SSCE (WASSCE and NECO) Literature-In-English (2026 – 2030) – Set 6 – Questions with Answers and Explanations

Unseen Poetry

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

After our bloody century, the sea will groan under its weight, somewhere between breasts and anus. Filled with toxins, her belly will not yield new islands even though the orphans of East Timor wish it so. The sea is only capable of so much history: Noah's monologue, the Middle Passage's cargoes, Darwin's examination of the turtle's shit, the remains of the Titanic, and a diver's story about how the coelacanth was recaptured. Anything else is only a fractured chela we cannot preserve, once the sea's belly has washed itself clean of our century's blight. Throbbing, the sea's breasts will console some orphans, but Sierra Leone won't be worth a raped woman's cry, despite her broken back, this shredded garment, her hands swimming like horrors of red corals. But do you, O Sea, long-suffering mistress, have the balm to heal the wound of her children, hand to foot the axe, alluvial river flowing into you?

Questions

The primary literary device used in the phrase "the sea will groan under its weight, somewhere between breasts and anus" is:

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

The line "her hands swimming like horrors of red corals" is an example of:

A) A simile that compares a woman's suffering to a natural, yet terrifying, marine image.
B) A metaphor that equates the woman's hands with the mineral formation of corals.
C) An allusion to the biblical story of the Red Sea.
D) A symbol of hope, suggesting that life can grow from destruction.

In the context of the poem, the phrase "the sea is only capable of so much history" serves to:

A) Suggest that the sea is a finite and inadequate witness to human atrocity.
B) Argue that the sea has forgotten all historical events except those involving ships.
C) Imply that the sea is a young entity with a very short memory.
D) Claim that historical events are less significant than the sea's natural processes.

The catalog of events in the line "Noah's monologue, the Middle Passage's cargoes, Darwin's examination of the turtle's shit, the remains of the Titanic..." is used by the poet to:

A) Demonstrate the sea's importance as a neutral observer of both sacred and profane events.
B) Show a progression of human achievement over time.
C) List all the reasons why the sea is a dangerous place.
D) Create a chaotic and disorganized tone, reflecting the disorder of the century.

The concluding rhetorical question, "But do you, O Sea, long-suffering mistress, have the balm to heal the wound of her children...", primarily functions to:

A) Express a hopeful belief that the sea will ultimately provide salvation.
B) Issue a definitive condemnation of the sea's indifference to human suffering.
C) Pose an unanswerable question that underscores the profound depth of the speaker's doubt and despair.
D) Transform the sea into a minor character, less important than the suffering of Sierra Leone.

Williams Shakespeare - ANTONY and CLEOPATRA

Read the extract and answer the questions (5 Questions ONLY

POMPEY You have made me offer Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must To rid all sea of pirates; then, to send Measures of wheat to Rome; this agreed upon, To part with unhackt edges, and bear back Our targes undinted.

CAESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS That’s our offer.

POMPEY Know, then, I came before you here a man prepared To take this offer; but Mark Antony Antony, I have my father's house.— But, what? We are friends! Come down into the boat.

ANTONY Thou hast spoken well.

POMPEY And shall, sir. Give ’s your hand.

ACT 2 Scene 6 from lines 34 to 49

Questions

What does the metonymy in the phrase "To part with unhackt edges, and bear back / Our targes undinted" stand for?

A) Returning home to repair broken weapons after a defeat
B) Ending the conflict peacefully without engaging in physical battle or violence
C) Executing a surprise ambush before the enemy can draw their swords
D) Forging new armor in preparation for an invasion of Rome

What is the historical and personal subtext when Pompey mentions, "but Mark Antony / Antony, I have my father's house"?

A) Antony accidentally burned down Pompey's childhood home in a previous riot.
B) Antony took possession of the house belonging to Pompey's father (Pompey the Great) in Rome after his defeat.
C) Pompey is offering to sell his family estate to Antony to pay off military debts.
D) Antony's family has lived as tenants on Pompey's Egyptian lands for generations.

What does Pompey mean by the requirement to "rid all sea of pirates"?

