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Question

Difficulty: HardDrawing Inferences and Deductions from Unseen Passages

Read the unseen dramatic extract below carefully:

BIODUN: The ledger shows the harvest was bountiful, yet the silos in the north remain empty. Where did the grain vanish to, Brother?
EFOSA: The rats in the market carry sharp teeth and wear embroidered agbada, Biodun. Ask the merchants who bought new horses this morning.
BIODUN: [Pauses, closing the ledger] Then Father’s signature on the clearance warrant was not signed in light.
EFOSA: He signed it with a barrel pressed against his ribs and a pen dipped in his own sweat.
BIODUN: Then we are not investigating a theft; we are unmasking a siege.

Based on the extract above, what can be deduced about Father's role in authorizing the removal of the grain?

  1. He was forced under armed threat to officially release the grain harvest.Answer
  2. B
    He conspired with wealthy market merchants to secretly siphon the grain profits.
  3. C
    He signed the warrant inadvertently due to severe fatigue and physical strain.
  4. D
    He unknowingly authorized a fraudulent document presented by his sons.

Answer

Father was forced under armed threat to officially release the grain harvest.
The correct answer is derived from Efosa's explanation that Father signed the document 'with a barrel pressed against his ribs', which is a standard literary figure of speech indicating he was held at gunpoint and forced to authorize the release of the grain under severe duress.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the figurative language used by Efosa to describe Father's action.
Efosa states Father signed the warrant 'with a barrel pressed against his ribs'.
The word 'barrel' in this context refers figuratively and metonymically to the barrel of a gun pressed against someone's body.
2
Evaluate the contextual meaning of 'a pen dipped in his own sweat'.
This phrase signifies extreme anxiety, fear, and duress while carrying out an action under threat.
Combining the gun threat with sweat emphasizes terror and coercion rather than voluntary signing or physical labor.
3
Deduce Father's true legal/moral position in the event.
Father was an innocent victim of extortion/coercion who was forced at gunpoint to sign the clearance warrant.
Biodun concludes that they are 'unmasking a siege', confirming that Father was victimized by armed extortionists rather than participating willingly in a theft.

Key Concept

Drawing logical deductions from metaphorical and dramatic expressions in unseen extracts
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Drawing Inferences and Deductions from Unseen Passages

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