JAMB UTME - Use of English - 2025

Bayanin Amsa

The Lekki Headmaster presents migration as a phenomenon that brings mixed blessings and challenges. The novel does not take a simplistic position either for or against migration. Instead, it shows through Mr Bepo's experience that emigration offers genuine opportunities, such as better economic conditions and professional advancement, but also comes with significant costs: separation from community, loss of cultural rootedness, the disruption of institutions like schools, and deep emotional pain.

This balanced perspective is the novel's central lesson on migration. It acknowledges the legitimate reasons why Nigerians seek opportunities abroad while also highlighting the personal sacrifices and national consequences involved. The story avoids the extremes of presenting migration as always beneficial or as a betrayal of one's roots, instead depicting it as a complex decision with real trade-offs on both sides. This nuanced treatment makes the novel a thoughtful contribution to the ongoing national conversation about the Japa phenomenon.

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This can be found on page 58 of the novel.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, Mr Ayesoro is a figure who frightens young Bibi. The source of Bibi's fear is not any form of maltreatment, abuse, or intimidating expression on Mr Ayesoro's part; rather, it is his tribal marks. Mr Ayesoro bears prominent traditional facial scarification, and these marks are visually striking and unsettling to a child like Bibi who is not accustomed to them.

Tribal marks are a traditional practice among certain ethnic groups in Nigeria, where patterns of scars are made on the face, often in childhood. While they carry cultural significance, the novel shows through Bibi's reaction that these marks can appear intimidating or frightening to those unfamiliar with the custom, especially children.

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Meticulous means showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise. A meticulous experiment is one conducted with painstaking accuracy and thoroughness.

The word opposite in meaning is careless, which means not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors. A careless experiment would be one conducted without proper attention to detail - the direct opposite of a meticulous one.

The other options are synonyms of meticulous, not antonyms:

• detailed means involving many carefully considered parts - similar to meticulous.
• thorough means complete with regard to every detail - similar to meticulous.
• careful means making sure to avoid potential problems or dangers; giving close attention - essentially the same as meticulous.

This question requires recognising that three of the four options actually share the meaning of the italicised word, while only one is its opposite.

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Mr Bepo is a principal (headmaster) at Stardom Schools in Lekki, Lagos. The title of the novel itself, The Lekki Headmaster, directly identifies his profession. Throughout the story, Bepo is shown carrying out the duties of a school head: overseeing academic programmes, managing staff, handling student discipline, organising excursions, and making administrative decisions about school fees and facilities.

His identity as a school principal is central to the novel's conflict. Bepo's love for teaching and school leadership is what makes his potential emigration so agonising. He is not merely employed at the school; he is emotionally and professionally invested in its success and in the futures of his students. His profession grounds the novel's exploration of what Nigeria stands to lose when its committed professionals leave the country.

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This question tests the ability to identify mood and atmosphere in a narrative. Mood refers to the emotional atmosphere that a writer creates in a scene, shaped by word choice, setting, pacing, and the behaviour of characters.

At the beginning of the story, when the principal walks to the podium, the mood is tense and uncertain. The way the scene is set up conveys a sense of apprehension among the audience - students and staff do not know what the principal is about to announce or how it will affect them. This unease establishes early dramatic tension in the narrative and draws readers into the story by creating an atmosphere of anticipation.

The mood is not joyful or uplifting because there is no celebration. It is not calm and indifferent because the scene conveys emotional engagement from the audience. It is not merely hopeful and eager because the dominant note is anxiety rather than optimism.

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This question asks about Mr Bepo's primary motivation for organising excursions for his students at Stardom.

Mr Bepo organises excursions because he wants to give his students a thorough understanding and appreciation of their own country before they eventually travel abroad. He believes that young Nigerians should know the richness of their homeland, its history, culture, natural beauty, and challenges, so that they carry that knowledge and pride with them wherever they go in the world.

This motivation is consistent with the novel's broader themes about brain drain, emigration ("japa"), and the importance of national identity. Mr Bepo is not primarily trying to promote the school, prepare students for geography examinations, or encourage tourism. His aim is fundamentally patriotic and educational: he wants the students to have a deep, personal connection to Nigeria before they leave.

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This question requires the student to make an inference about the character Tai based on evidence from the novel.

From the events described in the novel, it can be inferred that Tai is a middleman who exploits passport applicants. He positions himself at or near the immigration office, intercepts applicants like Mr Bepo, and charges them inflated fees far above the official government rate. He profits from the desperation and confusion of people who are unfamiliar with the process or who have been frustrated by the bureaucratic obstacles.

Tai is not a legitimate immigration officer since he does not hold an official position. He is not an honest businessman because his dealings involve deception and exploitation. He is also not unaware of the actual renewal process; on the contrary, he knows the system intimately and uses that knowledge to extract money from applicants. The phrase "in cahoots," used elsewhere in the novel, further confirms that Tai works in secret collaboration with immigration staff to exploit the system.

