WAEC 2022 Literature in English · Question 9
Did your read our minds in your lies? exemplifies
Options
- A.personification
- B.oxymoron
- C.pathetic fallacy
- D.rhetorical question
Answer: D. rhetorical question
Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key
Analyze the question: The line is "Did you read our minds in your lies?" You are asked to identify the figure of speech or literary device it shows.
Explain the concept: Look at each option.
- Personification: Gives human qualities to non-human things or ideas. Nothing is personified here, since "you" is a person.
- Oxymoron: Combines two contradictory terms, such as "bitter-sweet" or "deafening silence". There is no such pairing here.
- Pathetic fallacy: Attributes human emotions to nature or the weather, such as "the angry sky". Nature is not mentioned.
- Rhetorical question: A question asked for effect or to make a point, not to get an answer. The speaker already implies the answer, usually accusing, mocking, or emphasizing something.
Show the solution:
- The sentence is phrased as a question ("Did you...?").
- The speaker does not truly expect a reply. They are accusing the listener of reading their thoughts and deceiving them with lies.
- No human traits are given to objects, nature, or abstract ideas, so options A and C are ruled out.
- There is no contradictory word pair, so B is ruled out.
- What remains is a question asked for emphasis, which is a rhetorical question.
Identify the answer: The correct option is D. rhetorical question.
Tip: When a line in a Literature question is written as a question, check whether it needs an answer. If it is asked to make a point or stir emotion, it is almost always a rhetorical question. Also remember that personification needs a non-human thing acting like a human, and pathetic fallacy always involves nature or the weather mirroring emotion.
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