JAMB Use of English 2020

43 reviewed questions with answers and explanations.

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Question 1

The growth in the world's population is in observance of the divine mandate and effective management of the world health system through legislation, enactment and sensitization. In the past, the growing human population was reduced through scarcity of food, floods, earthquakes, wars, etc. But in this time and age, man has found solutions to some of the mentioned catalysts to death among the human population. There is now a clarion call to man to take responsibility in reducing the world's population, which may culminate in food scarcity, by consciously sensitizing people to the benefits of family planning.

According to the passage, what concern does the writer express about population growth?

  1. That population growth was for the good of all
  2. That a high population growth rate was dangerous to all
  3. That without population the world would be empty
  4. That population explosion is outdated
Answer and explanation

B: That a high population growth rate was dangerous to all

The writer warns that population growth may lead to food scarcity and calls for family planning. B best reflects that concern. The passage does not say population growth benefits everyone, that the world would otherwise be empty, or that population explosion is outdated.

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Question 4

The growth in the world's population is in observance of the divine mandate and effective management of the world health system through legislation, enactment and sensitization. In the past, the growing human population was reduced through scarcity of food, floods, earthquakes, wars, etc. But in this time and age, man has found solutions to some of the mentioned catalysts to death among the human population. There is now a clarion call to man to take responsibility in reducing the world's population, which may culminate in food scarcity, by consciously sensitizing people to the benefits of family planning.

What does “catalysts” mean as used in the passage?

  1. Way out
  2. Aid to
  3. Catalysed way
  4. Increasing death rate
Answer and explanation

B: Aid to

The passage uses “catalysts to death” for conditions such as famine, floods and wars that contribute to deaths. “Aid to” is the closest available meaning: these conditions help bring about an outcome. A way out suggests escape, while an increasing death rate is an outcome rather than a contributing factor.

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Question 6

In this age of air transportation, as travel becomes easier, quicker and expensive, more and still more visitors from all over the world are attracted to Africa by the thrill of seeing the beauty of nature. They visit the vast plains, the equatorial rain forest, the lakes and rivers, the mountain ranges and the great semi-arid veld of Africa. The goal of their journeying is not only the vast herds of antelopes and the carnivores which prey on them, but also the unusual and brilliantly coloured birds which inhabit these places in seemingly endless varieties.

According to the passage, how are more and more visitors coming to Africa?

  1. Ship
  2. Sea
  3. Aeroplane
  4. Train
Answer and explanation

C: Aeroplane

The passage opens by identifying an age of air transportation. That points to aeroplanes, option C. It does not identify ships, sea travel or trains as the means being described.

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Question 7

In this age of air transportation, as travel becomes easier, quicker and expensive, more and still more visitors from all over the world are attracted to Africa by the thrill of seeing the beauty of nature. They visit the vast plains, the equatorial rain forest, the lakes and rivers, the mountain ranges and the great semi-arid veld of Africa. The goal of their journeying is not only the vast herds of antelopes and the carnivores which prey on them, but also the unusual and brilliantly coloured birds which inhabit these places in seemingly endless varieties.

According to the passage, what do these visitors hope to see in Africa?

  1. Air transportation
  2. Costumes
  3. Only prey animals
  4. The beauty of nature
Answer and explanation

D: The beauty of nature

The passage states that the visitors are attracted by the beauty of nature. D includes the landscapes, animals and birds described. Air transportation is the means of travel; costumes are not mentioned, and only prey animals is too narrow.

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Question 8

In this age of air transportation, as travel becomes easier, quicker and expensive, more and still more visitors from all over the world are attracted to Africa by the thrill of seeing the beauty of nature. They visit the vast plains, the equatorial rain forest, the lakes and rivers, the mountain ranges and the great semi-arid veld of Africa. The goal of their journeying is not only the vast herds of antelopes and the carnivores which prey on them, but also the unusual and brilliantly coloured birds which inhabit these places in seemingly endless varieties.

According to the passage, what do these visitors go to see when they arrive in Africa?

