NECO Literature in English Questions and Answers 2023
by Alaguvelan M | Updated Jun 25, 2023
NECO Literature in English 2023
The NECO Literature in English examination assesses the knowledge and comprehension of literature students in Nigeria. Administered by the National Examinations Council (NECO), this exam is typically taken by secondary school students in their final year. It covers a broad range of topics and texts, including drama, poetry, and prose.
The exam consists of two sections: the objective section and the essay section. The objective section features multiple-choice questions that evaluate students' understanding of literary terms, figures of speech, and literary devices employed in various literary works. In contrast, the essay section requires students to compose essays on selected literary works or texts.
The NECO Literature in English exam encompasses renowned literary works and authors such as William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel, and Christopher Okigbo's Labyrinths. It may also include prominent writers from different countries.
The exam is designed to evaluate students' reading comprehension, critical analysis, and interpretation skills. It also assesses their ability to construct coherent and well-structured essays, utilizing relevant literary knowledge to support their arguments.
To prepare for the exam, students should engage in close reading and analysis of various literary works, practice essay writing, and study literary terms and figures of speech. Reviewing past papers can provide insight into the types of questions that may be asked.
By successfully passing the NECO Literature in English exam, students demonstrate a solid understanding of diverse literary works and their ability to analyze and interpret them critically. This knowledge is valuable not only for academic pursuits but also for careers in fields such as journalism, writing, and academic research. As of now, there are no official questions, and answers are not released so we have given the past questions and answers.
NECO Literature in English Questions And Answers 2023
(1)
Second-Class Citizen depicts ordinary Africans who are naturally black, and explores, how the fact of their race inhibits them from enjoying a glorious stay in a foreign land. The title of the novel “Second Class Citizen refers to a substandard, inferior, and black citizen in the novel, the fact that there are second-class citizens and first-class citizens makes racism and identity crisis evident in the novel.
The former is associated with the British people, who stand the chance of becoming a partaker of everything the society offers, while the latter which is black (Africans to be precise) have their choices limited. They are not allowed to live with their white counterparts, which is a white-dominant community. The blacks are forced to live in slums, while menial jobs are meant for them.
For example, Adah and her family make the theme of racial discrimination (Race) prominent in the novel as an issue that she tries to avoid all to no avail. Adah’s first encounter with race relations occurs when they are still at Ashdown Street when she is served a notice to quit the house.
Adah has refused to send her children to nursery like everyone else in England. Also, they are Ibos, the hated people because they believe in their own ideologies. The landlady is aware that Adah is expecting a third child and the fact that Vicky has cheated death “Adah is expecting a third child and the fact that Vicky has cheated death “Adah and her husband must go” the landlady affirms.
Their search for a new accommodation yields no results. Nearly all the vacant spaces they come across bear an inscription. “Sorry, No colored” no them. Adah’s house hunting is made more difficult because of racism and identity crisis, for she is black, with two children, and pregnant with another. Race relation has taught her a lesson that her color is something she should be ashamed of. She was never aware of this at home in Nigeria, even when in the midst of whites.
As racism is beginning to have a serious psychological effect on her, she vows never to measure up with the white folks but to live a low lifestyle, and also stop looking for accommodation in a clean, desirable neighborhood. She is now learning to suspect anything beautiful and pure because those things are for the white, not the blacks.
Also, the effect of racial discrimination has made Adah a liar and deceiver such that she had to change her Nigerian-born accent so as to sound like a white lady in order to secure accommodation. Both Adah and Francis still have to visit the white landlady to conceal their black colors and identify without result. It is also the effect of racism that makes Francis burns the manuscript of Adah’s first novel. The Bride Price because he feels that Adah is black, and the writing career is meant for the white alone.
(2)
Feminism is the belief and aims that women should have the same right and opportunities as men, and the struggle to achieve this aim. Adah as a feminist character is basically created to alter the circumstance surrounding her childhood and that of the foreign land (London) she finds herself. For instance, female children are less relevant and of low value in Ibuza, therefore, they are not given equal opportunities ascribed to the male children.
