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JAMB Use of English practice: free CBT questions with answers
Use of English is the one subject every UTME candidate writes, and it carries the most questions on the paper. It tests vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion), grammar (concord, tenses, prepositions, question tags), idioms, sentence interpretation and Oral English (vowels, consonants, stress and rhymes).
In the UTME CBT, Use of English has 60 questions and each of your other three subjects has 40: 180 questions in 2 hours, scored out of 400 (100 per subject).
CrackIt has 433 original Use of English questions across 21 syllabus topics (136 easy, 172 medium, 125 hard), each with an explanation in English and Pidgin.
5 free JAMB Use of English practice questions
Original questions from our bank, written to the syllabus. Tap “Show answer” to check yourself.
Q1. Synonyms
Choose the option nearest in meaning to the word in capitals.
The principal's speech was so VERBOSE that many students started sleeping.
- Abrief
- Bwordy
- Cinteresting
- Dhostile
Show answer
Answer: B. wordy
The word 'verbose' means using more words than are needed. This explains why the speech was boring and made the students fall asleep.
Pidgin: 'Verbose' mean say person dey use too many words talk. The principal use too much words na why the students begin sleep.
Q2. Antonyms
Choose the option OPPOSITE in meaning to the word in capitals: The novel was so TEDIOUS that most students slept off before chapter three.
- Aexciting
- Blengthy
- Cdull
- Dboring
Show answer
Answer: A. exciting
'Tedious' means too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous. 'Exciting' is the direct opposite as it creates enthusiasm and interest.
Pidgin: 'Tedious' mean book or work wey boring and dey sleep person. The opposite na 'exciting' because e dey sweet person to read or watch am.
Q3. Sentence completion: vocabulary
Choose the option that best completes the gap.
After a long and heated debate, the Senate committee decided to _______ the controversial bill indefinitely due to public outcry.
- Ashelve
- Bveto
- Cquash
- Dprorogue
Show answer
Answer: A. shelve
"Shelve" is the correct term here because it means to postpone or set aside a plan or piece of legislation temporarily or indefinitely. "Veto" is incorrect because only the President (or executive head) can veto a bill, not a legislative committee. "Prorogue" means to discontinue a legislative session without dissolving parliament, while "quash" is a judicial term meaning to reject or void a legal decision.
Pidgin: "Shelve" na the correct word because e mean to put plan or bill for side first. "Veto" no correct because na only President fit veto bill, no be committee. "Prorogue" na to close parliament session for some time, and "quash" na wetin court dey do to cancel case or judgment.
Q4. Tenses and verb forms
Choose the option that best completes the gap.
It is high time we _______ our preparation for the upcoming examinations.
- Ahave started
- Bshould start
- Cstarted
- Dstart
Show answer
Answer: C. started
The construction 'It is high time' is followed by a subject and a verb in the simple past tense (past subjunctive) to indicate that something should have been done already. Therefore, 'started' is the correct option.
Pidgin: Anytime you see 'It is high time' followed by person or people, the next verb must dey simple past. Na why 'started' correct here, even though we dey talk about wetin we suppose do now.
Q5. Idioms and idiomatic expressions
Choose the option that best explains the expression in quotes.
After years of silent rivalry, the two brothers finally decided to 'bury the hatchet' during the New Year festival.
- Ahold a grand feast to show off their wealth
- Bsettle their differences and make peace
- Cbuy new farming implements for their father
- Dhide their weapons to avoid police arrest
Show answer
Answer: B. settle their differences and make peace
The expression 'bury the hatchet' means to end a quarrel, conflict, or long-standing rivalry and reconcile with one another. The brothers chose to make peace during the festival.
Pidgin: To 'bury the hatchet' mean say make people stop fight, forget past vex, and make peace with each other.
Topics covered
- Synonyms (20)
- Antonyms (28)
- Sentence completion: vocabulary (27)
- Concord (25)
- Tenses and verb forms (24)
- Prepositions and phrasal verbs (27)
- Idioms and idiomatic expressions (28)
- Sentence interpretation (26)
- Pronouns and question tags (23)
- Adjectives, adverbs and word order (27)
- Spelling and punctuation (15)
- Oral English: vowel sounds (18)
- Oral English: consonant sounds (10)
- Oral English: word stress (12)
- Oral English: emphatic stress (23)
- Oral English: rhymes (15)
- Conditional sentences, reported speech and active/passive voice (26)
- Register and vocabulary of fields (26)
- Comprehension (short passages) (10)
- Cloze passages (12)
- Grammatical names and functions (11)
How to score higher in Use of English
- Oral English questions are quick marks once you know the sound groups. Practise vowel and consonant sounds and word stress a little every day instead of cramming them.
- For synonyms and antonyms, read the whole sentence first: the right option fits the meaning in that sentence, not only the dictionary meaning.
- Concord and tense questions follow a small set of rules (collective nouns, "neither … nor", "one of the …"). Learn the rule from each wrong answer, not just the answer.
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Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in JAMB UTME Use of English?
In the UTME CBT, Use of English has 60 questions and each of your other three subjects has 40: 180 questions in 2 hours, scored out of 400 (100 per subject).
Are these real past questions?
No. CrackIt's 433 Use of English questions are original, written to the official JAMB syllabus, and each has a worked explanation. CrackIt is not affiliated with JAMB, WAEC or NECO.
Is CrackIt free and does it work offline?
Yes. Practice by topic, timed tests and the Daily 10 are free, and once the app has loaded it works without data.
Can I read the explanations in Pidgin?
Yes. 432 of 433 Use of English explanations have a Pidgin version: tap “Pidgin” under the answer.