JAMB Use of English 2015 past questions
Ten questions from the 2015 JAMB Use of English paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 65 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.
JAMB Use of English 2015 questions and answers
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1.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same consonant sounds as the one represented by the letters underlined.
Chalet
- AsureCorrect
- Bmatch
- Cecho
- Dchemist
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Answer: A
Chalet is a borrowed French word, pronounced /ˈʃæleɪ/. The underlined letters Ch do not make the usual English "church" sound here — they make the /ʃ/ (sh) sound.
We are looking for the option whose consonant sound matches /ʃ/, no matter how it is spelled.
"Sure" is pronounced /ʃʊə/ — the letter "s" here produces exactly the /ʃ/ sound, so this is the correct match.
- A
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2.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that rhymes with the given word.
Head
- ABead
- BBedCorrect
- CGreat
- DHeat
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Answer: B
The task is to find the word that rhymes with "Head" — that is, shares its sound, not just its spelling pattern. "Head" is pronounced /hɛd/, with a short "e" sound.
"Bed" is pronounced /bɛd/, matching that exact short "e" sound and the "-d" ending, so it rhymes with "Head" perfectly.
- A
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3.
This question is from the novel 'The Last Days at Forcados High school'.
"Nene, this is my niece Efua Coker". Who made this statement?
- AAunt MoniCorrect
- BFunmi
- CJimi
- DAnsa
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Answer: A
Aunt Moni made this statement. She is the aunt with whom Efua Coker comes to stay in Lagos so that she can attend Forcados High School, and it is Aunt Moni who introduces Efua to Nene (Nene Ekpo) with the words "Nene, this is my niece Efua Coker."
- A
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4.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letters or letters underlined.
Shoe
- Afoot
- Bdoes
- CmoveCorrect
- Dtoe
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Answer: C
The underlined letters in shoe are pronounced as the long vowel sound /uː/, as in "too" or "food".
move also carries the /uː/ sound, so it matches "shoe" exactly.
toe is pronounced with the /əʊ/ sound (as in "go"), which is completely different from /uː/, even though it looks similar in spelling to "shoe".
- A
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5.
From the options, choose the word(s) that best fill(s) the gap.
It was a funny episode, I _____.
- Ahave admitted
- Bwould admit
- Cmust admitCorrect
- Ddo admit
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Answer: C
must admit is correct. In English, "I must admit" is a fixed idiomatic expression used when a speaker concedes or acknowledges something, often with a hint of surprise or reluctance, as a comment tagged onto a statement: "It was a funny episode, I must admit."
- A
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6.From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same consonant sounds as the one represented by the letters underlined.dice
- AceaseCorrect
- Bmaize
- Cwish
- Dbatch
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Answer: A
In dice /daɪs/, the underlined letters "ice" end in the consonant sound /s/ — the letter "c" before "e" is pronounced as /s/, not /k/.
Cease /siːs/ also has "c" pronounced /s/, so it carries the same consonant sound as the underlined part of "dice". This is the correct match.
- A
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7.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letters or letters underlined.
Done
- ATone
- BGone
- CBone
- DSomeCorrect
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Answer: D
Done is pronounced /dʌn/. The letters one here do not sound like the number "one" or like the "-one" in words such as "bone" — instead they carry the short, central vowel sound /ʌ/, the same sound you hear in "cup", "sun", and "run".
Some is pronounced /sʌm/, which has that exact same /ʌ/ sound. This makes it the correct match.
- A
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8.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same consonant sound(s) as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.
Behind
- Ahonest
- Bhour
- ChouseCorrect
- Dheir
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Answer: C
The underlined letter is the h in "Behind", which is fully pronounced — it is the consonant sound /h/, as in "hat" or "hello".
House is correct because its initial "h" is clearly sounded, giving the same /h/ consonant sound heard in "behind".
- A
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9.
From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that rhymes with the given word.
Breeze
- AGrease
- BCease
- CPeace
- DFreezeCorrect
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Answer: D
Breeze is pronounced /briːz/, ending in a voiced "z" sound.
The correct answer is Freeze (/friːz/), because it ends in the exact same voiced "z" sound, making it a true rhyme with "Breeze".
- A
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10.
Choose the option that best fills the gap.
Most of his personal _____ stolen.
- Abelongings was
- Bbelonging was
- Cbelongings wereCorrect
- Dbelonging were
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Answer: C
Correct: "belongings were" stolen.
"Belongings" (meaning a person's possessions or property) is always used in the plural in this sense — there is no natural singular "belonging" when talking about someone's things. Because "belongings" is plural, it must take the plural auxiliary verb were before the past participle "stolen": "Most of his personal belongings were stolen."
- A
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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