Oral Narratives
17 Grade 10 Literature in English questions on Oral Narratives, with worked marking schemes. 17 questions are available on this topic in full.
Question 1
4 marks(a) State TWO features that distinguish a dilemma narrative from other types of oral narratives. (2 marks)
(b) Explain how dilemma narratives help to develop the critical thinking of young people. (2 marks)
(4 marks)
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6 marksClassify each of the following narrative summaries into its type of oral narrative, giving a reason for each. (6 marks)
(i) A story of how the first people received fire after Chameleon carried it down from the home of the sky god.
(ii) A story of Odera, a famous hunter of the clan, who killed a man-eating lion that had terrorised three villages, and after whom a nearby hill is named.
(iii) A story of Ostrich, who refused to share her water during a long drought and was later abandoned by all the animals when she was injured. The narrator ends by saying, 'One who refuses to share will one day beg.'
(6 marks)
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4 marksExplain TWO functions of trickster narratives in a community. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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5 marksA Grade 10 class has collected oral narratives from elders of different communities to put in a class portfolio.
(a) State THREE reasons why such a portfolio is valuable to society. (3 marks)
(b) Suggest TWO ways in which the learners should show respect to the elders who narrate the stories. (2 marks)
(5 marks)
Marking scheme
(a) Any three, 1 mark each (3 marks): - It preserves the narratives for future generations before the custodians pass on. - It promotes understanding and appreciation of the cultures of different communities, fostering national unity. - It serves as a learning resource for literature, history and language studies. - It keeps alive the values and moral lessons contained in the narratives. - It records variations of the same narrative across communities for comparison and analysis. - It can be shared with the wider community through exhibitions, recordings or publications. (b) Any two, 1 mark each (2 marks): - Seek permission before recording, photographing or publishing their stories. - Book appointments and arrive on time, at a time convenient to the elders. - Use polite, respectful language and greetings appropriate to the community. - Listen attentively without interrupting. - Acknowledge/credit the narrators by name in the portfolio (with their consent). - Respect cultural restrictions, e.g. stories that may only be told at certain times. - Thank them and, where appropriate, share the finished work with them.
Question 5
8 marksRead the oral narrative below and answer the questions that follow. Narrator: Are you ready for my story? Audience: We are ready! Long, long ago, when animals spoke like people, Dove and Crow lived near the Tana River. Dove had the sweetest voice in the land, and every morning she sang: 'Kuku-ru, kuku-ru, the rains will come! Kuku-ru, kuku-ru, the rains will come!' Crow, whose voice was rough, grew jealous. One day he said, 'Sister Dove, lend me your voice for King Lion's feast, and I will lend you my warm black coat for the cold season.' Dove agreed. At the feast, Crow sang so sweetly that King Lion made him chief singer. When Dove asked for her voice back, Crow refused and flew to the top of a baobab tree. But a stolen voice does not stay in a thief's throat. As Crow opened his beak to sing again, the sweet voice escaped and was blown away by the wind, and all that came out was 'Kraa! Kraa!' Dove searched and searched for her voice, but she never found it. That is why Crow croaks harshly to this day, and why Dove only coos softly, 'Kuku-ru, kuku-ru, where is my voice?' And that is where my story ends.
(a) Identify the opening and closing formulae used in the narrative. (2 marks)
(b) Explain TWO other features of oral narratives evident in the narrative, with illustrations. (4 marks)
(c) Classify the narrative and give a reason for your answer. (2 marks)
(8 marks)
Marking scheme
(a) 2 marks: - Opening formula: 'Are you ready for my story?' - 'We are ready!' (also accept 'Long, long ago, when animals spoke like people'). (1 mark) - Closing formula: 'And that is where my story ends.' (1 mark) (b) Any two features, 2 marks each (1 mark for the feature, 1 mark for illustration) (4 marks): - Use of song: Dove's song 'Kuku-ru, kuku-ru, the rains will come!'. - Repetition: the song lines are repeated; 'searched and searched'. - Personification/animal characters with human traits: Dove and Crow talk, feel jealousy and make agreements; King Lion holds a feast. - Fantasy/the supernatural: a voice can be lent and blown away by the wind. - Flat characters: Crow is jealous and dishonest throughout; Dove is trusting. - Dialogue: Crow's request, 'Sister Dove, lend me your voice...'. - Onomatopoeia/ideophones: 'Kraa! Kraa!', 'Kuku-ru'. - Moral lesson / proverb-like statement: 'a stolen voice does not stay in a thief's throat' - dishonesty does not pay. - Vague/timeless setting: 'Long, long ago'. (c) 2 marks: It is an explanatory (aetiological) narrative (1 mark) because it explains why Crow croaks harshly and why Dove coos softly to this day (1 mark). Also accept: an animal story/fable (1 mark) because its characters are animals and it teaches that dishonesty does not pay (1 mark).
