WAEC 2012 English Language · Question 49

Our teacher is … to make such a mistake

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences: Our teacher is............to make such a mistake

A.too much intelligent
B.intelligent too much
C.much too intelligent
D.too intelligent much

Answer: C. much too intelligent

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is "Our teacher is ............ to make such a mistake." We need the correct phrase that shows the teacher is so intelligent that a mistake is unlikely.

Step 2: Explain the concept This tests the difference between "too much" and "much too":

much too + adjective/adverb: "much" intensifies "too". Example: The soup is much too hot.
too much + noun: shows excess quantity. Example: He has too much money.

Here "intelligent" is an adjective, so we need "much too" before it, not "too much".

Step 3: Solve step by step

A. too much intelligent is wrong because "too much" cannot directly modify an adjective.
B. intelligent too much has faulty word order.
C. much too intelligent is correct: "much too" modifies the adjective "intelligent", and the "too ... to" structure fits.
D. too intelligent much has faulty word order.

Complete sentence: Our teacher is much too intelligent to make such a mistake.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C.

Step 5: Exam tip Remember: "much too" goes before adjectives; "too much" goes before nouns.

much too big (adjective)
too much water (noun)

Also, the "too + adjective + to + verb" pattern is very common in WASSCE and JAMB, so watch for it.

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