2019 JAMB Literature in English Past Questions & Answers

Question 1

The voice of reason in the 'Harvest of Corruption' is exemplified in the character of___________

Accepted Answer

B. Ogeyi

Answer

A. Ochuole

Answer

C. Madam Hoha

Answer

D. Aloho

Question 2

A transferred epithet is popularly known as a/an ........

Accepted Answer

C. Hypallage

Answer

A. Epistrophe

Answer

B. Ellipsis

Answer

D. Hendiady

Question 3

A poem is said to be good if it________

Accepted Answer

C. is difficult to understand

Answer

A. has elevated style

Answer

B. has rhyme and reason

Answer

D. has a regular rhythm

Question 4

The dominant mood in Tennyson's Crossing the Bar is that of___________

Accepted Answer

A. Acceptance

Answer

B. Anxiety

Answer

C. Uncertainty

Answer

D. Readiness

Question 5

... may be said to be a critical subject of concern in Blake's "School Boy"

Accepted Answer

D. academic development

Answer

A. adventurism

Answer

B. futility of life and time

Answer

C. moral rectitude

Question 6

The literary device used in line 1 is ________

Accepted Answer

A. Simile

Answer

B. Alliteration

Answer

C. Litotes

Answer

D. Personification

Question 7

A struggle between opposing forces in a story/play is________

Accepted Answer

B. Conflict

Answer

A. Denouement

Answer

C. Comedy

Answer

D. Tragedy

Question 8

"A time to sow, A time to reap, A time to born, A time to die" This exemplies the use of ...

Accepted Answer

C. anaphora

Answer

A. anadiplosis

Answer

B. chiasmus

Answer

D. hendiadys

Question 9

Fatalism is crucial element in_________

Accepted Answer

C. tragedy

Answer

A. melodrama

Answer

B. tragi-comedy

Answer

D. comedy

Question 10

The run-on lines convey the speaker's_______

Accepted Answer

A. lamentation

Answer

B. disappointment

Answer

C. defiance

Answer

D. indignation

Question 11

Consequent upon the act in the excerpt, ...

Accepted Answer

D. Othello changed from being the hero to a villain

Answer

A. Desdemona reconfessed her love for Othello

Answer

B. Othello became Iago's sworn enemy

Answer

C. Iago successfully executed Othello

Question 12

Chief Ade Amaka portrays_______

Accepted Answer

A. betrayal of public trust

Answer

B. fraud and misfortune

Answer

C. lust and deceitfulness

Answer

D. the evils of capitalism

Question 13

A dramatic type directed against an individual or a private institute with the intent to severely ridicule is called_________

Accepted Answer

D. lampoon

Answer

A. satire

Answer

B. burlesque

Answer

C. caricature

Question 14

'The dun dun of a drum' is an example of an__________

Accepted Answer

B. onomatopoeia

Answer

A. euphemism

Answer

C. assonance

Answer

D. oxymoron

Question 15

The mood of Diop's 'Vanity' is__________

Accepted Answer

D. concern

Answer

A. expressed through rhetorical questions

Answer

B. condemnation

Answer

C. expressed through the use of innuendos

Question 16

... a didactic poem, especially such with animals as characters may be distinctively described as a/an_________

Accepted Answer

D. apologue

Answer

A. Romance

Answer

B. gothic poem

Answer

C. limerick

Question 17

'A trouble shared is a trouble halved' illustrates the use of______

Accepted Answer

B. Cliche

Answer

A. Paradox

Answer

C. Pun

Answer

D. Metaphor

Question 18

In Lenrie's 'The Panic of Growing Older', another significant theme therein is on the___________

Accepted Answer

B. uncertainties of life

Answer

A. fear of natural disasters

Answer

C. futility of war

Answer

D. essence of mankind and nature

Question 19

'They are as fearsome as they are fearless' is an example of______

Accepted Answer

A. antithesis

Answer

B. pun

Answer

C. oxymoron

Answer

D. simile

Question 20

What incident ignited the excerpt above?