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The idiom "put a spoke in someone's wheel" means to deliberately obstruct or sabotage someone's plans. The image comes from inserting a rod (spoke) into a wheel to prevent it from turning, thereby stopping progress.

In this sentence, the boy accused his friend of thwarting the execution of his plan - that is, of deliberately interfering to prevent his plan from succeeding.

"Making jest of him" means mocking, which is not what the idiom conveys. "Spoiling his bicycle wheel" takes the expression literally rather than figuratively. "Destroying his move of getting a new wheel" also interprets the phrase too literally and invents a scenario about purchasing a wheel that the idiom does not describe.

The correct meaning is that the friend deliberately obstructed or thwarted his plan.

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This question comes from a comprehension passage about birdwatching and bird identification. The passage contrasts how beginners (children) notice birds primarily by sight with how experienced observers identify species in environments where visibility is limited.

In a wood, dense foliage and tree cover make it difficult to spot birds visually. Colour, beak shape, and feeding behaviour are hard to observe when the bird is hidden among leaves and branches. Under these conditions, the most reliable way to identify a species is by its characteristic call. Each bird species produces distinctive songs and calls, and with practice, an observer can learn to recognise which species is present simply by listening.

The key phrase is "with practice" - learning to identify birds by their calls requires time and repeated exposure, but once mastered, it becomes the most effective method for identifying species in wooded habitats where direct sighting is difficult.

The correct answer is their characteristic calls with practice.

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The passage states that Bepo had not been keen on relocating abroad, which is the main reason for his initial reluctance to renew his passport. Since he wasn't planning on traveling abroad, he didn't prioritize renewing his passport.

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Some teachers at Stardom Schools dread Open Day because parents often come with complaints. Open Day is an event where parents visit the school to meet teachers, review their children's academic progress, and discuss any concerns. For teachers, this can be a stressful occasion because parents may raise criticisms about teaching methods, academic results, student welfare, or other grievances.

The novel shows that the relationship between parents and teachers at Stardom is sometimes tense. Parents who are paying significant school fees have high expectations, and Open Day becomes the occasion when those expectations collide with reality. Teachers feel vulnerable to criticism and, as the Mr. Fafore incident demonstrates, even to the loss of their jobs if a parent's complaint is taken seriously by the school's management.

The other reasons listed are not what the novel identifies. The teachers are not specifically afraid of being sacked on Open Day (though the Fafore incident later reinforces that fear), they do not generally dislike interacting with parents, and the dread is not about long working hours. It is the complaints themselves that make the day unwelcome.

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This comprehension question asks about the reaction of Mr Bepo's colleagues to his decision not to relocate to the United Kingdom despite the clear financial advantages of doing so.

Mr Bepo's colleagues find his reluctance amusing because they believe he should jump at the opportunity to earn more abroad. From their perspective, the choice seems obvious: his wife is already established in the UK, earning far more than he does in Nigeria, and joining her would dramatically improve his financial situation. They see his insistence on staying as puzzling or even irrational, given how much more he could earn overseas.

The passage does not suggest that his colleagues think he is afraid of flying, that he harbours entrepreneurial ambitions in Nigeria, or that he dislikes the United Kingdom. Their amusement stems purely from the perceived irrationality of turning down a clear financial upgrade. This reaction from his colleagues highlights the dominant mindset of the japa era, where emigrating for better pay is widely viewed as the sensible choice, making Mr Bepo's devotion to his students an outlier position.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, Stardom School decides to stop its usual democratic election process for selecting prefects because some students were engaging in negative campaigning. Instead of focusing on their qualifications and positive plans for the school, certain candidates resorted to mudslinging, character attacks, and other divisive tactics during the campaign period.

This negative behaviour undermined the purpose of the democratic exercise, which was intended to teach students about civic responsibility, leadership, and fair competition. The school administration concluded that the election process had become counterproductive and decided to discontinue it.

The other options do not match the novel's explanation. The school's decision was not prompted by a Ministry of Education mandate, a desire for teachers to appoint prefects, or demands from parents. The trigger was specifically the students' negative campaigning behaviour, which corrupted the election process and made it harmful rather than educational.

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The sentence "The boy _____ the flute for about thirty minutes" requires a verb form that expresses an action continuing over a stated duration. The phrase "for about thirty minutes" signals a period of time during which the action has been ongoing.

The correct answer is has been playing, which is the present perfect continuous tense. This tense is formed with has/have + been + present participle (-ing) and is used to describe an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present moment. The "for" + time expression naturally pairs with this tense.

