WAEC 2016 past questions

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

We hold 688 questions from the 2016 WAEC papers in 16 subjects, each with the answer and an explanation. Below are ten of them, from ten subjects, and then every 2016 paper we hold.

Ten WAEC 2016 questions with answers

1. From the Mathematics paper

   1.Simplify:($\frac{10\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{5}} - \sqrt{15}$)²
   1. A
      45
   2. B
      60
   3. C
      15
      Correct
   4. D
      30
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Step 1: Simplify 10√3 / √5

   1. 10√3 / √5 = 10√3 × √5 / (√5 × √5) = 10√15 / 5 = 2√15
   2. Expression becomes: (2√15 − √15)²
   3. = (√15)²
   4. = 15

2. From the Physics paper

   2.

   A projectile is fired with a velocity of 20 ms$^{-1}$ at an angle of 40° to the horizontal. Determine the components of the velocity of the projectile at its maximum height.

   1. A
      horizontal component = 15.3 ms⁻¹ and vertical component = 0 ms⁻¹
      Correct
   2. B
      horizontal component = 12.9 ms⁻¹ and vertical component = 0 ms⁻¹
   3. C
      horizontal component = 15.3 ms⁻¹ and vertical component = 12.9 ms⁻¹
   4. D
      horizontal component = 0 ms⁻¹ and vertical component = 12.9 ms⁻¹
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   At maximum height, the projectile momentarily has zero vertical velocity (it stops moving upward before descending).

   The horizontal component is unchanged throughout the flight:

   v_x = v cos θ = 20 × cos 40° = 20 × 0.766 ≈ 15.3 ms⁻¹

   The initial vertical component was v sin 40° = 20 × 0.643 ≈ 12.9 ms⁻¹, but it reduces to zero at maximum height.

3. From the Chemistry paper

   3.Metals can be stretched into wires because they are
   1. A
      sonorous
   2. B
      lustrous
   3. C
      ductile
      Correct
   4. D
      malleable
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Ductility is the property that allows a material to be drawn out into thin wires under a tensile force without fracturing. In metals, the positive ions are surrounded by a 'sea' of delocalised electrons; when a stretching force is applied, layers of ions slide past one another while the metallic bonding is maintained. Malleability describes the ability to be hammered into flat sheets, not drawn into wires.

4. From the Biology paper

   4.Flaccidity in plants is associated with
   1. A
      Accumulation of excess minerals in cell vacuoles
   2. B
      Loss of water from cells through osmosis causing cells to become limp
      Correct
   3. C
      Increase in chlorophyll content causing wilting
   4. D
      Excess water intake causing cells to become turgid and firm
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Flaccidity is the state in which plant cells lose their rigidity due to water loss by osmosis. When the soil water potential is lower than that of the cell (e.g., in drought or saline soil), water leaves the cell vacuole, the turgor pressure drops to zero and the cell becomes limp or flaccid. A severely flaccid cell may undergo plasmolysis, where the cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall. Turgor pressure maintained by water absorption is what keeps non-woody plant parts upright, so flaccidity leads to wilting.

5. From the Government paper

   5.Which of the following systems of government is authoritarian in nature?
   1. A
      Military dictatorship
      Correct
   2. B
      Constitutional monarchy
   3. C
      Parliamentary democracy
   4. D
      Representative democracy
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   A military dictatorship is authoritarian in nature because power is seized and held by the military without popular consent. Civil liberties are suppressed, political opposition is not tolerated, and governance is by decree rather than by the will of the people or a constitutional framework.

6. From the Economics paper

   6.The difference between GDP and GNP
   1. A
      GDP includes the income earned by citizens living abroad
   2. B
      GNP excludes income earned within the country
   3. C
      GDP excludes income earned within the country by foreigners
   4. D
      GNP includes net income earned abroad by the country's citizens
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   GNP = GDP + Net Factor Income from Abroad (NFIA). GNP therefore includes income earned by a country's citizens and businesses abroad, minus income earned by foreigners within the country. The key difference is that GNP adds net income earned abroad to the domestic output measure.

7. From the Civic Education paper

   7.Which of the following is not an example of orderliness
   1. A
      Obeying traffic lights at a road junction
   2. B
      Arranging textbooks neatly on a shelf by subject
   3. C
      Pushing others aside to board a commercial bus first
      Correct
   4. D
      Standing in a queue to buy fuel at a filling station
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Orderliness is the habit of doing things in a proper, organised and sequential manner — respecting one's turn, keeping things arranged, and following laid-down rules.

   Standing in a queue to buy fuel, arranging textbooks neatly by subject, and obeying traffic lights are all clear examples of orderliness: each shows a person following a proper sequence or rule.

8. From the Agricultural Science paper

   8.Which of the following crops requires shade at the early stage of is growth?
   1. A
      Maize
   2. B
      Cowpea
   3. C
      Cotton
   4. D
      Cocoa
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Cocoa is the crop that requires shade at the early (nursery/seedling) stage of its growth. Young cocoa seedlings cannot tolerate direct, intense sunlight because it scorches their soft leaves and dries out the topsoil around the shallow roots. For this reason, farmers raise cocoa seedlings under temporary shade (e.g. plantain, banana or raffia mat shade) in the nursery, and even after transplanting, cocoa is often interplanted with food crops or banana that serve as "nurse" shade crops while the cocoa is young. As the cocoa tree matures and develops its own canopy, the shade requirement reduces and the tree can tolerate more open sunlight.

9. From the Islamic Studies paper

   9.The title as-sidiq is associated with
   1. A
      Uthman ibn Affan
   2. B
      Ali ibn Abi Talib
   3. C
      Umar ibn al-Khattab
   4. D
      Abu Bakr
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   As-Siddiq (the truthful/veracious one) is the title given to Abu Bakr, the closest companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the first Caliph of Islam.

10. From the Further Mathematics paper

    10.Given that (5,2), (-4,k) and (2,1) lie on a straight line, find the value of k.
    1. A
       3
    2. B
       -3
    3. C
       -1
       Correct
    4. D
       1
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: C

    Setting up the condition: Three points lie on a straight line when the slope between any two pairs of them is the same.

    Using the two fully known points (5,2) and (2,1):
    slope = (1 − 2)/(2 − 5) = (−1)/(−3) = 1/3.

    The line through (2,1) with slope 1/3 is: y − 1 = (1/3)(x − 2), which simplifies to 3y = x + 1.

    Now put the third point (−4, k) into this equation: 3k = −4 + 1 = −3, so k = −1, which is the correct value.

    The wrong option k = 1 comes from a sign slip when rearranging 3y − 3 = x − 2 (writing it as 3y + 3 = x − 2 by mistake), which flips the final sign.

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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