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JAMB Use of English 2004 Question 16

Question 16

Comprehension
JAMB 2004 Passage III: Capitalism (cloze)
Capitalism is an economic system which is founded on the principle of free enterprise and the private ownership of the means of production and distribution. The —11— [A. protagonists B. antagonists C. determiners D. attorneys] of capitalism claim that its essential characteristic is economic —12— [A. exploitation B. manipulation C. manoeuvring D. freedom]. The producer is free to produce whatever goods he —13— [A. sells B. buys C. fancies D. manufactures]; but the —14— [A. customer B. consumer C. controller D. marketer] is equally free to buy what he wants. There is a market mechanism under this system, which brings the producer and consumer together and tends to equate the supplies of the one to the demands of the other, and —15— [A. neutralize B. harmonize C. settle D. decide] the whims and caprice of both. It is this same —16— [A. market B. controlling C. operational D. production] mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers, as well as what share of the total —17— [A. dividends B. interest C. output D. profit], in cash or kind, goes to each of the four recognized —18— [A. managers B. agents C. methods D. factors] of production - land, labour capital and organization. It is further claimed for this system that every person is capable of watching his or her own interest, and that whatever injustice is done by the —19— [A. pricing B. operations C. managers D. buyers and sellers] of the market mechanism, this mechanism tends to bring about a state of —20— [A. conflict B. equidistance C. equilibrium D. opprobrium] between the producers and the consumers.

Adapted from The Guardian, October 5, 2003, p.10

Passage III, gap 16: It is this same ________ (16) mechanism which determines what prices the consumers pay to the producers …

  1. A.market
  2. B.controlling
  3. C.operational
  4. D.production
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A (market)

Explanation

'This same' points back to the mechanism already named: 'There is a market mechanism under this system'.