  1. Only the desert
  2. Only the mountains
  3. Only plains
  4. As many parts of Africa as they can
Answer and explanation

D: As many parts of Africa as they can

The passage lists plains, rain forest, lakes, rivers, mountains and semi-arid veld. D best summarizes this wide range of destinations. Each other option incorrectly limits the visitors to just one kind of place.

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Question 10

In this age of air transportation, as travel becomes easier, quicker and expensive, more and still more visitors from all over the world are attracted to Africa by the thrill of seeing the beauty of nature. They visit the vast plains, the equatorial rain forest, the lakes and rivers, the mountain ranges and the great semi-arid veld of Africa. The goal of their journeying is not only the vast herds of antelopes and the carnivores which prey on them, but also the unusual and brilliantly coloured birds which inhabit these places in seemingly endless varieties.

According to the passage, what animals prey on the antelopes?

  1. The tourists
  2. Visitors
  3. Carnivores
  4. All wild animals
Answer and explanation

C: Carnivores

The passage directly identifies carnivores as the animals that prey on the antelopes. Tourists and visitors are people observing the wildlife. “All wild animals” is too broad because many wild animals do not prey on antelopes.

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Question 12

It has been said that there have been more scientific discoveries this century than in the rest of the world's history. Certainly the list is a long and impressive one: the aeroplane, radio, television, the domestic use of electricity in a thousand and one forms, and space satellites. These have been matched by discoveries in medicine, which have perhaps been less spectacular but have nevertheless saved the lives of millions of people. Sir Alexander Fleming's development of penicillin and the discovery of X-ray photography are just two of the things which have lessened human misery. Side by side with these discoveries, however, we must put inventions such as the atomic bomb, which have increased the chances of men destroying one another, in perspective.

Which of these discoveries is not mentioned in the passage?

  1. The aeroplane
  2. Television
  3. Railway engine
  4. Satellite
Answer and explanation

C: Railway engine

The list includes the aeroplane, television and space satellites. It does not include a railway engine, so C is correct. This question asks what the passage mentions, rather than which inventions exist.

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Question 14

It has been said that there have been more scientific discoveries this century than in the rest of the world's history. Certainly the list is a long and impressive one: the aeroplane, radio, television, the domestic use of electricity in a thousand and one forms, and space satellites. These have been matched by discoveries in medicine, which have perhaps been less spectacular but have nevertheless saved the lives of millions of people. Sir Alexander Fleming's development of penicillin and the discovery of X-ray photography are just two of the things which have lessened human misery. Side by side with these discoveries, however, we must put inventions such as the atomic bomb, which have increased the chances of men destroying one another, in perspective.

According to the passage, which discovery is associated with Sir Alexander Fleming?

  1. Electricity
  2. Photography
  3. Penicillin
  4. Radio
Answer and explanation

C: Penicillin

The passage explicitly associates Sir Alexander Fleming with penicillin. It lists electricity and radio separately and does not attribute photography to him. Therefore C is the supported answer.

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Question 37

Choose the option closest in meaning to “remarks” in this sentence: “Adisa had very good remarks on his report card”

  1. details
  2. design
  3. comment
  4. ideas
Answer and explanation

C: comment

Remarks on a report card are comments about the student, so C is the closest meaning. Details are particulars, a design is an arrangement, and ideas are thoughts.

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Question 38

Choose the option closest in meaning to “surmount” in this sentence: “We must work hard in order to surmount our difficulties.”

  1. decrease
  2. overcome
  3. remove
  4. meet
Answer and explanation

B: overcome

To surmount difficulties is to overcome them, so B is the best answer. Decreasing difficulties only makes them smaller; meeting them means encountering them. “Overcome” most directly expresses dealing successfully with the difficulties.

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Question 39

Choose the option closest in meaning to “revenue” in this sentence: “The government gets most of its revenue from tax and customs duties.”

  1. riches
  2. fees
  3. income
  4. support
Answer and explanation

C: income

Revenue is income received, including the money a government collects through taxes and duties. C is therefore the broad matching word. Fees are only one possible type of income; riches refer to wealth, and support can mean many kinds of assistance.