Adah was given birth when everyone including her parents was expecting and predicting a boy. So she is seen as a disappointment to her parents and her tribe and that is why no one bothers to record her date of birth.
However, Adah who is not moved by any form of gender bias, inequality, or what her society thinks about her gender braces the odd to challenge the status quo. At first, she forces herself to school when she is already eight years old since her parents have refused to register her in a school based on their notion about her gender.
Her parents, Pa and Ma sincerely believe that education for the girl-child makes her irresponsible and pompous. At this time, Boy, Adah’s brother is already a student at Ladi-Lak Institute, the most expensive school in Lagos. She envies Boy initially which later grows to frustration and sadness.
She derives joy in disobeying her parents just to draw their attention to her plight of not being registered in a school with Boy until her parents become less considerate a bit and have her registered in a Methodist school around the corner which is very cheap. This is made possible through ceaseless feminist protest, especially when Ma is punished by the police for child neglect.
As a feminist, Adah extends the silent and harmless protest of her marriage to a man who is brainwashed by African traditional belief that has relegated women to the background. Francis’s notion about women is narrow and drab.
He sees women as sub-humans, to be explored, exploited, used, and abandoned to wallow in misery. It is true that Adah decides to be the breadwinner of her family at the inception of their union, the role that is meant for the male folks. She sustains her family, (husband and four children), and pays all the bills as well. This is because she learns very early to be responsible for herself, even when nobody is interested in her for her own sake, only in the money she is fetching for the family.
Her sojourn to a foreign land and unfortunate marriage to Francis seems like misery slavery and bondage in totality. Her determination, desire, and freedom from a male-dominated society that has subjugated the womenfolk and treated them as merchandise make her a true feminist. Also, her ability to detach herself from the shackles of Francis's maltreatment is another attribute that warrants attention.
(3)
Massa is Nii’s wife. She suffers a very serious illness in the first part of the novel and eventually dies by the end of that first part of the novel. Nii loves Massa and goes out of his way to get his wife proper treatment. Meanwhile, Massa is the one that often prevents Nii from doing too much for her. Massa, according to Nii is a pan-Africanist, an idea that all African countries should co-exist. It is perhaps in a bid to promote pan-Africanism that Massa tells Nii not to travel back to Nigeria.
(4)
Mama continues to preach the gospel with Amen Kristi brethren; this time they are at Egba while Joe is still busy with his business and alien issue. Suddenly, the house at the front gulp fire. The mother and the children are trapped inside the building. Mama rushes into the inferno snatches the child from the mother ignoring the mother’s rushes and jumps out.
Mama said to herself, I could take care of the baby if the authorities would allow me until the father or a relative comes Mama pleads. The damage to property is estimated at several millions of naira and it includes the loss of several lives.
SECTION II
(Answers Only ONE Question From This Section)
(5)
Bledsoe is the president of the state’s college that the narrator attended and he is a black man. Bledsoe is two-faced, manipulated, and a hypocrite- a traitor to both the whites and blacks. His motto is to act servile and submissive in front of the white and is actually a man who belongs to nobody.
Bledsoe is ambitious and selfish and has once told the narrator that if he has to kill and hang the blacks in order to keep his position he should do so. The statement is the most evident idea for the reader to see that Bledsoe is a traitor to his own race.
Bledsoe is also a man who would take any measure to gain what he wants. When Mr. Norton told Bledsoe that the narrator is not at fault. Bledsoe would on the surface agrees with Mr. Norton, but behind him, do as he likes. Bledsoe instead, expelled the narrator and sent him off with seven horrible recommended letters.
Even though the narrator fell for Bledsoe's “on-surface kindness”, this example showed the reader what kind of man Bledsoe is. To the public, it appears as If Bledsoe is willing to help the protagonist, but as soon as the content of the letters is revealed, the protagonist, or the readers, gets to have more insight into his character.
Bledsoe serves as a foil for the foreshadowed narrator; because both the narrator and himself find themselves in each other’s neck throughout the novel. Because the novel is a bildungsroman, readers can make an assumption that the narrator will be normally developed as the novel progresses.
