WAEC English Question and Answer 2019 (Objective and Theory)

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WAEC English Question and Answer 2019 (Objective and Theory)

COMPREHENSION

Read passages I & II carefully and answer the questions that follow.

PASSAGE I

Those who have been following the arguments for and against the deregulation of the oil industry in Nigeria may have got the impression that deregulation connotes lack of control or indifference on the part of the government But there is nothing so far from official quarters to suggest that deregulation will cause the government to relinquish its control of the oil industry because the absence of direct control does not mean that it will surrender all its rights to the entrepreneurs who may want to participate in the industry.

Yet the opposition expressed so far against deregulation stems from the fear that the government would leave Nigerians at the mercy of a heartless cartel who would command the heights of the oil industry and cause the pump price of fuel to rise above the means of most Nigerians.

As a result of such fears, many Nigerian have become resentful of deregulation and, in fact, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to deregulate the government if it should go ahead with the deregulation plan. But Nigerians have not fared any better with the economy totally in government control. Until recently, the most important sectors of the economy were in the hands of the government.

Today, the deregulation of some of these sectors has broken its monopoly and introduced healthy competition to make things a little easier for Nigerians. A good example is the breaking of the stifling monopoly of Nigeria Airways. Today, the traveller is king at the domestic airports as opposed to the struggle that air travels used to be under Nigeria Airways

monopoly Before, it was almost easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for travellers to board a plane Following from this, the apostles of deregulation rightly heap all the blame for the problems associated with petroleum products distribution in this country squarely on the government, which owns all the refineries and which sells fuel to local consumers through its agency, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In the same way, the government argues that if the current NNPC monopoly were broken with the introduction of entrepreneurs to the refining and sale of petroleum products in the country, the Nigerian people would be all the better for it. It stands to reason that once the government continues to fix maximum prices for petroleum products in this country, the deregulation of the oil sector should bring some relief to the people by ensuring that wastage, corruption and inefficiency are reduced to the minimum.

Consumers will also have the last laugh because competition will result in the availability of the products at reasonable prices. This appears to be the sense in deregulation.

1. Which of these correctly summarises the arguments adduced by the advocates of deregulation?
(A) Deregulating the economy will make the NNPC more efficient and less wasteful
(B) The government should deregulate every aspect of the Nigerian economy
(C) Competition in the oil industry will be beneficial to several Nigerians
(D) Competition should be allowed in the production and distribution of petroleum products

2. Which of the following conclusions can be reached from the passage?
(A) The deregulation of the economy will solve all the problems of petroleum products distribution
(B) The government is hell- bent on leaving Nigerians at the mercy of a heartless cartel
(C) Nigerians cannot buy fuel at exorbitant prices
(D) The deregulation of the oil industry does not preclude the government from exerting its influence.

3. An appropriate title for this passage is
(A) The Advantage of a Deregulated Economy (B) Making a Case for Deregulation (C) Highlighting the Dangers of Deregulation (D) The Problems of the NNPC.

4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
(A) The Nigeria Labour Congress has been able to prevent the government from deregulating the economy
(B) The introduction of entrepreneurs to the oil industry will make life easy only for a few Nigerians
(C) The opposition to the deregulation of the oil industry is not unanimous.
(D) A better life for all Nigerians is conditional upon the deregulation of the economy.

5. The writer seems to suggest that
(A) Nigerians do not understand the sense in deregulation
(B) the anxiety caused by the deregulation question is groundless
(C) a deregulated economy will cause the government to be indifferent to the plight of ordinary Nigerians
(D) only a heartless cartel will benefit by the deregulation of the oil industry

PASSAGE II

Recognizing the need for objectivity in their work, the early report writers worked to develop a writing style which would convey this attitude. They reasoned that the source of the subjective quality in a report is the human being. And they reasoned that objectivity is rather than the personalities involved. best attained by emphasizing the factual material of a report So they worked to remove the human being from their writing. Impersonal writing style was the result.

By impersonal writing is meant writing in the third person without I’s, we’s or you’s. In recent years, impersonal writing has been strenuously questioned by many writers. These winters point out that personal writing is more forceful and direct than is impersonal writing. They contend that writing which brings both reader and writer into the picture is more like conversation and therefore more interesting. And they answer to the point on objectivity with a reply that objectivity is an attitude of mind and not a matter of person.

