All 50 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Literature in English 2010 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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A short introductory speech delivered as part of a play is called
Prologue is a piece of writing or an introductory speech at the beginning of a work of art. It could be a short play before the main play, or a poem introducing a collection of poems, and pre-informs readers about the themes in the main literary work.
The limerick
A limerick is always light and humorous. It is a humorous poem of five lines, where the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other, giving a rhyme scheme of aabba.
Unrhymed iambic pentameter lines illustrate a
Lines of unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter are known as blank verse. Free verse, by contrast, does not follow any fixed metrical pattern or rhyme scheme.
The major distinctive feature of drama is
The major distinctive feature of drama is dialogue - a conversation between two or more characters. Dialogue is central to drama, whereas a monologue is a long speech by one character.
The recurrence of rhythmic pattern of stress in a poem is
Metre is the recurrence of a rhythmic pattern of stress in a poem - in other words, the recurrence of weak and strong syllables.
A poem written in praise of someone or something is
An ode is a poem written in praise of someone or something - it celebrates or addresses an object or phenomenon. Examples include 'Ode to the Nightingale' by John Keats and 'Daffodils' by William Wordsworth.
[Read the poem: 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead / Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell / Give warning to the world that I am fled / from this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell'] The mood of the poet is one of
The mood of the poet is that of melancholy - there is sadness and hopelessness in the poem as the poet describes the world as vile and warns that his death should not be mourned.
[Same poem as above] The poet uses
The poet uses run-on lines - a flow of thought from one line of the poem to the next, with no full stop at the end of each line, so the lines are not end-stopped.
[Same poem as above] The rhyming pattern of the lines is
The rhyme pattern of the lines is abab - attention should be paid to the rhyming words: dead(a), bell(b), fled(a), dwell(b).
"But at my back I always hear Time's winged chariot hurrying near" illustrates
This expression is a metaphor - time is being described/portrayed as a hurrying chariot, meaning that time waits for no man; time is speed.
The central idea of a story or a poem is the
The central idea of a story or poem is its theme - the topics and issues raised in a literary work, such as love, hate, or colonialism.
An emphasis placed on a syllable in pronunciation is
Accent is an emphasis placed on a syllable in pronunciation - in other words, stress on a syllable. A stressed syllable is a strong syllable, while an unstressed syllable is a weak syllable.
The timing and location of a literary work is its
Setting is the timing and location of a literary work. It can say something about the work - a local setting features nature and crude images, while an urban setting features traffic and modern buildings.
The elegy
The elegy has a mournful tone. It is a poem of lamentation, recalling the deeds of the dead and meditating on death - examples include 'Songs of Sorrow' by Kofi Awoonor and 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' by Thomas Gray.
The major genres of Literature are
The major genres of literature are drama, prose and poetry. Drama is written in acts and scenes, prose is written in paragraphs and stanzas, and poetry is written in lines and stanzas.
Pick the odd item out of the options listed.
The Joys of Motherhood, Sons and Daughters and The Last Duty are African literary texts, while A Man for All Seasons is a non-African literary text.
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea / My love as deep" the above lines illustrate
This expression is a hyperbole - there is an element of exaggeration in the expression.
"The strong gongs groaning as the guns born far" illustrates
This expression illustrates onomatopoeia - a figure of speech that uses sounds to make meaning.
Pick the odd item out of the options listed.
Rhythm is the only poetic device (rather than a figure of speech) among the options; euphemism, oxymoron and hyperbole are all figures of speech.
"Poetry gets bored of being alone. It wants to go outdoors to chew on the winds" The dominant figure of speech in the above lines is
Poetry is being personified in this expression. Personification is the attribution of animate/human qualities to inanimate objects.
[Poem] "What a morning! / The sound of guns was everywhere / The city was trapped / I heave a mournful sigh - / Rebels! // Boom Boom Boom! / The heart pants at the sound of the blast. / Lord! When will all this end? / This is the fourth day. // You say you are free / Oh no, you are not / You are trapped / A prisoner in your own home. // The song is everywhere / What next? / Food - water - a hiding place / Far from the sound of the gun." Read the poem and answer questions 21-25. The theme of the poem is
The theme of the poem is war. The atmosphere of the poem is fear and unrest, as the persona recalls the experience of war through familiar words like 'The sound of guns was everywhere' and 'the city was trapped'.
