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Literature-in-English for the JAMB Exam

JAMB Literature-in-English is required for English, mass communication, and arts university admissions. Questions test knowledge of prescribed texts (African prose, African drama, poetry anthology), literary devices, and general literary principles. Prescribed texts change each year.

Locale-specific study guides

Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Literature-in-English all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

!Not reading the prescribed texts thoroughly — guessing on character and plot questions
!Confusing literary devices: irony (dramatic vs situational vs verbal), symbolism, and allegory
!Not keeping up with annual text changes — studying a retired text

Study tips

1Purchase the current year's JAMB recommended texts and read each one at least twice.
2For each text, create a character map: name, role, relationships, and key actions.
3Learn 15 literary devices with precise definitions and examples from African literature.

Sample JAMB Literature-in-English questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real JAMB questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1
A literary work in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities is called:
- AAllegoryCorrect
- BSimile
- CPersonification
- DAllusion
Why this answer?
An allegory is a narrative in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract concepts or moral qualities beyond their literal meaning. Examples include Animal Farm (political allegory) and Pilgrim's Progress (spiritual allegory).

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