Argumentative/persuasive Comprehension passage - Jamb English Language Past Questions and Answers

Question 116:

• JAMB 2008

  Life is often difficult to describe. Men of wisdom in every society often find time to discuss life in order to explain it to the younger generation. I had been present in some meeting s a number of times. One topic that was discussed in one of them was beginning of life. ‘When did life begin?’ asked one of the men of wisdom. It was such an open-ended question. None of us could say precisely what happened when he was born. If he was born poor, he hardly would be very rich, particularly, if he was born honest in a corrupt society. If he was born rich, he might lose all his riches in one day. So, we often gather to tell one another about life. Recently, a statement was introduced into the vocabulary of English-Language — ‘The rich also cry’. The statement demonstrates, to a large extent, that even the rich people have their own period of time when life may prove very difficult and even meaningless to them. Have you not heard the experience of a very rich family whose vast business empire crumbled, in just one day? I have heard of a very rich man who lost his wife and three children in just one accident. Another rich man lost his thriving manufacturing company in an inferno. The compensation from his insurer could not solve half his financial problem. When one is poverty-stricken, that is a difficult dimension to the story of life. The poor person may prefer to die. Imagine when members of a family eat once a day! The quality of food becomes a different kettle of fish in such a circumstance. The dietician’s prayer that every normal human being must have a balance diet is cock and bull story to the poor. It is either that the poor do not have any opportunity that serves as recourse for them to be rich or that they are lazy people. Provisions must be made to create opportunities for self-development and self-realization. A lazy person cannot have his cake and eat it. People like him are not just only a problem to themselves but also to others in society.
At times, such people are dangerous to their communities.
Finally, what can one say about people who are terminally ill or insane? Perhaps silence becomes golden in that respect.




according to the passage, dietician’s is one that

A. Brings succor to the poor man
B. The poor will not believe in
C. Says any poor person can be lazy
D. Appeals to the poor

Question 117:

• JAMB 2008

  Life is often difficult to describe. Men of wisdom in every society often find time to discuss life in order to explain it to the younger generation. I had been present in some meeting s a number of times. One topic that was discussed in one of them was beginning of life. ‘When did life begin?’ asked one of the men of wisdom. It was such an open-ended question. None of us could say precisely what happened when he was born. If he was born poor, he hardly would be very rich, particularly, if he was born honest in a corrupt society. If he was born rich, he might lose all his riches in one day. So, we often gather to tell one another about life. Recently, a statement was introduced into the vocabulary of English-Language — ‘The rich also cry’. The statement demonstrates, to a large extent, that even the rich people have their own period of time when life may prove very difficult and even meaningless to them. Have you not heard the experience of a very rich family whose vast business empire crumbled, in just one day? I have heard of a very rich man who lost his wife and three children in just one accident. Another rich man lost his thriving manufacturing company in an inferno. The compensation from his insurer could not solve half his financial problem. When one is poverty-stricken, that is a difficult dimension to the story of life. The poor person may prefer to die. Imagine when members of a family eat once a day! The quality of food becomes a different kettle of fish in such a circumstance. The dietician’s prayer that every normal human being must have a balance diet is cock and bull story to the poor. It is either that the poor do not have any opportunity that serves as recourse for them to be rich or that they are lazy people. Provisions must be made to create opportunities for self-development and self-realization. A lazy person cannot have his cake and eat it. People like him are not just only a problem to themselves but also to others in society.
At times, such people are dangerous to their communities.
Finally, what can one say about people who are terminally ill or insane? Perhaps silence becomes golden in that respect.




it can be inferred from the passage that the writer

A. Needs to express himself more in idioms
B. Eagerly discusses terminally ill and insane people
C. Does not have any regard for terminally ill people
D. Would rather not discuss a group of people

Question 118:

• JAMB 2011

&nbsp The passage below has gaps numbered 16 to 25. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for each gap. Each question carries 2 marks.
&nbsp Believe it or not, change is to human existence what the blood is to the human body. We live in era of amazing .... 16.... [A. well-defined B. fast-paced C. favourable D. social] change spawned by advancing technology and industrialization. However, man’s ...17.... [A. knowledge of B. attitude to C. commitment to D. opinion of] promoting and defending change in a deliberate effort to establish...18... [A. customs B. companies C. trade-zones D. variations] that stimulate advancement for man’s concern is proving unfavourable to the climate with threatening ...19... [A. repercussions B. clouds C. pressure D. implication].
Human-induced climate change has awakened widespread concern across the globe. As a matter of fact, climate change is now 20 [A. an acceptable B. a foremost C. the only D. the last] global issue. It is a major test of Africa’s ....21.... [A. popularity B. energy C. ingenuity D. incapability] ! the fourth Assessment Report {AR4} of the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that human actions are changing the earth’s climate and creating maker disturbances in human ....22...[A. geography B. societies C. systems D life] and ecosystems. The IPCC reports that the world has warned by an average of 0.76^oC since pre-industrial times. The rising global ...23.... [A. command B. demand C. warming D. supply] for energy and the adverse changes in the climate put the earth and its inhabitants in a catch -22 situation.
Again, if the effects of climate change on each were commensurate with the level of greenhouse ...24 .... [A. structure B. paints C. emulsion D. emissions] in spews out, perhaps Africa would have been spared and would probably be just an amused spectator. But it is, this is not the case. Here again, we see well-meaning global citizens appealing for the rest of the world to take responsibility for the problems of Africa, a strategy that cannot, thus far, termed ....25.... [A. notable B. liable C. credible D. flexible]


