Post-UTME Literature in English 2007 Past Questions & Answers

The passage achieves realism by painting a very vivid and graphic picture for the reader. The author uses many specific descriptions, such as 'eyeballs stared upward', 'trouser soaked with blood', and 'thick hairs of his groin, matted together'. These specific pieces of information are the 'details' that make the scene feel shockingly real.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'the long sentence' because the description is presented in one continuous sentence, but the realism comes from the specific, vivid words within the sentence, not just its length.

This is a tricky question that requires a deeper interpretation. The line describes the city wearing the morning's beauty 'like a garment', which suggests the beauty is temporary and not permanent. By highlighting that the beauty is fleeting and superficial (like clothing), the poem could be interpreted as suggesting that true, lasting beauty does not exist on earth, making option D a possible, though philosophical, answer.

Common mistake: Students often choose option B because it is the most direct and literal interpretation of the simile, but this question may be looking for a more abstract or pessimistic meaning behind the temporary nature of the beauty described.

The question is based on a direct quote from William Shakespeare's play, 'Othello'. The speaker, Iago, is revealing his plan to get Cassio drunk in order to make him start a fight. This deliberate and cunning plan to manipulate someone for a negative outcome shows that the speaker's character is scheming.

Common mistake: Students may wrongly select 'quarrelsome' because the word 'quarrel' is in the quote, but this describes the intended behaviour of the person being spoken about (Cassio), not the speaker himself.

The question requires you to identify the specific speech defect, or idiolect, of the character. The character stutters, which is shown by repeating the initial sounds of words like 'd-d-dome' and 'b-b-bridges'. The correct option, 'duplication of consonant sound clusters', is the most accurate description because the stuttering involves repeating a group of sounds (like a consonant and a vowel), not just a single consonant sound.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'repetition of consonant sounds' because it seems correct, but it is too general and less precise than the correct option which specifies the duplication of sound 'clusters'.

The correct option is 'conversational' because the poet's style is like a quiet, direct talk with someone. The lines describing friends whispering about a dying man's last breath ('The breadth goes now', and some say 'No') create the feeling of listening to a real-life conversation. The tone is the speaker's attitude, and here it is calm and personal, as if in a discussion, not a formal speech.

Common mistake: Students often mistake the subject matter for the tone and choose 'serious' because the poem is about death, but the way the poet discusses this serious topic is in a calm, conversational manner.

The correct answer is nostalgia because the poet-persona is far away from home and is thinking about it. The phrase 'carry song and tears homewards' shows a mixed feeling of happy memories ('song') and sadness ('tears') about being away, which is the definition of nostalgia. He is longing for a place he is not currently in, which is his home.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'sorrow' because the poem mentions 'tears' and being 'alone,' but this overlooks the 'song' and the longing for 'home,' which are key elements of nostalgia.

The English sonnet, also known as the Shakespearean sonnet, is a 14-line poem with a specific structure. It is composed of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a final rhyming couplet (a two-line stanza). The correct rhyme scheme for this form is abab cdcd efef gg, which clearly shows the three separate quatrains and the concluding couplet.

Common mistake: Students often confuse the English sonnet with the Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet, which has a different rhyme scheme like 'abba abba cde cde' and is structured as an octave and a sestet.

This question is about the character Face from Ben Jonson's play, 'The Alchemist'. Face is a con artist who, along with his partners, thrives on tricking people with ridiculous and unbelievable schemes. The more absurd and nonsensical the situation, the more he enjoys and succeeds in it, which is why 'absurdity' is the correct answer.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'incidents' or 'big events' because Face's schemes are events, but these words are too general; the specific quality that defines his success and enjoyment is the sheer absurdity of the cons.

The correct answer is 'epigram' because an epigram is defined as a brief, clever, and memorable statement that is often witty or satirical. The question's description of a 'short witty statement' perfectly matches the definition of an epigram. The other options are incorrect as an epistle is a letter, a eulogy is a speech praising someone who has died, and an anecdote is a short personal story.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'anecdote' because both are short forms of expression, but an anecdote is a short story about an event, not just a witty statement.

The first-person point of view is the perspective from which a story is told using 'I' or 'we'. While this 'I' is a character in the story, the author is the original creator of this voice and the entire narrative. In this context, the question identifies the author as the ultimate 'first person' or source from whom the story originates.

Common mistake: Students often choose 'a participant' because the first-person narrator is always a character participating in the story, but this question's logic traces the narrative voice back to its creator, the author.