By the end of the novel, readers will be able to see the great differences between the mentality of the narrator and that of Dr. Bledsoe. Bledsoe is also the figure of a successful black man during that particular time, that is, to become a traitor towards the black and white.
Also, Bledsoe represents Booker T. Washington. Both men are black and believe that they should remain submissive towards the whites Washington wanted the black to be submissive towards the whites and this is also what Bledsoe has been doing.
(6)
The novel is centered on African- American representation of self-definition. In the novel, the narrator’s desire to change the course of his story makes the whites more important than the blacks contributing to the enormous struggles the narrator encountered. No black man is allowed to rise beyond a certain level because of the problem of race and his desire to self-define himself.
The protagonist of the novel attributes his invisibility largely to his inability to define himself outside the influence of others. Almost everyone he encounters attempts to tell him who he is, and how he should conduct himself. At the college, for instance, Dr. Bledsoe tells the narrator that he should smile and lie to please the white.
The narrator is given the honor to drive one trustee known as Mr. Norton and the narrator is reprimanded for his action at the pub. Also, he is initiated into the brotherhood to become their spoke man, but their selfish aims and objective or too many unreasonable rules make him back out in the end.
At first, the Brotherhood attempts to redefine him by giving him a new name and identity and by having him go through intense instructions to ensure he adapts to the organization’s philosophies. Fortunately, the narrator has to go underground in order to define himself. He does this because he’s not able to find a solution to racial prejudice in his society.
His decision to go underground and come back later also portends that the narrator has not relented in his struggle to ameliorate the conditions of his society. This is evident in his enviable conclusion that he said to himself that In going underground I whipped it all except the mind. And the mind has conceived a plan of living and must never lose sight of the chaos against which that pattern was concluded. I must come out, I must emerge…
And, as I said before a decision has been made, I’m shaking off the old skin and will leave it here in the white. I’m coming out, no less invisible without it, but coming out nevertheless.
(7)
Lockwood is a frame narrator and a wealthy gentleman who comes to spend a year in the country at Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff, as the owner of Thrushcross Grange is Lockwood’s landlord. He meets Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights during his first visit and this reveals an important clue about his character. Lockwood completely misjudges Heathcliff, Not only is Lockwood depicted as a poor judge of the character of others, but he is also not very self-aware.
After the heir-rising night spent at Wuthering Heights, Lockwood becomes curious about Heathcliff, and the other inhabitants of the house. Nelly Dean is about eighteen years and he decided to ask her about Heathcliff. Lockwood then sets up the frame story or story within a story when he presses Ellen to talk about Heathcliff. Ellen’s story becomes the second narrative in the novel.
Lockwood becomes the audience for Ellen’s story just as the reader is the audience for Bronte’s novel Ellen also shares some parts of the story with Zillah and Joseph (servants). Lockwood is the only narrator who does not witness the strange events that have shaped Heathcliff into the man Lockwood meets when he takes up residence at the Grange.
Most importantly, Lockwood serves as a mediator of all that he hears from Nelly (Ellen’s) Dean. His narration frames the narration of Ellen Dean whose narration in turn frames other narration such as Isabella. Therefore, one of Lockwood’s functions is to distance us from the narration through a series of framing narratives – a key gothic technique to confuse narration.
(8)
(i) First-person point of view:
The first person method of narration is the technique that the novelist employs, where one character tells the story, that is, Nelly (Ellen) Dean.The reader reads the story from the perspective of this narrative. There are three narrative levels in Wuthering Heights. They are divided into Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary narrators.
The primary narration shows that the entire novel is a written record of all the incidents narrated to Lockwood by Nelly Dean. He is thus, the primary narrator and the primary narrate (the person to whom the story is told). This method of narration is the first person past written method. Lockwood belongs here.
