JAMB UTME - Use of English - 2025

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Emphatic stress marks the word that carries the key piece of contrasting or corrective information. The stressed word answers the part of the preceding question that was wrong.

In the sentence "The woman was delivered of a baby BOY," the stress falls on BOY. This means the speaker is emphasising the gender of the baby - it was a boy, not something else. The stress corrects a mistaken assumption about the baby's gender.

The question that would prompt this emphasis must be one that gets the gender wrong. The question "Was the woman delivered of a baby girl?" suggests the baby was a girl, and the speaker's stressed response corrects this to BOY. The other options change the subject ("the girl" instead of "the woman") or the number ("two baby boys"), which would require stress on different words.

The correct answer is the question that asks whether the woman was delivered of a baby girl.

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This question tests the student's recall of a specific factual detail about Mr Bepo's travel arrangements.

According to the novel, Mr Bepo's flight to the United Kingdom is scheduled to depart at 10:00 pm. This late evening departure time is consistent with typical flight schedules from Nigeria to the UK, where many international flights depart in the late evening for overnight travel.

The departure time is relevant to the plot because it gives Mr Bepo enough time to attend his farewell celebration during the day and still make it to the airport for his evening flight. The other times listed (5:00 pm, 1:00 pm, and 8:00 pm) are not correct according to the novel.

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The Chairman uses the simile that having such a large cooperative fund is like hanging a snake in the roof and going to bed. This vivid image conveys the idea of living with a hidden danger: a snake suspended overhead could drop down at any time, making sleep reckless and unsafe.

Applied to the cooperative funds, the simile means that allowing such a large sum of money to accumulate in a staff-run cooperative, with limited oversight, creates a lurking risk for the school. The money could be misused, embezzled, or cause division among staff. Just as a sensible person would not sleep beneath a suspended snake, the Chairman argues that the school should not ignore the potential dangers posed by an inadequately supervised cooperative holding N95 million.

The other similes are not the one used by the Chairman in the novel. Building castles in the air, lighting a fire in a haystack, and giving a sword to your enemy are all different expressions with different meanings. The snake-in-the-roof image is the specific one the Chairman employs to describe the situation.

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A euphemism is a figure of speech in which a mild, indirect, or less harsh expression is used in place of one that is considered too blunt, unpleasant, or offensive. In this expression, the word "dishes" is used euphemistically to refer to corpses. Rather than saying directly that someone washes dead bodies, the expression substitutes the word "dishes" - an everyday, innocuous term - to soften the disturbing reality of the task.

The text itself acknowledges the euphemistic nature of the expression with the phrase "as folks uncharitably say," indicating that this is informal, colloquial language that people use to describe the work of washing corpses without having to state it plainly. The quotation marks around "dishes" further signal that the word is being used in a non-literal, substitutive way.

This is not personification because no human traits are given to a non-human thing. It is not hyperbole because there is no exaggeration. It is not an allusion because the expression does not reference a specific well-known work, person, or event. The device at work is the deliberate substitution of a gentler word for a disturbing concept - the defining characteristic of euphemism.

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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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The Ignatius family's relocation plans were disrupted when a DNA test revealed that Mr. Ignatius was not Favour's biological father. Favour is their fifteen-year-old daughter, and this discovery shattered the family. The revelation led to a severe domestic crisis in which Mr. Ignatius (also referred to as Mr. Ibe in the narrative) told Mrs. Ignatius and Favour to leave the house.

This plot development is one of the novel's most dramatic moments. The family had been preparing for emigration, with Mrs. Ignatius even learning new vocational skills. However, the DNA result brought everything to a halt, as the personal turmoil it caused made relocation impossible. The incident illustrates how unforeseen personal crises can derail even the most carefully laid plans.

The other options do not reflect what happened in the novel. Mr. Ignatius did not lose his job, Mrs. Ignatius did not simply change her mind, and their visa application was not denied. The disruption was entirely personal in nature, arising from the DNA test result.

