Expositive Comprehension passage - Jamb English Language Past Questions and Answers

Question 236:

• JAMB 2012

The medical definition of miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before twenty-four weeks. Miscarriage is very common, occurring in ten to twenty per cent, of confirmed pregnancies. Most of those feature ....16... twelve weeks of pregnancy. The most common ....17... is vaginal bleeding, which can range from light spotting to heavier than a period. You may see blood clots, brown discharge or other tissues that are not....18.... identifiable. Sometimes a sac-like structure is seen. Often, there is cramping with pelvic or back pain. You may find that the usual symptoms of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, feeling sick and having to pass urine more....19... than usual stop unexpectedly. Sometimes there are no signs or symptoms of miscarriage and pregnancy symptoms continue, and the miscarriage only ......20..... in a routine scan . About half all early miscarriages happen because of a problem in the way the genetic material from the egg and sperm have combined during......21.... it can be difficult to find out why this has ....22...., but it is more likely to be due to random chance than to any underlying problem with either parent. Imbalances in pregnancy hormones, problems in the immune...23....,and some serious infections are also thought to make miscarriages more likely. The risk of miscarriage......24..... with age because the quality of eggs deteriorates . If a woman drinks too much alcohol or smokes heavily, the risk of miscarriage is higher. It is also increased with ....25... pregnancies such as twins.
Adapted from Saturday punch, 13 October 2007


Choose the most appropriate answer in the gap numbered 23

A. Syndrome
B. Process
C. Response
D. System

Question 237:

• JAMB 2012

The medical definition of miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before twenty-four weeks. Miscarriage is very common, occurring in ten to twenty per cent, of confirmed pregnancies. Most of those feature ....16... twelve weeks of pregnancy. The most common ....17... is vaginal bleeding, which can range from light spotting to heavier than a period. You may see blood clots, brown discharge or other tissues that are not....18.... identifiable. Sometimes a sac-like structure is seen. Often, there is cramping with pelvic or back pain. You may find that the usual symptoms of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, feeling sick and having to pass urine more....19... than usual stop unexpectedly. Sometimes there are no signs or symptoms of miscarriage and pregnancy symptoms continue, and the miscarriage only ......20..... in a routine scan . About half all early miscarriages happen because of a problem in the way the genetic material from the egg and sperm have combined during......21.... it can be difficult to find out why this has ....22...., but it is more likely to be due to random chance than to any underlying problem with either parent. Imbalances in pregnancy hormones, problems in the immune...23....,and some serious infections are also thought to make miscarriages more likely. The risk of miscarriage......24..... with age because the quality of eggs deteriorates . If a woman drinks too much alcohol or smokes heavily, the risk of miscarriage is higher. It is also increased with ....25... pregnancies such as twins.
Adapted from Saturday punch, 13 October 2007


Choose the most appropriate answer in the gap numbered 24

A. Increase
B. Starts
C. Reduces
D. Appears

Question 238:

• JAMB 2013

Music plays a vital role in human society. Good music provides entertainment and emotional release, and it accompanies activities ranging from dances to religious ceremonies. Music is heard everywhere; in auditoriums, homes, elevators, schools, sports arenas and on the streets. Recorded performance is a sensational innovation elevation of the twentieth century. Thanks to modern technology like compact disc (CD) digital video disc (DVD) and the MP 3 player, music can now be heard in divers places. Such places include living rooms and cars, jogging paths can also function as new kinds of concert halls where we can hear what we want as often as we want.
Live performances provide a special excitement. In a live performance artistes put themselves on the line. To avoid embarrassment, the artiste must train before hand and ensure that technical difficulties are avoided and that the listeners are actively involved. What is performed, how it sounds to the excitement of such a moment and feelings are exchanged between stage and hall.
Our response to a musical performance or an artiste is subjective and rooted in deep feelings. Even professional critics can differ strongly in their evaluations of a performance. There is no one ''Truth'' about what we hear and feel. Does the performed project a concept, an overall idea, or an emotion? Do some sections of a piece, but not others, communicate something to you? Can you figure out why? It is up to us as listeners to evaluate performances of music so that we can fully enjoy it. People listen to music in many different ways. For instance, music can be a barely perceived background as in a film or a totally absorbing experience as in a concert.
Adapted from Roger, K. (1990) An Appreciation Music: Fourth Brief Edition, McGrow-Hill Higher Education.


