ABC OF TEST OF ORALS QUESTIONS

In public examinations conducted by WAEC, NECO and JAMB, there is always a section where examination candidates will be tested on speech sounds (vowels and consonants), stress and rhymes. Understanding 44 sounds of English, stress patterns of words and the compendium of Rhymes in English must be studied.

 

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TEST OF ORALS QUESTIONS?

Answering Test of Orals questions correctly depends on good mastering of speech sounds, proper mastering of word stress and familiarity with rhymes in English. To answer Test of Orals questions correctly, the steps below could be followed:

. Study the vowel sounds

. Study the consonants sounds

. Study the stress patterns 

. Read up books on Rhymes

 

HOW DO THEY SET THE QUESTIONS?

1. From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that contains the given phonetic symbol. 

Note: Here, a phonetic symbol will be provided and one has to underline, from options A to D, the word that has the speech sound in transcription/pronunciation.

EXAMPLE:

QUESTION

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that contains the given phonetic symbol.

 

/e/

 

A. season

B. keeper

C. break

D. breakfast

 

The word 'breakfast' contains the short vowel sound /e/. The digraph 'ea' in the word attract the sound. The digraph "ea" makes the diphthong /eɪ/ in 'break', but the sound changes in "breakfast".

 

2. 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).

Note: Here, a letter or more letters will be underlined, and one has to look for, from options A to D, the word that makes the same sound.

 

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).

 

zealous

 

A. keyboard 

B. friend

C. meager

D. reason

 

The word friend has the same short vowel sound /e/ the underlined letters in zealous have. The underlined letters attract the same sound letter 'e' in "egg" attracts. 

   

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

Note: Here, the target is to underline any word that gives the same sound the underlined letter(s) make.

 

QUESTION

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

 

union

 

A. youth

B. dollar

C. umbrella

D. luck

 

The word youth attracts the same sound the letter 'u' in union attracts. Many a time, the letters 'u' and 'y' attract the same sound as they do in University and Yellow.

 

4. From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that is appropriately stressed. This part of Test of Orals focuses on word stress. The other way they ask question under stress is to construct a sentence with one word in upper case. The word will be written in upper case for emphasis. The emphasized word is expected to come in another form in the sentences lettered A to D.

 

QUESTION

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that is appropriately stressed.

A. lu-CRA-tive

B. LU-cra-tive

C. lu-cra-TIVE

D. lu-CRA-TIVE

 

The correction is B. LU-cra-tive because the word has its stress on the first syllable "LU". 

In order to effortlessly answer questions on stress, some rules of stress shall be shared below:

RULES OF STRESS

1. Nouns mostly attract stress on the first syllable. e.g ACtor, CAlendar, PAper, SEcretary, TEStimony, SAMson etc.

2. Two syllable verbs mostly have their stress on the second syllable. e.g reVERSE, rePENT, adVISE, reMOVE, deTECT etc.

Note: A verb that could be used as noun could attracts have stress on the first syllable. e.g CAPture, PICture etc.

  

3. Words that end with -ate, -al, -gy, -ty, -cy and -phy attract stress on ante-penultimate syllable (third-last syllable). e.g 

a. -ate: parTIcipate, aMIliorate, anTIcipate, DEcorate etc.

b. -gy: biOlogy, geOlogy, anthroPOlogy,gyneCOlogy etc.   

c. -ty: connecTIvity, acTIvity, producTIvity etc.

d. -phy: geOgraphy, phoTOgraphy, phiLOsophy etc.

e. -cy: exPECtancy, efFIciency etc.

f. -al: PRINcipal, TECHnical etc.

4. Words that end with -ive, -ion and -ic attract stress on penultimate syllable. e.g proDUCtive, ecoNOmic, draMAtic, amBItion etc.

5. Many compound words attract on the first syllable. e.g SUNflower, BRIDEgroom, CLASSroom etc

6. The words that end with -ism have their primary stress on the syllable it is without the suffix -ism. e.g FAvourism.

The word 'FAvour' has its stress on the first syllable 'FA', and it still does not change even when the suffix -ism is added.  

 Note: Many words do not obey the rules of stress. For instance, the word 'guitar' is a noun that ought to be stressed on the first syllable. The word 'guiTAR' has its stress on the second syllable. The word 'lucrative' also does not obey the rule that guides the words that end with -ive.