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This comprehension question asks about the Managing Director's reasoning for sending the principal home after his emotional breakdown at the school assembly. The MD, as the owner and highest authority of Stardom Schools, had to make a decision that balanced compassion for the principal with the interests of the institution.

The MD decided to send the principal home in order to protect the school's reputation. With parents already calling in with concerns following the incident, the MD recognised that allowing the principal to remain at school in a visibly distressed state could further damage the school's image and undermine parental confidence. Sending him home was a pragmatic decision aimed at containing the reputational fallout.

While allowing the principal to rest might have been a secondary benefit, it was not the primary reason stated in the passage. The decision was not made to avoid disturbing students further (that was already addressed by concluding the assembly), nor was it to prepare for a replacement. The MD's overriding concern was the institutional reputation of Stardom Schools.

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The idiom "tightening his belt" (or "tighten one's belt") means to reduce spending and live more frugally. The image is of someone who has less to eat and must tighten their belt because they have lost weight - it metaphorically represents cutting back on expenses.

The sentence highlights a contrast: despite his wealth, Mr Oluboye is known for being economical. This means he is very careful with his spending even though he could afford to be more extravagant.

"Helping the poor" describes generosity, not personal frugality. "Refusing to wear a belt" and "wearing fashionable belts" take the idiom literally rather than figuratively, which misses the point entirely.

The correct interpretation is that Mr Oluboye is very careful with his spending.

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Vehemently means with great force, passion, and intensity of feeling. When someone opposes something vehemently, they do so with powerful conviction and strong emotion.

The word opposite in meaning is carelessly, which means without thought, attention, or concern. Opposing something carelessly implies doing so without passion or conviction - the direct contrast to opposing it with intense feeling.

The other options are not true opposites:

• emphatically means with forceful expression or emphasis - this is a synonym of vehemently, not an antonym.
• strongly means with great force or intensity - also a synonym, not an opposite.
• coldly means without warmth or emotion. While it suggests a lack of passion, it still implies deliberateness, whereas carelessly better captures the absence of the forceful concern that vehemently conveys.

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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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The proverb Bepo recalls from his Idoma co-tenant states that the sugarcane and the bitter leaf get different tastes from the same rain. This is a traditional African saying that illustrates how the same circumstances or experiences can produce very different outcomes depending on the nature of the recipient.

In the context of the novel, this proverb reflects one of its central themes: that migration and life's challenges affect different people in different ways. Some characters thrive when they relocate abroad, while others face hardship or ruin. The rain (representing shared circumstances such as the desire to emigrate) nourishes the sugarcane into sweetness but leaves the bitter leaf bitter. The proverb is a reminder that identical opportunities do not guarantee identical results.

The Idoma are an ethnic group from Benue State in Nigeria, and this proverb carries the cultural wisdom of that community. The other options either state generic platitudes or do not match the specific proverb attributed to the Idoma co-tenant in the novel.

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This is a cloze test question requiring the selection of the word that correctly fills gap 6 in the passage. Based on the pattern of vocabulary across the surrounding gaps (which include terms such as peace, security, member, charter, and sanctions), the passage concerns the United Nations Security Council and its role in maintaining international order.

The correct word for this gap is Council. The phrase "Security Council" is the formal name of one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, and it is the body primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. No other option produces a recognised institutional name in this context:

• "Security Unit" is not a standard name for any UN organ.
• "Security Department" does not name the body described.
• "Security Committee" is not the correct designation; while the UN has various committees, the principal organ responsible for peace and security is specifically called the Security Council.

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Mr Meko references the story of a hawker who plucked vegetables from a filthy dumpsite, and when a buyer calls to her, having no intention to probe the source of the product, immediately begins to assure the value of feigned quality. The hawker then retorts: "These vegetables are not from any dumpsite". With this proverb, Mr Meko is trying to hint at how people who feel guilty often defend what wasn't questioned. 

