Home ยป Past Questions ยป Literature-in-english ยป Waec ยป 2008 ยป Page 2
22

Read the extract and answer the question

I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle: if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a dammed ghost that we have seen…..
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 73-77)

The ”occulted guilt” here means

  • A. wizardry
  • B. love
  • C. witchcraft
  • D. conscience
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23

Read the extract and answer the question

I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle: if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a dammed ghost that we have seen…..
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 73-77)

The ”uncle” being referred to is

  • A. Laertes
  • B. Claudius
  • C. Guildenstern
  • D. Horatio
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24

Read the extract and answer the question

I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle: if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a dammed ghost that we have seen…..
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 73-77)

The character being addressed is

  • A. Gertrude
  • B. Ophelia
  • C. Horatio
  • D. Claudius
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25

Read the extract and answer the question

I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle: if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a dammed ghost that we have seen…..
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 73-77)

The speaker is

  • A. Hamlet
  • B. Claudius
  • C. the King
  • D. the Queen
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26

Read the extract and answer the question

Thrift, thrift,….! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had seen that day,…..!
My father! _ Me thinks I see my father.
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 180-184)

The setting is

  • A. a room in Polonius house
  • B. a room in the castle
  • C. the queen's room
  • D. the king's room.
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27

Read the extract and answer the question

Thrift, thrift,….! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had seen that day,…..!
My father! _ Me thinks I see my father.
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 180-184)

The other character who comes on the scene after this is

  • A. the queen
  • B. Horatio
  • C. Polonius
  • D. the king
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28

Read the extract and answer the question

Thrift, thrift,….! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had seen that day,…..!
My father! _ Me thinks I see my father.
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 180-184)

”The primrose path of dalliance” means

  • A. a religious life
  • B. a reckless life
  • C. the way to heaven
  • D. the way to hell
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29

Read the extract and answer the question

Thrift, thrift,….! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had seen that day,…..!
My father! _ Me thinks I see my father.
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 180-184)

The character being addressed is

  • A. Laertes
  • B. Polonius
  • C. Horatio
  • D. the King
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30

Read the extract and answer the question

Thrift, thrift,….! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had seen that day,…..!
My father! _ Me thinks I see my father.
(Act 1, Scene Two, Lines 180-184)

The speaker is

  • A. Polonius
  • B. the King
  • C. Hamlet
  • D. the queen
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31
From the novel; Hamlet

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet

Read the extract and answer the question

It is here,……thou art slain;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom d: the foul practice
Hath turn’d itself on me; lo; here I lie,
(Act 5, Scene Two, Lines 298-303)

The setting is

  • A. a hall in the castle
  • B. the battlefield
  • C. a platform in front of the castle
  • D. the queen's room
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32
From the novel; Hamlet

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet

Read the extract and answer the question

It is here,……thou art slain;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom d: the foul practice
Hath turn’d itself on me; lo; here I lie,
(Act 5, Scene Two, Lines 298-303)

The addresses later

  • A. kills himself
  • B. sleeps off
  • C. runs away
  • D. arrived
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33
From the novel; Hamlet

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet

Read the extract and answer the question

It is here,……thou art slain;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom d: the foul practice
Hath turn’d itself on me; lo; here I lie,
(Act 5, Scene Two, Lines 298-303)

The character being addressed is

  • A. Hamlet
  • B. the queen
  • C. the king
  • D. fortinbras
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34
From the novel; Hamlet

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet

Read the extract and answer the question

It is here,……thou art slain;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom d: the foul practice
Hath turn’d itself on me; lo; here I lie,
(Act 5, Scene Two, Lines 298-303)

The queen has just

  • A. left the scene
  • B. died
  • C. run away
  • D. arrived
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35
From the novel; Hamlet

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet

Read the extract and answer the question

It is here,……thou art slain;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom d: the foul practice
Hath turn’d itself on me; lo; here I lie,
(Act 5, Scene Two, Lines 298-303)

The speaker is

  • A. Fortinbras
  • B. Guildenstern
  • C. Laertes
  • D. Hamlet
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36

Read the passage and answer the question

Ralph wormed his way though the thicket towards the forest, keeping as far as possible beneath the smoke. Presently, he saw an open space and the green leaves of the edge of the thicket . A smallish savage was standing between him and the rest of the forest, a savage striped red and white, and carrying a spear. He was coughing, and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke.

Ralph launched himself like a cat: stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up. There was a shout from beyond the thicket and then Ralph was running with the swiftness of fear through the undergrowth. He came to a pig-run, followed it for perhaps a hundred yards and then swerved off. Behind him the ululation swept across the island once more and a single voice shouted three times. He guessed that was the signal to advance and sped away again till his chest was like fire.

Then he flung himself down under a bush and waited for a moment till his breathing steadied. He passed his tongue tentatively over his teeth and lips and heard far off the ululation of the pursuers.