[Poem] "What a morning! / The sound of guns was everywhere / The city was trapped / I heave a mournful sigh - / Rebels! // Boom Boom Boom! / The heart pants at the sound of the blast. / Lord! When will all this end? / This is the fourth day. // You say you are free / Oh no, you are not / You are trapped / A prisoner in your own home. // The song is everywhere / What next? / Food - water - a hiding place / Far from the sound of the gun." Read the poem and answer questions 21-25. "Boom Boom Boom" is an example of
'Boom Boom Boom!' is an example of onomatopoeia - it uses sound to suggest meaning, allowing the reader to infer the gun sound and the atmosphere of war.
[Poem] "What a morning! / The sound of guns was everywhere / The city was trapped / I heave a mournful sigh - / Rebels! // Boom Boom Boom! / The heart pants at the sound of the blast. / Lord! When will all this end? / This is the fourth day. // You say you are free / Oh no, you are not / You are trapped / A prisoner in your own home. // The song is everywhere / What next? / Food - water - a hiding place / Far from the sound of the gun." Read the poem and answer questions 21-25. The atmosphere of the poem implies
The atmosphere of the poem is that of danger and confusion - 'The heart pants at the sound of the blast'; 'the song is everywhere'; people are confused about what comes next.
[Poem] "What a morning! / The sound of guns was everywhere / The city was trapped / I heave a mournful sigh - / Rebels! // Boom Boom Boom! / The heart pants at the sound of the blast. / Lord! When will all this end? / This is the fourth day. // You say you are free / Oh no, you are not / You are trapped / A prisoner in your own home. // The song is everywhere / What next? / Food - water - a hiding place / Far from the sound of the gun." Read the poem and answer questions 21-25. The second stanza refers to the
The second stanza hammers on the uncertainty of life. The persona is confused and asks 'When will all this end?'
[Poem] "What a morning! / The sound of guns was everywhere / The city was trapped / I heave a mournful sigh - / Rebels! // Boom Boom Boom! / The heart pants at the sound of the blast. / Lord! When will all this end? / This is the fourth day. // You say you are free / Oh no, you are not / You are trapped / A prisoner in your own home. // The song is everywhere / What next? / Food - water - a hiding place / Far from the sound of the gun." Read the poem and answer questions 21-25. "The song is everywhere" refers to
'The song is everywhere' refers to anxiety - people are anxious and seized by fear.
[Passage] "Here in the station it is in no way different save that the city is busy in its snow: But the old men cling to their seats as though they were symbolic and could not be given up. Now and then they sleep, their grey old heads resting with painful awkwardness on the backs of the benches. Also, they are not at rest, for an hour they may sleep in the gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged who have to walk at night. Then a policeman comes by on his rounds and nudges them upright. 'You can't sleep here', he growls. A strange thing then begins. An old man is difficult to wake. One man after a slight lurch, does not move at all, he sleeps on steadily. Once in a while, one of the sleepers will not wake; he will have had his wish to die in the great droning centre of the hive rather than in some lonely room fulfilled." Read the passage and answer questions 26-30. This style of writing is
The style of writing of the passage is expository - the writer exposes the readers to the happenings in his domain (the station).
[Passage] "Here in the station it is in no way different save that the city is busy in its snow: But the old men cling to their seats as though they were symbolic and could not be given up. Now and then they sleep, their grey old heads resting with painful awkwardness on the backs of the benches. Also, they are not at rest, for an hour they may sleep in the gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged who have to walk at night. Then a policeman comes by on his rounds and nudges them upright. 'You can't sleep here', he growls. A strange thing then begins. An old man is difficult to wake. One man after a slight lurch, does not move at all, he sleeps on steadily. Once in a while, one of the sleepers will not wake; he will have had his wish to die in the great droning centre of the hive rather than in some lonely room fulfilled." Read the passage and answer questions 26-30. "...On the backs of the benches" illustrates
This expression illustrates personification - the benches are portrayed as having a human quality ('back').
[Passage] "Here in the station it is in no way different save that the city is busy in its snow: But the old men cling to their seats as though they were symbolic and could not be given up. Now and then they sleep, their grey old heads resting with painful awkwardness on the backs of the benches. Also, they are not at rest, for an hour they may sleep in the gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged who have to walk at night. Then a policeman comes by on his rounds and nudges them upright. 'You can't sleep here', he growls. A strange thing then begins. An old man is difficult to wake. One man after a slight lurch, does not move at all, he sleeps on steadily. Once in a while, one of the sleepers will not wake; he will have had his wish to die in the great droning centre of the hive rather than in some lonely room fulfilled." Read the passage and answer questions 26-30. The passage conveys a mood of
The passage conveys a mood of despair - life for the old men in this passage is one of despair or hopelessness.