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In The Lekki Headmaster, the stories of Nigerian migrants such as Sola, Hope, Riike, and Akindele serve as cautionary tales about emigration. The Yoruba slang "japa" refers to the act of leaving Nigeria for greener pastures abroad. However, the experiences of these characters reveal that life overseas is far from the paradise many Nigerians imagine it to be.

Each migrant faces significant difficulties: harsh working conditions, loneliness, discrimination, financial struggles, or other hardships that challenge the rosy picture of life abroad. The collective message of their stories is that life is not a bed of roses for those who have emigrated. This does not mean that emigrating is pointless or that those who remain in Nigeria are wasting their time; it simply demonstrates that every environment has its own challenges.

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In The Lekki Headmaster, Mr. Nku is a staff member of Stardom Schools who exploited the school's cooperative society before emigrating. He took a loan of N2 million from the cooperative and then relocated abroad just two days later, effectively absconding with the funds. Because cooperative loans are repaid through monthly salary deductions, leaving the country and the job meant the money could not be recovered through the normal repayment mechanism.

This act is described as unethical because Mr. Nku appears to have borrowed the money with the premeditated intention of never repaying it. He used a legitimate financial channel (the cooperative) for a dishonest purpose: funding his emigration at the expense of his colleagues, whose contributions make up the cooperative's pool.

The other options do not match the narrative. Mr. Nku did not sell school property, steal directly from the school treasury, or falsify visa documents. His specific wrongdoing was the cooperative loan he took and then fled from, which ties into the novel's broader theme of how the desperation to relocate abroad (the "japa" phenomenon) drives people to unethical choices.

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Mr Bepo was always known for praising such efforts. This can be inferred from the description on pages 7-8 of the novel. 

"On a day like this, he would be on top of the world. He would regard Ikenna's outing as evidence of a good education Stardom offered, and which he believed every Nigerian child deserved. The students also expected him to highlight some terms Ikenna might not have articulated so well..." (page 7-8).

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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 Lekki Headmaster portrays the issue of Japa as a personal and moral dilemma. The novel does not present emigration as a straightforward good or bad decision. Instead, through Mr Bepo's experience, it shows that the choice to leave Nigeria involves a deep conflict between personal benefit and moral responsibility.

Bepo genuinely wants better opportunities for himself and his family, but he also feels a moral obligation to his students, his school, and his country. He knows that his departure will leave a gap in the institution he has built and in the lives of the young people who depend on him. The novel frames this as a dilemma precisely because both sides have legitimate claims: the desire for personal advancement is valid, and so is the sense of duty to one's community. By treating Japa as a moral question rather than a simple economic calculation, the novel elevates the national conversation and encourages readers to consider the full human dimensions of the migration phenomenon.

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Chief Ogba, Tosh's father, demanded that Banky and his parents write separate letters of apology to both him and his son. He also insisted that the letters be published in the school magazine. This was after Banky had called Tosh "the son of an ex-convict" during his speech for the position of Social prefect. This can be found on page 43 of the novel.

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According to the novel, the Ikogosi Warm Springs was discovered in 1852. The Ikogosi Warm Springs, located in Ikogosi, Ekiti State, Nigeria, is a remarkable natural phenomenon where warm and cold springs meet and flow side by side without mixing.

This detail appears in the novel during discussions about Nigerian natural heritage and tourist destinations. The Ikogosi Warm Springs is one of Nigeria's notable natural attractions, and its mention in the novel contributes to the broader narrative theme of appreciating Nigeria's unique natural and cultural resources. By embedding such factual details about Nigerian landmarks, the author enriches the educational dimension of the story and reinforces the argument that Nigeria has much to offer its citizens beyond the economic opportunities that drive emigration.

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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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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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In The Lekki Headmaster, the statement "It's like hanging a snake in the roof and going to bed" is a vivid proverb used to describe the danger of ignoring a known threat. A snake hanging in the roof poses an immediate risk to anyone sleeping below, so going to bed without dealing with it would be reckless.

