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

General Certificate of Secondary Education

GCSE

English (Language)

Paper 1

Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes

Instructions to candidates

✵ Write your name and other details in the spaces provided above.

✵ Answer both questions in Section A and one question from Section B.

✵ Spend about 1 hour on Section A and the rest of your time on Section B.

✵ Cross through any rough work that you do not want marked.

✵ You must not use a dictionary in this examination.

Information for candidates

✵ You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. All questions should be answered in continuous prose.

SECTION A: READING

Answer both questions in this Section.

Spend about 1 hour on this Section.

Plan your answers and write them carefully.

Question 1 is based on the article Paying Fair Makes Life Sweeter for Growers.

1 Summarise the following points made in the article: the kinds of problems that cause difficulties for small farmers; how organisations such as Fairtrade try to tackle these problems; the ways Fairtrade is viewed by farmers and other people worldwide.

Question 2 is based on the extracts from the Christian Aid website.

2 Analyse the ways in which the writer of these articles tries to encourage the reader to support Christian Aid’s drive to help small farmers. You should look at the language used, the information given and the way the articles are presented.

NON-FICTION TEXT

The following passage describes the problems facing small farmers around the world, and the attempts made by the Fairtrade Foundation to help them.

Paying fair makes life sweeter for growers

Juanita Garcia is a coffee farmer living high in the Nicaraguan hills. We met at the end of her long, back- breaking day. Her house, miles from her small farm, is simple. Outside are a few banana and orange trees, inside a bed, chairs, an open fire, a few months’ corn supplies. No decoration, no ornaments, no frills.

Juanita summed up her aspirations. What she wanted for herself, her family and community, she said, was just “a life of dignity". Until recently there was little chance of that. The world market that bought her small crop was always precarious and unstable. The coffee went through the hands of dozens of middlemen all taking their cuts. The price yo-yoed around but mostly was near the basement. Life for her and the others in her community was uncertain, poverty-stricken and with little hope.

Several years ago, the Fairtrade Foundation in London helped put her co-operative in touch with a British chocolate maker who wanted to offer a new quality bar. It now buys directly from the co-operative farmers on the alternative European “Fairtrade" market at a price guaranteed at or above the world price. The few pennies more that the consumer pays in Britain go directly to the farmers to help themselves develop. “We didn’t make enough money to live on before Fairtrade,” said Juanita. “Now we get a better price and the money comes directly to us. Now we have hope.”

Talk to small farmers around the world about their aspirations and few mention money. Words like “dignity”, “pride”, “hope” and “decency" keep coming up instead.

In the Dominican Republic, Jose Rodriguez, a small cocoa farmer, said: "I am not in search of money. I just want everybody to have the means to a decent life.” Fairtrade has given him and the 8,000 other small farmers who make up the Conacado association and sell to British chocolate makers that hope, he says.

In Costa Rica, Arturo Jimenez Gumez came to a co-operative selling Fairtrade bananas after labouring on one of the giant US-owned banana estates. Now he is a small farmer in his own right, and believes Fairtrade has changed his life: “Maybe we are only farmers but we have the right to dream and to plan for our children. Our dream is that people look on us as human beings. I thank God for the Fairtrade system.”

In St Vincent, one of the four Windward islands that supply Britain with many of its bananas, Renwick Rose works with a group trying to persuade British supermarkets to offer Fairtrade bananas. "When you buy a cheap banana [one sold on the conventional world market] you are unwittingly participating in the exploitation of labour. There are children, mothers, fathers and blood, sweat and toil behind that banana. Fairtrade is not just asking you to pay more - but just what it costs.”

Phil Wells of the Fairtrade Foundation says at least 500,000 farmers around the world are probably now benefiting from Fairtrade. “The point, though, is that very many millions, the bulk of small farmers around the world, are suffering terribly,” he says. The House of Commons now sells Fairtrade coffee, as does the European parliament, and with help it should be possible to get far more people with a professed social conscience to follow suit.

Actress Julie Christie, a Fairtrade supporter, said: “The world has reached a stage where consumerism triumphs over all. Conversely, our role as consumers is one of the powers left to us. Fairtrade makes our decisions easier - we know that Fairtrade-marked products are produced without exploitation.”

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 1999

MEDIA TEXT

Here are two extracts from a website aimed at raising awareness of the problems facing small farmers worldwide.

Bolo Sy and her family face an uncertain future as they try to make a living in the face of unfair trade rules photo: Christian Aid

Bolo Sy’S Story / 22.08.03

Bolo Sy’s family have farmed their small plot of land in Senegal, Africa, for three generations. But despite their commitment and hard work, Bolo Sy and her family are finding it harder and harder to make a living.

Senegalese onions are very good quality and cheaper their Dutch competitors. Surely a consumer’s dream! But unlike the traders who sell the Dutch onions, Bolo Sy and her family do not have the facilities or the money to store their crop. They need to store to get the best price, but they also need cash upfront to pay off debts and to earn money for food and school fees.

'When we harvest our onions and take them to market we have to compete with imported ones from Europe,’ says Bolo Sy's son Abdou. 'They keep well but we cannot store ours, so we have no choice but to sell them as soon as they’re harvested. With proper storage our onions would keep just as well.’

If the Senegalese government could protect the market and provide subsidies to farmers like Bolo Sy they could develop storage facilities and their onion-growing could become viable. And Senegalese consumers would benefit from cheaper and better quality onions year-round.

Instead, Senegalese farmers are forced to watch their onions rot because of unfair international trade rules which prevent the Senegalese government from intervening.

'When we come back from the market it is heartbreaking. The money we get is not worth our hard labour,’ says Bolo. ’We now have almost no cattle, because we’ve had a succession of bad years and have had to sell them. What happens when we have no more cattle to sell?’

Mamadou Niang is finding it harder and harder to make a living growing rice

photo: Christian Aid

Mamadou Niang’s story / 22.08.03

Mamadou Niang is one of thousands of rice farmers in Senegal who are facing an uncertain future because of unfairtrade rules.

Mamadou is 36 years old and married with four children. He works hard to try and eke out a living from growing rice but it’s becoming more and more difficult.

’Each year the cost of fertilizer, which is imported, is increasing and the price I’m paid for my rice decreases,’ he says. Rice farmers in Senegal used to be given fertilizer but this practice was stopped under pressure from the World Bank and IMF

Last year Mamadou made enough money to last five months and then he was forced to sell some of his goats to get by. His declining goat herd makes each year more precarious. 'My herd of goats is now much smaller than it used to be. This is my bank account, my savings.’

As with most poor countries, the Senegalese government has promised the World Bank and International Monetary Fund that it will open up its markets to foreign competition as a condition for receiving much-needed loans.

But the effect of open markets on farmers like Mamadou and his family is devastating. They cannot compete with the cheaper rice flooding in from Asia and the US and much of their rice ends up unsold.

Mamadou is under no illusions; he knows that Senegal could not be self-sufficient in rice and he is not asking for hand-outs; ’But,’ he says, ’I do think we should be given the chance to sell our rice first and that we should receive some subsidies for our fertilizer.’

Christian Aid is campaigning on behalf of Mamadou, Bolo Sy and millions of farmers like them around the world. We are calling for the rules of trade to be weighted in their favour so that the Senegalese government can provide the protection their farmers need to develop.

SECTION В: WRITING

Answer one question in this Section. Spend about 45 minutes on this Section.

Remember:

✵ spend 5 minutes planning and sequencing your material

✵ you should not write more than about two sides of your answer book

✵ spend 5 minutes checking your:

✵ paragraphing

✵ punctuation

✵ spelling.

EITHER

3 Write a lively article for a newspaper or magazine on the subject of the eating habits of the British.

You may use your own ideas but you may also consider one or more of the following:

✵ “typical” British food I non-British food;

✵ healthy eating / junk food;

✵ vegetarianism;

✵ eating in I eating out.

The quality of your writing is more important than its length. You should write about one to two pages in your answer book.

WJEC, 2004 OR

4 Write the text for a speech where you:

• argue the case for better conditions for students in schools or colleges

• persuade people that more should be done to improve conditions. (27 marks)

AQA A, 2004 OR

5 Write the words of an article for your school or college magazine in which you argue about the value of visiting places such as museums, castles and heritage sites. [30]

OCR, 2004 OR

6 Do you think that the lessons we learn from the past make our present lives happier? [30]

OCR, 2004

[BLANK PAGE]

General Certificate of Secondary Education

GCSE

English (Language)

Paper 2

Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

Instructions to candidates

✵ Write your name and other details in the spaces provided above.

✵ Answer one question in Section A and one question from Section B.

✵ Spend about 45 minutes on Section A and about 45 minutes on Section B.

✵ Cross through any rough work that you do not want marked.

✵ You must not use a dictionary in this examination.

Information for candidates

✵ For Section A, candidates must have a copy of the current Anthology.

This may not be annotated, and candidates must not use any additional notes or materials.

✵ You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.

All questions should be answered in continuous prose.

SECTION A: READING

POETRY FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES

Answer either Question 1 or Question 2, using your Anthology.

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.

EITHER

1 How is contrast used in Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes (page 8)?

Compare this with the use of contrast in one other poem.

(27 marks)

AQA A, 2004

OR

2 Compare how identity is shown to be important in Half-Caste (page 13) and one other poem.

(27 marks)

AQA A, 2004

SECTION В: WRITING

Answer one question in this Section.

Spend about 45 minutes on this Section.

Remember:

✵ spend 5 minutes planning and sequencing your material

✵ you should not write more than about two sides of your answer book

✵ spend 5 minutes checking your:

✵ paragraphing

✵ punctuation

✵ spelling.

EITHER

3 Choose a time when you have been very happy or unhappy. Explain why you felt that way.

AQAA, 2004

OR

4 Describe the scene in the waiting room in a doctor’s or dentist’s surgery.   [20]

You should write about a page in your answer book.

Remember that this is a test of your ability to write descriptively.

WJEC, 2004

OR

5 Choose one of the following titles for your writing.       [20]

The quality of your writing is more important than its length. You should write about two pages in your answer book.

(a) The Visitor.

(b) Continue the following:

’He could resist everything except temptation, and this was very tempting ...’

(c) Write about a situation in which you were tested to the limit.

(d) Write a story which ends with the following:

’It was difficult to look back without feeling a sense of regret.’

(e) ’Rules are made to be broken.’

Write about a time when you felt justified in breaking the rules.

