WAEC 2023 English Language · Question 107

mother — choose the word that rhymes with the given word

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that rhymes with the given word. mother

A.smoulder
B.other
C.smoothen
D.murder

Answer: B. other

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word that rhymes with "mother". Rhyme depends on sound, not spelling, so we look at the ending sound, especially the stressed vowel and what follows it.

Explain the concept: "Mother" is pronounced /ˈmʌðə/. Its stressed syllable has the vowel /ʌ/ (as in "cup") followed by the consonant /ð/ (the "th" in "this") and then the weak /ə/. A rhyming word must match this pattern: /ʌðə/.

Solution, checking each option:

A. smoulder /ˈsmoʊldə/. The vowel is /oʊ/ followed by /ld/. This does not rhyme.
B. other /ˈʌðə/. The vowel /ʌ/ is followed by /ð/ and then /ə/. This is an exact rhyme with "mother": moth-er and oth-er.
C. smoothen /ˈsmuːðən/. The vowel is /uː/ and it ends in /n/. This does not rhyme.
D. murder /ˈmɜːdə/. The vowel is /ɜː/ followed by /d/. It looks similar because it starts with "m", but the sounds differ.

Answer: The correct option is B. other.

Tip: For rhyme questions, ignore spelling and say the words aloud. Focus on the stressed vowel and everything after it. Words like mother, other, brother, another all share the /ʌðə/ sound.

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