This statement is made by the Chairman during a discussion about a pressing issue. The Chairman uses this proverbial language to convey urgency and to argue that the matter at hand cannot be left unresolved. The use of proverbs and figurative language is characteristic of dialogue among senior figures in the novel, and this particular statement reflects the Chairman's concern and authority in pressing for action.

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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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Odious means extremely unpleasant, hateful, or deserving of strong dislike. Something described as odious provokes feelings of disgust or revulsion.

The word nearest in meaning is horrible, which means causing or likely to cause horror; extremely unpleasant. Both odious and horrible describe things that provoke strong negative reactions.

The other options do not match:

• great means excellent or impressive - the opposite of odious.
• strange means unusual or unexpected; something can be strange without being hateful or repulsive.
• pleasant means giving a sense of happy satisfaction - again, the opposite of odious.

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This question tests comprehension of the events leading to the closure of the school that Bepo founded after leaving Beesway.

After departing from Beesway Group of School, Bepo took the initiative to start his own school. However, the school could not sustain itself and eventually closed. The reason for the closure was poor road conditions in the neighbourhood where the school was located. The bad roads made it difficult for parents to bring their children to school regularly and discouraged prospective families from enrolling, leading to a decline in attendance and ultimately forcing the school to shut down.

The closure was not caused by parental dissatisfaction with the curriculum, a failed spiritual ritual, or mismanagement of funds. It was an infrastructure challenge beyond Bepo's control, highlighting how environmental and logistical factors can undermine even well-intentioned educational initiatives in Nigeria.

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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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This question tests comprehension of the social dynamics within the novel. Bepo is reluctant to leave Nigeria and relocate abroad, even as many of his colleagues are doing so. The text indicates that most teachers respond to his reluctance with criticism and dismissiveness.

Rather than respecting his choice to remain in Nigeria, the other teachers view his decision as misguided or naive. In a climate where the brain drain is normalised and going abroad is seen as the sensible path, choosing to stay invites scepticism. The teachers who have already decided to leave - or who aspire to leave - dismiss Bepo's attachment to the profession and to his country as impractical.

This attitude creates one of the novel's central tensions: the conflict between loyalty to one's homeland and profession on one hand, and the pursuit of better economic prospects abroad on the other. The dismissiveness Bepo faces underscores the social pressure that contributes to the brain drain phenomenon.

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This question asks about the location where the confrontational statement "So, you have taken your madness to this level?" was made in The Lekki Headmaster by Kabir Alabi Garba.

In the novel, this statement was made at Beesway School. The accusatory tone of the statement, referring to someone's actions as "madness" that has escalated to a new level, reflects a confrontation between characters at this location. Beesway is a school that features prominently in the novel alongside Bepo's own school (Stardom), and tensions between characters connected to these institutions drive several key scenes.

The other locations do not match the context of this particular confrontation:

• Bepo's house is a domestic setting, whereas this statement carries the tone of a professional or institutional confrontation.
• The airport, while a location in the novel, is not where this specific exchange takes place.
• Stardom School is Bepo's own institution, and the accusatory nature of the statement suggests it was directed at him in a setting outside his own school.

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Bepo believed that a major challenge in transportation was that many commercial drivers lacked enlightened business practices and were not trustworthy, which ruined the business dream. This can be found on page 12 of the novel.

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The word grammarian has four syllables: gram-MA-ri-an. The primary stress falls on the second syllable: /ɡrəˈmeəriən/.

This follows the common English stress rule for words ending in the suffix "-arian" (like "librarian," "vegetarian," "humanitarian"). In these words, the stress typically falls on the syllable immediately before "-arian" - but since "-arian" itself starts with a stressed syllable in some patterns, the result for "grammarian" is stress on "-MA-."

Stressing the first syllable (GRAmmarian), the third (grammaRIan), or the fourth (grammariAN) would produce unnatural pronunciations that do not match standard English.

The correct stress pattern is graMMArian.

