NECTA LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 2025 SOLUTIONS

NECTA Form 4 Literature 2025

Suggested Solutions & Answers

SECTION A (16 Marks)

1. Multiple Choice Questions

(i) Answer: C (Taboo)
Reasoning: A taboo is a strong social or religious custom that forbids people from doing, using, or talking about certain things.

(ii) Answer: D (Stage direction)
Reasoning: Stage directions are technical instructions in a play script (drama), not typically a component considered when composing a standard narrative story (prose).

(iii) Answer: B (Denouement)
Reasoning: The denouement (or resolution) is the final stage of plot development where conflicts are resolved and the story concludes.

(iv) Answer: A (Litotes)
Reasoning: Litotes is a figure of speech that uses double negatives to make an affirmation. "Nothing that is not theirs" effectively means "Everything is theirs."

(v) Answer: C (Comedy)
Reasoning: The Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka is a satirical comedy that uses humor to criticize religious hypocrisy.

(vi) Answer: C (It is a source of income)
Reasoning: While writing can be a job, the general significance of reading literature for a student is educational (learning about society, language, critical thinking), not directly earning money.

(vii) Answer: E (It involves capitalisation at the beginning of each line)
Reasoning: While traditional poetry often capitalized every line, this is not a mandatory rule for all poetry, especially modern free verse.

(viii) Answer: D (It is the arrangement in which a signal of what will happen next is shown...)
Reasoning: A flash-forward (or prolepsis) reveals future events. Option D describes foreshadowing/future signaling, which is the closest distractor provided to the concept of looking ahead in time.

(ix) Answer: D (Revealing what will happen at the end of a play)
Reasoning: Stage directions guide the actors on movement, setting, and emotion; they do not typically serve to "spoil" the ending of the play for the reader.

(x) Answer: B (Communicating artistically the fact that the answer is obvious)
Reasoning: A rhetorical question is asked to make a point or emphasize an idea, not to get an actual answer, because the answer is implied.

2. Matching Items (Oral Literature)

• (i) F (Riddles): Mysteries/puzzles posed by challengers for solutions.
• (ii) B (Proverbs): Short expressions advising on conduct.
• (iii) E (Myths): Stories about origins (why animals live the way they do).
• (iv) A (Legends): Stories based on historical truth/figures but may be exaggerated.
• (v) H (Fables): Stories ending with an explanation/moral (often using animals).
• (vi) D (Chants): Prayer songs sung for religious purposes.

SECTION B (54 Marks)

3. Poetic Rules Justification

• (a) Language economy: Poets use few words (diction) to convey deep and multiple meanings, unlike prose.
• (b) Classification: Poems are classified by form (narrative, lyric) and content (love, politics), not just by the era they were written.
• (c) Poetic License: Poets are permitted to break grammatical rules (e.g., unusual word order) to achieve rhythm or emphasis.
• (d) Basic Unit: The line is the fundamental building block of a poem, which determines the visual and rhythmic structure, unlike the sentence in prose.
• (e) Refrain: In closed verse, a repeated line (chorus) helps establish a regular rhythm and emphasizes the main theme.
• (f) Tone and Mood: The poet's attitude (tone) directly influences the feelings invoked in the reader (mood).

4. Analysis of Poem "Africa" by David Diop

(a) Subject Matter: The poem is about the identity of Africa, its history of suffering under colonialism/slavery, and the hope for its future liberation and growth.

(b) Type of Poem: It is a Free Verse poem (Modern Poem) because it does not follow a strict rhyme scheme or consistent meter.

(c) Literary Devices:
1. Personification: Addressing Africa as a person ("Africa tell me Africa," "Your back that is bent").
2. Rhetorical Question: "Is this your back that is bent?" (Emphasizes the suffering).

(d) Message: Although Africa has suffered humiliation and slavery, the new generation is strong and will patiently grow to achieve true liberty.

(e) Themes: 1. Colonialism and Exploitation. 2. Hope and Resilience.

(f) Relevance: The poem is relevant as it reminds society of its history while encouraging hard work and patience in building the nation.

5. Literary Devices Definitions

• (a) Symbolism: The use of objects or characters to represent deeper ideas (e.g., a "withered flower" for lost love).
• (b) Imagery: Use of descriptive language to create mental pictures appealing to the senses (sight, sound, taste).
• (c) Personification: Giving human qualities or abilities to inanimate objects or animals.
• (d) Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of adjacent words (e.g., "Beautiful Black Blood").
• (e) Sarcasm: A form of verbal irony intended to mock or convey contempt.
• (f) Hyperbole: Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect (e.g., "I've told you a million times").

