PREPARATORY STUDY MANUAL

A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING REASONING, NUMERICAL &

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

BY

BENSON THULAMA

SECOND EDITION

TRUE TUTORS 2012

1|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

 PREFACE

Now days, scores of students pass their MSCE with colorful grades. This enables them to sit for

University of Malawi Entrance Examinations. This implies that there is a stiff competition

among students to be taken to pursue various courses at UNIMA Colleges such as Polytechnic,

Chancellor College, Kamuzu College of Nursing and College of Medicine. YES! The

antagonistic competition is likely to be stiff every year.

But fear not and let not your heart be troubled! This preparatory study manual has been written

for you and to make you to pass UEE easily and therefore be selected.

The manual contains theoretical underpinnings of Logic and Reasoning, Numerical and

Communication Skills as well as questions from previous UEE past papers.

The book is user-friendly and its content is easy to comprehend. Take your time to read it!

The author, who is a holder of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Polytechnic, has been

tutoring students preparing to sit for UEE for over 4 years.

For more details: Benson Thulama

Cell: 0884 476 291/ 0997 750 285

E-mail: bthulama@gmail.com

2|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

 CHAPTER 1

REASONING SKILLS (LOGIC)

Logic can simply be defined as the study of arguments. These arguments may either be valid or
invalid. The main purpose of logic is to help us develop methods and principles that we may use
as a criterion for evaluating the arguments of other people at the same time as a guide in
constructing our arguments.

An argument is a group of statements, one (conclusion) which is claimed to follow from the
other or others (premise/s). It is thus made up of two parts, namely premise/s and one conclusion.

 Premises: are statements that set forth the evidence in an argument. They are preceded
by words like since, given that, seeing that and because.

 Conclusion: is the statement that is claimed to follow from the evidence given in the
premises/s. some of the conclusion indicators are hence, therefore, then, it follows that, it
implies that, and we conclude that.

The valid or good argument is the one in which its conclusion is deductively or inductively
taken from the premises (reasons or evidence).

Example: All politicians are liars

John is a politician
Therefore, John is a liar

Invalid or fallacious argument is the one in which the conclusion is not drawn from the given
premises even though it is claimed to.

Example: Malawians are hard workers

Sharon is a Malawian
Then, Sharon is a hard worker.

The conclusion is fallacious because the first premise does not say ‘All Malawians are hard
workers’ hence the correct answer would be Sharon could be a hard worker.

Generally, there are two different standards that are used in evaluating arguments. These are
deductive and inductive standards.

3|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

KINDS OF VALID ARGUMENTS
There are enormous kinds of good or valid arguments that come during University of Malawi
Entrance Examinations (UEE) and these are: categorical syllogism, hypothetical syllogism,
modus pones, modus tollens and disjunctive syllogism.

1. CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISM
It is the syllogism in which each statement begins with each one of the categorical words,
including “All”, “Some”, “No” in one or more of its premises and a conclusion. Note that a
syllogism is an argument consisting of exactly two premises and one conclusion.

The categorical syllogism has the following valid argument form:

If all A are B
If all B are C
Therefore, all A are C.

Example:
Given that all ticket sellers are employees and all employees are responsible individuals. It
follows that, all ticket sellers are responsible individuals.

However, the categorical argument form may also apply if there are more than two premises.
Example:
All rain callers are witchdoctors, all witchdoctors are magicians and all magicians are old people.
Therefore, all rain callers are old people.

2. HYPOTHETICAL SYLLOGISM
It refers to the syllogism having a conditional statement in its premises. A conditional statement
is made up of two parts (“If…then” statement). The component statement immediately following
the “if” is called the Antecedent, and the one following the “then” is called the Consequent.

The Hypothetical syllogism has an argument form similar to categorical syllogism only that it
has “if…..then” statement:

If A then B
If B then C
Then, if A then C

Example:
If it rains, then the daisies will bloom.
If the daisies bloom, then someone will pick them.
Therefore, if it rains then someone will pick the daisies.
4|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285
 3. MODUS PONENS

This is the Latin word for “mode that affirms by affirming”. It is also called affirming the
antecedent. This applies only to conditional statement. The modus ponens thus simply means
that when the arguer affirms the antecedent, then he or she should also affirm the consequent.

The Modus Pones has the following valid argument form:

If A then B
A
Therefore, B.

Example: If this tree gets water, then it will grow.

This tree does get water.
Therefore, the tree will grow.

4. MODUS TOLLENS
This is the Latin word for “the way that denies by denying”. It is the conditional statement also
called denying the consequent. The modus tollens thus simply means that when the arguer denies
the consequent by putting “not”, then he or she should also negate the antecedent by putting
“not”.

The Modus tollens has the following valid argument form:

If A then B
Not B
Therefore, not A.

The argument thus has two premises. The first premise is the condition “if…then” statement,
namely A implies B. The second is that B is false, from these two premises, it can be logically
concluded that A must be false. Thus, if the consequent is false then the antecedent is also false.

Example:
If country’s leadership is left in the hands of insane individuals, then all citizens become useless.
However, the citizens are not useless after all. This argument implies:
The present leadership is not in the hands of insane individuals.

5|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

 5. DISJUNCTIVE SYLLOGISM
Is a syllogism having a disjunctive statement (i.e. either… or) in one or both of its premises. In
other words, you are going to identify these disjunctive arguments by seeing the “either …or”
words in the given premises. However, in some statements “either” is hidden but still more it is a
disjunctive statement.

It has the following two valid argument forms:

A or B A or B
Not A A
Therefore, B Therefore, not B

Examples:
Wezzi will go to Chanco or Poly. Wezzi will go to Chanco or Poly.
If Wezzi will not go to Chanco, she will go to Poly. Wezzi will go to Chanco, not Poly

EXERCISE 1

1. If all bachelors are unmarried individuals, and Edward is unmarried, it implies that:
A. Edward is a bachelor
B. Edward will be married soon
C. Edward is a homosexual
D. Edward does not want to get married
E. None of the above

2. An applicant is not eligible unless he has a college degree. The statement means the following
EXCEPT:
P. An applicant is not eligible if he does not have a college degree
Q. If an applicant does not have a college degree then he is not eligible
R. If an applicant is eligible, then he has a college degree
S. All eligible applicants are applicants with college degrees
T. All applicants who are not eligible have got degrees

3. The car runs only if there is fuel in its tank. The car is not running, therefore:
P. There is no fuel in the tank Q. The driver has gone to purchase fuel
R. The driver is not available. S. A and B above. T. None of the above.

4. If all guitar players are musicians and some guitar players are not astronauts. It follows that:
A. All musicians are astronauts B. No astronauts are musicians
C. Some musicians are astronauts D. Some musicians are not astronauts E. Both C and D
6|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285
5. If physical health is a result of daily exercise and balanced diet then American basketball
players are the healthiest. Therefore;
P. American basketball players are the healthiest due to exercise and food
Q. To be healthy, all you need is daily exercise and a balanced diet
R. If American basketball players are not healthiest then physical health is not as a result of daily
exercise and balanced diet.
S. American basket ball players believe in daily exercise and balanced diet
T. American basketball players have a narrow view of physical health.

6. If a boy is a pick-pocket or a drug addict, then he is a rogue or delinquent. Therefore:

A. All drug addicts are rogues and delinquent
B. Pickpockets are always boys
C. Some boys are both drug addicts and delinquent
D. A boy who is not a rogue and not a delinquent is necessarily not a pickpocket
E. None of the above.

7. Eucalyptus trees are generally narrower than mahogany trees. Mahogany trees are wider than
mango trees but mango trees are narrower than ebony and eucalyptus trees. It can, therefore, be
rightly concluded that:
P. Mahogany trees are widest of the four trees
Q. Eucalyptus trees are narrower than ebony trees
R. Ebony trees are wider than mahogany trees
S. Mango trees are wider than eucalyptus trees
T. Eucalyptus trees are the narrowest of all the four trees

8. To me the whole thing is simple. If the White man’s Holy Book has the Truth, then there
should be no disagreement about the truth in the Holy Book. Therefore, the White man’s Book
does not have the Truth. This argument implies that,
A. The White man’s Holy Book is the true word of God
B. The Holy Book does not contain the truth
C. The Holy Book contains disagreements which lead to contradictions
D. Nobody can dispute the Truth in the Holy book because it is the word of God
D. If one wants the truth, then one must read the White man’s Holy Book

7|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

ETHYMEME
This is a deductive argument that has a missing premise. It is thus an informally stated syllogism
(a three-part deductive argument) with an unstated assumption that must be true for the premises
to lead to the conclusion.

To find the missing premise simply look at the terms that appear once and they are the ones to
appear in the missing premise. Note that no term should appear more than twice in an argument.

Example:
Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

To find the missing premise, first eliminate Socrates since it has already appeared twice. Then
the missing premise will start with “man” since it is in the premise and end with “mortal” since it
is in the conclusion. But for Socrates to be in the group of men, then “All” needs to appear.
Therefore, the missing premise is: All men are mortal.

EXERCISE 2

1. Cheating is wrong. Therefore, studying from an examination past papers is wrong. The
missing or hidden statement is:
A. To study from an examination past papers is a kind of cheating
B. The act of cheating only applies to examination
C. Use of examination past papers is not a recommended study approach.
D. The only act that is wrong as far as examinations are concerned is cheating before and during
the actual examinations.
E. Both A and D

2. Murder is morally wrong. Therefore, abortion is morally wrong. The missing statement in this
argument is:
P. Murder is a bad thing Q. Murder is an act which is very immoral
R. Abortion is a form of murder S. Abortion is a bad thing
T. Abortion is an immoral act

3. You cannot check books out of the library without an ID card. So Jane will not be able to
check any books out. This argument presupposes that:
A. Jane is a troublesome student B. Jane might have lost her ID
C. Jane has no ID D. Jane is not allowed to take books out of the library
E. Jane has to seek the authority of the librarians on duty

8|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

FALLACIES (INVALID ARGUMENTS)

A Fallacy is a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation. Thus, the

conclusion does not follow from the premises, even though it is claimed to. By design or
accident, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener or interlocutor.

Fallacies are divided into two groups, namely:

FORMAL FALLACY: is the fallacy that can be detected through mere inspection of the form
or structure of an argument.

Example:
Given that all politicians are liars and all thieves are liars. Therefore, all politicians are thieves.

The argument above is a fallacious because the conclusion has not been drawn from the given
premises.

INFORMAL FALLACY: is the fallacy that can be detected only through analysis of the
content of the argument. The aim of these fallacies is to make bad argument look or appear good.
There are different types of informal fallacies and below are some of them:

A. HASTY GENERALISATION
It occurs when the arguer reaches an inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence. It
commonly involves basing a broad conclusion upon the statistics of a small group that fails to
sufficiently represent the whole population.

Example:
Two weeks ago Standard Bank was robbed and the suspect is a black. Yesterday a black teenager
snatched an old lady’s purse while she was at the corner bus stop. Clearly, blacks are nothing but
a pack of criminals. Which of the following errors are committed in the above argument?
A. The conclusion is missing the point B. The conclusion reflects ignorance
C. The speaker is against black people D. The speaker is racist
E. There is hasty generalization in concluding that all blacks are criminals
The correct answer is E

9|Benson Thulama 0884476291/0997750285

 B. EQUIVOCATION
It occurs when the conclusion of an argument depends on the fact that one or more words are
used either explicitly or implicitly in two different senses in an argument.

Example:
Angela is standing to the right of Naomi. Janet is standing on the opposite of Naomi. Since the
opposite of right is wrong, it follows that Janet is standing on the wrong side of Naomi. Which of
the following errors is committed in the above argument?
P. It confuses the term “right” to mean two different things Q. It confuses cause and effect
R. It begs the question of what the “right” is
S. It provides no factual evidence for its conclusion
T. None of the above

The correct answer is P the arguer has drawn his conclusion from the word “right” which has
been used in two different senses.

C. TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT(TU QUOQUE/ YOU TOO)

This occurs when it is assumed that if one wrong is committed, another wrong will cancel it out.
Example:
Father: Yohane, I really do not think you should be drinking. Alcohol tends to dull your senses;
reduce your composure and may cause addiction.
Son: Dad, your advice is not convincing, especially when I have just overhead Mum
complaining about your late night drinking at Bwandilo.

The son is mistaken in rejecting the father’s advice because:

He is responding to his father’s advice by launching a counterattack.

10 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 D. SLEEPERY SLOPE
It occurs when the conclusion of an argument rests upon the claim that a certain event will set off
a chain reaction, leading in the end to some undesirable consequence, yet there is not sufficient
reason to think that the chain reaction will actually take place.

Example:
“If we let students to participate in college and university administration, they will want to sit on
all committees. Next, they will want to share leadership as co-heads and co-deans. Eventually,
the students will demand that their portfolios be salaried according to university management
scale.” This view is mistaken because:

It assumes that a particular first event in a series of steps will unavoidably lead to some specific
undesirable consequence.

E. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
This is a fallacy that a proposition is true simply on the basis that it has not been proved false or
that it is false simply because it has not been proved true. This error in reasoning is often
expressed with influential rhetoric.

Example:
There must be life on mars since nobody has been able to prove that there is no life there. This
implies that:
i. That which is not proven false is true ii. True things cannot be false
iii. There is indeed life on mars iv. All scientists have proven failures
v. Scientists have not yet proven there is life on Mars
P. i only Q. i and ii only R. i, ii and iii only
S. i and iii only T. None of the above

The correct answer is P

F. AD HOMINEM (ARGUMENT TO THE MAN)

It means attacking the person instead of attacking his argument.

For example: "Steve’s books about ancient astronauts are worthless because he is a convicted
forger and embezzler." (Which is true, but that's not why they're worthless.)

11 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 G. APPEAL TO PITY (APPEAL TO SYMPATHY, THE GALILEO ARGUMENT)

Example: “Your Honour, it’s true that I killed my parents. I fully admit that I murdered them in cold
blood. But I should get a light sentence. After all, I am an orphan.” The conclusion is not appropriate
because,

A. Orphans must not be punished by the law. B. He deliberately killed his or her parents.
C. Children should get light sentences. D. The child uses pity to get light punishment.
E. Lawyers should protect orphans from stiff punishment.

H. COMPLEX QUESTION (TYING)

Unrelated points are treated as if they should be accepted or rejected together. In fact, each point
should be accepted or rejected on its own merits.