The writer’s diction portrays

  • A. repetition
  • B. irony
  • C. tension
  • D. humour
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37

Read the passage and answer the question

Ralph wormed his way though the thicket towards the forest, keeping as far as possible beneath the smoke. Presently, he saw an open space and the green leaves of the edge of the thicket . A smallish savage was standing between him and the rest of the forest, a savage striped red and white, and carrying a spear. He was coughing, and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke.

Ralph launched himself like a cat: stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up. There was a shout from beyond the thicket and then Ralph was running with the swiftness of fear through the undergrowth. He came to a pig-run, followed it for perhaps a hundred yards and then swerved off. Behind him the ululation swept across the island once more and a single voice shouted three times. He guessed that was the signal to advance and sped away again till his chest was like fire.

Then he flung himself down under a bush and waited for a moment till his breathing steadied. He passed his tongue tentatively over his teeth and lips and heard far off the ululation of the pursuers.

The literary device used in ”Ralph launched himself like a cat” is

  • A. assonance
  • B. simile
  • C. contrast
  • D. personification
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38

Read the passage and answer the question

Ralph wormed his way though the thicket towards the forest, keeping as far as possible beneath the smoke. Presently, he saw an open space and the green leaves of the edge of the thicket . A smallish savage was standing between him and the rest of the forest, a savage striped red and white, and carrying a spear. He was coughing, and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke.

Ralph launched himself like a cat: stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up. There was a shout from beyond the thicket and then Ralph was running with the swiftness of fear through the undergrowth. He came to a pig-run, followed it for perhaps a hundred yards and then swerved off. Behind him the ululation swept across the island once more and a single voice shouted three times. He guessed that was the signal to advance and sped away again till his chest was like fire.

Then he flung himself down under a bush and waited for a moment till his breathing steadied. He passed his tongue tentatively over his teeth and lips and heard far off the ululation of the pursuers.

”Ralph wormed his way” is an example of

  • A. irony
  • B. apostrophe
  • C. metaphor
  • D. allusion
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39

Read the passage and answer the question

Ralph wormed his way though the thicket towards the forest, keeping as far as possible beneath the smoke. Presently, he saw an open space and the green leaves of the edge of the thicket . A smallish savage was standing between him and the rest of the forest, a savage striped red and white, and carrying a spear. He was coughing, and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke.

Ralph launched himself like a cat: stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up. There was a shout from beyond the thicket and then Ralph was running with the swiftness of fear through the undergrowth. He came to a pig-run, followed it for perhaps a hundred yards and then swerved off. Behind him the ululation swept across the island once more and a single voice shouted three times. He guessed that was the signal to advance and sped away again till his chest was like fire.

Then he flung himself down under a bush and waited for a moment till his breathing steadied. He passed his tongue tentatively over his teeth and lips and heard far off the ululation of the pursuers.

The passage is

  • A. narrative
  • B. expository
  • C. descriptive
  • D. argumentative
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40

UNSEEN POETRY AND PROSE

Read the poem and answer the question

At the onset of the rain
The drought-stricken land
Suck up the wetness
And the gates to the field
Are flung widely open.
It is the signal for planting!
It is time for joyous toiling!
At various times of day
The hard and erect hoe
Would thrust and dig deep
Into the receiving wet soil.
Seeds on different quantities
Seeds of varying potency
Are broadcasted in layers
Into the womb of the earth
With time and much labour
The seed now transformed
Blossoms and grows into new life!

The last line of the extract suggested the

  • A. growth of a seed
  • B. birth of a child
  • C. harvesting of fruits
  • D. flourishing of flowers
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41

UNSEEN POETRY AND PROSE

Read the poem and answer the question

At the onset of the rain
The drought-stricken land
Suck up the wetness
And the gates to the field
Are flung widely open.
It is the signal for planting!
It is time for joyous toiling!
At various times of day
The hard and erect hoe
Would thrust and dig deep
Into the receiving wet soil.
Seeds on different quantities
Seeds of varying potency
Are broadcasted in layers
Into the womb of the earth
With time and much labour
The seed now transformed
Blossoms and grows into new life!

”Joyous toiling” is an example of

  • A. onomatopeia
  • B. oxymoron
  • C. irony
  • D. metaphor
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42

UNSEEN POETRY AND PROSE

Read the poem and answer the question

At the onset of the rain
The drought-stricken land
Suck up the wetness
And the gates to the field
Are flung widely open.
It is the signal for planting!
It is time for joyous toiling!
At various times of day
The hard and erect hoe
Would thrust and dig deep
Into the receiving wet soil.
Seeds on different quantities
Seeds of varying potency
Are broadcasted in layers
Into the womb of the earth
With time and much labour
The seed now transformed
Blossoms and grows into new life!

”The hard and erect hoe” connotes

  • A. uprooting of weeds
  • B. the sowing of seeds
  • C. digging of the soil
  • D. farming implement
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