All 50 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Literature in English 2011 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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The protagonist is the
The protagonist can be as well the hero or heroine of a literary work - the leading character in a literary work.
As chapter is to prose, so ___ is to poetry.
Poetry is divided into stanzas, just as prose is divided into chapters. Stanzas include: one-line stanza, couplet (two lines), triplet (three lines), quatrain (four lines), and so on up to an octave (eight lines); a group of stanzas longer than an octave forms a canto.
Verbal irony occurs when a speaker on stage
Verbal irony implies the opposite of what is said. For example, saying 'They are brilliant but they always fail' uses verbal irony.
A humorous scene in a play intended to ease tension is a
Comic relief is a humorous scene used to ease tension in a tragic play. It is also known as catharsis (purgation of emotion); clowns, fools and buffoons are often employed.
A dead metaphor is one that is
A dead metaphor is one that is overused and ineffective - also known as a cliché.
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep" is an example of
This expression is a hyperbole - an overstatement in which an idea is exaggerated, as in 'My bounty is as boundless as the sea.'
"Through the trees I'll hear a single ringing sound, a cowbell jingle." The underlined words 'single' and 'jingle' illustrate
The underlined words 'single' and 'jingle' illustrate internal rhyme, since there is rhyme within the same line of the expression.
A literary work is a satire when it
Satire is a literary piece used to mock or ridicule a society or practice, humourously criticizing it in order to improve a situation. It combines irony, humour and sarcasm.
Foreshadowing is a device used to
Foreshadowing is a device used to prepare the reader for the direction a plot will take - it can be a forecast or prediction, achieved by a clairvoyant character or as a statement of prophecy.
A mountain of fufu was placed before the hungry visitors. The device used above is
'A mountain of fufu' is a hyperbole - an overstatement in which an idea is exaggerated.
The pattern of beats to denote movement in poetry is
Metre is the recurrence of a rhythmic pattern of stress in a poem - the recurrence of weak and strong syllables. Types include monometer, dimeter, trimetre, tetrametre, pentameter and hexameter.
[Extract: 'Here lies our sovereign Lord the King / Whose word no man relies on / Who never said a foolish thing / And never did a wise one.'] The extract is an example of a/an
Epigram is a short, witty, concise and often paradoxical remark or saying, usually satirical with a witty ending - this extract exemplifies epigram.
[Same extract as above] The tone of the extract is one of
The tone of the extract is sarcastic. Sarcasm combines irony and humour, both of which are inherent in the excerpt.
A poem whose shape resembles the object described is a/an
A poem whose shape resembles the object described is an emblematic poem. Some poems are written in certain forms to portray what they describe, such as a wobbly poem titled 'The Wanderer.'
The omniscient narrator is
The omniscient narrator is all-knowing. In omniscient narrative point of view, the author is all-knowing and there is use of third person pronoun; the narrator also x-rays the thoughts of characters and explains a series of occurrences.
Which of the following does not define a character?
A character is defined by what he/she does, says, and what other characters say about him/her. The appearance of a character does not define a character - it can differ from something formed by his or her appearance.
A bard is a
A bard can also be called a poet. A bard is a poet of national repute, who is often called upon for national purposes.
A literary work that vividly portrays life can be described as
A literary work that vividly portrays life can be described as realistic - realistic literary work portrays reality that is obtainable within one's immediate environment or in the world at large.
Which of the following is not a type of play?
Tragedy, comedy and tragi-comedy are types of drama. Tragic flaw is a weakness in a character which the external forces act upon to bring about their downfall - it is not a type of play.
The attitude of an author towards the subject matter is
Tone is the attitude of the author towards the subject matter. Tone reveals the writer's mind towards the subject matter, and can be sarcastic, iconoclastic, derisive, serious, angry, protesting, cynical, pessimistic or optimistic.
[Passage] "Each profession, intellectual or manual, deserves consideration, whether it requires painful physical effort, wide knowledge or the patience of an ant. Ours, like that of the doctor, does not allow for any mistake. You don't joke with life, and life is both body and mind. To warp a soul is as much a sacrilege as murder. Teachers - at kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated. An army forever on the move, forever vigilant, an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms. This army, thwarting traps and snares, everywhere plants the flag of knowledge and morality." Read the passage and answer questions 21-25. The writer's mood in the excerpt is that of
The writer's mood in the excerpt is frustration. The writer laments the maltreatment of teachers, whose profession is being marginalized - they are 'never praised, never decorated.'
[Passage] "Each profession, intellectual or manual, deserves consideration, whether it requires painful physical effort, wide knowledge or the patience of an ant. Ours, like that of the doctor, does not allow for any mistake. You don't joke with life, and life is both body and mind. To warp a soul is as much a sacrilege as murder. Teachers - at kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated. An army forever on the move, forever vigilant, an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms. This army, thwarting traps and snares, everywhere plants the flag of knowledge and morality." Read the passage and answer questions 21-25. The writer of the passage is a
The writer of the passage is a teacher, writing from that perspective and attesting to being a teacher in the expression 'Teachers - at Kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated.'