For example, "Have you stopped supporting academic freedom in Malawi?” (The argument
connotes he used to support or he is still supporting)

EXERCISE 3

1. Since sex education has become common, there is a marked increase in promiscuity. So, sex
education causes promiscuity. This statement commits the following error:
A. The speaker generalizes that sex education causes promiscuity
B. The speaker appeals to authority to ban sex education
C. The speaker fails to explain the alleged linkage between sex education and promiscuity
D. The speaker does not ignore possible casual factors
E. The speaker is ignorant of what sex education is all about

.
2. In one of the political campaign trails, someone said, “What good can come from him? He has
been poor all his life. He can’t win these elections.” This argument is faulty because:
P. Poverty is indeed a disqualifying condition for vying for those vying for political office
Q. Poor individuals have nothing to offer to the public
R. Political influence is not necessarily in monetary affair
S. No one in politics is motivated by monetary gains
T. Politics is a dirty game.

12 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
3. “It is not true that government is innocent of wrong doing with reward to environmental
degradation. I read in the Critical Reviewer that government is responsible for over 50 percent of
the country’s environmental degradation.” This view is mistaken because:
A. It is only his view as read from the Critical Reviewer
B. Environmental degradation is too difficult to measure
C. The views defends government without substantial evidence
D. The Critical Reviewer is a questionable authority on the issues of the environment
E. Environment is a new concept in Malawi hence we should criticize govt.

TRADITIONAL SQUARE OF OPPOSITION

The traditional square of opposition shows the relationships among the four kinds of categorical
propositions (statements). The four kinds of the categorical propositions are:

1. A-Proposition representing statements that begin with (All)

2. E-Proposition representing statements that begin with (No)
3. I-Proposition representing statements that begin with (Some)
4. O-Proposition representing statements that begin with (Some… are not)

NAME FORM TITLE

A Every S is P Universal Affirmative

E No S is P Universal Negative

I Some S is P Particular Affirmative

O Some S is not P Particular Negative

13 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
The above figure is what is called TRADITIONAL SQUARE OF OPPOSITION.

So how does the traditional square of opposition works? Assuming you have been given a
statement “All Malawians are hard workers”, you can find the truth value of the three remaining
corresponding propositions:
 E- will be “No Malawians are hard workers”
 I -will be “Some Malawians are hard workers”
 O- will be “Some Malawians are not hard workers”

1. CONTRADICTORY-OPPOSITE TRUTH VALUE

 ‘Every S is P’ and ‘Some S is not P’ are contradictories.

 ‘No S is P’ and ‘Some S is P’ are contradictories.

Therefore, Via contradictory if A is true, O is false and if O is true, A is false

Example: if the statement “All Politicians are Liars” is TRUE, then the statement “Some
Politicians are not Liars” is FALSE

Via contradictory if E is true, I is false and if I is true, E is false

Example: if the statement “No Politicians are Liars” is TRUE, then the statement “Some
Politicians are Liars” is FALSE

14 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 2. CONTRARY -AT LEAST ONE IS FALSE (NOT BOTH TRUE)

. Every S is P’ and ‘No S is P’ are contraries.

Via contrary if A is true, E is False and if E is true, A is false

Example: if the statement “All girls are beautiful” is TRUE, then the statement “No girls are
beautiful” is FALSE

3. SUBCONTRARY-AT LEAST ONE IS TRUE (NOT BOTH FALSE)

Via sub contrary, if I is false, O is true and if O is false, I is true

Example: if the statement “Some Malawians are poor” is FALSE, then the statement “Some
Malawians are not poor” is TRUE.

Via sub contrary, if A is false, I is False and if E is false, E is False

Example: if the statement “All presidents are wise” is FALSE, then the statement “Some
presidents are wise” is FALSE.

4. SULBARTENATION

 ‘Some S is P’ and ‘Some S is not P’ are subcontraries.

 ‘Some S is P’ is a subaltern of ‘Every S is P’.

 ‘Some S is not P’ is a subaltern of ‘No S is P’.

These theses were supplemented with the following explanations:

 Two propositions are contradictory if they cannot both be true and they cannot both be
false.

 Two propositions are contraries if they cannot both be true but can both be false.

 Two propositions are sub contraries if they cannot both be false but can both be true.

 A proposition is a subaltern of another if it must be true if its superaltern is true, and the
superaltern must be false if the subaltern is false.

15 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
EXERCISE 4
1. Suppose the statement “All family planning methods are foreign” is TRUE. Which of the
following is FALSE?
A. Some family planning methods are not foreign
B. No family planning methods are foreign
C. Some foreign ideas are family planning methods
D. Some family planning methods are foreign
E. Some family planning methods are non foreign

2. “All men are lovers”. This statement is a contradiction of the following statement:
A. All men are not lovers B. Some men are lovers
C. Some men are not lovers D. No men are lover
E. Love is a very difficult thing hence we cannot tell

3. “Some currency devaluations are externally enforced”. If this statement is FALSE, which of
the following statements is FALSE?
P. All currency devaluations are externally enforced
Q. No currency devaluations are externally enforced
R. Some currency devaluations are not externally enforced
S. Some economic problems are caused by forces outside the country
T. None of the above

4. “No soldier is a coward.” If this statement is TRUE, which of the following statements is
FALSE?
A. All non-cowards are non-soldiers B. Some cowardly people are not soldiers
C. All soldiers are not cowards D. Some soldiers are cowards
E. Both A and B

5. If the statement “Some judges are not fair officials” is FALSE, which of the following is
TRUE?
P. All judges are fair officials Q. No judges are fair officials
R. Some judges are fair officials S. Some unfair people are judges
T. Some non-judges are non-fair officials

16 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
6. Suppose the statement “All girls are discontented individuals” is TRUE, which of the
following is FALSE?
A. Some girls are discontented individuals B. No girls are discontented individuals
C. Some girls are not discontented individuals D. No discontented persons are girls
E. No girls are not discontented individuals

LOGICAL EQUIVALENCE

As already defined there are four types of categorical propositions, namely, A, E, O, and I
proposition. These can be converted.

When given a statement, all Malawians are rich, All- is a quality, Malawians-is a subject term,
are-is a copula and rich-is a predicate term.

Principally, the new statement is equivalent when it has the same truth value as the original
statement. There are three ways that we use to find the new equivalent statement and these are:

1. CONVERSION
This consists in switching the subject term with the predicate term. For example, if the E
statement “No Malawians are Poor” is converted, the resulting statement is “No Poor People are
Malawians.” This new statement is called the converse of the given statement and has the same
truth value as the given statement.

Similarly, converting I statement “Some Politicians are Liars” gives us “Some Liars are
Politicians” has the same truth value as the original statement. Therefore, converting an E or I
statement gives a new statement that is logically equivalent to the given statement.

The following argument forms are valid:

No A are B
Therefore, no B are A

Some A are B
Therefore, Some B are A

17 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 2. OBVERSION
This involves two processes:
a. Changing the quality(without changing the quantity)
b. Negating the predicate.

For instance, the statement All horses are animals becomes No horses are non-animals. First the
quality, all has been substituted by No, then switching horses with animals. In other words,
where there is horses put animal and where there is animals put horses. After that, negate by
putting non on the predicate side.

Note that in each case (A, E, I, O) obverse has the same truth value as the given statement.

The following argument forms are valid:

All A re B
Therefore, no A are non-B

No A are B
Therefore, All A are non-B

Some A are B
Therefore, some A are not non-B

Some A are not B

Therefore, some A are non-B

Example:
“All birds are feathered animals.” This statement is equivalent in meaning to:
P. No birds are non feathered animals
Q. All animals with feathers are birds
R. Some feathered animals are not birds
S. Some birds are feathered animals
T. None of the above.
The correct answer is P.

3. CONTRAPOSITION
This also involves a two step process:
a. Switching subject and predicate terms
b. Negating subject and predicate terms

18 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
For instance, the statement, “All goats are animals” becomes, “All non-animals are non-goats.”
First, switch goats and animals. Then put the word, “non” to both the subject and predicate
terms.

Generally, the contrapositive of an A or O statement is logically equivalent to, and therefore

necessarily has the same truth value as the given statement.

The following argument forms are valid:

All A are B,
Therefore, All non-B are non-A
Some A are not B
Therefore, some non-B are not non-A

Example: The statement, “All soldiers are cowards,” is equivalent to the statement, “All non-
cowards are non-soldiers.”

TRANSLATING CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND OTHER STATEMENTS

As previously said, A conditional statement is made up of two parts (“If…then” statement). The
component statement immediately following the “if” is called the Antecedent, and the one
following the “then” is called the Consequent.

So, when a statement contains a spartial adverb such as where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere,
or nowhere or a temporal adverb such as when, whenever, anytime, always or never, it may be
translated in terms of places and times. Statements containing pronouns such as who, whoever,
anyone, what, whatever or anything may be translated in terms of persons or things.

Example:
If I am hungry, I sweat. It follows that:
I always sweat when I am hungry.

Note that in a conditional statement, neither the antecedent nor the consequent is asserted to be
true. What is asserted is that: if the antecedent is true then the consequent is also true.

Conditional statements are very crucial in logic since they are used to express the relationship
between necessary and sufficient conditions.

19 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 i. Sufficient condition
An event A is said to be sufficient condition for an event B whenever the occurrences of A is all
that is required for the occurrence of B. for example, running 1000 metres is a sufficient
condition for increasing one’s heart rate. But it is not necessary condition.

ii. Necessary condition

An event A is said to be a necessary condition for an event B whenever B cannot occur without
the occurrence of A.

For example, Being 18 years old or over is a necessary condition for voting in Malawi. This
means that:
. one cannot vote unless he or she is 18years or older
If someone is voting, then he is 18 years or over.

EXERCISE 5

1. If it is a mouse, then it is a mammal. This implies that:

A. No mouse is a mammal B. All mice are mammals
C. All mammals are mice D. No mammal is a mouse
E. A mouse can never be a mammal

2. “Some hotel managers are not Malawians.” This statement is directly opposed to:
A. All hotel managers are indigenous Malawians
B. No hotel manager is indigenous Malawian
C. Some hotel managers are indigenous Malawian.
D. No hotel manager is not an indigenous Malawian
E. Management jobs are not offered to foreigners

3. “No old gentlemen or ladies are foolish.” This statement is equivalent in meaning to:
A. All foolish persons are old ladies
B. Some non-old gentlemen are not foolish persons
C. Only old gentlemen are not foolish
D. Young men and young ladies are foolish
E. When one is old, one gets wiser.

4. “No sugar locally manufactured is tasty,” is equivalent to:

P. All sugar locally manufactured is not tasty
20 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
Q. Some tasty thing is the locally manufactured sugar
R. No tasty thing is sugar that is locally manufactured
S. Some sugar locally manufactured is tasty
T. Some sugar locally manufactures is not tasty.

5. All scientists are atheists. All economists are atheists. The basic claim in the above statement
is that:
P. Some economists are scientists Q. All economists are scientists
R. Some scientists are economists S. Both P and R
T. All non-atheists are neither economists nor scientists

6. Some footballers are hooligans. This statement is equivalent to:

A. Some hooligans are footballers B. All hooligans are footballers
C. All footballers are hooligans D. No hooligans are footballers
E. No footballers are hooligans

7. A cat is contented if it is well fed. The statement is equivalent to the following:

P. All well-fed cats are contented cats Q. Cats are never contented animals
R. Most cats are not contented because they are not well fed
S. Cats need meat for them to be contented T. None of the above

8. If an animal has four legs, then it is not a bird. This implies that:
A. No birds are four-legged animals B. No four-legged animals are birds
C. All birds have two legs D. A bird can never be an animal
E. All non-birds are four-legged animals

9.. Which of the following statements are equivalent?

i. All friddles are snorfs
ii. If one is a friddle, then one is a snorf
iii. All non-snorfs are non-friddles
iv. No friddles are non-snorfs
v. All snorfs are friddles

P. i, ii, iii Q. i, ii, iii, iv R. ii, iii, iv, v S. i, iii, v T. i, ii, iii, iv, v

21 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS

1. If it rains, then the daisies will bloom. If the daisies bloom, then someone will pick them.
Therefore,
A. If someone picked the daisies then they bloomed.B. If it rains then someone will pick the
daisies
C. If the daisies are picked then it rained D. If daisies bloom then someone will pick
them E. None of the above

2. If all bachelors are unmarried individuals, and Edward is unmarried, it implies that
P. Edward is a bachelor Q. Edward will be married soon R. Edward is a homosexual
S. Edward does not want to get married T. None of the above

3. Slavery was ordained by God. The Bible attests this. This implies that
A. The Bible is the word of God B. There is nothing in the Bible which forbids slavery
C. The Bible does not condone acts of slavery D. The Bible is the infallible word of God
E. We should practice slavery if we want to be rich

4. Those who do not support the ruling party will not be chosen to embassies. If this is the case
then:
P. Members of the Opposition Party will not be sent to embassies
Q. Embassies are for Ruling Parties
R. Some supporters of the Ruling Party will not be sent to embassies
S. Citizens will either go to embassies or not
T. Both R and S

5. If this tree gets water, then it will grow. This tree does get water. It follows that:
A. The tree will not grow B. The tree will grow
C. The water is not sufficient D. The soil is not nutritious E. None of the above

6. A Cat is contented if it is well fed. The statement is equivalent to the following:

P. All well-fed cats are contented cats Q. Cats are never contented animals
R. Most cats are not contented because they are not well fed
S. Cats need meat for them to be contented T. None of the above

7. Bunda College of Agriculture donated 500 bags of maize to Mitundu Secondary School. The
Headmaster of Mitundu thanked the Principal of Bunda College and asked other organizations to
emulate the good example set by Bunda College. This implies that:
A. Other University colleges are mean

22 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
B. People should praise Bunda College for showing a good example
C. Other organizations should also give donations to the secondary school
D. The University should publicise what Bunda has done
E. The Principal of Bunda should thank the Headmaster

8. An applicant is not eligible unless he has a college degree. The statement means the following
EXCEPT:
P. An applicant is not eligible if he does not have a college degree
Q. If an applicant does not have a college degree then he is not eligible
R. If an applicant is eligible, then he has a college degree
S. All eligible applicants are applicants with college degrees
T. All applicants who are not eligible have got degrees

9. You are now 18 years old. At the age of 18 people exercise the right to vote. But my son,
never sell your vote; it’s your right. This means:
A. Elections take place when you are 18 years B. After 18 years of age, you can sell your vote
C. Non-rights can be sold or not, it does not matter
D. The right to vote is determined by age, voters should respect their right
E. If you are below 18 years, you are wiser to sell your vote since it is not your right

