Welcome to our WAEC past question and answer series. In this post, we will be sharing Literature in English 2022 past questions and their answers for various subjects. Stay tuned enjoy while learning.
1. A novel that features spiritual apparitions as major character is
A. Epistolary
B. Gothic
C. Historical
D. Socialogical
2. The literary term describing individuals in a work of literature is
A. characters
B. protagonist
C. narrator
D. villain
3. Several hands stretched out for free meals at the refugee camp illustrates
A. Antithesis
B. Euphemism
C. Litotes
D. Synecdoche
4. A short play performed between the acts of a bigger play for entertainment is
A. an in media res
B. an interlude
C. an incantation
D. a deux ex machina
5. In literature, the two components of diction are
A. sentence construction and punctuation
B. vocabulary and punctuation
C. syntax and sentence construction
D. vocabulary and syntax
6. A story with elements that have both literal and figurative meanings is
A. an allegory
B. a fable
C. a novella
D. an epistle
7. My bounty is as boundless as the sea my love as deep
The above lines illustrate
A. apostrophe
B. epigram
C. hyperbole
D. euphemism
8. In drama, catharsis is the
A. change of setting
B. conflict between two characters
C. resolution of conflict
D. purgation of emotion from tension
9. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
A little learning is a dangerous thing:
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring
The shallow droughts intoxicate the brain
And drinking largely sobers us again
The poem is
A. allegoric
B. didactic
C. metaphysical
D. romantic
10. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
A little learning is a dangerous thing:
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring
The shallow droughts intoxicate the brain
And drinking largely sobers us again
The tone of the poet is
A. jocular
B. harsh
C. mournful
D. sombre
11. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
A little learning is a dangerous thing:
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring
The shallow droughts intoxicate the brain
And drinking largely sobers us again
Lines 3 and 4 illustrate
A. antithesis
B. oxymoron
C. anti-climax
D. metonymy
12. A word or a phrase that is repeated at regular intervals in a poem or a play is a
A. dirge
B. refrain
C. lullaby
D. verse
13. The warriors conquered my men and my country illustrates the use of
A. Paradox
B. Litotes
C. Parallelism
D. Zeugma
14. Disguise in drama mostly portrays the theme of
A. known identity
B. plain identity
C. unknown identity
D. mistaken identity
15. Men swift to see things done , do not run their commanding.
The words in italics exemplify
A. pun
B. end rhyme
C. internal rhyme
D. paradox
16. An aside in drama is used mostly to create a sense of
A. admiration
B. conspiracy
C. greatness
D. superiority
17. More haste, less speed illustrates the use of
A. anaphora
B. paradox
C. litotes
D. synecdoche
18. Poetry gets bored of being alone
It wants to go outdoors to chew the winds.
The mental picture evoked in the above lines is that of
A. smell and touch
B. sight and hearing
C. taste and touch
D. sight and taste
19. A novel that recounts the adventures of a likeable rogue is
A. panegyric
B. gothic
C. picaresque
D. grotesque
20. At the fall of their house, the widow lost her husband, her sewing machine and her ear-rings illustrates
A. bathos
B. epigram
C. pathos
D. oxymoron
21. Unseen Prose and Poetry
Read the passage below and answer the following questions
Marooned, Akpatse felt imprisoned. It was fifteen days since the storm. The flood waters were not receding; neither did Akpatse see any sign of help coming. Akpatse could not swim the expanse of flood waters. He meditated: when one looks upon the mountain for help and help comes from the Lord … where does the Lord sit – in the cloud or on the mountain, or in the valley?
Well, Akpatse looked for salvation in the distance, far across the ocean of flood – the intimidating expense of his great gaoler – up to where the sky and the lips of the flood waters met in a mocking kiss. He had forgotten the feeling of hunger but knew he did not have any energy. What a foolish thing to think! He had not had any food for days. True. But hunger never said hello from the hollow of his ‘person-tree’ as they say in his language. Akpatse saw no help coming.
