JAMB Literature in English 2025 Past Questions & Answers

The question asks for the classification of Emily Brontë's *Wuthering Heights* based on its depiction of mystery and terror. These elements are hallmarks of a gothic novel, which is a specific type of prose fiction. Therefore, the question directly tests knowledge about different classifications or types of prose.

Common mistake: Students might incorrectly choose 'satiric fiction' if they misunderstand the novel's tone, or 'neo-classical novel' if they are unfamiliar with the historical periods of literary movements.

The correct answer is Baroka. In Wole Soyinka's play, 'The Lion and the Jewel', Baroka is the 'Bale' or traditional chief of the village of Ilujinle. He is an old, powerful, and cunning man who represents the traditional Yoruba culture in the story. He is known as 'the Lion' and is the main rival to the young teacher, Lakunle.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Lakunle because he is a major character who often opposes Baroka, but Lakunle is the village schoolteacher, not the chief.

This question tests knowledge of a specific prescribed text, John Osborne's 'Look Back in Anger,' which is a non-African drama. Jimmy Porter, the protagonist, is characterized by his deep-seated resentment towards the British class system and Alison's upper-class background, which he constantly criticizes. His feelings are far from indifference or admiration; they are marked by bitterness and hostility.

Common mistake: Students might incorrectly choose 'adoration' or 'admiration' if they confuse Jimmy's complex love for Alison with his strong negative feelings about her social status, or 'indifference' if they lack knowledge of the play's central themes.

The excerpt is a poetic passage that uses strong imagery like 'explosions in the belly of the earth,' 'Bleeding rigs, bursting pipes,' and 'earth's sickbed' to describe the harmful process of oil extraction. The line 'The oil only flows When the earth bleeds' directly links oil production to environmental destruction. Therefore, 'despoliation,' which means the act of plundering or laying waste, accurately describes the subject matter of environmental damage.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'contestation' if they focus only on 'explosions' and interpret it as conflict, overlooking the broader context of environmental harm caused by oil extraction.

The question asks for the subject matter of Maya Angelou's poem 'Caged Bird', which is a prescribed non-African poem. The poem uses the metaphor of a free bird and a caged bird to contrast the lives of the privileged white population with those of African Americans. The caged bird's situation directly represents the limitations and suffering caused by systemic segregation and racial discrimination, making this the central theme.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option B, but 'limitation' is a result of the problem, while 'segregation and racial discrimination' is the root cause and the broader subject matter the poem addresses.

This question directly tests a student's understanding and interpretation of a specific poem, 'The Journey of the Magi' by T.S. Eliot. Since this poem is a known work by a non-African poet, it falls under the category of 'Prescribed Texts' and specifically 'Non-African poetry'. The question requires knowledge of the poem's content to determine the persona's experience.

Common mistake: Students might choose option D, 'tortuous and frustrating', if they only focus on the physical hardships described in the poem and miss the spiritual fulfillment and profound change the Magi experience at the end.

This question tests knowledge of a specific poem, "The Good Morrow," written by John Donne, who is a non-African poet. Understanding what "Beauty" represents in this context requires direct engagement with the themes and characters of this particular prescribed text. The poem is a love poem, and "Beauty" refers to the poet's beloved.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'friend' if they misunderstand the romantic context of the poem, but the passionate tone clearly indicates a lover.

The correct option, 'flashback', is a narrative technique used in prose. A flashback is a literary device where the author presents an event that happened earlier than the current point of the story, often to provide background information or context. The question asks to identify what the given statement exemplifies, and in the context of Wuthering Heights, such a quote would typically be presented as a recollection of a past event.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'premonition' if they misinterpret the quote as a prediction, or 'point of view' if they focus on the speaker rather than the specific narrative structure being exemplified.

The question is an extract from the poem 'Snake' by D.H. Lawrence, which is a prescribed non-African poem. The correct answer is identified by understanding the descriptive language in the poem. The most direct clue is the phrase 'flickered his two-forked tongue', as only a snake among the options has a forked tongue.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'a man' because the poet uses the pronoun 'He', but the physical descriptions like having a 'two-forked tongue' clearly point to an animal, not a person.

The novel 'Second Class Citizen' is an autobiographical story that centres on the life of its protagonist, Adah Ofili. The entire narrative follows her journey, dreams, and struggles, from her childhood in Nigeria to her difficult life as an immigrant wife and mother in London. While other characters like her husband Francis are very important, the story is told from Adah's perspective and focuses on her experiences, making her the centre of the narrative.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose Francis because he is a major character who causes most of Adah's problems, but the story is fundamentally about Adah's life and her reactions to his actions, not about him.