WAEC 2019 English Language · Question 52

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

Question

Choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined. wretch

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

A.rickety
B.remiss
C.wean
D.welter

Answer: D. welter

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyzing the question: The word is "wretch", and the underlined part is most likely the vowel "e", which is pronounced /e/ as in "bed" (wretch = /retʃ/).

Concept: Match the vowel sound by comparing the vowel in the stressed syllable of each option.

Checking each option:

A. rickety /ˈrɪkɪti/: the first vowel is /ɪ/ as in "sit". This does not match.
B. remiss /rɪˈmɪs/: the first vowel is /ɪ/, and the stressed vowel is also /ɪ/. This does not match.
C. wean /wiːn/: the vowel is /iː/ as in "seen". This does not match.
D. welter /ˈweltə/: the vowel is /e/ as in "bed". This matches the /e/ in "wretch".

Answer: D. "Welter" has the short /e/ sound, the same as "wretch".

Tip: In sound-matching questions, write the phonetic sound of the underlined letter first, such as /e/ for "bed", and then eliminate options that use the long vowel /iː/ or the short /ɪ/. Be careful with the letters "e" and "i", because they are often confused in these questions.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.