INTERIM JOINT MATRICULATION BOARD EXAMINATION 2016
SUBJECT: LITERATURE – IN- ENGLISH, PAPER III: POETRY
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS (3 HRS)
INSTRUCTION: Answer questions ONE (1) from Section A and ONE (1) each from Sections B and C.
SECTION A: UNSEEN POEM
1. Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow:
The crows are come again to pick my eyes. 1
Oh, hard-hearted men of Anlo,
Come to my help.
But who dares come here?
I’ve no cowrie to give the ferryman 5
And that is worse than death itself
Oh, Kutsiami, how powerful are you,
Ferryman of all the spirits!
Rich and poor kings and subjects of every rank
All must come to you at last. 10
Away, foul crows!
Oh, ferryman, when I come to the water,
Ferry me across, asking no payment.
There is not a single soul in Anlo
Who would even give me a few cowries 15
To pay your toll.
Death, are you come
To lay hands upon your prey?
QUESTIONS
- Suggest an appropriate title for this poem.
- What is the subject matter of the poem?
- Comment on the style of the poem
- Identify three literary devices used in this poem.
- How does the poet create a dramatic immediacy to the poem?
- Explain the underlined part of the poem.
SECTION B: NON-AFRICAN POETRY (25 marks)
Answer ONE (1) question from this section
ALEXANDER POPE: SELECTED POEMS
2. Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock has been described as “an admirable work”. To what extent is this assertion true?
3. With close reference to Pope’s The Rape of the Lock discuss a predominant technique used by Augustan poets.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH: SELECTED POEMS
4. To what extent does William Wordsworth differ from other poets in the projection of Romantic philosophy?
5. Discuss the use of the Lyrical Ballad form in “A slumber did my spirit seal” and “The world is too much with us”
SECTION C: AFRICAN POETRY (25 marks)
Answer ONE (1) question from this section
SUNDIATA: EPIC OF MALI
6. Discuss the effect of the use of songs in Sundiata: Epic of Mali
7. Examine the themes and style used in Sundiata: Epic of Mali
CHRISTOPHER OKIGBO: PATH OF THUNDER
8. Identify and discuss the dominant stylistic devices Okigbo used in Path of Thunder. Refer to three poems.
9. Critically assess Okigbo’s Path of Thunder as a defense for the African culture. Use four poems for illustration.
Thanks for reading IJMB Literature 103 Past Questions 2016