10. Restitution, rather than imprisonment, should be required in those cases where property
damage is the issue; sending a person to prison ought to be avoided whenever possible; for the
victim of property crime is likely to be much more satisfied with our criminal justice system if he
or she is repaid. If a criminal goes to prison, he is not going to be able to make restitution. This
argument implies,
P. Prison is useless to people who commit crimes
Q. Restitution is more reasonable than imprisonment
R. Our criminal justice is a failure
S. Prisoners of property damage do not repay for what they have damaged
T. All criminals involved in robbery must be sent to prison immediately

11. If an animal has four legs, then it is not a bird. This implies that:
A. No birds are four-legged animals B. No four-legged animals are birds
C. All birds have two legs D. A bird can never be an animal
E. All non-birds are four-legged animals

23 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
12. “Africa has been a dark continent for too long.” This statement means that:
P. Africa experiences total eclipses more times than any other continent Q. Africa has been
poor for too long
R. All continents have been in the dark S. Africa has experienced more civil wars and
deaths than any other continent T. None of the above

13. There is a financial time bomb in Europe caused by ageing of the population. This possibly
implies that:
A. Terrorists planted a bomb in the financial banks of Europe
B. There is not enough funds to cater for the senior citizens
C. Europe’s economy will be severely affected by ageing population
D. The ageing population now suffers from the effects of Second World War fumes from bombs.
E. None of the above

14. You do not need money to get beautiful women. All my life I have had friends who were
successful and filthy rich and could not get a date. This implies that:
P. Women shun millionaires R. Millionaires watch expensive televisions
R. Rich men fear beautiful ladies S. Millionaires have nothing to do with beautiful women
T. A man’s wealth is not a necessary condition for getting a date

15. Since sex education has become common, there is a marked increase in promiscuity. So, sex
education causes promiscuity. This statement commits the following error:
A. The speaker generalizes that sex education causes promiscuity
B. The speaker appeals to authority to ban sex education
C. The speaker fails to explain the alleged linkage between sex education and promiscuity
D. The speaker does not ignore possible casual factors
E. The speaker is ignorant of what sex education is all about

16. Which of the following statements are equivalent?

i. All friddles are snorfs ii. If one is a friddle, then one is a snorf
iii. All non-snorfs are non-friddles iv. No friddles are non-snorfs v. All snorfs are friddles
P. i, ii, iii Q. i, ii, iii, iv R. ii, iii, iv, v S. i, iii, v T. i, ii, iii, iv, v

17. Suppose the statement “All girls are discontented individuals” is TRUE, which of the
following is FALSE?
A. Some girls are discontented individuals B. No girls are discontented individuals
C. Some girls are not discontented individuals D. No discontented persons are girls
E. No girls are not discontented individuals

24 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
18. The City of Blantyre needs a pat on the back. This means:
P. The City of Blantyre is clean Q. City of Blantyre officials need to be congratulated
R. The City of Blantyre must be punished S. The vendors of Blantyre must be chased off the
streets T. The pat on the back has not been given to the Mayor of City of
Blantyre

19. Anyone who reasons, thinks. That is, reasoning implies thinking. But it is not always the case
that everyone who thinks, reasons. So many people think but few reason. This line of thinking is:
A. Wrong because no one can think without reasoning
B. Correct because thinking entails reasoning
C. Wrong because on one reason without thinking
D. Correct because thinking is about anything and may be done variously, rightly or wrongly

20. Electrons do not exist because they can not be seen or tasted or touched. This implies that,
P. Anything that cannot be seen, tasted or touched does not exist
Q. Physical science is wrong in assuming that we can do anything with electrons
R. Electrons are too small to be seen by naked eyes let alone t be touched
S. Electrons can only be seen under the latest model of electronic microscope
T. Whether proved or not, electrons exist

21. Two weeks ago Standard Bank was robbed and the suspect is a black. Yesterday a black
teenager snatched an old lady’s purse while she was at the corner bus stop. Clearly, blacks are
nothing but a pack of criminals. Which of the following errors are committed in the above
argument?
A. The conclusion is missing the point B. The conclusion reflects ignorance
C. The speaker is against black people D. The speaker is racist
E. There is hasty generalization in concluding that all blacks are criminals

22. “Some women are Lawyers” is equivalent to the statement:

P. Some women are not Lawyers Q. Some Lawyers are not women
R. Some Lawyers are women S. All women are not Lawyer
T. Some women in Malawi practice private law

23. Eucalyptus trees are generally narrower than mahogany trees. Mahogany trees are wider than
mango trees but mango trees are narrower than ebony and eucalyptus trees. It can, therefore, be
rightly concluded that:
A. Mahogany trees are widest of the four trees B. Eucalyptus trees are narrower than ebony
trees
C. Ebony trees are wider than mahogany trees D Mango trees are wider than eucalyptus trees
E. Eucalyptus trees are the narrowest of all the four trees

25 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
24. No one ever did anything he or she did not want to do. If Takondwa robbed the National
Bank, the he wanted to do it. This implies that
P. Takondwa robbed National Bank because he did not want to.
Q. Takondwa should be prosecuted immediately for robbing the National Bank
R. Robbing a bank is a bad thing, so Takondwa is bad
S. Takondwa should not blame fate for his robbing the National Bank
T. Takondwa has always wanted to rob the National Bank.

25. If all guitar players are musicians and some guitar players are not astronauts. It follows that:
A. All musicians are astronauts B. No astronauts are musicians
C. Some musicians are astronauts D. Some musicians are not astronauts E. Both C and D

26. It is now almost 15 years since the virus that causes AIDS was discovered. So far no medical
research has even a hint of a drug of cures AIDS. Thus,
(i) AIDS is people’s imagination (ii) AIDS has no curing drug (iii) It may not be a
virus that causes AIDS
Among the three options, which one/s is/ are promoting ignorance of the link between the cause
(Virus) and the effect (AIDS)?
P. iii only Q. i and iii R. i only S. i and ii T. i and iv

27. To me the whole thing is simple. If the White man’s Holy Book has the Truth, then there
should be no disagreement about the truth in the Holy Book. Therefore, the White man’s Book
does not have the Truth. This argument implies that,
A. The White man’s Holy Book is the true word of God
B. The Holy Book does not contain the truth
C. The Holy Book contains disagreements which lead to contradictions
D. Nobody can dispute the Truth in the Holy book because it is the word of God
E. If one wants the truth, then one must read the White man’s Holy Book

28. If the statement “Some judges are not fair officials” is FALSE, which of the following is
TRUE?
P. All judges are fair officials Q. No judges are fair officials
R. Some judges are fair officials S. Some unfair people are judges T. Some non-judges are
non-fair officials

29. All Scientists are atheists. All economists are atheists. The basic claim in the above argument
is that:
A. Some economists are scientists B. All economists are scientists
C. All non-atheists are neither economists nor scientists D. Some scientists are economists
E. None of the above

26 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
30. Angela is standing to the right of Naomi. Janet is standing on the opposite of Naomi. Since
the opposite of right is wrong, it follows that Janet is standing on the wrong side of Naomi.
Which of the following errors is committed in the above argument?
P. It confuses the term “right” to mean two different things Q. It confuses cause and effect
R. It begs the question of what the “right” is S. It provides no factual evidence for its
conclusion
T. None of the above

31. “Guns are not an issue. Hate, which pulled the trigger of violence, is the issue.” The
statement shows that:
A. Guns should be made available to all B. Guns are not a problem in violent
students
C. Hate is the necessary cause of violence. D. We should hate the person who pulled the trigger
E. The person who pulled the trigger of violence should be hated

32. The complaint about interclub player poaching in football is not sound because:
P. Football is a professional and competition for the best players is normal
Q. Poaching is too harsh a term to describe movement of players between clubs
R. The complaint is made by those clubs which lose players to other clubs
S. Those who complain do not base their views on facts and do not prove their case rationally.
T. None of the above

33. James is taller than Mary, Therefore,

A. Mary is shorter than James. B. James is order than Mary.
C. Mary is smaller than James D. James is bigger than Mary. E. None of the above.

34. Extreme wealth with unknown origin is a clear sign of corruption. This means that:
P. Only corrupt people are rich Q. Hard working people are not as rich as corrupt people
R. The origins of wealth of honest people can be traced S. Honest people can never be rich
T. All millionaires are corrupt

35. F is more likely to be H than G. A is an F. B is a G. So,

A. A is more likely to be a B. B. A is more likely to be an H.
C. A is more likely to be an H than a B. D. A is more likely to be both an H and a B.
E. A is more likely not to be an H and a B.

27 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
36. Economics is a practical value in business. An understanding of the overall operation of the
economics system puts the business executive in a better position to formulate policies. The
executive who understands the causes and consequences of inflation is better equipped during
inflationary periods to make more intelligent decisions than otherwise. This passage is:
P. A warning that economics is not practical value.
Q. A report that business executives need economics.
R. An explanation that we have to understand economics.
S. An argument that knowledge of economics puts business executives in a better position to
formulate policies.
T. An exposition of what economics is all about.

37. The car runs only if there is fuel in its tank. The car is not running, therefore:
A. There is no fuel in the tank B. The driver has gone to purchase fuel
C. The driver is not available. D. A and B above. E. None of the above.

38. B is a sufficient condition for A. The statement is equivalent to:

A. The absence of B is a necessary condition for the absence of A
B. The absence of B is a necessary condition for the absence of B
C. The absence of A is a sufficient condition for the absence of B
D. The absence of B does not really matter for the occurrence of A
E. None of the above

39. “Your Honour, it’s true that I killed my parents. I fully admit that I murdered them in cold
blood. But I should get a light sentence. After all, I am an orphan.” The conclusion is not
appropriate because,
A. Orphans must not be punished by the law. B. He deliberately killed his or her parents.
C. Children should get light sentences. D. The child uses pity to get light punishment.
E. Lawyers should protect orphans from stiff punishment.

40. Men with plaited hair give an image of Rastafarians. This statement assumes that:
P. All men with plaited hair are Rastafarianism. Q. All male Rastafarians plait their hair.
R. Non-Rastafarians should not have non plaited hair. S. Some women are Rastafarians.
D. All people are Rastafarians.

41. Prisoners are not free. They cannot go where they want. They cannot do what they please.
We cannot do what we please. Therefore:
A. Prisoners are better than us B. we are better than prisoners
C. None of us are really free D. Both of us are indeed free
E. Freedom belongs to the gods.
28 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
42. Hardworking students pass MSCE. But not all those with MSCE go to the University. Mary
has passed MSCE. Therefore:
P. Mary will go the University Q. Probably Mary will go to the University
R. Mary will write University Entrance Exams S. Mary is happy with her six credits
T. None of the above.

43. If all rats are rodents and all rodents are mice, therefore:
A. No rodents are mice C. All mice are rats
C. All rats are mice D. No rats are mice
E. No mice are rats

44. Some French horns are foul-sounding instruments. All French horns are difficult instruments
to play. It follows that:
P. All instruments are foul-sounding instruments
Q. All instruments that are difficult to play are French horns.
R. Some difficult instruments to play are foul-sounding instruments
S. Some French horns are difficult instruments to play.
T. Some instruments that are difficult to play are French horns.

45. Some Irish Volunteers cannot express themselves in good Chichewa. Malili Hospital staff
includes Irish volunteers. It follows that:
A. Staff of Malili Hospital cannot express themselves in good Chichewa.
B. All foreign Medical experts are like Irish volunteers
C. Some Irish volunteers speak bad Chichewa
D. No Irish person speaks good Chichewa
E. Some staff of Malili Hospital do not speak good Chichewa.
46. Any person who hates dogs cannot be all that bad. So, Monalisa must not have been all bad
after all. The statement that is missing from the above argument is,

P. Monalisa knows dogs are bad animals Q. Monalisa hates dogs

R. Everyone hates dogs after all S. Dogs spread scabies

T. Some human beings hate dogs.

47. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. This statement implies that,
A. It is illegal to possess guns when there are no laws
B. Only outlaws must possess guns because they are allowed.

29 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
C. Only those who circumvent the law will have guns.
D. There should be tough laws to regulate the possession of guns.
E. No citizens should possess guns without license

48. Freedom of dress will be abused. Every liberty is abused. The assumption is that,
P. All irresponsible citizens must be arrested
Q. Citizens in Malawi have lately not been responsible
R. All liberties have to be revoked from citizens
S. Freedom of dress is a form of liberty
T. Citizens everywhere abuse freedom of dress

49. Our diet plan is healthy; no one has been able to prove it is not. The conclusion of the
argument is based on the assumption that,
A. Our diet plan is healthy B. Our diet plan is unhealthy
C. We should engage chemical analysts to test our diet
D. Ignorance of something is an acceptance explanation
E. We need doctors to recommend our diet plan.
50. Some of our legislators are college graduates. This statement implies that:
P. Most college graduates are some of our legislators.
Q. Most of our legislators are not college graduates
R. Some of our legislators are not college graduates
S. Most of our legislators do not know how to speak English
T. We need legislators that are college graduates.

51. Each player in the football team is outstanding. Hence the team itself is outstanding. This
conclusion is not good because,

A. A team is outstanding when all its players are

B. If a team is outstanding then each player of the team is outstanding

C. Even if each team player is outstanding, the team itself may not be outstanding

D. The team lacks sufficient opportunity to practice.

E. The team as a whole is not outstanding

52. Pulling the trigger of a gun causes it to fire. This statement presupposes that,
P. If a gun fires then, someone has pulled the trigger

30 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
Q. A policeman or a soldier must pull the trigger
R. It is not only a gun that has a trigger
S. Even if one has not pulled the trigger the gun can still fire
T. None of the above

53. All unhappiness is due to unsatisfied desires. All happiness is due to satisfied desires. And no
one can satisfy all his or her desires. This argument implies that,
A. Either one must give up desires and be happy or one must resign oneself to a life of
unhappiness
B. We are all unhappy people because our desires are satisfied
C. Human beings have huge appetites for every good thing in the world
D. Once we satisfy our desires in the world we will have everlasting happiness in heaven
E. Unsatisfied desires prevent human beings from going to heaven

54. If worldwide reserves of oil are depleted in the near future, then unless nuclear power is a
practical power is a practical alternative, we shall have to depend on coal. World wide reserves
of oil will be depleted in the near future. Nuclear power is not a practical alternative. The
conclusion that can be drawn from the above statements is that:

P. We shall not have to depend on coal Q. We shall have to depend on coal

R. Nuclear power is a practical alternative S. Worldwide reserves of oil will be depleted

T. We have to depend on coal unless worldwide reserves of oil are depleted

55. James weighs more than Kenwood. Lovemore weighs more than Mark. Mark weighs less
than Ned. Kenwood and Ned are exactly the same weight. If the information above is true, which
of the following must also be true?

