WAEC Literature in English 2015 Past Questions & Answers

A soliloquy is the correct term for when a character in a play speaks their thoughts aloud while they are alone on stage. This dramatic device is used to let the audience know what the character is truly thinking or feeling. Since the question specifies the character is 'alone,' soliloquy is the most accurate answer.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'monologue' because it also involves one person speaking, but a monologue can be delivered to other characters, whereas a soliloquy is always spoken alone.

Repetition is a literary device where a writer uses a word, phrase, or idea more than once. The main reason for doing this is to draw the reader's attention to that point, making it stand out and seem more important. This technique is called creating emphasis, which helps to make an idea memorable and impactful.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'rhyme' because repetition is common in poetry, but while some repeated lines (like a refrain) can rhyme, the main purpose of repetition across all genres of literature is always for emphasis.

The question describes a poetic pattern that is not defined by traditional rules like a fixed metre or rhyme scheme. Free verse is the correct term because it refers to poetry that does not follow a consistent metrical pattern. The 'pattern' in free verse is more organic and follows natural speech rhythms, created 'without reference' to the strict rules that govern other poetic forms.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'form' because it is the general term for any poem's structure, but the question points to a specific type of pattern that lacks traditional rules, which is best described as free verse.

This question tests your knowledge of basic dramatic terms. In a play, the performers are the actors who take on the roles of the people in the story. These fictional people who the actors portray are known as the characters.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'cast' because the cast is the collective name for the group of actors, but the question is asking what the performers represent within the play's world, which are the characters.

Apostrophe is a figure of speech where a writer or speaker addresses an imaginary character, an absent person, or an abstract idea as if it were present and able to understand. In the stanza, the poet is speaking directly to 'Pan', a mythological god who is not physically there. This direct address to an absent being is a clear example of an apostrophe.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 'appellation' because 'O great Pan' is a title or name, but the key literary device is the act of addressing an absent being, not simply the name used.

The correct answer is allusion because the poem refers to 'Pan,' a well-known figure from ancient Greek mythology. An allusion is a literary device that makes a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, or literary significance. By mentioning Pan, the poet expects the reader to use their outside knowledge of this mythological god of the wild to understand the poem's theme.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'symbol' because Pan can represent nature, but it is an 'allusion' first because it specifically references a named character from mythology.

Rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem, which we find by assigning a letter to each new end sound. In this stanza, 'thee' (line 1) and 'free' (line 3) rhyme, so they are both 'a'. 'Sing' (line 2) and 'spring' (line 4) rhyme, so they are 'b'. 'Spake' (line 5) is a new sound, 'c', while 'broke' (line 6) and 'unyoke' (line 7) rhyme with each other, making them 'd'. This creates the pattern ababcdd.

Common mistake: Students often make mistakes by incorrectly matching the rhyming words; for example, they might wrongly assume that 'spake', 'broke', and 'unyoke' all rhyme, leading them to choose an incorrect option like C.

A trochaic foot, or a trochee, is a unit of rhythm in poetry that consists of two syllables. It follows the pattern of one stressed (emphasized) syllable followed by one unstressed (unemphasized) syllable. The question describes this exact pattern, making 'trochaic' the correct answer; for example, the word 'PO-em' or 'HAP-py'.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'iambic' because it is also a very common two-syllable foot, but they forget that the iambic pattern is the opposite: one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

The correct answer is 'Setting'. In literature, the setting refers to the specific time and place where the events of a story happen. The question asks for the term that describes the location of the plot's action, which is the exact definition of setting.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Narrative technique' because setting is a type of narrative technique, but the question asks for the specific term for the location itself.

A ballad is a type of poem that tells a story, often about love, adventure, or historical events. Because its main purpose is to tell a story, it is classified as a narrative poem. The word 'narrative' simply means a story or an account of connected events.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'dramatic' because ballads often contain dialogue and exciting events, but their primary function is to tell a story, which makes them narrative.

A Shakespearean sonnet is a poem with 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. The first four lines, known as a quatrain, follow the abab pattern. This means the first line rhymes with the third line, and the second line rhymes with the fourth line.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'abba' because that is the rhyme scheme for a Petrarchan sonnet, and they often confuse it with the Shakespearean sonnet form.

An allegory is a story that has a hidden meaning, usually a moral or political one. The characters and events in the story are used as symbols to represent abstract ideas like good and evil, or real-life events. For instance, in a story, a greedy dragon might represent the abstract idea of greed itself, which is exactly what the question describes.

Common mistake: Students often confuse allegory with satire, but satire's main purpose is to criticize using humour or irony, while an allegory's main purpose is to represent ideas symbolically.

Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create a picture or sensation in the reader's mind. It works by describing things related to our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Therefore, the main purpose of imagery in any literary work, whether prose or poetry, is to appeal to the senses to make the experience more vivid and real for the reader.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B, because good imagery can help describe the setting where the plot unfolds, but the primary function of imagery itself is to create a sensory experience, not to advance the sequence of events.

