JAMB Literature in English 2017 Past Questions & Answers

The speaker is the Duke of Venice, who says this in Act 1, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Othello. He is addressing Brabantio, who is furious about his daughter Desdemona's secret marriage to Othello. The Duke is advising Brabantio to accept the situation since it cannot be changed ('when remedies are past'). This shows the Duke acting as a wise authority figure, trying to make peace between the characters.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Brabantio because the speech is directed at him to soothe his anger and grief over his daughter's marriage.

This quote is from Shakespeare's Othello, spoken by the Duke of Venice in Act I, Scene III. He is speaking directly to Brabantio, Desdemona's father, who has just accused Othello of stealing his daughter through witchcraft. After hearing all sides, the Duke advises the grieving Brabantio to accept the situation, as the marriage is already a fact and cannot be undone.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Roderigo because he was also complaining about the marriage, but the Duke's formal advice is directed at Brabantio, who is Desdemona's father and the main accuser in this scene.

This quote is from William Shakespeare's play, *Othello*. The lines are spoken by the Duke of Venice in Act I, Scene III. This scene takes place in the Duke's council chamber, where he is holding a meeting to discuss the threat from the Turks and also to hear Brabantio's complaint against Othello. Therefore, the setting is correctly identified as a council chamber.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose other locations in Venice like a street, because they remember the early part of the play happens there but forget that this specific official discussion takes place in the Duke's council chamber.

This quote is from Act I, Scene III of Shakespeare's *Othello*, where the Duke is addressing Brabantio. The speech comes right after Desdemona has publicly declared her love for Othello and her decision to marry him against her father's wishes. The Duke is advising Brabantio to accept the situation, referring to the newly-wed couple as 'these lovers'.

Common mistake: A common mistake is choosing Roderigo and Desdemona, but while Roderigo loves Desdemona, his love is not returned, so they are not considered 'lovers' together.

In this context from Shakespeare's *Othello*, the Duke is not acting as a judge in a criminal trial but as a mediator. He uses the phrase 'Lay a sentence' to mean 'offer a wise saying' or 'give a piece of advice'. The purpose of his speech is to advise Brabantio to accept the marriage, which is a situation that can no longer be changed.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'Decide who is guilty' because the word 'sentence' is commonly associated with a legal judgment, but they must consider the specific context of the play where it means advice.

The question asks to identify a theme in Amma Darko's 'Faceless', which is a prescribed African prose text. The correct option, 'Parental irresponsibility', is a central theme because the novel's plot is driven by the neglect Fofo and Baby T suffer from their mother, Maa Tsuru. This neglect forces them onto the streets and directly leads to the tragic events of the story, including Baby T's death.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Class oppression' because the novel does show the struggles of the poor, but the primary cause of the main characters' suffering is their mother's direct neglect.

This question tests your knowledge of the prescribed African drama, 'The Harvest of Corruption' by Frank Ogodo Ogbeche. In the play, Naa Yomo is the landlady who is very proud of her family's name and the history of her house. She constantly complains that her tenant, Maa Tsuru, is bringing dishonour and soiling the family's reputation with her questionable lifestyle and associates.

Common mistake: Students who have not read the text carefully might confuse the characters and wrongly pick another female character like Vickie, but the main conflict over the house's honour is between Naa Yomo and Maa Tsuru.

This question tests your knowledge of the plot in Amma Darko's 'Faceless', although the header incorrectly mentions 'Lonely Days'. After Dina and Kabria find Fofo on the street and take her in, they have a private and confidential conversation with her. In this talk, they learn about her difficult past and her reasons for running away from home, which leads them to help her.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Maa Tsuru, confusing this specific confidential talk with the earlier harsh interactions Fofo had with her stepmother before she ran away.

