All 50 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Literature in English 2021 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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1. Something a character says on stage that is meant for the audience alone is
An aside is a statement made by a character to the audience, outside the knowledge of the other characters on stage — since it's not meant for other characters, they pretend to be ignorant of what is being said about them.
2. A pause within a line of poetry is a
A caesura is a pause or cessation within a line of a poem.
3. A recurring idea, image, or a group of images that unifies a work of literature is
A motif is a recurring theme, idea, image, or group of images that unifies a work of literature.
4. 'When you are old and grey and full of sleep.' The rhythmic pattern of the above line is
The line follows an unstressed-stressed pattern throughout ('When you/ are old/ and grey/ and full/ of sleep'), which is iambic.
5. An inscription on a tombstone is an
An epitaph is an inscription found on a tombstone, commemorating the dead.
6. A three-line stanza, rhymed ABA, BCD, CDC is a
Terza rima is a rhyming verse form of Italian origin consisting of three-line, eleven-syllable tercets, with the middle line of one verse rhyming with the first and third lines of the next (ABA, BCB, CDC...).
7. The chorus normally features prominently in
The chorus — a group of performers who speak, sing, or dance together, usually to comment on the action — is a feature especially prominent in drama.
8. A story which explains a natural phenomenon or justifies the beliefs of a society is
A myth is a traditional story, often about heroes or supernatural beings, that explains natural phenomena or justifies the customs and beliefs of a society.
9. Read the extract below and answer questions 9 to 11: 'What happened to a dream deferred? Does it dry up / Like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore / And then run? / Does it stink like a rotten meat?' The dominant literary device is
The passage poses a series of unanswered questions ('Does it dry up...?', 'Does it stink...?') without expecting a direct reply — the dominant device is the rhetorical question.
10. 'Does it stink like rotten meat?' makes use of the sense of
This expression appeals to the olfactory sense (smell), a form of imagery.
11. The mood of the poem is one of
The mood conveyed through the poem's uncertain, questioning language is one of doubt.
12. A short play performed in the pause between the acts of a longer play is
An interlude is a short play, piece of music, or other entertainment performed in a break during a longer performance.
13. The most intense part of a conflict is the
The climax is the most intense, peak point of the conflict in a plot.
14. 'I feel a million times better than I felt yesterday' is
This is an exaggerated, overstated expression of feeling — a hyperbole.
15. Identify the odd item:
Third person narrative, first person narrative, and epistolary technique are all narrative techniques used in prose; 'literary appreciation' is a general critical/analytical term, not a narrative technique — making it the odd one out.
16. A dramatist is someone who ________ plays.
A dramatist (also called a playwright) is a person who writes plays.
17. Nando's family lives within the lower income bracket illustrates
Describing a family as living 'within the lower income bracket' is a mild/polite way of saying they are poor — a euphemism.
18. A dramatic performance without words is
Mime is dramatic performance that uses gestures and body movement (without words) to communicate meaning.
19. Utopia is a term used to describe
Utopia describes an ideal, perfect society or state, a term first popularised by Sir Thomas More's book of that name.
20. The lawyer addressed the bench illustrates
'The bench' is used to represent the judges/court — a figure of speech (metonymy) where something associated with a concept stands in for it.
21. Read the passage below and answer questions 21 to 25. [When he was little, he would ask his mother sometimes...] The dominant feeling in the passage is that of
The passage recalls the character's past childhood experiences, evoking a sentimental recollection of the past — nostalgia.
22. The feeling is conveyed by the
The tender, caring way the mother would stroke his hair and lull him to sleep conveys the nostalgic feeling of the passage.
23. The dominant literary device in the passage is
The passage repeats sentence structures beginning with 'why', 'or why', and 'and' — a repetition of structure known as parallelism.
24. '...and he rushed at them, scattering them as some shrieked and laughed' illustrates
'Shrieked' and 'laughed' are examples of onomatopoeia — words that imitate the sound they describe.