Accepted Answer

A. the taking of a vow of revenge

Answer

B. Othello's rage about Desdemona's betrayal

Answer

C. Iago's conspiracy with Brabantio to kill Othello

Answer

D. Desdemona and Emilia's discussion on the lost handkerchief

Question 21

One of the following is not significant to Morris' "The Proud King"

Accepted Answer

B. allusion

Answer

A. didacticism

Answer

C. parable

Answer

D. allegory

Question 22

A poem of 14 lines is known as__________

Accepted Answer

A. sonnet

Answer

B. octave

Answer

C. sestet

Answer

D. quatrain

Question 23

The most dominant poetic device used in Okara's 'Panio and Drums' is_______

Accepted Answer

B. Symbolism

Answer

A. Metaphor

Answer

C. Pathetic Fallacy

Answer

D. Analogy

Question 24

In Herbert's "The Pulley", God's supremacy is exemplified through______

Accepted Answer

A. His withholding of the gift of rest

Answer

B. the insatiable nature of man's needs

Answer

C. His unending love for mankind

Answer

D. His blessings of man with many gifts

Question 25

A novel written in form of a letter is said to be_______

Accepted Answer

C. epistolary

Answer

A. gothic

Answer

B. biographical

Answer

D. autobiographical

Question 26

Adeoti's "Ambush" ends on a note of___________

Accepted Answer

D. uncertainty

Answer

A. despair

Answer

B. bright aspirations

Answer

C. courage

Question 27

The metaphorical significance of Frank Ogodo's 'Harvest of Corruption' is seen in the theme of_____________

Accepted Answer

C. retribution

Answer

A. corruption

Answer

B. unemployment

Answer

D. betrayal of public trust

Question 28

'poisonous pleasure of wine' illustrates the use of_______

Accepted Answer

C. oxymoron

Answer

A. antithesis

Answer

B. metaphor

Answer

D. synecdoche

Question 29

The literary device used in line 6 is an example of______

Accepted Answer

D. Hyperbole

Answer

A. Synecdoche

Answer

B. Irony

Answer

C. Paradox

Question 30

The setting of Shakespeare's Othello is____________

Accepted Answer

B. Venice

Answer

A. Verona

Answer

C. the Faroe Islands

Answer

D. Bulgaria

Question 31

Amma Darko's "Faceless" ended with________

Accepted Answer

D. an inclination of indecisiveness

Answer

A. an inclination of tragi-comedy

Answer

B. an epilogue narrating how Baby T's spirit revenged her death

Answer

C. an epilogue narrating how Fofo started her early childhood

Question 32

The mood of the poet is one of________

Accepted Answer

A. loneliness

Answer

B. hopelessness

Answer

C. happiness

Answer

D. recklessness

Question 33

Which one of the following does not relate to the tone in Diop's Vanity?

Accepted Answer

C. Rejuvenation

Answer

A. Sarcasm

Answer

B. Condemnation

Answer

D. Concern

Question 34

The narrative technique adopted in Bayo Adebowale's Lonely Days is that of_________

Accepted Answer

C. an omniscient narrator

Answer

A. a second person narrator

Answer

B. a first person narrator

Answer

D. none

Question 35

There is a predominance of words associated with________

Accepted Answer

B. nature

Answer

A. governance

Answer

C. nurture

Answer

D. celebration

Question 36

Asides being a satire, Ogodo's "Harvest of Corruption" may also be regarded as a________

Accepted Answer

C. tragedy

Answer

A. parody

Answer

B. travelogue

Answer

D. tragicomedy

Question 37

... is the illustration which serves to persuasively sustain the interest of the readers in a literary piece

Accepted Answer

D. suspense

Answer

A. storyline

Answer

B. narrative hook

Answer

C. plot

Question 38

Adeoti's Ambush may be best described as____________

Accepted Answer

D. Metaphorical

Answer

A. Prosaic

Answer

B. Lyrical

Answer

C. Analogical

Question 39

The literary term for conflict in literature is_________

Accepted Answer

A. Agon

Answer

B. Hubris

Answer

C. Hamartia

Answer

D. Anaphora

Question 40

Awonoor's 'The Anvil and the Hammer' is best described as a/an___________

Accepted Answer

A. free verse

Answer

B. blank verse

Answer

C. ode

Answer

D. apologue

Question 41

'The earth has stopped breathing and sighed' illustrates__________

Accepted Answer

D. personification

Answer

A. bathos

Answer

B. paradox

Answer

C. climax

Question 42

Okara's reminiscence in the "Piano and Drums" as to how he walks to the farm with no shoes, marching thorns and dangerous leafs, and still finds this enjoyable creates a feeling of___________

Accepted Answer

A. nostalgia

Answer

B. neglect of African culture for civilized styles

Answer

C. clash of culture

Answer

D. confusion

Question 43

The second stanza of Awonoor's Anvil and the Hammer ________

Accepted Answer

C. offers solution to the conflict between African traditions and westernisation

Answer

A. deals with the conflict between African traditions and westernisation

Answer

B. deals with the disregard for African tradition

Answer

D. advocates for a radical change in the perception of Africans about their culture

Question 44

The characterisation of Othello maybe pointed out in that__________

Accepted Answer

C. although he is a cultural outsider in Venice, his military skills are valuable to the State

Answer

A. he remains at a distance from much of the action that concerns and affects him at the beginning

Answer

B. he refuses to appoint Iago as the Lieutenant

Answer

D. Iago sees him as an enemy

Question 45

When a writer deviates from the chronological arrangement of events in a literary piece, he uses ...