WJEC, 2004

OR

6 Write the words of an article for a school or college publication in which you describe an ideal school and explain the way you would like such a school to be run.    [30]

OCR, 2004

NВ: All of these questions look like they're worth different amounts, and some don't have any marks next to them at all. Don't worry about this — they're all different because I've taken them from different exam boards. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE NUMBER OF MARKS FOR EACH ESSAY —THEY'RE ALL WORTH THE SAME AMOUNT.

All of these questions cover the syllabus. It's okay to answer questions from any board, even if it's not the board you're studying.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

GCSE

English (Literature)

Paper 3

Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes

Instructions to candidates

✵ Write your name and other details in the spaces provided above.

✵ Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B.

✵ You should spend about 45 minutes on Section A and about 1 hour on Section B.

✵ Cross through any rough work that you do not want marked.

✵ You must not use a dictionary in this examination.

Information for candidates

✵ The marks available are given in brackets at the end of each question.

✵ This is an open text examination. Candidates must bring copies of texts into the examination room. These may not be annotated, and candidates must not use any additional notes or materials.

✵ You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. Quality of written communication will be assessed in all answers.

SECTION A

SECTION В

SECTION A — PROSE AND DRAMA

✵ Answer one question from this Section.

✵ You should spend about 45 minutes on this Section.

AQA ANTHOLOGY: PROSE

EITHER

1 Compare how the writers of Chemistry and Your Shoes show relationships between adults and children.

(27 marks)

OR

2 Compare how the settings of the stories are important in Flight and one other story in the selection.

Compare:

✵ the settings of the stories

✵ how the settings are presented

✵ how the writers use the settings in the stories.

(27 marks)

SET TEXTS

William Golding: Lord of the Flies

EITHER

3 Examine Golding’s methods of writing in the last three paragraphs of Chapter Nine, from “The edge of the lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence”, to the end of the chapter.

How typical is this of the way Golding presents:

✵ the island in the novel as a whole

✵ significant events in the novel?

(27 marks)

OR

4 The novelist Kingsley Amis said that Lord of the Flies was “terrifying and haunting”.

What have you found to be terrifying and haunting about this novel and the way it is presented?               (27 marks)

Barry Hines: A Kestrel for a Knave

EITHER

5 How does Barry Hines show the importance of Kes in A Kestrel for a Knave?

(27 marks)

OR

6 Remind yourself of the last five paragraphs of the novel from “Black. The silence ringing, intensified by the faint hum of distant traffic”, to the end of the novel.

How do you respond to this as the ending of the novel?

Write about:

✵ the significance of what Billy thinks and remembers

✵ what the ending leaves you thinking and feeling

✵ how the way the ending is written affects your thinking and feeling.

(27 marks)

J. D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye

EITHER

7 Remind yourself of the final chapter of the novel from “That’s all I’m going to tell about...”, to the end of the novel.

Write about:

✵ how the writer presents Holden in this passage, and in the novel as a whole

✵ how this passage forms an appropriate ending to Holden’s story.

(27 marks)

OR

8 How does the writer present Holden’s relationships with other young people in this novel?

(27 marks)

AQA A, 2004

[TURN OVER FOR NEXT QUESTION]

J. В. Priestley: An Inspector Calls

EITHER

9 Explore the ways in which the relationship between Eric and Sheila has changed by the end of the play.              [15]

OCR, 2004

OR

10 How does Priestley make social criticisms of the time in his play?

You should look closely at language, character and events in your answer. (25 marks)

AQA B, 2004

Thomas Hardy: Far front the Madding Crowd

EITHER

11 Examine the part played by fate in the novel. You should look closely at events and the effects they have on the characters.

(25 marks)

AQA B, 2004

OR

12 In what ways does Thomas Hardy make Bathsheba Everdene a fascinating character to the male characters in the novel? You should refer closely to her words and actions.

(25 marks)

AQA B, 2004

Harold Pinter: The Caretaker

13 ASTON: And they caught me, anyway. About a week later they started to come round and do this thing to the brain. We were all supposed to have it done, in this ward. And they came round and did it one at a time. One a night. 1 was one of the last. And I could see quite clearly what they did to the others. They used to come round with these ... I don’t know what they were ... they looked like big pincers, with wires on, the wires were attached to a little machine. It was electric. They used to hold the man down, and this chief... the chief doctor, used to fit the pincers, something like earphones, he used to fit them on either side of the man’s skull. There was a man holding the machine, you see, and he’d ... turn it on, and the chief would just press these pincers on either side of the skull and keep them there. Then he’d take them off. They’d cover the man up ... and they woulnd’t touch him again until later on. Some used to put up a fight, but most of them didn’t. They just lay there. Well, they were coming round to me, and the night they came I got up and stood against the wall. They told me to get on the bed, and I knew they had to get me on the bed because if they did it while I was standing up they might break my spine. So I stood up and then one or two of them came for me, well, I was younger then, 1 was much stronger than I am now, I was quite strong then, I laid one of them out and I had another one round the throat, and then suddenly this chief had these pincers on my skull and I knew he wasn’t supposed to do it while I was standing up, that’s why I ... anyway, he did it. So 1 did get out. I got out of the place ... but I couldn’t walk very well. I don’t think my spine was damaged. That was perfectly all right. The trouble was ... my thoughts ... had become very slow ... I couldn’t think at all ... I coudn’t ... get ... my thoughts ... together ... uuuhh ... 1 could ... never quite get it ... together. The trouble was, I couldn’t hear what people were saying. I couldn’t look to the right or the left, I had to look straight in front of me, because if I turned my head round ... I couldn’t keep ... upright. And I had these headaches. I used to sit in my room. That was when I lived with my mother. And my brother. He was younger than me. And I laid everything out, in order, in my room, all the things I knew were mine, but 1 didn’t die. The thing is, 1 should have been dead. I should have died. Anyway, I feel much better now. But I don’t talk to people now. I steer clear of places like that cafe. I never go into them now. I don’t talk to anyone ... like that. I’ve often thought of going back and trying to find the man who did that to me. But I want to do something first. I want to build that shed out in the garden.

Either 13 How does Pinter make this such a revealing and memorable moment in the play?

Or 14 You are Mick at the end of the play.

Write your thoughts.            [15]

OCR, 2004

[TURN OVER FOR NEXT QUESTION]

Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird

15 Answer part (a) and either part (b) or (c).

(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following question:

With close reference to the extract, show how Harper Lee creates mood and atmosphere here. [10]

Either,

(b) Imagine you are Jem. Some time after events described in the novel, you think back over its events. Write down your thoughts and feelings. Remember how Jem would speak when you write your answer.            [20]

Or,

(c) Write about one of the adult women who, in your opinion, has an important effect on Scout.

Write about:

✵ how she is presented to the reader;

✵ how she speaks and behaves;

✵ the importance of her effect on Scout.         [20]

WJEC, 2004

Tom’s black velvet skin had begun to shine, and he ran his hand over his face.

’I say where the chillun?’ he continued, ’an’ she says - she was laughin’, sort of - she says they all gone to town to get ice-creams. She says, “Took me a slap year to save scb'm nickels, but I done it. They all gone to town.” ’

Tom’s discomfort was not from the humidity. ’What did you say then, Tom?’ asked Atticus.

’I said somethin’ like, why Miss Mayella, that’s right smart o’ you to treat ’em. An’ she said, “You think so?” I don’t think she understood what I was thinkin’ - 1 meant it was smart of her to save like that, an’ nice of her to treat ’em.

’I understand you, Tom. Go on,’ said Atticus.

’Well, I said 1 best be goin’, I couldn’t do nothin’ for her, an’ she says oh yes 1 could, an’ I ask her what, and she says to just step on that chair yonder an’ git that box down from on top of the chiffarobe.’

Not the samee chiffarobe you busted up?’ asked Atticus.

The witness smiled. ’Naw suh, another one. Most as tall as the room. So I done what she told me, an’ I was just reachin’ when the next thing I knows she - she’d grabbed me round the legs, grabbed me round th’ legs, Mr Finch. She scared me so bad I hopped down an’ turned the chair over - that was the only thing, only furniture, ’sturbed in that room, Mr Finch, when 1 left it. 1 swear ’fore God.’

’What happened after you turned the chair over?’

Tom Robinson had come to a dead stop. He glanced at Atticus, then at the jury, then at Mr Underwood sitting across the room.

’Tom, you’re sworn to tell the whole truth. Will you tell it?’

Tom ran his hand nervously over his mouth.

’What happened after that?’

’Answer the question,’ said Judge Taylor. One-third of his cigar had vanished.

’Mr Finch, I got down offa that chair an’ turned around an’ she sorta jumped on me.’

’Jumped on you? Violently?’

’No suh, she - she hugged me. She hugged me round the waist.’

This time Judge Taylor’s gavel came down with a bang, and as it did the overhead lights went on in the courtroom. Darkness had not come, but the afternoon sun had left the windows. Judge Taylor quickly restored order.

’Then what did she do?’

The witness swallowed hard. ’She reached up an’ kissed me ’side of th’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger. She says what her papa do to her don’t count. She says, “Kiss me back, nigger.” I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door an’ I’da had to push her. I didn’t wanta harm her, Mr Finch, an’ I say lemme pass, but just when I say it Mr Ewell yonder hollered through th’ window.’

’What did he say?’

Tom Robinson swallowed again, and his eyes widened. ’Somethin’ not fittin’ to say - not fittin’ for these folks’n chillun to hear

’What did he say, Tom? You must tell the jury what he said.’

Tom Robinson shut his eyes tight. ’He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya.’

John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men

16 Answer part (a) and either part (b) or (c).

(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following question:

With close reference to the extract, show how John Steinbeck presents Curley here. [10]

Either,

(b) Imagine you are Crooks. At the end of the story you think back over what has happened since George and Lennie arrived at the ranch, and the effects these events have had on you. Write down your thoughts and feelings. Remember how Crooks would speak when you write your answer.               [20]

Or,

(c) Remind yourself of Candy, who is introduced at the beginning of Chapter 2. Why do you think John Steinbeck introduced this character into the novel?      [20]

WJEC, 2004

At that moment a young man came into the bunkhouse; a thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair. He wore a work glove on his left hand, and, like the boss, he wore high-heeled boots. ’Seen my old man?’ he asked.

The swamper said: “He was here jus’ a minute ago, Curley. Went over to the cook-house, I think.’

’I’ll try to catch him,’ said Curley. His eyes passed over the new men and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously. Curley stepped gingerly close to him. ’You the new guys the old man was waitin’ for?’

’We just come in,’ said George.

’Let the big guy talk.’

Lennie twisted with embarrassment.

George said: ’S’pose he don’t want to talk?’

Curley lashed his body around. ’By Christ, he’s gotta talk when he’s spoke to. What the hell are you gettin’ into it for?’

