Comprehension/Summary - Jamb English Language Past Questions and Answers

Question 191:

• JAMB 1983

  Typical Zacharia! Devil-may are and irreverent as ever. No doubt he was just the same when he was cook to a Greek trader in the town. In fact, I suspect that to him the Reverend Father is just another sort of trader. Conceited ass, thinking himself superior to the Father! And in what is he superior? Success with women perhaps? Zacharia knows that they all admire him and is always striving for still more admiration. He dresses sharply and walks in a haughty manner that suits in his tallness. And then he feeds his pride on the swarms of girls who run after him. It’s maddening to him how little you need to attract them. I remember my mother coming home from market in the town, after selling her vegetables and cocoa. How indignant she was ‘It’s so shameful, ‘she cried,’ our best-looking and most respectable girls go to town and throw themselves at strangers as ugly as sin, speaking the most outlandish tongue. Men I can scarcely look at without shuddering! And why? Just money! Money! Ah, what a world! And my father replied in a buried voice, ‘It is the times!’ ‘the times!’ shouted mother ‘can you imagine my child Ann with creatures like those?
But perhaps the girls who chase Zacharia aren’t drawn by his tallness or his leather shoes. Perhaps they’re only after childish things, a bit of bread or a pot of jam, knowing that he’s a cook. My father often says women are like children in their desires. And after all, I too can boast a little. Plenty of women turn to look at me, especially when I’m dressed all in white! But I’m not vain enough to fuse over a little thing like that. Not like Zacharia, who doesn’t know women are simply children.




From the passage we can conclude that the young girls were

A. Attractive
B. Religious
C. Modern
D. Easily led
E. Indifferent

Question 192:

• JAMB 1984

Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
It was summer, early afternoon. Jim ran into the station. The 4.30 train was about to leave. As he ran along the platform he saw a girl just ahead of him. She was young-about his age. He followed her into a carriage and set down opposite her. She took out a magazine and was reading it. He took out a book and pretended to do the same. After a minute he looked up and smiled at her. She didn’t smile back but gave him an encouraging look. Both returned to their reading but this time she was pretending too.
He found her attractive and wanted to see her again. But how to arrange it? .......... He had an idea. He took an old envelope out of his pocket and wrote the following wrote the following words: ‘Hello! My number is 123-4567 and my name is Jim. I would very much like to see you again. Ring me at nine.
The train arrived at the terminal. Without looking at the girl, he handed her the envelope or rather threw it at her and jumped off the train.
When he got home he made himself a cup of coffee and wondered ...perhaps she was one those naturally friendly people who smile at everybody. He was listening to the radio when the telephone rang........it was only Umaru. Nine o’clock arrived, then 9.30- and no telephone call from the girl. Feeling miserable he went to bed early.
It was a foggy morning. ‘Hello, is that Jim? This is Joan. You......it was two minutes past nine


On the train Jim was

A. Reading a book
B. Staring at the girl
C. Pretending to read
D. Looking through a magazine
E. Reading a newspaper

Question 193:

• JAMB 1984

Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
It was summer, early afternoon. Jim ran into the station. The 4.30 train was about to leave. As he ran along the platform he saw a girl just ahead of him. She was young-about his age. He followed her into a carriage and set down opposite her. She took out a magazine and was reading it. He took out a book and pretended to do the same. After a minute he looked up and smiled at her. She didn’t smile back but gave him an encouraging look. Both returned to their reading but this time she was pretending too.
He found her attractive and wanted to see her again. But how to arrange it? .......... He had an idea. He took an old envelope out of his pocket and wrote the following wrote the following words: ‘Hello! My number is 123-4567 and my name is Jim. I would very much like to see you again. Ring me at nine.
The train arrived at the terminal. Without looking at the girl, he handed her the envelope or rather threw it at her and jumped off the train.
When he got home he made himself a cup of coffee and wondered ...perhaps she was one those naturally friendly people who smile at everybody. He was listening to the radio when the telephone rang........it was only Umaru. Nine o’clock arrived, then 9.30- and no telephone call from the girl. Feeling miserable he went to bed early.
It was a foggy morning. ‘Hello, is that Jim? This is Joan. You......it was two minutes past nine


He wanted to see the girl again because

A. It was summer
B. She was attractive
C. He wanted to read her magazine
D. She smiled at him
E. They had agreed to meet

Question 194:

• JAMB 1984

Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
It was summer, early afternoon. Jim ran into the station. The 4.30 train was about to leave. As he ran along the platform he saw a girl just ahead of him. She was young-about his age. He followed her into a carriage and set down opposite her. She took out a magazine and was reading it. He took out a book and pretended to do the same. After a minute he looked up and smiled at her. She didn’t smile back but gave him an encouraging look. Both returned to their reading but this time she was pretending too.
He found her attractive and wanted to see her again. But how to arrange it? .......... He had an idea. He took an old envelope out of his pocket and wrote the following wrote the following words: ‘Hello! My number is 123-4567 and my name is Jim. I would very much like to see you again. Ring me at nine.
The train arrived at the terminal. Without looking at the girl, he handed her the envelope or rather threw it at her and jumped off the train.
When he got home he made himself a cup of coffee and wondered ...perhaps she was one those naturally friendly people who smile at everybody. He was listening to the radio when the telephone rang........it was only Umaru. Nine o’clock arrived, then 9.30- and no telephone call from the girl. Feeling miserable he went to bed early.
It was a foggy morning. ‘Hello, is that Jim? This is Joan. You......it was two minutes past nine


He hoped to arrange a date with her by

A. Writing a letter to her
B. Ringing her up
C. Waiting at the station
D. Handing in a short note in a hurry
E. Sending a telegram

Question 195:

• JAMB 1984

Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
It was summer, early afternoon. Jim ran into the station. The 4.30 train was about to leave. As he ran along the platform he saw a girl just ahead of him. She was young-about his age. He followed her into a carriage and set down opposite her. She took out a magazine and was reading it. He took out a book and pretended to do the same. After a minute he looked up and smiled at her. She didn’t smile back but gave him an encouraging look. Both returned to their reading but this time she was pretending too.
He found her attractive and wanted to see her again. But how to arrange it? .......... He had an idea. He took an old envelope out of his pocket and wrote the following wrote the following words: ‘Hello! My number is 123-4567 and my name is Jim. I would very much like to see you again. Ring me at nine.
The train arrived at the terminal. Without looking at the girl, he handed her the envelope or rather threw it at her and jumped off the train.
When he got home he made himself a cup of coffee and wondered ...perhaps she was one those naturally friendly people who smile at everybody. He was listening to the radio when the telephone rang........it was only Umaru. Nine o’clock arrived, then 9.30- and no telephone call from the girl. Feeling miserable he went to bed early.
It was a foggy morning. ‘Hello, is that Jim? This is Joan. You......it was two minutes past nine


That evening he had a telephone call from

A. His colleague, Umaru
B. The girl he met on the train
C. The railway authorities
D. Nobody at all
E. Joan