JAMB UTME - Literature In English - 1981

Question 1 Report

The clouds were thickening in the red sky
And night and charmed
A black power into the pounding waves...'
The figure of speech used in these lines from Kwesi
Brew's 'The Sea Eats Our Land's is

oxymoron

personification Correct answer

metaphor

simile

synecocdoche.

Answer Details

Read lesson note on Poetry (JAMB)

Poetry

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Question 2 Report

Macbeth is confident that he will not be defeated in battle because

all his enemies has gone into exile

he is a better fighter than Macduff

he had already killed Banquo

Lady Macbeth gives him courage

the witches gave him an assurance Correct answer

Answer Details

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Drama

General Literary Principles

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Question 3 Report

Because he was transferred often, Kofi's father in 'The Narrow Path'

made a lot of money

became a very famous headmaster

love travelling a great deal

could not train his children properly

could save no money to build himself a house at home. Correct answer

Answer Details

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Poetry

Prose

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Question 4 Report

Drama is essentially different from poetry because

always involve many characters Correct answer

exist mainly in action

uses elevated language

uses localized imagery

deals with tragic experience

Answer Details

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Drama

Poetry

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Question 5 Report

'The Myth of the Bagre' is an example of

a dream world Correct answer

a narrative poem of initiation

a poem in praise of manly prowess

a poem recited at marriage festivals

a poem sacred to the memory of ancestors

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 6 Report

When Kofi's grandparents in The Narrow Path learnt that Nani wanted to marry Edzi, they

did not approve Correct answer

made her change her religion

congratulated him

welcomed Edzi with open arms

disowned him

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Prose

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Question 7 Report

'Such drizzling can go on for many days', she said in a dull voice. They both relapsed into silence, making a picture of bereaved children from whom life has suddenly lost warmth, colour, and excitement. There was no fire in the hearth. The mood caught in this scene is one of

excitement

warmth

hopefulness

high spirits

sadness. Correct answer

Answer Details

Read lesson note on Literary Appreciation (JAMB)

Literary Appreciation

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Question 8 Report

Who accompanied Kongi on his retreat

Oba Danlola

No one

Seyi

Daodu

The secretary Correct answer

Answer Details

Read lesson note on The Lion And The Jewel By Wole Soyinka (WAEC)

The Lion And The Jewel By Wole Soyinka

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Question 9 Report

In the early days of the Durrell's sojourn on the island of Corfu, Gerry's most constant companion was

Christaki

Roger

Spiro Correct answer

Yani

Larry

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Prose

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Question 10 Report

Chief-Who-Is-Chief won Anansewa for his wife because he

paid the largest dowry

showed the greatest love for her Correct answer

bribed property man

was a friend of Anansewa's father

paid her school fees.

Answer Details

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Drama

Poetry

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Question 11 Report

'But 't is strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instrument of darkness tells us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betrays in deepest consequences'.
These words were spoken by

Banquo Correct answer

Macbeth

Malcolm

Lady Macbeth

Macduff.

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Drama

Prose

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Question 12 Report

Anansewa's grandmother prays that the man who marries Anansewa

has respect for others

is wealthy

is young

comes from her own area

helps the family Correct answer

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Drama

Prose

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Question 13 Report

In Zambia Shall Be Free although Kaunda was well settled and happy as a teacher at Lubwa, he was restless because

his pay was poor Correct answer

he wanted to join the army

he quarrelled with his wife often

he wanted to break away and be on his own

he liked to travel.

Answer Details

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General Literary Principles

Prose

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Question 14 Report

'During this speech the elders who didn't understand a word of what their learned secretary was saying nodded approval intermittently. When it was over the elders said yes, they had a learned man indeed, a man who could speak for them, a man who knew the wisdom of the old white people, not like the small boys nowadays who cant even read a telegram'.
In these passage the elders are presented as

very admireable people

decent and honest

impressed by the secretary Correct answer

impressively learned

distinctly progressive

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Prose

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Question 15 Report

At mines where Xuma worked, the workers were

satisfied

confused

rebellious

overworked Correct answer

respected.

