Question 56
NECO
•
2025
•
LITERATURE_IN_ENGLISH
•
objective
Read the following excerpt from an unseen poem:
"The city lights flicker, a restless tide,
While shadows whisper secrets of the night.
I wander, heart a compass lost in fog,
Seeking the dawn that never seems to rise."
a) Identify the speaker of the poem.
b) Locate the line where a shift in tone occurs and describe the nature of the shift.
c) Explain how the poet uses at least two poetic devices in the excerpt to develop the theme of alienation.
d) Infer the poet's attitude towards the urban environment.
Answer Options
A.
Speaker: a lyrical child narrator. Tone shift: between line 2 and line 4, from serene description to playful curiosity. Devices: rhyme‑scheme analysis and enjambment focus, illustrating innocence. Attitude: whimsical delight in the city's lights.
B.
Speaker: an omniscient third‑person observer. Tone shift: between line 1 and line 2, from hopeful anticipation to joyful celebration. Devices: alliteration of "city" and onomatopoeia of "flicker", emphasizing excitement. Attitude: enthusiastic admiration of the urban night.
C.
Speaker: a detached historian. Tone shift: between line 3 and line 4, from reflective nostalgia to triumphant resolve. Devices: hyperbole of "restless tide" and simile comparing shadows to "whispering ghosts", underscoring mystery. Attitude: reverent awe of the city's timelessness.
Correct Answer
D.
Speaker: a first‑person narrator. Tone shift: between line 2 and line 3, from calm observation to desperate confusion. Devices: personification of lights/shadows and the metaphor of a lost compass, both highlighting alienation. Attitude: melancholic, critical of the city.
Correct Answer
D
Correct Option:
Speaker: a first‑person narrator. Tone shift: between line 2 and line 3, from calm observation to desperate confusion. Devices: personification of lights/shadows and the metaphor of a lost compass, both highlighting alienation. Attitude: melancholic, critical of the city.
About This Question
This is
Neco
2025
Literature In English
Question 56.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2025
Neco
Literature In English
examination.
Difficulty level:
Hard
.