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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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Bepo jovially told his students that his big eyes will always catch whoever was cheating. He claimed he was "created to be a principal" and would tell students, "If you beat my height, you can't beat my eyes" during exams. This can be found on page 19 of the novel.

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According to the novel, up to 1000 out of the country's 3000 doctors were migrating annually. This can be found on page 15 of the novel.

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The director claimed the ritual was necessary because it was actually part of a special prayer for his late father, who had given him the land on which the school was built. This can be found on page 41 of the novel.

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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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Mrs. Ladele was watching a movie where she was captivated by an "imminent bubble burst." Unknown to the doctor in the film, the doctor's husband was responsible for the pregnancy of the doctor's best friend. Mrs. Ladele was watching this painful truth unfold when she heard Bibi's scream. This can be found on page 22 of the novel.

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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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Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities, emotions, or behaviours to something that is not human. In the expression "Tears trickled out of his eyes... More tears streamed from both eyes, competitively," the word competitively is the key indicator of personification. Tears are not sentient beings; they cannot compete with one another. By describing the tears as streaming "competitively," the writer gives them the human quality of rivalry - as though the tears from each eye are racing against each other to flow faster.

This device intensifies the emotional impact of the scene. Rather than simply stating that the character cried heavily, the personification creates a vivid, almost physical image of overwhelming grief pouring out uncontrollably.

This is not a simile because there is no comparison using "like" or "as." It is not a metaphor because the tears are not being described as something else entirely. It is not hyperbole because the description does not exaggerate the amount of crying in an unrealistic way - rather, it gives the tears a human characteristic.

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The expression "a load of crap" is an informal idiom meaning something is nonsensical, worthless, or of extremely poor quality. When the students felt the lecture was "a load of crap," they judged its content to be foolish and without value.

The closest option is that the students thought the lecture was stupid - meaning they found its content to be of no intellectual worth.

Believing the lecture was "too long" addresses duration, not quality. Refusing to listen or not attending the lecture describes actions the students might take, but the idiom specifically expresses their opinion about the quality of the lecture's content, not what they did in response.

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This question asks about the meaning of the term "new slavery" as Mr Bepo uses it in the novel.

When Mr Bepo speaks of "new slavery," he is referring to the modern phenomenon of Africans willingly leaving their countries to move abroad in search of better opportunities. Unlike the historical transatlantic slave trade where Africans were forcibly taken from the continent, the "new slavery" involves people choosing to leave on their own, driven by economic hardship, poor governance, and the desire for a better life elsewhere.

Mr Bepo draws a parallel between the old and new forms of departure: in both cases, Africa loses its people, but the mechanism has shifted from force to voluntary migration. The term is his way of critiquing the brain drain and the conditions that push talented young Africans to seek their futures outside the continent. He is not referring to the literal continuation of the slave trade, corporate exploitation, or physical labour abroad.

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Mr Audu coined the name by comparing him to King Oloja from Village Headmaster. This can be found on page 10 of the novel. 

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Arduous means requiring a great deal of effort, endurance, or stamina; extremely difficult and tiring. The sentence acknowledges that parenting is demanding despite being enjoyable.

The word nearest in meaning is strenuous, which means requiring or involving great exertion or effort. Both arduous and strenuous emphasise the demanding, physically or mentally exhausting nature of an activity.

The other options are close but not the best fit:

• troublesome means causing difficulty or annoyance; it focuses on problems caused rather than effort required.
• hectic means full of frantic activity and rushed pace; it describes a busy tempo rather than the difficulty of a task.
• severe means strict, harsh, or intense; it does not capture the sense of requiring sustained effort that arduous conveys.

Strenuous is the closest synonym because, like arduous, it specifically describes something that demands sustained physical or mental effort.

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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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This question asks which character in The Lekki Headmaster by Kabir Alabi Garba made the statement "If you beat my height, you can't beat my eyes."

