Use Of English 2012 Jamb Examination

The word 'madam' is pronounced /ˈmæ.dəm/ with stress on the first syllable. 'Eighteen' (/ˌeɪˈtiːn/), 'invent' (/ɪnˈvent/), and 'command' (/kəˈmɑːnd/) have stress on the second syllable. Therefore, 'madam' has the stress on the first syllable, fitting the requirement of the question.

The word 'mother' is pronounced /ˈmʌ.ðə/ with stress on the first syllable. 'Nineteen' (/ˌnaɪnˈtiːn/), 'estate' (/ɪˈsteɪt/), and 'announce' (/əˈnaʊns/) all have stress on the second syllable. Hence, 'mother' correctly has the stress on the first syllable.

Nouns like 'export' and 'import' typically take stress on the first syllable, while their verb forms take stress on the second. 'Export' (noun) is pronounced /ˈek.spɔːt/ with first-syllable stress, whereas 'commute' (/kəˈmjuːt/), 'import' (verb) (/ɪmˈpɔːt/), and 'intend' (/ɪnˈtend/) have stress on the second syllable.
Therefore, 'export (noun)' has the stress on the first syllable.

When the emphatic stress is on 'NARRATED', the question it answers is 'Who narrated the story to the children?' The stress on 'NARRATED' indicates that it was indeed the chief who did the narration, not someone else. Therefore, option B correctly corresponds to the emphasis.

Emphatic stress on 'ACCOUNTANT' implies contrast with another possible subject. It emphasises that it was the accountant, not someone else, who paid the salary. The question that this emphasis answers is 'Did the cashier pay the workers' salary in September?' Hence, option B correctly corresponds to the stress pattern.

The emphasis on 'DEVOURED' indicates contrast with another possible action, such as 'ate' or 'touched'. The sentence asserts that the cat completely devoured the rat, not merely touched or ate it lightly. Therefore, the question that elicits this emphasis is 'Did the cat eat the rat?', making option C the correct one.

The sentence indicates that most miscarriages occur within the early period of pregnancy. The correct phrase should express this timeframe. 'In the first twelve weeks' accurately refers to the early stage of pregnancy, making it the best grammatical and contextual choice. Other options like 'in the penultimate' or 'around' are incorrect because they do not indicate a specific stage, and 'for' does not fit grammatically.
Therefore, 'in the first' correctly completes the sentence.

The sentence states, 'The most common ... is vaginal bleeding.' Vaginal bleeding is not a type, cause, or period of miscarriage—it is a sign or indication of it. Thus, the most appropriate word to fill the gap is 'symptom,' since it correctly describes vaginal bleeding as a symptom of miscarriage.
Therefore, 'symptom' best fits the context.

The statement refers to tissues that are not easily recognised: '... other tissues that are not ___ identifiable.' The adverb that best completes this sentence should express the degree of clarity. 'Clearly identifiable' is the most natural and idiomatic expression in English, meaning 'easily recognisable.'
Hence, 'clearly' is the correct option.

The sentence mentions 'having to pass urine more ___ than usual.' The expression describes how often urination occurs. The adverb 'frequently' correctly modifies this action to indicate that urination happens more often. Words like 'painfully' or 'gradually' would not make sense in this context.
Thus, 'frequently' fits best.