JAMB Literature in English 1985 past questions and answers

'Is Aderopo jealous that I am sharing a bed with his mother? Very well then, let him come and sleep with his mother'. Odewale's statement is a good example of

1. A.euphemism
2. B.pun
3. C.irony
4. D.sarcasm
5. E.jargon.

From The Gods Are Not to Blame (Ola Rotimi)

The speaker's statement is prompted by

1. A.guilty conscience
2. B.oedipus complex
3. C.delusive grandeur
4. D.persecution complex
5. E.patriotic fervour.

Odewale: I thought you were leaving with your son, Aderopo. Ojuola: It is you I married your highness, not my son. This exchange from The Gods are not to Blame is an example of

1. A.flashback technique
2. B.dramatic irony
3. C.poetic licence
4. D.false analogy
5. E.pathetic fallacy.

In which of the following London neighbourhoods mentioned in Great Expectations is Mr. Jagger's office located?

1. A.Hammersmith
2. B.Soho
3. C.Walworth
4. D.Richmond
5. E.Little Britain.

The major lesson Pip's experience in Great Expectations teaches us is that

1. A.it is not good to be born poor
2. B.wealth guarantees happiness
3. C.an orphan has to be industrious to survive
4. D.education is needed only by the poor
5. E.ambition should be moderated by fairness and humane consideration for others.

Miss Havisham grooms Estella the way she does so as to make Estella

1. A.a model lady
2. B.a good wife to Pip
3. C.a dependable character
4. D.unattractive to men
5. E.a means of torturing menfolk.

The characters of Joe and Biddy are contrasted with those of Pip and Estella in order to show

1. A.the advantages of formal education
2. B.the advantages of simplicity, sincerity and true love
3. C.the advantages of sophisticated high-class living
4. D.the difference between urban and rural people
5. E.that contrast is an inevitable aspect of characterization in a novel.

A 'gentleman' in the sense in which it is used in Great Expectations is

1. A.a man of wealth
2. B.a chivalrous young man
3. C.an educated man of some means
4. D.a man who has inherited a fortune
5. E.a man who lives in a big city.

As Medza was getting near to his village on his way from Kala he drinks at the palmwine bar because

1. A.he wants to patronize the local drink
2. B.he is very happy to return to his village
3. C.he is very thirsty
4. D.he wants to pick up courage to face his father
5. E.his journey has been very successful.

From Mission to Kala (Mongo Beti)

In this passage from Mission to Kala, allusion is made to

1. A.Brazilian legend
2. B.Greek mythology
3. C.French cosmology
4. D.American history
5. E.African folklore.

The events that happened later in Mission to Kala show that the speaker in the passage is

1. A.mildly offended by the daughter's behaviour
2. B.truly outraged by the daughter's behaviour
3. C.merely pretending to be outraged by the daughter's behaviour
4. D.deeply offended by the daughter's behaviour
5. E.indifferent to the daughter's behaviour.

The narrator in Mission to Kala is

1. A.Mongo Beti
2. B.Medza
3. C.Mama
4. D.Niam
5. E.Zambo.

Who persuades Caesar to disregard Calpurnia's appeal?

1. A.Decius Brutus
2. B.Lucius
3. C.Cassius
4. D.Portia
5. E.Octavius.

From Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)

This means that Mark Antony

1. A.will be assassinated with Caesar
2. B.will become harmless once Caesar is dead
3. C.is as powerless as Caesar's arm to control Caesar
4. D.is as dangerous as Caesar's arm
5. E.cannot do more harm than Caesar is capable of.

'Gentle knave' refers to

1. A.Lucius
2. B.Cassius
3. C.Portia
4. D.Messala
5. E.Lucius.

'Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me; And, we like friends, will straightway go together'. This statement by Julius Caesar is an example of

1. A.dramatic dialogue
2. B.monologue
3. C.mistaken identity
4. D.dramatic irony
5. E.paradox.

In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare portrays the Roman plebians as

1. A.fickle-minded
2. B.strong-willed
3. C.compassionate
4. D.machiavellian
5. E.enterprising.

From J.P. Clark's 'Abiku'

The dominant figure of speech in the above lines from J.P. Clarke's 'Abiku' is

1. A.onomatopoeia
2. B.synecdoche
3. C.simile
4. D.metaphor
5. E.verisimilitude.

The above lines from 'Night Rain' are intended to emphasize the fact that the speaker

1. A.drank like a fish
2. B.took a heavy dose of sleeping pills
3. C.slept with his belly facing upwards
4. D.dreamt of fish in deep streams
5. E.was suddenly roused from sleep.

In Soyinka's 'Abiku', the statement, 'The ripest fruit was saddest', is an example of

1. A.metaphysical conceit
2. B.equivocation
3. C.slasng
4. D.a paradox
5. E.a proverb.

When David Diop in 'The Vultures' says that 'civilization kicked us in the face' and 'holy water slapped our cringing brows', he is using

1. A.slapstick
2. B.a curse
3. C.invective
4. D.personification
5. E.sacrilege.

The mood expressed in 'We Have Come Home' by Lenrie Peters is that of

1. A.hope and joy at one's return
2. B.tension over the past and uncertainty of the future
3. C.jubilation and a sense of achievement
4. D.cautious optimism
5. E.apprehension and defeat.

