JAMB past questions and answers

Try ten JAMB past questions

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1. From the 2022 JAMB Use of English paper

   1.

   Choose the option that has the same stress pattern as the given word.

   Student

   1. A
      Certificate
   2. B
      Elephant
      Correct
   3. C
      Engineer
   4. D
      Camera
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   Answer: B

   The word student has the stress pattern on the first syllable (STU-dent). Among the options, Elephant has the same stress pattern on the first syllable (EL-e-phant), not on a middle syllable like Certificate (cer-TIF-i-cate) or Engineer (en-gi-NEER).

2. From the 2025 JAMB Mathematics paper

   2.

   A banker spent $\frac{1}{5}$ of his salary on shirts,  $\frac{1}{3}$ of the remainder on transport, and kept the rest for contingencies. What fraction was left

   1. A
      $\frac{4}{15}$
   2. B
      $\frac{11}{15}$
   3. C
      $\frac{7}{15}$
   4. D
      $\frac{8}{15}$
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Take the whole salary as 1.

   Step 1 - Shirts: he spent $\frac{1}{5}$, so what remained is $1-\frac{1}{5}=\frac{4}{5}$.

   Step 2 - Transport: the question says $\frac{1}{3}$ of the remainder, not of the salary. So transport $=\frac{1}{3}\times\frac{4}{5}=\frac{4}{15}$.

   Step 3 - What is left: $\frac{4}{5}-\frac{4}{15}=\frac{12}{15}-\frac{4}{15}=\frac{8}{15}$.

   A faster route: after transport takes $\frac{1}{3}$ of the remainder, $\frac{2}{3}$ of that remainder survives, so $\frac{2}{3}\times\frac{4}{5}=\frac{8}{15}$. Both routes give $\frac{8}{15}$.

3. From the 2016 JAMB Physics paper

   3.Which of the following is obtained when a magenta is mixed with green colour?
   1. A
      white light
      Correct
   2. B
      cyan light
   3. C
      yellow light
   4. D
      black (darkness)
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   Answer: A

   Magenta light is itself a mixture of the primary colours red and blue.

   Adding green light to magenta brings all three primary colours of light together — red, green and blue — and mixing all three primaries produces white light.

4. From the 2019 JAMB Chemistry paper

   4.

   If acidified Potassium Dichromate(VI) (K$_2$Cr$_2$O$_7$) acts as oxidizing agent, color changes from

   1. A
      Orange to blue
   2. B
      Orange to green
      Correct
   3. C
      Purple to colourless
   4. D
      Green to orange
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   Answer: B

   Acidified potassium dichromate(VI), K₂Cr₂O₇, contains the dichromate ion Cr₂O₇^2-, which gives the solution its characteristic orange colour.

   When it acts as an oxidizing agent, it removes electrons from another substance and is itself reduced. In this reduction, chromium goes from the +6 oxidation state (in Cr₂O₇^2-) down to the +3 oxidation state, forming Cr³⁺ ions, which are green in solution.

   So as the reaction proceeds, the solution changes from orange to green — that is correct.

5. From the 2021 JAMB Biology paper

   5.

   Which of the following is a measure for the control of bilharzia?

   1. A
      Destruction of the snail intermediate host in stagnant water bodies
      Correct
   2. B
      Chlorination of all household drinking water
   3. C
      Boiling of water before it is used for irrigation
   4. D
      Regular deworming of infected persons with anthelmintic drugs
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   Answer: A

   Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is caused by blood flukes (Schistosoma species) whose larvae (cercariae) develop inside a freshwater snail before being released to penetrate human skin on contact with infested water.

6. From the 2024 JAMB Government paper

   6.

   The fundamental law containing the rules and principles governing a country is the

   1. A
      Constitution
      Correct
   2. B
      Bye-law
   3. C
      Convention
   4. D
      Statute
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   Answer: A

   The constitution is correct. It is defined as the fundamental (basic and supreme) law that contains the rules and principles governing how a country is run — it establishes the organs of government, their powers, and the rights of citizens.

7. From the 2025 JAMB Literature in English paper

   7.

   This question is based on General Literature Principles and Literary Appreciation Comic relief is

   1. A
      A technique used by a playwright to bring a drama to an abrupt end
   2. B
      A tragic episode deliberately inserted into a comedy to heighten suspense
   3. C
      The exclusive use of witty dialogue in comic plays
   4. D
      A humorous scene or character introduced into a serious or tragic work to ease emotional tension
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Comic relief is a humorous scene, character, or exchange that a writer deliberately inserts into an otherwise serious or tragic work in order to ease the emotional tension the audience has been feeling, before the seriousness resumes. A classic Nigerian-syllabus example is the drunken Porter scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth, which comes right after Duncan's murder and gives the audience a brief laugh before the tragedy tightens again.

   Therefore, comic relief is correctly defined as a humorous scene or character introduced into a serious or tragic work to ease emotional tension.

8. From the 2023 JAMB Economics paper

   8.

   The theory of ............... was propounded by ..................

   1. A
      comparative cost advantage; propounded by David Ricardo
      Correct
   2. B
      effective demand; propounded by Alfred Marshall
   3. C
      population; propounded by Adam Smith
   4. D
      absolute cost advantage; propounded by David Ricardo
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   Answer: A

   The theory of comparative cost (comparative advantage) — that countries gain from trade by specialising in what they produce at the lowest opportunity cost, even if one country is better at producing everything — was propounded by David Ricardo.

9. From the 2023 JAMB Christian Religious Studies paper

   9.

   In Acts, what event caused the dispersion of Christians and led to the spread of the Gospel among Gentiles?

   1. A
      The persecution following Stephen's death
      Correct
   2. B
      The Day of Pentecost
   3. C
      Paul's first missionary journey
   4. D
      The Jerusalem Council
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   Answer: A

   Acts 8:1-4 records that a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem following the stoning of Stephen, with Saul leading the charge. The scattered believers went everywhere preaching the word. Acts 11:19-20 specifically notes that those dispersed reached Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, where Gentiles first heard the Gospel in significant numbers.

10. From the 2024 JAMB Commerce paper

    10.

    The rules and regulations guiding the conduct of business transactions are known as law

    1. A
       commercial
       Correct
    2. B
       criminal
    3. C
       constitutional
    4. D
       civil
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    Answer: A

    Commercial law is the body of law governing business transactions, including contracts, sales, and trade practices.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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