JAMB, Literature in English Past Questions and Answers, 1979

JAMB LITERATURE IN ENGLISH, 1979:

1. In Tell Freedom, injustice is symbolized by _____.

1. the author’s life at Elsburg
2. Peter’s friendship with Anne
3. the Indian provision shops
4. the sign: “Reserved for Europeans only”
5. the activities of the street gangs

 

2. Which of these secondary characters stand out from the others in the development of the action in Ozidi?

1. Ofe
2. Azezabife
3. Oguaran
4. Agbogidi
5. Odogu

 

3. Mr. Johnson always buys beautiful things for his wife Bamu because _____.

1. he has plenty of money
2. he loves to see beautiful things on her
3. she demands them from him
4. his friends buys such things for their wives
5. they are always cheap

 

4. The dominant feeling of Leopold Sedar Senghor’s in Memoriam is _____.

1. happiness
2. nostalgia
3. sadness
4. despair
5. hatred

 

5. Exposition in play means _____.

1. the initial unfolding of the necessary background for the play
2. the climax
3. the marriage of the hero and heroine
4. the untangling of the plot
5. the private speech of a character

 

6. A novel can be described as _____.

1. a narration of facts
2. a story
3. a brief description of a concept or point of view
4. an extended prose narrative covering a wide range of characters and experience
5. a narrative of an incident

 

7. A good plot must possess _____.

1. many exciting events
2. good and interesting characters
3. a pleasant setting
4. intrigue
5. a single, complete and ordered action

 

8. Pick out the odd one out.

1. Metaphor
2. Characterization
3. Personification
4. Rhythm
5. Simile

 

9. Events in the Concubine are dominated by _____.

1. Ihuoma
2. Emenike
3. the sea god
4. supernatural elements
5. Ekwueme

 

10. The most quarrelsome character in Romeo and Juliet is _____.

1. Benvolio
2. Tybalt
3. Pans
4. Mercutio
5. Juliet’s nurse

 

11. In Come Away, My Love Kariuki deals with the problems of _____.

1. love in the abstract
2. reflections on shop windows
3. the music of the plano
4. love between people of different races
5. the light from the candle

 

12. Although the following statement is not a direct quotation from any of the books, it serves as an aid to identifying characters that appear in the works. Read it carefully and say which character is likely to make it.

How would I have succumbed to the pressures of the corrupt society?

I thought I would be a successful social reformer but now I am as bad as those I criticize.

1. Ihuoma
2. Tom
3. Clara
4. Emenike
5. Obi Okonkwo

 

13. The difference between tragedy and comedy is _____.

1. that tragedy contains soliloquies but comedy does not
2. that comedy contains disguise but tragedy does not
3. that tragedy is imaginative but comedy is not
4. that comedy deals with love but tragedy does not
5. none of the above

 

14. A play is a drama because _____.

1. it contains characters
2. it does not contain any story
3. it cannot be read silently
4. it can be acted on the stage
5. it is written in verse

 

15. The central theme of Shakespeare’s "As You Like it" is _____.

1. wrestling
2. disguise
3. forest life
4. disagreement between brothers
5. the nature of true love

 

16. Which of the following statements is true of Shakespeare’s Macbeth’s?

1. Lady Macbeth is a wicked woman who does not love her husband
2. The Birnam wood actually moved
3. The tragedy of Macbeth is caused by Macbeth’s ambition and some other factors
4. Macbeth is the only cause of his own tragedy
5. The witches have only good news for Macbeth

 

17. One of the following is a mark of good poetry.

1. An interesting story
2. Imaginative use of language
3. Realistic characterization
4. Flashback
5. Audience participation

 

18. In Night of Seine, the word “dark” in “listen to our dark blood beat” is used _____.

1. biologically
2. scientifically
3. figuratively
4. literally
5. sociologically

 

19. “Streamside Exchange” primarily shows JP Clark’s interest in _____.

1. birds
2. children
3. trade
4. rivers
5. destiny

 

20. In “The Call of River Nun”, ‘O incomprehensible God’ expresses the poet’s _____.

1. anger against God
2. horror of God
3. acceptance of God
4. rejection of God
5. inability to understand life

 

21. Kalu Uka’s “Earth to Earth” is about one of the following.

1. Death
2. Urine
3. Flowers
4. Goddess of Earth
5. Love

 

22. Dennis Brutus “A Troubadour I traverse” is one of the following.

1. A poem of resistance against oppression
2. A poem about lost lover
3. A poem about a journey of exploration
4. A poem of satisfaction with one’s society
5. None of the above

 

23. In “The Vultures”, the ‘vultures’ are _____.

1. birds of prey
2. Africa hunters
3. colonial masters
4. vampires
5. sacrificial animals

 

24. In “The Duel”, the line:

And the swords clicked and scrapped, and the onsets sped

1. indicates the depths of their fatigue
2. the loftiness of their hopes
3. the abjectness of their fears
4. the fervor of their prayers
5. the fierceness of the flight

 

Please read questions 25 - 39 here.

Please read questions 40 - 50. Answers are present here.

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