[Passage] "Here in the station it is in no way different save that the city is busy in its snow: But the old men cling to their seats as though they were symbolic and could not be given up. Now and then they sleep, their grey old heads resting with painful awkwardness on the backs of the benches. Also, they are not at rest, for an hour they may sleep in the gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged who have to walk at night. Then a policeman comes by on his rounds and nudges them upright. 'You can't sleep here', he growls. A strange thing then begins. An old man is difficult to wake. One man after a slight lurch, does not move at all, he sleeps on steadily. Once in a while, one of the sleepers will not wake; he will have had his wish to die in the great droning centre of the hive rather than in some lonely room fulfilled." Read the passage and answer questions 26-30. "...gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged.." infers
This expression infers tiredness - 'gasping exhaustion' is essentially describing tiredness.
[Passage] "Here in the station it is in no way different save that the city is busy in its snow: But the old men cling to their seats as though they were symbolic and could not be given up. Now and then they sleep, their grey old heads resting with painful awkwardness on the backs of the benches. Also, they are not at rest, for an hour they may sleep in the gasping exhaustion of the ill-nourished and aged who have to walk at night. Then a policeman comes by on his rounds and nudges them upright. 'You can't sleep here', he growls. A strange thing then begins. An old man is difficult to wake. One man after a slight lurch, does not move at all, he sleeps on steadily. Once in a while, one of the sleepers will not wake; he will have had his wish to die in the great droning centre of the hive rather than in some lonely room fulfilled." Read the passage and answer questions 26-30. "droning" and "hive" illustrate
'Droning' and 'hive' in the excerpt are an allusion - a reference to ideas or occurrences with relationships to the issues raised in the literary work (allusions can be socio-political, religious, situational, geographical, classical, etc.).
[Extract, Act 1 Scene Two, Lines 51-57] "Your leave and favour to return to France, / From whence though willingly I came to Denmark, / To show my duty in your coronation, / Yet now, I must confess, hat duty done, / My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France / And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The speaker is
Laertes asks King Claudius for permission to return to France after attending the coronation. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene Two, Lines 51-57] "Your leave and favour to return to France, / From whence though willingly I came to Denmark, / To show my duty in your coronation, / Yet now, I must confess, hat duty done, / My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France / And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The speaker is addressing
Laertes addresses King Claudius, the new King of Denmark, to seek leave to return to France. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene Two, Lines 51-57] "Your leave and favour to return to France, / From whence though willingly I came to Denmark, / To show my duty in your coronation, / Yet now, I must confess, hat duty done, / My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France / And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. "Duty" in the extract refers to
'Duty' refers to Laertes' loyalty in attending the King's coronation before returning to France. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene Two, Lines 51-57] "Your leave and favour to return to France, / From whence though willingly I came to Denmark, / To show my duty in your coronation, / Yet now, I must confess, hat duty done, / My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France / And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The speaker intends to return to
Laertes intends to return to France, having fulfilled his duty of attending the coronation in Denmark. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene Two, Lines 51-57] "Your leave and favour to return to France, / From whence though willingly I came to Denmark, / To show my duty in your coronation, / Yet now, I must confess, hat duty done, / My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France / And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The other character present at the scene is
Polonius, Laertes' father, is present in this court scene (Act 1 Scene 2) alongside King Claudius, Queen Gertrude and Hamlet. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Four, Lines 107-110] "Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to what thy almost blunted purpose / But, look, amazement as thy mother sits: / O, step between her and her fighting soul." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. The speaker is
The Ghost of Hamlet's father appears to Hamlet in the closet scene, urging him to comfort his distressed mother. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Four, Lines 107-110] "Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to what thy almost blunted purpose / But, look, amazement as thy mother sits: / O, step between her and her fighting soul." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. The character being addressed is
The Ghost addresses Hamlet, reminding him of his purpose (revenge) and urging him to comfort Gertrude. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Four, Lines 107-110] "Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to what thy almost blunted purpose / But, look, amazement as thy mother sits: / O, step between her and her fighting soul." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. The speech is made in the
This scene (the 'closet scene') takes place in the Queen's private closet/chamber. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Four, Lines 107-110] "Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to what thy almost blunted purpose / But, look, amazement as thy mother sits: / O, step between her and her fighting soul." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. "blunted purpose" implies