The other options are flawed:

• "Was playing" (past continuous) describes a past action in progress but does not connect it to the present; it would need additional past-time context.
• "Has play" is grammatically incorrect; the present perfect requires the past participle "played," not the base form.
• "Has being playing" is also incorrect; the correct auxiliary is "been," not "being." "Being" is a present participle, while "been" is the past participle of "be" needed after "has."

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This question asks which statement is NOT one of Bepo's ideas about teaching. Bepo is portrayed throughout The Lekki Headmaster as a progressive, student-centred educator. His teaching philosophy includes:

• Education should be student-centred, placing the learner at the heart of the process.
• Excursions enhance the learning experience by giving students direct, real-world exposure to what they study in the classroom (the Badagry excursion is a direct example).
• Learning should be hands-on and engaging, involving active participation rather than passive reception of information.

The idea that teachers should maintain a strict authoritarian approach directly contradicts Bepo's educational philosophy. Bepo does not advocate for rigid, fear-based discipline or a top-down teaching style. Instead, he believes in fostering curiosity, encouraging student participation, and creating a warm, supportive learning environment. An authoritarian approach is the opposite of the student-centred, interactive model Bepo champions.

When answering "NOT" or "EXCEPT" questions, identify the options that genuinely belong to the character or concept, then select the one that contradicts or falls outside the established pattern.

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During the school excursion to Badagry, the students visited multiple significant historical locations: the First Storey Building, the Slave Market, and the Point of No Return. All three sites are real historical landmarks in Badagry, Lagos State, that bear witness to the transatlantic slave trade and early colonial contact in Nigeria.

The First Storey Building is the earliest multi-storey structure in Nigeria, built by missionaries in the 19th century. The Slave Market is where enslaved Africans were gathered and traded before being shipped across the Atlantic. The Point of No Return marks the final departure point on the coast where enslaved people were loaded onto ships, never to return to their homeland. The novel uses this excursion to connect the students with Nigeria's history and to draw a subtle parallel between the forced migration of the slave trade era and the voluntary but pressure-driven migration (Japa) of the present day.

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This comprehension question explores Mr Bepo's personal motivations for choosing to remain in Nigeria rather than relocating to the United Kingdom, where his wife Seri already works as a nurse.

Mr Bepo is reluctant to relocate to the United Kingdom because he does not want to leave his students. Despite the significant financial advantage of moving abroad (his wife earns far more in the UK than he earns as a school principal in Nigeria), Mr Bepo feels a deep sense of duty and attachment to the students he teaches. His commitment to their education and well-being outweighs the material benefits of emigrating.

His reluctance is not primarily driven by fear of adapting to a new environment, a belief that life in Nigeria is inherently better, or an unwillingness to leave his wife and children behind (since his wife is already in the UK). The passage makes clear that his bond with his students is the decisive factor holding him back. This detail is central to the novel's exploration of the personal costs and moral dimensions of the japa (emigration) trend in Nigeria.

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A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is directly described as being another, without using the comparison words "like" or "as." When Mr. Audu says the MD is "a witch and wizard rolled into one," he is not literally claiming that the MD practises witchcraft. Instead, he uses this vivid image to convey that the MD is formidable, cunning, and perhaps intimidating - combining the negative qualities stereotypically associated with both a witch and a wizard into a single person.

This is not personification because personification involves giving human traits to something non-human, and the MD is already a human being. It is not an allusion, which would require a reference to a specific well-known person, literary work, or historical event. While witches and wizards appear across many cultural traditions, the expression does not reference any particular one. It is not assonance, which is the repetition of vowel sounds in closely placed words - there is no notable vowel-sound pattern in this phrase.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, Mrs Titi is the school nurse. When someone is in distress, she fetches a handkerchief and offers it to the person. The question asks why she did this.

The answer is that it was all she could do at the moment. A handkerchief is not a medical treatment; it is a simple, personal item. The fact that a trained nurse offers a handkerchief rather than medication or first aid indicates that in that particular moment, she had no better option available. The gesture was compassionate but limited by the circumstances. The handkerchief was the only comfort she could provide.

The other options misread the scene:

• The fact that she always carried an extra handkerchief may be true, but it does not explain her reason for offering it at that moment. The question asks about purpose, not habit.
• The suggestion that the Physics teacher had prayed over the handkerchief introduces a detail that does not explain the nurse's motivation for offering it.
• While she may not have had drugs available, the broader point is that the handkerchief was the only thing she could offer in the moment, making her action one of limited but genuine care.

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Two words rhyme when they share the same vowel and final consonant sounds from the stressed vowel onward. Home is pronounced /hoʊm/, so a rhyming word must end with the sound /oʊm/.

Consider each option:

• come - pronounced /kʌm/. The vowel is /ʌ/, not /oʊ/, so it does not rhyme despite the similar spelling.
• groan - pronounced /groʊn/. It shares the /oʊ/ vowel but ends in /n/, not /m/.
• comb - pronounced /koʊm/. The "b" is silent, and the word ends with /oʊm/, which matches "home" exactly.
• horn - pronounced /hɔːn/. Different vowel and different final consonant.

