JAMB Literature in English 2012 past questions and answers

Questions 2 to 5 are based on J.C. De Graft's Sons and Daughters. Who is the paternal aunt to Aaron and Maanan?

1. A.Mrs Bonu.
2. B.Hannah.
3. C.Fosuwa.
4. D.Adwao.

From the play Sons and Daughters, George is a

1. A.laboratory attendant
2. B.pharmacist
3. C.nurse
4. D.medical doctor.

J.C. De Graft: Sons and Daughters (extract)

The statement is made by

1. A.Maanan to lawyer B
2. B.Maanan to Mrs Bonu
3. C.James to Awere
4. D.Awere to Aaron

The issue at stake is that

1. A.Maanan is trying to compromise
2. B.Lawyer B is trying to kiss Maanan
3. C.James sees Awere as a bad influence
4. D.Mrs Bonu is taunting Maanan for loving her husband.

The lines above suggest that the tragedy in the play

1. A.could have been averted
2. B.is predestined
3. C.is brought on by enmity
4. D.brought misfortune on the lovers.

From the lines above, Juliet's beauty is presented

1. A.in contrast to the dark night
2. B.as a source of envy to all
3. C.in terms of riches
4. D.as being outstanding.

The lines above are spoken by

1. A.Count Paris in praise of Juliet
2. B.Romeo in praise of Juliet
3. C.Romeo in praise of Roseline
4. D.Lady Capulet in praise of Roseline

In Romeo and Juliet, the major role of Mercutio in the play is to

1. A.serve as a contrast to Romeo
2. B.aid and abet Romeo's passion
3. C.annoy Tybalt
4. D.accompany Romeo to Friar Lawrence.

Romeo and Juliet shares the feature of classical tragedy through the use of

1. A.violence on stage
2. B.chorus
3. C.comic relief
4. D.flashback.

Ferdinand Oyono: The Old Man and the Medal (extract for question 11)

The actions of Meka, Kelara, Amalia and her husband signify

1. A.parade
2. B.dance
3. C.prayer
4. D.celebration.

The description above is in reference to the foot of

1. A.Kelara
2. B.Meka
3. C.Egamba
4. D.Mvondo.

The dominant figure of speech in the excerpt above is

1. A.rhetorical question
2. B.simile
3. C.metaphor
4. D.mixed metaphor.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood. As a symbol of marital success and fulfilment, Ibuza community places a lot of importance on

1. A.childbirth
2. B.wealth
3. C.male child
4. D.female child.

In The Joys of Motherhood, Ona on her dying bed appeals to Agbadi to

1. A.give her a befitting burial
2. B.take good care of her children
3. C.take another wife
4. D.allow Nnu Ego marry a man of her choice.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The novel is mainly classified as a

1. A.metaphor
2. B.hyperbole
3. C.satire
4. D.fiction.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston writes that the hope of the country lies on the

1. A.ministry of truth
2. B.proles
3. C.party
4. D.children.

In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, two minutes hate is a programme designed for

1. A.parents
2. B.thought police
3. C.the community
4. D.children.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, to drop his philosophy of life and imbib the tenets of the party, Winston is subjected to all forms of torture and inhuman treatment by

1. A.O' Brien
2. B.thought Police
3. C.Big Brother
4. D.Goldstein.

Questions 21 to 30 are based on selected poems. The movement in Adeoti's Naked Soles is characterised by

1. A.hope and agreement
2. B.freedom and self-determination
3. C.pricks and tears
4. D.disappointment and disarray.

One of the dominant themes of Rubadiri's An African Thunderstorm is the

1. A.relationship between man and nature
2. B.activities of man during rainy seasons
3. C.effect of rain on women and children
4. D.problem of climate change.

In Kunene's A Heritage of Liberation, the weapons are to be preserved for the generation yet unborn by the

1. A.gods
2. B.elders
3. C.people
4. D.government.

Give Me The Minstrel's Seat ends on a clarion call for

1. A.freedom
2. B.peace
3. C.rectitude
4. D.commitment.

Andrew Marvell: To His Coy Mistress (extract)

The excerpt above from Marvell's To His Coy Mistress is an example of

1. A.simile
2. B.anaphora
3. C.paradox
4. D.onomatopoeia.

In Lawrence's Bat, the poet compares bats with

1. A.sparrows
2. B.swans
3. C.swallows
4. D.crows.

Elliot's The Journey of the Magi could be said to examine the issues of

1. A.three trees on the low sky
2. B.empty wine-skins
3. C.spiritual rebirth
4. D.holy pilgrimage.

The casualties in Launko's End of the War are

1. A.women
2. B.children
3. C.men
4. D.soldiers.

The theme of Cope's Sonnet VII is

1. A.art of poetry
2. B.adventure
3. C.contempt for literature
4. D.isolation.

A literary work in which the characters and events are used as symbols is known as

1. A.characterization
2. B.allegory
3. C.metaphor
4. D.paralellism.

Characterization in a novel refers to the

1. A.writer's opinion of the characters
2. B.way the characters are revealed to the reader
3. C.characters and the way they behave
4. D.reader's opinion of the characters.

In literary work, verbal irony refers to a

1. A.device in which the speaker means the opposite of what he says
2. B.situation in which a character speaks or acts against the trend of events
3. C.difficult situation which defies a logical or rational resolution
4. D.device in which the actor on stage means exactly what he says.

In the theatre, words spoken by a character that are meant to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters on stage is called

1. A.aside
2. B.soliloquy
3. C.accoustic
4. D.tone.

Drama is the representation of a complete series of actions by means of

1. A.movement and gesture for the screen and audience
2. B.speech, movement and gesture for the stage only
3. C.speech, movement and gesture for the stage, screen and radio
4. D.speech, gesture and movement for the screen and radio.

A poet's use of regular rhythm is known as

1. A.allegory
2. B.assonance
3. C.metre
4. D.onomatopoeia.

A literary genre which directly imitates human action is

1. A.drama
2. B.comedy
3. C.prose
4. D.poetry.

A fable is a story in which

1. A.allegations are made about characters
2. B.animals or things are used as characters
3. C.there is an important setting
4. D.the story is told in poetic form.

The juxtaposition of two contrasting ideas in a line of poetry is

1. A.euphemism
2. B.synecdoche
3. C.catharsis
4. D.oxymoron.

The main aim of caricature is to

1. A.describe
2. B.expose
3. C.emphasize
4. D.ridicule.

Extract for question 41

The figure of speech in the lines above is

1. A.antithesis
2. B.invocation
3. C.personification
4. D.apostrophe.

The tone of the lines above is one of

1. A.sarcasm
2. B.sacrilege
3. C.chiasmus
4. D.eulogy.

The rhyme scheme of the poem above is

1. A.bbaa
2. B.aabb
3. C.abab
4. D.baba

The lines above show that the speaker

1. A.detests discrimination
2. B.is desirous of adventure
3. C.hates his old wife
4. D.knows much of his city men.

The feeling conveyed by the speaker above is one of

1. A.anger
2. B.alienation
3. C.hope
4. D.despair.

The dominant mood in the lines above is one of

1. A.apprehension
2. B.defiance
3. C.joy
4. D.indifference.

The poet in the excerpt above uses

1. A.litotes
2. B.symbolism
3. C.onomatopoeia
4. D.alliteration.

The imagery created in the above excerpt is achieved through

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