JAMB UTME 2019/2020 ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXPECTED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

JAMB ENGLISH
PASSAGE I
Read the passage carefully
and answer the question
that follows. The question
carries 3 marks.
By 1910, the motor car was
plainly conquering the
highway. The private car
was now part of every rich
man’s establishment,
although its price made it as
yet an impossible luxury for
most of the middle class. But
for the adventuresome
youth, there was the
motorcycle, a fearsome
invention producing
accident and ear-splitting
noises. Already, the
dignified carriages and
smart pony-traps were
beginning to disappear
from the roads, and
coachmen and grooms,
unless mechanically minded,
were finding it more
difficult to make a living.
The roads which had gone
to sleep since the coming of
the railway, now awoke to
feverish activity. Cars and
motorcycles dashed along
them at speeds which
rivalled those of the express
trains, and the lorry began
to appear. Therefore, the
road system was compelled
to adapt itself to a volume
and speed of traffic for
which it had never been
intended. To widen and
straighten the roads and get
rid of blind corners and
every steep gradient were
tasks which had scarcely
been tackled before 1914.
The situation was worse in
towns where not only was
any large scheme of road
widening usually out of the
question, but also where
crowding and danger were
all too frequently increased
by the short-sighted
eagerness of town
authorities to allocate land
for residential and other
purposes.
Adapted from Rachel C. The
Advent of the Motor Car
Question 1
The word eagerness, as
used in the passage, means
A.
keenness.=
B.
Frankness
C.
Correctness
D.
Calmness
Question 2
The expression, unless
mechanically minded, as
used in the passage, refers
to
A.
coachmen and grooms
adaptable to the new
technology.
B.
=those amenable to change
and development
C.
coachmen and grooms who
chose to become mechanics
D.
town authorities allocating
land
The statement By 1910, the
motor car was plainly
conquering the highway, as
used in the passage, means
that
A.
by 1910 many people knew
how to drive motor cars.
B.
the motor car was invented
in 1910
C.
=by 1910 the motor car
became a common sight on
the highways
D.
highway codes for the
motor cars came into effect
in 1910
Question 4
The writer seems to suggest
that
A.
there were no roads before
the advent of cars and
motorcycles and so people
had to be mechanically
minded.
B.=
the volume and speed of
traffic on the roads
increased with the advent
of cars, the motorcycles and
lorries
C.
coachmen and grooms
were not mechanically
minded
D.
the roads that existed were
dormant
Question 5
Which of the following
statements can be inferred
from the passage?
A.
Insignificant improvement
occurred in transport since
the advent of the motor
cars, the lorries and the
motorcycles.
B.
Human society was static
without the express speed
of cars and motorcycles.
C.
=Society would be less
chaotic without the
increasing volume and
speed of motor cars, lorries
and motorcycles.
D.
People no longer use trains
with the advent of cars and
lorries.
PASSAGE II
Read the passage carefully
and answer the question
that follows. The question
carries 3 marks.
Chimpanzees apparently live
in troops of between
twenty and fifty animals.
Within these troops, they
form small groups of
varying compositions; the
basic groups consist of
females, or males plus
offspring. Adult females
spending much time
together often turn out to
be mother and daughter, or
sisters. Mother and
offspring live consistently,
at least for the first four or
five years, longer than any
other primate except man.
Chimpanzees have a varied
diet. In the forest, they are
predominantly fruit eaters,
but in the open woodlands,
the males sometimes kill and
eat colobus monkeys or
bush pigs. Meat is a very
choice item in the
chimpanzee’s diet and is
often eaten slowly and
deliberately with a mouthful
of leaves between each bite.