'Blunted purpose' implies Hamlet's inactivity/delay in carrying out his revenge against Claudius. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Four, Lines 107-110] "Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to what thy almost blunted purpose / But, look, amazement as thy mother sits: / O, step between her and her fighting soul." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. "fighting soul" implies
'Fighting soul' implies Gertrude's inner turmoil, driven by her guilty conscience. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene One, Lines 129-139] "If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, / Speak to me: / If there be any good thing to be done, / That may to thee do ease and grace to me, / Speak to me: / If thou art privy to thy country's fate / Which happily, foreknowing may avoid / O, speak! / or if thou have uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, / For which, they say, you spirit walk: in death / Speak of it:" Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The speaker is
In Act 1 Scene 1, it is Horatio who addresses and urges the Ghost to speak. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene One, Lines 129-139] "If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, / Speak to me: / If there be any good thing to be done, / That may to thee do ease and grace to me, / Speak to me: / If thou art privy to thy country's fate / Which happily, foreknowing may avoid / O, speak! / or if thou have uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, / For which, they say, you spirit walk: in death / Speak of it:" Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. Character being addressed is
Horatio addresses the Ghost of the late King Hamlet, urging it to speak. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene One, Lines 129-139] "If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, / Speak to me: / If there be any good thing to be done, / That may to thee do ease and grace to me, / Speak to me: / If thou art privy to thy country's fate / Which happily, foreknowing may avoid / O, speak! / or if thou have uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, / For which, they say, you spirit walk: in death / Speak of it:" Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The speech is made 'after'
This speech follows the appearance of the Ghost on the castle battlements in Act 1 Scene 1. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene One, Lines 129-139] "If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, / Speak to me: / If there be any good thing to be done, / That may to thee do ease and grace to me, / Speak to me: / If thou art privy to thy country's fate / Which happily, foreknowing may avoid / O, speak! / or if thou have uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, / For which, they say, you spirit walk: in death / Speak of it:" Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The speaker's mood is one of
Horatio's mood is one of anxiety, as he is unsettled by the appearance of the Ghost and desperate for answers. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act 1 Scene One, Lines 129-139] "If thou hast any sound, or use of voice, / Speak to me: / If there be any good thing to be done, / That may to thee do ease and grace to me, / Speak to me: / If thou art privy to thy country's fate / Which happily, foreknowing may avoid / O, speak! / or if thou have uphoarded in thy life / Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, / For which, they say, you spirit walk: in death / Speak of it:" Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. During the speech,
During this scene, the cock crows, and the Ghost begins to vanish, as ghosts were traditionally said to depart at dawn/cockcrow. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene One, Lines 1-4] "And can you, by no drift of circumstance / Get from him why he puts on this confusion, / Grating so harshly all his days of quiet / With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The speaker is
King Claudius asks this question of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act 2 Scene 2, regarding Hamlet's strange behaviour. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene One, Lines 1-4] "And can you, by no drift of circumstance / Get from him why he puts on this confusion, / Grating so harshly all his days of quiet / With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The character being discussed is
The character being discussed is Hamlet, whose apparent madness concerns Claudius. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene One, Lines 1-4] "And can you, by no drift of circumstance / Get from him why he puts on this confusion, / Grating so harshly all his days of quiet / With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The characters being addressed are
Claudius addresses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom he has summoned to find out the cause of Hamlet's behaviour. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene One, Lines 1-4] "And can you, by no drift of circumstance / Get from him why he puts on this confusion, / Grating so harshly all his days of quiet / With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The response given to this speech indicates that the attempt was
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report that their attempt to draw out the true cause of Hamlet's behaviour was unsuccessful. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene One, Lines 1-4] "And can you, by no drift of circumstance / Get from him why he puts on this confusion, / Grating so harshly all his days of quiet / With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The enquiry is about
The enquiry throughout this scene concerns Hamlet and the cause of his strange, troubled behaviour. (Note: per the source's own notice, the WAEC syllabus changed the year this paper was set, and only the General Literary Principles/Appreciation questions [1-30] had official published answers; this Hamlet section [31-50] answer and explanation are derived from the play's text itself.)
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