JAMB 2012 English Language · Question 33

Answer the following question below and choose the option that best completes the gap(s) Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, nobody is.........

Options

  1. A.incorrigible
  2. B.imperfect
  3. C.infallible
  4. D.indestructible

Answer: C. infallible

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question The sentence says "Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, nobody is __." The gap needs a word meaning "never making mistakes" or "incapable of error."

Explain the concept Look at the meaning of each option:

  • Incorrigible: a person whose bad habits cannot be corrected (e.g., an incorrigible liar).
  • Imperfect: having faults. Saying "nobody is imperfect" would contradict the first clause, because everyone who makes mistakes is imperfect.
  • Infallible: incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.
  • Indestructible: cannot be destroyed.

Step-by-step solution

  1. The first clause says everyone makes mistakes sometimes.
  2. The second clause must follow logically: nobody is incapable of making mistakes.
  3. "Infallible" matches this meaning exactly.
  4. "Imperfect" gives the opposite meaning: "nobody is imperfect" would suggest everyone is perfect.
  5. "Incorrigible" and "indestructible" have nothing to do with making mistakes.

Answer: C. infallible

Exam tip: Remember that fallible comes from the Latin fallere, "to err." So fallible means "able to make mistakes," and in-fallible means "unable to err." The Pope is often described as "infallible" in Catholic doctrine, which can help you remember the word.

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