’We travel together,’ said George coldly.

’Oh, so it’s that way.’

George was tense and motionless. ’Yeah, it’s that way.’

Lennie was looking helplessly to George for instruction.

’An’ you won’t let the big guy talk, is that it?’

’He can talk if he wants to tell you anything.’ He nodded slightly to Lennie.

’We jus’ come in,’ said Lennie softly.

Curley stared levelly at him. “Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to.’ He turned towards the door and walked out, and his elbows were still bent out a little.

George watched him out, and then he turned back to the swamper. ’Say, what the hell’s he got on his shoulder? Lennie didn’t do nothing to him.’

The old man looked cautiously at the door to make sure no one was listening. ’That’s the boss’s son,’ he said quietly.

William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

17 Answer part (a) and either part (b) or (c).

(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following question:

Look closely at how Shylock speaks and behaves here. What impressions would it give an audience of his character?            [ 10]

Either,

(b) Write about the relationship between Bassanio and Portia, explaining how and why it changes during the course of the play.           [20]

Or,

(c) One of the main themes of The Merchant of Venice is the danger of judging by appearances.

Show how Shakespeare presents this theme to an audience.      [20]

WJEC, 2004

(Enter Jessica)

Jessica:

Call you? What is your will?

Shylock:

I am bid forth to supper, Jessica.

There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?

I am not bid for love, they flatter me;

But yet Til go in hate, to feed upon

The prodigal Christian. Jessica my girl,

Look to my house. I am right loath to go;

There is some ill а-brewing towards my rest,

For I did dream of money bags tonight.

Lancelot:

I beseech you, sir, go; my young master doth expect your reproach.

Shylock:

So do I his.

Lancelot:

And they have conspired together - I will not say you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Monday last, at six a clock i’the morning, falling out that year on Ash Wednesday was four year in th’afternoon.

Shylock:

What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica,

Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum

And the vile squealing of the wry-necked fife,

Clamber not you up to the casements then

Nor thrust your head into the public street

To gaze on Christian fools with varnished faces;

But stop my house’s ears - I mean my casements -

Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter

My sober house. By Jacob's staff I swear

I have no mind of feasting forth tonight:

But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;

Say I will come.

Lancelot: 

I will go before, sir.

[Aside to Jessica] Mistress, look out at window for all this: There will come a Christian by

Will be worth a Jewess’ eye       [Exit]

Shylock:

What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?

Jessica:

His words were ’Farewell, mistress’, nothing else.

William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Juliet: Wilt thou be gone?

It is not yet near day.

It was the nightingale, and not the lark,

That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;

Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree.

Believe me love, it was the nightingale.

Romeo:

It was the lark, the herald of the mom,

No nightingale. Look love, what envious streaks

Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east.

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day

Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

Juliet: 

Yon light is not daylight, 1 know it, I.

It is some meteor that the sun exhaled,

To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,

And light thee on they way to Mantua.

Therefore stay yet, thou need’st not to be gone.

Romeo:

Let me be ta’en, let me be put to death;

I am content, so thou wilt have it so.

I’ll say yon grey is not the morning’s eye,

’Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia’s brow.

Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat

The vanity heaven so high above our heads.

I have more care to stay than will to go.

Come death, and welcome, Juliet wills it so.

How is’t, my soul? Let’s talk; it is not day.

Juliet: 

It is, it is, hie hence, be gone, away.

It is the lark that sings so out of tune,

Straining harsh discords, and unpleasing sharps.

Either 18 How does Shakespeare make this such a dramatic and intense moment in the play?

[15]

Or 19 You are Friar Lawrence at the end of the play, waiting to explain to the Prince your part in what has happened.

Write your thoughts.            [ 15]

OCR, 2004

SECTION В — POETRY (FROM YOUR ANTHOLOGY)

✵ Answer one question from this Section.

✵ You should spend about 60 minutes on this Section.

AQA Anthology: Seamus Heaney and Gillian Clarke

EITHER

20 Answer both parts (a) and (b)

(a) Compare the methods used to present danger in Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney and Patrolling Barnegat by Walt Whitman.

and then

(b) Compare how danger is shown in one poem by Gillian Clarke and one more poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank.

In both parts (a) and (b), remember to compare:

✵ the dangers in these poems

✵ how the poets present these dangers. (36 marks)

OR

21 Compare how attitudes towards other people arc shown in four of the poems you have studied from this selection.

Compare Digging by Seamus Heaney and three other poems including one by Gillian Clarke and two from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank. (36 marks)

AQA A, 2004

AQA Anthology: Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage

EITHER

22 Answer both parts (a) and (b)

(a) Compare how love is presented in Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy and Mother, any distance greater than a single span by Simon Armitage.

and then

(b) Compare how love is presented in any two poems from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank.

(36 marks)

OR

23 Compare the ways the poets use the first person to create a voice in Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy and one poem by Simon Armitage. Go on to compare the ways the first person is used in two of the poems from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank.

(36 marks)

AQA A, 2004

The 1914-1918 War

In Time of War

I dreamed (God pity babes at play)

How I should love past all romance,

And how to him beloved should say,

As heroes’ women say, perchance,

When the deep drums awake -

’Go forth: do gloriously for my dear sake.’

But now 1 render, blind with fear,

No lover made of dreams, but You,

О You - so commonplace, so dear,

So knit with all I am or do!

Now, braver thought I lack:

Only God bring you back - God bring you back!

Lesbia Thanet (dates unknown)

Of the Great White War

During the years when the white men fought each other,

I observed how the aged cried aloud in public places

Of honour and chivalry, and the duty of the young;

And how the young ceased doing the pleasant things of youth,

And became suddenly old,

And marched away to defend the aged.

And I observed how the aged

Became suddenly young;

And mouthed fair phrases one to the other upon the Supreme Sacrifice,

And turned to their account books, murmuring gravely:

Business as Usual;

And brought out the bottles of wine and drank the health

Of the young men they had sent out to die for them.

Thomas Burke (1887-1945)

EITHER

24 Compare the ways in which poets vividly express the views and feelings of people back home in these two poems.             [30]

OR

25 Explore the differing uses of natural images in There will come soft rains ... and As the Team's Head-Brass.

[30]

OCR, 2004

Answers

Page 10 — Warm-up Questions and Short Tasks

1) Any reasonable answers — for example:

a) School uniform has a negative effect on learning. Incorrect uniform causes conflict in the classroom.

b) The school expects high standards al all times. Uniform rules will be adhered to. especially the banning of jeans and trainers.

c) Expense is often used as an argument against school uniform, but keeping up with the latest clothing fashions can also be expensive.

2) a) Creative writing b) Persuasive writing c) Newspaper report d) Analytical writing e) Advice

3) a) time b) character c) setting d) speaker

4) Any reasonable answer, as long as it uses all four paragraph changes — change of time, character, setting and speaker.

Page 11 — Warm-up Questions and Short Tasks

5) Any reasonable answer — for example:

Firstly, listening to loud music can cause health problems for the future.

Secondly, the nature of some lyrics encourages young people to commit violence.

Thirdly, pop songs are mainly about image yet many of the idols are negative figures.

Finally, pop music is limited in its scope and so gives young people very narrow horizons.

6) Any reasonable answer — for example:

Although listening to loud music can cause health problems, this applies to all music and not just pop music.

It has been argued that the nature of some lyrics encourages young people to commit violence, yet this is largely unproven and anecdotal.

Many adults feel that pop singers arc negative figures, yet having your own heroes and idols is an important part of identity.

Although pop music can be limited in its scope, it is obvious that teenagers who develop a love for music will continue to listen and so will broaden their horizons as they get older.

7) Any reasonable answers — for example:

a) ’...it has the power to develop both mind and character.' / ’It is the gateway to other worlds.’

b) ’On a practical level, it gives you the skills essential for everyday life...’

c) The writer states that speaking and listening activities can increase confidence and improve thinking skills as students leant to argue their perspective and listen to others.

8) Any reasonable answer — for example:

The writer thinks that English is essential on two levels. Firstly, it is vital for everyday communication as it equips us with ’life skills’. More than this though, it develops the whole person enabling us to broaden our minds and experiences. This way it really is ’...the gateway to other worlds’.

9) In order of importance = persuasive writing; For and against alternated = discursive writing; Sequential = instructional writing:

Flashback = creative writing; Chronological = account of an event.

10) “Kieron never realised how much his life would change after selling his comic book script. Now people everywhere would read his comics. He was starting to believe that he could accomplish anything.^

Page 18 — Warm-up Questions

1) b) the writer’s message

d) the characters

2) a) bad advice

b) bad advice

c) good advice

d) bad advice

3) bullet points

4) (a).

5) One.

6) In your conclusion, sum up all your points very briefly and say what your overall answer to the question is.

7)

8) Almost every sentence in this passage helps you understand something about Jason, but these are some of the bits you could underline:

Jason groaned and rolled over on the grey and greasy sheets. He reached out a thick, hairy hand and grabbed the alarm clock. He battered it against the floorboards five times before he realised that it wasn't the alarm clock ringing but the phone. He picked it up and barked, "What the hell do you want?" then slammed the receiver down and collapsed back onto his pillow. He sighed deeply. The phone began to ring again. Jason reached down for the c ord and wrenched it out of the wall.

9) Any answer’s OK, so long as it’s backed up with evidence from the story. You could mention any of these points: Jason’s a filthy slob — “grey and greasy sheets”.

He’s quite rough-looking — “thick, hairy hand”.

He’s violent — “battered...grabbed...slammed...wrenched". He tries to turn off the alarm clock by bashing it on the floor.

He’s a bit thick — it takes him five goes at turning off the alarm clock before he realises it’s not ringing.

He’s rude — “What the hell do you want?”

10) e.g. pity, fear, love, money, anger, greed, power.

11) a) motivate - encourage to do something.

b) manipulate - control other people so that they do what you want.

c) revenge - getting your own back for something someone’s done to you.

12) A ’third person narrator' is someone telling the story who isn't one of the main characters. They can tell you what all the characters think and feel.

13) A ’first person narrator' is one of the main characters. The first person narrator can only really tell you what he or she thinks and feels.

14) NO. You can't believe everything a first person narrator says - they're only telling the story from one point of view and they could be trying to

twist the way you see things.

Page 25 — Warm-up Questions

1) The writer's message is what the writer thinks — the opinion or moral that's put across in the writing.

2) Events of the story, what happens to the characters, the tone of the writing, the title of the writing.

3) b) Show you understand the writer's point of view.

4) c) An excellent idea if you want to show that you know what you're talking about.

