JAMB 2016 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

We hold 275 questions from the 2016 JAMB papers in 6 subjects, each with the answer and an explanation. Below are ten of them, from six subjects, and then every 2016 paper we hold.

Ten JAMB 2016 questions with answers

From the Use of English paper
1.
Boxing is sometimes called' the noble art of self defence'. According to some people, boxing appeals to the lowest instincts in the ...11... who have come to watch blood flow and their fellow human suffer Boxers who are medically fit appear in the ...12... The referee sometimes allows the...13... to go on for long so that one of the ...14... is reduced to a human punch bag.It may happen that the boxers are not well ...15... one being much stronger than the other, as a result of which he so much...16... his opponent that he wins ...17... Many boxers have suffered permanent brain...18... in the ...19... of punches that have been thrown at them during their ...20...
Choose the most appropriate option for the gap labelled [...17...] above.
1. A
  easily
  Correct
2. B
  unfairly
3. C
  narrowly
4. D
  reluctantly
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Answer: A
The passage describes what happens when two boxers are not well matched in strength. The sentence structure "he so much [overpowers/outclasses] his opponent that he wins ...17..." is a result clause: the intensifier "so much" tells us the outcome should show a large, one-sided gap, not a close contest.
From the Mathematics paper
2.OGIVE is constructed using
1. A
  class boundaries and relative frequencies
2. B
  upper class boundaries and cumulative frequencies
  Correct
3. C
  class marks and frequencies
4. D
  lower class boundaries and frequencies
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Answer: B
An ogive is the cumulative frequency curve. To draw it, you plot the upper class boundary of each class against its cumulative frequency, then join the points with a smooth curve.
Using class marks (mid-points) with frequencies instead gives a frequency polygon, not an ogive. Using lower class boundaries is wrong because the cumulative total "up to and including" a class is read at its upper boundary, not its lower one. Class boundaries with relative frequencies also does not produce an ogive, since relative frequency is a proportion, not a running (cumulative) total.
From the Physics paper
3.Which of the following instruments can be used to measure current in an a.c circuit?
1. A
  moving-coil ammeter
2. B
  ballistic galvanometer
3. C
  hot-wire ammeter
  Correct
4. D
  tangent galvanometer
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Answer: C
A moving-coil (permanent-magnet) ammeter reverses its deflection every time the current reverses, so on a.c its needle simply vibrates about zero — it cannot give a proper reading.
A hot-wire ammeter instead senses the heating effect of the current, which is the same regardless of direction, so it reads correctly on a.c circuits.
From the Chemistry paper
4.The arrangement of particles in crystal lattices can be studied using
1. A
  X-ray diffraction
  Correct
2. B
  electrolysis
3. C
  chromatography
4. D
  titration
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Answer: A
X-ray diffraction is passed through a crystal and the pattern it produces on striking the regularly spaced particles reveals how those particles are arranged in the lattice, giving bond lengths and angles.
Chromatography separates mixtures by differential movement through a stationary phase, titration measures the volume of one reagent that exactly reacts with another, and electrolysis decomposes a compound using electric current — none of these techniques reveals how particles are arranged within a crystal.
From the Biology paper
5.The largest amount of yolk is found in the egg of
1. A
  Frog
2. B
  Mammal
3. C
  Fish
4. D
  Bird
  Correct
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Answer: D
Bird eggs contain by far the largest amount of yolk, because the embryo develops entirely inside the shell with no other nutrient supply until hatching, so a large food reserve must be packed in from the start.
Fish and frog eggs carry a moderate amount of yolk, and placental mammal eggs carry almost none, since the developing embryo is nourished continuously through the placenta instead.
From the Principles of Accounts paper
6.The effect of overstating revenue expenditure in the profit and loss account is that the
1. A
  value of fixed assets is overstated
2. B
  net profit for the period is understated
  Correct
3. C
  net profit for the period is overstated
4. D
  gross profit for the period is understated
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Answer: B
Revenue expenditure is the day-to-day running cost of the business — rent, salaries, electricity, insurance, repairs — and its benefit is used up within the same accounting period. For that reason it is written off in the profit and loss account, where it is deducted from gross profit:
Net profit = Gross profit + other incomes − revenue expenses
So if the revenue expenditure is overstated, the amount you subtract is bigger than it should be, and whatever is left as profit becomes smaller than it should be. That is why net profit for the period is understated. Follow it into the balance sheet and you will see capital is understated too, since net profit is added to capital.
From the Use of English paper
7.
For this question, choose the option opposite in meaning to the word or phrase in italics:
Jumoke is fond of carping her sister.
1. A
  nagging
2. B
  praising
  Correct
3. C
  scolding
4. D
  criticizing
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Answer: B
Carping means constantly finding fault with someone or complaining about them in a nagging, fussy way. To find the opposite in meaning, we need a word that means the reverse of finding fault — that is, speaking well of someone.
Praising is correct because it means expressing approval or admiration, which is the direct opposite of carping (fault-finding).
From the Mathematics paper
8.Make S the subject of the relation
p = s + $\frac{sm^2}{nr}$
1. A
  s = pm² / (nr + m²)
2. B
  s = p(nr + m²) / nr
3. C
  s = pnr / (nr − m²)
4. D
  s = pnr / (nr + m²)
  Correct
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Answer: D
We start with p = s + sm²/(nr) and factor out s on the right-hand side.
p = s(1 + m²/nr) = s × (nr + m²)/nr
Now multiply both sides by nr and divide by (nr + m²) to isolate s:
s = pnr / (nr + m²)
The result with a minus sign in the denominator comes from wrongly treating m²/(nr) as if it were being subtracted instead of added. The option that keeps p outside as p(nr + m²)/nr forgets to divide by the full bracket and instead multiplies, which is the reverse operation. The option isolating only the m² term ignores that both terms inside the bracket must appear in the numerator's denominator combination.
From the Physics paper
9.
A wire of length 10m is cooled from 50^oC to 10^oC. Calculate the decrease in the length of the wire. [c = 3 x 10^-5K^-1]
1. A
  12cm
2. B
  1.2cm
  Correct
3. C
  0.12cm
4. D
  0.012cm
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Answer: B
Change in length is given by ΔL = L&sub0; × c × ΔT, where c is the linear expansivity.
ΔL = 10m × (3 × 10^-5K^-1) × (50 − 10)K = 10 × 3 × 10^-5 × 40 = 0.012m = 1.2cm.
From the Chemistry paper
10.The process that requires the use of hardwater in its operation is
1. A
  laundering of clothes
2. B
  brewing of beer
  Correct
3. C
  dyeing of textiles
4. D
  operation of steam boilers
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Answer: B
Hard water, containing dissolved calcium and magnesium salts, is actually valued in brewing because the minerals contribute to the flavour and character of the beer, so brewers often deliberately use hard water.
Laundering, steam-boiler operation and textile dyeing all suffer from hard water instead of needing it: it wastes soap by forming scum in the wash, deposits scale that damages boiler pipes, and interferes with even dye uptake in fabric — soft water is preferred for all three.

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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The 2016 JAMB papers we hold

Each paper has its own page with ten questions and answers.

The 2016 JAMB papers and the questions we hold from each
Subject	Questions we hold
Use of English	61
Mathematics	38
Physics	48
Chemistry	38
Biology	50
Principles of Accounts	40

Other years

All JAMB past questions, by subject