Ayodeji is an ardent supporter of education for the child

Step 1: Analyze the question The underlined word is "ardent" in the sentence: "Ayodeji is an ardent supporter of education for the child." We need the option closest in meaning to "ardent."

Step 2: Explain the concept "Ardent" is an adjective meaning very enthusiastic, passionate, or devoted. It comes from the Latin ardere, "to burn," so think of someone whose enthusiasm is "burning." An ardent supporter is a keen, zealous, committed one.

Step 3: Examine the options

• A. cogent: means convincing or logically persuasive (e.g., a cogent argument). It describes arguments, not the feeling of a supporter. Not a match.
• B. a passionate: means having or showing strong feeling or enthusiasm. This matches "ardent" very well.
• C. an ignorant: means lacking knowledge. It does not fit, and it is nearly the opposite of someone who supports education.
• D. an optimistic: means hopeful about the future. It is related to attitude, but it doesn't capture the intense devotion that "ardent" expresses.

Step 4: Answer The nearest in meaning to "ardent" is passionate, which is option B.

(A small note: the options include "a" and "an" before the words, which is a quirk of how this question was set. The sentence reads "an ardent supporter," so "a passionate" is grammatically off in the blank, but the meaning is what is being tested, and B is still the correct choice.)

Exam tip: Link "ardent" with "ardor" and "burning." Words with similar meaning to remember: fervent, zealous, passionate, enthusiastic, keen. In JAMB synonym questions, first eliminate options that mean the opposite or that describe a different kind of quality, then choose the one closest in feeling.