Parallelism is a literary device where parts of a sentence or multiple sentences have a similar grammatical structure to express related ideas. In the given lines, the two phrases are balanced with a similar structure to emphasize the same point about not giving up freedom. The first part, 'Our leaders will not compromise freedom,' is mirrored by the second part, 'Nor will our heads give up liberty,' reinforcing the message through repetition of form.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'contrast' because there are two separate lines, but the lines actually express the same idea using similar words and structure, rather than opposing ones.

Synecdoche is a figure of speech where a part of something is used to represent the whole thing. In the given line, the word 'heads' is a part of a person, but it is used to represent the entire people or their leaders. This use of a part (heads) to mean the whole (people) is what makes it synecdoche.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose inversion because the line 'Nor will our heads give up liberty' has an inverted word order, but the question specifically asks for the figure of speech represented by the word 'heads' itself.

A round character is a complex character in a story who develops and changes as the plot unfolds. They have multiple personality traits, just like a real person. Since the question asks for a character that 'develops in the course of a novel or play', the correct term is 'round'.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'protagonist' because the main character is often a round character, but 'protagonist' describes the character's role as the hero, not their complexity or development.

A dirge is a specific type of poem or song that expresses sadness and mourning for someone who has died. Because it is a song of grief, it is performed at funerals or memorial services to honour the dead. The other options are incorrect; for example, a song to send a child to sleep is called a lullaby, not a dirge.

Common mistake: Students who are unsure of the meaning of 'dirge' might mistakenly choose option A, confusing this song of mourning with a lullaby, which is a song to send a child to sleep.

The correct answer is 'clown' because the main function of a clown or fool in a play is to provide comic relief. They create humour through jokes, foolish behaviour, and witty language, which makes the audience laugh. This use of a character specifically for humour is a dramatic technique to lighten the mood of a play.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'hero' because some heroes can be witty, but their primary purpose is to drive the plot forward and overcome challenges, not specifically to create humour.

A paradox is a statement that appears to contradict itself but actually contains a deeper truth. The line 'Let me not love thee if I love thee not' sounds confusing because it says 'not love' and 'love' together. However, it is making a point that if the speaker's love is not true or complete, then it shouldn't be called love at all, which is a deep and seemingly contradictory idea.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'metaphor' because it is a very common figure of speech, but the statement does not compare two different things, which is what a metaphor does.

Euphemism is the correct answer because it is the literary device for saying something harsh or unpleasant in a softer, more polite way. For instance, instead of saying someone "died," we might say they "passed away" to make it sound less direct and upsetting. The question asks for the term that makes unpleasant things sound more acceptable, which is the exact definition of euphemism.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Eulogy' because it is a speech often given after someone dies, which is an unpleasant event, but a eulogy is a speech of praise, not the general device of softening language.

The question asks for the writer's attitude, which is revealed through word choice. The writer describes the couple's extreme poverty ('bare straw mats', 'over washed rags') but uses gentle, positive words like 'graciously' and 'warm-hearted'. This contrast shows that the writer sees the couple as having calmly accepted their difficult life without bitterness. This feeling of calm acceptance of a bad situation is called resignation.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'praise' because the writer uses positive words, but these words describe the couple's spirit of acceptance, not the writer's admiration for their poverty.

Personification is the correct answer because it involves giving human qualities or actions to inanimate objects. Throughout the passage, non-human things are described as if they are alive: the hut 'graciously sheltered', the pot 'willingly kept company', the stools were 'ever-smiling', and the bedroom was 'warm-hearted'. Since this device is used repeatedly, it is the dominant one.

Common mistake: Students might wrongly choose simile because it is a very common figure of speech, but a careful reading shows there are no comparisons made using the words 'like' or 'as'.

The entire passage describes in detail how poor the Mensah couple is, from their mud hut to sleeping on straw mats. A rhetorical question is a question you ask to make a point, not to get an answer. In this case, the question at the end is meant to make the reader think deeply about the couple's situation. Its purpose is to highlight and stress the main theme of the passage, which is their extreme poverty.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option A if the full passage mentions thieves, but the rhetorical question uses the idea of a thief only to emphasize how little the couple owns, which points back to their poverty.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close together. In the expression ‘such a rude room of such a poor pair’, the 'r' sound is repeated in 'rude room' and the 'p' sound is repeated in 'poor pair'. This repetition of initial consonant sounds makes it a clear example of alliteration.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose rhyme because they see repeated sounds, but rhyme involves similar sounds at the end of words, not the beginning like in alliteration.

The correct answer is 'night' because the passage provides clues that point to this time. The text mentions that the couple 'had to sleep on bare straw mats', and sleeping is an activity typically done at night. Furthermore, the presence of 'two strong dry logs...glowed with a charcoal fire' suggests a need for warmth, which is most common during the cold of the night.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'sunset' because it is also in the evening, but the direct mention of sleeping and the need for a fire for warmth are stronger clues for it being fully night.