A. Lovemore weighs less than Ned B. Lovemore weighs more than James

C. Kenwood weighs less than Lovemore D. James weighs more than Mark

E. Kenwood weighs less than Mark

56. If Chimwemwe is a politician, then he lies. If he lies then he denies being a politician.
Therefore,
P. If Chimwemwe is a politician, then he denies being a politician
Q. If Chimwemwe is a politician, then he is a liar
R. If Chimwemwe is a liar, then he is bad
S. If Chimwemwe denies being a politician, then he is a liar
T. Some politicians deny being liars.

31 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
57. John will move to Blantyre unless Mary gets the job or he has trouble selling his house. In
fact he will not have any trouble selling his house, and moreover Mary is not likely to get the
job. Consequently,
A. Mary will get the job B. John has trouble selling his house
C. John will move to Blantyre D. John will not move to Blantyre
E. Mary will not get the job.

58. Recent surveys show that less than 10% of Malawians can run the mile in less than 10
minutes. It is therefore imperative that we institute a national running programme to produce
healthy and strong Malawians. The argument assumes that,
P. We do not have proper running facilities in Malawi
Q. The Malawi government can easily organize running programmes
R. Inability to run the mile in less than 10 minutes indicates lack of health and strength
S. People who are healthy run the mile in less than 10 minutes daily
T. There is strong public interest in instituting national health programmes.

59. She failed because she did not do her homework. This statement is similar to the following
statement EXCEPT:
A. Since she did not do her homework, she failed
B. She failed since she did not do her homework
C. Because she did not do her homework, she failed
D. She failed for not attending classes frequently
E. She failed for she did not do her homework

60. Tomatoes are edible unless spoilt. This statement is equivalent to the following:

i. All inedible tomatoes are spoilt tomatoes ii. All unspoilt tomatoes are edible tomatoes

iii. All edible tomatoes are spoilt tomatoes iv. Some spoilt tomatoes are edible

v. All spoilt tomatoes are edible tomatoes

P. i and ii Q. i and iii R. ii and iii S. iii and iv T. i and v

61. If all women want to be men, and what all women want is the best thing in the world, then
A. Women want equality B. All women want the best things in this world
C. All women are ambitious D. Being a man is the best thing in the world
E. Men do not seem to know that all women want the best thing.

32 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
62. There must be life on mars since nobody has been able to prove that there is no life there.
This implies that:
i. That which is not proven false is true ii. True things cannot be false
iii. There is indeed life on mars iv. All scientists have proven failures
v. Scientists have not yet proven there is life on Mars
P. i only Q. i and ii only R. i, ii and iii only
S. i and iii only T. None of the above

63. “Unexamined life is not worth living.” This means that:

A. Life without exams is useless
B. Exams make life meaningful
C. Human existence requires constant evaluation
D. Unexamined life is deceptive
E. Life is ritual of examination after examination

64. It is not the case that Steve Chimombo wrote Hamlet. This sentence is equivalent to:
P. Steve Chimombo wrote Hamlet
Q. Steve Chimombo wrote Napolo
R. Steve Chimombo did not write Hamlet
S. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet
T. Shakespeare authored Hamlet

65. All Malawian students who go to the University of Malawi are exceptionally brilliant.
Therefore, they are the cream of the nation and potential leaders. This means that:
A. A state president can only be selected from among the university graduates
B. Graduates are the only capable managers of the nation
C. Those who have not gone to the university are dull
D. Everyone should join the University system of education
E. Education is the foundation of the nation.

66. “To err is human” This statement means;

A. All human beings are a mistake in nature
B. No single soul can leave a single hour without a mistake
C. Mistakes are real for human
D. Only angels leave without mistakes
E. Mistakes are part of human life

33 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
67. My neighbor’s dogs bark and howl every time their owner lets them outside. My friend told
me that dogs tend to bark and howl when they see birds resting on the top branches of their
favorite trees. I personally believe they bark and howl because they enjoy disrupting my
meditations. Which of the following can be inferred from the preceding passage?

A. The dogs must be abused by their owners

B. The dog’s owners do not care how they are viewed by their neighbors

C. There are many pedestrians who walk by this neighbor’s house and the dogs starving for
attention.

D. The dogs enjoy being outside

E. The dogs will bark and howl at 3:00 am if they are outside that time.

34 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
ANSWERS TO ALL QUESTIONS IN CHAPTER 1

EXERCISE 1

1. A 2. T 3. P 4. D 5. R 6. D 7. P 8. C

EXERCISE 2

1. A 2. R 3.C

EXERCISE 3

1. C 2. R 3. A

EXERCISE 4

1. B 2. C 3. P 4. A 5. R 6.B

EXERCISE 5

1. B 2. C 3. E 4. R 5. T 6. A 7. P 8. B 9. Q

MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS

1. B 2. P 3. B 4.Q 5. B 6. P 7.C

8. T 9. D 10. S 11. B 12. Q 13. C 14.T

15. C 16. Q 17. B 18. Q 19. D 20. P 21. E

22. R 23. A 24. S 25. D 26. P 27. B 28. R

29. C 30. P 31. C 32. P 33. A 34. R 35.C

36. S 37. A 38. D 39. D 40. Q 41. C 42.T

43. C 44. R 45. C 46. Q 47. C 48. S 49.D

50. R 51. C 52. T 53. A 54. Q 55. D 56.P

57. C 58. R 59. D 60. P 61. D 62. P 63.C

64. R 65. E 66. E 67. E

35 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 CHAPTER 2

NUMERICAL SKILLS
Some of the fundamental areas a student preparing to sit for UEE must revise include:

 .Algebraic simplifications (subject of  Set Theory

the formula, expanding, factorizing,
simplifying)  Statistics (Mean, Mode, Ranges,
Standard deviation, probabilities and
 Business Mathematics (profit and their laws)
losses, simple interest, shares and
tax)  Indices, Exponents and Logarithms

 Fractions (simple fractions and word  Arithmetic and Geometric

problems) Progressions

 Coordinate Geometry  Mapping and Functions

 Quadratic Equations and their curves  Trigonometry

 Simultaneous equations  Polygons & Mensuration

 Matrix and Vectors  Similarity

The student is also strongly advised to revise other areas apart from the above listed and also to
solve numerical problems daily without using the calculator.

However, I will elucidate some of the areas that give tough time in the UEE exams, including:

1. INVERSE RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

Given a relation of G, if we interchange the order of the components in each ordered pair of
belonging to G, we obtain a new relation G-1 called the Inverse of G.

Example: G= [(2, 4), (-1, 3), (0, 4)], then by reversing the components in each ordered pair in G
we obtain G-1= [(4, 2), (3, -1), (4, 0)]

36 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
Therefore, Inverse theorem states that: A function of F has an inverse that is a function if and
only if there exists a one-to-one correspondence between domain and range values of F. in
this case; we can say that F is a one-to-one function and note that:

F [f-1 (y)] =y and f [f-1 (x)] =x

Example: Given f(x) = 3x + 2 find:

A f-1 (x) B. f -1 (5)

SOLUTION: since f is a linear and has slope 3, it is one-to-one; hence, f has an inverse that is a
function.

A f: y = 3x + 2 replace f(x) with y in f(x) = 3x + 2

f-1: x = 3x+2 interchange variables x and y to obtain f- -1

y = (x-2)/3 solve for y in terms of x.

Thus, f-1 (x) = (x-2)/3 replace y with f -1 (x)

B f -1 (5) = (5-2)/3 = 3/3 =1

2. LOGARITHMIC AND EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND EQUATIONS

a) PROPERTIES OF LOGARITHMIC FUNCTIONS

If x, M and N are positive real numbers, x is not equal to 1, and p is a real number, then:

i. Logx xU = U
ii. Logx MN= Logx M + Log x N
iii. Logx M/N= Logx M - Log x N
iv. Logx Mp = p logx M
v. Log1M = 0

37 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 b) CHANGE OF BASE FORMULA

Logx N = logx N/ logx b = log N/ log b = 1n N/1n b.

The secret: first choose the base which you want, then put that base to both N and x. In the end,
N should be the numerator and x (old base) should be the denominator

Example: change Log4 125 to base 2

SOLUTION:

Log4 125 = Log2 125 and Log2 4 introduce log2 to both 125 and 4

Log2 125/Log2 4 then divides Log2 125 by Log2 4

Log2 53/ Log2 22 simplify 125 and 4

3 Log2 5/ 2 Log2 2 make powers the subject

(3 Log2 5)/ 2 equal base

Therefore, Log4 125 to base 2 = (3 Log2 5)/ 2

3. COORDINATE GEOMETRY

a) SLOPE OF THE LINE AND SLOPE-INTERCEPT FORM

If a line passes through P1 (x1, y1), and P2 (x2, y2), then its slope is given by the formula:

M= (y2- y1)/( x2- x1), in which x1 is not equal to x2

Therefore, Gradient (M) = Vertical change (rise) divided by the horizontal change (run).
38 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
Graphically, it can be represented like this:

P2 (x2, y2 )

y2- y1 (Rise)

P1 (x1 ,y1) x2- x1 (Run)

Example: Find the slope of the line passing through (-3, -2) and (3, 4)

SOLUTION: let (x1 , y1) = (-3, -2) and (x2, y2) = (3, 4)

M= (y2- y1)/( x2- x1) = 4- (-2)/3-(-3) = 6/6 =1

In general, slope (gradient) of a line may be positive, negative, o or not defined. Each of
these cases is interpreted geometrically in the table below:

LINE SLOPE EXAMPLE

Rising Positive

Falling Negative

Horizontal 0

Vertical Not Defined

39 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
SLOPE-INTERCEPT FORM

Any equation of the form Ax + By=C, can always be written in the form of y= mx + c,

Where m is the slope of the line, x and y are coordinates and c is y intercept, while A and B are
coefficients of x and y.

So when you have been given an equation in the form of Ax + By=C, you have to write it in the
form of y= mx + c.

Example: 3x +9y=27, it will be

Y= -⅓ x + 3, therefore, m= -⅓ and c= 3

The clue is: Make y to be the subject of the formula then, the coefficient of x is the slope
(m).

b) EQUATIONS OF A LINE

Point-slope form

The equation of a line passing through (x1, y1) with slope m is given by y - y1 = m (x - x1)

Example : find an equation of a line with slope -⅓ that passes through (6, -3).

SOLUTION: given y - y1 = m (x - x1),

M= -⅓ and points (6, -3)

Then, y- (-3) = -⅓ (x - 6)

y + 3 = -⅓x + 2

Therefore, y= -⅓x – 1

40 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 c) VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL LINES

If a line is vertical, its slope (gradient) is not defined. Since points on a vertical line have
constant abscissas and arbitrary ordinate, the equation of vertical line is of the form

x + 0y =c or simply x=c.

Correspondingly, if a line is horizontal (slope o), then every point on the line has constant
ordinate and arbitrary abscissa. Thus, the equation of a horizontal line is of the form

ox + y = c or simply, y = c

d) PARALLEL AND PERPERNDICULAR LINES

i. It can be shown that if two non vertical lines are parallel, then they have the same slope.
And if two lines have the same slope, they are parallel.
ii. It can also be shown that if two non vertical lines are perpendicular, then their slopes are
the negative reciprocals of each other (that is, m2 = -1/m1 or equivalently, m1 m2 = -1).
And if the slopes of two lines are the negative reciprocals of each other, the lines are
perpendicular.

Symbolically:

Parallel and perpendicular lines

Given non vertical lines L1 and L2 with slopes m1 and m2, respectively, then

L1 // L2 if and only if m 1 = m1

L1 L2 if and only if m1 m2 =-1 or m2 = -1/m1

Note: // means “is parallel to” and means “is perpendicular to”

41 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
Example: Given the line x – 2y = 4, find the equation of a line that passes through (2, -3) and is:

A. Parallel to the given line B. Perpendicular to the given line

SOLUTION: x – 2y = 4 equals y = ½x – 2, where by the slope is ½ make y the subject

A. given y - y1 = m (x - x1), m= ½ and (x1 , y1) = (2, -3)

y - (-3) = ½ (x - 2)

y + 3= ½x – 1

y = ½x – 4

Therefore, the equation x – 2y = 4 is parallel to the equation y = ½x – 4

B. given y - y1 = m (x - x1), m= -2 and (x1 , y1) = (2, -3) the perpendicular linear rule

y – (-3) = -2 (x - 2)

y + 3= -2x + 4

y = -2x + 1

Therefore, the equation x – 2y = 4 is perpendicular to the equation y = -2x + 1

MISCELLANENOUS EXERCISE

1. If (200)(4000)= 8×10M, then M=

P. 2 Q. 3 R. 4 S. 5 T. 6

2. For all non-zero integers A and B, let A [B] =A2 /B2, if M [N] =9, which of the following
must be true?
I M> N II M2 –N2= 8N2 III │N│is a factor of │M│
A.II only B. I and II only C. II and III only D. I and III only E.I, II and III

42 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 3. If X and Y are negative numbers, which of the following is negative?

P. XY Q. (XY) 2 R. (X-Y) 2 S. X+Y T. X/Y

4. In the figure below, if N is a real number greater than 1, what is the value of X in terms of N?

√N

A. √n2-1 B. √N-1 C. √n+1 D. N-1 E. N+1

5. If the length of a rectangle is increased by 20% and the width is increased by 30%, then by
what percentage is the area of the rectangle increased?

P. 10 Q. 50 R. 56 S. 65 T. It cannot be deduced

6. A Jar contains only red, white and blue marbles. It contains twice as many red marbles as
white marbles and three times as many white marbles as blue marbles. If a marble is drawn at
random, what is the probability that it is white?

A. 1/10 B. 1/6 C. 3/10 D. 1/3 E. 3/5

7. If M and N are integers and 1 < M3=N2 < 100, what is the value of M+N?

P. 4 Q. 8 R. 12 S. 16 T. 32

8. An equilateral triangle with area 36√3 square centimeter is divided into two triangles by the
bisector of one of its angles. What is the sum of the perimeters of these two triangles?