A) He expects Caesar to deploy the Roman legion to patrol the Nile river.
B) He must agree to use his own dominant naval forces to clear maritime trade routes of thieves as part of the peace treaty.
C) He is planning to hire pirates to kidnap Lepidius.
D) He wants to completely ban commercial shipping across the Mediterranean.

What does the collective response of "That’s our offer" from Caesar, Antony, and Lepidus reveal about the Triumvirate's political stance at this moment?

A) They are deeply divided and arguing with one another in public.
B) They are presenting a completely unified, single political front to negotiate with their challenger.
C) They are attempting to trick Pompey into a false sense of military security.
D) They have decided to step down from power and surrender Rome to Pompey.

What tone does Pompey strike when he transitions by saying, "But, what? We are friends! Come down into the boat"?

A) A highly aggressive, mocking tone meant to provoke an immediate duel on the beach.
B) A calculated, volatile shift from a dangerous historical grievance to an immediate show of diplomatic hospitality.
C) A deeply sorrowful, desperate plea for economic mercy from the Roman rulers.
D) Complete confusion because he has forgotten his original terms.

Williams Shakespeare - ANTONY and CLEOPATRA

Read the extract and answer the questions

Speaker: Octavia, then Antony

OCTAVIA
O, my good lord,
Believe not all, or if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between,
Praying for both parts. The good gods will mock me presently
When I shall pray "O, bless my lord and husband!"
Undo that prayer by crying out as loud
"O, bless my brother!" Husband win, win brother
Prays and destroys the prayer; no midway
'Twixt these extremes at all.

ANTONY
Gentle Octavia,
Let your best love draw to that point which seeks
Best to preserve it. If I lose mine honor,
I lose myself; better I were not yours
Than yours so branchless.

Act 3, Scene 4, lines 12–24 (from “O, my good lord” to “Than yours so branchless”)

Questions

What does Octavia mean by “stomach not all”?
A) Do not eat everything
B) Do not resent or take offense at everything you hear
C) Do not trust your stomach
D) Do not speak angrily

Octavia says the gods will “mock me presently.” What does “presently” mean here?

A) Immediately or very soon
B) In the present moment only
C) As a gift
D) Slowly and reluctantly

The structure of Octavia’s prayer—”O, bless my lord and husband!” followed by “O, bless my brother!”—creates which literary effect?

A) Chiasmus
B) Paradoxical contradiction
C) Extended metaphor
D) Blank verse inversion

Antony says he would rather not be Octavia’s husband than be hers “so branchless.” What does “branchless” mean figuratively?

A) Without children
B) Without honor (like a tree stripped of its branches)
C) Without money
D) Without a home

What theme is most strongly developed in this extract?

A) The joy of marriage
B) The impossibility of neutrality when loved ones are at war
C) The superiority of military force
D) The value of wealth

Williams Shakespeare - ANTONY and CLEOPATRA

Read the extract and answer the questions

Speaker: Caesar, then Octavia

CAESAR
That ever I should call thee castaway!

OCTAVIA
You have not called me so, nor have you cause.

CAESAR
Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come not
Like Caesar's sister. The wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher and
The neighs of horse to tell of her approach
Long ere she did appear. The trees by th' way
Should have borne men, and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not. Nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Raised by your populous troops. But you are come
A market-maid to Rome, and have prevented
The ostentation of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unloved.

OCTAVIA
Good my lord,
To come thus was I not constrained, but did it
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My grievèd ear withal, whereon I begged
His pardon for return.

CAESAR
Which soon he granted,
Being an abstract ’tween his lust and him.

Act 3, Scene 6, lines 45–65 (from “That ever I should call thee castaway” to “Being an abstract ’tween his lust and him”)

Questions

Caesar calls Octavia a “castaway.” What does he mean by this?
A) She has been shipwrecked
B) She has been rejected or abandoned by Antony
C) She has lost all her money
D) She has run away from home

Caesar says Octavia comes “not like Caesar’s sister.” What standard is he applying?

