JAMB 2018 Literature in English · Question 48

The question is based on Bayo Adebowale's LONELY DAYS Widows mourning in Kofi wear garments that are________???

Options

  1. A.White
  2. B.Red
  3. C.Black
  4. D.Green

Answer: C. Black

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The question asks about the colour of the garments widows wear while mourning in Bayo Adebowale's Lonely Days. The novel is set in a Yoruba community, and the protagonist is Yaremi, whose husband, Bamidele, dies.

Concept: In Yoruba tradition, widows observe a mourning period marked by visible signs, such as particular clothing, a restricted lifestyle and an unkempt appearance. Dark clothing is traditionally associated with Yoruba widowhood, and in the novel the widow's mourning dress is specifically described as black. (Note: the question says "Kofi", but in the novel the setting is Ibadan and its surroundings, with the village of Kofi mentioned in the story.) Widows in Lonely Days are expected to wear black or dark garments for the mourning period, and Yaremi is made to do the same.

Solution:

  1. Identify the setting: a Yoruba community in which widowhood rites are strictly observed.
  2. Recall the widowhood rites: the widow stays in mourning, her hair is left unkempt, and she wears dark clothing to show grief.
  3. Check the options: • White: this is not the mourning colour in this account. • Red: this is associated with celebration or danger, not mourning. • Black: this matches the mourning dress described. • Green: this has no mourning significance.

Answer: Black, which is option C.

Tip: For literature questions, link the custom to the theme. Lonely Days is about the hardship and humiliation of widowhood, so think "grief, darkness, black". Also remember that in many cultures, black is the colour of mourning.

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