JAMB 2014 English Language · Question 20

All the researchers were asked to gather information on the new viral infection.

Question

Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined word or phrase. All the researchers were asked to gather information on the new viral infection.

In the original paper part of this question is underlined. The underline isn't shown here: see the explanation below.

A.Give.
B.Collect.
C.Disseminate.
D.Distort.

Answer: B. Collect.

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question

The word we need a synonym for is "gather" in the sentence: "All the researchers were asked to gather information on the new viral infection." We want the option closest in meaning to "gather" in this context.

Explain the concept

"Gather" means to bring together or accumulate things, such as facts, objects, or people. In this sentence, researchers gather information, which means they collect it from different sources.

Show the solution

Let's test each option by replacing "gather" in the sentence:

A. Give: "asked to give information". This is a different action, since giving means handing over what you already have, not searching for it.
B. Collect: "asked to collect information". This keeps the meaning exactly, because both words mean to bring together or accumulate.
C. Disseminate: This means to spread information widely, which is the opposite direction of gathering.
D. Distort: This means to twist or misrepresent facts, which has nothing to do with gathering.

Identify the answer

The correct answer is B. Collect.

Exam tip

In synonym questions, substitute each option back into the sentence. The right answer keeps the sentence's meaning. Watch for opposites like "disseminate" (spread out vs. gather in), which are often included as distractors.

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