Practice Questions: Paradox

Paradox - JAMB/UTME Practice Questions

Q1: A paradox is a literary device that -
(a) uses exaggeration for emphasis
(b) presents a contradiction that reveals a deeper truth
(c) compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'
(d) gives human qualities to non-human objects

Q2: "The child is father of the man" is an example of -
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) paradox
(d) hyperbole

Q3: In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the line "I must be cruel only to be kind" demonstrates -
(a) irony
(b) oxymoron
(c) allegory
(d) paradox

Q4: Which of the following statements is paradoxical?
(a) The sun rises in the east
(b) Less is more
(c) He runs very fast
(d) The flower bloomed beautifully

Q5: The main difference between paradox and oxymoron is that -
(a) paradox is a statement while oxymoron is typically two contradictory words placed together
(b) paradox uses simile while oxymoron uses metaphor
(c) paradox is found only in poetry while oxymoron appears in prose
(d) paradox is always humorous while oxymoron is serious

Q6: "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know" illustrates -
(a) alliteration
(b) personification
(c) paradox
(d) assonance

Q7: In Wole Soyinka's works, the statement "death is the beginning of life" would function as -
(a) hyperbole
(b) paradox
(c) euphemism
(d) synecdoche

Q8: Which literary device combines contradictory terms in a single phrase?
(a) Paradox
(b) Oxymoron
(c) Antithesis
(d) Irony

Q9: "War is peace" from George Orwell's 1984 is an example of -
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) paradox
(d) symbolism

Q10: The statement "You must spend money to make money" demonstrates paradox because -
(a) it uses figurative language
(b) it contains alliteration
(c) it presents contradictory actions that reveal economic truth
(d) it employs personification

Q11: In African literature, the concept "the corpse speaks louder than the living" functions as -
(a) irony
(b) paradox
(c) allegory
(d) satire

Q12: Which statement best exemplifies paradox?
(a) The night was as dark as coal
(b) Her smile was like sunshine
(c) The silence was deafening
(d) He ran faster than the wind

Q13: The purpose of paradox in literature is primarily to -
(a) create musical rhythm
(b) challenge readers to think deeply about contradictions
(c) describe scenic beauty
(d) establish chronological order

Q14: "Cowards die many times before their deaths" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is paradoxical because -
(a) it uses personification
(b) it suggests death can occur multiple times before actual death
(c) it contains a simile
(d) it describes physical death only

Q15: In Chinua Achebe's works, when a character says "I destroyed myself to save myself," this represents -
(a) metonymy
(b) synecdoche
(c) paradox
(d) litotes

Q16: The line "Make haste slowly" is an example of -
(a) alliteration
(b) onomatopoeia
(c) paradox
(d) assonance

Q17: Which of these is NOT a characteristic of paradox?
(a) Contains apparent contradiction
(b) Reveals deeper truth upon reflection
(c) Always uses comparison with 'like' or 'as'
(d) Challenges conventional thinking

Q18: "Freedom is slavery" from Orwell's 1984 creates paradox to illustrate -
(a) the beauty of nature
(b) totalitarian manipulation of truth and language
(c) romantic relationships
(d) agricultural practices

Q19: In poetry, paradox is most effective when it -
(a) describes physical objects literally
(b) forces readers to reconcile contradictory ideas to find meaning
(c) establishes simple rhyme schemes
(d) provides straightforward narrative

Q20: The statement "What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young" exemplifies -
(a) metaphor
(b) hyperbole
(c) paradox
(d) personification

Q21: "Ignorance is strength" functions as a paradox in Orwell's work by -
(a) comparing ignorance to physical strength
(b) suggesting lack of knowledge can empower totalitarian control
(c) describing military tactics
(d) illustrating educational systems

Q22: Which statement about paradox is correct?
(a) It must always rhyme
(b) It appears only in dramatic works
(c) It contains self-contradictory elements that reveal truth
(d) It requires musical accompaniment

Q23: The line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" from Shakespeare's Macbeth establishes paradox to suggest -
(a) weather patterns
(b) the inversion of moral order and appearance versus reality
(c) agricultural cycles
(d) geographical locations

Q24: "The beginning of the end" represents paradox because -
(a) it uses alliteration effectively
(b) beginnings and endings are opposite concepts presented simultaneously
(c) it describes a physical journey
(d) it employs personification

Q25: In literary analysis, paradox differs from simple contradiction because paradox -
(a) contains only false statements
(b) has no meaningful resolution
(c) reveals truth through apparent impossibility
(d) appears only in prose fiction