WAEC 2017 English Language · Question 88

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

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

A.bush
B.blue
C.foot
D.would

Answer: B. blue

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The word is "rule". The underlined part is not shown here, but in "rule" the vowel sound is the one in "u-e", which is the long vowel /uː/ (as in "food" or "moon").

Explain the concept: In English, /uː/ is a long vowel sound, while /ʊ/ is a short vowel sound. The two are often confused in exams, so you must say each word aloud and compare.

rule → /ruːl/ → vowel /uː/

Check each option:

A. bush → /bʊʃ/ → short /ʊ/ ✗
B. blue → /bluː/ → long /uː/ ✓
C. foot → /fʊt/ → short /ʊ/ ✗
D. would → /wʊd/ → short /ʊ/ ✗

Answer: Only "blue" has the same long /uː/ sound as "rule".

Tip: Words like "bush", "foot", "would", "put", "good", "book" and "could" all share the short /ʊ/ sound. If you see these grouped together as options, the odd one out with a long sound (such as "blue", "food", "moon", "true") is usually the answer when the target word has /uː/. Always say the words out loud in your head, and remember that spelling can be misleading (for example, "would" has "ou" but is not pronounced like "soup").

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