Literature In English Past Questions | JAMB, WAEC, NECO and Post UTME Past Questions

The extract is from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". In this conversation, Ariel is speaking to his master, Prospero. The question asks why Ariel has come.

Ariel is a spirit who is bound to serve Prospero. He has come because he has been summoned or invited by Prospero, which is indicated by the line "To answer the best pleasure; be't to fly,". Ariel is there to carry out whatever task Prospero asks of him, whether it's to fly, swim, dive into fire, or ride on clouds. This is why the correct answer is Option A: he has been invited by Prospero.

Options B, C, and D are not correct because they suggest personal motives or capabilities of Ariel. However, as a spirit under Prospero's command, Ariel's actions are not driven by his own desires or abilities, but by Prospero's commands.

Understanding the relationship between Ariel and Prospero, as well as the nature of Ariel as a spirit, is key to answering this question correctly. This highlights the importance of character analysis and understanding the context in which a dialogue is set in literature.

The question is based on a passage from Act I, Scene Two of "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare. Ariel, a spirit, speaks these lines to Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, who has been living in exile on an island with his daughter Miranda. Prospero has magical powers and Ariel is his servant, performing tasks at Prospero's command.

From Ariel's lines, we can understand that he is ready to serve Prospero, whether it's to fly, swim, dive into fire, or ride on clouds. In other words, Ariel is expressing his readiness to obey any command from Prospero, no matter how difficult or dangerous it might be.

The correct answer to the question is 'raised a storm at sea'. This is because, in the broader context of the play, it's known that Prospero has used his powers to create a tempest (a violent storm) at sea, causing a ship carrying his enemies to wreck on his island. This is part of Prospero's plot to regain his dukedom.

The other options are incorrect as they don't relate to the context of this extract. Although Prospero does have interactions with Miranda and Ferdinand in the play, these aren't relevant to Ariel's lines here. Similarly, Ariel isn't being commanded to disappear in this extract.

The extract given in this question is taken from William Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest", specifically Act I, Scene Two. The character speaking in the extract is Ariel, a spirit, who is addressing Prospero, the play's protagonist.

Ariel is essentially expressing his readiness to serve Prospero, demonstrating his willingness to do anything from flying, swimming, diving into fire, or riding on clouds. This shows Ariel's loyalty and obedience towards Prospero, who has the power to command him.

The question asks what happened before Ariel's entry into the scene. The correct answer is Option B - Prospero had put Miranda to sleep. This event occurs right before Ariel's entrance in the play. After a lengthy explanation of their past to his daughter Miranda, Prospero uses his magic to make her fall asleep. He then calls upon Ariel, leading to the dialogue in the extract.

This question tests your understanding of the sequence of events and character interactions in "The Tempest". Knowing the context in which lines are spoken in a literary work can help you better understand and interpret the text.

In this question, you're asked to interpret a phrase from an extract of a play. The phrase in question is "Ariel and all his quality". This phrase comes from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", in which Ariel is a spirit who serves the magician Prospero. The extract describes Ariel's obedience and readiness to carry out any task Prospero commands, whether it be flying, swimming, diving into fire, or riding on clouds.

"Ariel and all his quality" is a way of referring to Ariel and his group, or band, of spirits. The word 'quality' in this context does not refer to a characteristic or trait, but rather to a group of individuals who share some common feature or status. This usage is somewhat archaic and not commonly used in modern English, which may make the phrase difficult to understand.

The correct answer is 'his band of spirit' (Option C) because it correctly interprets 'quality' as referring to a group of spirits associated with Ariel. The other options are incorrect because they misinterpret the meaning of 'quality' in this context.

When reading literature, especially older texts like Shakespeare's plays, it's important to understand that words may not always have the same meanings as they do in modern English. Sometimes, the context of the word can help you figure out its meaning, as in this case.

The question refers to an extract from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", specifically Act I, Scene Two. The character speaking in the extract is Ariel, a spirit who is in service to Prospero, the protagonist of the play. In this passage, Ariel is expressing his loyalty to Prospero and his willingness to carry out any task Prospero assigns him, regardless of the difficulty or danger.

Based on the extract, the question asks what Ariel does after his speech. The correct answer is that Ariel flies off to do his duty (Option A). The text shows Ariel declaring his readiness to serve Prospero, and it's logical to infer that he would immediately set off to carry out Prospero's orders after this declaration.

Option B, which suggests that Ariel recounts the confusion on board the ship, isn't supported by the text in the extract. Similarly, Option C isn't correct because the passage doesn't indicate that Ariel kneels down to worship Prospero. Lastly, Option D is incorrect as well because the extract doesn't suggest that Ariel calls Ceres and another spirit.

This question tests your understanding of both the text and the characters. When answering similar questions, it's important to carefully interpret what the text says and to consider the characteristics and roles of the characters in the play.