JAMB Use of English 2017 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2017 JAMB Use of English paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 43 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

JAMB Use of English 2017 questions and answers

1. 1.

   Choose the word that best completes the following sentence:

   I really like working in that office: I find the _____ very friendly.

   1. A
      colleagues
   2. B
      workers
   3. C
      personnel
   4. D
      staff
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Correct answer: staff

   The sentence needs a word that refers to the group of people who work in the office, in a natural, everyday register: "I find the staff very friendly." "Staff" is the standard collective noun for the people employed in a place like an office, and it fits smoothly with "very friendly" the way a Nigerian speaker would naturally say it.

2. 2.The first time Paul met Ngozi, her beauty caught his eye. This means that _____.
   1. A
      he fell deeply in love with her at once
   2. B
      he was startled by her sudden appearance
   3. C
      she deliberately drew his attention to herself
   4. D
      he found her attractive
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   The idiom "caught his eye" means that something (or someone) attracted his attention because it was noticeable or pleasing to look at. Since it was Ngozi's beauty that caught Paul's eye, the sentence simply means that he found her attractive — her appearance drew his notice.

3. 3.Tayo opted to remain in Nigeria because he had a duty to serve his
   1. A
      country
   2. B
      homeland
   3. C
      fatherland
      Correct
   4. D
      motherland
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   The sentence is testing the correct fixed collocation for one's nation as an object of patriotic duty. In Nigerian usage, the standard idiomatic expression is "serve his fatherland."

   This is reinforced by the old Nigerian National Anthem (still in use in 2017), which says: "...to serve our Fatherland, with love and strength and faith..." Nigerians are trained from childhood to associate "serve" with "fatherland."

4. 4.

   Choose the best option that best completes the gap(s):

   The crops the farmer planted will be ________ in three months time.

   1. A
      harvesting
   2. B
      been harvested
   3. C
      harvested
      Correct
   4. D
      harvest
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   harvested is correct. The sentence needs the future passive: will be + past participle. Since the crops receive the action (they are harvested by someone), the passive form "will be harvested" is grammatically required, and "harvested" is the correct past participle of "harvest".

5. 5.The number of workers have increased steadily each year means _____.
   1. A
      has increased steadily
      Correct
   2. B
      have increased steady
   3. C
      have been increasing steadily
   4. D
      had increased steadily
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   This is a subject–verb agreement (concord) question. The subject of the sentence is "the number of workers", not "workers". In English, when a sentence begins with "the number of...", the subject is treated as singular ("the number"), even though it is followed by a plural noun. So the verb must agree in the singular: "has increased", not "have increased".

6. 6.

   Choose the best option that best completes the gap(s):

   _____ a good boy, he was given a prize.

   1. A
      Be
   2. B
      Been
   3. C
      To be
   4. D
      Being
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Being a good boy, he was given a prize.

   This sentence uses a participial phrase to give the reason for the main action. The gap is followed by a comma and then a full clause ("he was given a prize"), which is the pattern for a present participle phrase acting as an adverbial of reason (meaning "Because he was a good boy...").

7. 7.

   From the options given, choose the option that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word:

   This house which was sealed off years ago has now been ________.

   1. A
      demolished
   2. B
      unsealed
      Correct
   3. C
      renovated
   4. D
      occupied
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Sealed means closed up completely so that nothing can get in or out. Its direct opposite is unsealed — opened up again, made accessible after being shut off. The sentence needs a word describing what has now happened to a house that was previously sealed off, so "unsealed" fits perfectly and gives the exact opposite meaning.

8. 8.

   Choose the option opposite in meaning to the underlined word:

   The delegates found it better to resort to consultation rather than _____.

   1. A
      negotiation
   2. B
      confrontation
      Correct
   3. C
      cooperation
   4. D
      arbitration
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Consultation means talking things over peacefully with others before deciding on an action. The word opposite in meaning must describe the absence of such dialogue — a clash or a hostile stand-off.

   Confrontation is correct because it means a direct, often hostile, face-off between opposing sides, which is the very opposite of sitting down to consult.

9. 9.

   Choose the interpretation that you consider most appropriate for each sentence.

   Despite their newness on the job, the workers were remunerated rather handsomely. This means that _____.

   1. A
      because the workers were new to the job, they were paid rather poorly
   2. B
      the workers, though experienced on the job, were paid very little
   3. C
      although the workers were new to the job, they were paid quite generously
      Correct
   4. D
      the workers were dismissed shortly after resumption because they were still new on the job
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   "Newness on the job" simply means the workers were new/inexperienced. "Despite" introduces a contrast, and "remunerated rather handsomely" means they were paid generously.

   Putting this together: even though the workers were new to the job, they were still paid quite generously — that is the correct interpretation.

10. 10.When you ________ an opponent's point in a debate, you must do so politely.
    1. A
       counter
       Correct
    2. B
       rebuff
    3. C
       refute
    4. D
       dismiss
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: A

    To counter an opponent's point in a debate means to respond to it with an opposing argument, while still engaging respectfully with what they said. This is exactly why the sentence adds "you must do so politely" — countering is an act of respectful engagement, and the reminder about politeness makes sense only if the verb describes a civil back-and-forth exchange.

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

Spotted a wrong answer? Tell us from the app or on the contact page and we check it.

Practise all 43 questions we hold from the 2017 paper, on a timed CBT screen

Every question has the answer and an explanation, in the Skolra app.

Download for WindowsDownload for Mac

About the app · Skolra for Windows · Skolra for Mac