SSCE (WASSCE and NECO) Literature-In-English (2026 – 2030) – Set 1 – Questions with Answers and Explanations

Unseen Prose

Read the passage and answer the questions (5 Questions ONLY)

Bendu tossed and turned in the throes of her nightmare.

The angry villagers were leading her back to Duluma. Back to Commander Cobra and Samson, and the dreaded oven. But then one by one the villagers disappeared, and soon she was walking alone. The sun became a dark orange ball and began to set in a sky turned lilac, with pink and blue streaks. The road began to incline, imperceptibly at first, then more and more until Bendu soon found herself climbing a mountain. The path was worn, and lined on both sides with wildflowers. Pretty butterflies fluttered among the petals and danced in pairs in the twilight. The sun did not set, but stayed suspended above the horizon with the sky changing into ever more brilliant hues. She reached the mountaintop and looked all around at the landscape below. It was beautiful. She was happy, and she was free.

When Bendu woke up she wanted to shout for joy. Her recurring nightmare had a different ending this time. It had become a freedom dream!

REFERENCE
Author: Elma Shaw
Book Title: Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia
Chapter: Chapter 22
Pages: 140-141

The description of the sun as "a dark orange ball" is an example of:

A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Metaphor
D. Hyperbole

The phrase "butterflies fluttered among the petals and danced in pairs in the twilight" employs the literary device of:

A. Alliteration only
B. Personification
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Foreshadowing

The contrast between the nightmare's usual ending and this "freedom dream" represents Bendu's _______

A. Physical journey
B. Psychological healing and transformation
C. Desire for revenge
D. Financial success

The description of the setting in the dream—the mountain, wildflowers, butterflies, and brilliant sky—creates a mood of ______

A. Terror and despair
B. Peace and hope
C. Confusion and chaos
D. Anger and frustration

The phrase "She was happy, and she was free" serves as a contrast to Bendu's earlier experiences of ______

A. Childhood happiness
B. Captivity and trauma during the war
C. Professional success
D. Family gatherings

Literary Appreciation (30 Questions ONLY)

It is important for the plot of a play to be clear so that the ________

A. audience can be familiar with the setting.
B. audience can easily understand it.
C. comic effect can be achieved.
D. characters can act their various roles.
E. tragic effect can be minimised.

Narrative is a peculiar characteristic of the _______ genre

A. drama
B. fiction
C. poetry
D. prose
E. story

A play is better appreciated when it is _______

A. acted.
B. mimicked.
C. memorised.
D. read.
E. studied.

A poem of 14 lines is known as _______

A. octave.
B. quatrain.
C. sestet.
D. sonnet.
E. triplet.

The major feature that distinguishes a novel from a play text is _______

A. characters.
B. narration.
C. plot.
D. setting.
E. theme.

The main effect of a comedy on the audience is ______

A. anxiety.
B. laughter.
C. sadness.
D. sorrow.
E. suspense.

In poetry, a couplet is formed with _______

A. eight lines that rhyme alike.
B. four lines that rhyme alike.
C. four lines that rhyme differently.
D. two lines that rhyme alike.
E. two lines that rhyme differently.

Which of the following is common to all forms of literature?

A. Action
B. Chorus
C. Language
D. Narration
E. Scene

When a mother sings to lull her baby into sleep, she is said to be engaged in a/an _______

A. ballad.
B. dirge.
C. elegy.
D. lullaby.
E. ode.

Pantomime is best used in the ______ genre.

A. drama
B. fictional
C. non-fictional
D. poetry
E. prose

Setting in a novel refers to the ________

A. action in the novel.
B. arrangement of words.
C. background in which the events take place.
D. experience of the protagonist.
E. popularity of the writer.

A play that thrives on exaggeration of humour, plot and character is a _______

A. comedy.
B. fable.
C. farce.
D. melodrama.
E. soap opera.

A play on words is called ______

A. diction.
B. innuendo.
C. jest.
D. joke.
E. pun.

A short speech at the end of a play is the ______

A. conclusion.
B. denouement.
C. prologue.
D. blurb.
E. epilogue.

The climax is the _______ point of events in a literary work.

