JAMB 2023 English Language · Question 32

The conference is biennial.

Question

Select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence. The conference is biennial.

A.The conference lasts for two years
B.The conference is held once every other year
C.The conference is held twice every year
D.The conference is held twice in two years

Answer: B. The conference is held once every other year

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question The question asks what the word "biennial" tells us about how often the conference takes place.

Explain the concept The prefix bi- can mean "two," but the endings change the meaning:

Biennial (from Latin annus, "year") means happening once every two years.
Biannual means happening twice a year, the same as semiannual.

Many students mix these two up, and JAMB often tests the difference.

Step-by-step solution

A. The conference lasts for two years. Wrong. Biennial describes how often an event happens, not how long it lasts.
B. The conference is held once every other year. Correct. Once every two years means every other year, for example 2023, 2025, 2027.
C. The conference is held twice every year. Wrong. This describes biannual.
D. The conference is held twice in two years. Wrong. That would be once a year, which is annual.

Answer: B

Exam tip Remember this: bi-ENN-ial = every two YEARS (ENNIAL looks like "annual" stretched out), while bi-ANN-ual = twice a year. Another way to think of it: a biennial plant takes two years to complete its life cycle. A related word, triennial, means once every three years.

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