Question 6
4 marksExplain TWO reasons why animal characters are commonly used in oral narratives. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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6 marksCompose a short original oral narrative of about 150 to 200 words, set in a Kenyan community, that teaches young people the value of conserving forests. Your narrative must include an opening formula, a closing formula and at least one song. (6 marks)
(6 marks)
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6 marksRead the excerpt from an oral narrative below and answer the question that follows. Hyena walked and walked and walked until the sun sat down on the hills. Pap! Pap! Pap! went his paws on the dry earth. 'Who is that following me?' he asked the darkness. Nobody answered. He walked faster. Pap-pap-pap! Then, from behind the thorn bush, came a voice as cold as the morning dew: 'It is I, the one you cheated at the river.' Analyse THREE stylistic devices the narrator uses in the excerpt and explain the effect of each. (6 marks)
(6 marks)
Marking scheme
Any three devices, 2 marks each (1 mark for identifying the device with an illustration, 1 mark for its effect) (6 marks): - Repetition: 'walked and walked and walked' - emphasises the length and weariness of the journey and creates rhythm. - Onomatopoeia/ideophone: 'Pap! Pap! Pap!' and 'Pap-pap-pap!' - helps the audience hear the footsteps; the quicker 'Pap-pap-pap' shows Hyena's growing fear and haste, making the narration vivid. - Personification: 'the sun sat down on the hills'; 'he asked the darkness' - creates a vivid image of sunset and an eerie atmosphere. - Simile: 'a voice as cold as the morning dew' - creates a chilling, frightening mood and suggests the speaker's hostility. - Direct question and dialogue: 'Who is that following me?' - reveals Hyena's fear and draws the audience into the suspense. - Suspense: the unanswered question, the silence and the voice from behind the thorn bush keep the audience eager to know what happens next. - Short sentences: 'Nobody answered. He walked faster.' - quicken the pace and heighten tension. The effect must match the illustration given to earn the second mark.
Question 9
1 markA narrative from the coast tells how the cock once lent its bright crown to the sun and has crowed at every dawn since then to ask for it back. Which type of oral narrative is this?
A. Explanatory narrative
B. Trickster narrative
C. Dilemma narrative
D. Legend about a clan hero
(1 mark)
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1 markIn a popular East African narrative, Hare challenges both Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Each pulls one end of the same rope from opposite sides of a thicket, believing he is pulling the small Hare, until both collapse from exhaustion. Hare in this narrative is best described as
A. A trickster who wins through wit
B. An ogre who preys on the weak
C. A villain punished for his greed
D. A hero whose deeds are historical
(1 mark)
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4 marksDifferentiate between a myth and a legend, giving an example of each from a Kenyan community. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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1 markA narrator ends a story with these words: '...and from that day, Mole has lived under the ground, hiding from the sun. That is where my story ends, and whoever listened carries it home.' The final sentence is an example of
A. A song interlude
B. An opening formula
C. A digression
D. A closing formula
(1 mark)
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1 markIn many Kenyan oral narratives, Hyena is greedy at the beginning of the story and remains greedy at the end, even after suffering for his greed. This shows that characters in oral narratives are often
A. Nameless, with no identity at all
B. Realistic, drawn from actual people
C. Flat, representing a single trait
D. Round, changing as events unfold
(1 mark)
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1 markA Maasai narrator tells of a boy who ignores his father's warning not to herd cattle near the forest. The boy is captured by an ogre and is only rescued after his age-mates come looking for him. Which function does this narrative mainly serve?
A. Warning the young against disobedience
B. Celebrating the deeds of a real warrior
C. Recording the migration of the community
D. Explaining how ogres came to live in forests
(1 mark)
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1 markRead the narrative below and answer the question. Long ago, in a village near Lake Baringo, a young woman named Chebet went to fetch water with her mother and her little brother. A sudden flood swept both of them into the lake. Chebet, a strong swimmer, could reach only one of them before the current grew too fast. If she saved her mother, the family would lose its only son; if she saved her brother, the children would grow up without a mother. The narrator stopped and asked, 'Now you tell me, what should Chebet have done?' Which type of oral narrative is this?
A. A dilemma narrative
B. An aetiological myth
C. A moral animal fable
D. A historical legend
(1 mark)
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4 marksExplain TWO roles of songs within an oral narrative. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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5 marksRead the narrative below and answer the questions that follow. Long ago, in a village at the foot of Mount Elgon, there lived a beautiful girl named Nekesa who refused every young man who came to ask for her hand. One day, a handsome stranger with a bright smile arrived and Nekesa agreed to marry him at once. Her little brother Wafula, whom she often mocked, noticed that the stranger never turned his back to anyone. On the journey to the stranger's home, Nekesa saw a second mouth at the back of his head, full of sharp teeth. She screamed, but there was no one to hear her. Wafula, who had secretly followed them, climbed a tree and sang: 'Birds of the forest, come, come! My sister is in danger, come, come!' The birds flew down in hundreds and pecked at the stranger until he fled into the forest. Nekesa returned home and never again mocked her brother.
(a) Identify the type of narrative above. (1 mark)
(b) State TWO features of this type of narrative evident in the story. (2 marks)
(c) Explain the lesson this narrative teaches young people. (2 marks)
(5 marks)
Marking scheme
(a) An ogre narrative. (1 mark) (b) Any two, 1 mark each (2 marks): - An ogre disguises itself as a handsome human/the stranger. - The ogre has a monstrous feature that reveals its true nature - a second mouth with sharp teeth at the back of the head. - The victim is a proud/stubborn person, here a girl who refused all suitors. - An unlikely or despised character (Wafula, the mocked brother) rescues the victim. - Use of song to call for help and magical/supernatural help from nature (birds come in hundreds). - The ogre is defeated/driven away and order is restored. (c) Any one lesson well explained, 2 marks (1 mark for the lesson, 1 mark for explanation from the story): - Young people should not judge others by their appearance; Nekesa trusted a handsome stranger who turned out to be an ogre. - Pride and stubbornness bring trouble; Nekesa refused good suitors from her village and chose a stranger. - Do not despise others, especially family members, because they may be the ones to help in times of need; the mocked Wafula saved her. - Young people should be careful when marrying strangers whose background is unknown.
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