The narrative technique used is
A. 1st person
B. Dialogue
C. 3rd person
D. stream of consciousness
22. Unseen Prose and Poetry
Read the passage below and answer the following questions
Marooned, Akpatse felt imprisoned. It was fifteen days since the storm. The flood waters were not receding; neither did Akpatse see any sign of help coming. Akpatse could not swim the expanse of flood waters. He meditated: when one looks upon the mountain for help and help comes from the Lord … where does the Lord sit – in the cloud or on the mountain, or in the valley?
Well, Akpatse looked for salvation in the distance, far across the ocean of flood – the intimidating expense of his great gaoler – up to where the sky and the lips of the flood waters met in a mocking kiss. He had forgotten the feeling of hunger but knew he did not have any energy. What a foolish thing to think! He had not had any food for days. True. But hunger never said hello from the hollow of his ‘person-tree’ as they say in his language. Akpatse saw no help coming.
The reference to mountain illustrates
A. allusion
B. irony
C. parallelism
D. antithesis
23. Unseen Prose and Poetry
Read the passage below and answer the following questions
Marooned, Akpatse felt imprisoned. It was fifteen days since the storm. The flood waters were not receding; neither did Akpatse see any sign of help coming. Akpatse could not swim the expanse of flood waters. He meditated: when one looks upon the mountain for help and help comes from the Lord … where does the Lord sit – in the cloud or on the mountain, or in the valley?
Well, Akpatse looked for salvation in the distance, far across the ocean of flood – the intimidating expense of his great gaoler – up to where the sky and the lips of the flood waters met in a mocking kiss. He had forgotten the feeling of hunger but knew he did not have any energy. What a foolish thing to think! He had not had any food for days. True. But hunger never said hello from the hollow of his ‘person-tree’ as they say in his language. Akpatse saw no help coming.
The overall feeling evoked by the passage is one of
A. anger
B. empathy
C. love
D. relief
24. Unseen Prose and Poetry
Read the passage below and answer the following questions
Marooned, Akpatse felt imprisoned. It was fifteen days since the storm. The flood waters were not receding; neither did Akpatse see any sign of help coming. Akpatse could not swim the expanse of flood waters. He meditated: when one looks upon the mountain for help and help comes from the Lord … where does the Lord sit – in the cloud or on the mountain, or in the valley?
Well, Akpatse looked for salvation in the distance, far across the ocean of flood – the intimidating expense of his great gaoler – up to where the sky and the lips of the flood waters met in a mocking kiss. He had forgotten the feeling of hunger but knew he did not have any energy. What a foolish thing to think! He had not had any food for days. True. But hunger never said hello from the hollow of his ‘person-tree’ as they say in his language. Akpatse saw no help coming.
Flood waters met in a mocking kiss illustrates
A. contrast
B. euphemism
C. personification
D. litotes
25. Unseen Prose and Poetry
Read the passage below and answer the following questions
Marooned, Akpatse felt imprisoned. It was fifteen days since the storm. The flood waters were not receding; neither did Akpatse see any sign of help coming. Akpatse could not swim the expanse of flood waters. He meditated: when one looks upon the mountain for help and help comes from the Lord … where does the Lord sit – in the cloud or on the mountain, or in the valley?
Well, Akpatse looked for salvation in the distance, far across the ocean of flood – the intimidating expense of his great gaoler – up to where the sky and the lips of the flood waters met in a mocking kiss. He had forgotten the feeling of hunger but knew he did not have any energy. What a foolish thing to think! He had not had any food for days. True. But hunger never said hello from the hollow of his ‘person-tree’ as they say in his language. Akpatse saw no help coming.
The last sentence conveys the mood of
A. anxiety
B. despondency
C. excitement
D. nonchalance
26. Read the poem below and answer the following questions
Your lies are the withering strokes still, they come from the inner recesses of your dungeoned heart.
And though venomous than the venom, they inspire our once docile minds to disorders
even as your angels of death pass us by with messages of hopeless hope.
Did you read our mind in your lies?
We know the seat of power in a castle of your evil heart; where your lies are imprisoned to be released again and again; they are never in rain! but they have soothed us calmly , your lies; the war is not of you anymore, it is of the angels who pass us by with messages of peace.
