This question is from the novel The Last Days at Forcados High school. In chapter two, after the national…

Analyzing the question: This is a literature-in-English (JAMB recommended text) question on The Last Days at Forcados High School by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. It asks who gave the brief welcome talk in chapter two, after the national anthem and assembly prayers.

Recalling the text: Chapter two opens with the school assembly at Forcados High School. The national anthem is sung and prayers are said. Afterward, the school's head, the principal, steps forward and gives a short welcome address to the students and staff at the start of the term. In school assemblies, the welcome and opening remarks are traditionally the principal's role. The other options are not the figures who lead the assembly in this way:

• Seyi Lawal is a student character in the story, not an assembly speaker.
• Jimi is a student and not responsible for addressing the school.
• Mrs Solade is a teacher and is not the one who gives the welcome in this scene.
• The principal is the head of the school and delivers the formal welcome.

Caveat: I am working from my memory of the novel's structure and the usual assembly setup, not from the exact text of the page.

Answer: D. The principal

Exam tip: For literature-text questions, think about each character's role in the setting. In a school scene, formal welcomes and addresses usually come from the highest authority present, the principal. Also, reread the opening chapters of your set text before the exam, because JAMB often asks about early scenes and who said or did what.