5) c) The sentences are very short — the longest is five words. There are no descriptive words at all.

6) a) nervous; tense.

b) amused; entertained.

7) a) flashback: the story is in the present and then the scene shifts back to the past.

b) foreshadowing: this point in the story provides hints about what will happen later.

8) True.

9) The metaphor is "Pigs". Tabitha says the boys are pigs, but she means they are behaving like pigs because they're eating in such a greedy way.

10) symbolism: making an object stand for an idea.

allegory: where characters, settings and events can stand for something else.

ambiguity: where words or events have more than one meaning.

irony: where the writer says the opposite of what is really meant.

Page 31 — Warm-up Questions

1) a) get the facts straight about the story.

d) quote relevant snippets to prove each point you make.

2) It would show you know the play in detail.

3) This depends on whatever plays you're doing — if you get stuck talk to your teacher or other people in your English class.

4) a)'s better because it refers to the audience.

5) a) Stagecraft — the writer's skill at writing for the stage and making the events come to life.

b) Tragedy — a play concerning the downfall of the main character, usually as a result of a fatal character flaw.

Tragedies often deal with serious topics like religion, love, death and war.

c) Comedy — a funny play, often with events based on real life.

d) Dialogue — conversation between two or more people in a play.

e) Soliloquj when a character talks to themself but does it out loud so the audience can hear.

f) Imagery — comparing one thing to another to give a more vivid picture of it.

6) The imagery used is personification. Time or life — "this petty pace" — is described like a person, creeping along.

7) It adds detail to the story and explains how they want the play to look on stage.

8) Poetic verse and blank verse both have 10 or 11 syllables per line, but only poetic verse rhymes.

9) Poetic — when a posh character’s talking; at the beginning of a scene; at the end of a scene.

Blank — most of the time.

Prose — when it’s a funny bit; when it’s not a very important bit.

Page 34 — Exam Questions

1) Who do you consider to be most responsible for the death of Eva Smith?

List of points for a good essay:

2) Explore the different forms of disguise and deception that feature in ’Twelfth Night'. List of points for a good essay:

3) How far is Frair Lawrence responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

List of points for a good essay:

4) Discuss whether you think Macbeth is a tragic hero or a tyrant.

List of points for a good essay:

5) Discuss whether you think the main character in a play you are studying is a hero or a villain.

List of points for a good essay:

Page 40 — Warm-up Questions

1) It will make your writing sound more convincing.

2) A poem written for someone who has died.

3) Poetry written in lines of irregular length that do not have to rhyme.

4) A verse.

5) a) couplet

b) triplet

c) quatrain

6) e.g. A poem written in the first person that deals with a specific situation and involves some sort of revelation          by the speaker.

7) Any reasonable answer - for example: all knowing, detached, authoritative

8) Any reasonable answer - for example: When there is a pause in mid-line. “The car was warm. The driver hoped to show me how to park."

9) Any reasonable answer - for example: When a sentence runs from one line of poetry into the next one.

"The car was warm and the driver hoped

To show me how to park."

10) It will help you to work out what to write about.

11) Topic, language and how the writer wants you to feel when you read the poem.

12) You should include quotes from the poem in your essay to strengthen your point.

13) This statement is very wishy-washy and does not sound convincing.

14) The examiner is expecting you to find the similarities and differences between poems.

15) False.

16) Empathy is when you can understand another person’s feelings.

17) It’s good because it means that there are no right or wrong answers, so any reasonable idea will get you some marks as long as you can back it up.

18) At least three times.

19) A sonnet is a poem with 14 lines that has a regular rhyme scheme. Shakespeare is very famous for writing sonnets.

20) A quatrain (4 lines).

21) Any of the following: implies conspiracy, often more engaging, access to secret thoughts, implies intimacy, about personal matters.

22) Alliteration is when consonants are repeated. Any reasonable example e.g. the green grass grew gradually.

23) Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it means. Any reasonable example e.g. pop.

24) e.g. Tone means the feeling the words are spoken with e.g. angrily.

25) e.g. It is important to only use them if they are relevant and you can show that you know how to use them.

Page 43 — Exam Questions

1) ’Education for Leisure’ and ’Havisham’ by Carol Ann Duffy are regarded by many people as disturbing poems. Do you find the poems disturbing? Give reasons for your answer, referring to language, tone and structure.

List of points for a good essay:

For a top grade essay you must compare the two poems consistently throughout your answer, using comparative language. You must also quote directly from the text and thoroughly analyse quotes, in detail. Vary your vocabulary, including as much technical language as you can. Above all, make sure every point you make is DETAILED and RELEVANT to the question.

2) In ’My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning, what techniques does the poet use in order to convey a negative impression of the Duke to the reader?

List of points for a good essay:

3) "Simon Armitage's poem ’Those bastards in their mansions...' is a poem about the antagonism between the upper and lower classes." What evidence is there in the poem to support this statement, and to what extent do you agree with this suggestion?

List of points for a good essay:

4) ’Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a poem with a very' clear moral. What do you think this moral is. and how is it conveyed by the poet through language, imagery' and tone?

List of points for a good essay:

For a top grade essay, your answer should be clearly structured and your argument should be clear from the beginning and sign-posted using appropriate connectives. Your language should be varied and your analysis should be sensitive and critical. Remember that you must convince the examiner that your opinion is correct and that you know exactly what you are talking about.

Page 49 — Warm-up Questions

1) It shows the examiner that you know how the book fits in with what was going on at the time, e.g. whether it describes those times, or criticises them.

2) It means the writer can criticise events that are going on at the time, or make people think about them from a different perspective, without having to actually

criticise them openly.

3) I can’t help you with this one. It depends what books you're studying. If you get stuck, talk to your teacher or other people from your English class.

4) b) Stick it in the essay — the examiner will be pleased to see that you can think for yourself.

5) Quoting to back up your points is vital in any English Literature essay.

6) c) Write about how this extract fits in with the rest of the book, and why it's important.

7) b) "The writer heads the chapters with prime numbers instead of numbering them normally.” This sentence mentions ’the writer' — it shows you realise the book is a result of conscious decisions by the author, not just a big accident.

8) a) no.

b) no.

In any fiction the narrator is made up by the author, just like all the other characters.

9) Any 5 from: Why are they important? Do they change? What have they learnt? How does the writer reveal their personality? How are they similar or different to others? Do you sympathise with them? What does the writer want us to think about them?

10) Any reasonable answer, e.g. There seems to be a difference between what her mum says and how she behaves. Her mum says Rhi’s really excited, but all Rhi does is stare out of the window blankly. Her mum says she talks about it all the time, but here she says nothing. You could deduce that Rhi is perhaps not as excited as her mum says she is, and we have to wonder why there is this discrepancy between Rhi’s behaviour and what her mother says about her.

Page 52 — Exam Questions

1) Compare and contrast the characters of Atticus Finch and Robert Ewell.

List of points for a good essay:

2) Show how the sense of order on the island deteriorates over the course of the novel.

List of points for a good essay:

3) Consider the theme of loneliness in the novel ’Of Mice and Men.' How does it affect the friendships and relationships in the novel?

List of points for a good essay:

4) In Section 2 of the novel Billy tells his ’tall story’: in what ways does this reinforce the themes of the novel and what does it reveal about Billy's life?

List of points for a good essay:

Page 62 — Warm-up Questions

1) yes

2) Any reasonable answer — e.g.: commonly held beliefs about things that are right and wrong, e.g. Violence is harmful.

3) e.g. a comparison to show a similarity. They help readers grasp the basic argument using simple ideas and they provide memorable images.

4) e.g. a rhetorical question is a question which is given which requires no answer, e.g. “Who knows?”

5) e.g. language which appeals to our emotions, e.g. If we do not act now, many more innocent, little children will    die of hunger.

6) e.g. they are easy for the reader to understand.

7) e.g. they provide the argument with hard reality and are not based on groundless theory.

8) It makes it sound as if your readers agree with you already.

9) They give backing to your arguments.

10) e.g. by showing that you have thought about their concerns; by arguing against what might be a reader’s counter-argument: by challenging biases and expectations.

11) It should be a) detached.

12) e.g. any two of the following — by writing simple and clear points; by using ’it’ rather than T or ’you"; by structuring the essay around the points that are in favour and those against; by not using emotive language or analogies.

13) ’It' makes your argument sound more detached, professional and authoritative than T, which sounds like only your personal, unimportant opinion.

14)a) There is obviously too much junk food being sold in cities.

b) There is a ridiculous amount of paranoia concerning the diet of teenagers today.

c) People get more and more bad-tempered the closer they live to heavily polluted areas — something needs to be done about it.

15) e.g. it makes the essay impartial, unbiased and authoritative.

16) The conclusion should sum up all the key points and, based on the whole report, it should say what should be done and why.

Page 65 — Exam Questions

1) Argue for or against the proposition that children are spending too much time at home using computers, instead of taking part in sporting and social activities.

List of points for a good essay:

2) Write a speech for your M.P. to use to persuade fellow M.P.s to vote for a ban on violence in children's television programmes. List of points for a good essay:

3) Write an advice sheet for parents, about their children using computers at home.

List of points for a good essay:

4) Write an article for a tabloid newspaper where you aim to:

✵ Argue the case for less violence in children's television programmes.

✵ Persuade the reader that watching violence on television can make children more aggressive. List of points for a good essay:

Page 72 — Warm-up Questions

1) e.g. a) give a detailed discussion b) give information c) give in-depth, interesting descriptions

2) e.g. Language would be more formal for the parents.

3) e.g. Give a real example, state a fact, use a direct quotation, give an expert opinion.

4) If you are uncertain about their usage.

5) b) is less interesting, (e.g.) because there is no varied use of language or detail, and there is no attempt to build any suspense.

6) b) (e.g.) because it is more precise.

7) e.g. so you can anticipate their reactions and use that to make your writing more persuasive.

8) A balanced argument.

9) e.g. The most important points from your essay, as well as a final assertion of your own opinion.

10) i) is the intro clear? ii) are there interesting details? iii) have you thought about the reader? iv) have you explained all the technical terms? v) are spelling

and punctuation okay?

11) Any reasonable answers accepted. This is an exercise in showing varied language and use of description. Answers should be imaginative, e.g.:

Picture A shows a desert. It is not an ordinary desert, with rolling sand dunes and soft pale sand — it is rocky, desolate and remote. Although the sky overhead is cloudy, the brightness of the blue sky peeks out from behind the clouds, and it must still be very warm there. In this place, one could walk for miles and miles, and never see another soul. The land is dry and arid, and who knows how many unfortunate creatures have died there in the heat.