The statement was made by Bepo, the protagonist of the novel. This is one of Bepo's characteristic expressions, reflecting his personality as someone who is vigilant and observant. The saying means that even if someone surpasses him in some way, they cannot escape his watchful eyes. It encapsulates Bepo's self-confidence and his belief that he can always detect dishonesty or deception.

The other characters listed are not associated with this statement:

• Audu is the Fine Arts teacher known for his biting humour, not for this particular expression.
• Ayesoro is not the speaker of this line in the novel.
• Grace is not attributed with this statement either.

This is a recall question that tests whether the student can correctly attribute a memorable quotation to its speaker in the novel.

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Mrs. Ignatius began learning tailoring and hairdressing to support her family abroad. In preparation for her family's planned relocation, she took up these practical vocational skills so that she could earn a living in the new country. The novel mentions that she learned various hairstyling techniques, including traditional Yoruba braiding styles such as Suku, Onilegogoro, and Kojusoko, alongside tailoring.

These skills represent practical, portable trades that can be practised anywhere and do not require formal recertification in a foreign country. Mrs. Ignatius's decision to acquire them shows a pragmatic approach to emigration: rather than relying solely on her husband's income, she prepared herself to contribute financially to the family after relocating.

The other options are not what the novel describes. Mrs. Ignatius did not learn accounting and clerical work, cloth weaving and Adire (a distinct textile dyeing craft), or photography. Her chosen skills were specifically tailoring and hairdressing.

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This question tests the ability to distinguish between four similar-sounding but different words. The sentence "The ______ of armed robbery has been on the increase" calls for a word that means the rate or frequency of occurrence.

The correct word is incidence, which refers to how frequently something happens within a population or area. "The incidence of armed robbery has been on the increase" means that armed robbery is occurring more and more frequently.

The other options have distinct meanings:

• Accidence is a technical term in grammar referring to the part of language study that deals with inflections (changes in word forms). It has nothing to do with crime.
• Accident means an unplanned, unfortunate event, typically one causing injury or damage. Armed robbery is deliberate, not accidental.
• Incident refers to a single event or occurrence. While each armed robbery is an incident, the sentence discusses the overall rate of occurrence ("on the increase"), which is what "incidence" captures.

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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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The guidance counsellor accompanied Mr Bepo home on the day of the crying incident, as instructed by the MD. This can be found on page 9 of the novel.

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A "slave driver" is an idiom for a person in authority who demands excessive work from those under them. The term originally referred to someone who forced enslaved people to work, and in modern usage it describes any boss or supervisor who overworks their employees.

The sentence reinforces this meaning: the speaker had to work two weekends in a row, indicating an unreasonable workload imposed by the boss. This directly matches the description of a taskmaster who overworks employees.

Being "very rich" describes wealth, not management style. Being "considerate" or "friendly" are positive traits that contradict the negative connotation of "slave driver." The idiom specifically criticises the boss for demanding too much labour.

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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 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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Mr. Guta demanded the immediate dismissal of Mr. Fafore. During Open Day, Mr. Guta visited the MD's office and angrily insisted that Mr. Fafore, the English language teacher, be fired from the school. His demand was based on what he believed was a grammatical error he had found in his son's class notes, which he attributed to Mr. Fafore's teaching.

Mr. Guta's reaction was extreme: rather than seeking a correction or clarification, he went straight to the school's highest authority and demanded that the teacher lose his job over the alleged mistake. This reflects the power dynamics in the novel, where wealthy or influential parents can exert pressure on school management to take drastic action against staff.

The other options do not match the narrative. Mr. Guta did not ask for a salary increase for Mr. Fafore, a change in class teacher, or a public apology. His sole demand was that Mr. Fafore be dismissed immediately.

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This question tests understanding of Bepo's central motivation in the novel. Despite his deep attachment to teaching and to Nigeria, Bepo ultimately decides to leave the country in order to reunite with his family and avoid marital collapse.