Nelly (Ellen) Dean is also the secondary narrator who narrates all the incidents to Lockwood. The method of narration is the first person past/present spoken method. Nelly Dean begins telling the story in part of the chapters. In the tertiary narration, some of the incidents are first narrated by the different characters, first to Nelly the Secondary narrator who in turn narrates them to Lockwood, the primary narrator.
Heathcliff’s oral accounts and Isabella’s letter which is read out to Lockwood combine the written and oral methods. The story is given to the reader in the form of Mr. Lockwood’s diary, but the story is told to him through Nelly Dean.
These narrators can be regarded as unreliable because they have their own perspectives on events and other characters, and that can influence the things they include or don’t include in their narration. For instance, Nelly, the narrator is fond of Cathy Linton and Hareton Earnshaw, so her kind of narration favors them. She dislikes Heathcliff so her narration is less favourable towards him.
(ii) Symbolism:
Symbols provide an in-depth understanding of the prose narrative. They include the following:
(a) Wuthering Heights: The title of the novel is symbolic of the incidents in the story “Wuthering” which refers to that which is windy or willowy. It represents instability or “unsettled”. This is symbolic of the events or series of conflicts in the novel, some of which result in numerous death and a few others resolved in the end.
(b) The Moors: Moors are open areas, wet, wild, and infertile. As the play opens. Lockwood fears walking through the moors at night. Catherine and Heathcliff spend much of their childhood rambling on the moors, symbolizing their wild nature. Both of them are buried on the moors because of the wild personality they represent, Moors also symbolize danger, and so does the love between Catherine and Heathcliff.
(c) Whether: The serious winds present at the Heights symbolize the hardness and the problem that the inhabitants need to battle with. Wind and rain, for instance, are present when Mr. Earnshaw dies and when Heathcliff departs from Wuthering Heights, and when Heathcliff dies.
(d) Ghosts: Ghosts in the novel are ambiguous. They portend danger and they also symbolize past events. Their appearance at the Heights helps the character to remember them. Ghosts also add an element of mystery and excitement to the story. The appearance of Catherine’s ghost also emphasizes just how much Catherine was in love with Heathcliff.
(e) Suspense and Palimpsest Narration: Emily Bronte creates atmosphere and suspense using her own artistic technique known as palimpsest which involves the use of narratives within narratives, Bronte uses Lockwood and Nelly (Ellen) Dean to narrate the events in the novel.
The use of suspense is great which span from the progression of the first generation character and that of the second generation. The reader should be spellbound to know what happens to Heathcliff but are mystified when he turns a new leaf before his eventual demise.
(iii) Elements of the Gothic novel in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights:
What makes a work Gothic is a combination of at least some of these elements:
1. Ruined buildings that arouse a pleasing sad mood.
2. Extreme landscape like extreme weather.
3. Supernatural manifestations like the presence of ghosts.
4. A passion-driven, willful villain hero or villain.
5. Horrifying or terrifying events or threats of this happening.
Some of the elements of Gothic novels invented by Horace Walpole have also made their way into Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. In true gothic fashion, there is usually a love story crossing the boundary between life and death as we have seen in the union between Heathcliff and Catherine and is transgressing from one social class and family tie. Also, Bronte follows Walpole in Portraying the tyrannies of the father and the cruelties of the patriarchal family.
Also, Bronte has incorporated the gothic element of imprisonment and escape, flight, the persecuted hero wooed by a dangerous and good suitor, a ghost, a mysterious foundling necrophilia, and revenge. Heathcliff for instance, imprisons Cathy and Ellen, all in a bid to have Cathy married out to Linton.
There is the weather which buffeted Wuthering Heights, the traditional Castle, and like the conventional Gothic hero-villain. Heathcliff is a mysterious figure who destroys the beautiful women he woos and who usurps inheritance. There is a hint of necrophilia in Heathcliff’s views of Catherine’s corpse and his plan to be buried next to her and a hint of incest in their being raised as brother and sister.
The questions below are the NECO past questions and answers that will help you in your 2023 NECO Literature Questions. The questions below are the NECO 2023 Literature Practice Questions. Go through them and be ready to score high in your NECO 2023 Literature in English Examination.
