neco 2020 english_language | Oral

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Question 1 View Details
Insert a word that contains the short vowel sound /æ/ and logically completes the sentence: "The farmer kept a ___ to guard the sheep."
A. dog
B. cat
Correct C. ram
D. goat

Correct Answer: C

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Question 2 View Details
In the spoken sentence "She will record the meeting tomorrow", which word carries the primary stress and why?
Correct A. record (verb) - stress on the second syllable
B. tomorrow (adverb) - stress on the second syllable
C. record (noun) - stress on the first syllable
D. meeting (noun) - stress on the first syllable

Correct Answer: A

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Question 3 View Details
State the synonym of "big" that begins with the same initial consonant sound as the word "lion".
A. massive
Correct B. large
C. huge
D. great

Correct Answer: B

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Question 4 View Details
Complete the sentence with a formal‑register verb meaning "to help" that has primary stress on the first syllable: "The committee will ___ the proposal."
A. delay
Correct B. bolster
C. reject
D. oppose

Correct Answer: B

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Question 5 View Details
State the antonym of "bright" that contains the consonant sound /k/.
A. dull
B. dim
Correct C. dark
D. drab

Correct Answer: C

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Question 6 View Details
In a formal debate, the speaker says: "Our government must act now to protect the environment." Identify (a) the overall intonation pattern (rising, falling, or rise‑fall) appropriate for this persuasive statement, and (b) the three words that should receive primary emphatic stress to maximise impact. Explain your reasoning.
Correct A. a) falling intonation; b) must, now, protect
B. a) rising intonation; b) must, now, protect
C. a) rise‑fall intonation; b) must, act, protect
D. a) rising intonation; b) government, must, now

Correct Answer: A

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Question 7 View Details
In the noun ‘record', the first vowel sound is /ɜː/. From the list {herd, hard, heard, head}, identify a word that contains the same vowel sound and give its phonetic transcription.
Correct A. herd - /hɜːd/
B. heard - \/hɪəd\/
C. hard - \/hɑːd\/
D. head - \/hɛd\/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 8 View Details
The sentence ‘You are coming, aren't you?' is a tag question. State the intonation pattern (rising, falling, or rise‑fall) used on the tag ‘aren't you' and explain how this pattern affects the listener's perception.
A. Falling intonation; it indicates that the speaker assumes the listener will agree.
Correct B. Rising intonation; it signals that the speaker is seeking confirmation or agreement.
C. Rising intonation; it suggests that the speaker is making a rhetorical statement rather than seeking confirmation.
D. Rise‑fall intonation; it conveys that the speaker is expressing doubt.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 9 View Details
The committee will recommend the project at the meeting tomorrow. Mark the primary stress in each of the three bold words (recommend, project, meeting) using the symbol ˈ before the stressed syllable. Then indicate which word would most likely receive emphatic stress if the speaker wants to stress that the *project* (not the proposal) is being recommended.
A. recommend → reˈcommend; project → proˈject; meeting → ˈmeeting; emphatic stress falls on ‘meeting'.
B. recommend → ˈrecommend; project → proˈject; meeting → ˈmeeting; emphatic stress falls on ‘recommend'.
Correct C. recommend → reˈcommend; project → ˈproject; meeting → ˈmeeting; emphatic stress falls on ‘project'.
D. recommend → reˈcommend; project → ˈproject; meeting → ˈmeeting; emphatic stress falls on ‘meeting'.

Correct Answer: C

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Question 10 View Details
The word ‘bake' contains the vowel sound /eɪ/. From the list {cake, fake, shake, lake}, identify the word that has the same vowel sound and also begins with a voiceless fricative. Write its phonetic transcription.
Correct A. shake - /ʃeɪk/
B. cake - \/keɪk\/
C. fake - \/feɪk\/
D. lake - \/leɪk\/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 11 View Details
Three words are spoken: "ship", "sheep" and "cheap". Identify which word contains the vowel that is both long in duration and occurs in a stressed syllable, and write its IPA transcription.
Correct A. sheep /ʃiːp/
B. sheep \/ʃiːp̚\/
C. ship \/ʃɪp\/
D. cheap \/tʃiːp\/

Correct Answer: A

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Question 12 View Details
In the phrase "The thick thorns", two different "th" sounds appear. State which phoneme (/θ/ or /ð/) occurs in each word.
A. "thick" uses \\/ð\\/; "thorns" uses \\/ð\\/
B. "thick" uses \\/ð\\/; "thorns" uses \\/θ\\/
C. "thick" uses \\/θ\\/; "thorns" uses \\/θ\\/
Correct D. "thick" uses /θ/; "thorns" uses /ð/

Correct Answer: D

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Question 13 View Details
Give a word that rhymes with "light" and contains the vowel sound /aɪ/.
Correct A. flight
B. size
C. bike
D. high

Correct Answer: A

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Question 14 View Details
The word "record" can be a noun or a verb. Which pronunciation has the primary stress on the second syllable? Provide the stressed syllable in IPA.
A. noun form, stressed syllable \/ˈrekɔːrd\/
B. verb form, stressed syllable \/ˈrekɔːrd\/
C. noun form, stressed syllable \/kɔːrd\/
Correct D. verb form, stressed syllable /kɔːrd/

Correct Answer: D

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Question 15 View Details
When the sentence "You're coming tomorrow?" is spoken, does the intonation rise or fall at the end, and what type of utterance does this indicate?
A. Rising intonation; it indicates a statement.
Correct B. Rising intonation; it indicates a yes‑no question.
C. Falling intonation; it indicates a tag question.
D. Falling intonation; it indicates a yes‑no question.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 16 View Details
In the sentence: "The students' communication during the project was exceptionally effective.", which word carries the primary stress on its third syllable?
A. effective
B. project
C. students'
Correct D. communication

