This article, JAMB Literature In English Questions and Answers 2024 has been carefully designed to offer special assistance to all the candidates of the 2024–2025 UTME Examination. In case you are one of those who are preparing for this examination and you have come in contact with this information, then you should count yourself lucky one. In this article, I am going to be showing everything that you are expected to know for you to score above 300 in the forthcoming JAMB examination.
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JAMB Literature Questions and Answers
The following are JAMB Literature in English Past Questions and Answers:
1. …….. is known to be a type of poem that may be sung and which embodies a tale.
- A. sentimental poem
- B. sonorous poetry
- C. musical interlude
- D. a ballad E. satire
ANSWER: D (a Ballard)
2. Poetry is actually distinguished from prose fiction in that it uses …
- A. puns and persona
- B. injects emotion and sentiment
- C. does not have a hero
- D. rhyme and meter
- E. stanza
ANSWER: D (rhyme and meter)
3. When a story is told at one level but has its true meaning at another level it is called
- A. a horror story
- B. a confusing story
- C. an epic
- D. an allegorical story
- E. theme
ANSWER: D (allegorical story)
4. When an unrelated incident is inserted in a work of literature it is known as…
- A. a dream sequence
- B. a flashback
- B. a digression
- D. a masque
- E. a prologue
ANSWER: C (digression)
5. The first eight lines of a sonnet are called……
- A. a couplet
- B. an octave
- C. a quatrain
- D. a sestet
- E. a set
5. But from this earth, this grave, this dust, my God shall raise me up, ‘I trust!. The underlined are examples of
- A. assonance
- B. paradox
- C. repetition
- D. rhyme
- E. sarcasm
6. The specie of conflict exemplified in the Native Son is that of_______
A man against society
B man against nature
C man against culture
D man against man
Correct Answer: A
7. Amma Darko’s Faceless may be best described as a___________
A Travelogue
B Satire
C Lampoon
D Tragedy
Correct Answer: B
8. “You can call me a rebel, but I need a job. That’s what matters to me.” The repercussion of this statement by Aloho is a pointer to the theme ____
A. Of Corruption
B That patience is a virtue
C On Unemployment
D Of Retributive Justice
Correct Answer: B
9. A short poem that expresses an idea in a clever way is called _____
A. An Epigram
B A Limerick
C An Ode
D A Lyric
Correct Answer: A
10. Adeoti’s Ambush may be best described as
A Prosaic
B Lyrical
C Analogical
D Metaphorical
Correct Answer: D
11.
“A time to sow,
A time to reap,
A time to born,
A time to die”
This exemplies the use of …
A. anadiplosis
B. chiasmus
C. anaphora
D. hendiadys
Correct Answer: C
12. Asides from being a satire, Ogodo’s “Harvest of Corruption” may also be regarded as a
A. parody
B. travelogue
C. tragedy
D. tragicomedy
Correct Answer: C
13. Chief Ade Amaka portrays
A. betrayal of public trust
B. fraud and misfortune
C. lust and deceitfulness
D. the evils of capitalism
Correct Answer: A
14. ‘poisonous pleasure of wine’ illustrates the use of
A. antithesis
B. metaphor
C. oxymoron
D. synecdoche
Correct Answer: C
15. Fatalism is crucial element in
A. melodrama
B. tragi-comedy
C. tragedy
D. comedy
Correct Answer: C
16. Okara’s reminiscence in the “Piano and Drums” as to how he walks to the farm with no shoes, marching thorns and dangerous leafs, and still finds this enjoyable creates a feeling of
A. nostalgia
B. neglect of African culture for civilized styles
C. clash of culture
D. confusion
Correct Answer: A
17. Analogy is the arrangement of two ideas that are
A. opposite
B. similar
C. symbolic
D. repetitive
Correct Answer: B
18. … a didactic poem, especially such with animals as characters may be distinctively described as a/an
A. Romance
B. gothic poem
C. limerick
D. apologue
Correct Answer: D
19. One of the following is not significant to Morris’ “The Proud King”
A. didacticism
B. allusion
C. parable
D. allegory
Correct Answer: D
20. ‘The dun dun of a drum’ is an example of an
A. euphemism
B. onomatopoeia
C. assonance
D. oxymoron
Correct Answer: B
21. Which one of the following is most influential to the substance of Hallowell’s “The Dinning Table”?
A the structure of the poem
B the atmosphere of the poem
C the poetic style
D the setting of the poem
Correct Answer: D
22. ‘Nightfall! Nightfall!
