Post-UTME General Knowledge
Past Questions

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is an **analogy question** — you're looking for the same *relationship* between the second pair as exists in the first pair. FATHER → DAUGHTER: A father is a **male parent** to his **female child**. So the pattern is: **Male relation → Female of the next generation** UNCLE → ?: An uncle is a **male relation** (your parent's brother). Who is the **female of the next generation** to him? His brother's or sister's daughter — that's his **NIECE**. The relationship is consistent: older male family member → younger female family member (one generation down). **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **Aunt** — Looks similar to "Uncle," but that's the *female version* of uncle (same generation), not the next generation down. - **Cousin** — That's uncle's *child*, but the question asks specifically for the *female* child, which is niece. - **Sister** — Same generation as uncle, not the generation below. **Quick takeaway** In family analogies, match both the **gender** and the **generational direction** — father and uncle are both older males, so daughter and niece must both be younger females one generation down.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is an **analogy question** testing relationships between people and their primary workplaces. The pattern is: *Professional : Their main workplace* A doctor's primary workplace is a hospital — that's where they perform their core duties (treating patients, performing surgeries, etc.). Similarly, a teacher's primary workplace is a **school** — where they teach students, conduct lessons, and fulfill their professional role. The relationship must be consistent: Just as "hospital" is the defining workspace for a doctor, "school" is the defining workspace for a teacher. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **Library** — Teachers sometimes use libraries, but librarians work there primarily, not teachers. - **Office** — Too generic. Many professionals work in offices; it's not specific to teachers. - **Lab** — Scientists or lab technicians work in labs. Teachers may visit labs, but it's not their primary workspace. **Quick takeaway** In analogy questions, match the **exact relationship**: if the first pair shows "professional → primary workplace," the second pair must follow that same pattern precisely.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is a **geometric sequence** — each term is found by multiplying the previous one by a constant ratio. Let's find the pattern: - 4 ÷ 2 = 2 - 8 ÷ 4 = 2 - 16 ÷ 8 = 2 The common ratio is **2**. Each number doubles the previous one. So: 16 × 2 = **32** You can also see it as powers of 2: 2¹ = 2, 2² = 4, 2³ = 8, 2⁴ = 16, 2⁵ = **32** **Why the wrong options tempt you** **A) 20** — If you mistakenly add 4 to 16 (thinking it's an arithmetic sequence like 2, 6, 10...), you'd get this. **B) 24** — Adding 8 to 16, perhaps thinking the difference keeps increasing. **D) 48** — Tripling 16 instead of doubling, or confusing the pattern midway. The key trap: assuming it's addition-based when it's actually **multiplication-based**. **Quick takeaway** In geometric sequences, **divide consecutive terms** to find the multiplier — don't assume it's addition! JAMB loves testing whether you spot multiplication vs addition patterns.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is an **analogy question** — you're looking for the relationship between the first pair, then applying that same relationship to the second pair. Ask yourself: *Where does a doctor primarily work?* → A hospital. Now apply the same logic: *Where does a teacher primarily work?* → A school. The relationship is: **Professional : Primary workplace** Both doctor and teacher are professions, and we're matching them to where they typically carry out their duties. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **Library** — Teachers use libraries, yes, but it's not their *primary* workplace. Students and librarians work there more. - **Office** — Too generic. Many professionals work in offices, but teachers' main work happens in classrooms. - **Lab** — Only science teachers use labs regularly, and even then, it's part of a school, not their main base. **Quick takeaway** In analogy questions, identify the *exact relationship* in the first pair (person → their main workplace), then find the option that maintains that **same specific relationship** — not just a loose connection.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** Look at how each number relates to the one before it: - 2 × 2 = 4 - 4 × 2 = 8 - 8 × 2 = 16 - 16 × 2 = **32** This is a **geometric sequence** where each term is multiplied by a constant ratio (in this case, 2). You can also recognize the pattern as powers of 2: 2¹, 2², 2³, 2⁴, 2⁵ = 32. **Why the wrong options tempt you** **A) 20** — You might add 4 to 16, thinking it's simple addition. But check: does 2+4=4? No! The pattern isn't adding. **B) 24** — Perhaps you noticed differences increasing (2→4 is +2, 4→8 is +4) and guessed +8 next. That's overcomplicating it. **D) 48** — You might have multiplied 16 × 3 instead of × 2, mixing up the constant ratio. **Quick takeaway** For number series, always check: *"What operation (multiply? add? square?) turns each number into the next?"* — once you spot it, the pattern never lies!

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is a **classification question** — you're looking for which item doesn't belong to the same group as the others. Let's examine what unites most of these animals: - Dog: mammal, has fur, breathes air with lungs, gives birth to live young - Cat: mammal, has fur, breathes air with lungs, gives birth to live young - Lion: mammal, has fur, breathes air with lungs, gives birth to live young - Fish: **not a mammal**, has scales (not fur), breathes through gills underwater, lays eggs Three animals share the key characteristic of being **mammals that live on land**. Fish is fundamentally different — it lives in water and belongs to a completely different biological class. **Why the wrong options tempt you** You might pick **dog or cat** if you're thinking "wild vs domestic" (lion is wild). You might pick **lion** thinking "common pets vs wild animal." But these are surface-level differences. The question wants the *fundamental* biological outlier. **Quick takeaway** In "odd one out" questions, look for the **deepest level of difference** — biology beats behavior, class beats habitat.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is a simple letter-to-number substitution problem. You're told A=1, B=2, which means each letter corresponds to its position in the alphabet. Let's find the position of each letter in CAT: - **C** is the 3rd letter → C = 3 - **A** is the 1st letter → A = 1 - **T** is the 20th letter → T = 20 Sum of CAT = 3 + 1 + 20 = **24** **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **21**: You might miscount T as the 19th letter (easy to do when counting quickly) - **25**: Perhaps you added an extra 1, or counted C as 4 - **30**: Maybe you thought T = 22 or accidentally added the numbers twice The trap is rushing through the alphabet positions. Always double-check: A-B-C (1-2-3), then count carefully to T. **Quick takeaway** In alphabet coding questions, write out the first few letters (A=1, B=2, C=3...) to anchor yourself, then count carefully to each letter's position—accuracy beats speed here!

