Introduction to Oral Literature

17 Grade 10 Literature in English questions on Introduction to Oral Literature, with worked marking schemes. 17 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   Which of the following items belongs to the short forms genre of oral literature?

   A. A praise poem recited for a wrestler

   B. A funeral dirge sung at a burial in Siaya

   C. A riddle posed before a story session

   D. An explanatory narrative about the moon

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   1 mark

   Which of the following situations best shows that oral literature remains relevant in contemporary Kenyan life?

   A. A newsreader reading the weather forecast on TV

   B. A learner reading a printed novel aloud in class

   C. A talk-show host using proverbs on corruption

   D. A teacher dictating notes on the water cycle

   (1 mark)

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3. Question 3

   4 marks

   Using an example of a song performed at a Kenyan community event (such as a wedding, harvest or initiation ceremony), identify and explain TWO features of oral literature that the song displays. (4 marks)

   (4 marks)

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4. Question 4

   4 marks

   Explain TWO ways in which oral literature continues to serve society in contemporary Kenya. (4 marks)

   (4 marks)

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5. Question 5

   1 mark

   In a riddling session in Kwale, the challenger calls out 'Kitendawili!' and the others answer 'Tega!'. A child who cannot solve the riddle quickly must 'give a town' to the challenger before the answer is revealed. Which function of oral literature does such a session mainly serve?

   A. Recording the migration history of the clan

   B. Sharpening quick thinking and reasoning

   C. Consoling a family that has lost a member

   D. Explaining the origin of natural features

   (1 mark)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   A teacher asks Grade 10 learners to say the tongue twister 'Sheila sells sweet sugarcane at the Siaya stage' quickly several times. Which function of oral literature is mainly served by this activity?

   A. Comforting the bereaved at a funeral

   B. Improving pronunciation and fluency

   C. Recording important events in history

   D. Explaining why the world is as it is

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   4 marks

   Your school is preparing for a Culture Day. Explain TWO reasons you would give the principal for why Senior School learners should study and perform oral literature. (4 marks)

   (4 marks)

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8. Question 8

   6 marks

   With reference to THREE different genres of oral literature, explain ONE function that each genre serves in a traditional Kenyan community. (6 marks)

   (6 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any three genres, each with a relevant function explained, 2 marks each (1 mark for linking the genre to the function, 1 mark for explanation) (6 marks). Each function must come from a different genre. Acceptable points include: - Oral narratives: teach moral values (e.g. stories in which a greedy character suffers warn against greed); entertain at evening sessions; explain the origin of phenomena (explanatory narratives). - Songs/oral poetry: dirges console the bereaved and praise the dead; work songs ease the burden of labour and coordinate effort; lullabies soothe children to sleep; initiation songs instruct initiates on adult duties; praise songs celebrate heroes. - Proverbs: summarise wisdom and advise or warn in few words, e.g. during dispute settlement; add authority and beauty to speech. - Riddles: sharpen wit and quick thinking; teach children about their environment; serve as a warm-up before story sessions. - Tongue twisters: improve pronunciation and fluency; entertain. - Oral speeches/oratory: guide, persuade or reconcile, e.g. elders' speeches at weddings or peace meetings; pass on community laws and customs. - Legends/historical narratives: preserve the history of a community and instil pride in its heroes. Award only once for the same function repeated under different genres.

9. Question 9

   6 marks

   Read the scene below and answer the questions that follow. It is evening in a homestead near Wundanyi. Mzee Mwakio pokes the fire and calls out, 'Hadithi, hadithi!' The children shout back, 'Hadithi njoo!' He begins a tale about a clever hare who outwitted an elephant, a tale his own grandfather told him by the same fire many years ago. As he describes the elephant's heavy steps, he stamps his feet, and the children laugh. Halfway through, he pauses and asks, 'What do you think the hare did next?' Wanjala, a visitor from Bungoma, says that in his village the same story ends with the hare being caught. Mzee Mwakio smiles and says, 'Each mouth tells the story its own way.'

   (a) Identify TWO features of oral literature, other than variability, evident in the scene, illustrating each with evidence from the scene. (4 marks)

   (b) Explain what Mzee Mwakio's final remark reveals about oral literature. (2 marks)

   (6 marks)

   Marking scheme

   (a) Any two features other than variability, 2 marks each (1 mark for the feature, 1 mark for evidence) (4 marks): - Oral transmission across generations: the tale was told to Mzee Mwakio by his grandfather and he now passes it on to the children by word of mouth. - Use of formulaic opening/call and response: 'Hadithi, hadithi!' answered by 'Hadithi njoo!'. - Audience participation: the children respond to the opening, laugh, and are asked 'What do you think the hare did next?'. - Dramatisation/performance: the narrator stamps his feet to imitate the elephant's heavy steps. - Communal ownership/anonymity: the story belongs to the community; no single original author is named. - Performance in a specific setting/time: told in the evening around the fire. - Use of animal characters (personification): the clever hare and the elephant. (b) 2 marks: The remark shows that oral literature is variable/flexible (1 mark): because it is not written down, each narrator or community may adapt details, characters or endings to suit the audience and occasion, so no single version is the 'correct' one (1 mark).