Correct Answer: D

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Question 17 View Details
Which vowel sound is heard in the word "cat"? Provide the IPA symbol.
A. \/e\/
Correct B. /æ/
C. \/ɪ\/
D. \/ɑ\/

Correct Answer: B

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Question 18 View Details
Four word pairs are given: (a) "beat" - "bit" (b) "ship" - "sheep" (c) "cot" - "caught" (d) "pool" - "pull" Which pair demonstrates a minimal contrast between the vowel /i:/ and /ɪ/? For that pair, write the IPA transcription of each word and state the place and manner of articulation of the initial consonant in each word.
A. Pair (d): "pool" /puːl/ - "pull" /pʊl/. Initial consonant /p/ is a voiceless bilabial stop.
B. Pair (b): "ship" /ʃiːp/ - "sheep" /ʃiːp/. Initial consonant /ʃ/ is a voiceless postalveolar fricative.
C. Pair (c): "cot" /kɒt/ - "caught" /kɔːt/. Initial consonant /k/ is a voiceless velar stop.
Correct D. Pair (a): "beat" /biːt/ - "bit" /bɪt/. Initial consonant /b/ is a voiced bilabial stop.

Correct Answer: D

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Question 19 View Details
Two sentences are spoken: 1. "We must reduce taxes now." 2. "We must reduce taxes now?" Identify the intonation pattern (rising or falling) used in each sentence and explain how the pattern changes the meaning.
A. Sentence 1: rising intonation (question). Sentence 2: falling intonation (statement). The fall changes the meaning to a rhetorical question.
Correct B. Sentence 1: falling intonation (statement). Sentence 2: rising intonation (question). The rise turns the utterance into a request for confirmation.
C. Sentence 1: falling intonation (statement). Sentence 2: falling intonation (statement). Both sentences are statements, so there is no change in meaning.
D. Sentence 1: rising intonation (exclamation). Sentence 2: rising intonation (question). The rise makes both sentences sound urgent.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 20 View Details
Consider the four‑line poem: "Silent night, the stars alight,\nWhispers drift on gentle breeze,\nDreams awaken, soft and bright,\nHearts entwine in midnight's tease." (a) State the rhyming scheme using letters (e.g., ABAB).\n(b) Identify which word in each line carries the primary stress.\n(c) Determine the metrical foot used and the number of feet per line.
A. A B A B; stressed words: Silent, drift, awaken, entwine; trochaic tetrameter (four trochees per line).
B. A B C D; stressed words: night, breeze, bright, tease; iambic tetrameter (four iambs per line).
Correct C. A B A B; stressed words: night, breeze, bright, tease; iambic tetrameter (four iambs per line).
D. A A B B; stressed words: night, breeze, bright, tease; iambic trimeter (three iambs per line).

Correct Answer: C

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Question 21 View Details
In the sentence "The teacher asked the students to record the lecture.", identify the word that contains the vowel sound /ɪ/ in an unstressed syllable and explain why it is unstressed.
Correct A. record
B. teacher
C. lecture
D. students

Correct Answer: A

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Question 22 View Details
Listen to the sentence "She enjoys the pleasure of reading." Identify the word that contains the consonant sound /ʒ/ and state its position in the sentence (counting words from the beginning).
A. the, third word
B. reading, sixth word
Correct C. pleasure, fourth word
D. enjoys, second word

Correct Answer: C

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Question 23 View Details
Read the following four‑line poem: "Morning light breaks over the hill, Birds sing sweetly, filling the air, Children laugh and run down the lane, Will the day end with a sigh?" Identify which line ends with a rising intonation and give the primary stressed syllable of each line.
A. Line 4 has rising intonation. Primary stresses - Line 1: BREAKS, Line 2: FILLING, Line 3: LAUGH, Line 4: END.
Correct B. Line 4 has rising intonation. Primary stresses - Line 1: BREAKS, Line 2: SING, Line 3: LAUGH, Line 4: END.
C. Line 3 has rising intonation. Primary stresses - Line 1: BREAKS, Line 2: SING, Line 3: RUN, Line 4: END.
D. Line 2 has rising intonation. Primary stresses - Line 1: LIGHT, Line 2: SING, Line 3: LAUGH, Line 4: END.

Correct Answer: B

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Question 24 View Details
Consider the three words: "photograph", "photography", and "photographer". Which word has its primary stress on the first syllable? Provide the stress pattern (primary stress marked with ˈ) for each word.
Correct A. photograph - stress pattern ˈfɒt.ə.ɡræf (first‑syllable stress); photography - fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fi; photographer - fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fər
B. photograph - stress pattern fəˈtɒɡ.ræf (second‑syllable stress); photography - ˈfɒt.ə.ɡrə.fi; photographer - fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fər
C. photograph - stress pattern ˈfɒt.ə.ɡræf (first‑syllable stress); photography - fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fi; photographer - ˈfɒt.ə.ɡræf.ər
D. photograph - stress pattern ˈfɒt.ə.ɡræf (first‑syllable stress); photography - ˈfɒt.ə.ɡrə.fi; photographer - fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fər

Correct Answer: A

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Question 25 View Details
Three idioms are given: "think twice", "take a break", and "throw in the towel". Identify the idiom that contains the consonant sound /θ/ and state the position of that sound within the idiom.
A. think twice - the \/θ\/ sound is the final consonant of the second word
Correct B. think twice - the /θ/ sound is the initial consonant of the first word
C. throw in the towel - the \/θ\/ sound is the medial consonant of the word \"towel\"
D. take a break - the \/θ\/ sound is the initial consonant of the first word

Correct Answer: B

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