All 51 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Literature in English 2025 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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The dominant theme of an epic is
Heroism is a dominant theme in epic. An epic is a long narrative poem detailing the life of a hero or heroine whose life is intertwined with that of the people.
The cat attempted to kill the mouse by stepping on my mouse is an example of
A pun is a play on words that show multiple meanings of a term, or sounds similar to another word, typically used to create humour.
In a literary work, the speaker's attitude towards the subject is inferred from the
Tone refers to the attitude or emotional tone conveyed through language; it reflects the speaker's or writer's feelings or intentions (sarcastic, cynical, pessimistic, cheerful, melancholy, etc.).
The repetition of vowel sounds in poetry is
Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound in a poetic line, used to achieve musical effects and contribute to the overall meaning of a poem.
The part of the theatre in front of the curtain is the
A proscenium is the arch or frame that separates the stage from the auditorium; it often serves as a visual frame for the performance.
When the kind that murdered the wind rose with a great violence exemplifies
Pathetic fallacy is a literary device that attributes human emotions, thoughts, or intentions to non-human entities, such as objects, animals, or natural phenomena; a form of personification associated with intense human emotion.
Amponsah's residence is the
'Amponsah's residence' is the setting - the location of action in a literary work. In drama, setting is shown through stage direction and description (mise-en-scene); it is the physical location and time of action in a play.
Kwaku and Adwoa are --------- in the extract.
Kwaku and Adwoa are characters in the extract - persons and personalities in a literary work, defined by their traits and role in the story.
'I wonder why the man doesn't drop dead' from the given extract is a
This is a soliloquy - a speech made by a character to himself or herself on stage. 'Muttering to herself' justifies this. A soliloquy means thinking aloud, e.g. Hamlet's 'To Be or Not to Be'.
'Muttering to herself' shows
'Muttering to herself' is stage direction, an important key to understanding a drama text or play when reading, pointing the reader to the actions of characters on stage.
A character who serves as a contrast to another character in a literary work is known as the
A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character in a literary work, used to create conflict, emphasize themes, or develop characters.
'The weather is not unpleasant' illustrates
Litotes is a rhetorical device that uses an understatement or a double negative to convey a meaning that is opposite of, or contrary to, what the words literally say, often for emphasis, irony or humour.
A collection of literary works which are widely accepted is considered as a
A canon is a collection of works which are widely accepted. In literature, canon refers to the body of works, characters, or stories that are considered authentic or official within a particular genre or era.
The speaker in the extract 'I walk into a room / Just as cool as you please...'
It is evident from the extract that the speaker exudes self confidence, found in the expression 'I walk into a room / Just as cool as you please, / And to a man, / The fellows stand or / Fall down on their knees.'
'Just as cool as you please' illustrates
'Just as cool as you please' illustrates simile - an indirect expression that compares two entities, persons or more, using the word 'like' or 'as'.
'The fellows stand or / Fall down on their knees' exemplify
The expression illustrates contrast - a literary device in which two or more contrasting ideas are juxtaposed to achieve a poetic or rhetorical effect ('stand' contrasts with 'fall down').
Chapter is to prose as -------- is to poetry
Chapter is to prose as stanza is to poetry. While prose is written in chapters, poetry is written in stanzas, which are further sub-divided into lines.
The lines exemplify (apostrophe passage - 'Oh Peter, why? Why have you left so soon?...')
The lines exemplify rhetorical apostrophe - an address to an absent entity, a dead person, or an inanimate phenomenon, e.g. 'Oh Peter, why? Why have you left so soon? For now, we love you.'
The extract ('My eyes will rest a while...') evokes the feeling of
The extract evokes the feeling of sorrow, which finds explanation in the successive rhetorical questions used throughout the extract.
'The sea eats the land at home' illustrates
This illustrates personification - a figure of speech in which animate qualities are attributed to inanimate objects or phenomena; here, 'eat' is an animate action given to the inanimate 'sea'.
The tone of the passage ('Our lives are miserable, laborious and short...') shows that the narrator is
The tone of the passage shows that the narrator is angry, having strong feelings and dislikes about something considered very unfair.
'To work to the last atom of our strength' illustrates
Hyperbole is a rhetorical device that involves an exaggeration used for emphasis, effect, or to make a point; it is used to convey strong emotions.
'Why then do we continue in these miserable conditions?' Is
A rhetorical question is a question asked not to elicit a direct response but to make a point, create an effect, or encourage the audience to think about the topic.
The narrator's speaking voice is
The word 'colloquial' refers to language or expressions that are informal and conversational. The narrator is in conversation with other characters although not graphically represented but inferred.
