WAEC 2021 English Language · Question 112

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 clothes

Options

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

A.clue
B.bother
C.claw
D.both

Answer: D. both

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The underlined part of "clothes" isn't shown, but the vowel in "clothes" is "o", pronounced /əʊ/ (as in "clohz"). We need the option with the same vowel sound.

Explain the concept: This is a vowel-sound (phonetics) question. Ignore spelling and match the sound. "Clothes" is pronounced /kləʊðz/, so the vowel is the diphthong /əʊ/.

Check each option:

A. clue /kluː/: the vowel is /uː/. This does not match.
B. bother /ˈbɒðə/: the vowel is the short /ɒ/. This does not match.
C. claw /klɔː/: the vowel is /ɔː/. This does not match.
D. both /bəʊθ/: the vowel is /əʊ/. This matches.

Answer: The vowel in "both" is the same /əʊ/ diphthong as in "clothes".

Tip: Watch out for "bother" in this question. It looks similar because it has "o" and "th", but the sound is different. "Both" and "bother" are a classic trap pair. In exams, say each word aloud softly in your head and listen for the sound, not the spelling.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.