This book is a superb all-in-one guide to success GCSE English Language and English Literature - GCSE English 2003

Warm-up Questions
Section Four — Poetry

People often find poetry quite tricky to cope with, especially if they have to decipher a brand new poem for the first time. Remember though — almost all poetry exam questions will want you to talk about the language used in the poem. If you learn all of the terms used in this section off by heart, then you should have lots of impressive things to talk about in the exam, even if you're not quite sure what the poem actually means. Go through these quick questions, and look up any answers you're not sure of. Keep on going over it until you don't have to look any of the answers up — then you'll know you've got enough information to sound knowledgeable in the exam.

Warm-up Questions

1) Why should you use positive statements (instead of wishy-washy ones) when writing about a poem?

2) What is an elegy?

3) What is free verse?

4) What is a stanza?

5) What is the proper term for each of the following:

a) two-line stanza

b) three-line stanza

c) four-line stanza

6) What is a dramatic monologue?

7) Write down two words that describe a third person narrator.

8) Define a "caesura" and give an example.

9) Define "enjambment" and give an example.

10) Why should you underline the key words in a poetry question?

11) What are the three main things you should write about in any poetry essay?

12) What should you include in your essay in order to strengthen your point?

13) What is wrong with the statement 'My Last Duchess would seem to be a bitter poem.'?

14) What is the examiner looking for in a comparing question?

15) You should always write about one poem and then the next poem in your answer. True or false?

16) Define 'empathy'.

17) Why is it a good thing that poems often have hidden meanings?

18) How many times should you read a poem before you attempt to write about it?

19) What is a sonnet and who is very famous for writing them?

20) What is traditionally the most popular length stanza in poetry?

21) Give two characteristics of poetry that has a first person narrator.

22) Define 'alliteration' and give an example.

23) Define 'onomatopoeia' and give an example.

24) What is meant by the word 'tone' when referring to poetry? Give an example.

25) What is it important to remember when you are using technical terms about poetry?