2024 - JAMB English Past Questions and Answers - page 5

A person is considered "guilty" when they are found responsible for committing a crime. Conversely, to be "acquitted" signifies a declaration of not guilty.

The word "unconscionable" means not guided or restrained by conscience; unscrupulous. The closest meaning among the options is "reprehensible," which means deserving censure or condemnation.

To "bequeath" signifies the act of legally passing something, particularly belongings or assets, to another person through a will. Essentially, when something is bequeathed, it's being left behind for an individual. The most closely related term to "bequeathed" is "left."

The underlined phrase "seek redress" means to seek a remedy or compensation for a wrong or grievance.

• A. returns: This refers to giving something back or going back, which is not the meaning of seeking redress.
• B. appeal: This means to make a serious or urgent request, typically to the public. While related to a legal context, it is not the closest in meaning.
• C. judgement: This is a decision of a court or judge. This is the outcome of the legal process, not the act of seeking redress.
• D. compensation: This refers to something, typically money, awarded to someone as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering. This aligns with the concept of correcting a wrong.

The word "futile" means pointless or useless. Therefore, the option closest in meaning is "fruitless," which also means unsuccessful or producing no results.

Being "rapt" in attention signifies complete focus or being completely engrossed. A close synonym for "rapt attention" is "concentrated," which describes the act of directing all of one's attention towards a specific activity or task.

The wording "very first party dress" is correct because "very" highlights "first," which is the most important part of the sentence: the initial party dress.

The expression "ought to do" indicates a responsibility or anticipation that a task should be finished by the next day.

Maryam's behavior, assuming she were to act superior, calls for the subjunctive mood. This grammatical structure, used for unreal or hypothetical scenarios, dictates the use of "were" rather than "is" or "was" with the verb.

Had the police not intervened promptly, the phrase "But for the timely intervention of the police" implies the thief would have been lynched. Consequently, in this hypothetical past scenario, the correct conditional tense to employ is the past perfect conditional, specifically, "would have been lynched."