Literature in English Past Questions

Study and practice Literature in English past questions with answers and detailed explanations. Then test your knowledge using our interactive CBT practice platform and prepare confidently for your upcoming examinations.

48 questions JAMB 2378 WAEC 1459 CUSTOM 2
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Past Questions

48 questions
Question 1 of 20 48 total questions
Question 1
jamb 1992

THIS QUESTION IS BASED ON SELECTED POEMS FROM wOLE sOYINKA (ED) pOEMS OF BLACK AFRICA, E.K. SENANU AND T. VINCENT (EDS.) SELECTION OF AFRICAN POETRY AND E.W. PARKER (ED.) A PAGEANT OF LONGER POEMS.

The effect of the repetition of the words
'There where' in Lenne Peters' The Fence' is that

Aa mood of bitterness is created
Bthe poet easily reveals his anger
Cit captures the poet's desperation
Dit underscores the poet's sense of fulfilment
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 2
jamb 1992

This question is based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

;....I am in blood
Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er'.
Who spoke these words?

ALady Macbeth
BThe fiest murderer
CMacbeth
DTHE SECOND NURDERER
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 3
jamb 1992

This question is based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

......Out, out, brief candle!....
This statement was made when

AMacbeth received news of Banquo's death
BBanquo received news of his son's death
CMacbeth received news of his wife's death
DMacbeth killed King Duncan
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 4
jamb 1992

This question is based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Which of the following is the most fitting moral lesson that the reader can derive from the play?

AIt is not good to be over -ambitious
BA determined wife is a curse to the husband
CPower is sweet but always over-used
DEvery evil is punishable
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Question 5
jamb 1992

This question is based on Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi.

GALLWAY (untying a parcel). 'Your Highness, our Queen, Her Royal Majesty Queen Victoria, asks us to extend her very best wishes to you;...... What is contained in the parcel which Gallway unties?

AAn inner tube of a bicycle
BA royal message from Queen Victoria
CA framed portrait of Queen Victoria
DA bottle of gin
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Question 6
jamb 1992

This question is based on Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi.


'Go tell Overami that he has nothing to fear from the white men in matter of fair play....'

In the above statement, the White man expects Ovonramwen to

Aallow the Whiteman free access to Benin
Baccept gifts from the Whiteman in exchange for land
Csurrender himself to the whiteman
Dsurrender his chiefs who are in hiding
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 7
jamb 1992

This question is based on Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi.

'Not much. tell Queen Victoria that at last the big pot of corn been toppled; now mother hen and her children may rejoice!'

The phrase 'mother hen and her children' in the passage above refers to

APrincess Evbakhavbokun and herchildren
BGlogbosere and the other Benin chiefs
CCaptain Carter and the British soldiers
DQueen Victoria and the British official
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 8
jamb 1992

This question is based on Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi.

At the end of Ovonramwen's discussion with Gallway and Hutton, one can conclude that Ovonramwen is

Afascinated by their gifts
Beager to sign the trade treaty presented
Csuspicious about their real intentions
Dready to welcome them
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 9
jamb 1992

This question is based on Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi.

Forget self! Forget status! let power die so that Benin may live!....
Iyase's entreaty comes when

Athe Ifa priest makes his predicitions
Bthe whitemen attack Benin
COvonramwen is discovered in hiding
DOvonramwen is asked to pay homage to the Whiteman
View Explanation & Discuss
Question 10
jamb 1992

This question is based on Literary Principles.


'' The road was endless. One road led to a thousand others. Which in turn fed into paths, which fed into dirt tracks, which become streets, which ended in avenues and cul-de-sacs''
The Famished Road by Ben Okri.

The description above suggests

Aurban disorder
Ba labyrinth
Cclutter
Ddisharmony
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Question 11
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
'Poor bastard,
Dumped on the ground to make room
For his nocturnal fathers,
Or on the mat to spend his horrid nights
Among the steaming pots of food
And walking rats.'
''The Bastard'' by B.S. Tibenderana
The picture presented above is one of
Aloneliness
Bhunger
Cdesolation
Dsqualor
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Question 12
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
Going up the river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. '
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
The landscape described in the passage above is
Aformidable
Bfriendly
Chostile
Doverpowering
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Question 13
jamb 1992

This question is based on Literary Principles.
'So Children,
If per chance you see a here that roars
Or an ape perched in a palanquin,
Look on in silence..'
'Africa by David Diop

This excerpt exemplifies

Apoetic climax
Brhetoric
Cparadox
Dconflict
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Question 14
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
'Slowly the silence on the mountain-top deepened till the click of the fire and the soft hiss of roasting meat could be heard clearly...
Lord of the Files by William Golding
'Soft hiss of roasting meat' in the passage above refers to the
Agentle response of the animal being roasted
Brudeness of the animal to the hunter
Cgentle process of roasting on the fire
Dfropping of the fat of the meat in the fire
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Question 15
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
'' Old father, old artificer
bear me now and ever in good stead''
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' by James Joyce.
The word 'artificer' describes
Aa sage
Ba craftsman
Ca magician
Dan artificial person
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Question 16
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
'Excitedly, Faku announced Garba's intention to marry her immediately and settle in the city. Garba was ''tired of the village'' and yearned to go '' back to civilization.'' Faku had caught the city fever too and could not wait to leave the village.
The Stillborn by Zaynab Alkali.
Which of the following words best describes the writer's attitude to urban life?
APessimistic
BOptimistic
CNonchanlant
DCynical
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Question 17
jamb 1992
This question is based on Literary Principles.
'The morning mist
and chimney smoke
of White City Jabavu
flowed thick yellow
as pus oozing
from a gigantic sore'
'An Abandoned Bundle' by Oswald M. Mtsha 'i
The simile above gives rise to
Aa graphic description
Ban abstract presentation
Ca philosophical statement
Dgraffitti
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Question 18
jamb 1992

This question is based on Literary Principles.
'''Yet lunchtime ''
Without thinking of what of what he was saying
the man tapped out, 'Not food'.
Insu Siding answered, 'Plenty here''.
And a conversation had begun.
''Lucky''.
''Come. Transfer. Easy''
''Can't.''
''Why?''
''Secret.''
''Familu?''
''Secret''.
The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by A.K. Armah.
This is an example of a dialogue that is

Apitchy
Bwitty
Claconic
Dsimple
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Question 19
jamb 1992
This question is based on General Literary Principles.
'...let the greying day grow
....let the evening horns blow
....let the melting mountains go
....but let the sundown sow''
To Wole with Love' by Atukwei Okai
The use of the words 'melting mountains' is
Ametaphorical
Bsymbolical
Calliterative
Drhythmical
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Question 20
jamb 1992
This question is based on General Literary Principles.
'Whether the nymph shall break Diana's law, Or some frail China jar receive a flaw; Or stain her honour, or her new brocade;.
The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope
The figure of speech used here is
Apathetic fallacy
Bsimilitude
Crepetition
Dzeugma
View Explanation & Discuss
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