According to Peter's The Panic of Growing Older at twenty a man is

Analyze the question: The question is about Lenrie Peters' poem The Panic of Growing Older. It asks how the poem describes a man at the age of twenty.

Explain the concept: The poem is about the passage of time and the anxiety that comes with ageing. It sets the stages of life against each other:

• Youth (around twenty): a time of energy, promise and looking forward to the future.
• Later years: a time of regret, fear, and the sense that time is slipping away. This is the "panic" of the title.

Solve step by step:

1. Poor is not a theme here. The poem is not about money.
2. Religious is not the focus either. The poem is about time, not faith.
3. Frustrated fits the later, anxious stages of life better than youth.
4. Hopeful matches the picture of twenty as the start of life, full of expectation and promise. The panic only sets in as the years pass.

I'm working from memory of the poem's overall theme rather than a line-by-line check.

Correct answer: C. hopeful

Exam tip: In poetry questions about ageing, youth is usually linked with hope, energy and promise. Middle and old age are linked with regret, fear and reflection. Also remember the poet's full name, Lenrie Peters, because JAMB often asks about the author as well.