The correct answer is comb, because /koʊm/ and /hoʊm/ share the same ending sound /oʊm/.

Exam tip: English spelling is often misleading for rhyme questions. Always compare the sounds of the words, not their spellings. "Come" looks like it should rhyme with "home" but does not, while "comb" (with its silent "b") does.

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Ikenna's speech is about his recent excursion to Jos. He described Jos as a brilliantly beautiful city. This can be found on page 7 of the novel. 

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The expression "hush money" refers to a payment made to someone to keep them quiet - typically to prevent them from revealing compromising or damaging information. It is, by definition, a form of bribery: money exchanged not for legitimate services, but to secure silence or compliance through corrupt means.

In the sentence, "He got a job by paying hush money" means the person used a corrupt payment - a bribe - to obtain the job. The money was not a legitimate fee but an illicit payment to someone who could influence the hiring outcome.

Being "induced" to get the job would mean someone else persuaded him, which reverses the direction of the action. Paying an "exorbitant fee" suggests a legitimate but overpriced payment, not a corrupt one. Being "paid for the job" describes receiving wages, which is unrelated to how the job was obtained.

The correct meaning is that he bribed to get the job.

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The predominant theme of The Lekki Headmaster is migration and identity. The entire novel is structured around Mr Bepo's personal struggle with the decision to emigrate and the broader social phenomenon of Nigerian professionals leaving the country, a trend popularly called the Japa Syndrome.

The novel examines how migration is not simply a physical relocation but a fundamental question of identity. Bepo must confront who he is: an educator rooted in Nigerian soil, or a man who can reinvent himself abroad. The theme extends beyond the protagonist to encompass his wife's aspirations, his colleagues' reactions, and the impact on the students and school community. Through these multiple perspectives, the novel presents migration and identity as interconnected concerns, showing how the decision to leave reshapes not only the migrant's sense of self but also the community left behind.

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In English, emphatic stress highlights the word that carries the most important new or contrasting information in a sentence. The stressed word is the one that corrects, clarifies, or contrasts with something previously stated or implied.

In the sentence "They came with me to the MEETING," the stress falls on MEETING. This means the speaker is emphasising the destination or event - they went to a meeting, not to some other event. The stress corrects or contrasts the type of event.

The question that would prompt this response must be one that gets the event wrong. Among the options, the question "Did they come with me to the party?" suggests a different event (a party), which the speaker corrects by stressing MEETING. The other questions change other elements of the sentence (whether they came, how they arrived, or who came), which would require stress on different words, not on MEETING.

The correct answer is the question that asks about coming to the party, since the emphatic stress on MEETING corrects that element.

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This question tests the student's recall of the etymology of the name "Badagry" as presented in the novel.

According to the novel, the name "Badagry" was derived from "Agbadarigi." This is the local historical account of how the town got its name. Over time, the original name "Agbadarigi" was corrupted or anglicised into the shorter and more widely recognised form "Badagry."

Badagry is a historically significant town in Lagos State, known for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and the students visit it as part of their excursion to learn about Nigerian and African history. The name was not derived from a river, a European explorer, or a nearby slave market. The novel specifically traces the origin to the indigenous name "Agbadarigi."

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In The Lekki Headmaster, Bepo collects electricity tariff money from his fellow tenants in the compound, as he is responsible for gathering the contributions to pay the electricity bill. However, he ends up spending this money on his own needs because he is out of a job and has no savings.

At this point in the novel, Bepo has lost his teaching position and is financially desperate. With no income and no reserves to fall back on, he uses the collected electricity money to survive. This act of desperation - spending money that belongs collectively to his neighbours - leads to serious consequences and public humiliation within the compound.

The other options do not match the novel's account. The money was not spent on school fees, medical expenses, or lost through carelessness. Bepo's action is a direct result of his unemployment and financial hardship, making it a moment that highlights both his personal crisis and the broader theme of how economic deprivation can push otherwise honest people into compromising situations.

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Bepo recalled the story as an example of culture shock for Nigerian teachers abroad. This can be found on page 13 of the novel where Bepo notes that he recalls reading the story of a Nigerian teacher who got settled the first day he walked into a class in a UK school and one of the students asked: "Are you an idiot?". Bepo, however, believes this is an isolated incident, if at all it is true, and should not deter him from relocating abroad to reunite with his family. 

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Bepo's statement uses a metaphorical contrast between height and eyes. "Beating my height" refers to surpassing him in some physical or external way, while "can't beat my eyes" refers to the impossibility of escaping his watchful gaze and observation.

