WAEC 2014 English Language · Question 121

pawn — choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined. pawn

In the original paper part of this question is underlined. The underline isn't shown here: see the explanation below.

A.word
B.call
C.won
D.sown

Answer: B. call

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The word "pawn" is given, and we need to find the word with the same vowel sound as the underlined part. The underlined part is presumably "aw" in pawn, which is the vowel /ɔː/.

Explain the concept: Vowel sounds in English can be spelled in many ways. Here we match by sound, not spelling. The "aw" in "pawn" is the long vowel /ɔː/, as in "paw", "saw", "law", "dawn".

Step by step:

pawn → /pɔːn/, so the vowel is /ɔː/.
A. word → /wɜːd/, vowel /ɜː/. Not a match.
B. call → /kɔːl/, vowel /ɔː/. Match.
C. won → /wʌn/, vowel /ʌ/. Not a match.
D. sown → /səʊn/, vowel /əʊ/. Not a match.

Answer: B. call.

Tip: Do not be misled by spelling. "Won" and "sown" contain letters that look like those in "pawn", but they sound different. Say each word aloud and compare only the vowel sound. Remember that "aw", "au", and "all" often give /ɔː/ (paw, cause, ball, call).

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