JAMB 2015 English Language · Question 35

Brought — choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letters or…

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letters or letters underlined. Brought

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

A.roar
B.plough
C.drought
D.worse

Answer: A. roar

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question

"Brought" is pronounced /brɔːt/. The vowel sound in question is the long /ɔː/ (as in "thought" or "caught"). The question asks which option has the same vowel sound. The underlining isn't visible here, so I assume it's the "ough" in "brought", which is the vowel sound /ɔː/.

Concept

The letters "ough" can be pronounced in many ways in English, so you must go by the sound rather than the spelling.

Check each option

A. roar: /rɔː/. The vowel is /ɔː/, which matches "brought".
B. plough: /plaʊ/. The vowel is /aʊ/, which does not match.
C. drought: /draʊt/. The vowel is /aʊ/, which does not match. This is the trap, because it looks like "brought" but sounds different.
D. worse: /wɜːs/. The vowel is /ɜː/, which does not match.

Answer

The correct option is A (roar), which shares the /ɔː/ sound with "brought".

Tip

Never match words by spelling in vowel-sound questions. "Ough" words are a favourite in JAMB. Remember the groups:

/ɔː/: brought, thought, bought, fought
/aʊ/: plough, drought, bough
/ʌf/: tough, rough, enough
/əʊ/: though, dough

Say each word aloud and listen for the vowel sound.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.