In the poem, 'The Vultures', David Diop expresses his

1. A.hope that Africa will triumph over colonialism
2. B.hatred of Africans
3. C.affection for the colonial masters
4. D.love of forced romances
5. E.hatred of women.

The poem 'Viaticum' portrays a ritual preparation for

1. A.life's journey
2. B.a war dance
3. C.wrestling match
4. D.slaughtering cattle
5. E.a moonlight game.

David Diop's poem, 'The Vultures', ends in a

1. A.denunciation of colonialism
2. B.resignation to oppression
3. C.vindication of apartheid
4. D.renunciation of African culture
5. E.proclamation of hope.

In the poem 'Piano and Drums' Okara uses the drums to symbolize

1. A.sources of poetic inspiration
2. B.traditional African ways of life
3. C.the complex rhythms of human life
4. D.festivals which are held annually
5. E.the noisy pastimes of hunters.

What distinguishes poetry from other forms of Literature is its

1. A.emotion and feeling
2. B.ungrammatical expressions
3. C.irony and paradox
4. D.rhyme and verse
5. E.rhythm and metaphor.

A play is a tragedy when

1. A.the author presents life as a hopeless adventure
2. B.the main character dies before the play ends
3. C.there is much bloodshed in the play
4. D.the main character is a wicked person
5. E.a weakness in the main character leads to his downfall.

In a work of Literature, the hero is one

1. A.whose name is mentioned the greatest number of times in the text
2. B.who is antagonistic to everyone else
3. C.whose experiences provide the central conflict in the work
4. D.who dies in the course of the story
5. E.who performs brave and heroic deeds.

Which of the following is a correct definition of the ballad?

1. A.A climatic episode
2. B.An impersonal dramatic piece
3. C.An allusive dialogue
4. D.a love story told by ballad singer
5. E.A poem that tells a folk story.

Assonance in poetry is the repetition of

1. A.internal vowels in words
2. B.stressed syllables in words
3. C.consonant sounds in words
4. D.final sounds at the end of a line
5. E.final sounds at the beginning of a line.

Verse extract (Question 36)

For the girls mentioned here, the hours spent at school mean

1. A.creativity
2. B.amusement
3. C.relaxation
4. D.restriction
5. E.freedom.

In a play denouement is the

1. A.entry of the central character
2. B.development of the central conflict
3. C.introduction of a minor conflict alongside the major conflict
4. D.climatic point in the development of the plot
5. E.the resolution of the conflicts in the plot.

The central organizing idea which unites character, action, language and style in a work of fiction is known as

1. A.theory
2. B.plot
3. C.theme
4. D.characterization
5. E.fable.

Verse extract (Question 39)

In the eyes of the writer of these lines, the word 'forests' stands for

1. A.friendliness
2. B.insecurity
3. C.innocence
4. D.fertility
5. E.safety.

The dominant mood in this passage is one of

1. A.sadness
2. B.anger
3. C.anxiety
4. D.nonchalance
5. E.joy.

The narrator here is full of

1. A.gloom
2. B.fears
3. C.doubts
4. D.cheer
5. E.uncertainty.

The speaker uses a string of

1. A.hyperboles
2. B.parables
3. C.metaphors
4. D.riddles
5. E.understatements.

A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. The passage is referring to a

1. A.religious preacher who saves sinful souls
2. B.physician who cures diseases of the sole
3. C.workman who repairs shoes
4. D.trader who prevents bad sales
5. E.trader who cheats customers during sales.

Prose extract (Question 44)

The setting is best described as

1. A.bracing
2. B.dismal
3. C.exhilarating
4. D.delightful
5. E.pleasant.

A deliberate use of exaggeration for humour or emphasis is known as

1. A.exclamation
2. B.litotes
3. C.metonymy
4. D.hyperbole
5. E.antonym.

'The pen is mightier than the sword' is an example of

1. A.metonymy
2. B.antonomasia
3. C.comparison
4. D.synecdoche
5. E.paradox.

In poetry, the elegiac mood typically attends the occasion or experience of

1. A.triumph and fulfilment
2. B.birth and growth
3. C.death and decay
4. D.joy and ecstacy
5. E.illumination and discovery.

Prose extract (Question 48)

In this short passage, the writer succeeds in creating

1. A.anti-climax
2. B.pity
3. C.comic relief
4. D.suspense
5. E.characters.

As a literary form the short story is most closely related to

1. A.poetry
2. B.the discourse
3. C.tragedy
4. D.the novel
5. E.drama.

'How many ages hence Shall this our lofty scene be acted over?' In this passage lofty scene refers to

1. A.a great event
2. B.the meeting of the conspirators
3. C.the funeral of Caesar
4. D.a scene acted on a raised platform
5. E.the assassination of Caesar.