A report, they say, can be just as objective when written in personal style as when in Frequently; they counter with the argument that impersonal writing leads to an overuse of passive voice and generally dull writing style. This last argument, however lacks substance. Impersonal Impersonal writing can and should be interesting. Any dullness it may have is wholly the fault of the writer. As proof, one has only to look at the lively styles used by the writers for newspapers, news magazines and journals. Most of this writing is impersonal and usually it is not dull.

As in most cases of controversy, there is some merit to the arguments on both sides. There are situations in which personal writing is best. There are situations in which impersonal writing is best. And there are situations in which either style is appropriate. The writer must decide at the outset of his work which style is best for his own situation. Her decision should be based on the circumstances of each report situation.

First, he should consider the expectations or desires of those for whom he is preparing the report. More than likely he will find a preference for impersonal style, for like most human beings, businessmen have been slow to break tradition. Next, the writer should consider the formality of the report situation. If the situation is informal, as when the report is really a personal communication of information between business associates, personal writing is appropriate. But if the situation is formal, as is the case with most reports, the conventional impersonal style is best.

6. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
(A) Most report writing is characterized by the sparing use of the impersonal style
(B) The impersonal style helps to achieve a measure of objectivity in report writing
(C) The impersonal style has been widely acclaimed
(D) Most writers use the impersonal style to achieve objectivity in their reports.

7. One argument given in support of personal writing is that it
(A) makes writers more focused and less boring
(B) can be more objective than impersonal writing
(C) is the style to use in all situations involving businessmen
(D) has informal features which make it more diverting than impersonal writing

8. From the passage, what determines the appropriateness of a style in the (A) situation (B) reader (C) writer (D) theme.

9. According to the passage, most of the writing in newspapers, news magazines and journals is
(A) impersonal and interesting

(B) impersonal and uninteresting

(C) personal and interesting

(D) personal and uninteresting

10. Which of the following best describes the writer of the passage? (A) He cannot be said to be objective

(B) He is completely non-committal (C) He recognizes the need to be critical of report writing

(D) He is being unnecessarily analytic

PASSAGE III

The passage below has gaps numbered 11 to 20. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for each gap.

It is the business of the scientist to accumulate knowledge about the universe and all that is in it, and to find, if he is able, common….. 11.[A. experiments B. instruments C. approaches D. factors] which underlie and account for the the facts that he knows. He chooses, when he can, the method of the controlled…12……. [A. respondent B. experiment C. system D. data]. If he wants to find out the effect of light on growing plants, he takes many plants, as alike as possible.

Some he stands in the sun, some in the shade, some in the dark; all the time keeping all other…….13…. [A. studies B. procedures C. objects D. conditions] (temperature, moisture, nourishment) the same. In this way, by keeping other variables…….. 14. [A. constant B. good C. dark D. natural], and by varying the light only, the effect of light on plants can be clearly seen. This….15 research B. method C. tool …… [Α.D. rationale] of using ‘controls’ can be applied to a variety of situations, and can be used to find the answers to questions as widely different as ‘must moisture be present if…….. 16…[A. an alloy B. gold C. bar D. iron] is to rust? and and which variety of beans gives the greatest yield in one……17…[A. climate B. period D. weather]? In the course of his….18……. [A. findings B. queries C. experiment D. inquiries, the scientist may find what he thinks is one common explanation for an increasing number of facts. The explanation, if it seems consistently to fit the various facts, is called……..19….. [A. an antithesis B. a principle C. a thesis D. a hypothesis). If this continues to stand the test of numerous experiments and remains unshaken, it becomes a……..20…… [A. deduction B. law C. notion D. thesis].

PASSAGE IV

Read the passage below carefully and answer the questions that follow.

If our thought is to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating it to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which whatever is indicated by the term belongs, and also other particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class.

Thus we may define a whale as a ‘marine animal that spouts.’ ‘Marine animal’ in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and ‘spouts’ indicates the particular property that distinguishes whales, from other such marine animals as fishes, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two, or a democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways, of course, of indicating the meanings of words. We may, for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited usefulness.

