gce model questions vol1 2023 literature_in_english | Essay

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Question 1 View Details
Literature employs various genres to convey ideas and evoke responses. Answer the following questions.
Question Parts
(a)
Define the literary genres of tragedy and comedy. In your definition, mention their historical origins and typical structural features.
(b)
Discuss two key differences in the way tragedy and comedy treat the concept of human suffering.
(c)
Provide one example of a Nigerian literary work that exemplifies each genre, and briefly explain how the work illustrates the defining features of the genre.
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Question 2 View Details
Read the following excerpt from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story *The Thing Around Your Neck*: "She tried to speak, but the words felt heavy, like stones in her mouth. The silence in the room was a thick blanket, smothering any attempt at conversation. When she finally managed a whisper, it was barely audible over the hum of the air‑conditioner, and the man across the table smiled, as if he understood the weight of the unspoken.", Answer the following questions.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify two literary devices used in the excerpt – one instance of symbolism and one instance of irony – and quote the relevant passage for each.
(b)
Explain how each identified device contributes to the overall theme of alienation in the excerpt.
(c)
Compare the use of these two devices in the excerpt with their use in another Nigerian literary work of your choice, commenting on any similarity or contrast in effect.
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Question 3 View Details
Read the following original poem excerpt: "In the quiet market of dawn, the stalls awaken with the sigh of cloth and the rustle of grain. A lone child, barefoot, weaves through the crowd, his laughter a thin thread of gold. Above, the sky bruises with the first light, promising a day both harsh and hopeful. The old baker, hands scarred by flour, watches the world turn, his eyes a ledger of years. He offers a warm loaf to the child, a silent pact of kindness in a restless city." Answer the following questions:
Question Parts
(a)
Identify two major themes in the poem and explain how they are developed.
(b)
Analyse how the poet uses imagery and sound devices to develop one of the identified themes.
(c)
Evaluate the effectiveness of the poem’s structure (stanza form, line length, rhyme) in conveying its overall message.
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Question 4 View Details
Read the following original prose passage: "Ada stood at the edge of the river, the water whispering secrets beneath the moon’s pale glow. She lifted the small wooden box she had carried all day, its lid worn smooth by countless journeys. Inside lay a single, tarnished key – the only heirloom left from her grandfather. As the night grew colder, a distant bell tolled, marking the hour when the old bridge would open. With a steady breath, Ada placed the box on the stone rail and stepped onto the creaking planks, each groan echoing the doubts that had haunted her since childhood. The river below swirled, reflecting fragments of a sky she barely remembered, and she whispered, "I will find the lock that belongs to this key." Answer the following questions:
Question Parts
(a)
Discuss how the author develops Ada’s character through her actions and the language used to describe them.
(b)
Examine the narrative perspective and its effect on the reader’s understanding of Ada’s journey.
(c)
Comment on the symbolism of the river, the key, and the bridge, and relate them to the broader theme of searching for identity.
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Question 5 View Details
Read the following excerpt from an original drama titled *The Flooded Fields*: ELDER: The river has risen again, and the fields are drowned. We cannot wait for the council's promise. YOUNG WOMAN: Yet the council says the dam will protect us. If we trust them, we must act now. (Thunder rumbles as the sky darkens.) Answer the questions that follow.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify the central conflict presented in the excerpt and state whether it is internal, external, or both.
(b)
Explain how the playwright uses language and stage directions to heighten tension in the scene.
(c)
Evaluate how the playwright’s treatment of this conflict reflects a broader social issue relevant to contemporary Nigerian society.
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Question 6 View Details
Read the following passage describing Amara, a central figure in the novel *Shadows over the Savannah*: Amara moved through the market with a measured stride, her eyes scanning the stalls not for bargains but for the quiet murmurs of the elders. When a child tripped over a sack of millet, she knelt without hesitation, lifted the child gently, and whispered, “The earth remembers every footfall; tread kindly.” Later, at the council meeting, she challenged the chief’s decree to clear a section of the forest for a road, arguing that the trees were the community’s ancestors. Answer the following questions.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify and explain two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization used in the passage.
(b)
Discuss how Amara’s actions in the passage reveal her core values and how these values influence her relationships with other members of the community.
(c)
Analyse how Amara contributes to the central theme of the novel, which concerns the conflict between progress and cultural heritage.
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Question 7 View Details
Read the following excerpt from the short story **The Midnight Visitor** (original).
Question Parts
(a)
Outline the main events of the plot presented in the excerpt, identifying the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
(b)
Explain two techniques the author uses to build tension during the rising action.
(c)
Assess the effectiveness of the plot twist at the climax in terms of its impact on the reader’s expectations.
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Question 8 View Details
Consider the following description of the village of Nwoke in the novel **Echoes of the River** (original).
Question Parts
(a)
Analyse how the physical setting contributes to the overall mood of the passage.
(b)
Discuss how the cultural setting influences the protagonist’s decisions in the excerpt.
(c)
Evaluate the author’s use of sensory imagery to create a vivid sense of place, giving two specific examples from the passage.
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Question 9 View Details
Read the following original excerpt taken from the short story *The River’s Whisper*: "Ada stood at the edge of the river, the water glinting like shattered glass under the waning sun. The village elders had warned her that the river was a boundary not to be crossed, a line drawn by tradition between the old ways and the new. Yet the distant city lights flickered across the horizon, promising education, freedom, and a life beyond the thatched roofs of her home. As the current tugged at her sandals, Ada felt the pull of two worlds – the steady rhythm of the river that had sustained her ancestors for generations, and the restless surge of a future she could scarcely imagine. She lifted her foot, hesitated, and then stepped into the cold, flowing water." (a) Identify the central theme of the excerpt. (b) Analyse how the author develops this theme through: i. Characterisation of Ada; ii. The setting of the river and the village; iii. The language and imagery used. (c) Evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s treatment of the theme in conveying a broader social message.
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Question 10 View Details
Read the following original excerpt taken from the novella *Shadows of Memory*: "The night was thick with the scent of rain, yet the house was illuminated by a single, trembling candle. I had always believed my grandfather’s war stories were embellishments, until the cracked photograph on the mantelpiece whispered a different truth. The image—faded, half‑visible—showed a younger version of him, not in uniform, but standing beside a woman whose face was smudged beyond recognition. As I traced the edges of the picture, a sudden gust knocked the candle, and the room plunged into darkness. In that instant, I heard a voice—not my own—reciting verses my grandfather never taught me, words that seemed to belong to a life I had never lived. The narrative of my family, I realised, was not linear; it was a collage of fragments, each reshaping the other." (a) Identify the narrative technique(s) employed in the excerpt. (b) Discuss how these techniques affect the reader’s perception of the narrator’s reliability and the construction of the family history. (c) Explain the purpose of using such techniques in the broader context of the novella’s exploration of memory and identity.
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