He missed the point because he took the statement ------------

Analyze the question The sentence is "He missed the point because he took the statement __." We need an adverb that describes how he interpreted the statement, and it must be spelled correctly.

Explain the concept

• Literally (adverb) means in the exact, word-for-word sense, without recognising figurative or implied meaning.
• Literary (adjective) means relating to literature, so it cannot modify "took" here.
• "Litaraily" and "unlitaterally" are misspellings. "Unilaterally" is a real word meaning one-sided, but the option as written is misspelled and the meaning doesn't fit anyway.

Solution

1. The gap needs an adverb after "took the statement."
2. People "miss the point" when they take figurative or idiomatic language at face value.
3. "Took the statement literally" is a standard collocation.
4. Option B is a misspelling of "literally."
5. Option C, "literary," is an adjective and doesn't fit grammatically.
6. Option D is a misspelling, and "unilaterally" (acting on one side only) doesn't fit the meaning.

So the sentence reads: He missed the point because he took the statement literally.

Tip: Don't confuse these two:

• Literal/literally = exact, word for word.
• Literary = to do with literature.

In JAMB, if two options look alike, check the spelling first. One of them is often a deliberate misspelling.