1. In Literature generally, a stock character is a character
ANSWER: C (whose actions, speech, style, and role are predictable)
2. A light or amusing interlude inserted in the middle of a tragic play is called
ANSWER: A (comic relief)
3. When one author produces a mocking invitation to another author’s work we call his product
ANSWER: D (parody)
4. A type of poem that may be sung and which embodies a tale is called
ANSWER: D (a Ballard)
5. Poetry is distinguished from prose fiction in that it
ANSWER: D (uses rhyme and meter)
6. Go, lovely rose,
Tell her that wastes her time and me
When I resembled her for thee,
How sweet and fair she seems to be
In the above lines, the rose is presented as having human characteristics or abilities. This is knowns as
ANSWER: C (personification)
7. When a story is told at one level but has its true meaning at another level it is called
ANSWER: D (allegorical story)
8. When an unrelated incident is inserted in a work of literature it is called
ANSWER: C (digression)
How Many Questions are to be Answered in NECO Literature in English 2023?
The number of questions to be answered in the NECO Literature in English exam can vary depending on the exam structure set by NECO. Typically, there are objective questions and essay questions that students must tackle. It is important to rely on legitimate study materials and prepare diligently for the exam rather than seeking leaked questions and answers.
The objective section of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions, while the essay section requires students to write essays on selected literary works or texts. The specific number of questions for each section may differ. In the 2023 NECO Literature in English examination, there are a total of 46 questions divided into two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2.
Paper 1 is a multiple-choice objective test with 50 questions. These questions cover various areas, including general knowledge of literature, unseen prose passages, unseen poems, and a prescribed Shakespearean text.
Paper 2 is an essay test with 4 questions. The questions are based on the two prescribed novels and the two prescribed plays. Candidates are required to answer one question from each section, allowing them to choose between focusing on novels, plays, or a combination of both.
While the NECO Literature in English exam poses a challenge, it is also a significant opportunity for candidates to develop critical thinking skills and deepen their understanding of literature. It is essential to approach the exam with thorough preparation and a genuine appreciation for the subject.
NECO
The National Examinations Council (NECO) is a Nigerian examination body responsible for conducting the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the General Certificate in Education (GCE) for students in Nigeria. Established in 1999 by the Federal Government of Nigeria, NECO took over the functions of the National Board for Educational Measurement (NBEM).
The NECO SSCE is a mandatory examination for candidates seeking the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE). It is a two-year examination taken by students in their final year of secondary school. The SSCE is divided into two parts: the first part is held in June/July, while the second part takes place in November/December.
The NECO GCE is an optional examination for candidates aiming to obtain the General Certificate of Education (GCE). It is a one-year examination undertaken by students who have completed their secondary education. The GCE is divided into two levels: the Ordinary Level (O Level) and the Advanced Level (A-Level).
NECO's examinations are conducted nationwide, and administered by its zonal offices in all states of Nigeria. Additionally, NECO holds examinations in select foreign countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
NECO's examinations are widely recognized by universities and colleges in Nigeria, and the SSCE is also acknowledged by many institutions outside the country.
Committed to providing reliable and credible assessment services, NECO aims to promote quality education and excellence in Nigeria. Besides conducting examinations, NECO offers guidance and counseling services to students and teachers. The organization also engages in research and development activities in the field of education to enhance the quality of education in Nigeria.
As a reputable examination body with over 20 years of experience, NECO's examinations are known for their fairness, transparency, and reliability. They serve as a valuable tool for assessing students' academic achievements
NECO Literature in English 2023 - FAQs
Paper 1 is a multiple-choice objective test, while Paper 2 is an essay test.
Paper 1 has 50 questions, while Paper 2 has 4 questions.
General knowledge of literature, literary terms and concepts, analysis of unseen prose passages, analysis of unseen poems, and context questions on a prescribed Shakespearean text.
Two essay questions on prescribed novels, two essay questions on prescribed plays, and one essay question on a prescribed non-fiction text.
The prescribed novels are Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta. The prescribed plays are The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka and Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka.