WAEC 2021 English Language · Question 77

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 soar

Options

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

A.pot
B.foal
C.catch
D.caught

Answer: D. caught

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The underlined part of "soar" is not marked in the text, but the vowel sound in "soar" is /ɔː/ (as in "sore" or "door"). We need the option with the same vowel sound.

Explain the concept: In English, the long vowel /ɔː/ can be spelled in many ways: "oar", "ore", "aw", "au", "augh", "ought". Matching sounds means comparing pronunciation, not spelling.

Check each option:

A. pot has /ɒ/, a short vowel. This is different from /ɔː/.
B. foal has /əʊ/, a diphthong (like "go"). This is different.
C. catch has /æ/, a short vowel (like "cat"). This is different.
D. caught has /ɔː/, the same long vowel as in "soar". This matches.

Answer: The vowel in "caught" (/kɔːt/) is the same as in "soar" (/sɔː/).

Tip: Words with "augh" or "ough" (caught, taught, bought, thought) usually have the /ɔː/ sound. Also, "soar" and "saw" sound the same in vowel, so think of "aw" words when you see this sound.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.