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Question 40

Choose the option closest in meaning to “look into” in this sentence: “The monitor was told to look into the cause of the confusion in the classroom.”

  1. investigate
  2. punish
  3. spy on
  4. watch
Answer and explanation

A: investigate

In this context, “look into” means investigate: the monitor must find out what caused the confusion. Punishing someone is a possible response, not an investigation. Watching or spying on people does not necessarily establish the cause.

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Question 41

Choose the option closest in meaning to “cut” in this sentence: “The workers protested about the cut in their wages”

  1. decrease
  2. lateness
  3. amount
  4. gap
Answer and explanation

A: decrease

A cut in wages means a decrease in pay, so A is correct. Lateness concerns when payment occurs; amount names a quantity without saying it fell; gap names a difference or space.

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Question 43

Choose the option closest in meaning to “expensive” in this sentence: “The man asked his wife to buy expensive materials for her dresses”

  1. beautiful
  2. gay
  3. costly
  4. many
Answer and explanation

C: costly

Expensive materials cost a lot of money, so “costly” is the closest meaning. The other alternatives do not express a high price. The word’s meaning in this sentence concerns cost, not the appearance or number of materials.

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Question 44

Choose the option closest in meaning to “give up his appointment” in this sentence: “Mr Subomi wants to give up his appointment.”

  1. transfer his appointment to another
  2. resign from his position
  3. keep the appointment for the son
  4. share his appointment with others
Answer and explanation

B: resign from his position

To give up an appointment here means to resign from the position. B is the closest meaning. Transferring, reserving or sharing the position does not mean leaving it.

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Question 45

Choose the word that most suitably fills the gap: “I passed my entrance examination ______ unfortunately, I was not accepted by the university.”

  1. and
  2. because
  3. for
  4. but
Answer and explanation

D: but

The second clause contrasts with the expectation created by passing the examination: the speaker nevertheless did not gain admission. “But” makes that contrast explicit and is the most suitable choice. “And” merely adds information; “because” and “for” would introduce a reason.

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Question 46

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “The only witness to the theft was so shocked that he couldn't describe exactly ______.”

  1. what the thief looked like
  2. how the thief looked like
  3. that the thief looked like
  4. which the thief looked like
Answer and explanation

A: what the thief looked like

A description of appearance answers “what someone looks like”. The embedded clause therefore reads “what the thief looked like”. “How ... looked like” combines two incompatible patterns; “that” does not request the missing description, and “which” would need a specified choice.

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Question 47

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “The lady accompanied by her two friends ______.”

  1. has arrived
  2. have arrived
  3. have been arriving
  4. is being arrived
Answer and explanation

A: has arrived

The subject is the singular noun “lady”, so the verb is “has arrived”. “Accompanied by her two friends” adds information but does not make the subject plural. “Have” does not agree with the subject, and “is being arrived” is not a standard passive construction.

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Question 50

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “This is the lady ______ stole my car.”

  1. who
  2. which
  3. whom
  4. would have
Answer and explanation

A: who

“Who” refers to the lady and acts as the subject of “stole”. “Whom” is an object form, “which” normally refers to things here, and “would have” cannot introduce this relative clause.

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Question 51

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “If you were around, I ______ happy.”

  1. would be
  2. would have been
  3. was
  4. have been
Answer and explanation

A: would be

This is a hypothetical present situation: “If you were around, I would be happy.” The usual pattern is if + past form, followed by would + base verb. “Would have been” normally describes a past result; “was” and “have been” do not express the intended hypothetical result.

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Question 53

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “While I was gone, who ______ here?”

  1. came
  2. comes
  3. have come
  4. has come
Answer and explanation

A: came

“While I was gone” identifies a completed past period, so the past simple “came” fits. “Comes” is present simple. “Has come” links an event to the present, while “have come” also fails singular agreement with “who” in this question.

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Question 55

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “The football team supporters ______ wildly when a goal was scored for their team.”

  1. cheered
  2. groaned
  3. wept
  4. shouted
Answer and explanation

A: cheered

“Cheered” is the most suitable word for supporters expressing delight at their team scoring. “Shouted” describes loud voices without specifying approval. “Groaned” normally signals disappointment, while “wept” describes crying.

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Question 61

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “In the lecture hall, the lecturer gave the ______ to the students.”

  1. lecture
  2. dialogue
  3. warning
  4. talk
Answer and explanation

A: lecture

A lecture is a teaching talk delivered to an audience, so “lecture” most specifically matches the lecturer addressing students in a lecture hall. “Talk” is a broader term, a dialogue is an exchange between speakers, and a warning concerns a danger or problem.

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Question 64

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Olumide is absent ______ the lecture today.”

  1. from
  2. of
  3. over
  4. in
Answer and explanation

A: from

The standard expression is “absent from”: it identifies the place or event a person is not attending. “Of”, “over” and “in” do not complete that expression.

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Question 65

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “The man in the black suit should ______ the horse.”

  1. mount
  2. sit
  3. by
  4. in
Answer and explanation

A: mount

To mount a horse is to get onto it to ride. “Should” takes the base verb “mount”. “Sit” would need “on” before the horse, and “by” and “in” are prepositions rather than the required verb.

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Question 68

Choose the option closest in opposite meaning to “agreed” in this sentence: “They all agreed that John was a fast runner after the race.”

  1. cheered
  2. denied
  3. said
  4. shouted
Answer and explanation

B: denied

Agreeing that a claim is true expresses acceptance; denying it expresses rejection. “Denied” is therefore the closest opposite. “Said” and “shouted” describe ways of expressing something without necessarily accepting or rejecting it, while “cheered” expresses approval.

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Question 69

Choose the option closest in opposite meaning to “empty” in this sentence: “Last year our well was empty.”

  1. few
  2. full
  3. shallow
  4. low
Answer and explanation

B: full

An empty well contains no water; a full well contains water up to its capacity. “Full” is the opposite in this context. “Shallow” describes depth, “low” describes level, and “few” refers to a small number of countable things.

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Question 70

Choose the option closest in opposite meaning to “rough” in this sentence: “Solomon did not feel comfortable in his coat because it was made of rough materials.”

  1. light
  2. cheap
  3. smooth
  4. delicate
Answer and explanation

C: smooth

Here “rough” describes an uneven texture. “Smooth” describes the opposite texture. “Light” concerns weight, “cheap” concerns price, and “delicate” concerns fragility or fineness rather than the direct opposite of roughness.

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Question 71

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Olu is a very good friend on ______ I can rely.”

  1. where
  2. which
  3. whom
  4. who
Answer and explanation

C: whom

In formal English, “whom” follows a preposition when it refers to a person: “on whom I can rely”. “Who” is the subject form, “which” refers to things, and “where” refers to a place.

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Question 74

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “I know of an elephant ______ has only three legs.”

  1. who
  2. which
  3. whom
  4. of which
Answer and explanation

B: which

“Which” introduces a relative clause about the elephant and serves as the subject of “has”. “Whom” is an object form for people, and “of which” cannot directly supply the subject here. “Who” normally refers to people rather than an unnamed animal in this sentence.

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Question 76

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “There were no tomatoes in the supermarket, ______ Ronke bought some pepper.”

  1. unless
  2. so
  3. whereas
  4. since
Answer and explanation

B: so

“So” links a situation with its result: tomatoes were unavailable, so Ronke chose pepper. “Unless” introduces a condition; “since” would present buying pepper as the cause; “whereas” contrasts facts without expressing this consequence.

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Question 77

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “The security vehicle raced ______ full speed with the siren blaring.”

  1. on
  2. with
  3. at
  4. in
Answer and explanation

C: at

The expression is “at full speed”, meaning as fast as possible. “On”, “with” and “in” do not form the standard phrase with “full speed”.

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Question 78

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “William loves reading love story books to take his mind ______ his worries.”