Picture В also shows a desolate landscape, but where A is too hot. the temperatures in В must be below freezing. It. too, shows a rocky landscape, but one which is covered in deep, soft snow. Walking in this climate would only be possible with a multitude of layers of clothing, and a radio to call for help if it was required. In this place the snow looks peaceful, but it can hide many dangers, and lull climbers into thinking that they have nothing to fear.

Picture C contrasts both of the previous two photographs. It shows a field, possibly with some sheep grazing in the background. It is green, lush, and full of growing plants and tall grasses. A small hedge, fenced with posts, marks the boundary of the field, conjuring up images of the English countryside in springtime. You can almost hear the lazy flies buzzing around, and perhaps a friendly bee, scouring the land for Howers.

Picture D is the only one of these pictures to show any water. There is a dramatic coastline, the waves crashing on the shore before a blue sky. In the distance is the headland — a snake of rocks, dramatically eroded by countless years of being pounded by the ocean. Al the end, the waters have worn a hole right through the stone, and it is no doubt a place which swimmers must avoid, so as not to be swept into the swirling depths and crushed against the walls of an ocean tomb.

All four pictures are very different, each showing a different area of the natural world — the dry and uninhabitable, the cold and imposing, the green and growing, and finally the coast at the mercy of the ocean's power. We are all at the mercy of the natural world, although we often try to persuade ourselves otherwise.

Page 75 — Exam Questions

1) Choose a place that has been significant in your life. Write about it in a way which will inform other people.

List of points for a good essay:

2) Think about a time when you fulfilled an ambition. Explain what the ambition was and why it was so important to you to achieve it.

List of points for a good essay:

3) Choose one of the following places:

a cafe

a market place

a fairground

a seaside resort

Describe it during the day and at night.

List of points for a good essay:

4) What job would you most like to do one day? Describe what it would involve and explain why you would most like to do it.

List of points for a good essay:

Page 83 — Warm-up Questions

1) Appropriate: (c), (d)

2) These answers will be subjective, e.g. (a) and (c) are more boring because they just make bland statements, while (b) and (d) arouse curiosity by hinting at mysterious things and leaving them unsaid. They make the reader want to read on and find out.

3) These answers will be subjective, as they involve creative writing, e.g.

a) Rachel burst into tears at least five times during the school day - everyday. She wasn't sure she could face Sharon’s harsh words any longer. If the teasing didn’t stop soon, she might have to do something stupid.

b) Dominic hated children. He was always chasing them away from his large garden, or raising his walking stick menacingly in their direction as he walked along the road. People thought he was mean, but deep down he'd just never recovered from the death of his baby son. Simon.

c) Paul was a bundle of energy; he never walked when he could run; and he spoke so fast that he made you gasp for breath. Of course, some people suspected this was because he was embarrassed by his awful body odour, which didn't seem to go away no matter what he did.

d) Charley turned out to be the best cat that we had ever had. in spile of everything. Katherine refused to get rid of him even after the incident where he chased the next door neighbour’s ferrets into our downstairs toilet. The ferrets wouldn't come out of the bowl for days — we ended up having to coax them out with bits of cheese tied to Auntie Julie’s shoelaces. Mum never forgave him. but the rest of us still love Charley.

4) Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. Any reasonable examples are acceptable — answers will vary as it involves creative writing, e.g.:

Sight: The sky was ablaze with streaks of gold and pink, and we watched the sun set for a long time, grateful to be able to see it one last time.

Sound: The shade given by the forest’s trees was cool, and we could hear a thousand tiny insects chirping in the scrub in a friendly hum.

Taste: As soon as I swallowed. I knew I’d made the worst mistake of my life. My throat was on fire, and all 1 could taste was the smouldering of my tonsils. Touch: At first Jack was afraid, but once he put his hand onto the snake he realised that it wasn't cold and slimy at all. It was warm and soft, like a leather jacket on a radiator.

5) a) Any reasonable answer e.g. Peering through a thin slit between the window and the curtain, he glimpsed a ragged silhouette. He yanked the curtain open. Tom screamed. He staggered backwards, shielding his eyes with his hands.

b) Any reasonable answer e.g. The bell went. It all kicked off. Guns were pulled out. Bystanders were pushed to the floor. The masks went on. and the robbery had begun.

6) Any reasonable answers e.g.

a) Claire was superb dancer. Her graceful swirls always mesmerised the crowds. Her arms arched above her head made her look like a (lower waiting to bloom, b) The black stallion reared up. his muscles rippling under his sleek coat. Suddenly he was a giant — standing in front of me like a huge black tower of horse.

c) Alice played basketball well. When she bounced that ball it was as though she was pounding out a jungle rhythm, keeping time to an unseen drummer.

7) Some sort of conclusion.

8) The last line rounds off the plot and ties the whole piece of writing together. It’s the last thing that the reader will read, so it needs to have a strong impact.

Page 86 — Exam Questions

1) Describe two or three significant events in your life, and say what effects the incidents had on you.

List of points for a good essay:

For a top class essay, your writing will need to be well planned and well ordered at both sentence and paragraph level.

Your aim is to interest the reader with descriptions, thoughts and feelings at particular limes. Tense changes in the final paragraph should be exploited.

2) Write about your first day at your present school. What were your feelings at various times during the day?

List of points for a good essay:

For a top class essay, your writing will need to be well planned and well ordered at both sentence and paragraph level. Your aim is to interest the reader with descriptions, thoughts and feelings at particular times.

3) ’Do you remember the time when...?” Complete this question to make the title of a story. Then write the story that will fit the title. List of points for a good essay:

4) Describe a time when you were very' frightened. You may write about this in any way you like — a real or an imaginary situation. List of points for a good essay:

A top class essay will aim for realism, and successfully evoke the frightening experience with carefully chosen vocabulary' and story structure.

Page 93 — Warm-up Questions

1) False.

2) It’s best to read the question before you read the text, so you know exactly what information you are looking for.

3) It helps you concentrate on what the question’s asking, so you can be sure your answer will stick to the point.

4) It makes it sound like you’re calmly explaining the facts, not just writing about your personal opinions.

5) Rephrase the words of the question in your first sentence.

6) b) What’s the point being made? e) Does the idea make sense? f) Is there any evidence in the piece backing up the ideas?

7) Layout, graphics, structure, and the medium being used (e.g. if it’s a wordy article about brushing your teeth for six-year-olds, maybe a comic strip would be more suitable).

8) a) Big text at the top of a page to tell you what an article's about.

b) Short text explaining a picture.

c) The main story on the front page.

d) Longish story with more detail.

c) Opinion column stating the newspaper’s opinion.

f) A personal story - often sentimental.

9) Older audience, because (e.g.) there's no bright colours, the layout is very formal, the picture is black and white, there are lots of columns, the text is small, there are no flashy captions etc...

Page 96 — Exam Questions

1) a) Any two of the following: ski holidays; safari holidays; self-catering villa holidays; holidays in Italy; holidays in Australia: holidays in Canada.

b) You could mention any two of the following: teenagers prefer not to go on holiday with their parents; parents prefer not to holiday with teenage children; the concept of the happy family holiday appears to go awry when the child hits puberty; the popularity of countries (like Italy. Australia and Canada) appears to be as much to do with the culture of the people as the location and facilities on site; if teenagers aren't the appreciative type, the best opinion is to choose a holiday which will suit their specific needs and energies.

c) You could mention any two of the following: Harry Enfield's Kevin is spot on; teenagers need to assert their independence at (his age; they may begin to resent help from their parents, perceiving it as interference; they like to be among their peers; there are additional tensions on holiday (all Desmond Morris); people in Italy are lively and funky and laid back (teenager).

2) List of points for a good essay:

Page 104 — Warm-up Questions

1) a) correct punctuation.

c) paragraphs properly divided up.

e) spelling all right.

f) each sentence grammatical.

2) Formal English.

3) You definitely need to use standard English in your GCSE.

4) If you were writing a story with direct speech it would be OK to put the speech in non-standard English — so long as that suited the character speaking.

5) Possible answers:

a) Juliet should have realised that life does not run smoothly all the time.

b) I find Sophocles' plays incredibly difficult to understand.

с) I am writing to inform you that I am leaving.

d) “Come on. comrade. It’s eight o’clock. Let’s go out and indulge ourselves in decadent pleasures and entertainments.”

6) a) Give me those pens.

b) Macbeth is a general who kills a king.

c) The boy did as the teacher said.

7) Start with a capital letter and end with a question mark, exclamation mark or full stop.

8) Any three of these places: separating the parts of a list: after a phrase about time; around a phrase starting ’which’ or ’who’; anywhere where the sentence wouldn’t make sense without the comma.

9) a colon (:)

10) dash

11) a) The man, who still hadn’t recovered from his cold, was writing his shopping list: bananas, milk, tea and bread.

b) Why won’t Robert’s dog, the children’s dog and the ladies' dog play with cats?

c) Sarah asked. “Has anyone seen Liz today?”

d) “Does anyone want another cup of tea?" Andy asked, “because I’m having one."

12) I want to do an English exam.

Page 111 — Warm-up Questions

1) a) affect, b) effects, c) effected.

2) e.g. You'll never make it to Wimbledon, if you don't practise every day.

3) e.g. My mother’s a vet; her practice specialises in farm animals.

4) a) I don't know where I'm going; don't know where I’ve been.

b) If I were the only boy in the world and you were the only girl.

c) This werewolf is wearing me out.

5) a) I left my bicycle over there.

b) The twins invited their friends to tea.

c) They're the wrong chickens!

6) Any three words will do. If they’re not listed here, check the spelling in a dictionary, e.g. chemistry, orchestra, chorus.

7) Any three words will do. If they're not listed here, check the spelling in a dictionary, e.g. geography, philosophy, physics.

8) a) When I got home, I turned the television on.

b) Sit down, turn over the question paper and write your name at the top.

9) a) When I get home, I will turn the television on.

b) You will sit down, you will turn over the question paper and you will write your name at the top.

10) We began with a terrine of lobster and crayfish which played against the flavours of the champagne like a kitten patting at a butterfly. The beef was perfectly roasted and so tender that one hardly needed to chew. The creme bailee was an exquisite end to an exquisite meal, with a silky texture and a diamond-hard crust. 1 left reeling with satisfaction.

11) a) I go rollerblading occasionally.

b) Evacuate the building immediately!

c) Fruit and vegetables are extremely nutritious.

12) a) Katy’s essay is much better than Clare’s.

b) Today was the hottest day of the year.

c) Murgatroyd is the taller twin.

13) A simile says something is like something else. A metaphor says something js something else.