You are my mortal enemy’
The figurative name for the manner in which Nightfall is directly addressed is
A. allusion
B an ode
C metaphor
D apostrophe
Correct Answer: D
23. The mood of Diop’s ‘Vanity’ is
A. expressed through rhetorical questions
B condemnation
C expressed through the use of innuendos
D concern
Correct Answer: B
24… is the illustration which serves to persuasively sustain the interest of the readers in a literary piece
A storyline
B narrative hook
C plot
D suspense
Correct Answer: A
25. In literary criticism, a casual reference to a figure or an event is regarded as a/an
A personification
B metonymy
C metaphor
D allusion
Correct Answer: B
26. A transferred epithet is popularly known as a/an
A. Epistrophe
B Ellipsis
C Hypallage
D Hendiady
Correct Answer: D
27. A dramatic type directed against an individual or a private institute with the intent to severely ridicule is called
A satire
B burlesque
C caricature
D lampoon
Correct Answer: C
28. A novel written in form of a letter is said to be
A gothic
B biographical
C epistolary
D autobiographical
Correct Answer: D
29. Adeoti’s “Ambush” ends on a note of
A despair
B bright aspirations
C courage
D uncertainty
Correct Answer: A
30
Use excerpt below to answer questions
“Now, by yond marble
heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow
I here enrage my words.” (Shakespeare’s Othello)
That incident ignited the excerpt above.
A. the taking of a vow of revenge
B Othello’s rage about Desdemona’s betrayal
C Lago’s conspiracy with Brabantio to kill Othello
D Desdemona and Emilia’s discussion on the lost handkerchief
Correct Answer: B
31. Richard Wright’s ” Native Son” may be described to a/an
A. parody
B. picaresque
C. bildungsroman
D. travelogue
Correct Answer: C
Use the content below to answer some questions
“Now, by yond marble
heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow
I here enrage my words.” (Shakespeare’s Othello)
32. The prevailing activity in the extract is
A the vow of revenge and pledge of loyalty by Lago to Othello
B evident of the conspiracy between Lago and Othello
C the vow by Lago to revenge upon Othello
D reflective of Othello’s rage
Correct Answer: A
33.
Use excerpt below to answer questions
“Now, by yond marble
heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow
I here enrage my words.” (Shakespeare’s Othello)
Consequent upon the act in the excerpt, …
A Desdemona reconfessed her love for Othello
B Othello became Lago’s sworn enemy
C Lago successfully executed Othello
D Othello changed from being the hero to a villain
Correct Answer: D
34. The bar in Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar” is a symbol for the
A presence of God’s and his guiding force
B world
C boundary between life and death
D grave
Correct Answer: C
35. A story that explains a natural phenomenon is
A parable
B legend
C myth
D fiction
Correct Answer: A
36. … may be said to be a critical subject of concern in Blake’s “School Boy”
A. adventurism
B futility of life and time
C moral rectitude
D academic development
Correct Answer: A
37. Amma Darko’s “Faceless” ended with
A. an inclination of tragi-comedy
B an epilogue narrating how Baby T’s spirit revenged her death
C an epilogue narrating how Fofo started her early childhood
D an inclination of indecisiveness
Correct Answer: B
38. Richard Wright’s ” Native Son” may be described to a/an
A parody
B picaresque
C bildungsroman
D travelogue
Correct Answer: C
39. “The sudden throb of pain” in Lenrie’s ‘The Panic of Growing Old’ signifies the
A negative impacts of aging
B difficulties of life
C youthful age
D uncertainties of life
Correct Answer: A
40. A character whose action or qualities serve to heighten those of the hero through contrast is
A. an antagonist
B a foil
C an adversary
D a protagonist
Correct Answer: B
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More Practice Questions for JAMB Literature In English 2024
The benefit of this section of the article is to give you more clue about the kind of questions that you are going to see in 2024 JAMB examination. If you would be able to master all the questions shown in this section, you are definitely going to do well in the examination.