If we indicated our use of the word ‘animal’ as above, our hearers might, for example, be doubtful whether a sea-anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is, however, a useful way of supplementing a definition if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving as distinguishing mark one which either does not belong to all the things the definition is intended to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition is intended to exclude.

21. The writer uses the expression fixing the meaning of the words we use to mean
(A) using definitions to help people communicate their thoughts and argue logically (B) getting even with the people who always ask for definitions (C) repairing the damage done by inadequate definition during communication (D) using definitions to help people build-up their vocabulary.

22. One of these summarizes the approaches to definition discussed in the passage
(A) Mentioning the class of a word or object with its specific property (B) Indicating the class of a word and mentioning its general property with examples (C) Specifying clearly what distinguishes a particular word or object from its traditional groups (D) Giving general and specific features followed by examples of what the object or word includes.

23. The expression we may well be asked as used in the passage means
(A) we cannot escape being asked(B) the listener is always justified to ask questions (C) it is inconceivable that we will be asked (D) it is quite likely that we will be asked.

24. Which of the following statements can be deduced from the passage?
(A) Definitions aid communication when enumeration is accurately handled (B) Accurate definition is invaluable to communication but difficult to achieve (C) Every speaker or writer has a method of defining words (D) There are both traditional and modern methods of defining words.

25. From the passage, which of these is a disadvantage of defining by enumerating?
(A) Enumeration always leaves doubts in the mind of the speaker (B) The words or objects listed may not all share similar characteristics (C). The property and examples enumerated may not be all-inclusive (D) Many important members of the group may be left out of the enumeration.

LEXIS, STRUCTURE AND ORAL FORMS

In each of questions 26 to 40, choose the option opposite in meaning to the word(s) or phrase in italics

26. The witness averred that she had seen Dosun at the scene of the crime (A) argued (B) confirmed (C) denied (D), affirmed

27. The high cost of living these days calls for a lot of frugality (A) extravagance (B) economy (C) recklessness (D) prudence

28. Tunde’s reaction underscores the point I was making (A) justifies (B) emphasizes C) summarizes (D) contradicts

29. Everyone admired the manager’s adroit handling of the crises in the company (A) clever (B) tactless (C) skilful (D) clumsy

30. he principa eption to the ignobie role the teacher played in the matter (A) embarrassing (B) honourable (C) extraordinary (D) dishonourable

31. He is notorious for his drunkenness (A) popular (B) known (C) well known (D) renowned

32. The chairman’s conduct redounds to the image of the company (A) assists in (B) reflects on (C) contributes (D) detracts from ‘

33. Her phlegmatic temperament endears her to her friends (A) stoic (B) Irritable (C) lively (D) cold

34. The workers suddenly became restive (A) fidgety (B) disorderly (C) submissive (D) calm

35. The governor’s visit is an unprecedented event in the history of the social club (A) a perfect momentous (C) an insignificant 3) en unnecessary

36. The athlete has unexpectedly become indomitable (A) (D) unconquerable weak (B) disoriented (C) unruly

37. The evidence the leader gave was incontrovertible (A) indubitable (B) contestable (C) practicable (D) logical

38. He gave an unsatisfactory excuse but the boss swallowed it hook, line and sinker (A) with a pinch of salt (B) completely (C) entirely (D) without mincing words

39. The hardline posture of the labour leader has not helped matters (A) compromising (B) imposing (C) uncompromising (D) difficult

40 . The President gave another extemporaneous speech last Friday )(A) unprepared (B) fascinating planned (D) unfavourable (C)

In each of questions 41 and 42, choose the word that has a different stress pattern from the others

41. (A) convenient (B) madam (C) embarrass (D) contribute

42 (A) success (B) suffer (C) blackboard (D) calendar

In each of questions 43 to 57, choose the option nearest in meaning to the word(s) or phrase in italics.

