WAEC 2023 English Language · Question 77

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

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letter(s). crest

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

A.goitre
B.wheat
C.breakfast
D.firm

Answer: C. breakfast

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The word "crest" has the vowel sound /e/ (as in "bed"). The underlined letters are not shown here, but the vowel in "crest" is "e", so we need the option with the short /e/ sound.

Concept: In English, the same sound can be spelled in different ways. Here we match sounds, not spellings.

Step-by-step check of each option:

A. goitre is /ˈɡɔɪtə/. The vowel is the diphthong /ɔɪ/, so it does not match.
B. wheat is /wiːt/. The vowel is the long /iː/, so it does not match.
C. breakfast is /ˈbrekfəst/. The "ea" is pronounced /e/, the same as in "crest". This matches.
D. firm is /fɜːm/. The vowel is the long /ɜː/, so it does not match.

Answer: The vowel sound /e/ in "crest" matches the "ea" in "breakfast".

Tip: Watch out for "ea" in English. It has several sounds:

/iː/ as in wheat, beat, seat
/e/ as in breakfast, bread, head, weather
/eɪ/ as in break, great, steak

Practise saying these words aloud, because WASSCE and JAMB sound questions test whether you can hear the difference.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.