Accepted Answer

B. Anachrony

Answer

A. Anadiplosis

Answer

C. Chrestomathy

Answer

D. Anagnorisis

Question 46

Which one of the following is most influential to the substance of Hallowell's "The Dinning Table"?

Accepted Answer

D. the setting of the poem

Answer

A. the structure of the poem

Answer

B. the atmosphere of the poem

Answer

C. the poetic style

Question 47

"You can call me a rebel, but I need a job. That's what matters to me." The repercussion of this statement by Aloho is a pointer to the theme ____

Accepted Answer

D. Of Retributive Justice

Answer

A. Of Corruption

Answer

B. That patience is a virtue

Answer

C. On Unemployment

Question 48

The atmosphere of a poem has to do with_________

Accepted Answer

C. Tone and Mood

Answer

A. Time and Place

Answer

B. Rhythm and Rhyme

Answer

D. Versification and Lineation

Question 49

What basically distinguishes literature from other disciplines is its________

Accepted Answer

A. use of creative imagination

Answer

B. exposition of human experiences

Answer

C. communication of ideas

Answer

D. portrayal of places

Question 50

The art of using persuasive words in literary works is known as_______

Accepted Answer

A. Rhetoric

Answer

B. Dilemma

Answer

C. Parody

Answer

D. Paronomasia

Question 51

Blake's 'The School Boy' advocates for____________

Accepted Answer

B. the liberty of the child to explore nature and life without restraints

Answer

A. a fine balancing between work and pleasure for a child's development

Answer

C. the promotion of the culture of excellence in a child's academic endavour

Answer

D. a proper disciplinary culture for the training of a child

Question 52

_____ is used to describe the predetermination of a future event in a literary piece

Accepted Answer

B. Prolepsis

Answer

A. Analepsis

Answer

C. Interlude

Answer

D. Fatalism

Question 53

The withdrawal of rest from man according to George Herbert in 'The Pulley' is particularly because_____

Accepted Answer

D. of the space for God's worship

Answer

A. man by nature has the tendencies to be lazy

Answer

B. of the need for human survival

Answer

C. God wants man to feel less of himself

Question 54

_______ is used to describe the situation where a character recognize his mistake

Accepted Answer

D. Anagnorisis

Answer

A. Tragic flaw

Answer

B. Hubris

Answer

C. Denouement

Question 55

The theme that runs through Hallowell's Dining Table is that of________

Accepted Answer

A. Conflict

Answer

B. Brutality

Answer

C. Poverty

Answer

D. Loneliness

Question 56

The mood of the writer is that of _____?

Accepted Answer

C. Sorrow

Answer

A. Elation

Answer

B. Sarcasm

Answer

D. Anxiety

Question 57

In literary criticism, a casual reference to a figure or an event is regarded as a/an_______

Accepted Answer

D. allusion

Answer

A. personification

Answer

B. metonymy

Answer

C. metaphor

Question 58

An overused expression is a/an _________

Accepted Answer

A. Cliche

Answer

B. Cacophony

Answer

C. Epigram

Answer

D. Archetype

Question 59

________is used to describe the 'god of inspiration' in literature

Accepted Answer

A. Muse

Answer

B. Premiere

Answer

C. Mood

Answer

D. Deux Ex Machina

Question 60

A significant literary device employed by Morris in 'The Proud King' is that of________

Accepted Answer

B. Nemesis

Answer

A. Suspense

Answer

C. Agon

Answer

D. Interlude

Question 61

The bar in Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar" is a symbol for the___________

Accepted Answer

C. boundary between life and death

Answer

A. presence of God's and his guiding force

Answer

B. world

Answer

D. grave

Question 62

A character whose action or qualities serve to heighten those of the hero through contrast is__________

Accepted Answer

B. a foil

Answer

A. an antagonist

Answer

C. an adversary

Answer

D. a protagonist

Question 63

A short poem that expresses an idea in a clever way is called _____

Accepted Answer

A. An Epigram

Answer

B. A Limerick

Answer

C. An Ode

Answer

D. A Lyric

Question 64

Bayo Adebowale portrayed Yaremi as resilient, self reliant and strong willed particularly to__________

Accepted Answer

C. condemn male chauvinism

Answer

A. rebuke African superstitious beliefs

Answer

B. represent the image of African traditionalism

Answer

D. demonstrate the plight of widowhood

2019 JAMB Literature in English Past Questions

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