JAMB Literature in English 1986 past questions and answers

'The oracle warns us that we have left our pot unwatched, and our food now burns.' This statement in The Gods Are Not to Blame refers to

1. A.the killing of King Adetusa
2. B.the crime of incest committed by King Odewale
3. C.Aderopo's quarrel with King Odewale
4. D.the banishment of Aderopo.

'...the toad likes water but not when the water is boiling'. King Odewale in The Gods Are Not to Blame uses this proverb to explain why he

1. A.exiled himself from the home of his supposed parents
2. B.exiled Aderopo from his presence
3. C.treated Baba Fakunle with disrespect
4. D.no longer likes the land of Kutuje.

From The Gods Are Not to Blame (Ola Rotimi)

The order to return nine cowries was given by Baba Fakunle because he

1. A.wanted to spite the King by taking only one cowrie
2. B.felt insulted that he was given only ten cowries
3. C.did not want to meddle with leprous money given with bloody hands
4. D.wanted to emphasize that the messenger of Olodumare takes only one cowrie.

In the context of The Gods Are Not to Blame, the person who made this statement is alleging that King Adetusa

1. A.died falling into a pit
2. B.fell victim to man eating crocodiles
3. C.was killed by the people of Kutuje
4. D.was killed by the Ijekun people.

Odewale shifts the blame for his tragedy from the gods to himself and claims that his tragedy is a result of his own weakness. The weakness he claims is love of

1. A.power
2. B.adventure
3. C.his tribe
4. D.divination

The treatment meted out to Cinna the poet in Julius Caesar shows

1. A.that Roman soldiers despised poets generally
2. B.Shakespeare's use of mistaken identity for comic effect in the play
3. C.the misfortune of Roman poets
4. D.the spontaneous reaction of the plebians after the assassination of Caesar.

The specific case cited by Antony in his funeral oration to show that Caesar was not as ambitious as Brutus made him out to be, was that Caesar had

1. A.refused to take ransom after his victory
2. B.pardoned all his captives
3. C.thrice refused the crown during the feast of Lupercal
4. D.been a friend of the Senators.

Shakespeare based the story of Julius Caesar on

1. A.actual historical records
2. B.Plutarch's Lives
3. C.Greek mythology
4. D.John Bunyan's Lives.

From Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)

According to this passage, the crowning of Julius Caesar is

1. A.extremely desirable
2. B.bound to change Caesar's nature for the better
3. C.bound to promote the breeding of adders
4. D.something to be approached with great caution.

In Julius Caesar, one occasion when the misunderstanding of the ordinary people of Rome caused a big problem was

1. A.at the Capitol when Caesar was given a crown
2. B.at the Capitol when Brutus and Mark Antony addressed the Romans
3. C.at the battlefield when Brutus attacked the army of Octavius
4. D.in the streets of Rome when Cinna the poet was killed.

Medza's mission to Kala was important to him mainly because it

1. A.helped him to make acquaintance with his relations in Kala
2. B.enabled him to discover Edima
3. C.gave him the glory of bringing back Niam's wife
4. D.made him discover the realities of the condition of colonized people.

The attitude of the young men of Kala towards their Chief can be described as

1. A.disdainful
2. B.suspicious
3. C.disrespectful
4. D.courteous.

'Why the hell can't some of you catch him for me. Are you going to let a boy make a public laughing stock of his own father? The speaker of these words is the father of

1. A.Bikokolo
2. B.Niam
3. C.Albert
4. D.Medza.

From Madza's behaviour after his return from Kala it can be deduced that the most important lesson he learned from his sojourn in Kala is that

1. A.the secret of happiness is to be found among unsophisticated Africans
2. B.everyman is free to set his own goals and chart his own course in life
3. C.formal education is the ideal way to true wisdom
4. D.it is highly rewarding to abide scrupulously by the mores of one's own community.

The protagonist of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is

1. A.Drummle
2. B.Magwitch
3. C.Miss Havishman
4. D.Pip.

The effect of Pip's association with the inmates of Satis House was to make him

1. A.realize that he was an orphan
2. B.despair of ever being a gentleman
3. C.aspire to improve his education and make himself less common
4. D.love Biddy more ardently.

Joe Gargery is important in Great Expectations mainly because he

1. A.is used as a foil to Pip
2. B.provides the comedy in the story
3. C.helped to bring Pip up by hand
4. D.nursed Pip when he was sick in London.

When Mr. Jaggers told Joe Gargery to 'bear in mind, that Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is a better', what he meant was that

1. A.Holdfast was a better dog when compared to Brag
2. B.it was better to hold fast to one's beliefs than to brag about them
3. C.a faithful, steadfast dog was better than a dog that gives one cause to brag of its beauty
4. D.Joe Gargery should keep his mouth shut.

In Great Expectations, Pip's reaction to the news that his fortune had been bestowed on him by Magwitch was

1. A.a sense of disillusionment
2. B.a feeling of utter shame
3. C.anger and disgust
4. D.one of excitement.

The dominant mood in J.P. Clark's 'Night Rain' is that of

1. A.indignation
2. B.sorrow
3. C.joy
4. D.optimism.

The impression created of the rain in J.P. Clark's 'Night Rain' is that of

1. A.an implacable destructive force
2. B.an invading but paradoxically welcome force
3. C.a welcome and benevolent force
4. D.a sinister and ominous force.

