A folk-tale is a__________?

1. Analyze the question The question asks which category a folk-tale belongs to. You need to know what a folk-tale is and how it differs from the other forms listed.

2. Explain the concept A folk-tale is a traditional story passed down orally from generation to generation within a community. Its characters and events are imaginary. Common examples are Tortoise (Ijapa) stories among the Yoruba, and tales told by moonlight in many Nigerian communities. Such stories usually teach a moral lesson, explain customs, or entertain.

Because the events are invented rather than factual, a folk-tale is a form of fiction.

3. Work through the options

• A. Novel: This is a long, written prose narrative with complex plots and developed characters. A folk-tale is short and oral in origin, so this does not fit.
• B. Work of fiction: This is a general category for imaginative, made-up stories. A folk-tale is imaginative narrative, so it fits.
• C. Biography: This is an account of a real person's life written by someone else. Folk-tales are not factual life accounts, so this is wrong.
• D. Novelette: This is a short novel, which is still a written, extended prose form. A folk-tale is not defined this way.

4. Answer A folk-tale is a work of fiction, which is option B.

5. Exam tip When a question asks what a literary form "is", look for the broadest correct category. Specific forms like novel and novelette have length and structure requirements, and biography needs real facts. "Work of fiction" is the only option that covers any imaginative story, including a short oral one.