43. Practising medicine is not as lucrative as many people think A. know B. understand C. consider  D. assume

44. He is a stringer for a newspaper A. a financier of B. an editor of C. a freelancer for D. a reporter for

45. I wish the commander were less adamant about his proposed reprisal attack on the enemy A. sentimental about/rehearsed B. unyielding about/ retaliatory C. supportive of/retributive  D. tolerant of/surprise

46. Tortoises need cool climates and must have places where they can hibernate; A. reproduce B. hide at night C. sleep deeply D. relax

47. The manager made disparaging remarks about the retiring officer A. rude B. dérogatory C. parochial D. cynical

48. The man outran his wife when they heard the eerie sound A. scary B. hissing C. harsh D. loud

49. Teachers of music believes in its therapeutic effect A. healing B. sound C. lyrical D. rhythmic

50. Adigun’s jokes are always puerile A. amusing B. childish C. empty D. entertaining

51. I wonder what will be left of his essay when the extraneous material is deleted A. superfluous B. erroneous C. relevant D. main

52. His success may be described as a pyrrhic victory A. costly B. a deserving victory C an easy victory D. indecisive

53. The teacher’s apparent nonchalant attitude was misconstrued by his students A. condoned B. misrepresented C. misquoted D. misinterpreted

54. They are considered to be legal luminaries A. directors B. power C. experts D. practitioners

55. The Executive Secretary has just assumed office. A. resumed work B. started work C. returned D. been sworn in

56. The warring tribes have been told to parley with each ther A. observe a truce B. hold talks C. sign a treaty D. suspend hostilities

57. Let us not indulge in recrimination A indictment B. accusation allegation. C. counter-accusation D. unfounded

In each of questions 58 and 59, identify the word that has the stress on the first syllable

 

58. A. export (noun) B. commute C. intend D. import

59. A. dismiss (verb) B. comment C. intact D. confuse

In each of questions 60 to 62, choose the option that has the same consonant sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

60. business A. grace B. rice C. eyes D. sink

61. cough A. though B. castle C. past

62. preached A. question B. thoroughly C. trophy D. lotion

In each of questions 63 to 65, choose the option that has a different vowel sound from the others.

63. A. rough B. dog C. cough D. rot

64. A. tear (verb) B. hear C. weird  D. mere

65. A. does B. flood C. world D. son

In each of questions 66 to 70, the word in capital letters has the emphatic stress. Choose the option that best fits the expression in the sentence.

66. He travelled ONLY 20 kilometres before his car stopped
(A) Did he travel only 20 kilometres after his car stopped? (B) Did he travel exactly 20 kilometres before his car stopped? (C) Did you walk only 20 kilometres before the vehicle stopped? (D) Did he travel more than 20 kilometres before his car stopped?

67. The king RAN to the palace
(A) Where did the king to? (B) Did the king walk to the palace (C) Did the queen run to the palace? (D) Who ran to the palace? run

68. The university has been TEMPORARILY closed
(A) Has the campus been permanently closed?
(B) Has the university been permanently open?
(C) Has the university been permanently closed?
(D) Has the college been temporarily closed?

69. The man BOUGHT the newspaper
(A) Is this the newspaper which the man bought?
(B) Did the man read the newspaper?
(C) Who bought the newspaper?
(D) What did the man buy?

70. My UNCLE retired from the police
(A) Did your brother resign from the police?
(B) Did your sister resign from the police?
(C) Did your uncle retire from the army?
(D) Did your brother refire, from the police?

In each of questions 71 to 95, fill each gap with the most appropriate option from the list provided.

71. The army officer said that more… [A. guerrilas B. guerrillas C. geurrilas D. geurrillas] would be needed to prosecute the war.

72. If one perseveres……… [A. she B. one C. he D. they.] will surely succeed

73. Musa has lived here for five years but he does not seem able to get over the enormously [A. absurd B. bizarre C. fantastic D. intricate) and elaborate rules that govem the society

74. As election day draws near, the party looks……. because many of its members have…….. [A. successful/declared for B. vulnerable/defected to C. cheerful/moved to D. cheerless/cross- carpeted from] other parties

75. a motor cycle can be harmful……[A. riding/for B. riding to C. to ride/for D. to ride/with] your health.

76. The future of the company is……..though many seem…..[A. okay/optimistic B. promising /nostalgic C. rosy/pessimistic D. dicy/unsatisfied] about it.