A. 18 +6√3 B. 18 +9√3 C. 36 + 6√3 D. 36 +12√3 E. 36 + 18√3

9. If B books can be purchased for D dollars, how many books can be purchased for M dollars?
P. BM/D Q. BDM R. D/BM S. (B +M)/D T. (B-M)/D

43 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
10. If the function, F is defined by the equation F (x, y) =x 3 y3 and F (a, b) = 10. What is the
value of F (2a, 2b)?

A. 50 B. 100 C. 160 D. 320 E. 640

11. Linda travels to work from home in 60 minutes. If, on her way home she increases speed by
20% and she travels by the exact same route, how many minutes will it take her to get home?

P. 48 Q. 50 R. 54 S. 60 T. 64

12. If y=1 when x=8 and y=4 when x=2, which of the following could express the relationship
between x and y?

I y varies inversely as x II y varies directly as the square of x III y varies directly as x

A. None B. I C. I and II D. I and III E. I, II and III

13. A sequence of numbers begins with the numbers -1, 1, 1…and each term afterward is the
product of the preceding three terms. How many of the first 57 terms of this sequence are
negative?

P. 19 Q. 20 R. 28 S. 29 T. 30

14. In the figure below, the slope AC is the opposite of the slope of CB. What is the value of k?

C (8, 5)

A (1, -1) B (k, -1)

A.9 B. 10 C. 12 D. 14 E. 15

44 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
15. A sales person works 50 weeks each year and makes an average of 100 sales per week. If
each sale is worth an average of 1000, then what is the total value of sales made by the sales
person in a year?

P. 50, 000 Q. 100, 000 R.500, 000 D. 1, 000, 000 E. 5, 000,000

16. If F (x) = (3x-4)/2x and G (x) = 3-x, which of the following is NOT in the domain of F
(G(x))?

A. -3 B. -1 C. 0 D. 1 E. 3

17. The ratio of the areas of two squares is 4: 1. If the perimeter of the smaller square is 20, what
is the perimeter of the larger square?

P. 5 Q. 10 R. 20 S. 40 T. 80

18. If m is the product of all the integers from 1 to 10 inclusive and 2n is a factor of m, then what
is the greatest possible value of n?

A. 2 B. 4 C. 8 D. 16 E.32
19. The probability of a meter shower occurring in the skies above a particular island on any
given night is 2/25. Independently, the probability that any given night will be cloudless is ¼.
What is the probability that, on any given night, there will be a meter shower and it will be
cloudy?
P. 1/50 Q. 3/100 R. 17/200 S. 3/50 T. 4/25

20. In the figure below, an equilateral triangle is drawn with an altitude that is also the diameter
of the circle. If the perimeter of the triangle is 36, find the circumference of the circle.

A. 6√2 B. 6√3π C.12√2π D. 12√3π E. 36π

45 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
21. The average of x, 2, 6 and 10 is 8. Find the median of x, 2, 6 and 10.

P. 4 Q. 6 R. 7 S.8 T. 9

22. If (x-y) 2 =12 and xy=1, then x2 + y2=

A. 14 B. 13 C. 12 D. 11 E. 10

23. If p is prime number greater than 5 and q is an odd number greater than 5, which of the
following must be true?

I p + q is not a prime number II pq has at least three positive integer

III q/p is not an integer

P. I Q. I and II R. I and III S. II and III T. I, II and III

24. If 2a2 + 3a-5a2=9, then a-a2 =

A. 1 B. 3 C. 6 D. 9 E. 12

25. If the point (3, -7) is the center of a circle and the point (8, 5) is on the circle, what is the
circumference of the circle?

P.13π Q. 15π R. 18π S. 25π T. 26π

26. A fair six-sided die has faces bearing the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. When the die is thrown,
the numbers on the five visible faces are added. Find the probability that this sum is greater than
18.

A. 1/6 B. 1/3 C. ½ D. 2/3 E. 5/6

46 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
27. In the figure below, P is the center of the circle and PR is the radius as well as a side of the
rectangle. If the circle has an area of 4π and the rectangle has an area of 8, then what is the
perimeter of the shaded region?

P. π + 8 Q. π + 10 R. π +12 S. 2 π + 8 T. 2 π +12

28. A spider on a flat horizontal surface walks 10 inches east, then 6 inches south, then 4 inches
west, then 2 inches south. At this point, how many inches is the spider from its starting point?

A. 8 B. 10 C. 12 D. 16 E. 18

29. If each ¤ and Ω can be replaced by +, -, or ×, how many different values are there for the
expression 2 ¤ 2 Ω 2?

P. 4 Q. 5 R. 6 S. 7 T. 9

30. If 2x =10, then 22x =

P. 20 Q. 40 R. 80 S. 100 T. 200

31. If L1 is a horizontal line passing through (1, 8) and L2 is a vertical line passing through (-3,
4), then at what point do L1 and L2 intercept?

A. (-3, 8) B. (1, 4) C. (-1, 6) D. (-2, 12) E. (0, 0)

47 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
32. The first term in a sequence is x. Each subsequent term is 3 less than twice the preceding
term. Calculate the fifth term in the sequence.

P. 8x-21 Q. 8x-15 R. 16x-39 S. 16x-45 T. 32x-93

33. 5x =y and x is positive, which of the following equals 5y2 in terms of x?

A. 52x B. 52x+1 C. 252x D. 1252x E. 1252x+1

34. The area of square A is 10 times the area of square B. Find the ratio of the perimeter of
square A to the perimeter of square B.

P. √10: 4 Q. √10: 2 R. 4√10: 1 S. √10: 1 T. 40: 1

35. The figure below shows a rectangular box with its dimension. N is a vertex of the box and M
is the mid point of BC. What is the length of MN?

A 8 B

A. √63 B. √77 C. √98 D. √108 E √125

36. If the lengths of two of the sides of a triangle are 9 and 10, which of the following could be
the length of the third side?

I. 1 II. 11 III. 21

P. None Q. I R. II S. I and II T. I, II and III

48 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
37. If A (-1, 1) and B (3, -1) are the end points of one side of square ABCD. Calculate the area of
the square.

A. 12 B. 16 C. 20 D. 25 E. 36

38. Find the average of 330 + 360 and 390

P. 360 Q. 3177 R. 310 + 320 + 330

S. 327 + 357 + 387 T. 329 + 359 + 389

39. If a is increased by 25% and b is decreased by 25%, the resulting number will be equal. What
is the ratio of a to b?

A. 3: 5 B. 3: 4 C. 1: 1 D. 4: 3 E. 5: 3

40. A sequence of numbers begins 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3 and then repeats this pattern forever. Find the
sum of the 135th, 136th, and 137th numbers in the sequence.

P. 3 Q. 4 R. 5 S. 6 T. 7

41. What is the area of a circle whose radius is the diagonal of a square whose areas is 4?

A. 2π B. 2π√2 C. 4π D. 8π E. 16π

42. If a and b are the lengths of the legs of a right triangle whose hypotenuse is 10 and whose
area is 20, calculate the value of (a + b)2 .

P. 100 Q. 120 R. 140 S. 180 T. 200

43. Calculate the slope of the line that passes through (a, b) and (1/a, b)

A. 0 B. 1/b C. (1-a2)/a D. (a2-1)/a E. undefined

44. A jar has 5 marbles, 1 of each of the colors red, white, blue, green and yellow. If 4 marbles
are removed from the jar, find the probability that the yellow one was removed.

49 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
P. 1/20 Q. 1/5 R. ¼ S. 4/5 T. 5/4

45. If x ¤ y represents the number of integers greater than x and less than y, calculate the value
of – π ¤ √2.

A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5 E. 6

46. If p pencils cost c cents, how many can be bought for d dollars?

P. cdp Q. 100 cdp R. dp/100c S. 100cd/p T. 100

47. Let A be the set of primes less than 6 and B be the set of positive odd numbers less than 6.
How many different sums of the form a + b are possible, if a is in A and b is in B?

A. 6 B. 7 C. 8 D. 9 E. 10

48. If A is the point (-4, 1) and B is the point (2, 1), Calculate the area of the circle which has AB
as a diameter.

P. 3π Q. 6π R. 9π S. 12π T. 36π

49. In writing all the integers from1 to 300, how many times the digit 1 used?

A. 60 B. 120 C. 150 D. 160 E. 180

50. Calculate the length of arc RS of the circle having centre o below

A. 8 B. 20 C. 8π D. 20π E. 40π

50 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
ANSWERS TO ALL QUESTIONS IN CHAPTER 2

1.S 2. C 3. S 4. B 5. R 6. C

7.R 8.D 9. P 10. D 11.Q 12. B 13.S

14. E 15. E 16. E 17. S 18. C 19 .S 20. B

21. S 22. A 23. P 24. B 25. T 26. B

27. P 28. B 29. P 30. S 31. A 32.S 33. B

34. S 35. C 36. R 37. C 38. T 39. A

40. R 41. D 42. S 43. A 44. S 45. D 46. T

47. B 48. R 49. D 50. E

51 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 CHAPTER 3

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication Skills paper of the UEE assumes M.S.C.E English knowledge. It also assumes additional
communication skills that are expected to be gained from general usage of English as a language. Not
only that, Communication Skills paper goes beyond general rules and laws of English as a language. It
requires you as a candidate to reason logically, to combine your word power (vocabulary) with logic. That
is why it is sometimes called Verbal Reasoning. Some of the areas of examination which you need to
master are as follows:

 Cloze Passage  Equivalence in meaning (sentences)

 Comprehension Passages  Identify errors in sentences”

 Common Errors in English  Choose the most grammatically correct

sentence”
 Paragraph Arrangement (coherence)
 Common Spelling Errors
 Idiomatic/figurative Expressions
 Phrasal verbs, Cases of pronouns,
 Structural Questions-Grammar Prepositions, Subject & Verb
Agreement, Synonyms, Antonyms, Use
 Order of Adjectives
of adverbs, Question tags, and many
 Vocabulary more.

1. SENTENCE COMPLETION

Sentence completion questions account for some of the marks for the communication skills section of
UEE. Each question contains one or two blanks, and you have to find the best answer choice to make the
sentence make complete sense. Be sure to study the sentence carefully so that you notice all the clues
built into the sentence. Using the tips below, you can see how you can use logic to narrow the list of
possible answers and help eliminate your guesswork.
1. Answer the question before looking at the choices. Imagine reading this sentence: Frustrated
by the failure of his first experiment the chemists confidence was __________.
Before even reading your options, take a look at the rest of the sentence. We know the first
experiment was a failure, and the chemist is frustrated, so we can automatically eliminate any
positive words from out list of answers.
2). Be alert to transitional words. Transitional words tell you what is coming up. They indicate that
the author is now going to draw a contrast with something stated previously, or support something
stated previously.

52 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 i). Contrast Indicators - To contrast two things is to point out how they differ. In this type of sentence
completion problem, we look for a word that has the opposite meaning (antonym) of some key word
or phrase in the sentence. Common contrast indicator words include But, Yet, Despite, Although,
However, Nevertheless.

Example: Although most indigenous people were thought to be hostile, many settlers report to have a
___________ relationship with the tribe. Because the sentence starts with although, we know to
look for a word meaning the opposite of hostile. .
ii). Support Indicators - Supporting words support or further explain what has already been said.
These words often introduce synonyms for words elsewhere in the sentence. These words include
And, Also, Furthermore, Likewise, In Addition, For.

iii). Cause and Effect Indicators - These words indicate that one thing causes another to occur.
Examples: Because, For, Thus, Hence, Therefore, If , Then .

Example: Because the House has the votes to override a presidential veto, the President has no
choice but to ..........

(A) object (B) abdicate (C) abstain (D) capitulate (E) compromise

Since the House has the votes to pass the bill or motion, the President would be wise to compromise
and make the best of the situation. The answer is (E).

3). Apposition - This rather advanced grammatical structure is very common on the UEE.
Words or phrases in apposition are placed next to each other, and the second word or phrase defines,
clarifies, or gives evidence to the first word or phrase.
The second word or phrase will be set off from the first by a comma, semicolon, hyphen, or
parentheses.

Note: If a comma is not followed by a linking word--such as and, for, yet--then the following phrase
is probably appositional.

Example: His novels are ___________, using direct coupling of a simple subject and verb where
many others would fall to verbosity. Whatever the missing word is, we know it means to be direct,
clear, and succinct.

4). Break the given word options and identify meanings of their roots, suffixes or prefixes. You
do this if you do not know the meanings of the words but you know the meaning of the root, suffix or
prefix of the unknown word. This is called vocabulary building and you will meet it later.
EXERCISE 1A: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES

53 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 1. Because they had served three years in prison, the thieves felt they had ____ their crime. (A) solved
(B) expiated (C) pardoned (D) forgotten (E) repented

2. Crestfallen by having done poorly on the UEE, Susan began to question her abilities. Her self-
confidence was..........
(A) appeased (B) destroyed (C) placated (D) elevated (E) sustained

3. Although she did not take any formal biology classes in school, her discovery _______ the notion
that she was unfamiliar with the way living organisms behaved.
(A) undermined (B) substantiated (C)underscored (D)documented (E)disseminated

4. Legislation has been introduced in some states that requires plastic bags be made of
biodegradable material which gradually _______ over a period of time when exposed to sunlight.
(A) decomposes (B) ossifies (C) proliferates (D) secretes (E) subsides

5. Because the House has the votes to override a presidential veto, the President has no choice but
to..........
(A) object (B) abdicate (C) abstain (D) capitulate (E) compromise

6. Her______ instinct led her to fund the construction of a school and a home for the orphans.
(A) far ranging (B) humanitarian (C) humble (D) womanish (E) eclectic

7. The quantum theory was initially regarded as absurd, unnatural and ____ with common sense.
(A). consanguineous (B).discernible (C).incompatible (D).decipherable (E). consistent .
8. The success of the business venture ____ his expectations; he never thought that the firm would
prosper.
(A) confirmed (B) belied (C) nullified (D) fulfilled (E) ratified

EXERCISE 1B: TWO BLANKS

Instructions: Choose the correct pair of words to complete the sentence

1. Today Wegener's theory is ____; however, he died an outsider treated with ____ by the
scientific establishment.
(A) unsupported/approval (B) dismissed/contempt (C) accepted/approbation
(D) unchallenged/disdain (E) unrivalled/reverence
2.The pentagon received a (n) ______ call giving them the whereabouts of Bin Laden, but the
caller would not give out his name for fear of _________.
(A) private, impunity (B) professional, discretion (C) anonymous, reprisal
(D) adamant, terrorism (E) strange/prudence

54 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
3. Experienced employers recognize that business students who can ____ different points of view are
ultimately more effective as managers than are the brilliant and original students who ____
dogmatically to their own formulations.

