JAMB and WAEC Literature in English questions: Literary appreciation: unseen poetry

29 questions with answers and explanations. Tap an option to check yourself.

All topics Drama: types and elements · 38 Dramatic techniques · 44 Figures of speech · 44 General literary terms · 40 Literary appreciation: unseen poetry · 29 Literary appreciation: unseen prose · 29 Poetry: imagery, sound and structure · 34 Poetry: types and forms · 30 Point of view and narrative techniques · 27 Prose: plot, setting and characterisation · 29 Prose: types of fiction · 26 Set poems: African poetry · 10 Set poems: Non-African poetry · 17 Set text: A Man for All Seasons (Robert Bolt) · 9 Set text: An Inspector Calls (J. B. Priestley) · 10 Set text: Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare) · 13 Set text: The Marriage of Anansewa (Efua Sutherland) · 4 Set text: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) · 14

Question 21· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem below and answer the question. Harmattan Morning (an AdmitMe poem) The dust walks in before the sun, a grey shawl over Kano's roofs; the neem trees cough, the camels run in silence on their padded hoofs. My mother wraps the fire in ash and coaxes it with patient breath, while outside, sharp as any lash, the cold wind whispers news of death. But noon will crack the shawl apart, and light will pour like honey down; the drum of day will find its heart and wake the sleeping, dusty town.
'the neem trees cough' is an example of
Explanation and discussion
Question 22· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· WAEC
The Harmattan Teacher Each dry December, dust comes calling, a grey shawl over Kano's walls; it cracks the lips of the bold and the small, and teaches the trees how to wait. We cough, we curse, we cover our faces, yet the farmer reads its patient lesson: what the wind steals, the rain repays, and every bare branch keeps a promise of green. (An original poem written for AdmitMe practice.)
'teaches the trees how to wait' is an example of
Explanation and discussion
Question 23· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem and answer the question. Market Morning The market wakes before the sun, a thousand voices braided into one; tomatoes blush in pyramids of red, and yams lie sleeping in their dusty bed. A child counts change with careful thumbs, the drummer's echo, then the trader comes, and all the noise, the haggling and the cries, are how a city learns to harmonise. (An original poem written for AdmitMe practice.)
'tomatoes blush' is an example of
Explanation and discussion
Question 24· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· WAEC
The Harmattan Teacher Each dry December, dust comes calling, a grey shawl over Kano's walls; it cracks the lips of the bold and the small, and teaches the trees how to wait. We cough, we curse, we cover our faces, yet the farmer reads its patient lesson: what the wind steals, the rain repays, and every bare branch keeps a promise of green. (An original poem written for AdmitMe practice.)
The mood of the last two lines is
Explanation and discussion
Question 25· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem below and answer the question. Harmattan Morning (an AdmitMe poem) The dust walks in before the sun, a grey shawl over Kano's roofs; the neem trees cough, the camels run in silence on their padded hoofs. My mother wraps the fire in ash and coaxes it with patient breath, while outside, sharp as any lash, the cold wind whispers news of death. But noon will crack the shawl apart, and light will pour like honey down; the drum of day will find its heart and wake the sleeping, dusty town.
'a grey shawl over Kano's roofs' refers to the
Explanation and discussion
Question 26· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem below and answer the question. The Lagoon Fisherman (an AdmitMe poem) Before the cockerel clears its throat, Baba is pushing out his boat; the paddle dips, the water sighs, and mist lies heavy on his eyes. He casts his net, a widening moon, and sings a slow, unhurried tune; the fish, those silver whispers, run to meet the coming of the sun. His back is bent, his hands are old, his bones remember every cold; yet still each dawn he takes the oar: the sea is all he's living for.
In the poem, 'those silver whispers' refers to the
Explanation and discussion
Question 27· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem and answer the question. The Harmattan Teacher He comes each year without a bell, this dusty teacher from the north; he cracks our lips to make us tell how little all our lotions are worth. He paints the mango leaves in grey, he hides the sun behind a veil, and mothers wrap their babies' clay- soft shoulders in a woollen shawl. But when he leaves in early March, the sky returns, washed clean and wide, and every tree beneath its arch puts on new leaves, like a bride. (An original poem written for AdmitMe practice.)
In 'The Harmattan Teacher', the harmattan is presented through
Explanation and discussion
Question 28· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem and answer the question. The Harmattan Teacher He comes each year without a bell, this dusty teacher from the north; he cracks our lips to make us tell how little all our lotions are worth. He paints the mango leaves in grey, he hides the sun behind a veil, and mothers wrap their babies' clay- soft shoulders in a woollen shawl. But when he leaves in early March, the sky returns, washed clean and wide, and every tree beneath its arch puts on new leaves, like a bride. (An original poem written for AdmitMe practice.)
The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is
Explanation and discussion
Question 29· Literary appreciation: unseen poetry· JAMB
Read the poem below and answer the question. The Lagoon Fisherman (an AdmitMe poem) Before the cockerel clears its throat, Baba is pushing out his boat; the paddle dips, the water sighs, and mist lies heavy on his eyes. He casts his net, a widening moon, and sings a slow, unhurried tune; the fish, those silver whispers, run to meet the coming of the sun. His back is bent, his hands are old, his bones remember every cold; yet still each dawn he takes the oar: the sea is all he's living for.
Each stanza of 'The Lagoon Fisherman' rhymes
Explanation and discussion

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JAMB and WAEC Literature in English questions: Literary appreciation: unseen poetry

'the neem trees cough' is an example of

'teaches the trees how to wait' is an example of

'tomatoes blush' is an example of

The mood of the last two lines is

'a grey shawl over Kano's roofs' refers to the

In the poem, 'those silver whispers' refers to the

In 'The Harmattan Teacher', the harmattan is presented through

The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is

Each stanza of 'The Lagoon Fisherman' rhymes