  1. from
  2. out
  3. away
  4. off
Answer and explanation

D: off

To take your mind off something is to stop thinking about it for a while. “Off” completes this expression. “From”, “out” and “away” do not fit the phrase as written.

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Question 79

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “I don't know what to do with these children; they are always quarrelling with ______.”

  1. themselves
  2. myself
  3. one another
  4. each of them
Answer and explanation

C: one another

“One another” expresses a reciprocal action: the children quarrel with other members of the group. “Themselves” suggests each child quarrelling with himself or herself. “Myself” refers to the speaker, and “each of them” does not express the intended mutual relationship as directly.

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Question 81

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “If he had known, he wouldn't have come, ______”

  1. wasn't he?
  2. would he?
  3. couldn't he?
  4. wouldn't he?
Answer and explanation

B: would he?

The main clause is negative and uses “would”, so its usual confirmation tag is positive: “would he?” The tag follows the auxiliary in the main clause, not the auxiliary in the if-clause. “Was” and “could” do not match it, and “wouldn’t” repeats the negative.

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Question 86

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Ajose and Emmanuel ______ the work yesterday.”

  1. finished
  2. finish
  3. shall finish
  4. would finish
Answer and explanation

A: finished

“Yesterday” places this completed action in the past, so “finished” is the most suitable form. “Finish” is present, “shall finish” is future, and “would finish” would need an additional hypothetical or past-reporting context.

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Question 90

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Take your umbrella because it ______.”

  1. is raining
  2. wanted to rain
  3. had rained
  4. was raining
Answer and explanation

A: is raining

“Is raining” describes rain happening now and gives the immediate reason for taking an umbrella. “Had rained” and “was raining” refer to earlier rain. “Wanted to rain” incorrectly treats the weather as having a desire.

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Question 91

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “When I heard the deafening sound, I ______ under the bed.”

  1. hidden
  2. had hid
  3. hid
  4. am hiding
Answer and explanation

C: hid

The sentence describes a past event, so use “hid”, the past simple of “hide”. “Hidden” is a past participle and needs an auxiliary. “Had hid” uses the wrong participle; “am hiding” is present continuous.

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Question 95

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “When Ade came in, he sat on a chair and ______ for a drink.”

  1. was asking
  2. asked
  3. will ask
  4. after
Answer and explanation

B: asked

“Came”, “sat” and “asked” describe a sequence of completed past actions. “Asked” keeps that sequence in the past simple. “Was asking” emphasizes an ongoing action, “will ask” shifts to the future, and “after” is not a verb.

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Question 96

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Lawrence, please, if you come ______ my brother in town, inform him that I am in town.”

  1. over
  2. across
  3. through
  4. after
Answer and explanation

B: across

“Come across” means meet or find someone by chance. “Across” therefore fits the request to pass on a message after an unexpected meeting. “Come after” suggests pursuit; “over” and “through” do not express meeting a person in this construction.

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Question 97

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Charles quickly got a match and struck it on ______ sole of my shoe.”

  1. this
  2. the
  3. a
  4. each
Answer and explanation

B: the

“The sole of my shoe” identifies a particular part of a particular shoe, so “the” is the natural article. “A” leaves the sole unspecified, “each” does not fit the singular shoe, and “this” adds a pointing contrast that the sentence does not establish.

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Question 98

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “Olu asked the secretary if anybody ______ to see him.”

  1. wants
  2. wanted
  3. has been waiting
  4. is wishing
Answer and explanation

B: wanted

“Wanted” is the normal past form in this reported question after “asked”: the direct question is “Does anybody want to see me?” “Wants” would retain a present viewpoint, “has been waiting” changes the meaning to waiting, and “is wishing” is not the natural expression for this request.

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Question 100

Choose the word or phrase that most suitably fills the gap: “______ likes to be cheated.”

  1. Not many people
  2. Nobody
  3. Few people
  4. No people
Answer and explanation

B: Nobody

“Nobody” is grammatically singular and agrees with “likes”. The other options contain plural “people”, which would require “like” instead of “likes”.

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