the inmates - kcse english poetry questions and answers

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THE INMATES - KCSE ENGLISH POETRY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

​Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.
The inmates
Huddled together
Cold biting their bones
Teeth chattering from the chill,
The air oppressive,
The smell offensive
They sit and they reflect

The room self contained
At the corner the ‘gents’ invites
With the nice fragrance of ammonia,
And fresh human dung,
The fresh inmates sit thoughtfully

Vermin perform a guard of honour
Saluting him with a bite here
And a bite there
‘Welcome to the world, they seem to say’
The steel lock of the door
The walls insurmountable
And the one torching tortuous bulb
Stare vacantly at him
Slowly he reflects about the consignment
That gave birth to his confinement
Locked in for conduct refinement
The reason they put him in prison

The clock ticks
But too slowly
Five years will be a long time
Doomed in the dungeon
In this hell of a cell

QUESTIONS

• ​a) Who is the persona in the poem? (1 mark)
• b) Briefly explain what the poem is about. (2 marks)
• c) Identify and illustrate  three aspects of style in the poem. (6 marks)
• d) Give evidence from the poem which indicates the inmates are suffering. (3 marks)
• e) Why is the fresh inmate in prison?  (2 marks)
• f) Identify and explain the mood of the new convict. (2 marks)
• g) Explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem.
  • i) That gave birth to his confinement (1 mark)
  • ii) The room is self contained (1 mark)
• h) What does the steel lock in the door and the insurmountable walls suggest? (2 marks)

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