JAMB 2019 past questions

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

We hold 887 questions from the 2019 JAMB papers in 12 subjects, each with the answer and an explanation. Below are ten of them, from ten subjects, and then every 2019 paper we hold.

Ten JAMB 2019 questions with answers

1. From the Use of English paper

   1.

   Choose the most appropriate option for each group for questionsAlice, a small fragile-looking Ugandan mother, is dying of AIDS. She lives with her son and daughter in a tin-roofed shack on the .....1... of Kampala. When her husband died of AIDS in 1987, Alice discovered she was HIV positive. Frequent ...2..... of sickness forced her to give up her embroidery job. She was so depressed that she just wanted to eat. ....3.... by a neighbour, the mobile care unit from Nsambya hospital went to her home. They convinced her to start taking proper ..4....... After three months of ....5.... treatment, she regained her will to live. The AIDS time bomb .....6... on relentlessly. The World Health Organization ....7.... that 1.8 million Ugandans are HIV positive, nearly one in eight of the total population. The Ugandan AIDS Commission set up by President Museveni ..8...... the spread of the disease. However, under-porting and the lack of post-mortem and ...9..... makes it impossible to establish exact figures. No one ....10.... that it is a disaster far worse than the years of civil war.

   After three months of ....5.... treatment, she regained her will to live.

   1. A
      Safe
   2. B
      Heavy
   3. C
      Healthy
   4. D
      Intensive
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   The passage says the mobile care unit convinced Alice to start proper treatment, and after three months of intensive treatment she regained her will to live.

2. From the Mathematics paper

   2.

   If $4\sin^2 x - 3 = 0$, find the value of x, when 0° $\leq$ x $\leq$ 90°

   1. A
      45°
   2. B
      60°
      Correct
   3. C
      30°
   4. D
      90°
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Start from 4sin²x - 3 = 0.

   Add 3 to both sides and divide by 4: sin²x = 3/4.

   Take the square root: sinx = √3/2 (only the positive root matters, since x is between 0° and 90°, where sine is positive).

   From the standard angles, sin60° = √3/2, so x = 60° is correct.

   A candidate who mixes this up with cos60° = 1/2 or the sin30° = 1/2 value may wrongly pick 30°. Someone who thinks sin²x = 3/4 means sinx = 3/4 and rounds to a "nice" angle sometimes lands on 45° (where sin45° = √2/2, not √3/2) by confusing the two surds. 90° is a distractor from candidates who assume the equation forces sinx = 1.

3. From the Physics paper

   3.

   Calculate the velocity ratio of a screw jack of pitch 0.2cm if the length of the tommy bar is 23cm

   1. A
      1445.1
   2. B
      361.3
   3. C
      722.6
      Correct
   4. D
      72.3
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   For a screw jack, one full turn of the tommy bar moves the effort through a circle of circumference 2πL, while the load rises by one pitch (p).

   So Velocity Ratio = 2πL ÷ p = (2 × π × 23) ÷ 0.2 = 144.51 ÷ 0.2 = 722.6.

   The value 361.3 comes from using just πL instead of 2πL (forgetting that the tommy bar sweeps a full circle, not a semicircle). The value 1445.1 comes from wrongly doubling to 4πL. The value 72.3 comes from misplacing the decimal point in the pitch, treating it as 2 cm instead of 0.2 cm.

4. From the Chemistry paper

   4.

   What volume of 0.100M sodium trioxonitrate (V) solution contains 5g of solute?

   [Na = 23, N = 14, O = 16]

   1. A
      294.1cm³
   2. B
      500.0cm³
   3. C
      58.82cm³
   4. D
      588.2cm³
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Step 1: Find the molar mass of sodium trioxonitrate(V), NaNO₃: Na=23, N=14, O=16×3=48, giving 23+14+48 = 85 g/mol.

   Step 2: Find the number of moles in 5g of solute: moles = mass ÷ molar mass = 5 ÷ 85 = 0.0588 mol.

   Step 3: Use concentration = moles ÷ volume(dm³) to find volume: volume = moles ÷ concentration = 0.0588 ÷ 0.100 = 0.588 dm³ = 588.2cm³.

   The answer 588.2cm³ is correct.

5. From the Biology paper

   5.

   The movement of blood between the heart and all other parts of the body beside the lungs is

   1. A
      Portal circulation
   2. B
      Pulmonary circulation
   3. C
      Systemic circulation
      Correct
   4. D
      Coronary circulation
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   The circulation of blood between the heart and all parts of the body other than the lungs is called systemic circulation.

6. From the Government paper

   6.

   The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is an organ of the_________

   1. A
      African Union
   2. B
      Non-Aligned Movement
   3. C
      Commonwealth of Nations
   4. D
      United Nations
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. It is responsible for coordinating the economic and social work of the UN and its specialised agencies, functional commissions, and regional commissions.

7. From the Literature in English paper

   7.

   'poisonous pleasure of wine' illustrates the use of_______

   1. A
      Personification
   2. B
      Alliteration
   3. C
      Oxymoron
      Correct
   4. D
      Paradox
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   "Poisonous pleasure" is an oxymoron because it places two contradictory qualities side by side: "poisonous" carries a harmful, negative meaning while "pleasure" denotes something enjoyable and positive. The combination of these opposing ideas within a single expression is the hallmark of oxymoron.

8. From the Economics paper

   8.Poverty simply refers to the low level of________
   1. A
      Population density
   2. B
      Production output
   3. C
      Income and standard of living
      Correct
   4. D
      Educational attainment
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Poverty is fundamentally defined as a low level of income, which leads to an inability to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare, resulting in a low standard of living. It is measured in terms of income inadequacy relative to a defined poverty line.

9. From the Commerce paper

   9.

   Which of these is not a merit of division of labour

   1. A
      It reduces the unit cost of production
   2. B
      It speeds up the rate of production
   3. C
      It causes monotony and boredom among workers
      Correct
   4. D
      It increases worker specialization
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Monotony and boredom arising from performing the same task repeatedly is a disadvantage, not a merit, of division of labour. The merits include specialization, reduced costs, and faster output.

10. From the Principles of Accounts paper

    10.

    Capital at start was ₦250,000, while capital at the end of the year was ₦400,000. Drawings during the year amounted to ₦15,000. What is the profit?

    1. A
       ₦150,000
    2. B
       ₦415,000
    3. C
       ₦165,000
       Correct
    4. D
       ₦135,000
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: C

    This is the capital comparison (statement of affairs) method used where records are incomplete. The rule you must memorise is:

    Closing capital = Opening capital + Additional capital + Net profit − Drawings

    No additional capital was introduced here, so substitute what you are given:
    ₦400,000 = ₦250,000 + Profit − ₦15,000
    ₦400,000 = ₦235,000 + Profit
    Profit = ₦400,000 − ₦235,000 = ₦165,000

    Look at it the other way round to be sure: the owner started with ₦250,000, earned ₦165,000 giving ₦415,000, then withdrew ₦15,000 for personal use, leaving ₦400,000 at the year end. It agrees.

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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