It is sometimes shared out
with other chimpanzees,
who will beg for pieces. This
food-sharing is very
unusual among non-human
primates; with most other
primates, it is everyone for
himself. When the season is
right, chimpanzees in
woodlands also eat termites
and they do this by fishing
for them. When about to go
hunting for termites, a
chimpanzee will first
carefully select a number of
stems or pieces of grass
and trim them to the
appropriate length. It will
tend to ignore any termite
hill that is not ready and go
on until it finds a mound
ripe for fishing. A hole is
scratched out with a finger
and the prepared stem is
inserted. It is withdrawn,
covered with termites and
passed carefully over the
lower lip until every
delicious morsel is removed.
Adapted from Ayodele, S. O.,
Ogunsanwo, O. and
Fagbemi, A. (1991) Evans
Qualifying Course in English
Language, Lagos: Evans
Publishers Ltd.
Question 6
According to the passage,
which of these
characteristics is shared
between chimpanzees and
man?
A=.
Maintenance of close family
ties.
B.
Open rivalry among
offspring.
C.
Daugthers maintaining
closer contact with fathers.
D.
Undue concern for family
economic welfare.
Question 7
The word predominantly, as
used in the passage, means
A.
Objectively
B.
Primitively
C. =
Chiefly
D.
carefully.
Question 8
According to the passage,
chimpanzees prefer
=
A.
termites and plants
B.
=fruits and plants
C.
meat and leaves
D.
meat and crabs.
Question 9
From the passage, it can be
deduced that chimpanzees
A.
eat termites when in need
of meat
B.
eat termites when in groups
C.
eat termites provided by
mother and offspring
D. =
eat termites in season.
Question 10
Which of the following is
true according to the
passage?
A.
Chimpanzees are meticulous
when searching for food.
B.
Chimpanzees are reactive
when in groups.
C.
Chimpanzees are restless
when hungry.
D.
=Chimpanzees are
carnivorous and gregarious.
PASSAGE III
The passage below has
gaps. Immediately following
each gap, four options are
provided. Choose the most
appropriate option for each
gap. Each question carries 2
marks.
Question 11
Safety devices and safety
precautions are
everywhere, but they are
often ignored by most
citizens. For instance 11 [ A.
visitors = B. youths C. aliens
D. government ] often place
higher value on freedom
and so, they see safety
precautions required in
road traffic operations as a
12 [ A. clog B. coalition = C.
violation D. vibration ] of
their personal freedom. The
aged tend to value their
safety more and perceive
safety precautions as a
means to 13 [ A. warrant B.
suppress C. increase = D.
guarantee ] personal safety.
Today, there is a greater
interest in 1=4 [ A. security
B. management C.
procurement D.
development ] be it of life,
property or the
environment. The increased
attention on safety in the
home, industry or on the
highway is a further 15
[ A.=evidence B. ingredient
C. confidence D. allusion ] of
man’s desire for safety.
However, the conquest of
disease is quite different
from the conquest of an 16
[ A. unseen B. unforseeable
C. unfeasible = D.
unforeseen ] and unplanned
event called ‘accident’. The
17 [ A. cultural = B. natural C.
commercial D. economic ]
and 18 [ A. political = B.
social C. industrial D.
religious ] implications of
accidents are so great that
no effort is too much
towards its 19 [ A.
protection = B. prevention C.
preservation D.
presumption ] . Any
condition that results in
deaths, injuries, and
destruction of properties
should not be treated with
levity. Accidents do not just
happen, they are 20 [ A.
created = B. caused C.
cursed D. cost ] .
Adapted from Obiyemi, O. O.
& Oyerinde, O. O. (Eds)
(2001) A Text Book of First
Aid and Safety Education,
Ilorin: University of Ilorin
This question is based on A.
H. Mohammed’s The Last
Days at Forcados High
School.
Question 21
Students of Forcados High
School were usually excited
to return to school after the
= A.
short summer break
B.
long long summer break
C.
long long winter break
D.
short winter break.
Question 22
Which of the following
methods did Miss Novi
employ to resuscitate the
little boy who fainted?
A.
Cadiopulmonary
resuscitation
B.
Cadiopulminary
resuscitation
C=.
Cardiopulmonary
resuscitation
D.