The main theme of the poem is
A. evil of lying
B. hopeless hope
C. message of peace
D. message of war
27. Read the poem below and answer the following questions
Your lies are the withering strokes still, they come from the inner recesses of your dungeoned heart.
And though venomous than the venom, they inspire our once docile minds to disorders
even as your angels of death pass us by with messages of hopeless hope.
Did you read our mind in your lies?
We know the seat of power in a castle of your evil heart; where your lies are imprisoned to be released again and again; they are never in rain! but they have soothed us calmly , your lies; the war is not of you anymore, it is of the angels who pass us by with messages of peace.
The tone of the speaker shows
A. contentment
B. helplessness
C. patience
D. resilience
28. Read the poem below and answer the following questions
Your lies are the withering strokes still, they come from the inner recesses of your dungeoned heart.
And though venomous than the venom, they inspire our once docile minds to disorders
even as your angels of death pass us by with messages of hopeless hope.
Did you read our mind in your lies?
We know the seat of power in a castle of your evil heart; where your lies are imprisoned to be released again and again; they are never in rain! but they have soothed us calmly , your lies; the war is not of you anymore, it is of the angels who pass us by with messages of peace.
Did your read our minds in your lies? exemplifies
A. personification
B. oxymoron
C. pathetic fallacy
D. rhetorical question
29. Read the poem below and answer the following questions
Your lies are the withering strokes still, they come from the inner recesses of your dungeoned heart.
And though venomous than the venom, they inspire our once docile minds to disorders
even as your angels of death pass us by with messages of hopeless hope.
Did you read our mind in your lies?
We know the seat of power in a castle of your evil heart; where your lies are imprisoned to be released again and again; they are never in rain! but they have soothed us calmly , your lies; the war is not of you anymore, it is of the angels who pass us by with messages of peace.
But they have soothed us calmly, your lies illustrates
A. paradox
B. irony
C. synecdoche
D. zeugma
30. Read the poem below and answer the following questions
Your lies are the withering strokes still, they come from the inner recesses of your dungeoned heart.
And though venomous than the venom, they inspire our once docile minds to disorders
even as your angels of death pass us by with messages of hopeless hope.
Did you read our mind in your lies?
We know the seat of power in a castle of your evil heart; where your lies are imprisoned to be released again and again; they are never in rain! but they have soothed us calmly , your lies; the war is not of you anymore, it is of the angels who pass us by with messages of peace.
The last lines both stanza present
A. Negative but similar ideas
B. opposite ideas
C. Positive but opposite ideas
D. similar ideas
31. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Go, Philostrate,
Sir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals:
The pale companion is not our pomp
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp with triumph, and with reveling ( Act 1, Scene One, Lines 12-20)
Who is the speaker?
A. Demetrius
B. Egeus
C. Hermia
D. Theseus
32. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Go, Philostrate,
Sir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals:
The pale companion is not our pomp
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp with triumph, and with reveling ( Act 1, Scene One, Lines 12-20)
Philostrate is
A. Clown of Hippolyta
B. Duke’s entertainer
C. Fairy king’s cuckold
D. Rival of Puck
33. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Go, Philostrate,
Sir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals:
The pale companion is not our pomp
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp with triumph, and with reveling ( Act 1, Scene One, Lines 12-20)
The speaker’s attitude towards melancholy is
A. adoration
B. dislike
C. intolerance
D. tolerance
34. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Go, Philostrate,
Sir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals:
The pale companion is not our pomp
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp with triumph, and with reveling ( Act 1, Scene One, Lines 12-20)
While the speaker is talking
A. Egeus departs
B. Flute arrives
C. the fairies sing
D. Philostrate departs
35. William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Go, Philostrate,
Sir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals:
The pale companion is not our pomp
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword,
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp with triumph, and with reveling ( Act 1, Scene One, Lines 12-20)
To win Hippolyta’s love, the speaker
A. disowned his friends
B. had to fight against her
C. killed his father
D. sent Puck away
36. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Speaker X: Thou runaway, thou coward,
art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speaker Y: Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant, come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.