This question tests your knowledge of the plot of the play 'The Blood of a Stranger' by Dele Charley. In the story, Maligu, the villain, sends a strange parcel to Mute, the chief's son, as part of a plan to kill him. When Mute opens the parcel, he discovers a deadly snake inside. Therefore, the correct answer is that Mute receives a strange parcel.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Gift' because the item was presented as a present, but 'Parcel' is the more specific and accurate description of the physical object Mute received.

The question tests your knowledge of the characters in Richard Wright's 'Native Son'. In the opening scene of the novel, Mrs. Thomas, the mother of the family, wakes up and shouts at her two sons to get out of bed. These two sons are the main character, Bigger Thomas, and his younger brother, Buddy Thomas.

Common mistake: A common mistake is to choose an option with Dalton's name, as he is a major character, but students must remember that Mr. Dalton was Bigger's wealthy employer, not his brother.

This question tests your understanding of characterisation in Richard Wright's novel, 'Native Son'. Bigger Thomas feels admiration for Mary Dalton because she is wealthy, free, and treats him with a kindness he has never experienced from a white person. At the same time, he hates her because she represents the oppressive white world that makes him feel fearful and powerless, and her behaviour puts him in a dangerous position.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Surprise and shock' because Bigger is indeed shocked by Mary's casual behaviour, but this does not fully capture the deep, ongoing internal conflict of both attraction and resentment that defines his feelings for her.

In Frank Ogodo Ogbeche's 'Harvest of Corruption', Ogeyi is Aloho's roommate and true friend who consistently acts as her moral guide. When Aloho is devastated after discovering her pregnancy by Chief Haladu-Amaka, it is Ogeyi who comforts and consoles her. Ogeyi's role in the play is to be a supportive and righteous friend to the protagonist.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Ochuole because she was also Aloho's friend, but Ochuole is the character who introduced Aloho to the corrupt lifestyle and is therefore a negative influence, not a comforter.

The question tests your understanding of a specific line of dialogue from the prescribed text. In the conversation, the Police Commissioner is directly talking about the 'cocaine matters'. When he says 'the court... has handled it', the pronoun 'it' is used to refer back to the subject he was just discussing, which is the cocaine matter.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Airport drug case' because it describes the same event, but the pronoun 'it' refers specifically to the exact phrase 'cocaine matters' used in the sentence.

In Dele Charley's "The Blood of a Stranger," the white man, Whitehead, reveals his secret plan to mine diamonds to Soko, the chief priest. Whitehead refers to this deceptive strategy as his "game plan." He successfully convinces Soko to join this plan to trick the King and the people of Mando, so Soko was enlisted into the "game plan."

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose "Plan of work" because it sounds like a formal term for a mission, but the play specifically uses the phrase "game plan" to describe Whitehead's deceptive scheme.

This question tests your knowledge of the plot of Dele Charley's play, *The Blood of a Stranger*. In the story, the warrior Kindo returns to the village of Mando and confronts the chief, Mangu. Kindo is angry because Mangu has allowed the white man, Whitehead, to corrupt the villagers by giving them 'gin drink and evil smelling tobacco'.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D, but it was Kindo who warned about the white man, not Mangu who was being queried for giving a warning.

Oliver Goldsmith wrote 'She Stoops to Conquer' specifically as a 'laughing comedy' to challenge the 'sentimental comedies' that were popular in his time. He wanted to bring back genuine humour and laughter to the theatre through witty dialogue and ridiculous situations, rather than focusing on emotional, moral lessons. The play's subtitle, 'The Mistakes of a Night', perfectly captures its focus on funny errors and mix-ups.

Common mistake: Students often choose the general term 'Comedy' because the play is indeed funny, but 'Laughing comedy' is the more precise classification that Goldsmith himself promoted for this type of play.

This question is from Oliver Goldsmith's play, 'She Stoops to Conquer'. In the play, Mrs. Hardcastle tries to control Constance Neville's inheritance, which is a casket of valuable jewels. To help Constance and play a trick on his mother, Tony Lumpkin steals this casket of jewels to give to Hastings, Constance's lover.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Letters' because letters are often used in plays to reveal secrets or advance the plot, but in this specific scene, the valuable item being stolen is the jewels.

