of a daily paper would be to present the news clearly and simply, and to support it with articles in good English which show the points of view of various competent people of different outlooks on current problems. The reader could then choose which line of thought appealed to him most. Women’s and children’s sections would be good so long as they did not grow so out of proportion that the paper depended solely upon them for its popularity. Good pictures would add to the paper’s instructive value as well as to its interest; and advertisements, kept in bounds, might be helpful, both as shopping guides and as a financial help to the paper itself. All these points seem to be desirable in a daily paper now that the radio helps in giving news headlines.

An appropriate title for this passage is

1. The Ideal Daily Newspaper
2. The Political Hysteria of a Daily Newspaper
3. The Logic of Press Freedom
4. Three Ideal Functions of a Daily Newspaper

Question 26

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “winsome”: The usually hostile crowd was captivated by the player's winsome attitude.

1. obnoxious
2. friendly
3. colourful
4. drunken

Question 27

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “plebeian”: He gave himself up by his plebeian taste

1. robust
2. laughable
3. voracious
4. patrician

Question 28

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “masterly”: The reporter made a masterly analysis of the situation.

1. an unskillful
2. a mistaken
3. an in-depth
4. a proper

Question 29

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “douse”: Akpan was able to douse the flames with the new piece of equipment.

1. reduce
2. extinguish
3. ignite
4. reinforce

Question 31

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “cash”: The notice reads, 'No cash transactions in this hall'.

1. money
2. gainful
3. business
4. cheque

Question 32

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “hero”: In our last play, Segun acted the hero.

1. villain
2. devil
3. criminal
4. assassin

Question 33

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “congregated round”: The man drew a sword as people congregated round him.

1. praised
2. gathered round
3. mobbed
4. fled from

Question 34

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “No sooner”: No sooner had he arrived than it started to rain.

1. Long before
2. Seldom
3. Simultaneously
4. just before

Question 35

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “conclusive”: The police found a conclusive proof of the boy's guilt.

1. a corroborative
2. a doubtful
3. a consolatory
4. an incriminating

Question 36

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “have his heart in his mouth”: He has no reason to have his heart in his mouth.

1. think negatively
2. feel guilty
3. be afraid
4. be confident

Question 37

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “chubby”: That little boy has become quite chubby.

1. thin
2. intelligent
3. huge
4. tall

Question 38

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “apt”: The point you have made is quite apt

1. illogical
2. helpful
3. irrelevant
4. insensitive

Question 39

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “inherent in”: The chief said he would use the power inherent in his office to stop the celebration.

1. unrelated to
2. common to
3. allotted to
4. impervious to

Question 40

Choose the option opposite in meaning to “premeditated”: The action was premeditated.

1. unnecessary
2. catastrophic
3. unplanned
4. uncoordinated

Question 47

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “meddlesome”: Adamu is rather meddlesome in dealing with his friends.

1. impertinent
2. intimidating
3. quarrelsome
4. uncaring

Question 48

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “quantum leap”: His discovery of the vaccine became a quantum leap in search for a scientific cure for the illness.

1. victorious battle
2. slow but steady step
3. great improvement
4. fast but sure step

Question 49

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “reveled”: The party men reveled all night when the election results were announced

1. mourned
2. fought
3. celebrated
4. discussed

Question 50

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “morbid”: The judge emphasized his morbid desires in his judgement.

1. inordinate
2. uncritical
3. ravenous
4. unpleasant

Question 51

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “relentless”: The commander said that the battle would be sustained, total and relentless.

1. continuous
2. brutal
3. fierce
4. innocuous

Question 52

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “redeemable”: His loss suddenly became redeemable.

1. incurable
2. exclusive
3. recoverable
4. repulsive

Question 53

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “sanctioned”: The move to expel the chairman was sanctioned by members of the party.

1. unleashed
2. opposed
3. supported
4. initiated

Question 55

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “awry”: The plan has gone awry.

1. wide
2. wrong
3. well
4. wild

Question 56

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “easily offended”: Because Jamium is so easily offended, he was not considered for the post of head boy.

1. irritable
2. stubborn
3. troublesome
4. docile

Question 57

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “monstrous”: The witness provided a monstrous account of the event.

1. supportive
2. tragic
3. shocking
4. verbatim

Question 58

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “prolific”: He is a prolific writer.

1. a very productive
2. a well-known
3. a clever
4. an influential

Question 59

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “convention”: The chairman advised the participants to follow convention in stating their points.

1. eloquence
2. advice
3. prudence
4. tradition

Question 60

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “convoluted”: The recommended novel has a convoluted theme.

1. a simple
2. an attractive
3. a disgusting
4. a complicated

Question 61

Choose the option nearest in meaning to “preparedness”: The government has announced its preparedness for the scheme.

1. determination
2. regret
3. pleasure
4. readiness

Question 71

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: The class has fallen in with the teacher's plans.

1. The class has ignored the plans
2. The class has rejected the plans
3. The class has accepted the plans
4. The class has modified the plans

Question 72

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: I owe you far less than you owe me.

1. My debt to you is greater than yours to me
2. Your debt is not much greater than mine
3. What we owe each other is approximately the same
4. I owe you something, but you owe me much more

Question 73

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: Ogiri takes after his father; he fawns upon anyone with influence.

1. Like his father, Ogiri likes to flatter people with influence in society
2. Like his father, Ogiri hates influential people
3. Ogiri, who always follows his father, tries to act an influential man
4. Ogiri, who looks like his father, follows rich and influential people about

Question 74

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: He had hardly spoken when the bell rang.

1. He found it difficult to speak, and then the bell rang
2. When the bell rang, he was still speaking
3. The bell rang very soon after he spoke
4. He spoke in a harsh manner and the bell rang

Question 76

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: I think she takes her guardian's support for granted.

1. Her guardian has been helping her for a long time, and she is very grateful to him
2. She wants her guardian to grant her more support
3. She thinks her guardian will no longer support her as he has been doing
4. Her guardian has been helping her for a long time, but she does not show enough gratitude

Question 78

Choose the most appropriate interpretation: The dispute over land acquisition has come to a head.

1. The problem has reached crisis proportions
2. The problem has been referred to the headquarters
3. Because of the dispute, land acquisition has now been halted
4. The problem has now been solved

Question 81

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: The brave hunter killed the _____ in the forest.

1. big spitting cobra black
2. black big spitting cobra
3. big black spitting cobra
4. big spitting black cobra

Question 82

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: The _____ robber showed no mercy during the attack.

1. loquacious
2. senseless
3. ruthless
4. benevolent

Question 83

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: Despite all preparations, the wedding did not _____ .

1. come along
2. come by
3. come on
4. come off

Question 86

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: Did you have _____ when you went to visit the medical doctor.

1. diarrhoea
2. diarrehea
3. diarhoea
4. diarhea

Question 92

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: The old man was rushed to hospital when his blood pressure dropped to a _____ level.

1. dangerously lowly
2. dangerous lowly
3. dangerously low
4. dangerous low

Question 93

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: Until he lost the election, Agbo _____ to be Student Union president.

1. had been hoping
2. has been hoping
3. would have hoped
4. has hoped

Question 94

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: _____ been there to look for her several times without success.

1. He'll
2. He's
3. Is he
4. He is

Question 95

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: He wrote to you, _____

1. hadn't he
2. wouldn't he
3. didn't he
4. hasn't he

Question 99

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: I watched him as he _____ the hole.

1. dug
2. digs
3. is digging
4. dugged