The underlying message is one of vigilance: even if someone manages to outdo Bepo in certain respects, they cannot deceive him because he sees everything. His "eyes" symbolise his sharp awareness and ability to detect dishonesty or misconduct. He is warning that any attempt at cheating or deception will be caught, because he is always watching.

This makes the correct interpretation that no act of cheating will go uncaught. The other options misread the metaphor: the statement is not about physical strength, the importance of height, or competitive spirit. It is specifically about surveillance and the certainty of being observed.

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This question tests the use of inversion with negative adverbs. When an adverb with a negative or restrictive meaning (such as scarcely, hardly, no sooner, seldom, rarely) begins a sentence, the subject and auxiliary verb are inverted.

The correlative pattern for scarcely is: Scarcely had + subject + past participle ... when ...

The sentence describes two completed past actions - entering the room and the phone ringing - where one happened immediately before the other. This calls for the past perfect tense (with had) in the scarcely clause, because the past perfect marks the earlier of two past events.

The correct sentence reads: "Scarcely had she entered the room when the phone rang."

The other options fail:

• did would require the base form of the verb ("Scarcely did she enter"), which mismatches the past participle "entered" already present in the sentence.
• has uses the present perfect, but both events are clearly in the past.
• does uses the simple present, which is wrong for narrating completed past events.

Remember: Scarcely...when and Hardly...when always take had + past participle, while No sooner...than follows the same pattern.

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This question tests the student's understanding of a specific grammatical issue raised by Bepo in the novel.

Bepo, being an English teacher with a keen eye for language, noticed that the school's name contained a grammatical error. The name "Beesway Group of School" uses the singular "School" where the plural "Schools" is required. Since the institution comprises a group (i.e., more than one school), the correct form should be "Beesway Group of Schools." The preposition "of" followed by a countable noun referring to multiple entities demands the plural form.

The issue was not about the spelling of "Beesway," the absence of a hyphen, or the use of capital letters. It was specifically about number agreement: the word "School" should be "Schools" to reflect the fact that a group necessarily consists of more than one unit.

This is a common grammatical error in Nigerian English usage, where singular forms are sometimes used where plural forms are required after collective nouns.

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The passage explicitly states, "One of the first things that a child notices is how noisy many kinds of birds are".

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The word hospitality has five syllables: hos-pi-TA-li-ty. The primary stress falls on the third syllable: /ˌhɒspɪˈtælɪti/.

This follows the common English stress rule for words ending in "-ity." The suffix "-ity" pulls the primary stress to the syllable immediately before it. Since the syllable before "-ity" is "-li-" (which is weak), the stress lands on "-TA-," the antepenultimate (third-from-last) syllable. Compare similar words: "electricity" (e-lec-TRI-ci-ty), "personality" (per-so-NA-li-ty).

Stressing the first syllable (HOSpitality), the second (hosPItality), or the fourth (hospitaLIty) would produce incorrect pronunciations.

The correct stress pattern is hospiTAlity.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, the banner displayed at Bepo's send-off event bears the inscription "For He Gave Stardom His Very Best." This message acknowledges and celebrates Bepo's years of dedicated service to Stardom Schools.

The inscription is significant because it reflects the genuine respect and appreciation that Bepo's colleagues and students have for him, despite the many frustrations and challenges he faced at the institution. The wording recognises that Bepo gave his best efforts to the school - his teaching, his leadership, his care for students - even when the school's management did not always reciprocate with fair treatment or adequate compensation.

The other inscriptions offered - "A Principal Like No Other," "Goodbye to our Mentor," and "We Will Miss You, Mr Bepo!" - are plausible sentiments for a farewell event, but they are not the specific words the novel places on the send-off banner. The chosen inscription is particularly fitting because it frames the farewell in terms of Bepo's contribution rather than just the sadness of his departure.

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This question tests the student's recall of a specific factual detail about the official passport renewal fee mentioned in the novel.

According to the novel, the official fee for a 10-year passport renewal with 64 pages was N70,000. This is the legitimate, government-approved fee that applicants should pay for the service.

The significance of stating this figure in the novel is to contrast it with the much higher amounts that middlemen and corrupt officials demand from applicants. By knowing the official fee, the reader can appreciate how drastically the cost is inflated through unofficial channels. The other amounts listed (N250,000, N100,000, and N1,000,000) do not represent the official fee and may reflect the kind of inflated prices charged by intermediaries like Tai.

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This can be page 12 of the novel where it is revealed that Bepo, amongst other things, has thought of establishing his own school after having garnered a lot of experience in teaching and school management. His only fear was if he would have enough money to "float a standard school, given the taste he had already imbibed at Stardom." 

He had initially built a school - "Fruitful Future" but it had crumbled due to socio-economic challenges in the location. 