The title of Lorraine Hansberry's play, 'A Raisin in the Sun,' is taken directly from a famous poem by the African-American poet Langston Hughes. The poem is titled 'Harlem,' and it explores the potential consequences of delaying or denying the dreams of African Americans. The specific line that inspired the play's title is 'What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?'. Therefore, the correct answer is the poem 'Harlem,' which is represented by option A.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose an option like 'Hope' or 'Promise' because these words relate to the central theme of dreams in the play, but the question specifically asks for the title of the source poem.

This question is about the plot of the prescribed play 'A Raisin in the Sun' by Lorraine Hansberry. The Younger family uses the insurance money to buy a house in Clybourne Park. A major source of conflict in the play is that Clybourne Park is an all-white neighbourhood, and the residents send Mr. Lindner to try and stop the Black family from moving in.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Black neighbourhood' if they forget that the central conflict of the play's second act is based on the family's controversial decision to move into an all-white area.

The play 'A Raisin in the Sun' explores the theme of right and choice through the Younger family's struggle over how to use the insurance money. Each character believes they have the right to decide how the money is spent to achieve their personal dreams, from Walter's business ambitions to Beneatha's medical education. The central conflict revolves around these competing choices and the family's ultimate decision to buy a house, asserting their right to a better life despite societal obstacles.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Pain and misery' because the family clearly suffers, but this suffering is the context for the main theme, which is about the rights and choices the characters fight for in order to overcome their situation.

The correct answer is Synecdoche, which is a figure of speech that uses a part of something to represent the whole. In the poem, the parts of the body like 'eyes,' 'ear,' and 'heart' are used to stand for whole people. For example, 'what eyes will watch' means 'what people will watch,' making it a clear use of synecdoche.

Common mistake: Students often confuse synecdoche with metonymy, as both involve substitution, but metonymy uses a related concept (like 'the crown' for royalty) instead of a direct part of the whole.

The poem 'Vanity' by Birago Diop warns Africans about the dangers of abandoning their culture and ancestors. The poet suggests that this neglect will lead to their suffering and eventual ruin, as their cries for help will go unanswered. This idea of self-inflicted ruin makes destruction a central theme of the poem.

Common mistake: Students may wrongly choose 'Clash of cultures' because the poem involves abandoning African ways for foreign ones, but the core message emphasizes the destructive consequence of this choice rather than the clash itself.

Euphemism is the use of a mild or indirect expression to talk about something that is harsh, unpleasant, or embarrassing. In this case, the phrase 'strong enough to push scorpions' is a creative and indirect way of saying the pepper is extremely hot and potent. Instead of bluntly stating the harsh fact of its intense heat, the speaker uses a more figurative expression to convey the same meaning.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Personification because the pepper is described as 'pushing,' but this action describes the pepper's powerful effect rather than giving it a human quality.

The items listed are from Kofi Awoonor's poem 'The Anvil and the Hammer,' where they are used as metaphors to represent bigger ideas. For example, the 'anvil' and 'hammer' represent the difficult process of creating a new identity by combining African traditions and foreign influences. Therefore, the list illustrates the use of metaphor, which is a figure of speech that makes a comparison by stating one thing is another without using 'like' or 'as'.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Assonance if they focus on the repetition of vowel sounds within the words, instead of recognizing the deeper symbolic meaning of the items listed.

The poem 'Piano and Drums' by Gabriel Okara contrasts two different ways of life. The 'piano' symbolizes the complex and modern Western culture, while the 'drums' represent the simple and traditional African culture. The poet feels torn between these two worlds, making the poem a reflection on the conflict of living between two different cultures.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D, but the poem's central conflict is between traditional African culture and Western culture, not specifically between Ghana and the rest of Africa.