Bepo's wife, Seri, had already moved abroad, where she worked as a nurse. The prolonged separation placed enormous strain on their marriage, and Bepo eventually recognised that remaining in Nigeria would cost him his family. His decision to leave was therefore not driven by personal ambition or career advancement but by the need to preserve his marriage and maintain his family unit.

This motivation is central to the novel's themes. Bepo does not leave to pursue further education, to escape insecurity, or because of unresolved conflict. His departure is an act of personal sacrifice - he gives up the profession and country he loves because the alternative is losing his family. The novel uses this dilemma to illustrate how the brain drain is not always about economic opportunity but can also be driven by deeply personal circumstances.

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This question tests knowledge of collective nouns - special words used to describe groups of specific animals, people, or things.

The collective noun for sheep is flock. A flock is the standard term for a group of sheep (as well as birds and goats).

The other options are incorrect for these reasons:

• multitude means a very large number of people or things. It is not the specific collective noun for sheep and sounds unnatural in this context.
• herd is the collective noun for cattle, elephants, horses, and similar large animals, not sheep.
• swine is not a collective noun at all; it is another word for pigs.

Common collective nouns tested in examinations include: a flock of sheep or birds, a herd of cattle, a pack of wolves, a swarm of bees, a school of fish, and a pride of lions.

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A conversational tone is a narrative style in which the author writes as though speaking directly and informally to the reader, much like telling a story to a friend. This technique breaks down the barrier between narrator and audience, making the reader feel personally involved in the events.

In Kabir Alabi Garba's narration of Bepo's story, the conversational tone serves primarily to enhance relatability. By addressing the reader in a familiar, accessible voice, the narrator ensures that Bepo's experiences feel close to the reader's own world. The reader is drawn into the story not as a distant observer but as someone hearing a personal account, which strengthens emotional connection and understanding.

The other options describe effects that require different narrative techniques. Showing multiple perspectives would need shifting viewpoints, not conversational tone. Creating tension relies on suspense, pacing, and conflict. Making the story imaginative involves creative invention. A conversational tone, by contrast, is specifically designed to make the story feel personal and relatable.

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The Canoe dance is a dance of the Badagry people. The performance reminds him of his time at the Heritage Museum in Badagry and he his reminded of the brutal treatment of slaves by the white men. This makes him emotional. This can be found on page 55-56 of the novel. 

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Mr. Ayesoro was transferred from his teaching role because a student had recurring nightmares about him. Mr. Ayesoro is a Government teacher at Stardom Schools who has very deep and prominent tribal marks on his face. These facial marks frightened one of the younger students, a child named Bibi, who began having recurring nightmares after seeing him.

The student's parent (Mrs. Ladele) complained to the school management about the psychological distress her child was experiencing. The school's response was to transfer Mr. Ayesoro away from the classroom to Stardom Hub, the property wing of the Stardom Group of Companies. The transfer was not a punishment for any professional misconduct but rather a practical measure to address the parent's concerns and protect the student's emotional wellbeing.

Mr. Ayesoro was not transferred because of poor teaching performance, a personal request, or because the school specifically wanted him in the property division. The transfer was a direct consequence of the student's nightmares and the parent's complaint about his appearance.

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According to The Lekki Headmaster, the Gurara Waterfall was discovered in 1745. This detail comes up during one of the educational excursions or classroom discussions in the novel, where historical and geographical facts about Nigeria are shared with the students.

The Gurara Waterfall is a real landmark located in Niger State, Nigeria. It is one of the largest waterfalls in the country and has historical significance as a natural wonder that has been known to local communities for centuries. The novel uses this factual detail as part of its broader engagement with Nigerian heritage and geography, which is consistent with Bepo's teaching philosophy of connecting students with their country's history and natural landmarks.

The other years offered - 1845, 1925, and 1625 - are not the date the novel associates with the discovery of the Gurara Waterfall.

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Sola was the Home Economics teacher at Stardom Schools before she relocated to the UK. This can be found on page 15 of the novel.