JAMB Literature in English 2004 past questions and answers

'... a huge senseless cathedral of doom' in Kofi Awoonor's The Cathedral implies

1. A.meaningless foreign religious practices
2. B.meaningless indigenous religious practices
3. C.the architectural beauty of the cathedral
4. D.the Catholic Church practices

Arthur Nortje's Nightfall is written against the backdrop of

1. A.apartheid
2. B.revolution
3. C.celebration
4. D.violence

The allusion to Eurydice's experience in Robert Frost's Wild Grapes is an imagery of death and

1. A.reincarnation
2. B.resurrection
3. C.rebirth
4. D.growth

In John Donne's Death, be not Proud, the poet believes that death is

1. A.immortal
2. B.mighty
3. C.pleasurable
4. D.dreadful

Gabriel Okara, The Voice (extract)

It can be inferred from the passage above that the

1. A.listener is a porter
2. B.listener is wise
3. C.speaker is a murderer
4. D.speaker is more experienced

The allusion in the excerpt above is

1. A.mythical
2. B.biblical
3. C.historical
4. D.classical

The poet's attitude here is

1. A.paradoxical
2. B.envious
3. C.ironical
4. D.sarcastic

The subject matter of the passage above is the

1. A.uncritical acceptance of European values
2. B.woes of English marriage
3. C.adventures in England
4. D.intransigence of an African wife

The dominant technique in the lines above is

1. A.irony
2. B.rhyme
3. C.alliteration
4. D.metaphor

The author's attitude to Inman in the passage above is one of

1. A.praise
2. B.hatred
3. C.ridicule
4. D.admiration

What happens to the unknown woman in the passage above?

1. A.she runs away
2. B.she is awake
3. C.she falls asleep
4. D.she is dead

The poet-persona here expresses a feeling of

1. A.elation
2. B.anger
3. C.nostalgia
4. D.sorrow

The lines above are an example of

1. A.epitaph
2. B.anaphora
3. C.tautology
4. D.epigram

A dramatic composition or musical play in which many or all the words are sung is called

1. A.an oratorio
2. B.a motet
3. C.an opera
4. D.a concert

The poetic device that forcefully brings together two seemingly unrelated ideas or concepts is

1. A.conceit
2. B.contrast
3. C.couplet
4. D.diatribe

For a play to be successful on stage, it must not be short of

1. A.audiences
2. B.speeches
3. C.actions
4. D.characters

The setting in pastoral poetry is usually

1. A.oceanic
2. B.urban
3. C.ecumenical
4. D.idyllic

The exclusive right given to authors to protect their works from unlawful production is

1. A.a copyright
2. B.an authority to write
3. C.an author's right
4. D.a constitutional provision

In a narration, the first person is

1. A.the author
2. B.a participant
3. C.the publisher
4. D.an observer

A deliberate imitation of a literary style with the intention to ridicule is

1. A.paradox
2. B.prosody
3. C.pun
4. D.parody

Point of denouement in a literary work is the

1. A.point at which the major character is shown in his true colours
2. B.point of disagreement in a narrative
3. C.point of the resolution of the puzzling issues
4. D.cathartic point in a tragedy

Periphrasis in poetic diction is marked by

1. A.circumlocution
2. B.irony
3. C.proverb
4. D.parable

Melodrama is a theatrical performance in which

1. A.the serious is treated in a satirical way
2. B.subordination of characterization to plot occurs
3. C.music and dance predominate
4. D.evil triumphs over good

In J.P. Clark's The Wives' Revolt, the tradition of Erhuwaren endorses

1. A.polyarchy
2. B.anarchy
3. C.matriarchy
4. D.patriarchy

In Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, the major thematic preoccupation of the play is

1. A.the constraints on parental obligations
2. B.the problems of class and English mannerisms
3. C.the presentation of a mannerless society
4. D.changing the traditional view about English comedy

In Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, Miss Hardcastle is able to 'conquer' at the end of the play because of her

1. A.indiscretion
2. B.beauty
3. C.wit
4. D.brawn

In Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, one of the enriching features of the play is the

1. A.matchmaking attempts by Mrs. Hardcastle
2. B.manipulation of appearance and reality
3. C.use of rural and urban settings
4. D.lopsided resolution of conflicts

Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer (extract, Q40)

In Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, the two gentlemen in the excerpt above are

1. A.Diggory and Saunders
2. B.Marlow and Hastings
3. C.Marlow and Hardcastle
4. D.Diggory and Hastings

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the turn of events in the novel shows that the novelist is

1. A.iconoclastic
2. B.fatalistic
3. C.rhetorical
4. D.optimistic

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the last major battle in the novel is the battle

1. A.of the Cowshed
2. B.of the Windmill
3. C.to oust Mr. Jones
4. D.to overthrow Snowball

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the ideological leader of the revolution in the novel is

1. A.Squealer
2. B.Old Major
3. C.Napoleon
4. D.Snowball