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The underlined letters in chess are ch, which produce the voiceless postalveolar affricate sound /tʃ/. This is the same sound heard at the beginning of words like "church," "child," and "chain."

Looking at the options:

• soak begins with the /s/ sound (voiceless alveolar fricative), which is different.
• jazz begins with /dʒ/ (voiced postalveolar affricate) - similar in articulation but voiced, not voiceless.
• set begins with /s/, the same as "soak."
• chain begins with /tʃ/, which is exactly the same consonant sound as "ch" in "chess."

The correct answer is chain, because both "chess" and "chain" start with the /tʃ/ sound.

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Bepo, the headmaster of Stardom Schools, does not simply drift toward retirement. Well before his working years end, he draws up a concrete plan: he saves money steadily and identifies the transportation business as a viable post-retirement venture. He thinks through the practical requirements, such as the vehicle he will need and the logistics of running the business.

This forward-looking behaviour marks Bepo as a thoughtful man. An unambitious person would not bother planning at all; an unreasonable person would make impractical plans; a vain person would focus on appearance rather than substance. Bepo's careful, deliberate preparation for life after Stardom Schools is the hallmark of a thoughtful, prudent individual.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, the board of Stardom Schools is composed of the MD's family members. This is a critical detail in the novel because it reveals that the school, despite its outward appearance as a professional educational institution, is essentially a family-run enterprise.

The fact that the board is made up of relatives rather than independent education experts, parents, or a diverse mix of educators and investors means that decisions are driven by the family's financial interests rather than educational excellence. This governance structure explains many of the problems at the school, including low teacher pay, resistance to progressive educational ideas, and the prioritisation of profit over student and staff welfare.

Bepo's frustration with this arrangement is part of what drives the novel's plot. His ambition to rise within the institution is ultimately limited by the family-controlled power structure, and his progressive teaching ideas are often overruled by a board that does not share his educational vision. The nepotistic composition of the board serves as the novel's critique of how some private schools in Nigeria operate.

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The novel addresses several socio-economic realities, including the Japa trend, which describes the mass emigration of Nigerians seeking better opportunities abroad. It highlights the challenges faced by bureaucracies, particularly when obtaining essential travel documents. Additionally, it portrays the struggles of middle-class professionals, such as teachers who are often undervalued and underpaid, as well as doctors and other health workers who choose to leave the country for "greener pastures" due to a lack of opportunities at home.

However, while the declining state of Nigerian universities is a significant socio-economic issue, it is not one of the themes explored in this novel.

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Tone refers to the writer's attitude toward the subject matter and the emotional quality that pervades a narrative. The overall tone of this story is reflective.

The narrative deals with themes of migration, identity, professional purpose, and the choices people make when faced with the tension between staying in their homeland and seeking better prospects abroad. Characters look back on their experiences, weigh their decisions, and contemplate the consequences of their actions. The story does not rush toward dramatic twists or revelations but instead invites the reader to think deeply about the characters' circumstances and the broader social issues they represent.

The tone is not joyful because the story deals with loss, separation, and difficult choices. It is not mysterious because there are no hidden secrets or unexplained events driving the plot. It is not suspenseful because the narrative does not build tension toward an uncertain climax. Rather, the prevailing mood is one of thoughtful contemplation - making reflective the most accurate description.

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The school's Invention Club was working on a phone-making initiative. This can be found on page 43 of the novel. 

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The sentence "The teacher asked the students to submit their assignments before the end of ______ week" describes a teacher setting a deadline for assignment submission. The blank requires a determiner that specifies which week the teacher means.

The correct answer is next. "Before the end of next week" establishes a definite, upcoming deadline that students can work toward. Since the teacher is giving an instruction about future action (submitting assignments), a forward-looking time reference is needed.

The other options do not fit:

• "Last" refers to the previous week, making the deadline already past. A teacher cannot instruct students to submit work before a deadline that has already expired.
• "Any" is too vague and indefinite to serve as a meaningful deadline. A submission instruction requires a specific timeframe.
• "These" is a plural demonstrative pronoun and does not agree with the singular noun "week." The correct singular form would be "this," but that is not among the options.

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This question tests comprehension of a supporting character's experience in the novel. Akindele is an older Nigerian migrant who had moved to the United States. According to the text, when he first arrived in the US, he worked in freight loading.

Freight loading is a physically demanding, low-skilled job that involves loading and unloading goods at warehouses, docks, or distribution centres. The fact that Akindele - presumably an educated Nigerian professional - had to take on this kind of work upon arrival illustrates a harsh reality of the immigrant experience: qualifications earned in one country are not always recognised or valued in another.

This detail serves the novel's broader theme of brain drain and its consequences. It shows that migration does not automatically lead to professional advancement and that many Nigerian migrants must accept work far below their qualifications, at least initially. The contrast between what Akindele was trained to do in Nigeria and what he had to do in America underscores the personal cost of the diaspora experience.