- A limerick has
- A. ornate style, humour, irony and seven lines
- B. formal and elaborate style and humour
- C. humour,rhyme scheme and five lines
- D. a stinging climax, rhyme scheme, and five lines
2. The process of creating characters and endowing them with certain attitude is ……
- A. Action
- B. Character
- C. Characterization
- D. Dramatis personae
3. This question is based on BAT.
Read the excerpt and answer the question:
“Bat!
Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep, And disgustingly upside down.”
The theme of this excerpt is____
- A. All of the above
- B. the poet’s right to Individual choice
- C. the poet’s admiration of the beauty of nature
- D. the poet’s appalling remarks about the bird
The writing convention in which the events in a narrative are scrambled as they come to the writer’s mind without any attempt to arrange them in orderly sequence is called
- A. psycho-consciousness styles
- B. narrator’s mind style
- C. shifting style
- D. stream of consciousness
5. Using the name of one thing for something else with which it is closely associated in an instance is
- A. paradox
- B. parody
- C. parallelism
- D. metonymy
6. Which of these is the oldest genre of literature?
- A. Aroma
- B. Poetry
- C. Drama
- D. Prose
7. The tragic character is the person whose experiences arouse pity and
- A. sympathy
- B. terror
- C. horror
- D. frustration
8. ‘As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls, to go
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
The breadth goes now, and some say, “No”.’
John Donne: A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
The tone of this poem is generally
- A. conversational
- B. imaginative
- C. serious
- D. appreciative
9
Cast in a play refers to
- A. three of the actors
- B. a few of the actors
- C. an exclusive social class in the play
- D. all the actors
10. A panegyric poem is composed to
- A. condemn
- B. elaborate
- C. abuse
- D. praise
11
Jibunoh was simply a difficult man. He was hated by all his neighbours and deserted by his relations. He was the first and only person to beat a policeman in the entire village. He also had ten cases instituted against him for either stealing or violating the rights of others. He had no regard for deanery or normal conduct. No lover of peace or order could be his friends. It is not surprising that his death elicited jubilation rather than mourning’
The passage above reveals that Jibunoh symbolizes
- A. insanity
- B. wickedness
- C. lawlessness
- D. isolation
12. The part of a play when climax approaches is known as
- A. Catastasis
- B. Catharsis
- C. protasis
- D. Epitasis
13
‘And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark
And got with our bags and our brushes to work
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm;
So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.‘
In the lines above, Tom is warm because he
- A. is working indoors
- B. is wearing warm clothes
- C. is doing his duty
- D. has just woken from sleep
14. The term given to a type of incident or device which recurs frequently in Literature is
- A. concept
- B. myth
- C. ritual
- D. motif
15. An extended fictional narrative which is realistic is known as a
- A. short story
- B. diary
- C. novella
- D. novel
16. A Government Driver on His Retirement is a poem of thirty-three lines divided into _______ stanzas.
- A. six
- B. four
- C. three
- D. five
17. This question is based on THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI.
Read the excerpt and answer question
“And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly”
The dominant device in this excerpt is ___
- A. metaphor
- B. synecdoche
- C. simile
- D. paradox
18
The sides of a stage are called
- A. both sides
- B. the ways
- C. the wings
- D. the pits
19
Be him English
Be him African
Be him Nigerian
The lines above are an example of
- A. epigram
- B. anaphora
- C. epitaph
- D. tautology
20. When he gave me the bottle, and I opened it,
I was shocked by the odour that hit my nose:
I immediately corked it again, and spat on the floor..
Isidore Okpewho, The Last Duty.
