WAEC, English Past Questions and Answers, 1990

WAEC, ENGLISH, 1990:

SECTION 1

 

Choose the word opposite in meaning to the underlined word.

1. The young engineer is good at terminating other peoples projects but has not been capable of _____ any of his own.

1. integrating
2. finishing
3. completing
4. initiating
5. organizing

 

2. The manager who expected to be given respect was treated with _____.

1. dignity
2. scorn
3. shame
4. cruelty
5. disloyalty

 

3. Those who had invitation cards were admitted to the party while those who had none were _____.

1. barred
2. repelled
3. expelled
4. compelled
5. restricted

 

4. Too many theories will not help us; we need to be _____.

1. bookish
2. hypothetical
3. antithetical
4. shrewd
5. practical

 

5. Nobody expects him to show _____ for his children but he certainly bestows too much affection on them.

1. love
2. concern
3. intimacy
4. devotion
5. hatred

 

6. The challenger was crude and inexperienced in contrast to the champion who was _____.

1. great
2. exposed
3. celebrated
4. refined
5. strong

 

7. What should have been a source of motivation for him proved to be a terrible source of _____.

1. failure
2. harm
3. discouragement
4. uncertainty
5. disturbance

 

8. Ade is very conservative in his political ideas whereas Bala expresses _____ views always.

1. radical
2. heretical
3. conventional
4. fanatical
5. impractical

 

9. The Government has been spending money on preventative rather than on _____ medicine.

1. modern
2. protective
3. diagnostic
4. traditional
5. curative

 

SECTION 2

From the words lettered A to E, Choose the word that best completes each of the following sentences

10. The fisherman threw a stone into the river and this caused a _____.

1. sprinkle
2. sparkle
3. splash
4. spring
5. storm

 

11. The play was so interesting that the _____ clapped for quite a long time at the end.

1. spectators
2. watchers
3. congregation
4. people
5. audience

 

12. The building _____ because of weak structural foundation.

1. tumbled
2. succumbed
3. somersaulted
4. collapsed
5. caved

 

13. The magazine was _____ by the government for an offensive publication.

1. prescribed
2. proscribed
3. suspended
4. condemned
5. persecuted

 

14. Many people reacted to the brutal murder of the popular journalist with strong _____.

1. indignation
2. demonstration
3. mobilization
4. condemnation
5. accusation

 

15. The Governor frowned at the _____ which slowed down the implementation of policy decisions.

1. bureaucracy
2. autocracy
3. opposition
4. convention
5. insecurity

 

16. The doctor _____ the illness as yellow fever, not malaria.

1. prescribed
2. examined
3. discovered
4. announced
5. diagnosed

 

17. Since the writer did not indicate his name, the editor decided not to publish such _____ article.

1. a discourteous
2. an anonymous
3. a scandalous
4. a libelous
5. a cowardly

 

SECTION 3

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

18. Mrs Alabi was not around when her case was called and none of her colleague was willing to hold brief for her. This means that _____.

1. her colleagues were afraid
2. she was not trusted
3. her colleagues did not want to represent her
4. she had quarreled with her colleagues

 

19. Telling lies has become a second nature to Kunle. This means that Kunle _____.

1. rarely tells lies
2. always tells lies
3. tells lies only on second thought
4. learnt to tell lies from childhood

 

20. For us to accomplish the task successfully, all hands must be on deck. This means that everybody _____.

1. should push with his hands
2. will have to travel by sea
3. must cooperate
4. should take a test before continuing the task

 

21. The wedding was attending by the cream of the society. This means that the wedding was attended by _____.

1. everybody in the society
2. only those who were invited
3. very important people
4. only the educated people

 

22. I want you to keep an eye on that child. This means that I want you to _____.

1. discipline the child
2. keep the child busy all the time
3. punish the child if he misbehaves
4. watch the child all the time

 

23. It appears Sade’s success at the last examination has gone to her head. This means that Sade is _____.

1. conceited
2. too happy
3. crazy
4. impudent

 

24. Little Sheila is always as lively as a kitten. This means that Sheila is always _____.

1. wearing bright dresses
2. very realistic in what she does
3. moving quickly like a kitten
4. gay and cheerful

 

25. The masquerade appears once in a blue moon. This means that the masquerade appears _____.

1. on very rare occasions
2. when the moon is blue
3. whenever a special request is made
4. once a month

 

26. Okon is quite hardworking but his problem is that he has too many irons on the fire. This means that Okon _____.

1. is a blacksmith
2. takes on more problems than he can cope with
3. is very good at solving problems
4. is a very successful businessman

Answers to these questions are present here.

Read questions 27 - 42 here

Read questions 43 - 75 here

Read questions 76 - 100.

Read various Topics on English here