A. happiest
B. highest
C. lowest
D. middle
E. saddest

A poem is said to be romantic on a condition that it celebrates ______

A. culture.
B. knowledge.
C. nature.
D. religion.
E. wealth.

Actors and Actresses playing different roles in a play are collectively referred to as the ______

A. audience.
B. cast.
C. costume.
D. directors.
E. playwright.

The metaphysical poetry revels in reminding man that ______

A. death is certain.
B. life continues forever.
C. love is an eternal enjoyment.
D. nature is wicked to man.
E. women are a weaker sex.

The repetition of a vowel sound within the line of a poem is _______

A. alliteration.
B. assonance.
C. onomatopoeia.
D. repetition.
E. rhythm.

Pick the ODD item from the list below.

A. Euphemism
B. Hyperbole
C. Innuendo
D. Oxymoron
E. Soliloquy

Stanza is to poetry what _______ is to prose

A. act
B. chapter
C. episode
D. locale
E. scene

An expression which creates mental pictures is said to have employed a device called _______

A. humour.
B. imagery.
C. inversion.
D. sarcasm.
E. symbolism.

A piece of work that ridicules a system with the intent to correct it is called a/an ______

A. allegory.
B. epic.
C. folktale.
D. lampoon.
E. novel.

The use of facial expressions and gestures to tell a story is called _______

A. apostrophe.
B. aside.
C. chorus.
D. mime.
E. soliloquy.

A play anchored by a single character is called ______

A. aside.
B. epilogue.
C. monologue.
D. prologue.
E. soliloquy.

A distinctive feature of drama is _______

A. character.
B. dialogue.
C. plot.
D. setting.
E. theme.

Frederic in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is a dynamic character because he _______ in the course of the story.

A. changes role
B. develops self
C. remains principled
D. becomes unprincipled
E. remains static

In drama, the flashback technique is used to ________

A. add spectacle to the play.
B. distort the events in the play.
C. exaggerate the events in the play.
D. present a situation in its humorous form.
E. present past events as they relate to the present.

"A loud silence followed the chairman's opening remarks" is an example of the use of _______

A. hyperbole.
B. irony.
C. metaphor.
D. oxymoron.
E. paradox.

"It was a sad Monday in the family" exemplifies the use of _______

A. alliterative echo.
B. emotional epithet.
C. personified epithet.
D. transferred epithet.
E. transferred mood.

Williams Shakespeare - ANTONY and CLEOPATRA

Read the extract and answer the questions

CLEOPATRA
Give me to drink mandragora.

CHARMIAN
Why, madam?

CLEOPATRA
That I might sleep out this great gap of time My Antony is away.

CHARMIAN
You think of him too much.

CLEOPATRA
O, ’tis treason!

CHARMIAN
Madam, I trust not so.

CLEOPATRA
Thou, eunuch Mardian!

MARDIAN
What’s your Highness’ pleasure?

CLEOPATRA
Not now to hear thee sing. I take no pleasure
In aught an eunuch has.
’Tis well for thee
That, being unseminared, thy freer thoughts
May not fly forth of Egypt.
Hast thou affections?

MARDIAN Yes, gracious madam.

CLEOPATRA Indeed?

MARDIAN
Not in deed, madam, for I can do nothing
But what indeed is honest to be done.
Yet have I fierce affections, and think
What Venus did with Mars.

CLEOPATRA
O, Charmian,
Where think’st thou he is now?
Stands he, or sits he? Or does he walk? Or is he on his horse?
O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!
Do bravely, horse, for wot’st thou whom thou mov’st?
The demi-Atlas of this Earth, the arm
And burgonet of men. He’s speaking now,
Or murmuring “Where’s my serpent of old Nile?”
For so he calls me. Now I feed myself
With most delicious poison.

(ACT 1, Scene 5, lines 4 to 28)

 

What does Cleopatra's request for "mandragora" reveal about her emotional state?

A) She is suffering from a physical illness and needs a cure.
B) She wants to poison herself out of despair.
C) She seeks a powerful sedative to escape the agonizing boredom of Antony's absence.
D) She desires an aphrodisiac to remember her romantic moments.