Simile: e.g. Revising for GCSEs is like walking down an endless gravel road, barefoot, under a blazing sun.

Metaphor: e.g. When you walk out of your last GCSE exam, you’ll be in paradise.

14) a) noun = horses; carriages

Verb = pulled

adjective = enormous; heavy adverb = easily

b) noun = Sonia; truth

verb = wanted; know

adjective = whole

adverb = desperately

c) noun = boys; headteacher; office

verb = waited

adjective = naughty; little

adverb = nervously

Page 117 — Warm-up Questions

1) Explain — Describe — Narrate, Explore — Analyse — Imagine. Discuss — Argue — Persuade

2) Any reasonable answer - for example: Use standard English vocabulary and grammar. I Listen carefully to other people who are talking. I Express tricky

ideas clearly. / Adapt your talk to the task and audience. / Make your talk original and interesting.

3) Courtesy — Audience — Purpose

4) Tell a joke or use a visual aid.

5) Standard English.

6) Slang.

7) Any reasonable answer - for example: Speak up. / Give your talk a clear structure. / Don't repeat yourself. / Talk clearly and plainly. I Draw attention to the most important facts.

8) a) Wrong. b) Right. c) Right. d) Wrong. e) Right. f) Right.

9) The motion.

10) The Chairperson.

11) The ’Proposer’ gives a speech in favour of the motion. The ’Opposer' argues against the motion.

12) The Proposition Seconder.

13) The Opposition Seconder.

14) b)

15) a)

16) Because then you’ll know the facts inside out.

17) Two or three strong arguments with your best point.

18) Facts.

Practice Exam Answers

Please note: The answers to the past exam questions have not been provided by or approved by the examining bodies (AQA, OCR and WJEC). As such, AQA, OCR and WJEC do not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or method of the working in the answers given.

CGP has provided suggested solutions — other possible solutions may be equally correct.

Paper 1 — Section A

1 This question is easier to tackle when you realise it’s actually asking about three main things: 1) the problems facing small farmers; 2) the things that Fairtrade and other people do to help them: 3) what people think about Fairtrade. If you aim to answer these three points one by one, writing a roughly equal amount on each point, you'll have the basis for a well-structured answer. The tricky bit is accurately summing up what the article says without repeating large bits of it word-for-word — if you make sure you directly answer the question, you should be able to do this. Try reading through the article and picking out the bits that cover each of the three parts, then grouping the points together. Here are some of the things you could say:

The kind of problems that cause difficulties for small farmers:

✵ The world markets for many of the crops produced by small farmers, such as coffee and bananas, are unstable. This means the farmers’ profits can be badly affected by things outside of their control.

✵ There are a lot of other people involved between harvesting the crop and the point where the paying customer actually buys it. These middlemen all take a cut of the profit, reducing the amount of profit the farmer makes.

✵ The low profits made by the farmers mean that many suffer from poverty and struggle to support their families.

How organisations such as Fairtrade try to tackle these problems:

✵ Fairtrade puts farmers in touch with companies who buy direct from the farmers. Prices are higher and more stable, and the extra profits go to the farmers instead of to middlemen.

✵ The extra money made by farmers involved in Fairtrade schemes reduces their sense of exploitation and gives them hope that they can provide a better future for their families.

✵ Products with the Fairtrade mark on them are not linked with the exploitation associated with other products, making it easier for consumers to contribute to a fairer deal for the farmers.

The ways Fairtrade is viewed by farmers and other people worldwide:

✵ The farmers themselves are very grateful to Fairtrade. They believe it gives them the hope of a better, more dignified life, and to break out of poverty.

✵ Farmers also think Fairtrade encourages consumers to see them as human beings.

✵ People believe that Fairtrade encourages paying a fair price for products, and that this helps to reduce exploitation.

✵ Governments are in favour of Fairtrade, with British and European parliaments selling Fairtrade products.

2 This is a very different kind of question from the one above. Instead of summing up the information in the article, this question asks you to look at how the article tries to persuade its readers to agree with its views. The question mentions three main things you should look at: the language used (in other words, the kind of words chosen), the information given (what facts the reader is told) and the way the articles are presented (how they look). For each point you make, you need to say how this makes the article persuasive — don't just describe what it says. There are lots of things you could mention, e.g:

The language used:

✵ Some of the words used to describe how the farmers are affected by their problems are very strong and persuasive, e.g. “heartbreaking”, “devastating”. This appeals to the reader’s emotions, making them more likely to feel sympathy for the farmers.

✵ On the other hand, there is also more down-to-earth, factual language, e.g. “Rice farmers in Senegal used to

be given fertilizer but this practice was stopped under pressure from the World Bank and IMF”. This shows that the organization knows why the problems occur, and therefore know how to address them.

✵ The articles always refer to the farmers by their names. This adds to the sense that they have their own identity, rather than just being a bunch of people who have the same problems. It also brings home the fact that they are human beings, just like the reader, and this makes the reader more likely to empathise with them and want to help them.

The information given:

✵ The articles describe the actual nature of the farmers’ problems, e.g. the impact of the increased cost of fertilizer on Mamadou Niang. This makes the reader feel more informed of the farmers’ situation, and this may make them feel more capable of doing something about it.

✵ Details are given of the causes of the problems the farmers face, rather than just describing the problems themselves. E.g. The fact that Bolo Sy’s onions cannot compete with European onions because of the trade rules shows that something can be done to make the situation better for her — a solution is possible.

✵ The final paragraph is very specific about what Christian Aid is aiming to do: “We are calling for the rules of trade to be weighted in their favour”. This assures the reader that the organization is proactive and knows what it is doing.

The way the articles are presented:

✵ Photographs are included of the people the articles are written about. This allows the reader to see that they are real people, and so the reader is more likely to want to help them.

✵ Each article focuses on one particular farmer. This allows the writer to present the people involved as individuals, showing that the problems facing small farmers are numerous and complicated, with each one having their own personal difficulties.

✵ The titles mention the names of the people in the articles: “Bolo Sy’s story” and “Mamadou Niang’s story”. This strengthens the idea that everyone has their own individual story to tell about their life.

✵ The introductions next to the photographs summarise the key issues, to draw in the reader.

Paper 1 — Section В

3 This question lets you choose whether to use the subjects in the bullet points or your own — it’s probably best to use a mixture, as the bullet points will save you time thinking of what to write about, but using your own ideas will make your answer more interesting. Here’s a few tips that’ll get you good marks:

✵ It’s vital that you keep in mind all the way through your answer that this is a newspaper or magazine article. To get top marks, the style of writing you use should reflect this — it should be structured, well explained and in a fairly formal tone (more formal if' it’s for a newspaper than if it’s for a magazine).

✵ The word “lively” is important — you need to make your writing entertaining and/or witty.

✵ Make it more interesting by adding some personal touches, e.g. you could describe a personal experience to do with the subject of British food.

✵ At least one of the points you write about should be covered in detail — outline the point, develop it, give some examples etc.

✵ Try to balance up your writing and cover alternative viewpoints, e.g. if you’ve written quite a lot about how the English don’t generally like eating out, you could write a paragraph saying that, while this is mainly true, a lot of people look forward to going out for a meal on a Friday night. This'll stop your writing from becoming predictable.

✵ Keep your writing structured, so that it makes sense. Arrange your points so that one leads neatly onto the next — don’t jump back and forth between points.

✵ Finish with a conclusion — ideally one that will round off your writing with a bit of style, rather than just summing up what you've written.

✵ This is an “analyse, review, comment” question — you'll Find some advice about this kind of question on pages 59-60.

4 This question is very specific about what you’ve got to write about. This should be quite useful, as you don’t have to go wracking your brains thinking of something to write about.

✵ Because this question asks you to write a speech, you’ll need to write in a direct, effective tone.

✵ You’ll want an interesting intro, to make your audience sit up and take notice.

✵ The question asks you to do two main things: argue and persuade. It’s probably easier to do both of these throughout your answer, rather than doing them separately.

✵ Use your own knowledge of schools and colleges in your answer — you have to back up your points, and if you can show you've got experience of schools or colleges, it'll add more strength to your argument about the conditions in them.

✵ It’s OK to exaggerate a bit or even make things up, as long as it sounds plausible.

✵ Remember to discuss the alternative viewpoint, i.e. that conditions in school/college are fine as they are, and show why you disagree with it.

✵ Try to answer the question from different angles, so that you appeal to different kinds of people — e.g. as well as arguing that better conditions will improve students’ approach to school, you could also say that it’ll make it a more pleasant environment for teachers.

✵ This is an “argue, persuade, advise” question — you'll find some advice on these on pages 54-58.

5 This is an article for a magazine, so your writing should be well structured, with reasoned arguments. The tone should be fairly formal, but not overly stuffy as it’s a school or college magazine, so you’d be writing for your friends and fellow students.

✵ The question asks you to argue — you need to say why you believe in the point of view you’re arguing for. See pages 54-58 for more advice on arguing.

✵ This question doesn't specify which side of the argument you have to take — you can argue that the places mentioned either are or aren't important. Argue in favour of whichever viewpoint you can back up the most effectively.

✵ The word “value” is important — that's what you’re arguing about. So don't go off on a rant generally about museums — you must say why they are or aren't valuable.

✵ Try to write an intro that will grab the reader’s attention and really engage them. You're trying to win the reader over to your point of view, so lay your cards on the table from the start.

✵ Back up your points with examples. For instance, if you’re making a point about how interesting castles are, name one you’ve been to and explain why it was a valuable experience. Or if you reckon museums are dull, describe a time when you’ve been to one and why it felt like such a worthless experience.

✵ Make sure your ending sums up your viewpoint. You don’t have to go through every little point you’ve made — in fact it’s better if your conclusion is snappy and to-the-point.

6 This could be a good question to answer, as it gives you a lot of scope to write about the things you want to write about. On the other hand, you'd better make sure you’ve got plenty of points to make on the subject of lessons learnt from the past, or you could run out of steam pretty quickly.

✵ You need to give your own personal response to the subject. There arc no right or wrong answers — you'll pick up marks for giving an original, interesting and well-argued answer to the question.

✵ This question doesn’t specify what kind of thing you’re writing (speech, article etc.), so you should treat it like a normal essay — keep your tone fairly formal, back up your points and give a structured argument.

✵ You need to think of some really good examples that are relevant to learning from the past. Give plenty of detail when you describe them.

✵ You need to show that you’re directly answering the question throughout your answer, rather than just listing anecdotes related to the subject. Show how your examples back up your argument — in what ways did the lessons learnt make you happier/unhappier? You have to keep your answer directly relevant to whether or not you think lessons learnt from the past make us happier or not.

