WAEC English Language 2024 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 15 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2024 WAEC English Language paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 132 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC English Language 2024 questions and answers

1. 1.

   From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that best completes each of the following sentences.

   The incumbent chairman won the election by a ______ of twenty votes.

   1. A
      minority
   2. B
      difference
   3. C
      majority
      Correct
   4. D
      margin
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   The fixed collocation in English for reporting an election result is to win "by a majority of" a stated number of votes. "Majority" here means the number of votes by which the winner's total exceeded the nearest rival's — exactly what the sentence describes: "won the election by a majority of twenty votes."

2. 2.

   In each of the following sentences, the word that receives the emphatic stress is written in capital letters. From the questions lettered A-D, choose the one to which the given sentence is the appropriate answer.

   We left for MAKURDI yesterday.

   1. A
      Where did we leave for yesterday?
      Correct
   2. B
      Who left for Makurdi yesterday?
   3. C
      When did we leave for Makurdi?
   4. D
      What did we do yesterday?
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Emphatic stress falls on the word that carries the new, important information in a reply. In the sentence "We left for MAKURDI yesterday," the stress is placed on MAKURDI, which names the destination. That means the sentence is answering a question that specifically asks about the place travelled to.

3. 3.

   From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

   passage

   1. A
      flag
      Correct
   2. B
      cake
   3. C
      bed
   4. D
      path
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   The underlined letter is the a in passage, pronounced with the short vowel sound /æ/, the same sound you hear in words like cat, man and flag.

   flag is correct because its "a" also carries this short /æ/ sound.

4. 4.

   From the words or group of words lettered A-D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.

   I can rustle _____ an omelette - at least.

   1. A
      up
      Correct
   2. B
      over
   3. C
      out
   4. D
      together
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   The phrasal verb here is "rustle up", which means to prepare a meal quickly and informally, often with limited ingredients. "I can rustle up an omelette" means "I can quickly put together/make an omelette."

   up is correct because "rustle up" is the fixed idiomatic expression used for whipping up a quick meal.

   "rustle out" is not an English idiom and does not fit the sense of preparing food.

5. 5.

   From the words lettered A-D below each of the following sentences, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentences.

   Some believe it is ominous for the owl to perch on the roof of a house.

   1. A
      sacred
   2. B
      strange
   3. C
      foreboding
      Correct
   4. D
      frightening
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Ominous means giving a warning sign that something bad or unlucky is about to happen — the sense of an evil omen. This is exactly the belief being described: an owl perching on a roof is seen as a bad sign.

   Foreboding carries this same idea of a feeling or sign that misfortune is coming, so it is nearest in meaning to "ominous".

6. 6.

   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.

   lustre

   1. A
      whistle
   2. B
      Christmas
   3. C
      mister
      Correct
   4. D
      castle
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   lustre is pronounced /ˈlʌstə/. The underlined letters "str" do not give three separate consonant sounds — the final r is silent (it only shapes the vowel into the "schwa" sound at the end, just like in "centre" and "theatre"). So what "str" actually represents here is the consonant cluster /st/, followed by a silent r.

7. 7.

   From the words lettered A-D below each of the following sentences, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentences.

   The new shopping mall is on the fringe of the town.

   1. A
      outskirts
      Correct
   2. B
      interior
   3. C
      neighbourhood
   4. D
      heart
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Fringe means the outer edge or border area of a place, farthest from its centre. "The new shopping mall is on the fringe of the town" means the mall is located at the outskirts of the town, not in the town centre.

   Heart is wrong because it means the very centre or core of a place — the opposite of fringe.

8. 8.

   After each of the following sentences, a list of possible interpretations is given. Choose the interpretation that is given. Choose the interpretation that is most appropriate for each sentence.

   Amina was completely swept off her feet the first time she met Gabriel. This means that she

   1. A
      was carried away physically by him
   2. B
      fell instantly and completely in love with him
      Correct
   3. C
      lost her physical balance when they met
   4. D
      was frightened by his sudden appearance
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   The expression "swept off her feet" is an idiom, not a literal description. It means a person is suddenly and completely overwhelmed by strong romantic feeling for someone.

   So "Amina was completely swept off her feet the first time she met Gabriel" means she fell instantly and completely in love with him — his charm or manner captivated her right away.

9. 9.

   From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

   south

   1. A
      could
   2. B
      shout
      Correct
   3. C
      soup
   4. D
      young
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   The underlined letters ou in south represent the diphthong sound /aʊ/, the same sound heard in words like "now", "cow" and "mouth".

   shout is correct because its "ou" is pronounced exactly the same way, /aʊ/, as in "south".

   So a student must listen to the actual pronunciation, not just the spelling, when matching vowel sounds.

10. 10.

    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.

    what

    1. A
       sword
    2. B
       write
    3. C
       who
    4. D
       wine
       Correct
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: D

    The letters wh in what are pronounced as the consonant sound /w/ — the same sound you hear at the start of words like west or wet.

    wine begins with the same /w/ sound, so it is correct.

    The other options only look similar in spelling but do not sound the same:

    who — here "wh" is pronounced /h/, and the "w" is silent (it sounds like "hoo").
    write — here "wr" is pronounced /r/, and the "w" is silent.
    sword — here the "w" is silent; only the /s/ and /d/ sounds are heard.

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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Practise all 132 questions we hold from the 2024 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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