Use Of English 2021 Jamb Examination

To be 'remorseful' is to feel deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed. The opposite of feeling regretful and humble about an action is being boastful, which means showing excessive pride and self-satisfaction in one's actions, even negative ones. While 'sad' is a component of remorse, 'boastful' captures the lack of shame that is the true opposite of remorseful behaviour.

To 'escalate' means to become or make something more intense or serious; to increase rapidly. The opposite of increasing in intensity or size is to abated, which means to become less intense or widespread. 'Increased' and 'proliferated' are synonyms for escalate, and 'metamorphosed' means to transform, leaving 'abated' as the clear antonym.

Something 'embarrassing' causes a person to feel self-conscious, ashamed, or awkward. In a moral context, if admitting a mistake is not seen as shameful but rather as a mark of high character and integrity, it is described as honourable. Admitting mistakes is often difficult because it feels embarrassing, but it is ultimately an honourable act, making these two words effective opposites in this context.

Greed is an intense and selfish desire for wealth or power. The opposite of being greedy and selfish is being selfless, which means having more concern for the needs and wishes of others than for one's own. 'Corrupt' is a synonym for the behaviour often associated with greed, whereas 'selfless' represents the virtue of putting others first.

The word 'invaluable' is often misunderstood; it actually means extremely useful or indispensable (so valuable that its worth cannot be measured). Therefore, the opposite is not 'valuable', but worthless, which means having no real value or use. This is a common trap in English lexis where the prefix 'in-' acts as an intensifier rather than a negator.

To 'degenerate' means to decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally. The opposite of a decline in health is an improved state. 'Deteriorated' is a synonym for degenerated, while 'expanded' and 'abated' do not fit the collocations typically used with health status in this way.

To 'concede' means to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it, or to surrender a victory. The opposite of admitting defeat is to challenged it, which means to dispute the truth or validity of the outcome. While 'rejected' and 'opposed' are close, 'challenged' is the specific term used in political and legal contexts when a result is not conceded.

In this context, 'relaxed' means that rules or standards have become less strict or severe. When something that was once firm or emphasized becomes less so, it is weakened. This is the nearest meaning (synonym). The society no longer holds the same strong grip on moral conduct as it did previously, leading to a dilution of those values. 'Avoided' means ignored entirely, while 'weakened' correctly describes the reduction in intensity.

The correct spelling is Interpret. A common error is adding an 'e' at the end (interprete), likely due to the pronunciation or confusion with the word 'interpreter'. The word follows the standard English spelling for verbs ending in '-pret' such as 'interpret', meaning to explain the meaning of information or actions.

The correct spelling is Successful. It is derived from the root word 'success' (which has a double 'c' and a double 's') plus the suffix '-ful'. In English, when '-full' is used as a suffix, the second 'l' is dropped, but the double 'c' and double 's' from the root word must be maintained. This makes it one of the most frequently misspelled words in examinations.