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

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

1. Question 1· 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 poem is mainly about

   • Aa farmer's harvest
   • Ba school inspector
   • Ca wedding
   • Dthe effects of a seasonal wind

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   Explanation and discussion

2. Question 2· 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 simile in the poem compares the trees to

   • Aa bride
   • Ba teacher
   • Ca baby
   • Da veil

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   Explanation and discussion

3. Question 3· 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.)

   'a grey shawl over Kano's walls' is an example of

   • Asimile
   • Bmetaphor
   • Conomatopoeia
   • Dhyperbole

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   Explanation and discussion

4. Question 4· 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.)

   In the poem, the 'teacher' is

   • Athe rain
   • Ba schoolmaster
   • Cthe farmer
   • Dthe harmattan wind

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   Explanation and discussion

5. Question 5· 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.

   In the last stanza, the mood of the poem changes to one of

   • Adespair
   • Bfear
   • Canger
   • Dhope

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6. Question 6· 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.

   'Before the cockerel clears its throat' tells us that the action of the poem begins at

   • Amidnight
   • Bnoon
   • Cdusk
   • Ddawn

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7. Question 7· 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.)

   'he cracks our lips to make us tell / how little all our lotions are worth' suggests that

   • Alotions are expensive
   • Bthe harmattan is too harsh for ordinary remedies
   • Cthe teacher punishes liars
   • Dlips never crack

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   Explanation and discussion

8. Question 8· 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.

   'his bones remember every cold' suggests that the fisherman

   • Ais afraid of the water
   • Bis forgetful
   • Cenjoys cold weather
   • Dhas endured many hard years of work

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   Explanation and discussion

9. Question 9· 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.)

   'he hides the sun behind a veil' refers to

   • Anight
   • Ba solar eclipse
   • Crain clouds
   • Dthe dusty haze of the harmattan

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   Explanation and discussion

10. Question 10· 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.)

    The rhyme scheme of the poem is

    • Afree verse with no rhyme
    • Babab
    • Cabcb
    • Drhyming couplets

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    Explanation and discussion

11. Question 11· 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, 'the water sighs' is an example of

    • Alitotes
    • Bsimile
    • Chyperbole
    • Dpersonification

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    Explanation and discussion

12. Question 12· 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.)

    The last two lines suggest that the noise of the market

    • Ais what brings the city together
    • Bshould be stopped
    • Cfrightens the child
    • Dhas no meaning

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    Explanation and discussion

13. Question 13· 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.)

    'a thousand voices braided into one' suggests

    • Aa quarrel between two traders
    • Bcomplete silence
    • Cmany voices blending into a single sound
    • Done singer

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    Explanation and discussion

14. Question 14· 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 lesson the farmer reads is that

    • Afarming is useless
    • Bthe wind will never stop
    • Cwhat is lost in the dry season is restored when the rains come
    • Dtrees should be cut down

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    Explanation and discussion

15. Question 15· 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.

    'light will pour like honey down' contains a

    • Ametaphor
    • Bsimile
    • Cpun
    • Dparadox

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    Explanation and discussion

16. Question 16· 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 mood of the last stanza is one of

    • Aboredom
    • Bfear
    • Canger
    • Drenewal and joy

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    Explanation and discussion

17. Question 17· 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.

    The tone of the last stanza of the poem is one of

    • Aadmiration for the fisherman's devotion
    • Bmockery
    • Canger
    • Dfear

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    Explanation and discussion

18. Question 18· 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.

    The description of the net as 'a widening moon' is

    • Aa metaphor
    • Ba simile
    • Can apostrophe
    • Dan oxymoron

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    Explanation and discussion

19. Question 19· 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.)

    The overall tone of the poem is

    • Aappreciative and celebratory
    • Bangry
    • Cmournful
    • Dfearful

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    Explanation and discussion

20. Question 20· 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 rhyme scheme of each stanza of the poem is

    • Aaabb
    • Babab
    • Cabba
    • Dabcb

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    Explanation and discussion