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Prose

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Question 16 Report

S.T. Colerige's 'Khan' is a poem about

a dream world

the world of demon lovers Correct answer

the river Alph

a sunless sea

sunny spots of greenery.

Answer Details

Read lesson note on Poetry (JAMB)

Poetry

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Question 17 Report

In these lines from Keats 'Ode to a Nightingale'
'The heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense as though of hemlock i had drunk Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains one minute past and Lethe-wards had sunk',
the poet uses

alternative rhymes

heroic couplet

bank verse

octosyllabic metre Correct answer

terza rima.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 18 Report

'They have tied me to a stake:I cannot fly, But bear like i must fight the course'.
Macbeth here is represented as

confident and arrogant

pitiable and evil

pitiable but courageous Correct answer

pitiable and fearful

merry and confident

Answer Details

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Poetry

General Literary Principles

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Question 19 Report

In As You Like It, the forest of Arden could symbolize

passion

anxiety

goodness Correct answer

wealth

power

Answer Details

Read lesson note on A Midsummer Night’s Dream (WAEC)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Question 20 Report

'Had I the heaven's embroidered cloths; Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and the half-lighgt i would spread the cloths under your feet: But |, being poor, have only my dreams; l have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams'.
The poet of these lines

shows cheap love

is incapable of seriousness

consider heaven's cloth worthless

is a sensitive, serious lover Correct answer

is an unrealistic, wishful man

Answer Details

Read lesson note on Poetry (JAMB)

Poetry

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Question 21 Report

In Kongi's Harvest, there is a struggle for power between Kongi and

Daudo

Oba Danlola Correct answer

Segi's father

the Aweri fraternity

the people

Answer Details

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Literary Appreciation

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Question 22 Report

Peter Abraham's Mine Boy can be described as a

regional novel

detective novel Correct answer

romatic novel

novel of social critism

historical novel.

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Question 23 Report

Which group of characters appears in Macbeth?

Audrey, Phebe, Silvius

Charles, Malcolm, Banquo

Lennox, Donalbain, Seyton Correct answer

Duncan, frederick, Banquo

Oliver, Ross, Banquo

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Question 24 Report

In Rubadiri's 'Stanley meets Mutesa' Mtu Mweupe Karibu means

whiteman, you are a man of excellent calibre

whiteman stay in peace with us

whiteman, you are welcome Correct answer

whiteman go back to your country

whiteman here are cables for you

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Question 25 Report

''Troubadour, I Traverse all my land exploring all her wide flung parts with zest probing in motion sweeter far than rest her secret thickets with an amorous hand''.

The above lines from Brutus 'poem' A Troubadour l Traverse'indicate that the poet

is a traveller

an explorer who collect things

enjoys amorous adventures

loves a woman

has a deep-rooted love for his country Correct answer

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 26 Report

Naipaul's The Middle Passage is best described as

a novel

a tragic play

an autobiography Correct answer

a satire

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Prose

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Question 27 Report

Zambia Shall Be Free is a

biography

autobiography Correct answer

novel

novella

short story.

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Prose

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Question 28 Report

The main idea suggests in Kalu Uka's poem 'Earth To Earth

death and burial

man's mortality Correct answer

the changes in seasons

the propitiation of ancestors

the falling od dew-drops.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 29 Report

'The celebration is now ended
but the echoes are all around
whirling like a harmattan
whirl-wind throwing dust around
and hands cover faces and feet grope'

There are strong suggestions in the last lines that the occasion celebrated

brought peace to the land

did not kead to joyful times Correct answer

did not recieve general approval

produced more merriment

affected climate conditions.

Answer Details

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Drama

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Question 30 Report

In Kongi's Harvest, Wole Soyinka dramatizes

the fall of a great man

the rise of a carpenters brigade

the tragedy of Seyi

the growth and development of political tyranny Correct answer

the distruction of a great African country

Answer Details

Read lesson note on The Lion And The Jewel By Wole Soyinka (WAEC)

The Lion And The Jewel By Wole Soyinka

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Question 31 Report

'Now the bells are tolling
A year is dead.
And my heart is slowly beating
the Nunc Dimittis
to all my hopes and mute
yearnings of a year
and ghost hover round
dream beyond dream'.

For this poet, the passing year has

been one of satisfaction and fulfilment

has nothing to do with his personal life

brought death to his relatives

meant unrealized hopes Correct answer

brought changes

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 32 Report

Which of the following statements best describes comedy

A play in which no body dies

A play which makes us laugh Correct answer

play in which the hero is a clown

a play which end happily

a play which is not boring.

Answer Details

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Drama

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Question 33 Report

Olivia hated Orlando because Orlando

defeacted charles in wrestling contest

was in love with Rosalind

was preferred by the people to himself Correct answer

was more educated than himself

ran away from home

Answer Details

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Question 34 Report

'Tired teachers wipe
The chalk dust
On their faces
The school dam bursts
Ans floods of hungry children
Melt into their mother's bosoms'.

In this passage describing the end of the school day, children's movements are made memorable through the use, in lines 4-5 of

simile

metaphor Correct answer

alliteration

cadence

inversions.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 35 Report

The banished Duke regained his kingdom when his brother Frederick

was defeated in battle

was rejected by his people

died on his way to the woods

was converted by a religious man Correct answer

became too old to rule

Answer Details

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Question 36 Report

The word 'Fence' in peter's poem 'The Fence'symbolizes

racial prejudice

falsehood

truth

moral indecision Correct answer

social classes.

Answer Details

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Poetry

General Literary Principles

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Question 37 Report

As the magi journey towards their destination, voices singing in their understand was

worthwhile

uncertain

foolish Correct answer

wise

commendable.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 38 Report

When Xuma talked to Di about Eliza, she

she thought Eliza was like her inside

agreed that Eliza was unreasonable Correct answer

was amused

was offended

believed Xuma was very knowledgeable

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Prose

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Question 39 Report

In Lord Tennyson's 'Ulysses'the phrase 'happy lsles' refers to

the abode of the dead

the palace of Achilles

the abode of the Gods

the ringing plants of windy Troy Correct answer

the land of the idle king.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 40 Report

What Gerry liked most about Theodore Shephanides in My Family and Other Animals was his

smart apearance

difference

gift of microscope

lovely tea parties

inexhaustible knowledge. Correct answer

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Question 41 Report

Part of the meaning of Kongi's Harvest lies in the fact that Kongi's final harvest is

a big yam

respect

disaster Correct answer

honour

fame

Answer Details

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The Lion And The Jewel By Wole Soyinka

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Question 42 Report

Which of the following characters was assassinated by an unknown assailant in 'Mine Boy'

Daddy

Ma plank

Dladla

chris

Johannes Correct answer

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Prose

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Question 43 Report

The marriage of Anansewa is a play based on Ghanian

politics

traditional marriage ceremonies

folktales Correct answer

lady macbeth could not sleep

oral poetry

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Drama

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Question 44 Report

Leah was finally arrested by the police because she

was betrayed by an enemy

was outwitted by the Fox Correct answer

did not offer a big enough bribe to the police

bribed the wrong person

became too militant.

Answer Details

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Drama

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Question 45 Report

'Sweet are the uses of adversity
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head'
The speaker of the above lines from As You Like It' is

Jacques

Orlando

Adams

Duke senior Correct answer

Le Bosu.

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 46 Report

In 'Salute to the Elephant', the poet

warns about the danger of elephants

tells the story of Elephants

describes the attributes of the elephants Correct answer

shows where to find elephants

wants the destructions of elephants

Answer Details

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Poetry

General Literary Principles

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Question 47 Report

George Kweku Ananse in the marriage of Anansewa was

a tricker Correct answer

an exploiter

a christain

an orator

Answer Details

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Drama

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Question 48 Report

'For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn or busy housewife ply her evening care: No children run to lisp sire's return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share'.
In these lines from Gray's 'Elegy Written in a country churchyard' the poet is referred to

a ployman and the herd

the rich people of the village

the congregation of the church

the politicians

all those buried in the graveyard Correct answer

Answer Details

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Poetry

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Question 49 Report

The night is significant in 'Nightfall in Soweto' because

people stay in their houses