The expression....stage and hall, as used in the passage, means the

A. Artist and the audience
B. Producer and the director
C. Director and audience
D. Artiste and his music

Question 239:

• JAMB 2013

Music plays a vital role in human society. Good music provides entertainment and emotional release, and it accompanies activities ranging from dances to religious ceremonies. Music is heard everywhere; in auditoriums, homes, elevators, schools, sports arenas and on the streets. Recorded performance is a sensational innovation elevation of the twentieth century. Thanks to modern technology like compact disc (CD) digital video disc (DVD) and the MP 3 player, music can now be heard in divers places. Such places include living rooms and cars, jogging paths can also function as new kinds of concert halls where we can hear what we want as often as we want.
Live performances provide a special excitement. In a live performance artistes put themselves on the line. To avoid embarrassment, the artiste must train before hand and ensure that technical difficulties are avoided and that the listeners are actively involved. What is performed, how it sounds to the excitement of such a moment and feelings are exchanged between stage and hall.
Our response to a musical performance or an artiste is subjective and rooted in deep feelings. Even professional critics can differ strongly in their evaluations of a performance. There is no one ''Truth'' about what we hear and feel. Does the performed project a concept, an overall idea, or an emotion? Do some sections of a piece, but not others, communicate something to you? Can you figure out why? It is up to us as listeners to evaluate performances of music so that we can fully enjoy it. People listen to music in many different ways. For instance, music can be a barely perceived background as in a film or a totally absorbing experience as in a concert.
Adapted from Roger, K. (1990) An Appreciation Music: Fourth Brief Edition, McGrow-Hill Higher Education.


The expression....stage and hall, as used in the passage, means the

A. Artist and the audience
B. Producer and the director
C. Director and audience
D. Artiste and his music

Question 240:

• JAMB 2013

Music plays a vital role in human society. Good music provides entertainment and emotional release, and it accompanies activities ranging from dances to religious ceremonies. Music is heard everywhere; in auditoriums, homes, elevators, schools, sports arenas and on the streets. Recorded performance is a sensational innovation elevation of the twentieth century. Thanks to modern technology like compact disc (CD) digital video disc (DVD) and the MP 3 player, music can now be heard in divers places. Such places include living rooms and cars, jogging paths can also function as new kinds of concert halls where we can hear what we want as often as we want.
Live performances provide a special excitement. In a live performance artistes put themselves on the line. To avoid embarrassment, the artiste must train before hand and ensure that technical difficulties are avoided and that the listeners are actively involved. What is performed, how it sounds to the excitement of such a moment and feelings are exchanged between stage and hall.
Our response to a musical performance or an artiste is subjective and rooted in deep feelings. Even professional critics can differ strongly in their evaluations of a performance. There is no one ''Truth'' about what we hear and feel. Does the performed project a concept, an overall idea, or an emotion? Do some sections of a piece, but not others, communicate something to you? Can you figure out why? It is up to us as listeners to evaluate performances of music so that we can fully enjoy it. People listen to music in many different ways. For instance, music can be a barely perceived background as in a film or a totally absorbing experience as in a concert.
Adapted from Roger, K. (1990) An Appreciation Music: Fourth Brief Edition, McGrow-Hill Higher Education.


From the passage, it can be deduced that music is

A. Better appreciated n a crowd
B. Better appreciate when we are happy
C. Better appreciated by professional critics
D. Appreciated as the environment dictates