10. Question 10

    1 mark

    An elder in Kisii is asked who first composed a narrative he often tells at family gatherings. He replies that nobody knows: he heard it from his grandmother, who heard it from her own grandmother. Which feature of oral literature does his answer best illustrate?

    A. Audience participation, as listeners respond

    B. Anonymity, as no original composer is known

    C. Variability, as each performance may differ

    D. Dramatisation, as the narrator acts it out

    (1 mark)

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11. Question 11

    4 marks

    (a) Outline TWO factors that threaten the survival of oral literature in Kenya today. (2 marks)

    (b) Suggest TWO ways in which oral literature can be preserved. (2 marks)

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    (a) Any two, 1 mark each (2 marks): - Death of elders/custodians before passing on the material. - Influence of modern entertainment such as television, social media and video games, which replaces evening storytelling. - Rural-urban migration and the break-up of the extended family, reducing contact between grandparents and children. - Decline in use of mother tongues among the young. - Influence of formal schooling and some religious teachings that discouraged certain cultural practices. - Busy modern lifestyles leaving little time for storytelling sessions. (b) Any two, 1 mark each (2 marks): - Recording performances in audio and video and storing them in archives or online. - Writing down/transcribing and publishing collections of narratives, songs and proverbs. - Teaching oral literature in schools and holding performances at music and drama festivals and culture days. - Encouraging the use of mother tongues at home. - Promoting oral forms through radio, television and social media programmes. - Encouraging intergenerational storytelling sessions in families and community centres.

12. Question 12

    6 marks

    Describe THREE genres of oral literature, giving one example from a Kenyan community for each. (6 marks)

    (6 marks)

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13. Question 13

    4 marks

    State FOUR differences between oral literature and written literature. (4 marks)

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any four differences, 1 mark each (4 marks). Both sides of the contrast must be stated or clearly implied: - Oral literature is transmitted by word of mouth; written literature is recorded in print or writing. - Oral literature is communally owned and often anonymous; written literature has a known author who owns it (copyright). - Oral literature varies with each performance; written literature has a fixed text. - Oral literature is performed before a live audience who may participate; written literature is usually read privately with no direct interaction with the author. - Oral literature uses non-verbal cues such as gestures, tone, dance and facial expression; written literature relies only on words on the page. - Oral literature is often tied to specific occasions or times (e.g. evening, ceremonies); written literature can be read at any time. - Oral literature depends on memory and mnemonic devices such as repetition; written literature depends on the written record. - Oral literature can be enjoyed by people who cannot read; written literature requires literacy.

14. Question 14

    1 mark

    At a harambee in Nyeri, a speaker uses proverbs, rhetorical questions and a confident tone to persuade guests to contribute towards a school bus. Under which genre of oral literature does his presentation as a whole fall?

    A. Oratory (oral speech)

    B. Short form, as proverbs

    C. Oral narrative

    D. A chant in oral poetry

    (1 mark)

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15. Question 15

    3 marks

    State THREE ways in which an audience participates during an oral literature performance. (3 marks)

    (3 marks)

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16. Question 16

    6 marks

    Read the oral poem below and answer the questions that follow. Hush, little one, hush, Mother has gone to the shamba, She will bring you sweet potatoes, Hush, little one, hush. If you cry, the hyena will hear, If you sleep, the moon will smile, Hush, little one, hush.

    (a) Identify the type of oral poem above. (1 mark)

    (b) Explain TWO features of the poem that support your answer in (a), with evidence from the poem. (4 marks)

    (c) State ONE function this type of poem serves in the community. (1 mark)

    (6 marks)

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17. Question 17

    5 marks

    Classify each of the following items into its genre of oral literature. (5 marks)

    (i) 'What has teeth but cannot bite?' - 'A comb.'

    (ii) A song performed by women at a burial, recalling the good deeds of the departed

    (iii) A story that tells why the tortoise moves slowly

    (iv) 'Haraka haraka haina baraka.'

    (v) An address by a chief at a baraza urging residents to plant trees

    (5 marks)

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