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Two words rhyme when they share the same vowel and final consonant sounds. Cat is pronounced /kæt/, so the rhyming word must end with /æt/.

Consider each option:

• call - pronounced /kɔːl/. Different vowel (/ɔː/) and different final consonant (/l/).
• bat - pronounced /bæt/. It ends with /æt/, matching "cat" perfectly.
• back - pronounced /bæk/. The vowel /æ/ matches, but the final consonant is /k/ instead of /t/.
• cut - pronounced /kʌt/. The final consonant /t/ matches, but the vowel is /ʌ/, not /æ/.

The correct answer is bat, because /bæt/ and /kæt/ share the identical ending /æt/.

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Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human characteristics, actions, or qualities to non-human things. In the expression "a rock carrying three other rocks on its head," the rock is described as though it were a person: it "carries" objects and has a "head." Rocks are inanimate geological formations that do not possess heads and cannot carry things in the way people do.

This description draws on the distinctive granite formations of Jos, in Nigeria's Plateau State, where large boulders naturally rest atop one another in seemingly impossible configurations. By describing these formations using human imagery, the writer brings the landscape to life and makes the scene vivid and engaging for the reader.

This is not a simile because no comparison is made using "like" or "as." It is not hyperbole because the description does not exaggerate - the rock formations in Jos genuinely do sit atop one another. It is not irony because there is no contradiction between what is said and what is meant.

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This question asks about a specific factual detail from the novel concerning the school election at Stardom.

According to the novel, the cost of the form for the position of Head Boy or Head Girl in the school election at Stardom was N50,000. This amount was charged to students who wished to contest for the leadership positions, reflecting the commercialised nature of certain school processes depicted in the story.

The other amounts mentioned are not consistent with what the novel states. The correct figure is N50,000, which the author uses to comment on how even student leadership positions in some schools come with financial barriers that may exclude capable students from less privileged backgrounds.

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This question tests the ability to interpret a Yoruba proverb used in the novel. The proverb states: "The Oyingbo market never finds out a certain person did not even turn up." Oyingbo market is a well-known, bustling marketplace in Lagos, Nigeria, famous for its enormous size and constant activity.

The proverb means that the market is always busy - so crowded and active that no individual's absence is ever noticed. Whether one person comes or stays away, the market continues to thrive without interruption. The volume of traders, buyers, and goods is so great that the absence of a single person makes no difference to the overall activity.

This proverb is used to convey the idea that life goes on regardless of whether a particular individual participates. In the context of the novel, it may serve to remind characters (or the reader) that the world does not pause for anyone's personal decisions - a fitting reflection in a story about people choosing to leave or stay.

The other interpretations - that traders are greedy, the market is disorganised, or prices are fixed - do not capture the meaning of the proverb. The central idea is the market's ceaseless busyness, not any quality of the traders or their pricing.

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Emphatic stress highlights the word that corrects or contrasts with a mistaken assumption in the preceding question. The stressed word is the new or surprising information.

In the sentence "A HAWKER showed him the way to the park," the stress falls on HAWKER. This means the speaker is emphasising who showed him the way - it was specifically a hawker, not some other type of person.

The question that would trigger this emphasis must be one that names the wrong person. The question "Did a trader show him the way to the park?" identifies a trader as the person who helped, and the speaker's response corrects this by stressing that it was a HAWKER, not a trader. The other options change different elements: the destination ("street" instead of "park"), the person helped ("her" instead of "him"), or use "the hawker" (definite article), none of which would require stressing HAWKER to correct a wrong person type.

The correct answer is the question that mentions a trader instead of a hawker.

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Fruitful Future school failed because the roads around the school began to depreciate due to government negligence, as a result, most of the parents started to relocate. The parents that were left could not afford the school fees This can be found on page 39 of the novel. 

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Facile means appearing neat and comprehensive but lacking depth or careful thought; superficial, simplistic, or too easily achieved. A facile generalisation is one that oversimplifies a matter without engaging with its real complexity.

The word opposite in meaning is complex, which means consisting of many interconnected parts; not simple or straightforward. A complex generalisation would be one that engages with the full difficulty and nuance of a subject - the direct opposite of a facile, oversimplified one.

The other options do not serve as antonyms:

• broad means wide in scope or extent. A generalisation can be both broad and facile, so this is not an opposite.
• quiet means making little noise or said in a soft voice. This describes volume or manner of speaking, not the quality of thought behind a statement.
• careful means done with attention and thought. While closer to an antonym than the other two, it describes the process rather than the nature of the generalisation itself; complex more directly opposes the superficiality that facile implies.

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His wife, Seri, was a nurse who, according to rumours, was earning up to 10,000 pounds per month. This can be found on page 11 of the novel. 