When Cleopatra refers to Antony as "The demi-Atlas of this Earth," what literary device is she using, and what does it signify?

A) Hyperbole; it exaggerates Antony’s physical weight.
B) Allusion and Metaphor; it equates Antony with the mythical Titan to show his immense political and military power.
C) Personification; it gives human qualities to the planet Earth.
D) Simile; it compares Antony directly to a globe using the words "like" or "as."

The exchange between Cleopatra and Mardian regarding his status as a "eunuch" serves primarily to:

A) Provide historical context about Egyptian court dynamics.
B) Create a moment of lighthearted comedic relief.
C) Juxtapose Cleopatra's intense, consuming passion against Mardian's forced physical and emotional detachment.
D) Demonstrate Cleopatra's cruel and tyrannical nature toward her servants.

Which of the following best describes the meaning of the phrase "delicious poison" in the final line of the extract?

A) An oxymoron describing the bittersweet pain of indulging in romantic daydreams.
B) A literal description of the dangerous chemical mandragora.
C) A hyperbole showing Cleopatra's suicidal tendencies.
D) A euphemism used to hide secrets from her attendants.

In this extract, the epithet "serpent of old Nile" is used by Antony to address Cleopatra. What does this title imply?

A) Antony views Cleopatra as a dangerous, venomous threat to Rome.
B) It associates Cleopatra with the exoticism, mystery, and primal nature of Egypt itself.
C) It suggests that Cleopatra is untrustworthy and deceitful toward him.
D) It is a derogatory insult attacking her appearance.

Read the extract and answer the questions

ANTONY
Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch
Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space.
Kingdoms are clay. Our dungy earth alike
Feeds beast as man. The nobleness of life
Is to do thus; when such a mutual pair
And such a twain can do ’t, in which I bind,
On pain of punishment, the world to weet
We stand up peerless.

CLEOPATRA
Excellent falsehood!
Why did he marry Fulvia and not love her?
I’ll seem the fool I am not. Antony
Will be himself.

ANTONY
But stirred by Cleopatra.
Now for the love of Love and her soft hours,
Let’s not confound the time with conference harsh.
There’s not a minute of our lives should stretch
Without some pleasure now. What sport tonight?

CLEOPATRA
Hear the ambassadors.

ANTONY
Fie, wrangling queen,
Whom everything becomes—to chide, to laugh,
To weep; whose every passion fully strives
To make itself, in thee, fair and admired!

(ACT 1, Scene 1, lines 37 to 57)

What does Antony's declaration, "Let Rome in Tiber melt," reveal about his character at this point in the play?

A) He is planning a military invasion to subvert Roman political power.
B) He has completely renounced his Roman duties and political identity in favor of his passion for Cleopatra.
C) He is expressing a deep fear of the Roman Senate's judgment.
D) He wants to rebuild Rome using Egyptian architecture.

When Cleopatra calls Antony’s words an "Excellent falsehood!", what does it suggest about their relationship?

A) She completely trusts him but pretends to be skeptical to tease him.
B) She sees through his romantic flattery and is acutely aware of his political instability and past betrayals.
C) She believes he is actively plotting with his wife, Fulvia, to overthrow her.
D) She thinks he is a terrible actor who cannot lie convincingly.

Which literary device is dominant in the line "Kingdoms are clay"?

A) Metaphor
B) Simile
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole

What does Antony mean when he says, "Let’s not confound the time with conference harsh"?

A) He wants to skip the military council to go to sleep.
B) He does not wish to waste precious, pleasurable moments arguing or discussing heavy political business.
C) He is threatening Cleopatra with physical punishment if she continues to argue.
D) He wants to hold a private conference with the Roman messengers immediately.

Antony's description of Cleopatra as a "wrangling queen, / Whom everything becomes" emphasizes her ability to:

A) Easily intimidate her enemies through aggressive behavior.
B) Rule Egypt with absolute, unwavering control and authority.
C) Remain captivating, attractive, and fascinating regardless of her volatile emotional changes.
D) Master foreign languages to communicate with international ambassadors.