The reaction in the passage above is that of
- A. anger
- B. protest
- C. rejection
- D. nausea
21
A formal dignified speech or writing praising a person or a thing for past or present deeds is
- A. lampoon
- B. eulogy
- C. premiere
- D. anthology
22
A character that is always against the interest of the protagonist is
- A. opposition
- B. heroine
- C. villain
- D. hero
23
“…Rage is Chief
Rage drags rags after you, of Charity
Laughter, sweetness and light, Rage is thief
Enemy of equanimity”
The figure of speech dominant in these lines is _____
- A. apostrophe
- B. personification
- C. metaphor
- D. simile
24
‘… Not a few of us ended our application letter like this: ‘if you are kind enough to accomodate this humble application, Sir/Madam, I shall do my uttermost best to rendered you the greatest services which it is at my desposition to your best satisfactory. Yours obediently servant…’ yet without English, you had no education fit for a white collar job
Cameron Daodu: The Gab Boys
The tone of the passage above is
- A. Melancholic
- B. Ironic
- C. Harsh
- D. Derisive
25. A trilogy is the
- A. set of three one-act drama written by related authors
- B. series of related stories divided into three equal parts
- C. sequence of three plays written by the same author
- D. collection of three poems of equal length
26
Dramatis personae in a play refers to
- A. cast list
- B. list of characters
- C. portagonist and antagonist
- D. order of appearance
27
This question is based on SECOND CLASS CITIZEN.
“She swallowed it all, just like a nasty pill.” The literary device employed here is
- A. alliteration
- B. metaphor
- C. simile
- D. apostrophe
28
‘My heart is a quiet drum, something it flares like a parched thunder cracking through a damask sky it lifts me in its fired spectacle.’
-Cynthia James; Drumology
The imagery in the excerpt above is largely
- A. olfactory and visual
- B. auditory and visual
- C. tactile and auditory
- D. olfactory and tactile
29
“She wanted to split herself. But she checked herself. ‘Get dressed,’ she said earnestly. ‘Get dressed and let’s go. You know I have a lot of things to do. And if we are going to meet again like this… ‘She slapped the bed, ‘then it won’t be here. It will be at the Samson and Delilah.'” –
Festus Iyayi; Violence
In the passage above, the speaker can be described as
- A. hungry
- B. domineering
- C. friendly
- D. treacherous
30. This question is based on THE LION AND THE JEWEL.
The indication that Soyinka’s “The Lion and the Jewel” is culturally set is its use of_____
- A. dance and songs
- B. flashback.
- C. foreshadowing
- D. irony
JAMB Recommended Books for Literature in English 2024
Drama:
- African:
- Wole Soyinka: The Lion and the Jewel
- Non-African:
- John Osborne: Look Back in Anger
Prose:
- African:
- Alex Agyei-Agyir: Unexpected Joy at Dawn
- Buchi Emecheta: Second Class Citizen
- Non-African:
- Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights.
Poetry:
- African:
- Leopold Sedar Senghor: Black Woman
- Niyi Osundare: The Leader and the Led
- Agostinho Neto: The Grieved
- Oumar Farouk Sesay: The Song of the Women of my Land
- Lade Wosornu: Raider of the Treasure Trove
- Onu Chibuike: A Government Driver on his Retirement
- Non-African:
- John Donne: The Good Morrow
- Maya Angelou: Caged Bird
- S. Elliot: The Journey of the Magi
- H Lawrence: Bats
ANTHOLOGIES
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid (An Anthology of poems, plays and short stories) PEN Nigeria, Online
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa, Ibadan: UP Plc
- Kermode, F. (1964) Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II, London: OUP
- Nduke Ofiono and Odoh Diego Okenyodo (eds) Camouflage; Best of contemporary writing from Nigeria, an anthology of new Nigerian writers, mace books association, 2021, New
- Parker, E.W. (ed.) (1980) A Peagent of Longer Poems London: Longman
- Senanu, K. E. and Vincent, T. (eds.) (1993) A Selection of African Poetry, Lagos: Longman
- Soyinka, W. (ed.) (1987) Poems of Black Africa, Ibadan: Heinemann
CRITICAL TEXTS
- Abrams, M. H. (1981) A Glossary of Literary Terms, (4th Edition) New York, Holt Rinehalt and Winston
- Emeaba, O. E. (1982) A Dictionary of Literature, Aba: Inteks Press
- Murphy, M. J. (1972) Understanding Unseen, An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, George Allen and Unwin Ltd.
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