[Passage] "Each profession, intellectual or manual, deserves consideration, whether it requires painful physical effort, wide knowledge or the patience of an ant. Ours, like that of the doctor, does not allow for any mistake. You don't joke with life, and life is both body and mind. To warp a soul is as much a sacrilege as murder. Teachers - at kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated. An army forever on the move, forever vigilant, an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms. This army, thwarting traps and snares, everywhere plants the flag of knowledge and morality." Read the passage and answer questions 21-25. The dominant image in the passage is that of
The dominant image in the passage is that of education. The writer is a teacher who holds the opinion that teachers educate the mind.
[Passage] "Each profession, intellectual or manual, deserves consideration, whether it requires painful physical effort, wide knowledge or the patience of an ant. Ours, like that of the doctor, does not allow for any mistake. You don't joke with life, and life is both body and mind. To warp a soul is as much a sacrilege as murder. Teachers - at kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated. An army forever on the move, forever vigilant, an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms. This army, thwarting traps and snares, everywhere plants the flag of knowledge and morality." Read the passage and answer questions 21-25. The underlined expression ('An army forever on the move, forever vigilant: an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms') illustrates
There is use of parallelism in the expression 'An army forever on the move, forever vigilant...' The first phrase 'an army forever on the move, forever vigilant' parallels the phrase 'an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms' - both expressions have the same syntactic structure.
[Passage] "Each profession, intellectual or manual, deserves consideration, whether it requires painful physical effort, wide knowledge or the patience of an ant. Ours, like that of the doctor, does not allow for any mistake. You don't joke with life, and life is both body and mind. To warp a soul is as much a sacrilege as murder. Teachers - at kindergarten level, as at university level - form a noble army accomplishing daily feats, never praised, never decorated. An army forever on the move, forever vigilant, an army without drums, without gleaming uniforms. This army, thwarting traps and snares, everywhere plants the flag of knowledge and morality." Read the passage and answer questions 21-25. "The flag of knowledge and morality" illustrates
The expression 'the flag of knowledge and morality' illustrates metaphor.
[Poem] "Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot / Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone / For faults which our destiny / Has blossomed into crimes / There my cursed father once stood / And shouted to us, his children / To come back from our play / To our evening meal and sleep." Read the poem and answer questions 26-30. The mood of the poem is that of
The mood of the poem is nostalgic - a sentimental recollection, a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness and longing when recalling a person, place or event from the past. In this poem the poet recalls the past in the expression 'Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot...'; the mood of nostalgia pervades the poem.
[Poem] "Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot / Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone / For faults which our destiny / Has blossomed into crimes / There my cursed father once stood / And shouted to us, his children / To come back from our play / To our evening meal and sleep." Read the poem and answer questions 26-30. The sheep was led to the slaughter
The sheep was led to the slaughter as a sacrifice to their gods. This is evident in lines three and four of the poem: 'Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone...'
[Poem] "Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot / Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone / For faults which our destiny / Has blossomed into crimes / There my cursed father once stood / And shouted to us, his children / To come back from our play / To our evening meal and sleep." Read the poem and answer questions 26-30. "To appease the gods..." implies
'To appease the gods' implies seeking the favour of the gods. This is evident in lines five and six of the poem: '...and atone for faults which our destiny has blossomed into crimes.'
[Poem] "Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot / Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone / For faults which our destiny / Has blossomed into crimes / There my cursed father once stood / And shouted to us, his children / To come back from our play / To our evening meal and sleep." Read the poem and answer questions 26-30. The underlined expression ('The crumbling wall marks the spot') means that
The underlined expression means that their building is no longer where it used to be - the crumbling wall only marks the spot where the ancestral home once stood.
[Poem] "Here stood our ancestral home / The crumbling wall marks the spot / Here a sheep was led to the slaughter / To appease the gods and atone / For faults which our destiny / Has blossomed into crimes / There my cursed father once stood / And shouted to us, his children / To come back from our play / To our evening meal and sleep." Read the poem and answer questions 26-30. The image used in line six ('Has blossomed into crimes') is taken from
The image used in line six is taken from flowers - flowers blossom, and this imagery is applied to how the faults 'blossomed' into crimes.
[Extract, Act II Scene Two, lines 132-140] "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. / Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That, if I then had waked after long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, / I cried to dream again." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The speaker is
This is Caliban's famous speech to Stephano and Trinculo describing the wonders of the island. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Two, lines 132-140] "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. / Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That, if I then had waked after long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, / I cried to dream again." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The character addressed is
Caliban speaks these lines to reassure Stephano (and Trinculo), telling them not to be afraid of the island's noises. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Two, lines 132-140] "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. / Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That, if I then had waked after long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, / I cried to dream again." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. The speaker is a
Caliban is repeatedly described in the play as a 'savage and deformed slave.' (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Two, lines 132-140] "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. / Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That, if I then had waked after long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, / I cried to dream again." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. What are 'noises' in the extract?
