2024 - JAMB Literature Past Questions and Answers - page 1

Wachuk, who is married to Idem, is employed at a printing press located in Mafoluku.

Wole Soyinka's play, The Lion and the Jewel, is a comedic work. It uses humor and clever conversations to examine themes like the conflict between tradition and modern ideas, the expectations placed on men and women, and what it means to belong to a certain culture. Though it tackles serious social issues, the play maintains a light and entertaining tone, and it ends without any tragic outcomes.

The excerpt "But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams" from Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird" suggests:

• The bird is trapped.
• The bird's dreams are dead or unattainable.
• The phrase "stands on the grave of dreams" implies the bird is in a state of mourning or frustration due to the loss of its ability to pursue its dreams.

Therefore, the most appropriate answer is that the caged bird will be frustrated.

The core of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights is built upon two primary conflicts, fueled by strong emotions. At the heart of the story is the overwhelming love between Heathcliff and Catherine, a relationship that dictates the course of events. This all-consuming passion ultimately brings about ruin for both the lovers and the people in their orbit.

John Donne's "The Good Morrow" centrally argues that authentic love is eternal. Unlike other kinds of affection, true love will endure. This theme is evident in the poem's third stanza, where the speaker observes that their love is visible in their eyes: "My face in thine eyes,/ thine in mine appears/ And true plain hearts do in the faces rest."The speaker further describes himself and his beloved as "two hemispheres," suggesting a complete unity. He continues, "whatever dies was not mixed equally;/ if two lovers be one, or, thou and I/ Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die." This emphasizes that their love transcends a simple physical connection; it's a union of souls. This portrayal ultimately conveys the idea that their love is immortal.

In John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger, the protagonist, Jimmy, suffers from a tragic flaw: his intense anger and resentment directed at the world, social hierarchies, and the people in his life. He frequently explodes in rage, and his inability to manage his feelings in a healthy way damages his connections with others, particularly his relationship with Alison.

"The Song of the Women of My Land," a poem by Oumar Farouk Sesay, serves as a formal tribute, or panegyric, to the women of colonial Sierra Leone. This poem specifically acknowledges their accomplishments, highlighting their strength in the face of adversity and the challenging, oppressive circumstances they endured.

Leopold Sedar Senghor's poem "Black Woman" heavily relies on metaphor. He uses comparisons to elements like the earth, the sun, and the divine to portray the black woman's beauty, resilience, and cultural importance. These metaphors are crucial to the poem's core message, which is focused on identity and celebrating African heritage.

Lakunle refuses to pay a bride price for Sidi, as he views the practice as uncivilized. He considers the custom of requiring a bride price before marriage to be "savage, barbaric, [and] outdated" (p. 7), reflecting his disdain for such cultural traditions.

Parallelism, a technique used in literature, involves repeating similar grammatical structures within a passage to create a specific effect. This repetition, like using the phrase "to..." multiple times, as in "to investigate, to conciliate, to hold hearings, to order...", enhances the rhetorical impact of the work and makes it easier for the audience to remember.