✵ Try to use a range of examples, rather than relying on just one. You could give a couple of examples from personal experience, then a more general or historical one.

✵ Explore the opposite point of view — so, if the main point of your answer is that you think lessons learnt from the past do make you happier, give one example of where this wasn’t the case, to show you’ve thought about both sides of the argument.

✵ Finish with a good conclusion that includes a personal response to the question. It doesn’t have to be a yes or no answer to the question, but make sure you show that your discussion of the subject has led you to some solid findings.

✵ This is an “analyse, review, comment” question — you’ll find some advice about this kind of question on pages 59-60.

Paper 2 — Section A

1 This question is split up into two parts, so you can deal with each separately. It’s really important though, that for the second part, you compare the two poems. Don’t just write about the first poem then forget about it and write about the second — you have to say how they’re similar and how they’re different. I’ve picked Island Man as the second poem, but there are several others from the anthology that you could use instead, e.g. Nothing’s Changed or Vultures. You’ve only got about 45 minutes for this question, so a brief intro and conclusion will be fine. Here are a few points you could write about:

✵ In Two Scavengers, contrast is used to show how different lives of the rich and poor are.

✵ There are lots of visual contrasts in this poem, often direct comparisons, e.g. the “red plastic blazers” of the garbagemen and the “hip three-piece linen suit” of the man in the Mercedes. This represents the gulf between how rich they are and the lives they lead.

✵ There’s a suggested contrast between how hard the different pairs of people work — the Mercedes man is “on the way to his architect’s office”, whereas the garbagemen have been “up since lour a.m.”, implying they work longer hours than him. Ferlinghetti emphasises this contrast by having these two descriptions on adjacent lines.

✵ Ferlinghetti uses these contrasts to make a political point about the unfairness and inequality of modern American/Western society.

✵ The contrast in Island Man is between places, rather than different people — between the man’s original home and London, where he now lives.

✵ Like Ferlinghetti, Nichols uses visual contrasts. There’s a contrast of colours — the “blue surf’ of his island home versus the city's “grey metallic soar”.

✵ Another similarity with Two Scavengers is that Island Man also shows a contrast between a desirable, relaxed lifestyle and a more difficult way of life. The “steady breaking and wombing” associated with the man’s Caribbean home contrasts with the noisy “surge of wheels” he wakes up to in London.

✵ Whereas Ferlinghetti uses contrast to make a political point, Nichols uses it to get the reader to connect on an emotional level with the man in her poem — we sympathise with him as he dreams about “his small emerald island”, but is stuck with the prospect of “Another London day”.

2 Be careful with this question that you don’t just list things from the poems that are to do with identity — it asks you about how the poets show that identity is important. And. as with all these anthology questions, it’s absolutely crucial that you compare the poems with each other. A brief intro and conclusion should be enough for this question. Here are a few ideas about what to write in the main body of your answer:

✵ In Half-Caste, Agard is annoyed at being described as “half-caste” — he feels it’s an insult to his mixed- race background. The fact that he’s angry — “explain yuself’ shows that his identity is important to him.

✵ Agard stands up for his identity by pointing out that you wouldn’t call other things “half-caste” just because they’re made up of different elements — his description of “a half-caste symphony” is deliberately nonsensical.

✵ By jokingly comparing being mixed race to “a half-caste weather”, Agard shows that he thinks his mixed race identity is perfectly natural, rather than meaning that he’s incomplete.

✵ In Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, Alvi shows how important identity is to her by showing the troubles it caused her when she was a teenager. Like Agard, Alvi shows she has strong feelings about her identity, but she has more trouble coming to terms with her mixed identity than Agard does — the “fractured land” of Pakistan seems to stand for her torn identity.

✵ When she tries on the Pakistani clothes, she feels “alien in the sitting-room” — her Pakistani background is making her uncertain about who she really is. She clearly feels very confused, and this contrasts with the feelings in Half-Caste, as Agard seems very comfortable with his identity.

✵ Whereas Agard takes the view that it is other people who should change their attitudes towards his identity, Alvi says she “tried to glimpse myself’ in the mirror-work, and this could be a metaphor for how she herself is desperate to work out who she really is.

Paper 2 — Section В

3 This could be a very tricky question, as it doesn’t give you very much to work from. You might think it’s easy to talk about feeling happy or unhappy, but you’ve got to really show off your explaining skills here. If you choose this question, you'll have to pick a time that you can get a lot out of.

✵ It’s perfectly all right to make the occasion up if you've got a good imagination, or to base your writing on something real but add some extra bits to it to get more out of it.

✵ It’s probably best to use the opening paragraph to talk about the circumstances of the time when you were happy or unhappy. Say whether it was one particular thing that made you feel that way, a combination of events or you were just feeling really great or down.

✵ The question tests your ability to explain, so you’ll have to say what made you feel that way.

✵ Describe the different stages you went through emotionally — e.g. confusion, loneliness, hope, triumph, pride. This will make it more interesting than just listing reasons why you felt unhappy. Don’t be afraid to make these up if you feel they'll make your answer better.

✵ It’s a very personal and emotive question, so you won’t have to give perfectly reasoned answers as to why you felt like that, but do show that you’re trying to work it out — say what was going through your mind.

✵ A good way to finish might be to say how you feel looking back on that time now. Have your feelings faded or does the memory still bring back strong emotions?

✵ Have a look through Section 7 for help on explaining questions.

4 This question seems quite specific, but there’s plenty of scope to tackle it in your own way. There are loads of different ways you could approach it. Notice that the question doesn't ask you to tell a story — it asks you to describe the scene, so describe it in detail.

✵ Before you start, decide what perspective you’re going to write from. The most obvious way is as a conventional narrator who’s not actually there, but it might help you get more out of it if you put yourself in the position of one of the people present, e.g. a patient waiting to be seen.

✵ You could start by describing the general scene. Talk about the features of the room, the atmosphere, whether it’s crowded or not etc.

✵ Then describe some more specific things. Write about the appearance and movements of the individual people who are waiting to be seen, for example.

✵ Describe the sounds, smells and feel of the waiting room as well as how it looks — this’ll help you create a more lifelike feel in your descriptions.

✵ Try to include a range of familiar and original things, e.g. you could describe a fish tank to establish a typical waiting room image, but then something like some paint peeling off the wall to make the room seem slightly neglected, or something else that allows you to use your imagination and make it more interesting for the reader.

✵ Create a sense of atmosphere. You could give it a fairly tense, unpleasant mood by saying it’s mainly quiet but occasionally interrupted by a scraping of chairs when people are called in and disappear down the corridor. Or you could make it funny by describing the odd bit of dialogue but with every sentence being ended by a fit of coughing.

✵ End your description with something that seems to bring things to a nice conclusion, e.g. if you’re writing as a patient you could be called in to see the doctor/dentist, or if you’re a narrator, the last person could be called in, leaving an empty waiting room.

✵ See Section 7 for more ideas on how to tackle describing questions.

5 There’s a wide range of possibilities available if you choose this question. The titles are only really starting points to get you going, but they do contain some useful ideas you can use to choose what to write about. In this question you really have to be creative, entertaining and original. Choose a subject that you think you can really do a good job with.

✵ Option (a) would be a good choice if you wanted to write something mysterious. “The Visitor” could really be anyone or anything, and you could use this to your advantage by keeping the reader guessing about who or what the visitor is.

✵ If you choose option (b), you could take advantage of the rather quirky wording, by writing a humorous story about someone who’s always giving in to temptation.

✵ Option (c) uses the word “you”, but don't go thinking it has to be something that’s really happened to you. This is just the same as the other options — you have to write something entertaining. It might be easiest to start with a real event and then embellish it — although you could always make the whole thing up of course.

✵ The tone of the quote in option (d) is mildly regretful and suggests a more down-to-earth kind of story. It could be about a personal experience from childhood when things didn’t turn out the way you hoped.

✵ The quote in option (e) sounds quite bold. You could write a story which bears out the assertion in the quote. Again, you could either base it on a real event or make something up — whichever you think will make the most interesting piece of writing.

✵ Look at Section 8 for some more advice on original writing.

6 This question asks you to both describe and explain. It seems to be split into two parts, so you could answer the question by first describing your idea of an ideal school, and then going on to explain how you think it should be run. It’s probably easier though to answer it in one go, as how you'd run it is likely to be quite a big part of what makes it ideal.

✵ You need to go into plenty of detail when you describe your idea of an ideal school. You’ll get lots of marks in descriptive questions if you can create a mental picture in the reader’s mind about what you're describing, so use lots of adjectives to build this picture up.

✵ Think about all aspects of the school — the building, resources, teachers, students, timetables, atmosphere, and anything else you can think of some good ideas about.

✵ Try to make your ideas sound ambitious. The question doesn't limit you in any way — it says an “ideal school” — so try to think of some original, exciting ideas. This will keep the examiner interested and make your answer stand out, rather than just appearing to be another answer like all the others.

✵ You could say why the school you're describing is an improvement on your current school — but don’t go off on one about how rubbish your current school is. You could talk about the problems you see with your current school and then say how your ideal school would be different, and why it would be an improvement.

✵ Your style of writing is all-important. The question tells you that you're writing for “a school or college magazine”, so your style should be engaging — you have to keep the reader interested enough to read to the end of your article. Your tone would be more formal than, say, a letter to a friend, but not as formal as if you were writing for a broadsheet newspaper. So try to write in a structured way, using paragraphs and explaining your points logically, although it’s okay to use the odd bit of slang every now and again, as you're writing for your fellow students.

✵ Have a look back at Section 7 for some more ideas about how to answer describing and explaining questions.

Paper 3 — Section A

1 For full marks, plan your essay well so that you can link your points together, include an intro and conclusion and remember, as always, to back up your points with brief quotes. Remember to keep comparing the two stories — this is what the question asks you to do. There are loads of points you could make for this question, here are just a few:

• Chemistry begins with a happy memory which gives a positive, idealistic impression of the relationship between the narrator, his mother and his grandfather. The three of them are clearly very close at this point, although there is also a suggestion that his grandfather is quite possessive of the other two: “as if Grandfather were pulling us toward him on some invisible cord”. This is a hint at the troubles described later in the story.

• Your Shoes starts on a much bleaker note, as a mother tries to come to terms with the disappearance of her teenage daughter. The narrator sounds very hurt as she comments “I didn’t really know you at all”.

✵ Both poets show the relationships between adults and children from a first person point of view, but, whereas Swift writes from the perspective of the child, Roberts describes the relationship from the parent’s standpoint, directly addressing her daughter. This allows her to openly describe her emotions — “I couldn't believe you'd be so ungrateful”.