Cardiopulminary
resuscitation.
Question 23
What was Jimi’s reaction
when he got home after
escaping from the
policemen?
= A.
He felt ashamed for leaving
his brother behind.
B.
He reported the matter to
Papa Solade immediately.
C.
He went straight to bed.
D.
He broke down in tears.
Question 24
In the novel, Caro’s attitude
towards Efua Coker could be
regarded as
= A.
Childish
B.
Fanatical
C.
Deceitful
D.
heroic.
Question 25
Jimi received the news of
the diagnosis of his
mother’s ailment from
A.
the doctor
= B.
his father
C.
the house help
D.
his mother
Question 26
Ansa did not know that
there was a new girl from
another school at Forcados
High School until he got the
information from
A.
Jimi
B.
Caro
= C.
Nene
D.
Okoro
Question 27
One of the reasons for
admitting Efua into
Forcados High School was
that
A.
she performed well in a
school debate
B.=
she was a straight A-student
C.
her father was generous to
Mr Mallum
D.
she was recommended by
the commissioner.
Question 28
Jimi could not finish his
breakfast of moin-moin and
brown pap because
A.
he was not hungry
B.
it was not tasty enough
C.
he was already late for
school
D.
he was not happy.
Question 29
Outside the gate, he stood
for a moment and listened.
From the excerpt above,
what did Jimi listen to?
A.=
He listened to the distant
sound of the buses.
B.
He listened to the way his
father was beating his
mother.
C.
He listened to the way Wole
was abusing his father.
D.
He listened to the way a dog
was barking at a neighbour.
Question 30
Mrs Alli told Nene that she
was worried about Efua
because
A.=
Efua was too engrossed in
her social activities.
B.
of Efua’s reaction whenever
her mother was mentioned
C.
Efua was no longer paying
attention to her studies
D.
Efua was giving too much
attention to boys in school.
Question 31
From the storyline, Jimi and
Ansa were
A.
quarrelsome
B.
paradoxical
C.=
antithetical
D.
antagonistic.
Question 32
He was a tall and well-built
man with a head shaved
bald. He wore a loose caftan
over his bulging tummy.
The description above
epitomizes
A.
Mr Solade
B. =
Mr Mallum
C.
Uncle Kazeem
D.
Mr Edet.
Question 33
The death of Mrs Solade
A.
definitely changed Jimi’s life
B.
probably changed Jimi’s life
C.
hardly changed Jimi’s life
D.
=barely changed Jimi’s life.
Question 34
What attracted Efua to Miss
Novi?
A.
Miss Novi’s mode of
dressing.
B.=
Miss Novi’s act of kindness
to the boy who fainted.
C.
Miss Novi’s quiet disposition
and intelligence in all
situations.
D.
Miss Novi’s rich background.
Question 35
Who was nicknamed the
witch among the Forcados
High School students?
A.
Caro
B. =
Efua
C.
Nene
D.
Joke
Question 36
Olu began to feel he was
really homing in on the
answer.
A.
He was moving towards
nowhere.
B=.
He was aiming at the
answer.
C.
He was homesick.
D.
He was on his way home.
Question 37
Chukwudi often recites the
poem off the cuff.
A.=
He recites it without
preparation.
B.
He reads it outside the class.
C.
He reads it under duress.
D.
He recites it standing up.
Question 38
Ayo sailed close to the wind.
A.
He took a risk by doing
something illegal.
B. =
He is close to breaking the
record.
C.
He is close to getting an
award.
D.
He sailed smoothly around
the world.
Question 39
Musa is a past-master at the
game of deception.
A.
=He is an expert.
B.
He is a notable player.
C.
He is a referee.
D.
He is a master dribbler.
Question 40
People have golden
opinions of the teacher.
A.
They have very great
admiration for him.
B. =
They talk about him with
caution.
C.
They see him as a dishonest
person.
D.
They like him for his plain
dealing.
