WAEC 2014 English Language · Question 110

In the olden days, people gave cowries … food.

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes the sentence. In the olden days, people gave cowries ........... food.

A.on exchange for
B.in exchange of
C.in exchange for
D.on exchange with

Answer: C. in exchange for

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence needs the correct prepositional phrase to show that cowries were handed over so that people could get food in return.

Step 2: Explain the concept The idiom is "in exchange for". It means giving one thing and receiving another in return.

"in exchange for" + the thing you receive: She gave him a book in exchange for a pen.
"exchange" here is a noun, and the fixed phrase takes in (not "on") and for (not "of" or "with").

Step 3: Check each option

A. on exchange for: wrong, because "on exchange" is not an idiom in this sense.
B. in exchange of: the right first word, but "of" is the wrong preposition. It should be "for".
C. in exchange for: the correct fixed phrase.
D. on exchange with: wrong on both prepositions.

Step 4: Answer "In the olden days, people gave cowries in exchange for food.

Tip: Memorize these fixed phrases: in exchange for, in return for, in place of, in charge of. In exams, the preposition pairs are often swapped to trap you, so learn the phrase as a whole chunk.

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