WAEC 2014 English Language · Question 39

The students had no choice … to do as they had been commanded.

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes the sentence. The students had no choice ........... to do as they had been commanded.

A.even
B.but
C.rather
D.ony

Answer: B. but

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The sentence is "The students had no choice ........... to do as they had been commanded." We need a word that fits after "no choice" and before the infinitive "to do."

Explain the concept: In English, the word "but" can act as a preposition meaning "except." It is commonly used in the pattern:

have no choice but to + verb
had no alternative but to + verb
could do nothing but + verb

So "no choice but to do" means "no choice except to do."

Step-by-step solution:

Option A, even: "no choice even to do" makes no sense. It adds emphasis but gives no meaning of "except."
Option B, but: "no choice but to do as they had been commanded" is a standard idiom meaning they had only one option: to obey.
Option C, rather: "no choice rather to do" is wrong. "Rather than" would be needed, and it still wouldn't fit the meaning.
Option D, ony: this is not a word in English (probably a misprint of "only"). Even "only" would not be idiomatic here, since "no choice only to do" is not correct.

Correct sentence: The students had no choice but to do as they had been commanded.

Exam tip: Remember the fixed phrase "no choice/option/alternative + but + to-infinitive." Whenever you see "no choice," "no option," or "no alternative," think "but to" straight away. It appears often in WASSCE, JAMB, and NECO Use of English.

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