'Remove man from the scene and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever' evokes the feelings of
This expression evokes the feeling of spite. 'Spite' refers to a feeling of ill will, resentment, or malice towards someone or something, often manifesting in behaviour intended to hurt or annoy.
The poem ('I know not, my Alberta / When again on your brightness of smile / My eyes will rest a while') is best described as a
A lyric is a poem that expresses a man's natural feelings and emotions. Most poems fall into this category except sonnet and epic, which are distinguished by their length.
The intense emotion in the given poem is one of
The intense emotion in the given poem is one of desire - the poem is about the persona's longing or desire for his lover (Alberta), as evident in the first line of the poem.
'My eyes will rest awhile / My ears will drink' illustrates
Parallelism is a group of sentences with similar structure, also known as syntax. The two lines have the same subject/verb structure and start with the subjects (my eyes/my ears) and end with the predicate (will rest/will drink).
The poem is dominated by images associated with
The poem is dominated by images associated with sight (visual imagery), e.g. 'When again on your brightness of smile', 'Silver moonshine/early tonight or late/weather fine', 'Awake in bed/dreaming'.
'I'll dreaming, hold and fondle the delusions / Of your velvety texture's mirage' are ------- in tone
The lines are pessimistic in tone. The expression shows the persona's hopelessness towards meeting his expectation; the words 'delusions' and 'mirage' portray this tone.
The speaker and the addressee in the given lines ('I am, my Lord, as well derived as he...') are
The speaker and the addressee are Lysander and Theseus. Lysander is Hermia's lover and fellow Athenian. Theseus is the Duke of Athens; Lysander defends his right to Hermia in the extract.
The 'he' in the expression 'I am, my Lord, as well derived as he' refers to
The 'he' refers to Demetrius, a statesman and fellow Athenian, who is Lysander's rival over Hermia.
The setting of the extract is
The setting of the extract is Athens, at Theseus's palace in Athens.
In the speech, the speaker is
In the speech, the speaker (Lysander) is defending his right to marry Hermia, expressed in the lines 'I am, my Lord, as well derived as he... If not with vantage.'
Nedar's daughter as used in the extract is
'Nedar's daughter' is Helena. Helena loves Demetrius but he, on the contrary, prefers Hermia.
The speaker in the extract 'What thou seest when thou dost wake...' is
The speaker is Oberon, the king of the fairies in the play. He controls Puck, his errant, and the entire wood and fairies in it; he is more powerful than Titania as demonstrated in his ability to hypnotize her.
The speaker is in the act of
Oberon is in the act of pouring the love potion into Titania's eyes: the potion which will make her fall in love with whatever she sees first when she wakes.
The speaker is motivated by
The speaker (Oberon) is motivated by the desire to punish Titania. Titania has refused to release the changeling boy from India whose mother was Titania's votaress before she died, so Oberon punishes her for this refusal.
The action of the speaker is directed at
The action of the speaker is directed at Titania, the queen of the fairies, who has refused to release the changeling boy Oberon wants as his errant.
The speaker and the addressee are
The speaker and addressee are lovers. Oberon is the king of the fairies while Titania is the queen of the fairies; both of them are lovers.
The speaker in 'Out, dog! cur! Thou drivest me past the bounds of maiden's patience...' is
The speaker is Hermia, Lysander's lover and the bone of contention between Lysander and Demetrius.
The addressee is
The addressee is Demetrius. Hermia does not love Demetrius; on the contrary, Demetrius is loved by Helena, whom he hates.
The character supposedly slain is
Hermia thinks Lysander has been slain, so she accuses Demetrius of killing him.
'Thou serpent, never adder stung' illustrates
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which there is a direct comparison between two or more entities without the use of 'like' or 'as'. In the extract, Hermia compares Demetrius to a serpent.
The speaker accuses the addressee of
The speaker (Hermia) accuses the addressee (Demetrius) of killing Lysander, found in the expression 'Hast thou slain him, then?'
Quince acts as
Quince acts as Prologue in the extract. This is the prologue that precedes the Lamentable Comedy of Pyramus and Thisby which Peter Quince and his fellow men have been rehearsing since the beginning of the play.
Who speaks after Quince's speech
Theseus speaks after Quince's speech. The playlet is to grace the occasion of Theseus' wedding with Hippolyta.
Pyramus is acted by
Pyramus is acted by Bottom, one of the leading actors in the playlet. Bottom is always restless and this makes him fall prey to Puck's spell, which makes him lose his role for a while.
'This man with lime and rough-cast ......' is
The expression 'This man with lime and rough-cast' refers to Snout, who is to act the Wall.
This man, with lantern, dog and bush thorn Presenteth Moonshine is
The man in reference is the actor playing Moonshine.
2025 — WAEC LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH (OBJECTIVE) — END
2025 — WAEC LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH (OBJECTIVE) — END
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