6. Oral Literature Differentiations

• (a) Dirges vs. Chants: Dirges are songs of grief sung at funerals; Chants are rhythmic repetitive songs usually for religious rituals or work.
• (b) Riddles vs. Idioms: Riddles are question-and-answer puzzles testing wit; Idioms are fixed phrases with figurative meanings.
• (c) Jokes vs. Anecdotes: Jokes are purely for humor/laughter; Anecdotes are short, interesting stories about real incidents.
• (d) Lullaby vs. Legends: Lullabies are soft songs to soothe babies; Legends are historical narratives about heroes or events.
• (e) Tongue Twisters vs. Epics: Tongue twisters are word games to practice pronunciation; Epics are long narrative poems about heroic deeds.
• (f) Myth vs. Folktales: Myths explain the origins of the world/nature involving gods; Folktales are general stories often with animal characters and morals.

7. Application of Oral Genres

• (a) Explaining why snakes have no legs: Myth (Etiological Tale) - Effective for explaining natural phenomena.
• (b) Improving pronunciation: Tongue Twister - Effective for training speech articulation.
• (c) Helping concentration on religious verses: Chant - Effective for meditation and focus through rhythm.
• (d) Consoling the bereaved: Dirge - Effective for expressing shared grief and comfort.
• (e) Calming a baby: Lullaby - Effective for soothing and inducing sleep.
• (f) Identifying a clever child: Riddle - Effective for testing cognitive speed and logic.

8. Fiction Categorization

Novels, plays, poems, and short stories are categorized as fiction because:

1. Creativity/Imagination: They are products of the author's mind, not strict records of fact.
2. Character Creation: Even if based on real people, the characters are constructed for the story.
3. Plot Construction: Events are arranged artistically for effect, not necessarily chronologically as they happened in real life.
4. Subjective Truth: They focus on emotional or thematic truth rather than factual/historical accuracy.
5. Artistic License: Authors can manipulate time, setting, and physics to suit the narrative.
6. Entertainment/Aesthetics: Their primary goal is often artistic expression and reader engagement.

SECTION C (30 Marks)

9. Causes of Conflicts (Novels)

Novel 1: "A Walk in the Night" by Alex La Guma

• Racism/Apartheid System: The strict laws prohibiting movement and association create deep conflict between the police (Raalt) and the citizens.
• Unemployment/Poverty: Michael Adonis loses his job unfairly, which leads to internal frustration and his eventual conflict with the law (killing Doughty).
• Police Brutality: The aggressive nature of the police force instills fear and anger in the community, leading to violence.

Novel 2: "Houseboy" by Ferdinand Oyono

• Colonial Exploitation: Toundi is treated as property rather than a human, leading to a conflict of dignity.
• Betrayal: The Commandant's wife uses Toundi to hide her affair but then turns on him to protect her reputation.
• Cultural Clash: Toundi's rejection of his own traditions to serve the whites leaves him isolated when the colonial system rejects him.

10. Solutions to Social Problems (Plays)

Play 1: "The Lion and the Jewel" by Wole Soyinka

• Cultural Conflict: The play suggests that we shouldn't blindly adopt foreign culture (Lakunle) nor stay entirely rigid. The solution is a balance where tradition is respected but vitality is maintained.
• Ignorance/Arrogance: Lakunle's arrogance about "civilization" makes him lose. The solution is true education that values local heritage.
• Vanity: Sidi's vanity makes her vulnerable. The solution is self-awareness and understanding one's true value beyond superficial beauty.

Play 2: "The Trials of Brother Jero" by Wole Soyinka

• Religious Hypocrisy: Jero exploits people. The solution is public awareness and exposing charlatans who use religion for gain.
• Gullibility: The followers blindly believe Jero. The solution is critical thinking (represented by Amope, who sees through him).
• Poverty: People flock to Jero hoping for miracles (wealth). The solution is economic empowerment so people don't rely on false prophets for survival.

11. Class Struggle in Poetry

Poem 1: "Building the Nation" by Henry Barlow

• Classes: The poem contrasts the PS (Permanent Secretary) who eats a heavy meal with the driver who is hungry.
• Exploitation: The driver does the actual work while the PS claims to be "building the nation" while sleeping.
• Humiliation: The driver forces himself to agree with the PS's complaints about "ulcers" to keep his job, despite his own suffering.

Poem 2: "Your Pain" by Armando Guebuza

• Oppression: The poem highlights how the "daughters of the land" suffer physical pain and scarring.
• Exploitation: The oppressors are described as drinking the "cup" of the people's pain, thriving on their suffering.
• Humiliation: The subjects are physically beaten and scarred, representing the deep humiliation of the working class by the ruling class.

Disclaimer: These solutions are suggested for educational revision purposes.