Question 41
It has been observed that
the labour president has his
members in his pocket .
A.
He puts his members in his
pocket.
B.
He is influenced by his
members.
C.=
He has control over his
members.
D.
He is very close to his
members.
Question 42
If you had not lost your
temper, neither of us would
be in this trouble.
A.
You did not lose your
temper so we are not in
trouble.
B.
You did not lose your
temper but we are both in
trouble.
C.
You are in trouble because
you lost your temper but I
am not.
D.=
We are both in trouble
because you lost your
temper.
Question 43
The low income class are
now badly off with the fast
increasing cost of living.
A.
They are badly monetized.
B. =
They are at a disadvantage.
C.
They are badly employed.
D.
They are the low income
agitators.
Question 44
If Musa should become
president, trade with other
countries will increase .
A.=
It is possible that trade will
increase with the man’s
presidency.
B.
This man ought to be
president in order to
increase trade.
C.
If trade increases, this man
should become president.
D.
The president should work
to increase trade with other
countries.
Question 45
When the meeting was
going on Aisha had her
head in the cloud.
A.
Aisha was not sleeping.
B.
Aisha was meditating.
C=.
Aisha was not
concentrating.
D.
Aisha was making a noise.
For this question, choose
the option opposite in
meaning to the word or
phrase in italics.
Question 46
He retired after an illustrious
career in the civil service.
A.=
untoward
B.
obscure
C.
infamous
D.
enviable
Question 47
The secretary’s loyalty to
her boss was unalloyed.
A. =
credible
B.
incredible
C.
half-hearted
D.
hypothetical
Question 48
The report of the enquiry
showed that the manager
was culpable.
A. =
guilty
B.
sincere
C.
innocent
D.
honest
Mrs. Bola is a submissive
housewife.
A.
a calm
B.
an assertive
C. =
a sluggish
D.
an emotional
Question 50
The teacher cautiously
raised his arm.
A.
finally
B.
slowly
C.
quickly
D.=
rashly
Question 51
I admire Mahmud for his
altruistic behaviour.
A.
=benevolent
B.
selfish
C.
arrogant
D.
honest
Question 52
The company imported
some sophisticated
equipment from Europe.
A.
simple
B.
=rural
C.
heavy
D.
light
Question 53
The thought of eating the
forbidden meat repulsed
the little girl.
A.
disgusted
B=.
fascinated
C.
helped
D.
shocked
Question 54
The messenger was
elevated for his service to
the organization.
A.
dismissed
B.
transferred
C. =
demoted
D.
retrenched
Question 55
Mr. Gana is a thoroughly
obnoxious young man.
A.
offensive
B.
pleasant
C.
fraudulent
D. =
sincere
For this question, choose
the option nearest in
meaning to the word or
phrase in italics.
Question 56
The musician basked in the
adulation of the crowd .
A.
condemnation
B. =
admiration
C.
expectation
D.
visitation
Question 57
The soldiers were arrested
for using the arsenals
unlawfully.
A.=
weapons
B.
garrison
C.
battalion
D.
infantry
Question 58
Two rows of trees arched
over the bridge on the
highway.
A.
sped
B.
passed
C.
laid
D=.
curved
Question 59
The old man sat for hours
musing on the wonders of
the world.
A.
laughing at
B.
=meditating on
C.
mediating for
D.
planning to
Question 60
The lazy man cast a lustful
glance at his neighbour’s
wife.
A.
=covetous
B.
envious
C.
hateful
D.
quick
Question 61
Her search for the treasure
was frantic.
A.
rewarding
B.
=chaotic
C.
hectic
D.
sudden
Question 62
The nurse held up the
operation.
A=.
delayed
B.
aggravated
C.
condemned
D.
hastened
Question 63
‘We must consider all
contingencies,’ said the
teacher.
A.
hostilities
B.
irregularities
C.
possibilities
D.=
proximities
Question 64
The artiste gave a creditable
performance.
