Decked with dances by baobabs over balances The above line in Neto's The Grieved Lands is an example of

Analyze the question: The line "Decked with dances by baobabs over balances" asks which sound device is used. Look at the repeated sounds.

Explain the concept:

• Alliteration: repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words (e.g., "Peter Piper picked...").
• Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.
• Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds, usually in the middle or at the end of words.
• Onomatopoeia: words that imitate sounds (buzz, bang, hiss).

Solution: Break the line into words:

• Decked
• dances
• baobabs
• balances (the line has "balances")

Initial sounds: "Decked" and "dances" both begin with /d/, and "baobabs", "by", "balances" all begin with /b/. The "b" sound repeats at the start of "by", "baobabs", and "balances", which is a clear pattern of repeated initial consonants.

This rules out:

• Onomatopoeia: none of the words imitate a sound.
• Assonance: the focus is not on repeated vowel sounds.
• Consonance: the repetition is mainly at the start of words, not in the middle or at the end.

So the device is alliteration.

Tip: For sound devices in JAMB Literature, check the first letter of the words first. If the same consonant sound starts several close words, think alliteration. If the repeated sound is a vowel inside the words, think assonance. If it is a consonant in the middle or at the end, think consonance.