This question is based on William Shakespeare's Othello. The handkerchief that Othello inherits from his mother is made by

Analyze the question: It asks who made the handkerchief that Othello inherited from his mother. This is the famous "strawberry-spotted" handkerchief, which is central to the plot of Othello.

Explain the concept: In Act 3, Scene 4, Othello describes the handkerchief to Desdemona. He tells her it was given to his mother by an Egyptian charmer, a woman who could read people's thoughts. She said that as long as the mother kept it, she would be loved and her husband would stay devoted to her. If she lost it or gave it away, her husband would turn from her.

Othello then says:

> "A sibyl, that had numbered in the world > The sun to course two hundred compasses, > In her prophetic fury sewed the work."

A sibyl is a female prophet. She was over 200 years old, and she sewed the handkerchief in a prophetic frenzy. The silk was made from sacred silkworms, and the cloth was dyed in a liquid taken from the hearts of maidens (mummy).

Step-by-step solution:

1. The handkerchief came from Othello's mother, so she did not make it. This rules out C.
2. Desdemona's maid, Emilia, only picks up the handkerchief after Desdemona drops it. She did not make it. This rules out B.
3. Othello's lover would be Desdemona, who received the handkerchief as a gift. She did not make it either. This rules out D.
4. The handkerchief was sewn by a sibyl, a female prophet. This matches A.

Answer: A. a female prophet

Tip: Link the handkerchief with the word "sibyl" (female prophet), and remember it has magic in it. For JAMB Literature, remember key objects and who they are linked to: the handkerchief is linked to the sibyl, Emilia, Iago, Cassio and Desdemona.