The witness said he had no axe to grind with his brothers?

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence uses an idiom: "to have no axe to grind." You are asked to choose the option that best explains what the witness meant.

Step 2: Explain the concept "To have an axe to grind" means to have a selfish or private motive, a personal interest, or a hidden agenda in a matter. So "no axe to grind with someone" means you have no personal stake, no selfish motive, and nothing to gain from the situation.

In court, a witness who says this is saying: "I am not biased. I have no personal interest that would make me lie about or favour either side."

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. He had no hatred for the brothers: This is close, but the idiom is about a self-interested motive, not hatred. Someone can have a personal motive without hating anyone.
• B. He had no axe and therefore stole the matchet: This takes the idiom literally and is wrong.
• C. He had no axe and therefore borrowed their matchet: This is also a literal reading and is wrong.
• D. He had no vested interest in the brothers: A "vested interest" is a personal stake or selfish motive in something. This matches the meaning of the idiom exactly.

Step 4: Answer The idiom means having no personal or selfish motive, so D is correct.

Tip: When an idiom appears in JAMB English, discard the options that read it literally (B and C here). Then choose between the figurative options by matching the exact meaning. "Axe to grind" is about self-interest, not emotion, which is why D beats A.