All 50 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Literature in English 2018 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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The main character in a play or novel is the
The protagonist is the leading/main character in a literary work, around whom the story centres.
A dramatic performance with only bodily movements and no speech is a
Mime is a dramatic performance/form in which actions, body movements and gestures (without speech) communicate the message.
Before a play is performed, it is
A play undergoes rehearsal (practice sessions) before it is performed for an audience.
A play that moves the audience to pity and fear is a
Tragedy is meant to provoke pity and fear, teaching the audience through the hero's downfall.
A sonnet has a final couplet when it has a
A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains followed by a final rhyming couplet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG).
'He is my most beloved enemy' illustrates
Oxymoron is the juxtaposition of contradictory terms ('beloved' and 'enemy') for effect.
The cast appears at the end of a play for the
The curtain call is when the cast appears at the end of a performance to receive the audience's applause.
Diction is a writer's choice of
Diction refers to a writer's choice of words/vocabulary/register.
A poem which celebrates simple country life is a
A pastoral poem celebrates simple, idyllic rural/country life, as in the eclogue tradition.
Read the lines: 'Oh spite! Oh hell! I see you are all bent To set against me for your merriment' and answer this question. The lines illustrated a
Apostrophe is a figure of speech addressing an absent or invisible entity as if present; the persona addresses 'hell' directly.
Hamartia, in a literary work, refers to
Hamartia refers to the mistake or flaw in a tragic hero's character that leads to his downfall.
Read the line: 'Who lied in the chapel? Now lies in the Abbey' and answer this question. The dominant device used is a
This is a pun, playing on the two meanings of 'lie' (to tell an untruth, and to lie/rest in a place).
A short play performed during the pause between the acts of a longer play is
An interlude is a short piece of entertainment performed during a break/pause in a longer performance.
'Weeping pillow' illustrates
Pathetic fallacy is the attribution of human characteristics/emotions to nature or an inanimate object, here a pillow 'weeping'.
Read the extract: 'But the towering earth was tired of sitting in one position. She moved suddenly and the houses crumbled, the mountains heaved horribly, and the work of a million years was lost.' The predominant figure of speech in the extract is
The earth is personified as being 'tired' and moving deliberately, giving it human qualities.
The extract above (the earthquake passage) is about
The description of crumbling houses and heaving mountains from tectonic movement depicts an earthquake.
The effect of the extract is conveyed through the use of
The extract builds to a peak of destruction, conveyed through climax (the final devastation: 'the work of a million years was lost').
'Beware her faintly failing frail health and gentle gallants around her speed' illustrates
The repetition of consonant sounds ('faintly failing frail') is alliteration.
The eight-line part of a Petrarchan sonnet is the
The octave is the first eight-line section of a Petrarchan sonnet, presenting the topic/problem.
'The metrical beat in "The splendour falls on castle walls" is a(n)
The stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables ('SPLENdour falls on CASTle walls') is dactylic.
The expression 'door hugged the couple' illustrates
Giving the inanimate 'door' the human action of 'hugging' is personification.
The narrative technique used is a
Stream of consciousness is a narrative device that x-rays the omniscient thoughts of a character continuously.
'How would he explain it to himself?' exemplifies a
This is a rhetorical question — posed for effect, not requiring a literal answer.
The writer's attitude towards James is one of
The writer shows sympathy, sharing/understanding James' feelings, by x-raying them for the reader.
The setting is a
The setting of the extract is a modern hotel, where the couple were welcomed by a receptionist.
Read the poem beginning 'Poison ivy came up like a rose in red and thorny garb...' and answer this question. The mood of the persona is one of
The poem ends on a note of despondency, with the persona's dream remaining a 'locked-up serenade'.
The theme of the poem is a
The poem is about a persona's unrequited love; her love (the ivy) is not reciprocated.
The envy of the persona's friends is expressed in the
The persona's friends' envy is expressed through the words 'green and frosty eyes'.
Line 2 (of the poem) is in
Line 2 ('in red /and thor/ny garb') is in iambic trimeter — an iamb repeated three times in the line.
The last line illustrates
The comparison of 'my dream' to 'a locked-up serenade' is a metaphor.
Read the extract from Othello (Act 1, Scene Two, lines 29-34) and answer this question. Just before this, Iago advises Othello to
Just before this extract, Iago has advised Othello to go inside, as Brabantio has ordered his arrest.
'By Janus' is a
'By Janus' is a classical allusion, referencing the Roman god Janus.
The news Othello receives is that he must
Othello is summoned to appear before the Duke and council over the crucial matter of the Turkish threat.
The Duke is in council that night because of
The Duke summons the council that night because of the threat of the Turkish fleet.
Later on, Brabantio accuses Othello of
Brabantio accuses Othello of stealing (bewitching/eloping with) his daughter, Desdemona.
Read the extract (Act 1, Scene Three, lines 198-201) beginning 'Let me speak like yourself and lay a sentence...' The speaker is
The Duke is speaking, offering wise advice to calm Brabantio's anger regarding Othello.
He is responding to
The Duke is responding to Brabantio's earlier accusations against Othello.
The setting is a
The setting is the council chamber, where the senate meets to discuss important matters of state.
These lovers refer to
'These lovers' refers to Othello and Desdemona, whose union is the topic of discussion.
The expression 'lay a sentence' means
'Lay a sentence' means to give advice — the Duke craves Brabantio's indulgence to offer some advice.
Read the extract (Othello: 'Why, how now, ho? From when ariseth this?...') and answer this question. Othello is brought to the scene because
The ringing of a bell (an alarm) brings Othello to the scene of the brawl.
The underlined expression refers to the
The expression refers to the storm's intervention, since the war itself was fought by nature rather than by Othello's army.
In 'Who began this?' this refers to
'This' refers to the brawl — the public uproar caused by the fight between Roderigo and Cassio.
To Othello, Iago is a
Othello sees Iago as an honest and sincere man who can give him a true account of what happened.
The major consequence of the brawl is that
The major consequence is that Cassio is dismissed from his position as Othello's lieutenant.
Read the extract (Act IV, Scene Two, lines 12-19) beginning 'I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest...' and answer this question. The speaker is
Emilia is the speaker, defending Desdemona's honesty to Othello.
The speaker is addressing
Emilia is addressing Othello directly, defending Desdemona's chastity.
The speech is in response to Othello's
Emilia's speech responds to Othello's suspicion (planted by Iago) that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.
The line 'Remove your thought. It doth abuse your bosom' is best paraphrased as
Emilia tells Othello that entertaining such a suspicious thought demeans him.
The character being spoken of is described as
The character (Desdemona) is described as virtuous, though Othello has wrongly been led to doubt her.
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