JAMB English Language questions

526 questions with answers and explanations. Tap an option to check yourself.

1. Question 321· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'My uncle is a man of straw' means that he is

   • Aa builder
   • Ba farmer
   • Cvery strong
   • Da person of no real substance or means

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   Answer: D. a person of no real substance or means

   Explanation and discussion

2. Question 322· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'The thief took to his heels when he saw the police.' This means that the thief

   • Asurrendered
   • Bfell down
   • Chid his shoes
   • Dran away

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   Answer: D. ran away

   Explanation and discussion

3. Question 323· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'The new manager is a hard nut to crack.' This means that the manager is

   • Aeasily defeated
   • Bfond of nuts
   • Cvery strong
   • Ddifficult to persuade or deal with

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   Answer: D. difficult to persuade or deal with

   Explanation and discussion

4. Question 324· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'The minister's appeal fell on deaf ears' means that

   • Ait was in sign language
   • Bit was too loud
   • Cno one paid attention to it
   • Dit was widely praised

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   Answer: C. no one paid attention to it

   Explanation and discussion

5. Question 325· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'The minister's appeal fell on deaf ears.' This means that the appeal was

   • Atoo loud
   • Bignored
   • Cwidely praised
   • Dbroadcast on radio

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   Answer: B. ignored

   Explanation and discussion

6. Question 326· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'Emeka is regarded as the black sheep of the family.' This means that Emeka is

   • Aconsidered a disgrace to the family
   • Bthe eldest child
   • Cthe darkest in the family
   • Dthe family's shepherd

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   Answer: A. considered a disgrace to the family

   Explanation and discussion

7. Question 327· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'Had Bola known about the test, she would have studied harder.' This means that Bola

   • Aknew about the test and studied hard
   • Bstudied hard but still failed
   • Cdid not know about the test
   • Drefused to study

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   Answer: C. did not know about the test

   Explanation and discussion

8. Question 328· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'Were I in your position, I would accept the offer.' This means that the speaker

   • Ais not in the listener's position
   • Bhas already accepted the offer
   • Cis in the listener's position
   • Drefuses the offer

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   Answer: A. is not in the listener's position

   Explanation and discussion

9. Question 329· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

   'The new library is still on the drawing board.' This means that the library is

   • Aalready built
   • Bstill being planned
   • Cbeing drawn by artists
   • Dabandoned

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   Answer: B. still being planned

   Explanation and discussion

10. Question 330· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'The students burnt the midnight oil before the examination' means that they

    • Astudied late into the night
    • Bset the hostel on fire
    • Cwasted kerosene
    • Dslept early

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    Answer: A. studied late into the night

    Explanation and discussion

11. Question 331· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'No sooner had she sat down than the phone rang.' This means that

    • Athe phone rang before she sat down
    • Bthe phone rang immediately after she sat down
    • Cshe never sat down
    • Dshe answered the phone while standing

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    Answer: B. the phone rang immediately after she sat down

    Explanation and discussion

12. Question 332· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Bisi was given the cold shoulder at the party.' This means that Bisi

    • Awas deliberately ignored
    • Bcaught a cold
    • Cwas given cold food
    • Ddanced all night

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    Answer: A. was deliberately ignored

    Explanation and discussion

13. Question 333· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Hardly had the thief left when the police arrived.' This means that

    • Athe thief was caught inside
    • Bthe police arrived before the thief
    • Cthe police arrived just after the thief left
    • Dthe thief arrived after the police

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    Answer: C. the police arrived just after the thief left

    Explanation and discussion

14. Question 334· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'The minister's resignation was a foregone conclusion.' This means that the resignation was

    • Areversed
    • Ba surprise
    • Cnever expected
    • Dcertain to happen

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    Answer: D. certain to happen

    Explanation and discussion

15. Question 335· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Her speech brought the house down.' This means that the speech

    • Acaused the building to collapse
    • Bwas received with loud applause
    • Cwas boring
    • Dended the meeting early

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    Answer: B. was received with loud applause

    Explanation and discussion

16. Question 336· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'The headmaster gave the latecomers a piece of his mind.' The headmaster

    • Aadvised them gently
    • Bscolded them severely
    • Cshared his ideas with them
    • Dforgave them

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    Answer: B. scolded them severely

    Explanation and discussion

17. Question 337· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Social media can be a double-edged sword for students' means that it

    • Ais very dangerous to hold
    • Bcan both help and harm them
    • Cis always useless
    • Dis only for adults

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    Answer: B. can both help and harm them

    Explanation and discussion

18. Question 338· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'All their efforts came to nought.' This means that their efforts

    • Awere rewarded
    • Bachieved nothing
    • Cwere counted
    • Dwere doubled

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    Answer: B. achieved nothing

    Explanation and discussion

19. Question 339· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Chidi has a chip on his shoulder about his poor background' means that Chidi

    • Ais resentful and easily offended about it
    • Bis proud of it
    • Ccarries heavy loads
    • Dhas forgotten it

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    Answer: A. is resentful and easily offended about it

    Explanation and discussion

20. Question 340· Sentence interpretation· JAMB

    'Ade has turned over a new leaf' means that Ade has

    • Astarted a new book
    • Bbecome a farmer
    • Cchanged his behaviour for the better
    • Dbecome lazy

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    Answer: C. changed his behaviour for the better

    Explanation and discussion