JAMB 2023 English Language · Question 92

Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig.

Question

In each of the following sentences, the word that receives the emphatic stress is written in capital letters . From the options lettered A to D, choose the one which the sentence is the appropriate answer. Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig.

A.what did Lambusa do?
B.Who took off the wig?
C.Did Lambusa take off a wig?
D.Did Lambusa take off a ring?

Answer: A. what did Lambusa do?

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question

This is an emphatic stress (focus) question. The capitalised words, "TOOK OFF", carry the emphasis. The question that fits is the one where the new or requested information is the action, "took off", and everything else (Lambusa, the wig) is already known.

Explain the concept

Emphatic stress falls on the word that answers the question. It marks the new information or the correction.

If the question asks "Who?", the stress falls on the person: LAMBUSA took off the wig.
If the question asks "What did he/she do?", the stress falls on the action: Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig.
If the question asks about the object, the stress falls on the object: Lambusa took off the WIG.

Step-by-step solution

The stressed words are "TOOK OFF", which is the verb phrase (the action).
Option A, "What did Lambusa do?", asks about the action. The answer "Lambusa TOOK OFF the wig" fits this exactly.
Option B, "Who took off the wig?", would need the stress on "LAMBUSA".
Option C, "Did Lambusa take off a wig?", would put the stress on the object, as in "Lambusa took off the WIG", or on confirming the fact.
Option D, "Did Lambusa take off a ring?", would be answered by "No, Lambusa took off the WIG", with the stress on "wig" as a correction.

Answer: A. What did Lambusa do?

Tip: Ask yourself what the question is looking for: a person, an action, or a thing. The stressed word in the answer always matches that missing piece of information.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.