Use Of English 2007 Jamb Examination

The word intolerable means something that cannot be endured or borne due to its severity or unpleasantness.
‘Insupportable’ also means unbearable or impossible to tolerate, which is a perfect synonym.
‘Inevitable’ means unavoidable, ‘unprecedented’ means never happened before, and ‘dangerous’ means likely to cause harm.
Hence, ‘insupportable’ is the closest in meaning.

A concession is something granted in response to a demand or as a favour, often to reduce a burden.
‘An incentive’ refers to a benefit or reward offered to encourage certain behaviour, which fits the idea of a tax rebate.
‘A donation’ is a gift, ‘an allowance’ is a regular payment, and ‘an emolument’ refers to salary or earnings.
Therefore, ‘an incentive’ best matches the context.

The word beads here refers to small drops of sweat.
‘Rivulets’ means small streams of liquid, which conveys the sense of sweat flowing in thin lines, matching the description best.
‘Pools’ and ‘ponds’ refer to larger bodies of water, while ‘spring’ means a natural source of water, which are not suitable in this context.
Thus, ‘rivulets’ is the most appropriate synonym.

The verb drowned in this context means to completely cover or make another sound inaudible due to loudness.
‘Overshadowed’ also implies being dominated or overwhelmed by something stronger, especially in sound or importance.
‘Neutralized’ means made ineffective, ‘balanced’ means made equal, and ‘equalized’ means adjusted to the same level.
Therefore, ‘overshadowed’ is the closest in meaning.

The word precarious describes a situation that is unstable, uncertain, or likely to worsen.
‘Uncertain’ means not secure or dependable, which closely aligns with ‘precarious’.
‘Redeemable’ means able to be saved or compensated for, ‘buoyant’ means cheerful or prosperous, and ‘unattractive’ means not appealing — none fit the sense of instability.
Hence, ‘uncertain’ is correct.

The final s in ‘shoes’ is pronounced /z/.
‘Reason’ also contains the /z/ sound in the middle of the word: /ˈriː.zən/.
‘Horse’ /hɔːs/, ‘house’ /haʊs/, and ‘loss’ /lɒs/ all have the voiceless /s/ sound.
Therefore, ‘reason’ shares the same consonant sound as in ‘shoes’.

The underlined th in ‘clothe’ is pronounced /ð/, a voiced dental fricative.
‘They’ /ðeɪ/ also begins with the same /ð/ sound.
‘Thomas’ starts with /t/, ‘three’ with /θ/ (voiceless dental fricative), and ‘mouth’ ends with /θ/.
Thus, ‘they’ has the same consonant sound as in ‘clothe’.

The underlined n in ‘English’ is pronounced /ŋ/, a velar nasal sound as in /ˈɪŋ.glɪʃ/.
‘End’ /end/ has the alveolar nasal /n/, not /ŋ/.
‘Thin’ and ‘think’ contain /θ/, a voiceless dental fricative.
‘Edge’ /edʒ/ contains /dʒ/ at the end.
None perfectly match the velar nasal, but ‘end’ shares the closest nasal articulation — still, the exact /ŋ/ sound is absent here, so the correct consonant match is typically none.

The underlined o in ‘potable’ is pronounced /əʊ/ as in /ˈpəʊ.tə.bəl/.
‘Post’ /pəʊst/ also contains the /əʊ/ diphthong.
‘Paw’ /pɔː/, ‘pot’ /pɒt/, and ‘port’ /pɔːt/ have the /ɔː/ or /ɒ/ vowels, which are different.
Hence, ‘post’ has the same vowel sound as in ‘potable’.

The underlined ue in ‘blue’ is pronounced /uː/ as in /bluː/.
‘Root’ /ruːt/ shares the same /uː/ vowel sound.
‘Book’ /bʊk/, ‘foot’ /fʊt/, and ‘look’ /lʊk/ have the /ʊ/ sound, which is shorter and different from /uː/.
Therefore, ‘root’ has the same vowel sound as in ‘blue’.