From the poem itself, it is easy to tell that J.P. Clark's 'Abiku' is set in

1. A.ancient times
2. B.a hut in a riverine village
3. C.a modern city by the sea
4. D.the only mansion in the village.

The tone of Wole Soyinka's 'Abiku' is

1. A.arrogant and cynical
2. B.mysterious and cunning
3. C.understanding but cynical
4. D.kind and thoughtful.

In the poem 'The Vultures', David Diop suggests that the Christian missionaries were agents of

1. A.agrarian revolution
2. B.baptism
3. C.justice
4. D.colonialism.

'The vultures built in the shadow of their talons The blood-stained monument of tutelage.' The image used in the above lines associates the civilizing missions with

1. A.redemption from ignorance
2. B.violence and oppression
3. C.conversion from paganism
4. D.the building of beautiful edifices.

Much of the poetic effect of Birago Diop's 'Viaticum' is gained by the poet's use of

1. A.repetition of symbolic references
2. B.rhetorical questions
3. C.exaggeration
4. D.flowering language.

From Lenrie Peters' 'We Have Come Home'

The dominant figure of speech in the above lines from Lenrie Peter's 'We Have Come Home' is

1. A.synecdoche
2. B.simile
3. C.metaphor
4. D.personification.

The theme of Gabriel Okara's 'Piano and Drums' is usually summed up in the phrase

1. A.clash of cultures
2. B.primal youth of the African
3. C.beauty of the Concerto
4. D.the decay of African civilization.

Tunde's long and vigorous speech was followed by a deafening silence. The phrase deafening silence is used as a figure of speech called

1. A.oxymoron
2. B.metaphor
3. C.simile
4. D.hyperbole.

From Macbeth (Shakespeare)

In the above lines the figure of speech used is

1. A.metaphor
2. B.simile
3. C.hyperbole
4. D.paradox.

When a speech is written so as to be understood in one way by a certain character, while the audience or another character understands it to have some secret and special meaning, the literary device used in this context is called

1. A.dramatic irony
2. B.paradox
3. C.allusion
4. D.hyperbole.

The epilogue in a play refers to the

1. A.conflict in the play
2. B.tail-piece
3. C.opening chorus
4. D.dramatic action.

Which of the following is NOT a form of poetic expression?

1. A.Sestet
2. B.Lyric
3. C.Sonnet
4. D.Elegy.

Reversal of fortune as used in the criticism of a literary work describes the

1. A.rise to fame of the central character
2. B.success of the hero or heroine
3. C.reward of the hero or heroine for his or her courage
4. D.sudden change in the fate of the central character.

Which of the following could be said to be a permanent feature of a poem?

1. A.Rhyme
2. B.Repetition
3. C.Rhythm
4. D.Symbolism.

Which of the following terms is exclusive to drama?

1. A.Dialogue
2. B.Plot
3. C.Protagonist
4. D.Soliloquy.

The literary device which uses ridicule to correct social ills is known as

1. A.satire
2. B.paradox
3. C.hyperbole
4. D.epigram.

A poem of mourning and dedication written on the death of an individual is called

1. A.an elegy
2. B.an eulogy
3. C.a sonnet
4. D.an ode.

A poem written on a grand theme, in an appropriately grand style, dealing with heroic figures is called

1. A.a soliloquy
2. B.a tragi-comedy
3. C.an epic
4. D.an epigram.

Characterization in a novel means the

1. A.list of characters featuring in it
2. B.mode of presenting the fictional individuals
3. C.peculiar mannerisms of the narrator
4. D.resolution of the conflict between the characters.

Verse extract (Question 44)

This poem reflects the

1. A.tyranny of the majority
2. B.approval of the majority factor
3. C.unhappiness that might be right
4. D.great love for mad people.

The predominant mood of this poem is best captured by the words

1. A.misplaced anxiety
2. B.great relief
3. C.solemn resignation
4. D.morbid fear.

The tone of this passage is

1. A.sensual
2. B.detached
3. C.playful
4. D.stimulating.

In this passage, axe of intemperance means

1. A.hot temper
2. B.cool temper
3. C.evil mind
4. D.recklessness.

The phrase, something which seemed to the town just a bit out of place, is an example of

1. A.hyperbole
2. B.understatement
3. C.sarcasm
4. D.synecdoche.

'In Germany, under the law, everything is prohibited except that which is permitted. In France, under the law, everything is permitted except that which is prohibited. In the Soviet Union, everything is prohibited, including that which is permitted'. The last sentence is an example of

1. A.innuendo
2. B.paradox
3. C.euphemism
4. D.allusion.

'His sleepy mouth, plugged by the heavy nipple Tugs like a puppy, grunting as he feeds'. The repeated u sound in the above passage is an example of

1. A.onomatopoeia
2. B.alliteration
3. C.assonance
4. D.consonance.