ENGLISH ORAL LITERATURE QUESTION WITH ANSWERS MODEL27082023002

ENGLISH ORAL LITERATURE QUESTION WITH ANSWERS

Oral Literature

Read the story below and then answer the questions that follow;

One day, a long time ago when there was famine in a certain part of Africa, Hare met Hyena. “How thin you are looking!” said Hare.

“You look as though you would not say ‘No’ to a good meal either.” replied Hyena.

The two animals continued walking on the road together until they came to a farmer, who was grumbling because all his servants had left him. “We’ll work for you if you will feed us,” suggested Hare.

The farmer willingly agreed and, giving the two animals a pot of beans to cook, showed them the part of his farm where to weed.

First of all, they made a fire and, fetching three large stones, they rested the pot on them to cook their meal while they set to work. When the sun was high in the sky and it was time for midday rest, Hyena told Hare to keep an eye on the cooking – pot while he went down to the river to wash.

Hare sat by the pot, stirring it with a stick and longing to begin his meal, while Hyena, as soon as he was out of Hare’s sight, stripped off his skin. He looked the most horrible spectacle, and ran back to Hare uttering strange cries. Poor Hare was terrified.

“Help! Help!” Hare squealed as he ran for his life. “Never have I seen a terrible creature! It must be a very bad juju.”

Hyena quickly sat down and ate all the food, which was scarcely enough for one in any case, and then he went to the river, found his skin and put it on again. He strolled up the bank to the place where the cooking pot stood, and found Hare returning cautiously.

“O Hyena!” gasped Hare. “Did you see it too?”

“See what?” asked the Hyena.

“That terrible demon,” explained Hare.

“I saw nothing. But come eat,” said Hyena calmly, as he walked towards the cooking- pot and looked inside it.

“Where is it? Where is my food? What happened to it?” Cried Hyena pretending to be in a fine rage.

Hare looked at the empty pot.

“It was the terrible demon,” he explained. “It frightened me away so it could eat our food.”

“Rubbish! You ate it yourself while I was washing at the river!” Shouted Hyena, and no amount of protestations by poor Hare had any effect.

“Well,” said Hare. “I know what I shall do, I shall make a fine bow and arrow and if the creature comes again I shall shoot it.”

The next day the farmer again gave them a pot of beans, but instead of working while it cooked, Hare took a supple branch and began to make himself a bow.

The hyena watched him as he sharpened the wood with his knife, and when it was almost finished, he said; “Give me your bow, Hare. My father taught me a special way of cutting bows to make them better than any others. I’ll finish that for you.” The unsuspecting Hare gave up his bow and knife and Hyena began cutting it in a special way, making it so weak in one place that it was bound to break as soon as it was used.

“There you are! Keep this besides you while I go and wash, incase that creature comes again,” said Hyena, as he strode off to the river, to remove his skin once more.

Hare, waiting besides the pot of food, was just considering whether he could take a mouthful, so great was his hunger, when once again the most repulsive – looking animal he had ever seen charged towards him. Seizing his bow he put an arrow in it and pulled. Snap! It broke in his hand and, as the horrible creature came closer and closer, Hare fled.

So, of course Hyena had all the food once more, and then went back to the river to put on his skin. He returned to accuse Hare of stealing the beans. Hare denied having even had a taste of the food, but he looked closely and he thought he saw a little piece of bean stuck in hyena’s teeth as he spoke.

“Aha!” Said Hare to himself. “If that is the way it is, I shall be ready for you tomorrow, my friend.”

That night when Hyena was sleeping, Hare made another bow. It was a good, strong bow with no weak spots at all, and had three arrows to go with it. The Hare feeling ravenous by now, crept to the pot where they cooked their food, hid the bow and arrows in the nearby long grass and, returning to find Hyena still asleep, lay down close. The next day everything happened as Hare had expected. The two animals worked hard all the morning while the cooking-pot boiled and at midday Hyena went to the river to wash.

Hare waited with his new bow in his hand. Presently the loathsome-looking creature came towards him. Hare raised the bow and shot.

Straight into the creature’s heart went the arrow and Hyena fell dead on the ground. Hare bent over the body and was not surprised when he saw it was Hyena.

“Well,” he remarked as he ate the first good meal he hadn’t had for days.

(a) Classify the above genre. (2mks)

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(b) Why did the Hyena go to wash at midday? (2mks)

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(d) Explain any two features of oral literature evident in the above story. (4mks)

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(e) Explain two character trait of Hare in the above story. (4mks)

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(f) Why do you think animal characters have been used in this story? (2mks)

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(g) Explain the moral lesson in this story. (2mks)

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(h) Explain the following expressions in the narrative (2mks)

(i) That terrible demon.

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(ii) In a fine rage.

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i) “O hyena!” gasped Hare. “Did you see it too?” (1mk)

Rewrite in reported speech.

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ANSWERS

Oral – literature (25 marks)

a) Trickster narrative – The hyena tricks the hare, but finally, the hare outwits the hyena.

b) The hyena event to wash at midday so that he could go to the river and strip off his skin.

c) When he saw a little piece of bean stuck in his teeth as he spoke.

d) Opening formula – “One day…a long time ago”.

Dialogue: Between the hyena and the hare.

Personification: Hare and hyena can talk/communicate using words.

e) Hyena: Cunning – Tricked the hare.

Selfish – He wants all the food to himself.

Greedy – Eats all the food.

Abusive – “Rubbish” you ate it yourself.

f) To avoid direct confrontationÖ and avoid mentioning names of such offenders in society. Ö

g) – We should be our brothers’ keeper.

– Should learn to share equally what we have in society (equity).

h)i) Scary creature/animal

ii) Angered

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