Free WAEC Literature objective Past Questions and Answers (+PDF)

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See the standard 50 WAEC objective Literature questions with answers and explanation or download 3 YEARS PDF at the bottom of this post for offline study.

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WAEC drama terms

1. A speech in a play in which a character speaks his or her thoughts alone is _____

A. a monologue
B. an aside
C. a soliloquy
D. an epilogue

WAEC literary device

2. In Literature, repetition is used essentially for _____

A. rhyme
B. suspense
C. allusion
D. emphasis

WAEC poetry terms

3. The pattern of a poem without reference to its content is referred to as _____

A. limerick
B. metre
C. free verse
D. form

WAEC drama terms

4. The performers in a play constitute the _____

A. chorus
B. characters
C. audience
D. cast

Read the stanza and answer questions 5–7

Pan, O great Pan, to thee
Thus do we sing!
Thou who keep’st chaste and free
As the young spring:
Ever be thy honour spake
From that place the morn is broke
To the place day doth unyoke

WAEC poetry terms

5. The stanza is an example of _____

A. appellation
B. apostrophe
C. euphemism
D. elegy

WAEC figures of speech

6. “Pan” is used here as _____

A. an allusion
B. a symbol
C. an irony
D. a metonymy

WAEC rhyme scheme

7. The rhyme scheme of the stanza is _____

A. abcabcc
B. ababcdd
C. babaccc
D. bcbccaa

WAEC poetry terms

8. A metrical foot in which a stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed syllable is _____

A. iambic
B. spondaic
C. trochaic
D. dactylic

WAEC drama terms

9. _____ is the location of the action of the plot.

A. Setting
B. Narrative technique
C. Point of view
D. Characterisation

WAEC poetry terms

10. A ballad is essentially a _____ poem.

A. descriptive
B. dramatic
C. pastoral
D. narrative

WAEC rhyme scheme

11. The first four lines of the Shakespearean sonnet rhyme _____

A. abcd
B. abba
C. abab
D. cdcd

WAEC prose terms

12. A story in which characters or actions represent abstract ideas or moral qualities is _____

A. an epic
B. a legend
C. an allegory
D. a satire

WAEC literary device

13. The use of imagery in prose or verse _____

A. appeals to the senses
B. develops the plot
C. creates confusion
D. obscures meaning

Use the lines below to answer questions 14 and 15

‘Our leaders will not compromise freedom
Nor will our heads give up liberty.’

WAEC literary device

14. The lines illustrate _____

A. soliloquy
B. parallelism
C. dialogue
D. contrast

WAEC figures of speech

15. ‘heads’ in the second line is an example of _____

A. synecdoche
B. inversion
C. epithet
D. conceit

WAEC drama terms

16. A character that develops in the course of a novel or play is described as _____

A. flat
B. antagonist
C. round
D. protagonist

WAEC poetry terms

17. A dirge is a poem sung _____

A. to send a child to sleep
B. to make workers happy
C. at a birthday party
D. at a funeral

WAEC drama terms

18. In drama, the _____ creates humour

A. hero
B. clown
C. villain
D. chorus

WAEC figures of speech

19. ‘Let me not love thee if I love thee not’ illustrates _____

A. metaphor
B. proverb
C. paradox
D. meiosis

WAEC literary device

20. _____ is a literary device used to express something unpleasant in a more acceptable manner.

A. Epilogue
B. Epigram
C. Euphemism
D. Eulogy

Read the passage and answer questions 21 – 25

A modest two-room hut built of mud and roofed with straws graciously sheltered the Messiahs. One of the rooms advertised itself as a living room. The kind earthenware pot willingly kept company with four ever-smiling stools. The pot eternally contained cool water for guests.
The second room was warm-hearted bedroom without a bed. The poor pair had to sleep on bare straw mats on the polished dirt floor.
Some over-washed rags deputised for blankets and sheets and pillows. Two strong dry logs, facing each other like bitter rivals, burned themselves out at night, not merely to keep the couple warm but mainly to ward off hungry mosquitoes and other hostile pests.
There was no door to ward of the cold night air. Some rude devices, however, were contrived to keep the room quite safe from prying eyes and curious domestic animals. Would any thief be ever tempted to peep into such a rude room of such a poor pair?

WAEC literary device

21. The writer’s attitude to the couple is one of _____

A. resignation
B. indifference
C. patronage
D. praise

WAEC figures of speech

22. The dominant literary device used in the passage is _____

A. litotes
B. personification
C. simile
D. paradox

WAEC literary device

23. The rhetorical question that ends the passage stresses the _____

A. wickedness of thieves
B. poverty of the couple
C. security of the hut
D. filthiness of the surroundings

WAEC figures of speech

24. The expression ‘such a rude room of such a poor pair’ illustrates _____

A. onomatopoeia
B. pun
C. rhyme
D. alliteration

WAEC prose terms

25. The setting is _____

A. dawn
B. sunset
C. midday
D. night

Read the poem and answer questions 26–30

Proud mothers of the coming age,
‘Tis good to find you now engage
Your minds and time your lives to raise
Above the level of bygone days.