A.
realistic
B=.
praiseworthy
C.
truthful
D.
bad
Question 65
It was an auspicious
moment for the intending
couple.
A.
a sympathetic
B.
a dangerous
C.
an unexpected
D.=
a promising
Question 66
Hisila is … clever but not
brilliant.
A=.
quite
B.
nearly
C.
hardly more
D.
very much
Question 67
Sola can’t read … candle
light.
A.
at
B.
to
C=.
by
D.
as
Question 68
Dede has left school, …?
A.
didn’t he
B.
isn’t it
C=.
hasn’t he
D.
did he
Question 69
The chairman … all his
authority to ensure that his
daughter gained admission
to the university.
A.
evolved
B=.
asserted
C.
exerted
D.
extracted
Question 70
Asilotu tried to jump over
the wall several times but ….
A.
can not
B.
would not have
C.
will not be
D.=
could not
Question 71
The poor boy was … a
darkroom for 48 hours.
A.
fortified with
B.
extricated from
C.
confused of
D.=
confined to
Question 72
Suana … that hexagons had
five sides, but later he knew
they were six-sided figures.
A.
has believed
B.
believes
C. =
had believed
D.
would have believed
Question 73
They thought Musa … agree
if they altered some of the
conditions.
A. =
might
B.
can
C.
ought
D.
may
Question 74
Kusana … in the office, but
he has gone fishing instead.
A.
will be
B. =
should be
C.
may be
D.
must be
Question 75
You live in the city now, …?
A.
are you
B=.
don’t you
C.
haven’t you
D.
didn’t you
Question 76
The man was given …
degree despite the fact that
he did not attend a
university.
a ceremonial
B.
=an honorary
C.
a ceremonious
D.
an honourable
Question 77
The university is a
corporate body made …
different colleges.
A. =
up of
B.
in with
C.
up from
D.
of with
Question 78
Next term we are going to …
how to draw.
A.
learnt
B=.
be taught
C.
be teaching
D.
learning
Question 79
Concrete is made of … .
A.
a sand and cement
B=.
sand and cement
C.
sand and a cement
D.
a sand and a cement
Question 80
The HOD says she considers
her degree certificate … than
as a prize through labour.
A.
as a rather gift of God
B.=
rather as a gift of God
C.
as a gift rather of God
D.
rather God as a gift
Question 81
I stayed away … I was late
for the dinner.
A.
when
B.
so
C.
Although
D=.
since
Question 82
I … her birthday and I … how
to make it up to her.
A.
completely forgot/don’t just
know
B. =
forgot completely/don’t just
know
C.
completely forgot/ just
don’t know
D.
forgot completely/ just
don’t know
Question 83
Oloyede always sleeps like a
baby, …?
A.
did he
= B.
doesn’t he
C.
could he
D.
does he
For this question, choose
the option that best
completes the gap(s).
Question 84
The employer, not the
salesmen … responsible for
the loss.
A.
have been
= B.
was
C.
will be
D.
were
Question 85
It … so hard that all the cars
have stopped moving.
A.
rains
B.
is raining
C.
was raining
D.=
rained
Question 86
Flee
A.
rid
B=.
field
C.
faith
D.
skate
Question 87
Waiter
A.
road
B.
cite
C.=
flavour
D.
hair
Question 88
Palm
A.
lunch
B.
blunt
C.=
ranch
D.
florid
Question 89
Theme
A.
then
B.
the
C.
their
D.=
theory
Question 90
phantom
A.
phew
B.
party
C.=
physics
D.
pew
Question 91
Gadget
A.
gable
B.=
jet
C.
rider
D.
spondee
For this question, choose
the option that rhymes with
the given word.
Question 92
Weight
A.
height
B.
wedge
C.
sleigh
D.=
eight
For this question, choose
the option that rhymes with
the given word.
Question 93
Ever
A=.
never
B.
heavier
C.
favour
D.
fever
For this question, choose
the option that rhymes with