JAMB Literature in English 2019 past questions
Ten questions from the 2019 JAMB Literature in English paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 80 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.
JAMB Literature in English 2019 questions and answers
-
1.
"The sudden throb of pain" in Lenrie's 'The Panic of Growing Old' signifies the_________
- APhysical reality of agingCorrect
- BFear of imminent death
- CJoy of youthful memories
- DEmotional burden of regret
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A
In "The Panic of Growing Old," Lenrie Peters uses "the sudden throb of pain" to represent the concrete, bodily experience of an aging frame. The unexpected sharpness of the sensation underscores the inescapable and physical reality of growing old that the poem explores throughout.
- A
-
2.
Which one of the following is most influential to the substance of Hallowell's "The Dinning Table"?
- AAfrican communal family values and traditionCorrect
- BWestern individualism and modernity
- CEconomic hardship and poverty
- DPolitical instability in post-colonial Africa
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A
The substance of Hallowell's 'The Dining Table' is most deeply rooted in African communal values. The dining table functions as a symbol of kinship, sharing, and intergenerational bonds. The poem's central concern — who gathers, who is absent, and what that means — draws its significance entirely from the African ethic of community and family togetherness.
- A
-
3.From the novel; Othello
The setting of Shakespeare's Othello is____________
- ARome and Alexandria
- BAthens and Sparta
- CVenice and CyprusCorrect
- DLondon and Dover
Show answerHide answer
Answer: C
Othello begins in Venice, where the Moorish general is stationed, and then moves to the island of Cyprus, where the bulk of the tragic action unfolds.
- A
-
4.
A poem is said to be good if it________
- AContains no fewer than fourteen lines
- BRhymes perfectly in every stanza
- CUses only archaic and elevated language throughout
- DEffectively evokes emotion and communicates meaningCorrect
Show answerHide answer
Answer: D
A poem's quality is ultimately judged not by its length, its strict rhyme scheme, or the register of its language, but by its capacity to move the reader emotionally and convey its intended meaning with clarity and artistic power.
- A
-
5.
"A time to sow,
A time to reap,
A time to be born,
A time to die"This exemplifies the use of ...
- AOxymoron
- BAnaphoraCorrect
- CParadox
- DAlliteration
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B
The repetition of "A time to" at the opening of each successive clause is a classic example of anaphora — a rhetorical device in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of consecutive lines or clauses to build rhythm and reinforce emphasis.
- A
-
6.From the novel; Native Son
The specie of conflict exemplified in the Native Son is that of_______
- AMan versus himself exclusively
- BMan versus the supernatural
- CMan versus societyCorrect
- DMan versus nature alone
Show answerHide answer
Answer: C
Bigger Thomas's entire tragedy in Native Son is shaped by the deeply racist American society that confines, dehumanises, and ultimately destroys him, making the conflict between an individual and an oppressive social structure the dominant species of conflict in the novel.
- A
-
7.
In Lenrie's 'The Panic of Growing Older', another significant theme therein is on the___________
- APassage of time and mortalityCorrect
- BTriumph of youth over old age
- CThe beauty and rewards of retirement
- DJoy and celebration of life's milestones
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A
Beyond its primary concern with anxiety about aging, the poem is deeply preoccupied with the unstoppable passage of time and the inevitability of death, making mortality a second significant theme running through Peters' work.
- A
-
8.
The voice of reason in the 'Harvest of Corruption' is exemplified in the character of___________
- AOgeyiCorrect
- BOchuole
- CAloho
- DChief Haladu Ade-Amaka
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A
Ogeyi consistently resists the temptation of corruption and speaks out against moral compromise throughout the play, making her the clearest embodiment of reason and integrity in the face of systemic corruption.
- A
-
9.
_____ is used to describe the predetermination of a future event in a literary piece
- AAllusion
- BIn medias res
- CForeshadowingCorrect
- DFlashback
Show answerHide answer
Answer: C
Foreshadowing is the literary device by which a writer drops hints or clues that predetermine a future event in the narrative, creating suspense and preparing the reader for what is to come.
- A
-
10.
'The dun dun of a drum' is an example of an__________
- AApostrophe
- BAlliteration
- CTransferred epithet
- DOnomatopoeiaCorrect
Show answerHide answer
Answer: D
"Dun dun" is an onomatopoeia because the word phonetically imitates the actual percussive sound produced by the drum. The written sound directly reproduces the acoustic quality of the instrument, allowing the reader to hear the beat through the words themselves.
- A
The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check
Spotted a wrong answer? Tell us from the app or on the contact page and we check it.
Practise all 80 questions we hold from the 2019 paper, on a timed CBT screen
Every question has the answer and an explanation, in the Skolra app.