77. Ali has been cured of his amnesia, he no longer suffers suffers from……… [A. rounds of anxiety B. loss of memory C. pains in his arms D. bouts of malaria]

78. By this time next year, I…….. [A. would have been B. will be C. could have been D. will have been] twenty years old.

79. The operations of the bank….. not….. [A. does/ covered B. does/cover C. did/covered D. do/cover] cottage and small-scale industries

80. The members of the other team agree…….. [A. by B. to C. on D. with] all the terms of the contract

81. Whenever we have……. [A. a long good talk together B. a good long talk together C. together a long good talk D. together a good long talk], we feel better.

82. The match gave the team a chance to show their.. [A. worth B. position C. prowess D. mettle]

83. These…….. must have….. [A. analyses/attract B. analyses/attracted C. analysis/attract D. analysis/ attracted] the World Bank officials.

84. The members elected Baba…… [A. chairman B. their chairman C. to become chairman D. to be a chairman] of the committee

85. One advantage of the English language in Nigeria is that it puts everyone….. a common….. [A. atl equality B. on/footing C.in/standing D. in/ advantage]

86. The officer described the comment as [A. ludicrous B. dangerous C. sad D. libellous] because it was very amusing

87. You are free to solicit (A. by financial B. for financial C. financial D. a financial] support from the Board.

88. The highly appreciative audience clapped ……..hands and showered ………[A. their/ encomiums B. its/ encomiums C. their/invectives D. its/invectives] on the lecturer

89. He is……..Kaduna……. [A. in/on B. at/in C. at/for D. for/in] an official assignment

90. Despite all preparations, the wedding did not [A. come along B. come off C. come on D. come up]

91. The quality of your questions which…always attracted attention…. [A. have/has B/ have/have G. has/has D. has/have] never been in doubt

92. We did not understand what the magistrate said about…..(A. acid B. insult C. assault D. touching] and battery

93. Didn’t……… [A. anyone B. somebody C. someone D. everyone] draw your attention to the entry requirements?

94……. [A. in spite of B. given C. in case of D. barring] any problems, I shall travel to London tomorrow on a business trip

95. The new manager was responsible for the….. [A. uplift B. upliftment C. lifting D. uplifting]of the organisation.

In each questions 96 to 100, select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence.

96. The organization is constantly in a state of flux
(A) There are periodic changes in the organization (B) The organization is facing a difficult period (C) The organization is experiencing good times (D) The organization is moribund

97. His meteoric rise to fame surprised everyone.
(A) His rise to fame was only temporary (B) People were amazed at his rapid success (C). He became successful very suddenly (D) He rose to the top quite unexpectedly.

98. The politician was pilloried by the press for his inflammatory remarks (A) The politician was snubbed by the press for his remarks (B) The politician was criticized by the press for his remarks (C) The politician was closely questioned by the press for his remarks (D) The politician was ridiculed by the press for his remarks.

99. After the successful operation, he recovered by leaps and bounds (A) He got well very rapidly (B) His well-bound wounds aided his recovery (C) He did a lot of keep-fit exercises (D) He used to jog regularly

100. Audu was taken bad in the middle of the night (A) He was caught (B) He was robbed (C) He was ill (D) He was drunk.

2019 WAEC English Answers for Objective Questions

1.A 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.B 6.B 7.A 8A 9.A 10.C 11.C 12.B 13.D  14.A 15.B 16.D 17.C 18.C 19.D 20.B 21.A 22.D 23.D 24.B 25.C 26.C 27.A 28.D 29.B 30.B 31.D 32.D 33.C 34.C 35.C 36.A 37.B 38.A 39.A 40.C 41.B 42.B 43.D 44.C 45.8 46.B 47.B 48.A 49.A 50.B 51. A 52.A 53.D 54.C 55.B 56.B 57.C 58.A 59.B 60.C 61.C 62.C 63.A 64.C 65.C 66.C 67.B 68.A 77.B 69.B 70.D 71.B 72.B 73.D 74.B 79.D 80.D 81.B 82.D 83.B 75.B 76.B 78.A 84.A 85B 86.A 87.B 88.A 89.A 90.D 91.A 92.C  93.A 94.D 95.Β 96.A 97.A 98.D 99.A 100.C

2019 WAEC English Theory Questions

A friend of yours was involved in a fight that took place in school and has been expelled by the school authorities. In a letter to your Principal, give an account of the fight. and why you think your friend should not have been expelled.

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