2022 - JAMB Literature Past Questions and Answers - page 1
One of the following writers is better known as a playwright than as a novelist
C. Achebe
C. Ekwensi
W. Soyinka
J.P Clark
Option C is the correct answer.
Wole Soyinka is better known as a playwright than a novelist. He has written many popular plays and has worked as an actor and in theatres in Nigeria and abroad.
The plot of a novel is best described as
the bare outline of the story arranged in logical order
the story in all its details
the story grossly elaborated
a summary of the story
Option D is the correct answer.
The plot of a novel summarizes the events, conflicts, and resolution of the story, giving an overall understanding of what happened.
A narrative poem must
preach a sermon
tell a story
describe natural scenery
argue a question
Option B is the correct answer.
A narrative poem is a type of poetry that focuses on telling a story through verse, using elements such as plot, character, setting, and theme to convey a message or share a story.
Literature is studied as a subject at school because
it exposes students to the realities of life
it provides entertainment
it merely gives additional work to students
it teaches the use of words
Option A is the correct answer.
Literature is studied in school to help students understand and analyze human experiences, emotions, and perspectives, and to develop critical thinking skills by exploring various themes and messages found in literature.
In The Flight to Australia', the following line occurs: 'Tier upon tier it towered, the terrible Apennines'. The figure of speech used in this line is known as
alliteration
litotes
exaggeration
parody
Option A is the correct answer.
The figure of speech used in the line is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect.
If we describe Kossoh Town Boy as an autobiography, we mean that it is
a historical novel
a piece of writing telling us about the Life of its author
a short story
a narrative tale
Option B is the correct answer.
An autobiography is a self-written account of a person's life, covering their experiences, thoughts, feelings, and events that have shaped their life.
Kossoh Town Boy is a piece of writing that tells us the life of the author. And this makes it an autobiography.
You cannot know
And should not bother
Tide and market come and go
And so shall your mother
In this verse the poet uses
alternate rhymes
monomyme
couplets
triplets
Option A is the correct answer.
In this verse, the poet uses alternate rhyme. Rhyme is the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. In this case, the poet is using rhyme to create a musical quality in the verse and to reinforce the idea being conveyed. The rhyme scheme in this verse could be described as "ABAB."
The Comstocks belonged to the most dismal of all classes, the middle-middle class, the landless gentry. In their miserable poverty, they had not even the snobbish consolation of regarding themselves as an "old" family fallen on evil days. The writer's tone is _______
melancholic
matter-of-fact
bitterly humourous
sympathethic
Option D is the correct answer.
The writer's tone in the above excerpt is sympathetic. He recalls the difficulties the people are going through and sympathizes with them in his writing.
Another shoal of cars swam past.
One, in particular, caught his eyes, a long slender thing,
elegant as a swallow, all gleaming blue and silver;
a thousand guineas it would have cos, he thought.
In the first sentence, cars are described in terms of
birds
ants
fish
lampposts
Option C is the correct answer.
In the first sentence, cars are compared to fish using a metaphor. The verb "swam" creates an image of movement, conveying the fluidity of the cars as they drive past. This use of language enlivens the description, adding depth and interest.
Pick out the odd item
a Raisin in the Sun
Twelfth Night
Ozidi
The Concubine
Option D is the correct answer.
A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry. Twelfth Night is a play by William Shakespeare. Ozidi is also a play by J.P Clark. The Concubine is a novel by Elechi Amadi.
So, The Concubine is the odd item in the list.