A) She should dress more modestly
B) She should arrive with an army and grand procession worthy of her rank
C) She should bring gifts
D) She should come unannounced

The phrase “the trees by th’ way / Should have borne men” is an example of:

A) Hyperbole
B) Litotes
C) Metonymy
D) Synecdoche

Caesar says Antony granted Octavia’s return because he is “an abstract ’tween his lust and him.” What does “abstract” mean here?

A) A written summary
B) A separation or distraction
C) A painting
D) A loyal friend

What does Caesar imply about Antony’s character in this extract?

A) Antony is a great military commander
B) Antony is noble and generous
C) Antony is controlled by lust and has abandoned his honorable wife
D) Antony is poor and cannot afford a procession

Williams Shakespeare - ANTONY and CLEOPATRA

Read the extract and answer the questions

Enter a Soldier of Caesar's.

SOLDIER
Enobarbus, Antony
Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with
His bounty overplus. The messenger
Came on my guard, and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.

ENOBARBUS
I give it you.

SOLDIER
Mock not, Enobarbus. I tell you true.
Best you safed the bringer
Out of the host. I must attend mine office
Or would have done ’t myself. Your emperor
Continues still a Jove.

He exits.

ENOBARBUS
I am alone the villain of the Earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,
Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude
Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart.
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean
Shall outstrike thought, but thought will do ’t, I feel.
I fight against thee? No. I will go seek
Some ditch wherein to die; the foul'st best fits
My latter part of life.

He exits.

Act 4, Scene 6, lines 18–35 (from “Enobarbus, Antony / Hath after thee sent all thy treasure” to “My latter part of life”).

Questions

In the line “Thou mine of bounty,” the phrase “mine of bounty” is an example of:

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

The soldier’s statement “Your emperor / Continues still a Jove” means that Antony is:

A. Cruel and vengeful
B. Jupiter-like, noble, and generous
C. Weak and indecisive
D. Angry and foolish

When Enobarbus says “This blows my heart,” he most likely means:

A. His heart is physically injured
B. Antony’s generosity swells his heart with guilt
C. A strong wind is blowing
D. He is happy and relieved

Enobarbus’s decision to “go seek / Some ditch wherein to die” reveals his belief that:

A. He deserves a glorious death in battle
B. The foulest death suits his betrayal
C. He will return to Antony
D. Caesar will forgive him

The phrase “thought will do ’t, I feel” refers to:

A. Thought will kill him before any weapon
B. Thought will make him change his mind
C. Thought will lead him back to Antony
D. Thought will bring him treasure

Unseen Prose

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

"That day, as they ran, with Bendu pushing her sick grandmother in a wheelbarrow, a matronly woman grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. 'Old Ma's time is finished! She's old, you are young. Come let's go!' The sound of the machine guns was getting louder and they heard screaming in the distance behind them. The screams were almost drowned out though, by the piercing wails of several abandoned babies and small children by the roadside. Their parents or guardians were either unable or unwilling to carry them any further, or had simply lost them in the confusion. A few of the children ran scared among the crowd, stretching out their arms and crying, in vain, to be picked up. They ran, but their little legs couldn't get them far, and Bendu gasped in horror as she saw a couple of them trampled by the frightened adults."

Questions

What literary device is primarily used in the description of the children who "ran, but their little legs couldn't get them far"?

A) Metaphor
B) Personification
C) Irony
D) Pathos

The phrase "in vain" in the passage suggests that the children's cries were:

A) Heard and answered by the adults
B) Ignored or unsuccessful
C) Part of a rescue plan
D) Deliberately silenced

What is the main conflict presented in this passage?

A) Bendu's internal struggle between saving her grandmother and saving herself
B) A battle between government soldiers and rebels
C) The chaos and moral dilemma of survival during wartime
D) A family dispute about leaving the village

The imagery of "piercing wails" is used to appeal to the reader's sense of:

A) Sight
B) Smell
C) Hearing
D) Touch

The woman who tells Bendu to leave her grandmother says, "Old Ma's time is finished!" This statement reflects which thematic concern in the novel?

A) The value of youth over age in times of crisis
B) The inevitability of death for the elderly
C) The survival instinct overriding compassion
D) The grandmother's wish to be left behind