Use Of English 2017 Jamb Examination

The sentence presents a contrast between the initial experience of life in the town and a later experience, signalled by the conjunction 'but'. The underlined word 'exciting' refers to something that is very great, interesting, or enthusiastic. To complete the sentence correctly, we need a word that is the direct antonym of 'exciting'. While 'tiring', 'disturbing', and 'burdensome' have negative connotations, they do not specifically address the lack of interest or excitement. 'Boring' means lacking interest or dull, which is the exact opposite of exciting. Therefore, after the initial excitement wore off, the life in the town became dull or boring.

The term 'Achilles' heel' is an idiomatic expression that originates from Greek mythology, referring to the hero Achilles who was invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel. In contemporary English, the phrase is used to describe a specific point of weakness or a vulnerable spot in an otherwise strong character or situation. In this context, saying that the man's Achilles' heel is women implies that despite whatever other strengths or qualities he may possess, his particular vulnerability or downfall is his interaction with or attraction to women.

Constitution - /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/
In English, words ending in the suffix '-tion' almost always have the primary stress on the penultimate syllable (the syllable immediately preceding the suffix). For the word 'constitution', the syllables are con-sti-tu-tion. Applying this rule, the stress falls on the third syllable 'tu'. While there is a secondary stress on the first syllable 'con', the primary emphasis required for the correct stress pattern in this context is on the third syllable. Therefore, the pattern is correctly represented as con—sti—TU—tion.

clash - /klæʃ/
sharp - /ʃɑːp/
cheap - /tʃiːp/
leisure - /ˈleʒ.ə/
school - /skuːl/
The underlined letters 'sh' in the word 'clash' represent the voiceless postalveolar fricative sound /ʃ/. Looking at the options, the word 'sharp' starts with the same /ʃ/ sound. In contrast, 'cheap' begins with the voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, 'leisure' contains the voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, and 'school' contains the voiceless velar plosive /k/. Thus, 'sharp' is the only word that shares the same consonant sound as identified in 'clash'.

who - /huː/
vehicle - /ˈviː.ə.kəl/
khaki - /ˈkɑː.ki/
rhyme - /raɪm/
hammer - /ˈhæm.ə/
The underlined letters 'wh' in the word 'who' represent the voiceless glottal fricative sound /h/. Note that in this specific word, the 'w' is silent. In the options provided, 'vehicle' has a silent 'h', 'khaki' represents a /k/ sound, and 'rhyme' has a silent 'h' where the 'rh' cluster is pronounced as /r/. The word 'hammer' begins with a clear voiceless glottal fricative /h/ sound. Therefore, 'hammer' contains the same consonant sound as the one found in 'who'.

This question tests emphatic stress. In the sentence provided, the word 'DISPOSITION' is capitalised, which means the emphasis is placed on that specific word. Emphatic stress is used to correct a misunderstanding or to provide an answer to a specific contrast. The speaker is emphasizing that it is the boss's *disposition* (his character or temperament) that is amiable, rather than some other quality. A question that would prompt this specific emphasis would be one that suggests a different noun in that position, such as 'Does my boss have an amiable complexion?'. By stressing 'DISPOSITION', the speaker clarifies that they are talking about temperament, not physical appearance.

palatable - /ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/
The word 'palatable' is a four-syllable word. In English, many adjectives ending in the suffix '-able' maintain the stress of their root word (if the root is a verb) or follow a pattern where the stress falls on the first syllable in many common four-syllable words of this type. For 'palatable', the primary stress is placed on the first syllable 'PAL'. This results in the pronunciation pattern PAL-a-ta-ble. The other syllables are unstressed or contain schwa sounds.

The word 'remunerated' refers to the act of paying someone for services rendered or work done. The adverb 'handsomely' in the context of financial payment does not refer to physical beauty, but rather signifies that an amount is substantial, generous, or impressive. Therefore, to be remunerated handsomely means to receive a very good or attractive salary. The sentence suggests that even though the workers were new and might typically expect lower pay, they actually received generous wages.

The word 'parsimonious' is an adjective used to describe someone who is extremely unwilling to spend money or use resources; it is often synonymous with being stingy or frugal to an extreme degree. To find the opposite, we look for a word that describes a willingness to give or spend freely. 'Avaricious' means greedy, which is a synonym. 'Thrifty' means careful with money, which is also close in meaning to parsimonious. 'Generous' means showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected. This is the direct antonym of being parsimonious.

The idiomatic expression 'to make much of someone' means to treat someone as very important or to give them a lot of attention and importance. The sentence implies a change in Nancy's behaviour due to Michael's new-found wealth. Rather than ignoring him or treating him as ordinary, she now treats him with great importance or 'values' his presence (likely due to his status). While it might be inferred that she wants money, the specific idiom 'make much of' focuses on the attention and importance bestowed upon the person.