JAMB Literature in English 2021 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 15 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2021 JAMB Literature in English paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 39 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

JAMB Literature in English 2021 questions and answers

1. 1.

   Criticism is a literary activity which seeks to

   1. A
      Create new forms of literary expression
   2. B
      Evaluate, analyse and judge a literary work
      Correct
   3. C
      Summarise the plot of a literary work
   4. D
      Entertain the reader with invented stories
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   Answer: B

   Literary criticism is the systematic evaluation, analysis, interpretation, and judgement of literary works. It goes beyond mere summary or retelling to assess a work's artistic merit, thematic depth, style, and cultural significance. Critics apply various approaches — formalist, feminist, postcolonial, etc. — to reach informed judgements.

2. 2.From the novel; The Wives' Revolt

   This question is based on J.P Clark's The Wives Revolt.

   The highest measure women in the community can take to register their protest is

   1. A
      going on a hunger strike
   2. B
      staging a public demonstration in the market
   3. C
      reporting grievances to the village elders
   4. D
      walking out on their husbands
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   In The Wives' Revolt by J.P. Clark, the ultimate and most drastic action the women can take is walking out on their husbands — leaving the matrimonial home. This sex/domestic strike is presented as the highest form of protest available to them within their social context.

3. 3.

   The repetition of a consonant sound in quick succession of sound effect is

   1. A
      Assonance
   2. B
      Rhyme
   3. C
      Onomatopoeia
   4. D
      Alliteration
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in closely placed words, used for musical or emphatic effect (e.g., 'Peter Piper picked a peck'). It differs from assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds). It is a key sound device in poetry and prose style.

4. 4.From the novel; Animal farm

   This question isbased on George Orwell's Animal Farm.

   The message of the novel is that

   1. A
      those who lead a revolution can themselves become tyrants
      Correct
   2. B
      animals deserve rights equal to those of humans
   3. C
      the working class will always be exploited by the ruling class
   4. D
      education is the only path to lasting freedom
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   Answer: A

   Orwell's central message in Animal Farm is that power corrupts — the pigs who lead the rebellion against human oppression gradually adopt the very vices they overthrew, becoming indistinguishable from their former masters. The novel is a warning that revolutionaries can become the new tyrants.

5. 5.

   In Angira'sExpelled,the poet persona laments the

   1. A
      failure of his crops
   2. B
      betrayal by a loved one
   3. C
      death of a close friend
   4. D
      loss of his homeland
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   In Angira's Expelled, the persona mourns expulsion from his homeland. The poem is built on images of displacement and loss of belonging — the speaker laments being uprooted and denied the place that defines his identity.

6. 6.

   From the novel; Morountodun

   This question is based on Femi Osofisan's Morountodun.

   Titubi joins the farmer's revolt

   1. A
      she seeks financial compensation from the state
   2. B
      she is coerced by the other farmers
   3. C
      she wants to avenge the death of her parents
   4. D
      she acts out of personal conviction and a desire to find her identity
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Titubi joins the farmer's revolt not by compulsion or material motive but out of personal conviction. Through participation in the struggle, she also seeks to define and find her true identity, making her commitment genuine and self-determined.

7. 7.From the novel: Animal Farm

   This question is based on George Orwell's Animal Farm.

   Old Major ends his speech to the animals with song in order to

   1. A
      entertain the animals after his long speech
   2. B
      celebrate the freedom they already enjoy
   3. C
      inspire and unite them in a revolutionary spirit
      Correct
   4. D
      mourn the animals who had died under human rule
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   Answer: C

   Old Major closes his speech with Beasts of England in order to inspire the animals and weld them together in a shared revolutionary spirit. The song functions as an anthem — its rousing, simple refrain embeds the idea of rebellion emotionally and collectively in a way that spoken argument alone cannot.

8. 8.From the novel: Animal Farm

   This question is based on George Orwell's Animal Farm.

   The execution of some of the animals on the orders of Napoleon is to

   1. A
      instill fear and silence all opposition
      Correct
   2. B
      punish animals who refuse to work hard
   3. C
      reward the most loyal animals on the farm
   4. D
      settle old personal scores with rivals
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   Answer: A

   Napoleon orders the executions in Animal Farm as an instrument of terror — to silence any dissent, eliminate potential opposition, and consolidate absolute control. The public confessions and killings serve as a warning to every other animal not to challenge his authority.

9. 9.

   Fletcher'sUpon An Honest Man's Fortuneachieves its lyrical effect through the use of

   1. A
      alliteration
   2. B
      simile
   3. C
      repetition
      Correct
   4. D
      metaphor
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   Answer: C

   Fletcher achieves the lyrical effect in Upon An Honest Man's Fortune through repetition (specifically anaphora) — the phrase 'Man is his own star' recurs at intervals, giving the poem its musical, chant-like quality.

10. 10.From the novel; Twelfth Night

    This question is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

    DUKE:... Thou know'st no less but all; I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul. What exactly has the Duke unclasped?

    1. A
       his rivalry with Count Antonio
    2. B
       his authority over the court of Illyria
    3. C
       his love and secret feelings for Olivia
       Correct
    4. D
       his plans to wage war on his enemies
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    Answer: C

    Duke Orsino tells Cesario (Viola) that he has shared the deepest secrets of his heart — specifically his love and innermost feelings for Olivia — trusting Cesario as a confidant in matters of the heart.

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

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Practise all 39 questions we hold from the 2021 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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