The 'sounds and sweet airs' and 'twangling instruments' referred to as noises are the magical music of the isle. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act II Scene Two, lines 132-140] "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. / Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments / Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, / That, if I then had waked after long sleep, / Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming, / The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, / I cried to dream again." Read the extract and answer questions 31-35. Another character present is
This speech occurs in a scene where Caliban is together with Stephano and Trinculo. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Three, lines 44-49] "Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys, / Who would believe that there were mountaineers / Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em / Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men / Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find / Each putter-out of five for one will / Bring us Good warrant of." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. The speaker is
This speech, recalling old travellers' tales of fantastical creatures, is spoken by the old counsellor Gonzalo. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Three, lines 44-49] "Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys, / Who would believe that there were mountaineers / Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em / Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men / Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find / Each putter-out of five for one will / Bring us Good warrant of." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. The character addressed is
Gonzalo addresses this reassurance to King Alonso as they wait to see the magical banquet Prospero has prepared. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Three, lines 44-49] "Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys, / Who would believe that there were mountaineers / Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em / Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men / Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find / Each putter-out of five for one will / Bring us Good warrant of." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. In the extract a ___ is laid before them.
This scene precedes the appearance of a magical banquet, laid before the shipwrecked lords by Prospero's spirits. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Three, lines 44-49] "Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys, / Who would believe that there were mountaineers / Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em / Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men / Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find / Each putter-out of five for one will / Bring us Good warrant of." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. "Dew-lapped like bulls" refers to
The description 'dew-lapped like bulls' refers to the fantastical mountaineers Gonzalo describes. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Three, lines 44-49] "Faith, sir, you need not fear. When we were boys, / Who would believe that there were mountaineers / Dew-lapped like bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em / Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men / Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find / Each putter-out of five for one will / Bring us Good warrant of." Read the extract and answer questions 36-40. What happens to the spirits?
The spirits, having presented and then removed the banquet at Prospero's command, vanish from the scene. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act IV Scene One, lines 86-91] "Tell me, heavenly bow, / If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, / Do not attend the queen? Since they did plot / The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, / Her and her blind boy's scandal led company / I have forsworn." Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The speaker is
This speech is delivered by the goddess Ceres in the wedding masque Prospero conjures for Ferdinand and Miranda. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act IV Scene One, lines 86-91] "Tell me, heavenly bow, / If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, / Do not attend the queen? Since they did plot / The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, / Her and her blind boy's scandal led company / I have forsworn." Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The character addressed is
Ceres addresses Iris, the messenger goddess represented by the rainbow ('heavenly bow'), asking about Venus and Cupid. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act IV Scene One, lines 86-91] "Tell me, heavenly bow, / If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, / Do not attend the queen? Since they did plot / The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, / Her and her blind boy's scandal led company / I have forsworn." Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The purpose of the gathering is to
The masque of goddesses (Iris, Ceres, Juno) is performed by Prospero's spirits to celebrate and bless the betrothal of Ferdinand and Miranda. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act IV Scene One, lines 86-91] "Tell me, heavenly bow, / If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, / Do not attend the queen? Since they did plot / The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, / Her and her blind boy's scandal led company / I have forsworn." Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The speaker is a
Ceres, like the other figures in the masque, is a spirit conjured by Prospero's magic. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act IV Scene One, lines 86-91] "Tell me, heavenly bow, / If Venus or her son, as thou dost know, / Do not attend the queen? Since they did plot / The means that dusky Dis my daughter got, / Her and her blind boy's scandal led company / I have forsworn." Read the extract and answer questions 41-45. The 'heavenly bow' refers to
Iris, goddess of the rainbow, is addressed as the 'heavenly bow' in this extract. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Two, lines 441-445] "...The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / If now't were fit to do't. At the first sight / They have changed eyes. Delicate Ariel, / I'll set thee free for this!" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. What does "they have changed eyes" mean?
'They have changed eyes' means Ferdinand and Miranda exchanged looks and fell in love at first sight. Options B-D were cut off in the source scan and could not be transcribed.
[Extract, Act I Scene Two, lines 441-445] "...The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / If now't were fit to do't. At the first sight / They have changed eyes. Delicate Ariel, / I'll set thee free for this!" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The speaker is
Prospero speaks this aside while watching Ferdinand and Miranda meet, before turning to address Ariel. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Two, lines 441-445] "...The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / If now't were fit to do't. At the first sight / They have changed eyes. Delicate Ariel, / I'll set thee free for this!" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. "Thee" in line two refers to
In line two ('And his more braver daughter could control thee'), Prospero is speaking about Ferdinand being controlled/charmed by Miranda's beauty. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Two, lines 441-445] "...The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / If now't were fit to do't. At the first sight / They have changed eyes. Delicate Ariel, / I'll set thee free for this!" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. "They" in the extract refers to
'They' refers to Ferdinand and Miranda, who have fallen in love at first sight ("they have changed eyes"). (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
[Extract, Act I Scene Two, lines 441-445] "...The Duke of Milan / And his more braver daughter could control thee / If now't were fit to do't. At the first sight / They have changed eyes. Delicate Ariel, / I'll set thee free for this!" Read the extract and answer questions 46-50. The character addressed
Much of this speech is delivered by Prospero as an aside to himself, reflecting on what he observes, before he turns to address Ariel directly. (Note: the official WAEC answer key for this Tempest section was not present in the source scan; the answer and explanation below are derived from the text of the play itself.)
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