Jamb Literature in English 1985 Past Questions and Answers

Question 41:

• JAMB 1985

'When we got off the bus he helped me to cross the road, holding me by the elbow. Submissively, I allowed my self to be led. Out on the square there was an African sun, and in my heart too, shading a flood of light'.
The narrator here is full of

A. Gloom
B. Fears
C. Doubts
D. Cheer
E. Uncertainty.

Question 42:

• JAMB 1985

'There kneels a jigger, a louse, a weevil, a flea, a bedbug! He is mistletoe, a parasite that lives on the trees of other people's lives!'
The speaker uses a string of

A. Hyperbole
B. Parables
C. Metaphors
D. Riddles
E. Understatements.

Question 43:

• JAMB 1985

A trade, Sir, that, i hope, i may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, Sir, a mender of bad soles.
The passage is referring to a

A. Religious preacher who saves sinful souls
B. Physician who cures diseases of the sole
C. Workman who repears shoes
D. Trader who prevents bad sales
E. Trader who cheats customers during sales.

Question 44:

• JAMB 1985

At the end of that week I set off for Caxley. It was a grey day, with the downs covered in thick mist. The trees dripped sadly along the road to the market town, and the wet pavements were even more depressing.
The setting is best described as

A. Bracing
B. Dismal
C. Exhilarating
D. Delightful
E. Pleasant.

Question 45:

• JAMB 1985

A deliberate use of exaggeration for humour or emphasis is known as

A. Exclamation
B. Litotes
C. Metonymy
D. Hyperbole
E. Antonym.