(A) discredit/revert (B) assimilate/adhere (C) impose/refer

(D) disregard/incline. (E) advocate/relate

4. If there is nothing to absorb the energy of sound waves, they travel on____, but their intensity ___as
they travel further from their source.
(A) erratically/mitigates (B) eternally/alleviates (C) forever/increases

(D) steadily/stabilizes (E) indefinitely/diminishes

5.Dr. Lee needs to___his arguments with more experimental data; as it stands, thesis is ___
(A) supported/profound (B) bolster/acceptable (C) refine/satisfactory

(D) buttress/inadequate (E) define/succinct

6.Iodine deficiency is ____ in these remote mountain regions; however, it is no longer ____ in the .
lowlands where iodized salt is available.

(A). recorded/unusual (B). rare/sporadic (C). eradicated/common

(D). endemic/prevalent (E). diagnosed/controlled

7. One ___the new scheme is that it might actually ___just those applicants that it was intended to
encourage.

(A) highlight of\stimulate (B) feature of\attract (C) problem with\induce

(D) attraction of\intimidate (E) drawback of\daunt

8. Not wishing to appear, ____the junior member of the research group refrained from ____ any criticism
of the senior members' plan for dividing up responsibility for the entire project. .
(A) reluctant/evaluating (B) inquisitive/offering (C) presumptuous/venturing

(D) censorious.. undercutting (E) moralistic.. observing

9. Sue's____ reviews of contemporary fiction, which often find great merit in otherwise ____ literary
gems, must make us respect his critical judgment in addition to his well-known literary talent.
.

(A) thorough/completed (B) petulant/unpopular (C) insightful/unappreciated .

(D) enthusiastic/acclaimed (E) harsh/undeserving

55 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 2. VOCABULARY BUILDING

By doing some brainstorming, you can substantially boost your vocabulary base. If you have limited time
to prep for UEE or have few weeks before the test, you can try to memorize a list of roosts. On the test
day, you can guess by those roots. The roots will help you answer sentence completion questions, word
meanings, analogies antonyms and synonyms just to mention a few.

ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE

1 act, ag, ig act, drive interact, counteract, agitate, activate

2 Anim breath, mind animate, animosity, equanimity, pusillanimous

3 cad, cas, cid Fall cascade, coincidence, casualty

4 cap, cep receive, take capacious, captivate, perceptible

5 cede, cess go, yield antecede, cession, intercede, precede

6 cid, cis cut, kill concise, excise, scission, suicide

7 Cit excite, call recital, solicit, solicitous

8 claim, clam cry out acclaim, clamorous, proclaim, disclaim

9 clud, clus Close conclude, occlude, reclusive, secluded

10 cor, cord, cour hart, courage concordant, discourage, discord

11 corp, corpor Body corporeal, corpulent, incorporate

12 cours, cur, curs Run concourse, precursor, excursion, incursion

13 Cred Believe accredit, creditable, miscreant, credulous

14 dic, dict Say abdicate, benediction, malediction, jurisdiction

15 duc, duct Lead abduct, aqueduct, seduce, subdue

16 Equ Equal adequate, equilibrium, equivocal, equipoise

fac, fact, fair, feat, fect, affair, affectation, artifact, beneficiary, factor,
17 do, make
fic, fict infectious, magnificent

56 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 18 Fer carry, bear circumference, fertile, transfer

19 Flu Flow affluence, influential, superfluous

20 grad, gress go, step aggressive, ingredient, retrogressive

21 join, joint, junct join, connect adjunct, conjuncture, subjoin

22 locu, log, loqu Speak allocution, circumlocution, grandiloquent

23 luc, lumin, lustr light, brightness elucidate, luminous, translucent

24 magn, maj, max Great magnanimous, majesty, magnitude

25 main, man Hand emancipate, manacle, manuscript

26 mini, minu Small miniature, diminutive, diminish

27 mob, mom, mot, mov Move commotion, momentous, immobile

28 pass, path feel, suffer antipathetic, apathetic, sympathetic

29 Ped Foot pedestrian, impediment, expeditious

30 pel, puls drive, push compulsory, impulsive, repulsive

31 vers, vert Turn divert, inverse, controversy

32 vig, vit, viv Life invigorate, vitalize, vivid

33 voc, vok voice, call advocate, irrevocable, vociferate

34 volu, volv Roll intervolve, voluminous, revolt

PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE

1 ab, abs away, from abdicate, abjure, abscond, abominate

2 Ad to, toward adulterate, adhere, adjourn

3 Bene Good beneficial, benevolent, benignant

4 Cata down, complete cataract, cataclysm, catastrophe

5 Circum Around circumference, circumlocution, circumstantial

57 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 coalesce, coherent, coincide, compassion,
6 co, com, con with, together
consensus

contradict, counterattack, countermand,

7 contra, contro, counter Against
controversy, counterpart, counterfeit

8 De down, complete debase, depress, deduct

9 de, di, dis away, off, not decipher, desperate, detain, decode

through, between, diacritic, diagonal, diaphanous, diatribe,

10 Dia
across diagram

ebullient, eccentric, effectuate, emissary,

11 e, ec, ex, extra Out
exacerbate, exaggerate, explicable

12 em, en, im, in in, upon embellish, immanent, environment

13 Fore Before aforementioned, foredoom, forebear

interaction, interrogate, intermission,

14 Inter between, among
intermingle

15 Mal Bad malcontent, malevolent, malnutrition

16 mon, mono One monarch, monotonous, monolog

17 Para beside, beyond paradox, paraphrase, paragon

18 Per through, thoroughly percolate, perspicuous, pertinacious

19 Post after, behind postpone, postscript, posterity

20 Pre Before precede, prelude, presage

21 Re back, again rebound, rehabilitate, rehearse

22 Se away, separate secede, segregate, sever

23 sub, sus Under subdivide, suffocate, subsequent

24 super, sur over, above superabundant, surfeit, surplus

25 sym, syn with, together sympathy, synthesis, syndicate

across, through,
26 Trans transcend, translucent, transitory
over

58 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 27 Uni One unanimous, unison, uniform

SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE

1 Ain People villain, chaplain

2 Aire People millionaire, billionaire

3 an, ian, ese People German, barbarian, Chinese

4 -ary People secretary, adversary

5 Ee People employee, nominee , referee

6 Eer People engineer, pioneer, volunteer

7 Ess People actress, empress, hostess

8 -ician People electrician, musician, physician

9 Ist People typist, antagonist, dogmatist

10 Cle Small miracle, particle, speckle

11 Cule Small minuscule, molecule, granules

12 El Small model, pebble

13 En Small kitten, maiden

14 Et Small cabinet, islet

15 Let Small leaflet, pamphlet, hamlet

16 Proof Anti waterproof, weatherproof, foolproof

17 Ward Direction backward, awkward, wayward

EXERCISE 2A

Use the above table where necessary to answer the below 13 questions

SENTENCE COMPLETION

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the following sentences

1. Namasupuni is one of the ________ which jeopardize life of fish.

(A) terrestrials (B) hydrophytes(C) corals (D) algae (E) flowers

59 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 2. The tutors should have no ______over student’s absenteeism. That should be left to parents and
guardians.
(A) jurisdiction (B) desire (C) affection (D) suggestion (E) idea

3. To avoid critics from the head of department, the Dean of students gave an ambiguous _______
(A) monologue (B) dialogue (C) epilogue (D) conversation (E) recap

4. This offer of a high salary, a free house and a free car is very_______, one cannot resist it.
(A) barmy (B) enunciatively (C) greedy (D) seductive (E) misleading

5. Your lies are so _________ that even a novice dealer can read them.
(A) antecede (B) influential (C) dishonesty (D) unclear (E) perceptible

6. Water from Kapichira dam used to_______ with sky-scraping pressure some years back that
electricity blackout was out of this world to us.
(A) move (B) cascade (C) disclaim (D) influence (E) travel

7. The whole congregation prepared to sing the song in _________

(A) uniform (B) unisom (C) unison (D) universe (E) unholy

8. Various _______ by the police officers were brought to light by the inquiry.
(A) practices (B) malpractices (C) acts (D) operations (E) secrets

WORD RELATIONSHIPS: WHICH WORD IS NOT RELATED TO THE REST IN EACH SET

9. (A) concordant (B) agree (C) concert (D) believe (E) correspond

10. (A) glide (B) excise (C) delete (D) expunge (E) slice

11. (A) recital (B) narration (C) tell (D) memorize (E) narrate

12. (A) corporal (B) physical (C) corporeal (D) bodily (E) mental

13. (A) occlude (B) open (C) initiate (D) instigate (E) launch

1. COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH

Common errors made in English are a target for your confusion hence the need to avoid
them as much as possible by first hand knowledge and practice. The following list might
be the target areas; spellings, subject-verb agreement, word meanings, order of
adjectives, tenses, question tags, reported speech, conditional sentences, phrasal verbs,
ambiguity, e.t.c.

60 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
EXERCISE 3A

INSTRUCTIONS: each question has some underlined words or phrases. Identify one underlined
words or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.

1. Legumes, plants belonging to the pea family, forms the second largest family of flowering
plants with between 14,000and 17, 000 species.

(A) belonging to (B) forms the (C) with between (D) and (E) and 17000 species

2. There were alot of people at the playing ground who just came to see Drogba, the legendary
Chelsea striker.
(A) alot (B) playing (C) who (D) Drogba (E) legendary

3. My aunt has advised me not to sell my new big jacket because her husband wants to see it.
(A) has (B) not to sell (C) new big (D) her husband (E) wants

4. Twenty of the amino acids save as building blocks of proteins.

(A) twenty of (B) the (C) save (D) as (E) blocks

5. I hope we shall meet again next time. May the good God grant you travelling mercies.
. (A) I hope we shall (B) next time (C) May (D) grant you (E) mercies

6. Sarah vehemently agrees with the new quota system of selecting students into the university.
(A) vehemently (B) with (C) new quota system (D) of selecting (E) into

7. After a long trial which lasted over two years, the judge convicted the thief to one year
imprisonment with hard labour.
(A) trial (B) lasted (C) convicted (D) to (E) imprisonment

8. After writing communication skills, you will have a five minute break. Then you will write a
forty questions paper before the final one.
(A) After (B) communication skills (C) will have (D) five minute
(E) forty questions

In some cases, you can be shown the error and be asked to choose its correction.

2. COMMONLY USED PHRASAL VERBS 1

Prepositions or adverbs are placed after certain verbs to obtain a variety of meanings

EXAMPLES somebody up: support morally or verbally

Back against: be opposed
Account for: explain satisfactorily Be in for: about to encounter
Answer back: answer a reproof rudely Be up: be out of bed
Ask someone in: invite into a house Be up to: strong enough to perform an action
Back away: step back Break in/into: enter by force
Back out: withdraw from joint action/ discontinue or Break in: train him for use
refuse provision of promised help Back Break off: detach/ terminate

61 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 Break out: beginning of something evil 1. Am worried, the scheme may not come off. I
Break up: terminate/disintegrate should have inquired before embarking on it.
Bring somebody around: persuade to agree to (a) happen (b) succeed (c) fail (d) appear (e) die
previously opposed idea/ bring in house
Bring up: educate children/mention 2. Sarah started the tutorials a bit late but she caught
Call at: short visit up with the rest.
Call for: visit to collect (a) finished (b) passed (c) studied (d) understood
Call for: demand (e) equaled
Call off: cancel before starting
Carry on (with): continue 3. It is too late to draw back now; the plans are all
Catch up (with): level made.
Clear away: remove articles for space/disperse (a) pull out (b) amend (c) surrender (d) push
Clear out: empty (e) put in
Clear up: make tidy and clean/become clear after rain
4. Am too tired to carry on alone, somebody should
or clouds/solve
give me a hand.
Close in: come nearer
(a) lift (b) work (c) continue (d) start (e) finish
Come across/upon: find by chance
Come along/on: accompany 5. The convicted treasure is failing to account for
Come away/off: detach the missing money. (a) calculate (b) compute (c)
Come off: succeed/happen as arranged define (d) explain (e) remember
Come around: accept previously opposed
suggestion/come to my house Complete the following sentences
Come around/to: recover consciousness
Crop up: appear unexpectedly 6. At first he refused her to drive but he_____ to it.
Cut someone off: form barrier to safety (a) came around (b) came in (c) came against
Be cut off: isolated (d) came about (e) came along
Die away: fainting till inaudible
Die down: calming till disappearing 7. The sky looks cloudy now but it will _____soon.
Die out: extinction (a) clear in (b) clear out (c) clear on (d) clear up
Do away with: abolish (e) clear up to
Do up: redecorate
Draw back: retire/recoil 8. When I picked up the tea pot the handle____ in
Draw up: write a plan/stop (of a vehicle) my hand. (a) came out (b) come off (c) came
Drop in: short unannounced visit away (d) came about (e) came
Enter for: enter for competition around
Fade away: faint (of sound)
9. The thieves waited till the sound of the police
Fall back: withdraw
officer’s footsteps_____
Fall in with: accept to cooperate
(a) died away (b) died out (c) died down (d)
EXERCISE 4A died up (e) died off
Choose one word or phrase which closely means the
same as the underlined

3. COHERENCE

This is the smooth flow of ideas in writing. In coherence, the reader should clearly move from old
information to new information. Connections between old information and new information should be
clear. Sentences should refer back to the previously introduced information and set up reader’s
expectations for new information to come.

62 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
STRUCTURE OF COHERENT QUESTIONS

You are given five sentences from i through v. These sentences are mixed up i.e. not coherent and your
job is to choose an answer choice from the options given which arranges those sentences into a coherent
paragraph.

EXAMPLE

Choose the ordering of the numbered sentences that produces a coherent paragraph.
i This exposes the stigma and the anthers which brush against the dorsal surface of the insect.
ii The insect will force its way in between the two wing petals, which then move apart.
iii When a heavy insect such as a bee visits a flower, it lands on the standard petal.
iv The insect may have visited another flower and collected some pollen grains on its back which may
adhere to the sticky stigma.
v As the bee moves in further to collect the nectar, its back forces the keel petal upwards.
(a) iii, i, ii, iv, v. (b) iii, ii, v, i, iv. (c) iii, v, ii, i, iv. (d) iii, iv, v, ii, i (e) iv, iii, v, iv, i.

