JAMB 2014 English Language · Question 59

The first round of the tournament was a doddle.

Question

Choose the option nearest in meaning to the underlined word or phrase. The first round of the tournament was a doddle.

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

A.Exasperating.
B.Easy.
C.Balanced.
D.Dodgy.

Answer: B. Easy.

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word closest in meaning to "doddle" in the sentence: The first round of the tournament was a doddle.

Explain the concept: "Doddle" is an informal (British) noun meaning something very easy that takes little effort. Related expressions are "a piece of cake," "a walkover," and "child's play." Questions like this test your knowledge of vocabulary and idioms. Use the context of the sentence to guide you.

Step-by-step solution:

Look at the context: a "first round of a tournament" is being described. It could be easy or hard, so check each option.
A. Exasperating: means irritating or frustrating. This is the opposite of the feeling of ease that "doddle" suggests.
B. Easy: means requiring little effort. This matches "doddle" exactly.
C. Balanced: means evenly matched or stable. It has nothing to do with difficulty.
D. Dodgy: means risky, unreliable or dishonest. It only looks similar to "doddle" in spelling, so it is a distractor.

Easy**.

Exam tip: Do not choose a word because it looks or sounds like the given word. "Dodgy" resembles "doddle," but the meanings are unrelated. Always substitute each option into the sentence: "The first round was easy" makes perfect sense. Also remember the phrase "a doddle = a piece of cake."

Well done for working through it. Keep practising these idioms and informal words, because they appear often in JAMB Use of English.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.