Which of these is the oldest genre of literature?

Analyze the question: It asks which literary genre is the oldest. The three main genres are poetry, prose, and drama. ("Aroma" in option C is not a genre. It is most likely a misprint of "Drama", and option D is already Drama.)

Explain the concept:

• Poetry is the oldest form. Early societies used rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and chant to pass down stories, religious rites, laws, and history by word of mouth. Rhythm and verse made them easy to memorize before writing existed. Examples include the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and African oral praise poetry and dirges such as Yoruba oriki and Igbo akwa ozu.
• Drama grew out of ritual, song, and dance, for example in Greek festivals honoring Dionysus. It is also ancient, but it developed later than poetry.
• Prose came later in written form, as writing spread and narratives were recorded in ordinary language. The novel is a much more recent development.

Solution:

1. Option C (Aroma) is not a literary genre, so we eliminate it.
2. Prose, as a developed written form, came after oral verse.
3. Drama came from ritual and chanted poetry.
4. Poetry, in oral verse form, is the earliest.

Answer: A. Poetry.

Exam tip: For "oldest genre" questions, remember P-D-P: Poetry first, then Drama, then Prose (the novel is the youngest). Also watch out for misprinted options like "Aroma". Just eliminate them and focus on the real genres.