WAEC 2024 English Language · Question 110

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

Question

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. south

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

A.drought
B.foal
C.southerners
D.doughy

Answer: A. drought

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

The question doesn't show which letters are underlined in "south", but in this kind of question it is almost always the vowel sound in "ou", so I'll work with that.

Step 1: Find the vowel sound in "south" "South" is pronounced /saʊθ/, so the vowel sound is the diphthong /aʊ/, the same sound as in "cow" or "house".

Step 2: Check each option

A. drought is pronounced /draʊt/. The vowel is /aʊ/, which matches "south".
B. foal is pronounced /foʊl/. The vowel is /oʊ/, so it does not match.
C. southerners is pronounced /ˈsʌðənəz/. The "ou" here is /ʌ/, as in "cup", so it does not match. This is a good trap, because the word looks the same as "south" but the sound changes.
D. doughy is pronounced /ˈdoʊi/. The vowel is /oʊ/, so it does not match.

Step 3: Answer Only "drought" has the /aʊ/ sound found in "south".

Exam tip: The spelling "ough" can be pronounced in many ways:

drought /aʊ/
though /oʊ/
through /uː/
cough /ɒ/
tough /ʌ/

Never match words by spelling. Say each word aloud and listen to the sound. Also watch for words like "southerners", where a root word changes its pronunciation once a suffix is added.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.