JAMB Literature in English 2008 Past Questions & Answers

In J.C. De Graft's play, the central conflict is between tradition and modernity. Fasuwa, the uncle, consistently defends traditional values and ways of life against the modern, Western-style ambitions his brother James has for the children. Therefore, Fasuwa's character serves as a clear representation of the established traditions, which are referred to as the 'old order'.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'African civilization' because Fasuwa upholds traditional African values, but this is too broad as the play shows that modern ways are also part of contemporary African life.

The correct answer is A because the play 'Sons and Daughters' opens with a scene between Aaron and his friend, Awere. In this opening conversation, they discuss Aaron's passion for art and his father's strong desire for him to study engineering instead. This dialogue immediately introduces the central conflict of the play, which is the clash between the older generation's expectations and the younger generation's ambitions.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B because Maanan's story is a major part of the plot, but her specific encounter with the lawyer is revealed later, not in the opening scene.

In J.C. De Graft's 'Sons and Daughters', this conversation is about Aaron's conflict with his father, James Ofosu. Aaron wants to be an artist, but his father insists he must study engineering. 'The whole business' refers to this frustrating disagreement over Aaron's future career path.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'marriage proposal' because the play also discusses relationships, but this specific quote is about the conflict over Aaron's career, not marriage.

The central conflict in 'Sons and Daughters' is generational because the main problem is the clash between the older generation, represented by James Ofosu, and the younger generation, his children Aaron and Maanan. Mr. Ofosu wants his children to study professional courses like law, but they want to pursue their artistic passions in painting and dance. This disagreement between the father's traditional ambitions and the children's modern desires is what drives the entire plot of the play.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'romantic' because of the relationships in the play, but these romantic issues are secondary to the main conflict between the father and his children over their future careers.

The main problem or conflict in the play is the disagreement between James Ofosu and his children over their future careers. The positive 'change in fortune' or turning point happens when this conflict is resolved. This resolution occurs when James finally changes his mind and allows Aaron and Maanan to study what they are passionate about, bringing peace to the family.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D because it represents an end to the argument, but it would be a negative outcome for the children, not the positive 'change in fortune' the play builds towards.

The phrase 'my short date of breath' is a poetic way for the speaker to say that the time he has left to live is very short. He knows he is dying very soon and therefore does not have enough time to tell a long story. This directly points to his imminent, or soon to happen, death.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'state of health' because being out of breath can be a sign of poor health, but the phrase 'short date of breath' specifically means the time left to live is short, indicating death is near, not just a general illness.

Romeo's killing of Tybalt is the climax of the play and the point of no return. As a result of this act, the Prince banishes him from Verona. This separation from Juliet directly leads to the desperate plan involving the sleeping potion, the miscommunication, and his eventual suicide. Without the banishment for killing Tybalt, the final tragedy would not have happened in the way it did.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A because the undelivered letter is the direct cause of Romeo's final action, but they forget that the letter was only necessary because Romeo had been banished for killing Tybalt.

The correct option is A because the central tragedy is directly caused by the parents' interference in their children's choice of a partner. Lord Capulet's decision to force Juliet to marry Paris is what pushes her to fake her death, a plan that goes horribly wrong and leads to the real deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. The play therefore serves as a lesson against parents imposing their will on their children in matters of marriage.

Common mistake: Students often choose option B because the family feud is a major theme, but the immediate action that triggers the final tragic events is Lord Capulet's attempt to force Juliet into a marriage she does not want.

The question tests your understanding of character motivation in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. The correct answer is C because Juliet's greatest sorrow comes from being separated from her new husband, Romeo, after he is banished from Verona. Although she is sad about her cousin Tybalt's death (Option A), she explicitly states in Act 3, Scene 2 that Romeo's banishment is a far worse tragedy for her. Her potential marriage to Paris (Option B) is a problem that arises because of the chaos following Tybalt's death and Romeo's banishment.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose the death of her cousin, Tybalt, because it is a tragic event, but they forget that Juliet's lines in the play show her sorrow is much greater for Romeo's banishment.

The question asks about the function of a 'chorus' in a 'prologue', which are both specific features of drama. In many plays, the chorus's role in the opening is to provide background information, and this often includes introducing the main characters to the audience. By describing the key players or their situation, the chorus effectively highlights them before the main action begins.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option D, 'introduce the play,' because a prologue's general purpose is to introduce the play, but the specific function of the chorus within it can be more focused, such as highlighting the characters who will drive the story.

In the novel, Big Brother is the symbolic leader of the Party, which exercises absolute and centralized control over every aspect of public and private life. This system of government, where the state has total authority and aims to control people's thoughts and actions, is known as totalitarianism. Therefore, Big Brother is a metaphor for this oppressive, all-powerful totalitarian authority.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'party brotherhood' because the Party members are called comrades, but this 'brotherhood' is based on fear and control, not genuine care or fellowship.

The question asks for the main purpose of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. George Orwell wrote the book as a strong warning against totalitarian governments, which are systems with total power, inspired by the communist regime in Russia at the time. The novel exposes how these systems are hypocritical and oppressive by controlling every part of people's lives, which is why Orwell's main goal is to condemn them.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option A because the novel features technology like telescreens, but the main focus is on condemning the political system itself, not just the machines it uses for control.

In George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', the state controls every aspect of life, including individual thoughts. Winston Smith's first deliberate act of rebellion is buying an old diary and secretly writing his private thoughts in it. This is a capital crime known as 'thoughtcrime', and it represents his first step in defying the Party's absolute power over the mind.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'opposing the law' because keeping a diary is against the law, but option B is the more specific and accurate answer describing his very first rebellious action.