(Act III, Scene Two, Lines 405 – 411)
Speakers X and Y are
A. Demetrious and Puck
B. Lysander and Demetrius
C. Hermia and Helen
D. Lysander and Puck
37. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Speaker X: Thou runaway, thou coward,
art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speaker Y: Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant, come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.
(Act III, Scene Two, Lines 405 – 411)
Speaker Y speaks in the voice of
A. Bottom
B. Demetrius
C. Oberon
D. Lysander
38. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Speaker X: Thou runaway, thou coward,
art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speaker Y: Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant, come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.
(Act III, Scene Two, Lines 405 – 411)
Speaker Y’s intention is to stop
A. plan
B. fight
C. plot
D. flight
39. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Speaker X: Thou runaway, thou coward,
art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speaker Y: Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant, come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.
(Act III, Scene Two, Lines 405 – 411)
The wars are over
A. Helena
B. Titania
C. Hermia
D. Hippolyta
40. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
Speaker X: Thou runaway, thou coward,
art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speaker Y: Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant, come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod. He is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.
(Act III, Scene Two, Lines 405 – 411)
Speaker Y’s speech can be described as
A. cowardly
B. solemn
C. taunting
D. silly
41. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity;
For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 42 – 28)
The speaker is
A. Egeus
B. Oberon
C. Puke
D. Theseus
42. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity;
For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 42 – 28)
The relationship between the speaker and thou in the first line is one of
A. companionship
B. friendship
C. king and courtier
D. master and errand boy
43. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity;
For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 42 – 28)
This sweet sight refers to
A. Bottom and Titania
B. Demetrius and Helena
C. Lysander and Hermia
D. Pyramus and Thisbe
44. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity;
For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 42 – 28)
The pair are lovers by
A. accident
B. fate
C. design
D. fortune
45. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… seest thou this sweet sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity;
For meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her, and fall out with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 42 – 28)
The speaker appears to be
A. blaming himself
B. commending the addressee
C. enjoying himself
D. lamenting the sight
46. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… Man is but an ass if he go about to
expound this dream. Methought I was – there
is no man can tell
what. Methought I was, and methought I had –
but man is
But a patched fool, if he will offer
To say what methought I
had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of
man hath not
seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his
tongue to conceive, nor
his heart to report, what my dream was
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 201 – 207)
The speaker is
A. Bottom
B. Puck
C. Quince
D. Peaseblossom
47. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… Man is but an ass if he go about to
expound this dream. Methought I was – there
is no man can tell
what. Methought I was, and methought I had –
but man is
But a patched fool, if he will offer
To say what methought I
had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of
man hath not
seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his
tongue to conceive, nor
his heart to report, what my dream was
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 201 – 207)
The speaker has just come out of
A. an appalling experience
B. a nightmare
C. an induced sleep
D. a rehearsal
48. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… Man is but an ass if he go about to
expound this dream. Methought I was – there
is no man can tell
what. Methought I was, and methought I had –
but man is
But a patched fool, if he will offer
To say what methought I
had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of
man hath not
seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his
tongue to conceive, nor
his heart to report, what my dream was
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 201 – 207)
The architect of the speaker’s current state is
A. Hippolyta
B. Oberon
C. Titania
D. Theseus
49. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… Man is but an ass if he go about to
expound this dream. Methought I was – there
is no man can tell
what. Methought I was, and methought I had –
but man is
But a patched fool, if he will offer
To say what methought I
had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of
man hath not
seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his
tongue to conceive, nor
his heart to report, what my dream was
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 201 – 207)
It is a state of
A. deception
B. ignorance
C. illusion
D. innocence
50. Read the extract below and answer the following questions
… Man is but an ass if he go about to
expound this dream. Methought I was – there
is no man can tell
what. Methought I was, and methought I had –
but man is
But a patched fool, if he will offer
To say what methought I
had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of
man hath not
seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his
tongue to conceive, nor
his heart to report, what my dream was
(Act IV, Scene One, Lines 201 – 207)
The speaker’s language is best described as
A. comic
B. satiric
C. conceit
D. metaphoric
Answers To Questions
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