‘Tis good to see you play your part
With spirit and undaunted heart,
It gives young African’s throbbing soul
A glimpse of a bright and glorious goal

God bless you, mothers of our race,
God cause to shine on your face;
And give you strength and all you crave
To bring forth sons and daughters brave.

WAEC rhyme scheme

26. The rhyme scheme is _____

A. aabb ccdd eeff
B. abab abab aabb
C. abca abbc abab
D. abba abca abab

WAEC poetry terms

27. The theme of the poem is _____

A. the love of mother
B. invoking the spirit of womanhood
C. admiration for women’s handwork
D. the suffering of women

WAEC literary device

28. The literary device used in line 7 is _____

A. conceit
B. personification
C. hyperbole
D. pathos

29. The poet’s tone is one of ____

A. sadness
B. joy
C. condemnation
D. sarcasm

30. “To bring forth sons and daughters brave” illustrates ____

A. paradox
B. zeugma
C. inversion
D. epigram

Read the extract and answer questions 31–35

Silence! One word more
Shall make me chide thee, if not hate thee, What!
An advocate for an impostor! Hush!

WAEC Shakespeare (The Tempest)

31. The speaker is _____

A. Gonzalo
B. Antonio
C. Prospero
D. Alonso

32. The addressee is _____

A. Ariel
B. Ferdinand
C. Caliban
D. Miranda

33. The “impostor” is _____

A. Sebastian
B. Antonio
C. Ferdinand
D. Alonso

34. The “advocate” and the “impostor” are _____

A. conspirators
B. enemies
C. suspicious of each other
D. attracted to each other

35. The speaker’s utterance betrays his _____

A. anger
B. pretence
C. hatred
D. sorrow

Read the extract and answer questions 36–40

You cram these words into mine ears against
The stomach of my sense. Would I had never
Married my daughter there! For coming thence,
My son is lost, and in my rate, she too.

WAEC Shakespeare (The Tempest)

36. The speaker is _____

A. Gonzalo
B. Antonio
C. Sebastian
D. Alonso

37. “these words” refer to _____

A. the shipwreck
B. the son’s disappearance
C. the daughter’s wedding
D. Prospero’s magic

38. Where did the wedding take place?

A. Algiers
B. Milan
C. Tunis
D. Naples

39. The setting is _____

A. outside Prospero’s cell
B. on a ship
C. in front of Prospero’s cell
D. another part of the island

40. “...in my rate” means _____

A. I’m very certain
B. so far as I can see
C. there is no doubt
D. as it appears

Read the extract and answer questions 41–45

ARIEL:
At hail, great master! Grave sir, hail! Come
To answer thy best pleasure; be’t to fly,
To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride
On the curled clouds, to thy strong bidding task
Ariel and all his quality.

WAEC Shakespeare (The Tempest)

41. Ariel has ‘come’ because ____

A. he has been invited by Prospero
B. he wants to make a request
C. he desires a meeting
D. flying is no problem to him

42. Prospero has actually _____

A. raised a storm at sea
B. punished Miranda
C. dismissed Ferdinand
D. commanded Ariel to disappear

43. Before Ariel’s entry _____

A. Ferdinand has brought in some wood
B. Prospero had put Miranda to sleep
C. Caliban had been swearing at Prospero
D. Trinculo had discovered Caliban’s cloak

44. ‘Ariel and all his quality’ means Ariel and _____

A. all at his command
B. the quality of the spirit
C. his band of spirits
D. an ability to cause mischief

45. Soon after, Ariel _____

A. flies off to do his duty
B. recounts the confusion on board the ship
C. kneels down to worship Prospero
D. calls Ceres and another spirit

Read the extract and answer questions 46–50

X: We two, my lord,
Will guard your person while you take your rest,
And watch your safety,

Y: Thank you. – Wondrous heavy.

WAEC Shakespeare (The Tempest)

46. X and Y are _____

A. Antonio and Alonso
B. Sebastian and Alonso
C. Antonio and Gonzalo
D. Sebastian and Gonzalo

47. “We two” are _____

A. Antonio and Adrian
B. Sebastian and Adrian
C. Sebastian and Francisco
D. Antonio and Sebastian

48. The situation in the extract is highly _____

A. satirical
B. prophetic
C. ironical
D. comical

49. What happened to all the other characters in the scene?

A. They have been made deaf and dumb
B. Ariel has put them all to sleep
C. They have been sent away
D. Prospero has put them to sleep

50. The “two” later plot to _____

A. kill all the other characters
B. escape from the island
C. kill Prospero and Miranda
D. kill Alonso and Gonzalo

• This past questions were extracted from the official WAEC 2015 Literature paper 1.

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