Before answering know the following:

 Make sure you identify the opening statement. The opening statement may be a definition,
background, a question or sometimes just a general statement. Sentences with words like also,
again, in other words etc. show continuation and therefore cannot be opening statements.
Eliminate all the answer choices which do not have the opening statement in place. In the above
example, the opening statement is iii.

 Struggle to find the closing statement. Closing sentences may be a summary, conclusion,
judgment, or contain other related information (necessary or not very necessary) etc. In the above
example, the closing sentence is iv.

 Use articles to identify which sentence comes first. The articles ‘a’ shows that a certain thing is
just being introduced (like the opening sentence in the example above which contains phrases like
a heavy insect etc.) while the article ‘the’ shows that that thing has already been introduced and
so that statement is supporting previous sentence. This does not mean that ‘the’ article cannot be
in the opening sentence. Some nouns always use ‘the’ article.

 Attempt to find two sentences which follow one another. When that is done, and if the opening
statement is known, you can go to the options to eliminate all the answer choices where the two
does not follow each other. In the above example, ii and v follow each other, ii comes first.
Therefore, the correct option is (b).

 Read the sentences in the chosen order to see if the coherent paragraph has been produced.

EXERCISE 5A

63 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
In the next questions, choose the ordering of the numbered sentences that produces a coherent
paragraph.

1. i. the other 5 gases are very rare, and in fact, make up less than 1% of the total atmosphere.
ii. Electric light bulbs usually contain argon.
iii. About four-fifth of the atmosphere consists of nitrogen, while the remaining part is mostly
oxygen.
iv. Although these gases are rare, at least two of them have common uses in the field of electrical
lightening.
v. Neone is also useful because it emits light when electric current passes through it.
(a). ii, i, v, iii, iv. (b). iii, i, iv, ii, v. (c). ii, v, iv, i, iii. (d). iii, iv, i, v, ii. (e). iii, ii, v, iv, i.

2. i. Authors can create mood in several ways, but typically, they do so through the details of
setting. ii.
Usually, engaging and dramatic plot events make a story most interesting.
iii. Mood is the general feeling of a literary work.
iv. But as you read to find out what will happen next in the plot, your interest can be heightened if
you visualize the setting and feel the mood or atmosphere that the author creates.
v. Some works may have a mood of dread and terror, while others may have one of peace and
contentment.
(a). iii, i, v, iv, ii. (b). iii, v, i, iv, ii.(c). iii, i, v, ii, iv.(d). iii, v, i, ii, iv.(e). i, ii, iii, v, iv.

3. i In action adventure movies, the characters usually have to overcome great obstacles.
ii. How did you feel?
iii. In real life, you also may have had to face the unknown perhaps, for example, in changing
schools or moving to a new place.
iv. . Journeying into the unknown can be exciting.
v. How did you meet the challenge?
(a). v, ii, iv, i, iii (b). iv, iii, i, v, ii. (c). iv, iii, i, ii, v. (d). iv, i, iii, ii, v. (e). iv, i, iii, v, ii.

4. i. To understand these changes, you would have to look carefully at the substances that make up
your body. ii.
Especially in the last few years, you may have noticed many wondrous changes taking place in
your body
iii. How did all these changes happened?
iv. In other words, you would have to study Chemistry.
v. Think about how you have changed since you were born.
(a). v, ii, iii, i, iv (b). v, iii, ii, i, iv. (c). v, i, ii, iii, iv (d). v, iv, ii, iii, i. (e). i, iii, v, ii, iv.

5. i. When choosing a college, first consider what type of career or academic program interests you.
ii. Also decide what gepgraphic location and student-body size would make you most
confortable.
iii. Other things to consider are financial constraints, availability of housing and ease with which
you can travel back and forth to school.
iv. Once you have a list of potential colleges, compare the courses they offer, their job placement
64 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 records and their extracurricular activities.
v. In addition to talking with counselors, you might want to read some college guides to learn
about specific institutions.
(a). i, v, iv, iii, ii (b). i, iv, ii, iii, v. (c). i, ii, iii, iv, v (d). i, ii, iv, iii, v (e). v, i, ii, iv, iii.

4. WORD MEANINGS
This is another very important section in Communication Skills paper of the UEE. You
can use word roots, prefixes and suffixes to help you spot the meaning of the underlined
word or words in the options. But the best way is to make sense out of the whole sentence
then identify the meaning of the underlined word or options. Literal meaning can
sometimes mislead!!!

EXERCISE 6A: Choose one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the original sentence

1. A new kind of camera incorporates a disc-tape firm to take fixed –focused photographs.
(A). rotates (B). monitors (C). generates (D). removes (E). includes

2. The smallest blood vessels in the body are not visible to the naked eye.
(A). unaided (B). untrained (C). undressed (D). uncovered (E). nude

3. Most of the world’s languages can be subdivided into vernaculars that are associated with
individual ethnic groups.
(A). conventions (B). dialects (C). communities (D). delineations (E). slangs

4. Jewelry usually contains 14 to 18 carats of gold alloy and is rarely fashioned of pure gold.
(A) crystallized (B) crafted (C) adulterated (D) refined (E) distilled

5. A labyrinth is a confusing and seemingly endless array of passages.

(A) unlikely (B) apparently (C) continuously (D) deliberately (E) likely

6. Royal families of Europe in the nineteenth century maintained marriages with other royal
families.
(A) regulated (B) created (C) sustained (D) distributed (E) dissolved

7. The camel, an animal of practical use to the desert people of Africa and Asia, has a highly
unpredictable nature.
(A) erratic (B) responsible (C) economical (D) pleasurable (E) reliable

65 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 5. COMMONLY USED PHRESAL VERBS 2
Prepositions or adverbs are placed after certain verbs to obtain a variety of meanings

Examples (p). buy (q). sell (r). not to buy

(s). not to sell (t). accept
Fall out: quarrel/ troops leave the line
Fall through: fail to materialize plan 3. Many people look on education as a back bone of
Fill up to: feel strong enough to do something a country’s economic development.
Fix up: arrange (a). doubt (b). ignore
Get about: circulate (c). face (d). confuse (e). view
Get off: be acquit/ set free
Get over: recover 4. He used to hate Mathematics as a young school
Get it over: complete boy but he grew out of that later on.
Get through: finish successfully (p). persisted (q). realised
Give in: cease to resist (r). changed (s). developed (t). grew
Give out: announce verbally/became exhausted
Give up: abandon an attempt/surrender 5. He is just getting over a bad heart attack.
Go back on: break/withdraw a promise (a). complete (b). nurse (c). treat
Go for: attack (d). recover (e). consider
Go into: investigate
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES
Go over: examine
Go through: examine carefully/suffer 6. He….the entrance all day, hoping for a chance to
Grow out of: abandon on becoming older speak to the boss.
Hand down: pass in tradition, info, possession, e.t.c. (a). hang about (b). hung around (c). hung on
Hang about/around: loiter or wait near (d). hung forward (e). hung with
Hang back: unwillingless
Hang on to: retain, keep in one’s possession 7. At first, he wouldn’t let her drive but she was so
Jump at: accept with enthusiasm persuasive that eventually he…..
Keep somebody back: restrain, hinder (p). gave back (q). gave in (r). gave up
Keep down: control (s). Gave out (t). gave on
Keep out: refrain from entering/ stay out
Lead up to: prepare the way for/introduce 8. There must be a slight mistake somewhere, you
Let down: lower/disappoint should…..the records and see where it is.
Let someone off: refrain from punishing (a). go over (b). go through
Leave up to: maintain a certain standard, moral, e.t.c. (c). go through with (d). go back with
Live down…: live in a way that people will forget…. (e). go with
Look in: short visit
Look on: consider/being a spectator/face 9. Remember to turn off the lights when leaving. I
Look out: beware am trying to …..expenses.
(p). keep down (q). keep off (r). keep back
EXERCISE 7A (s). keep out (t). keep forward
Choose one word or phrase which closely means the
same as the underlined 10. Born again Christians should take Jesus as their
model and try to …..to Him.
1. The accused was tried but got off because there (a). live in (b). live on (c). live
was no sufficient evidence against him. down (d). live up (e). live
(a). won (b). released (c). convicted
(d). condemned (e). fated 11. To look in is the same as…..
(p). call at (q). look forward (r). watch
2. Tsala was advised to hang on to her old shoe out (s). see through (t). read in
because it would help her during the rainy
season. 12. We've run ......... sugar. Could you please buy
some more?

66 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 (a) down on (b) down of (c) away from (p) turn up/show off (q) turn up/ show up
(d) on with (e) out of (r) turn down/show up (s) turn down/dhow off
(t) turn in/show in
13. The ________ was so low yesterday; only twelve
people managed to _________

6. READING COMPREHENSION

Reading comprehension questions measure your ability to read with understanding, insight and discrimination.
This type of question explores your ability to analyze a written passage from several perspectives. These include
your ability to recognize both explicitly stated elements in the passage and assumptions underlying statements or
arguments in the passage as well as the implications of those statements or arguments.

You will find five types of reading comprehension questions to answer:

1. the main point of the passage

2. information explicitly stated in the passage
3. information or ideas implied or suggested by the author
4. possible applications of the author's ideas to other situations, including the identification of
situations or processes analogous to those described in the passage
5. the author's logic, reasoning, or persuasive techniques
Here are some approaches that may help you in answering reading comprehension questions.

 Since reading passages are drawn from many different disciplines and sources, you may not be
familiar with the material in every passage. Do not be discouraged if you encounter unfamiliar
material. Questions are to be answered on the basis of the information provided in the passage, and
you are not expected to rely on outside knowledge of a particular topic.
 You should analyze each passage carefully before answering the accompanying questions. As with
any kind of close and thoughtful reading, look for clues that will help you understand less explicit
aspects of the passage. Try to separate main ideas from supporting ideas or evidence. Try also to
separate the author's own ideas or attitudes from information he or she is presenting.
 Note transitions from one idea to the next, and examine the relationships among the different ideas
or parts of the passage. For example, are they contrasting? Are they complementary? Consider the
points the author makes, the conclusions drawn, and how and why those points are made or
conclusions are drawn.
 Read each question carefully and be certain that you understand exactly what is being asked.
 Always read all the answer choices before selecting the best answer.
 The best answer is the one that most accurately and most completely answers the questions being
posed. Be careful not to pick an answer choice simply because it is a true statement. Be careful

67 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 also not to be misled by answer choices that are only partially true or only partially satisfy the
problem posed in the question.
 Answer the questions on the basis of the information provided in the passage. Do not rely on
outside knowledge. Your own views or opinions may sometimes conflict with the views expressed
or the information provided in the passage. Be sure that you work within the context of the
passage. You should not expect to agree with everything you encounter in reading passages.

EXERCISE 8A: Read the following passage and then answer questions that follow
WARNING: If you are driving through Tanzania, possibly on a business trip and traffic police stops you and
says ‘soda brother’, don’t produce the white powdery stuff we use in cooking okra here at home. Give the
bugger an equivalent of between MK200 and MK500 in his or her Tanzanian Shillings. The fellow will leave
you alone. It does not matter if you are in the wrong or not, just give the guy/guyess his or her soda. In fact
the soda he or she talks about is our equivalent of a bit of change for a soft drink or bread.

According to some Malawian Raw Stuffers who criss-cross the northern neighboring territory, the ‘soda’
quantum gets larger if you either own the vehicle or when you have committed an offence. The situation
becomes worse if you pose that you are knowledgeable about road traffic regulations; then you will eat real
stones because the cops stick on you like first grade glue until you pay up! (Adapted from Weekend Nation)

Questions:

1. According to the passage, ‘soda’ refers to

(a) white powdery stuff used in cooking okra (b) change for soft drink or bread
(c) Tanzanian Shilling (d) Malawian Kwacha (e) money

2. Which of the following is the best title for the passage

(p) WARNING (q) Soda (r) Driving through Tanzania (s) Road traffic corruption
(t) Traffic police officers

3. According to the passage, home refers to (a) Malawi (b) Tanzania (c) Northern neighbouring
territory (d) Africa (e) where one lives

4. Why does the soda quantum situation gets worse to those who pose that they are knowledgeable about
road traffic regulations?
(p) they are more reluctant to pay (q) they are rich (r) cops stick on them (s) they are
difficult to cheat (t) they are more knowledgeable

5. According to the passage, in the wrong means

(a) agreeing with the cops (b) disagreeing with the cops (c) offending (d) ignorance (e) pay
more soda

68 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 6. The following pairs of words refer to traffic police officers as used in the passage except
(p) buggers, cops, he (q) fellow, guyess, her (r) guys, brother, him (s) she, guys, guyess (t)
he, she, cops

9A. NALOGY TYPE 1

Terms you'll need to know:

 Analogy
 Antonym
 Homonym
 Synonym
ANALOGY Is a
comparison of two things that seem unrelated, but are actually related or similar to each other in some respect.
The UEE Analogies section is designed to test your ability to recognize these relationships between words and
successfully identify parallel relationships. This chapter will help you prepare for the UEE Analogies section.
Concepts you'll need to master:
 Establishing a clear relationship between words
 Setting up a general relationship sentence
 Identifying and using relationship types
 Eliminating obviously incorrect answers

Answering UEE Analogies Questions

Questions in this section will include a pair of words in all capital letters (illustrator), followed by five lettered
pairs of words. You will be required to identify the answer choice that expresses a relationship most similar to
that expressed in the original pair.

EXAMPLE
APPRENTICE : PLUMBER ::
A. player : coach B. child : parent C. student : teacher D. author : publisher E. intern : doctor
The first step is to establish the relationship between the words in the original pair. An "apprentice" is typically
someone who studies or trains to become a "plumber". Likewise, an "intern" trains to become a "doctor," so
answer choice E is correct.

69 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS

A. PRIMARY RELATIONSHIP

1 : 2 :::: 3 : 4

The first word is related to the second word in the same way as the third word is related to the fourth word. The
arrow gives the direction of the relationship.

EXAMPLE

Glove : Hand ::: Shoe : Foot

The relationship is that glove is the protective covering for the hand just like the shoe is the protective covering
for the foot. ‘Glove : Hand’ is the illustrator and ‘Shoe : Foot’ is a kind of pair of words we should look for in the
options.

SECONDARY RELATIONSHIP

The first word and the third word has the same relationship to each other as the second and the fourth words.