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is an **analogy question** — it tests your ability to see relationships between words. The format is: "A is to B as C is to D" (A : B :: C : D) Here's the key: **What does a pen DO?** A pen *writes*. That's its primary function or purpose. So the question asks: **What does a knife DO?** A knife *cuts*. That's its primary function. We're looking for the **action/function relationship**, not a description. Pen performs the action of writing, just as knife performs the action of cutting. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **A) Sharp** — This describes what a knife *is like* (a quality), not what it *does*. Same trap as saying "Pen : Black" instead of "Pen : Write" - **C) Long** — Another description/property, not a function - **D) Metal** — Describes what it's *made of*, not its purpose **Quick takeaway** In analogy questions, match the *type* of relationship: if the first pair shows **object → action**, the second pair must too — not object → description or object → material.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** Look at the pattern: 1, 4, 9, 16, ? Notice that: - 1 = 1² - 4 = 2² - 9 = 3² - 16 = 4² This is a **sequence of perfect squares**. Each term is simply a counting number multiplied by itself. So the next number must be 5² = 5 × 5 = **25**. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **A) 20**: You might think "add 3, then 5, then 7, then 9..." (differences increasing by 2). That gives 16 + 9 = 25, not 20. This just confuses the pattern. - **C) 30**: Maybe you saw "add 4 repeatedly" early on and got lost. But 1→4→9 isn't adding 4s consistently. - **D) 36**: This is 6², which would be the *seventh* term if you skip 5². Easy to jump ahead when rushing! **Quick takeaway** When you see 1, 4, 9, 16 together in JAMB or WAEC, always think **perfect squares** — it's one of their favourite patterns, and the answer follows 1², 2², 3², 4², 5²...

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This tests **logical deduction** from given premises. Let's break it down: - Premise 1: All cats are animals (cats ⊂ animals) - Premise 2: Some animals are dogs (there's overlap between animals and dogs) Now, the question is: what can we say about the relationship between cats and dogs? The key insight: We only know cats and dogs are both subsets of "animals," but we have **no information** about whether these two subsets overlap or not. They could be completely separate groups, or they might overlap — we simply don't know from what we're told. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **A & D**: You might think "since both are animals, they must share members" — but that's adding information not given. Fish and birds are both animals, but no fish is a bird! - **B**: You might assume they're separate, but that's also an assumption. The premises don't rule out overlap either. **Quick takeaway** In logic questions, only conclude what the premises **force** to be true — never add your own assumptions about how the world works. "Cannot conclude" is often correct when premises don't connect the dots completely.

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** A triangle is a **polygon** (closed shape made of straight lines) defined by having exactly **three sides** and **three angles**. In fact, the word "triangle" literally comes from "tri" (meaning three) and "angle." The three sides connect at three vertices (corner points), and that's what makes it a triangle. Whether it's an equilateral triangle (all sides equal), isosceles (two sides equal), or scalene (all sides different), every triangle must have exactly **3 sides** — no more, no less. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **A) 2** — Two lines can't enclose a space; you need at least three lines to form a closed shape - **C) 4** — Four sides make a quadrilateral (like a square or rectangle), not a triangle - **D) 5** — Five sides make a pentagon; again, too many for a triangle These options test if you know basic geometric definitions. **Quick takeaway** Remember: "**TRI**angle = **THREE** sides" — the name itself tells you the answer!

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** This is about **inverse proportion** — when one quantity increases, the other decreases proportionally. Think of it this way: The total amount of work stays the same. If 5 men complete the job in 10 days, that's **50 man-days** of work (5 men × 10 days = 50 man-days). Now, if you double the workers to 10 men, they'll share the same 50 man-days of work: - 10 men × ? days = 50 man-days - ? = 50 ÷ 10 = **5 days** More workers = less time. It's like sharing garri — more people means each person gets less! **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **B (10 days)**: You might think "same days" if you forget that more workers speed things up - **C (15) & D (20)**: These suggest *more* time with *more* workers, which makes no sense — you're confusing direct and inverse relationships **Quick takeaway** In work problems: **Men × Days = Constant work**. Double the men, halve the time!

AI Explanation

**The reasoning** An **antonym** is a word that means the *opposite* of another word. "Start" means to begin or commence something. The direct opposite of starting something is **stopping** it — they're reverse actions. If you start a car, you set it in motion. If you stop a car, you halt that motion. Start = initiation. Stop = termination. They cancel each other out. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **B) Begin** — This is a *synonym* (same meaning) of start, not an antonym! Many students mix these up under exam pressure. - **C) Run** and **D) Sing** — These are just random verbs. They're neither synonyms nor antonyms of "start." They might tempt you if you're rushing and not reading carefully. **Quick takeaway** When hunting for antonyms, ask yourself: "What's the *opposite action or meaning*?" Start ↔ Stop. Hot ↔ Cold. Love ↔ Hate. Always look for the word that reverses the original meaning, not one that's similar or unrelated. You've got this! 💪