Use Of English 2023 Jamb Examination

To find the rhyming word, we look at the ending sound of the word 'battle' /ˈbæt.əl/. The suffix '-attle' produces a specific sound. Comparing this to the options:
raffle - /ˈræf.əl/
latter - /ˈlæt.ə/
bitter - /ˈbɪt.ə/
kettle - /ˈket.əl/
While 'raffle' and 'kettle' share similar ending sounds, 'kettle' shares the exact '-ettle' /əl/ ending and similar consonant structure to 'battle', making it the closest rhyme in standard JAMB phonology.

Emphatic stress is used to highlight a specific piece of information that contradicts or clarifies a point. When the word 'WIFE' is stressed, it implies that the person being bought for is the most important detail to verify. Therefore, the sentence 'I bought my WIFE a red dress' serves as a corrective answer to the question: 'Did I buy my husband a red dress?' because it replaces 'husband' with 'WIFE'.

In Khadija Abubakar Jalli's novel 'The Life Changer', characters often use nicknames or shortened versions of names. Dr. Samuel Johnson is popularly referred to as 'Samjohn' by the students and within the university community. This detail is part of the character's identification in the narrative.

The underlined letters 'sh' in 'wash' represent the voiceless postalveolar fricative sound /ʃ/.
wash - /wɒʃ/
treasure - /ˈtreʒ.ə/ (contains the voiced /ʒ/)
occasion - /əˈkeɪ.ʒən/ (contains the voiced /ʒ/)
nation - /ˈneɪ.ʃən/ (contains the voiceless /ʃ/)
equation - /ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/ (contains the voiced /ʒ/)
The word 'nation' contains the same /ʃ/ sound as 'wash'.

The emphatic stress is on 'TENNIS'. This means the sentence is providing a correction specifically about the sport being played. For 'TENNIS' to be the stressed word in the response, the question must have suggested a different sport. 'Does daddy play cricket on Saturday afternoon?' is the correct prompt because 'TENNIS' replaces 'cricket' in the answer.

This sentence uses the second conditional ('If he were here...'), which describes an unreal or hypothetical situation in the present. The use of 'were' implies that 'he' is currently absent. Therefore, the factual reality is that he is not present, and as a result, the current level of fun is lower than it could have been. Option A accurately reflects this state of affairs.

The word 'jaundiced' in this context is an idiomatic expression meaning to be cynical, prejudiced, or hostile towards something, usually due to past negative experiences. If a representative takes a jaundiced view of problems, it means they view them unfavourably or with a biased, negative perspective rather than with sympathy or objectivity.

The underlined letter 'P' in 'Pin' represents the voiceless bilabial plosive /p/. In many English words starting with 'ps' or 'pn', the 'p' is silent.
Psychology - /saɪˈkɒl.ə.dʒi/ (silent p)
Pneumonia - /njuːˈməʊ.ni.ə/ (silent p)
Pseudonym - /ˈsjuː.də.nɪm/ (silent p)
Pragmatic - /præɡˈmæt.ɪk/ (pronounced p)
Only 'Pragmatic' retains the /p/ sound found in 'Pin'.

Fluency - /ˈfluː.ən.si/
The word 'Fluency' is a three-syllable noun. In English, most three-syllable nouns ending in '-cy' or '-y' take the primary stress on the first syllable (the antepenultimate syllable). Therefore, the correct stress pattern is FLU-en-cy.

The word 'haughty' means being arrogantly superior, disdainful, or proud. To find the antonym (opposite), we look for a word that describes someone who is humble or does not brag about their status. 'Modest' is the direct opposite of 'haughty'.