Read the extract and answer the questions

ANTONY
Hark, the land bids me tread no more upon ’t.
It is ashamed to bear me. Friends, come hither.
I am so lated in the world that I
Have lost my way forever. I have a ship
Laden with gold. Take that, divide it. Fly,
And make your peace with Caesar.

ALL
Fly? Not we!

ANTONY
I have fled myself and have instructed cowards
To run and show their shoulders. Friends, begone.
I have myself resolved upon a course
Which has no need of you. Begone.
My treasure’s in the harbor; take it. O,
I followed that I blush to look upon!
My very hairs do mutiny, for the white
Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
For fear and doting. Friends, begone. You shall
Have letters from me to some friends that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you look not sad,
Nor make replies of loathness. Take the hint
Which my despair proclaims.

Act 3, Scene 11, lines 1–20

What does Antony mean when he says, “the land bids me tread no more upon ’t”?

A) The land is physically shaking
B) He feels unworthy to walk on the earth after his shameful retreat
C) Caesar has banned him from Roman soil
D) He is too tired to stand

The line “I have fled myself” is an example of which literary device?

A) Paradox
B) Simile
C) Apostrophe
D) Understatement

What do Antony’s hairs “mutinying” and the white hairs reproving the brown represent?

A) A civil war within himself between wisdom and rashness
B) A sign of old age
C) Anger at his barber
D) Fear of battle wounds

Antony repeatedly tells his friends to “begone” and take his gold. This reveals his:

A) Generosity and selflessness
B) Despair and wish to be alone in his disgrace
C) Anger at their betrayal
D) Plan to retire peacefully

The phrase “Take the hint which my despair proclaims” suggests that Antony wants his friends to:

A) Guess what he is thinking
B) Understand that he is joking
C) Accept that all is lost and save themselves
D) Follow him into further battle

Read the extract and answer the questions

CLEOPATRA
My desolation does begin to make
A better life. 'Tis paltry to be Caesar;
Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave,
A minister of her will. And it is great
To do that thing that ends all other deeds,
Which shackles accidents and bolts up change,
Which sleeps and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse, and Caesar's.

[Enter Proculeius.]

PROCULEIUS Caesar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt,
And bids thee study on what fair demands
Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.

CLEOPATRA
What's thy name?

PROCULEIUS
My name is Proculeius.

CLEOPATRA
Antony
Did tell me of you, bade me trust you, but
I do not greatly care to be deceived
That have no use for trusting. If your master
Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him
That majesty, to keep decorum, must
No less beg than a kingdom.

ACT 5 Scene 2, lines 1 to 21.

 

Question 56:

In the opening lines of the extract, what does Cleopatra mean when she states that Caesar is "but Fortune's knave"?

A) Caesar is a deceptive and untrustworthy trickster.
B) Caesar's power is supreme and independent of fate.
C) Caesar is merely a servant or subordinate tool of fate, not its master.
D) Caesar has planned out his success through calculated strategy.

When Cleopatra speaks of doing "that thing that ends all other deeds, / Which shackles accidents and bolts up change", what concept is she personifying and referring to?

A) War
B) Suicide
C) Crown coronation
D) Marriage

Based on lines 17–21, what condition does Cleopatra place on her submission to Caesar's terms?

A. She demands that Caesar step down from his throne in Rome.
B. She insists that her request must match her royal status, explicitly begging for a kingdom.
C. She refuses to speak with any of Caesar’s lower messengers.
D. She demands to be set free to return to the palace without monitoring.

In the phrase "Which sleeps and never palates more the dung, / The beggar's nurse, and Caesar's", the word "dung" is used metaphorically to represent:

A) The physical gold and wealth of Egypt.
B) Base, earthly nourishment and existence.
C) The military tactics used by Antony.
D) The corruption inside Caesar's palace.

Cleopatra mentions that Antony "bade me trust you" to Proculeius. Given the broader context of Act 5, what makes this reference highly ironic?

A) Proculeius immediately tries to help Cleopatra run away.
B) Antony actually hated Proculeius and wanted him executed.
C) Proculeius is part of the deceptive trap that eventually surprises and captures Cleopatra.
D) Proculeius turns out to be Antony's hidden son.