In question number 16 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Well-defined
B. Fast-paced
C. Favourable
D. Social

Question 119:

• JAMB 2011

&nbsp The passage below has gaps numbered 16 to 25. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for each gap. Each question carries 2 marks.
&nbsp Believe it or not, change is to human existence what the blood is to the human body. We live in era of amazing .... 16.... [A. well-defined B. fast-paced C. favourable D. social] change spawned by advancing technology and industrialization. However, man’s ...17.... [A. knowledge of B. attitude to C. commitment to D. opinion of] promoting and defending change in a deliberate effort to establish...18... [A. customs B. companies C. trade-zones D. variations] that stimulate advancement for man’s concern is proving unfavourable to the climate with threatening ...19... [A. repercussions B. clouds C. pressure D. implication].
Human-induced climate change has awakened widespread concern across the globe. As a matter of fact, climate change is now 20 [A. an acceptable B. a foremost C. the only D. the last] global issue. It is a major test of Africa’s ....21.... [A. popularity B. energy C. ingenuity D. incapability] ! the fourth Assessment Report {AR4} of the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that human actions are changing the earth’s climate and creating maker disturbances in human ....22...[A. geography B. societies C. systems D life] and ecosystems. The IPCC reports that the world has warned by an average of 0.76^oC since pre-industrial times. The rising global ...23.... [A. command B. demand C. warming D. supply] for energy and the adverse changes in the climate put the earth and its inhabitants in a catch -22 situation.
Again, if the effects of climate change on each were commensurate with the level of greenhouse ...24 .... [A. structure B. paints C. emulsion D. emissions] in spews out, perhaps Africa would have been spared and would probably be just an amused spectator. But it is, this is not the case. Here again, we see well-meaning global citizens appealing for the rest of the world to take responsibility for the problems of Africa, a strategy that cannot, thus far, termed ....25.... [A. notable B. liable C. credible D. flexible]


In question number 17 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Knowledge of
B. Attitude to
C. Commitment to
D. Opinion of

Question 120:

• JAMB 2011

&nbsp The passage below has gaps numbered 16 to 25. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for each gap. Each question carries 2 marks.
&nbsp Believe it or not, change is to human existence what the blood is to the human body. We live in era of amazing .... 16.... [A. well-defined B. fast-paced C. favourable D. social] change spawned by advancing technology and industrialization. However, man’s ...17.... [A. knowledge of B. attitude to C. commitment to D. opinion of] promoting and defending change in a deliberate effort to establish...18... [A. customs B. companies C. trade-zones D. variations] that stimulate advancement for man’s concern is proving unfavourable to the climate with threatening ...19... [A. repercussions B. clouds C. pressure D. implication].
Human-induced climate change has awakened widespread concern across the globe. As a matter of fact, climate change is now 20 [A. an acceptable B. a foremost C. the only D. the last] global issue. It is a major test of Africa’s ....21.... [A. popularity B. energy C. ingenuity D. incapability] ! the fourth Assessment Report {AR4} of the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that human actions are changing the earth’s climate and creating maker disturbances in human ....22...[A. geography B. societies C. systems D life] and ecosystems. The IPCC reports that the world has warned by an average of 0.76^oC since pre-industrial times. The rising global ...23.... [A. command B. demand C. warming D. supply] for energy and the adverse changes in the climate put the earth and its inhabitants in a catch -22 situation.
Again, if the effects of climate change on each were commensurate with the level of greenhouse ...24 .... [A. structure B. paints C. emulsion D. emissions] in spews out, perhaps Africa would have been spared and would probably be just an amused spectator. But it is, this is not the case. Here again, we see well-meaning global citizens appealing for the rest of the world to take responsibility for the problems of Africa, a strategy that cannot, thus far, termed ....25.... [A. notable B. liable C. credible D. flexible]



In question number 18 above, choose the best option from letters A - D that best completes the gap.

A. Customs
B. Companies
C. Trade-zones
D. Variations