25. The main character is
The boy's constant 'why' questions about others' actions show he is curious/inquisitive about the reasons behind people's behaviour.
26. Read the poem below and answer questions 26 to 30. [We wear the mask that grins and lies...] The poem is about
The poem centres on people putting on false appearances (the 'mask') to hide their true feelings.
27. The poet's tone is
The poet's tone takes the form of a prayer/supplication, as seen in the lines 'We smile, but O great God, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise'.
28. The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is
The first stanza of the poem follows the rhyme scheme aabbc.
29. The dominant mood of the poem is one of
Expressions like 'torn and bleeding hearts', 'tortured souls', and the overall theme of hidden suffering convey a mood of sadness.
30. 'We wear the mask that grins and lies' illustrates
Attributing human qualities of grinning and lying to the inanimate object 'mask' is personification.
31. SECTION B — WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read the extract and answer questions 31 to 35: 'X: You do impeach my modesty too much...' Speaker X is
Speaker X in this extract (addressing 'Y' about virtue and privilege) is Demetrius.
32. Speaker Y is
Speaker Y, responding to Demetrius about her privilege as his lover, is Helena.
33. Speaker X sees Speaker Y
Demetrius sees Helena, who once had his love, as a past lover — he no longer loves her, and she pursues him regardless.
34. Both speakers are in woods
Demetrius is in the woods to pursue Hermia and thwart her elopement with Lysander, while Helena is in the woods to pursue Demetrius — different reasons.
35. Night evolves in the speakers'
Demetrius and Helena describe night very differently — he sees it as dangerous, she sees it as no more dangerous than the daytime given her devotion — contrasting feelings.
36. Read the extract below and answer questions 36 to 40: 'But, masters, here are our parts, and I am to entreat you, request you...' The speaker is
The speaker organizing the rehearsal and distributing parts to the actors is Quince, the carpenter and leader of the acting troupe.
37. The speaker is addressing
Quince is addressing the actors (Bottom, Flute, Starveling, Snout, and others) as they prepare to rehearse the play.
38. They intend to rehearse the play,
The troupe intends to rehearse the play-within-the-play, Pyramus and Thisby, for Theseus's wedding celebration.
39. The rehearsal is in preparation for
The rehearsal is being prepared in anticipation of performing before Theseus and Hippolyta at their wedding celebration.
40. The main actors will be
Quince (as leader who delivers the prologue) and Bottom (playing Pyramus) are the main actors leading the performance.
41. Read the extract below and answer questions 41 to 45: 'X: I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again...' Speaker X is
Speaker X, enchanted and pleading with 'gentle mortal' Bottom to sing, is Titania, under the influence of the love potion.
42. Speaker X has just escaped from
Titania has just woken from an induced magical sleep, caused by the love-potion flower squeezed on her eyes by Puck, immediately falling in love with Bottom.
43. Speaker Y is
Speaker Y, whom Titania addresses affectionately (with an ass's head placed on him by Puck), is Bottom.
44. Speaker Y is a member of
Bottom is a weaver and member of the group of actors (Quince's troupe) rehearsing Pyramus and Thisby.
45. Speaker X's speech can be described as
Titania's speech, doting on an ass-headed Bottom while forgetting her status as Fairy Queen, is a satirical caricature of her own foolishness under the spell.
46. Read the extract below and answer questions 46 to 50: 'If we offend, it is with our good will...' The speaker is
The speaker delivering this prologue before the play-within-the-play is Quince.
47. The speaker is part of the
This speech is part of the prologue delivered by Quince before the main play (Pyramus and Thisby) is presented to Theseus, Hippolyta, and the rest.
48. The speaker is involved in putting on
Quince is involved in putting on a skit — a short comic performance — as shown in this prologue.
49. The occasion is
The occasion is the celebration of the royal marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta, at whose wedding banquet the play-within-the-play is performed.
50. The speech is
Quince's prologue, delivered with clumsy phrasing and unintended humour, is comic in effect.
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