In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue) is responsible for all forms of propaganda and for rewriting history to suit the Party's current narrative. This directly involves controlling education by altering textbooks and historical documents. While the Ministry of Plenty handles the economy, the Ministry of Truth's propaganda includes falsifying production figures and economic reports, thus linking its function to economic affairs to maintain public control.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A because it lists the official, outward-facing departments of the Ministry of Truth, but fails to capture the deeper, interconnected role of propaganda in controlling every aspect of life, including the economy.

After the medal ceremony, Meka is treated very badly by the white colonialists. He is forgotten in the rain, arrested, and thrown into a cell, showing him that the medal was just for show. This experience makes him realize that the whites do not truly value him or his sacrifices, leading to his deep disappointment and loss of faith in them. This feeling of disappointment after realizing the truth is called disillusionment.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B because they remember Meka's initial excitement for the medal, but they forget that the question asks about the events *following* the ceremony, which completely changed his feelings from pride to disappointment.

The question requires an interpretation of a proverb from the prescribed novel, 'The Old Man and the Medal'. The proverb 'The night rat doesn’t tell what happened to him in the dark!' is used by Engamba to describe the general attitude of the colonized people. It means that they suffer humiliation and injustice from the white men in silence, without openly complaining, which directly matches option C.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A because Meka's poor treatment is a major part of the plot, but the proverb is a general statement about the community's collective silence, not just Meka's specific situation.

The expression 'to break the leg of an antelope' is a local idiom used in the novel to describe great strength and skill in fighting. The villagers use this phrase when remembering Meka's younger days, highlighting that he was a powerful and respected fighter. The phrase is figurative and is meant to praise his past physical abilities, not to describe hunting or marriage.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'hunting' because the phrase mentions an 'antelope', leading them to a literal interpretation instead of understanding it as a figurative expression for strength.

In the novel, Ona, as the daughter of a chief, was expected to remain in her father's house and have children without getting married. However, she falls deeply in love with Agbadi. Her decision to leave her father's house is driven by this powerful love, as she wants to be with him, even though it goes against the established tradition for a woman of her status.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B because tradition is a major theme, but in this case, Ona's action of leaving her father's house was actually a defiance of tradition, not an adherence to it.

In the novel, Nnaife is forced into the army not by the British directly, but through a cunning plan by his own senior brother, Nnabuenyi. Nnabuenyi wanted Nnaife out of the way so he could take over his job and potentially his wife, Nnu Ego. This secret plot and betrayal from within his own community is a perfect example of societal intrigue.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'British oppression' because the army was the colonial army, but the novel shows the immediate cause was a personal plot by Nnaife's own brother.

The correct answer is despair because Nnu Ego was completely devastated by the news that she could not have a child. In her culture, motherhood was the most important part of a woman's life, so this news made her feel hopeless and without purpose. Her deep sadness was so strong that she even tried to take her own life, which clearly shows she was in a state of despair, not indifference.

Common mistake: Students might wrongly select 'apathy' or 'indifference', not realizing that these words mean a lack of feeling, whereas Nnu Ego's reaction was intensely emotional and hopeless.

The poem 'Naked Soles' uses the central image of walking barefoot on a rough, difficult path to symbolize the life of the poor and downtrodden. This journey is filled with pain, hardship, and a sense of hopelessness. Therefore, the main subject matter is the general state of suffering and the feeling of despair that comes with it.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'hunger and strife' because these are specific examples of hardship, but 'suffering and despair' is the broader theme that captures the overall emotional and physical condition described in the poem.

The correct answer is 'feeling and sight' because the poem uses vivid descriptions that appeal strongly to these two senses. For the sense of sight, the poet describes images like 'clouds... like a plague of locusts' and children running about. For the sense of feeling, the poem describes the powerful 'wind' that 'whistles by' and the force of the storm, making the reader imagine how it would feel on their skin.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option D because the poem does mention sounds like 'whistling' and 'rumbling', but it lacks any description that appeals to the sense of smell.

The correct answer is 'contradiction' because the lines present two conflicting pieces of information. The 'experts' disagree among themselves, and their expert opinion is also contrasted with the scientific fact of the 'Negative' urine test. This clash between opinions and results is a clear example of contradiction.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'awareness' because a test result brings new information, but the key focus of the lines is the conflict between the experts and the test, which is better described as a contradiction.

The poem 'A Heritage of Liberation' presents the fight for freedom as a long and continuous journey that is passed down. It is a legacy from the ancestors ('our fathers') to the current generation ('we, the children'), who must then continue the fight for their own children. Therefore, freedom is not achieved by one single generation but through the combined and ongoing efforts of successive generations, one after the other.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'present generation' because the poem's speaker is part of this group, but they forget the poem's emphasis on the struggle being a 'heritage' passed down from the past and continuing into the future.

The poem 'End of the War' by Okinba Launko explores the aftermath of conflict, revealing that the cessation of fighting does not resolve underlying issues. Instead, it uncovers or creates a wide range of new, complex challenges like hunger, displacement, psychological trauma, and the difficult task of rebuilding. Therefore, the poem suggests that war's conclusion brings about multifaceted problems, not a simple solution or relief.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D, thinking the end of fighting brings relief, but the poem's central theme is that this relief is overshadowed by numerous new and lasting problems.