Expositive Comprehension passage - Jamb English Language Past Questions and Answers

Question 131:

• JAMB 1994

  What is the typical condition of the poor in developing countries? Their work opportunities are so limited that they cannot work their way out of their situation. They are under-employed, or totally unemployed. When the do find occasional work, their productivity is extremely low. Some of them have land, but often too little land. Many have no land, and no prospect of ever getting any. There is no hope for them in the rural areas, and so the drift into the big cities. But there is no work for them in big cities either - and of course no housing. All the same, they flock into the cities because their chances of finding some work appear to be greater than in the villages - where such chances are nil. Rural unemployment, then producers mass migration into the cities. Rural unemployment becomes urban unemployment.
  The problem can be stated quite simply: what can be done to promote economic growth in the small towns and villages which still contains about eighty ninety per cent of the population? The primary needs is work, places, literally millions of work places. No one, of course, would suggest that output per worker, it must be to maximize work opportunities for the unemployed and the under-employed The poor man greatest need is the chance to work. Even poorly paid and relatively unproductive work is better than no work at all. It is therefore important that everybody should produce something, than that a few people should each produce a great ideal. And in most developing countries , this can only be achieved by using an appropriate technology.


According to the passage, the difference between the developing countries and the developed ones is that while the former have?

A. A modern sector, the latter do not
B. Two conflicitng sector, the latter have one
C. Higher rural unemployment, the latter have higher urban unemployment
D. Appropriate intermediate technology, the latter adopt

Question 132:

• JAMB 1994

  What is the typical condition of the poor in developing countries? Their work opportunities are so limited that they cannot work their way out of their situation. They are under-employed, or totally unemployed. When the do find occasional work, their productivity is extremely low. Some of them have land, but often too little land. Many have no land, and no prospect of ever getting any. There is no hope for them in the rural areas, and so the drift into the big cities. But there is no work for them in big cities either - and of course no housing. All the same, they flock into the cities because their chances of finding some work appear to be greater than in the villages - where such chances are nil. Rural unemployment, then producers mass migration into the cities. Rural unemployment becomes urban unemployment.
  The problem can be stated quite simply: what can be done to promote economic growth in the small towns and villages which still contains about eighty ninety per cent of the population? The primary needs is work, places, literally millions of work places. No one, of course, would suggest that output per worker, it must be to maximize work opportunities for the unemployed and the under-employed The poor man greatest need is the chance to work. Even poorly paid and relatively unproductive work is better than no work at all. It is therefore important that everybody should produce something, than that a few people should each produce a great ideal. And in most developing countries , this can only be achieved by using an appropriate technology.


From the way winter describes the typical condition of the poor in the developing countries, one could conclude that?

A. Rural poverty is a disease
B. The poor have no hope
C. Rural poverty is caused by the rich
D. The problems of the poor temporary

Question 133:

• JAMB 1994

  What is the typical condition of the poor in developing countries? Their work opportunities are so limited that they cannot work their way out of their situation. They are under-employed, or totally unemployed. When the do find occasional work, their productivity is extremely low. Some of them have land, but often too little land. Many have no land, and no prospect of ever getting any. There is no hope for them in the rural areas, and so the drift into the big cities. But there is no work for them in big cities either - and of course no housing. All the same, they flock into the cities because their chances of finding some work appear to be greater than in the villages - where such chances are nil. Rural unemployment, then producers mass migration into the cities. Rural unemployment becomes urban unemployment.
  The problem can be stated quite simply: what can be done to promote economic growth in the small towns and villages which still contains about eighty ninety per cent of the population? The primary needs is work, places, literally millions of work places. No one, of course, would suggest that output per worker, it must be to maximize work opportunities for the unemployed and the under-employed The poor man greatest need is the chance to work. Even poorly paid and relatively unproductive work is better than no work at all. It is therefore important that everybody should produce something, than that a few people should each produce a great ideal. And in most developing countries , this can only be achieved by using an appropriate technology.


When the writer says'.........literally millions of work places', he wants the reader to?

A. Take the million figure literally
B. Appreciate he need for numerous workplaces
C. Realize that the millio figure is a mere exaggeration
D. Appreciate the size of the work force

Question 134:

• JAMB 1994

  What is the typical condition of the poor in developing countries? Their work opportunities are so limited that they cannot work their way out of their situation. They are under-employed, or totally unemployed. When the do find occasional work, their productivity is extremely low. Some of them have land, but often too little land. Many have no land, and no prospect of ever getting any. There is no hope for them in the rural areas, and so the drift into the big cities. But there is no work for them in big cities either - and of course no housing. All the same, they flock into the cities because their chances of finding some work appear to be greater than in the villages - where such chances are nil. Rural unemployment, then producers mass migration into the cities. Rural unemployment becomes urban unemployment.
  The problem can be stated quite simply: what can be done to promote economic growth in the small towns and villages which still contains about eighty ninety per cent of the population? The primary needs is work, places, literally millions of work places. No one, of course, would suggest that output per worker, it must be to maximize work opportunities for the unemployed and the under-employed The poor man greatest need is the chance to work. Even poorly paid and relatively unproductive work is better than no work at all. It is therefore important that everybody should produce something, than that a few people should each produce a great ideal. And in most developing countries , this can only be achieved by using an appropriate technology.


What is the point made by the writer about solving the problem of unemployment in developing countries?

A. Use appropriate intermediate technology
B. A few people should produce a great deal
C. Stop migration to cities
D. Ctreate more work places

Question 135:

• JAMB 1999

  In many places in the world today, the poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer and the programmes of development planning and foreign aid appear to be unable to reverse this trade. Nearly all the developing countries have a modern sector, where the pattern of living and working are similar to those in developed countries. But they also have a non-modern sector where the patterns of living and working are not only unsatisfactory but in many cases are even getting worse.
  what is the typical condition of the poor in developing countries? Their work opportunities are so limited that they cannot work their way out of their situation. They are underemployed or totally unemployed. When they do find occasional works, their productivity is extremely low. Some of them have land but often too little land. Many have no land and no prospect of ever getting any. There is no hope for them in the rural areas and so, they drift into the big cities. But there is no work for them in the big cities either-and of course no housing. All the same, they flock into cities because their chances of finding some work appear to be greater there than in the village, where they are nil. Rural unemployment then produces mass migration into cities, rural unemployment becomes urban unemployment.
  The problem can be stated quite simply: what can be done to promote economic growth outside the big cities, in the small towns and villages which still contain 80 to 90% of the total population? The primary need is workplace, literally millions of workplaces.


The gap between the rich and the poor widens because there

A. Are no jobs in the rural ares
B. Are no employment opportunitites in the city
C. Is not work in the village and the city
D. Is low growth rate in productivity