Mr Jebu displayed a high sense of conviviality during the Gala.

Analyze the question: You need the word closest in meaning to conviviality, used in the context of a gala (a social celebration).

Explain the concept: Conviviality comes from the Latin convivium, meaning "a feast". It describes a cheerful, sociable, friendly atmosphere or manner, especially at parties, dinners and celebrations. A person who is convivial is jovial, warm and good company.

Solution: Let's check each option.

• A. spitefulness: This means malice or the desire to hurt others. It is the opposite of what a gala encourages, so it is wrong.
• B. conjugality: This relates to marriage or the marital state (from conjugal). It looks a bit like conviviality, but the meaning is unrelated, so it is a distractor.
• C. friendliness: This means being sociable, warm and pleasant toward others. It fits perfectly, because someone showing conviviality at a gala is cheerful, sociable and friendly.
• D. blissfulness: This means extreme happiness or joy. It is close in mood but describes a personal feeling, whereas conviviality describes sociable, hospitable behaviour toward others.

Answer: The sentence becomes "Mr Jebu displayed a high sense of friendliness during the Gala.

Tip: Look at the root. Convivial shares its root with convivium (feast, living together) and sounds like "con-vive", meaning "to live together". Think "party spirit = friendly and sociable". Also beware of look-alike words such as conjugality, because JAMB often uses them as traps.