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Stardom Schools managed to greatly reduce lateness by lowering its boarding fees from N250,000 to N165,000 per session. This incentive led over 80 percent of parents to move their children to the boarding house, resulting in almost all students arriving by 7:45am for assembly. This can be found on page 6 of the novel. 

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Mrs. Ibidun Gloss was the Managing Director (MD) of Stardom Schools, which means she was Mr. Bepo’s direct supervisor. As the head of the school’s administration, she had the authority to oversee his work, make key decisions, and evaluate his performance.

While she respected and valued Mr. Bepo’s contributions, their relationship was first and foremost a professional one, where she had the final say on school matters. Therefore, the most accurate answer is that she was his supervisor rather than simply an admirer of his work.

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The word "boot" contains the vowel sound /uː/, a long close back rounded vowel. This is the same prolonged "oo" sound heard in words like moon, tool, and food.

Examining each option:

• cold contains the diphthong /əʊ/ (as in "go"), which is entirely different from /uː/.
• food contains /uː/, the same long vowel as in "boot". Both words share the identical vowel quality and length.
• top contains the short vowel /ɒ/ (as in "hot"), a short open back vowel - not a match.
• book contains /ʊ/, a short close back vowel. Although "oo" appears in the spelling, the sound in "book" is shorter and more lax than the /uː/ in "boot".

The correct answer is food, because its vowel sound /uː/ is identical to that in "boot".

Exam tip: Do not rely on spelling to match vowel sounds. "Book" and "boot" share the same vowel letters but have different pronunciations. Always sound the words out to compare the actual vowel quality.

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Tosh's father, Chief Didi Ogba spent 36 months in detention because he was facing trial for alleged misappropriation of a 2.5 billion government contract sum. This can be found on page 42 of the novel.

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Scurrilous means making or spreading scandalous, defamatory, or grossly insulting statements about someone. A scurrilous remark is one that attacks a person's character in a vulgar or abusive manner.

The word nearest in meaning is abusive, which means using harsh, insulting, or offensive language. Both words describe speech that is deliberately hurtful and attacks someone verbally.

The other options do not capture this meaning:

• false means untrue. While scurrilous remarks may sometimes be false, the core meaning of scurrilous is about the abusive and vulgar nature of the language, not whether it is factually incorrect.
• fake means not genuine or counterfeit, which relates to authenticity rather than verbal abuse.
• sharp means having a cutting edge or being quick-witted. A sharp remark might be clever or incisive but is not necessarily vulgar or abusive.

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This question asks why Mr Bepo was emotionally moved during his visit to the Black Heritage Museum.

Mr Bepo was deeply moved because he empathised with the suffering of enslaved people in the past. The Black Heritage Museum, likely located in or near Badagry, houses artefacts and exhibits that document the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, including chains, holding cells, and the routes taken by captives. Seeing these physical reminders of the pain and dehumanisation that enslaved Africans endured stirred strong emotions in Mr Bepo.

His reaction was not driven by nostalgia about Nigerian history in general, admiration for the museum's architecture, or memories of his own ancestors being involved in slavery. It was a direct emotional response to the evidence of human suffering he encountered in the museum. This experience also connects to the novel's broader themes, particularly Mr Bepo's concept of "new slavery" and his concern about Africans leaving the continent.

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This question asks who was the recipient of the statement: "Yes....That is what you paid the extra amount for. If you had followed the normal channel, you would still be there with them."

In The Lekki Headmaster, this statement was said to Bepo. The context involves a situation where Bepo paid an additional sum of money to bypass a standard bureaucratic process. The speaker is pointing out that the extra payment is exactly what allowed Bepo to avoid the delays that others following the normal procedure are still experiencing. It highlights the theme of corruption and the way money can be used to circumvent official channels.

The key clues in the statement are "paid the extra amount" (suggesting a bribe or expedited payment) and "normal channel" (the standard process that others follow). This exchange reflects the novel's exploration of how bureaucratic systems can be manipulated through informal payments.

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Irony occurs when there is a gap between expectation and reality. In The Lekki Headmaster, the novel uses situational irony to critique migration by showing how the anticipation and excitement surrounding the decision to move abroad contrasts sharply with the actual hardships migrants face upon arrival.

Characters in the novel look forward to leaving Nigeria with great optimism, imagining that life overseas will be better in every way. However, the reality they encounter - or that is reported back to them - involves difficult working conditions, social isolation, discrimination, and the loss of professional status. This gap between the hopeful departure and the harsh reality is the irony the novel highlights.

The novel does not argue that migration is always a failure, nor does it suggest that people universally regret leaving Nigeria. It also does not claim that Nigerian schools are superior to foreign institutions. Instead, it takes a more nuanced position by using irony to reveal that the dream of migration often does not match the lived experience, prompting readers to question the assumptions behind the desire to leave.