EXAMPLE

Whisper : Shout :: Tap : Pummel (whisper relates with tap - done with low intensity. Shout relates with pummel –
done with high intensity)

TIPS
 Establish the relationship
o Create a general sentence
o Use the correct part of speech
o Beware of homonyms
o Recognize common relationship types
 Use the process of elimination
 Select the best answer

Establish the Relationship

Before you look at any of the answer choices, attempt to express the relationship between the original pair in
your own words. If you can establish a precise connection between the words, you will most likely select the best
answer choice.
70 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
CAUTION: Use logically strong relationships. If you find yourself saying things like "this could be true" or
"sometimes this happens," the relationship, and thus your answer, is probably incorrect. Try for a relationship that
must be true or is true all of the time.

Create a General Sentence.

If more than one answer choice expresses the same relationship, you might have to revise your original
sentence to indicate a more explicit connection between the words.

Use the Correct Part of Speech

The questions will always ask you to compare the same parts of speech. For example, if one of the words in the
original pair can be used as either a noun or a verb, all of the corresponding words in the answer choices will be
either nouns or verbs, but not both. You can let the answer choices guide you in this way. Consider the following
example:
CORRAL : LIVESTOCK ::

A. fence : posts B. capture : thieves C. nest : birds D. devise : plans E. fire : employees
"A corral is an enclosure for livestock." However, none of the answer choices fits logically into that sentence.
Because "corral" is also a verb that means "to take control or possession of," you must now consider this
secondary meaning. Create another sentence using "corral" as a verb: "The rancher was unable to corral his
livestock after they escaped." Manipulate the sentence slightly, as follows: "The police officer was unable to
capture the thieves after they escaped." The remaining answer choices do not fit logically into this general
sentence.

Beware of Homonyms
Be aware of homonyms, which are words that sound alike but have different meanings. For example, "mettle" is a
noun meaning "courage or fortitude," whereas "meddle" is a verb meaning "to interfere."
CAUTION
In UEE analogy questions, relationships are paramount. In other words, remember that the relationship between
words is more important than the definition of each word. For example, a question stem could contain words
about music, and the correct answer could contain words about athletics; in this case, the meaning of each word is
irrelevant.

Recognize Common Relationship Types

UEE analogies questions require you to consider many different possible relationships. After you are able to
determine a specific relationship for the original pair, select the answer choice that expresses a relationship in the
same way. Here are some of the common types of relationships;

 Definition/Evidence—One word in a pair helps to define the other word; or, one word in a pair is a
defining characteristic of the other word.

Example:

71 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 PARAGON : EXCELLENCE ::

A "paragon," by definition, is a "model or example of excellence."

CRATER : CONCAVE ::

A "crater" is "concave"; therefore, being "concave" is a defining characteristic of a "crater."

 Synonym/Antonym—One word in a pair is a synonym or antonym of the other word. (sometimes do not
be in the same part of speech)
Example:
CONTRARY : OPPOSE ::

To be "contrary," which is an adjective, is to "oppose," which is a verb. These words have similar
meanings, even though the parts of speech are not the same.
SKEPTICAL : BELIEVE ::

"Skeptical," an adjective, means that you "do not believe," which is the opposite of the verb
"believe." These words are opposite in meaning, even though the parts of speech are not the
same.
 Type/Kind—One word in a pair is a type or example of the other word.
Example:
FRENCH : LANGUAGE ::

"French" is a type of "language."

 Degree/Intensity—Both words in a pair are similar in concept, but vary in intensity. In other words, one
word in the pair is stronger, harsher, or more intense. Words can also vary spatially, by size, weight, and
so on.
Example:
PHOBIA : FEAR ::

A "phobia" is a "disabling, exaggerated fear," which is far more extreme than a typical "fear."
 Purpose/Function—One word in a pair describes the purpose or function of the other word.
Example:
NEEDLE : STITCH ::
The purpose or function of a "needle" is to "stitch."

Note that "stitch" can be used as either a noun or a verb. You could also say that a "needle" is
used to create a "stitch."

 Component/Part—One word in a pair represents one part of the other word, which represents a whole;
or, one word is simply a component of the other.
72 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 Example:

ACTOR : CAST ::
An "actor" is one member of an entire "cast" of actors.

Example:

FLOUR : BREAD ::

"Flour" is a component of "bread."

 Cause and Effect—One word leads to or results in the other word.
Example:

PREPARATION : SUCCESS ::

"Preparation" will most likely lead to "success."

Example:
ANTIBODIES : PROTECTION ::

The presence of "antibodies" results in "protection" against infection.

CAUTION
A correct answer will never contain a relationship that has been reversed. For example, if the analogy given is
TOUCH : TACTILE, the answer cannot be AUDIBLE : HEARING. Even though the relationship is the same, the
order of the relationship is reversed.

Use the Process of Elimination

This strategy is useful if you are unable to find the correct answer using any of the previously mentioned
strategies. Look at each answer choice and determine whether you know something about each word in the pair,
and use that information to eliminate answer choices that are clearly incorrect. The process of elimination can be
time-consuming, so it should generally be saved for "last-ditch" efforts in selecting the correct answer.

Select the Best Answer

Remember that the test experts create incorrect answers to distract you; if you establish a relationship beforehand,
you will be less likely to get caught up in any confusing, incorrect answers the test writers have set up. If your
relationship matches a relationship expressed in ONE of the answer choices, it is most likely correct.

It might be difficult to determine an answer choice without eliminating a few incorrect answers first. Beware of
obvious answer choices. At first glance, several choices might appear to express a similar relationship to the
original pair. The correct relationship will be paralleled in only one of the answer choices; you might have to dig
a little deeper to discover the true relationship. For example:

PASSENGERS : AIRPLANE ::
A. audience : theater B. birds : nest C. sailors : submarine D. freight : warehouse E. students : classroom
73 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
One possible relationship between "passengers" and "airplane" is that passengers are in an airplane. At first
glance, several answer choices appear to have the same relationship as the words in the question stem: A "theater"
holds an "audience;" "freight" is in a "warehouse," and so on. There cannot be more than one correct answer, so
you should look for a more specific relationship. Create a sentence using the words in the question stem: An
"airplane" transports "passengers" from one place to another. Only the words in answer choice C can be logically
inserted into this sentence.

CHAIRMAN : COMMITTEE

(a) President : Country

(b) Referee : Players
(c) Teacher : Schoolroom
(d) Manager : Production line
(e) Attorney : Office

All the options have some functional relationships between the first and the second words. However, the precise
function of a chairman in relationship in relation to a committee is to make sure that the rules are observed by the
committee and that the work is done. This is very similar to the function of the referee in regard to the players of a
game. The other four answer choices all refer to a physical location of the functioner while the stem pair (b) refers
to people with whom the function is performed.

It is rarely enough merely to note that there is some sort of relationship. Precision is required for most analogy
questions.

EXERCISE 9A

1. ADULT : CHILD:: (D) neck : head

(A) horse : mare (E) blood : heart
(B) cat : kitten
(C) swine : sow 4. CHOREOGRAPHY : DANCE ::
(D) human : animal (A) ceremony : sermon
(E) cow : herd (B) agenda : advertisement
(C) poetry : recitation
(D) instrumentation : conductor
2. MANSION : RESIDENCE :: (E) plot : story
(A) limousine : automobile
(B) chandelier : candle 5. OVERDOSE : PRESCRIPTION ::
(C) tuxedo : wardrobe (A) deprivation : materialism
(D) diamond : rhinestone (B) indiscretion : convention
(E) yacht : harbor (C) affliction : sympathy
(D) adventure : expedition
3. ENVELOPE : LETTER :: (E) drug : medicine
(A) scarf : hat
(B) box : bag 6. EVAPORATE : VAPOR ::
(C) crate : produce (A) petrify : stone

74 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
(B) centrifuge : liquid (D) fragment : bone
(C) saturate : fluid (E) tare : grain
(D) corrode : acid
(E) incinerate : fire 8. CORRAL : LIVESTOCK ::
(A)fence : posts
7. SHARD : POTTERY :: (B)capture : thieves
(A) flint : stone (C)nest : birds
(D)devise : plans
(B) flange : wheel
(E)fire : employees
(C) cinder : coal
rationale for this analogy could be “X
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS FOR provides the organizing structure for
EXERCISE 9A creation of Y”. The “plot” provides structure
for a “story,” a creative endeavor.
1. Explanation: Answer: E
An “adult” is what a “child” who grows up
will be. A rationale for this analogy could be 5. Explanation:
“X (an adult) is what a Y (child) who grows “Prescription” has several meanings, but its
up will necessarily be”. A “cat” is what a use with “overdose” suggests that here it
“kitten” will be when it grows up. means written instructions for medication.
Answer: B An “overdose” is a dosage of a medication
that exceeds the amount called for by the
“prescription.” A rationale for this analogy
might be “X violates the rules set forth in a
2. Explanation: Y”. A “convention” is a rule, or set of rules,
A “mansion” is a large and usually usually unwritten, governing behavior. An
expensive “residence”. A rationale for this “indiscretion” is an action that violates such
analogy could be “X” is a large, expensive rules, much as an “overdose” violates the
member of class “Y”. A “limousine” is a rules set forth in a “prescription”.
special kind of “automobile,” specifically, a Answer: B
large and expensive one.
Answer: A 6. Explanation:
To “evaporate” means to change or be
3. Explanation: changed into a “vapor”. A rationale for this
One purpose of an “envelope” is to contain analogy could be “ To X means to change
and protect a “letter” when it is sent from into Y”. To “petrify” means to turn into
one place to another. A rationale for this “stone.”
analogy could be “X is a container designed Answer: A
to protect objects such as Y’s during
transport”. A “crate” is designed to protect 7. Explanation:
things, “produce” among them, during A “shard” is a piece of “pottery” that has
transport. been broken off. A rationale for this analogy
Answer: C could be “An X is a piece of Y that has been
broken off.” “Fragment” is one of several
4. Explanation: possible names for a piece broken off a
“Choreography” (the art of composing “bone”.
dances) provides a structure that determines Answer: D
what will happen during a “dance”. A

75 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
 8. At first glance, you might have
created a general sentence such as
"A corral is an enclosure for
livestock." However, none of the
answer choices fits logically into that
sentence. Because "corral" is also a
verb that means "to take control or
possession of," you must now
consider this secondary meaning. A
closer look at the answer choices
shows you that the first word in the
pair is either a verb, or a word that
can be used as a verb or a noun.
Create another sentence using
"corral" as a verb: "The rancher was
unable to corral his livestock after
they escaped." Manipulate the
sentence slightly, as follows: "The
police officer was unable to capture
the thieves after they escaped." The
remaining answer choices do not fit
logically into this general sentence

76 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a 0884476291/0997750285
9B. ANALOGY TYPE 2,
EXERCISE 9B-Directions: In each of the following questions, there is a certain relationship between
two given words on one side of : : and one word is given on another side of : :while another word is to be
found from the given alternatives, having the same relation with this word as the words of the given pair
bear. Choose the correct alternative.

1 . Moon : Satellite : : Earth :?

(A) Sun (B) Planet (C) Solar System (D) Asteroid

2 . Forecast : Future : : Regret :?

(A) Present (B) Atone (C) Past (D) Sins

3. Influenza : Virus : : Typhoid : ?

(A) Bacillus (B) Parasite (C)Protozoa (D) Bacteria

4. Fear : Threat : : Anger : ?

(A) Compulsion (B) Panic (C) Provocation (D) Force
.
5. Melt : Liquid : : Freeze : ?
(A) Ice (B) Condense (C) Solid (D) Crystal
Be sure to consider all of the answer choices before you select a final answer, even if you think you have
already found the correct one.
9. ANTONYMS.
These are words which are opposite in meaning.
EXERCISE 10A: pick out the antonym of the underlined word
1. She is a giant
(A) young (B) dwarf (C) pure (D) hybrid (E) gigantic
2. Good night Mr. Mwale!
(A) morning (B) afternoon (C) evening (D) day (E) dawn

EXERCISE 10B: WHAT IS THE SYNONYM OF THE FOLLOWING?

Synonynm is a word similar in meaning

1. GAME
(A) frolic (B) jolly (C) bright (D) sallow (E) merry

77 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a
2. GOOD
(A) best (B) luck (C) chance (D) just (E) bad
ABANDON
(A) busy (B) forsake (C) stay (D) company (E) forget

10. CONDITIONAL CLAUSE

- Also called if-cause. It states the condition and a main clause indicates the result of the
condition. The ‘if’ clause may come before or after the main clause.
Types
A. Future conditional
The sentence refers to future time. The verb in the ‘if’ clause is a present tense and
the main clause is a simple future tense.
Example: Liverpool will win if it works very hard.

B. Present conditional
The sentence refers to present time. Conditional clause has a verb in a past form.
Main clause has phrases formed from ‘might, would etc. plus simple verb’.
Example: John could pass the entrance examinations if he worked hard.
C. Past conditional
The sentence refers to past time. The ‘if’ clause has a ‘had’ plus a past participle. The
main clause has a ‘would’, ‘could’ etc. plus have plus a past participle.
Example: Peter would have done something better if he had seen what happened.

11. OERDERING OF ADJECTIVES

1. Opinion: e.g. beautiful
2. Size: how big something is, e.g., huge, small etc.
3. Age: how old something is, e.g. modern, new, etc.
4. Shape: what is the shape of something?, e.g., triangular, straight etc.
5. Colour: e.g., black or white?
6. Origin: where is it from e.g., Malawian, African Indian, etc?
7. Material: what is it made from? E.g., golden, plastic, etc.

78 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a
ANSWERS TO ALL QUESTIONS IN CHAPTER

EXERCISE 1A:1B 2B 3A 4A 5E 6B 7C 8B

EXERCISE 1B: 1D 2C 3B 4E 5D 6D 7E 8C 9C

EXERCISE 2A: 1B 2A 3A 4D 5E 6B 7C 8B 9D 10A 11D

. 12E 13A

EXERCISE 3A: 1B 2A 3C 4C 5B 6B 7C 8E

EXERCISE 4A: 1e 2e 3a 4c 5d 6a 7d 8c 9a

EXERCISE 5A: 1b 2d 3e 4a 5b

EXERCISE 6A: 1E 2A 3B 4B 5B 6C 7E

EXERCISE 7A: 1b 2s 3e 4r 5d 6b 7q 8b 9p 10d 11p

12e 13q

EXERCISE 8A: 1e 2s 3a 4p 5c 6r

EXERCISE 9B: 1B 2C 3D 4C 5C

EXERCISE 10A: 1B 2D

EXERCISE 10B: 1A 2D 3B

79 | B e n s o n T h u l a m a