Real Post-UTME Literature in English past questions, each with the correct answer and a worked solution. Below are 8 to work through free — no account needed.
Read the following lines: 'The sun set slowly behind the hills, painting the sky with fire.' Which literary device is MOST prominent in this sentence?
The sentence gives the sun the human ability to 'paint,' which is personification. The most tempting distractor is metaphor, but a metaphor is a direct comparison between unrelated things; here, the focus is on attributing human actions to a non-human object.
Read the following passage: "The thunder growled as Dele hurried along the muddy path, his schoolbooks pressed to his chest. He wondered if the storm raging above was angry at him, like his teacher had been that morning." What literary device is used in describing the thunder?
The thunder is given the human quality of 'growling,' which makes personification the correct answer. Many students may incorrectly choose 'metaphor,' but there is no implied comparison between two unlike things; instead, an inanimate object is given a human action.
Read the extract below and answer the question: "As the cock crowed, Mama gathered us round her, face calm but voice trembling, 'Remember, the future will judge us by the seeds we sow today.'" What literary device is primarily used in Mama's statement?
The phrase 'the seeds we sow' is a metaphor comparing present actions to seeds that grow into future consequences. A common mistake is to pick 'Personification' because 'the future will judge' gives the future human qualities, but the main focus is the metaphor about actions and their outcomes.
Read the following lines from a poem: 'The pale moon wandered slow across the sky, Her gentle light a cool and watchful eye.' Which literary device is used in the description of the moon?
The moon is described as wandering and having a watchful eye, which gives it human attributes, showing personification. The most tempting distractor is 'Metaphor', but no direct transformation or identity (without 'like' or 'as') is made between the moon and an eye—it's the moon's light that is described as 'a cool and watchful eye', still focusing on human-like qualities.
Read the following excerpt from a play: "May your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth if you utter my name again!" This line reveals the speaker’s emotions primarily through which literary device?
The line is an example of a curse, as the speaker wishes misfortune to befall the listener if a condition is met. The most tempting distractor, 'Hyperbole,' is incorrect because while the line is exaggerated, its main function is to pronounce a harmful wish, not just to exaggerate for effect.
In Wole Soyinka's play 'The Lion and the Jewel', the relationship between Lakunle and Sidi is chiefly complicated by Lakunle's attitude towards traditional customs. Which incident in the play best demonstrates this source of conflict?
Lakunle's refusal to pay the bride price is the clearest demonstration of his opposition to tradition, causing tension with Sidi and driving much of their conflict. The most tempting distractor is Sidi's admiration of her photographs, but this incident relates more to her vanity and sets up her interest in Baroka, not the direct conflict between her and Lakunle over customs.
Read the following lines from a poem: "The rain drummed angrily upon our tin roof, Mother’s silence stretched like an old, thin cloth." Which literary device is MOST prominent in the phrase "Mother’s silence stretched like an old, thin cloth"?
The phrase uses 'like' to compare mother's silence to an old, thin cloth, which is a simile. The most tempting distractor, 'personification', is incorrect because the silence is not given human qualities—it is merely being compared to an object via simile.
Read the following lines: "The gentle breeze kissed the river's face, as the sun smiled down in gold." Which literary device is used in both phrases?
The correct answer is personification, as non-human elements (the breeze and the sun) are described as performing human actions (kissing and smiling). The most tempting wrong option is alliteration, but while there is repetition of sounds in 'sun smiled,' it is not a main feature of these lines; the focus is on giving human qualities to non-humans.
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