Which of the following helps best to create and sustain interest in a literary work?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which element creates and sustains interest in a literary work. The key words are "create" (grab attention at the start) and "sustain" (keep the reader engaged until the end).

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Plot: The sequence of events in a story. It is the structure of the work, but a plot can exist without being gripping.
• Rhyme: The repetition of similar end sounds in lines of verse. It applies to poetry and is a sound device, not a source of sustained interest.
• Rhythm: The pattern of beats or stresses in verse or prose. It affects musicality, not the reader's curiosity about what happens next.
• Suspense: The state of anxious uncertainty about what will happen next. It makes readers curious, keeps them reading, and creates anticipation from beginning to end.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A (plot): It is essential, but it is the framework. Interest comes from how the plot is handled, and suspense is what makes it compelling.
• B (rhyme): This is limited to poetry and is only a decorative sound effect.
• C (rhythm): Like rhyme, it is a technical device that does not drive interest throughout a work.
• D (suspense): It directly hooks the reader and keeps them engaged by withholding outcomes and building tension.

Step 4: Answer suspense**.

Tip: In Literature questions, match the key verbs to the device. "Create and sustain interest" points to suspense, because it keeps the reader asking "What happens next?" Think of a Nollywood thriller: you stay glued to the screen because of the suspense, not the rhyme.