This question is based on Abubakar Gimba's Witnesses to Tears. In the novel, Al-Amin's initial reservations…

Analyze the question

The word "dormed" looks like a typo. The most likely intended word is "formed" or "informed", so the question reads: Al-Amin's initial reservations about his daughter's engagement to Lahab are formed by... It is asking what made Al-Amin hesitate about the match.

Explain the concept

In Witnesses to Tears, Gimba is concerned with moral decay, integrity and the corrupting pull of wealth and status in modern Nigerian society. Al-Amin is a father with traditional values, so he would judge a suitor by his character first.

Work through the options

• A. A premonition of his death: Nothing in the theme or plot ties his doubts about the engagement to this.
• B. Lahab's doubtful morality: A conscientious father would hesitate over a suitor whose character is questionable. This fits both the theme and Al-Amin's role.
• C. Hussaina's immaturity: This would be a doubt about his daughter, not about Lahab, and the question focuses on the engagement to Lahab.
• D. His fear of loneliness: This is a personal worry and does not fit the moral focus of the novel.

Answer: B.

I can't quote the exact passage from memory, so this rests on the novel's themes and on the question's logic. If your text or class notes say otherwise, trust the text.

Exam tip: For Gimba's novels, think "morality, integrity and corruption". When a question asks why a character has reservations about someone, the answer is usually about that person's character, not the character's own private fears.