Comprehension/Summary - Jamb English Language Past Questions and Answers

Question 571:

• JAMB 2004

  A wolf, seeing a lamb drinking from a river, wanted to find a pretext, for devouring him. He stood higher up the stream and accused the lamb of muddying the water so that he could not drink. The lamb said that he drank only with the tip of his tongue, and that in any case he was standing lower down the river, and could not possibly disturb the water higher up, ‘when this excuse failed him, the wolf said: ‘Well, last year you insulted my father .’I wasn’t even born then, ‘replied the lamb.
  You are good at finding answers, ‘said the wolf, ‘but what do you mean by taking up so much of the path where I am walking? The lamb, frightened at the wolf’s angry tone and terrible aspect, told him, with all due submission, that he could not conceive how his walking on such a wide path could occasion him any inconvenience. ‘What! Exclaimed the wolf, seemingly in great anger and indignation. ‘You are as impudent as your father who seized me by the throat last year, and caused me to be kept in a cage for three months.
  If you will believe me, ‘said the lamb, my parents are poor simple creatures who live entirely by green stuff; we are none of us hunters of your species. ‘Ah! I see it’s no use talking to you, ‘said the wolf, drawing up close to him. ‘it runs in the blood of your family to hate us wolves, and therefore, as we have come so conveniently together, I’ll just pay off a few of your forefathers scores before we part. ‘so saying he leapt at the lamb from behind and garrotted him.


The charges levelled against the lamb are

A. Greed, wandering, insolence and disrespect
B. Exuberance, pollution, wickedness and stubbornness
C. Garrulity, loquacity, pride and arrogance
D. Pollulation, insolence, obstruction and aggression

Question 572:

• JAMB 2004

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.  Capitalism is an economic system which is founded on the principle of free enterprise and the private ownership of the means of production and distribution. The - 11 — [A. protagonists B. antagonists C. determiners D. attorneys] of capitalism claim that its essential characteristic is economic - 12- [A. exploitation B. manipulation C. manoeuvring D. freedom]. The producer is free to produce whatever goods he — 13 - [A. sells B. buys C. fancies D. manufactures]. but the - 14 — [ A. customer B. consumer C. controller D. marketer]. is equally free to buy what he wants. There is a market mechanism under this system, which brings the producer and consumer together and tends to equate the supplies of the one to the demands of the other, and -15 — [A. neutralize B. harmonize C. settle D. decide] the whims and caprice of both. It is this same - 16 — [A. market B. controlling C. operational D. production] mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers, as what share of the total - 17- [ A. dividends B. interest C. output D. profit], in cash or kind, goes to each of the four recognized -18 — [ A. managers B. agents C. methods D. factors] of production — land, labour capital and organization. It is further claimed for this system that every person is capable of watching his or her own interest, and that whatever injustice is done by the - 19 — [A. pricing B. operations C. managers D. buyers and sellers] of the market mechanism, this mechanism tends to bring about a state of - 20 — [ A. conflict B. equidistance C. equilibrium D. opprobrium] between the producers and the consumers.


In question numbered 11 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Protagonists
B. Antagonists
C. Determiners
D. Attorneys

Question 573:

• JAMB 2004

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.  Capitalism is an economic system which is founded on the principle of free enterprise and the private ownership of the means of production and distribution. The - 11 — [A. protagonists B. antagonists C. determiners D. attorneys] of capitalism claim that its essential characteristic is economic - 12- [A. exploitation B. manipulation C. manoeuvring D. freedom]. The producer is free to produce whatever goods he — 13 - [A. sells B. buys C. fancies D. manufactures]. but the - 14 — [ A. customer B. consumer C. controller D. marketer]. is equally free to buy what he wants. There is a market mechanism under this system, which brings the producer and consumer together and tends to equate the supplies of the one to the demands of the other, and -15 — [A. neutralize B. harmonize C. settle D. decide] the whims and caprice of both. It is this same - 16 — [A. market B. controlling C. operational D. production] mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers, as what share of the total - 17- [ A. dividends B. interest C. output D. profit], in cash or kind, goes to each of the four recognized -18 — [ A. managers B. agents C. methods D. factors] of production — land, labour capital and organization. It is further claimed for this system that every person is capable of watching his or her own interest, and that whatever injustice is done by the - 19 — [A. pricing B. operations C. managers D. buyers and sellers] of the market mechanism, this mechanism tends to bring about a state of - 20 — [ A. conflict B. equidistance C. equilibrium D. opprobrium] between the producers and the consumers.


In question numbered 12 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Exploitation
B. Manipulation
C. Manoeuvring
D. Freedom

Question 574:

• JAMB 2004

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.  Capitalism is an economic system which is founded on the principle of free enterprise and the private ownership of the means of production and distribution. The - 11 — [A. protagonists B. antagonists C. determiners D. attorneys] of capitalism claim that its essential characteristic is economic - 12- [A. exploitation B. manipulation C. manoeuvring D. freedom]. The producer is free to produce whatever goods he — 13 - [A. sells B. buys C. fancies D. manufactures]. but the - 14 — [ A. customer B. consumer C. controller D. marketer]. is equally free to buy what he wants. There is a market mechanism under this system, which brings the producer and consumer together and tends to equate the supplies of the one to the demands of the other, and -15 — [A. neutralize B. harmonize C. settle D. decide] the whims and caprice of both. It is this same - 16 — [A. market B. controlling C. operational D. production] mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers, as what share of the total - 17- [ A. dividends B. interest C. output D. profit], in cash or kind, goes to each of the four recognized -18 — [ A. managers B. agents C. methods D. factors] of production — land, labour capital and organization. It is further claimed for this system that every person is capable of watching his or her own interest, and that whatever injustice is done by the - 19 — [A. pricing B. operations C. managers D. buyers and sellers] of the market mechanism, this mechanism tends to bring about a state of - 20 — [ A. conflict B. equidistance C. equilibrium D. opprobrium] between the producers and the consumers.


In question numbered 13 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Sells
B. Buys
C. Fancies
D. Manfactures

Question 575:

• JAMB 2004

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.  Capitalism is an economic system which is founded on the principle of free enterprise and the private ownership of the means of production and distribution. The - 11 — [A. protagonists B. antagonists C. determiners D. attorneys] of capitalism claim that its essential characteristic is economic - 12- [A. exploitation B. manipulation C. manoeuvring D. freedom]. The producer is free to produce whatever goods he — 13 - [A. sells B. buys C. fancies D. manufactures]. but the - 14 — [ A. customer B. consumer C. controller D. marketer]. is equally free to buy what he wants. There is a market mechanism under this system, which brings the producer and consumer together and tends to equate the supplies of the one to the demands of the other, and -15 — [A. neutralize B. harmonize C. settle D. decide] the whims and caprice of both. It is this same - 16 — [A. market B. controlling C. operational D. production] mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers, as what share of the total - 17- [ A. dividends B. interest C. output D. profit], in cash or kind, goes to each of the four recognized -18 — [ A. managers B. agents C. methods D. factors] of production — land, labour capital and organization. It is further claimed for this system that every person is capable of watching his or her own interest, and that whatever injustice is done by the - 19 — [A. pricing B. operations C. managers D. buyers and sellers] of the market mechanism, this mechanism tends to bring about a state of - 20 — [ A. conflict B. equidistance C. equilibrium D. opprobrium] between the producers and the consumers.


In question numbered 14 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Customer
B. Consumer
C. Controller
D. Marketer