✵ Another difference between the two stories is that, whereas Chemistry contains detailed memories that are presented mostly chronologically, Your Shoes shows the distressed state of mind of the narrator by jumping from one point to another, based on loose connections, almost like a stream of consciousness.

✵ The sources of difficulties in the relationships vary between the two stories. The problems between adults and children described in Your Shoes arise from a difference in attitudes between the generations: “We weren't spoilt. Not like your generation.” In Chemistry, there are more specific causes of the troubles between the narrator, his mother and his grandfather: “Since Ralph’s appearance she had grown neglectful of Grandfather.”

✵ Whereas Roberts’ story seems to show a classic type of dispute between parents and their children, Swift's story is more about the troubles caused when individuals fight for each other’s affections. The specific relationships in Chemistry are shown to be unimportant to the characters: “We forgot we were three generations.”

2 This question’s about the settings of the stories, so don’t fall into the trap of just writing about the stories in general and forgetting what the question is actually asking you. Here are a few comparisons you could make if you choose The Encl of Something as the second story:

✵ The setting of Flight is a healthy, rural scene — “Trees marked the course of the valley.” The valley is vast and open, representing the freedom that Alice and Steven have when they roam around in it, which the old man can only enjoy through his pigeons when he releases them.

✵ The setting of The Encl of Something is much bleaker than that of Flight. It is set in a bay which, ten years ago, “lost everything that made the mill a mill and Hortons Bay a town.” When Nick and Marjorie are fishing there, there is a neglected, lifeless feel to the place, which provides the backdrop to their joyless conversation.

✵ Lessing uses a descriptive style of language to describe the setting of' Flight, with plenty of adjectives to give an idea of the size, feel and colour of the scene: “the dark red soil, which was broken into great dusty clods, stretched wide to a tall horizon.”

✵ Hemingway’s descriptions are more straightforward. He uses few emotive words to describe the bay, using a factual tone instead: “They could both see the two steel rods at an angle over the dark water.”

✵ The idyllic setting of Flight has two main effects: it strengthens the carefree young love of Alice and Steven — “sauntering among the bushes, laughing” — and contrasts with the bad temper of the old man: “tight in a hard knot of pain which included the preening birds, the sunlight, the flowers.” This could be seen to suggest that this place belongs to the young people and is theirs to enjoy.

✵ Hemingway also uses his setting to reflect the feelings in his story, although less openly. The idea that the life of the bay disappeared when the mill closed down echoes the way the fun has gone out of Nick and Marjorie’s relationship — “It isn’t fun any more.”

3 For this type of question, it’s no use just writing everything you know about the island and the significant events in the novel. A good approach is to pick out things that you find interesting from the extract, and then link them to other aspects of the novel. Bear in mind the word “typical” in the question — in what ways is this extract similar to the rest of the novel, and in what ways is it different? Examiners will like to see you use

the word ’typical' in both introduction and conclusion. Points you could consider are:

✵ The island is presented as a place of serenity in the extract — “the clear water mirrored the clear sky”. This is in contrast to the stormy weather that accompanied the scene of Simon’s death just before this extract. The serenity of the island reflects Simon’s calm spirituality.

✵ There are many references to light in this extract, e.g. “phosphorescence”, “bright constellations”, “dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness”. In the rest of the novel, Simon is often associated with light, for example in chapter 1, when Simon likens the (lowers of a bush to “candles”. These references to light suggest that the island is in sympathy with the character of Simon, and even mourning his death.

✵ Light also represents reason in the novel. The boys commit acts of brutality at night, when there is no daylight to “see things clearly”. The brightness of the island after Simon’s death is used by Golding as a way of revealing to the reader (and perhaps to some of the boys) the enormity of Simon’s murder.

✵ In the novel as a whole, the island can be seen as a place of torment for Simon, e.g. in the second paragraph of chapter nine: “with the running of blood Simon’s fit passed into the weariness of sleep”. Therefore, the fact the water carries Simon’s body away from the island can be viewed as a sort of relief from suffering for Simon. In the extract, the sea around the island is personified, and is shown to treat the body of Simon with gentleness — “The water rose further and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness... The strange, attendant creatures... busied themselves around his head”. This scene of gentleness after Simon’s death is in contrast to the frequent torment he suffered on the island while he was alive.

✵ The final paragraph shows how the island is related to the Earth, the sun and the moon: “Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling”. The image of Simon’s body being carried out to sea is shown as just one event occurring in one corner of one planet in the universe. In this way, Golding is perhaps showing that human actions, however shocking and terrible they might be, are ultimately insignificant compared with the enormity of the universe.

✵ In the extract, Golding uses language which is impersonal and sometimes scientific to distance the reader from the main story and the characters. Simon’s body is described as “the broken body”, and in the final paragraph, Golding writes “the film of water” instead of “the sea”, and instead of writing “the world”, he writes “the earth planet”. The tone changes at the end, however, when Golding makes things personal and specific again: “Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea.” We are reminded that Simon, the character in the story, is no more.

✵ This period ofcalm after Simon’s death contrasts with the frantic scenes after Piggy’s death. After Piggy falls to his death, there is a brief silence followed by frenzy: “Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly.” This is perhaps because Golding has already begun to build the novel up to its climax. We are eventually made to reflect on Piggy’s death in the penultimate paragraph of the novel.

4 This question is very open, so you’ll need to make sure it doesn’t turn into one big list of things you find terrifying and haunting. When the question says, “the way it is presented”, that means the way in which Golding tries to get his message across. You could start by considering why Golding wants to terrify and haunt the reader, and consider how he achieves this. Here are a few things you might like to write about:

✵ It is easy to put ourselves in the place of the characters of the island. We imagine what we would feel being on a desert island — both the excitement of being in an exotic place, and the intense longing for home. Golding achieves this by providing details from the boys’ home lives, for example in chapter 7 when Ralph remembers the details of his life in England: “When you went to bed there was a bowl of cornflakes with sugar and cream”. It is terrifying to see the build-up of violence between the boys because we associate ourselves with them throughout the novel.

✵ Although the novel is about children, Lord of the Flies tells us things about humans in general. One of the most haunting aspects of the novel is that it shows us how cruel people can be towards each other. The murder of Simon is terrifying, especially since Simon caused no threat to any of the boys. Most of the boys seem to think he is a bit “funny” and “crackers”, and it is alarming to see how someone can be victimised just because they are different. His murder is all the more horrifying because he had important information to share with the group regarding the beast. This event shows how humans often ignore the people with the most insight. This is also the case with the death of Piggy.

✵ One of the things that is most terrifying about the novel is how quickly the boys seem to forget their system of values. England is presented as a land of rules, order and decency, but the boys very quickly regress into a lawless, barbaric society. Jack, who at the start of the novel is fiercely proud of English civilisation — “ ’We’ll have rules!’ he cried excitedly” — ends up completely discarding such values: “Bollocks to the rules!”. Even Ralph, who is shown to have more of an innate sense of decency than Jack, at times almost forgets that rescue is the boys’ main goal (it is as if Ralph is trying to persuade himself when he says in chapter 11: “I knew all the time. I hadn’t forgotten.”). It is shocking to see how fragile and dispensable values can be.

✵ Golding shows how difficult it is to create a civilisation from nothing. He shows the boys making a good start by instating a kind of democracy with the vote for chief, and freedom of speech symbolised by the conch. The fact the boys can destroy this civilisation, symbolised by the shattering of the conch, and the breaking of Piggy’s glasses, is terrifying. In this way, Lord of the Flies is an allegory for the way in which fascism destroyed many civilisations across the world in the twentieth century.

✵ There is no adult authority on the island, and so the boys have total freedom. This freedom, however, makes them feel that they are closer to the darker side of their own nature. Golding encapsulates this fear in the haunting image of the beast, which takes various frightening forms. The boys ultimately confuse the dead body of the parachutist for the beast. This “sign” from the outside world that Ralph had been so keen to receive turns out to be proof that western civilisation is “in ruins”. It is truly horrifying to think that Ralph, Simon and Piggy are fighting in vain for the values that are “in ruins” anyway.

5 To achieve good marks, you need to include a short introduction outlining your argument, and a clearly written conclusion which draws together all your points. Try to think of at least six ways in which Barry Hines shows the importance of Kes. Here are some points you could include:

✵ At the start of the book, Billy has already had Kes for some time. Hines shows the importance of Kes by having a lengthy ’flashback’ to when Billy went out and found the nest and took Kes home. The break in the timeline of the book emphasises the importance of Billy getting Kes.

✵ When Billy first goes to the barn to see the nest, it is a nice, sunny day. Hines goes into lots of details about the countryside and wildlife. The old farmer and the little girl are friendly and nice to Billy. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the book where the weather is usually awful, and the people horrible. This shows that Kes is from outside of Billy’s horrid everyday life.

✵ Hines shows how important Kes is to Billy by the way Billy talks to the bird about his problems — for example, “Did you hear her, Kes, making her mouth again?... Gooby old cow.”

✵ There is a sharp contrast between the scenes where Billy is with Kes, and the scenes where Billy is with his family or at school. When Billy is with Kes he is calm and patient, as opposed to other parts of the book where Billy is often tired, harassed and bullied.

✵ In the book, Billy only really becomes animated when he is talking about kestrels. For example, when Billy describes watching kestrels to the farmer, he acts out the actions of the bird: “Billy started to hover, arms out fluttering his hands.” Billy also becomes very animated when he explains all about falconry to his class at school.

✵ Hines emphasises how much Kes means to Billy by detailing how much Billy learns about falconry. The extent of his knowledge is also emphasised in his presentation to the class - he knows words that Mr Fathing doesn’t, and gets to explain how to spell them. This is in contrast to Billy’s poor performance at school and the illiterate writing in the “Tall tale” he writes immediately after his presentation.

✵ Hines emphasises the importance of Kes by showing how much care and effort Billy goes to to look after her - her shed is always spotless and all the things in it are arranged very carefully, e.g. the sand is piled higher under her perch. Billy even makes his own jesses, and shoots birds for her to eat. This contrasts with his messy, cold home, and the dirty rundown town.

✵ Billy spends a lot of time looking after Kes. He doesn’t spend time with his friends any more and he spends a lot of time doing chores for her, like shooting sparrows and buying meat.

✵ Kes’s actions are always described in great detail. For example, the description of Kes eating the sparrow: “Occasionally the hawk shook her head, trying to dislodge feathers that had stuck to the blood on her beak. If this failed, she scratched at them with her claws...”

✵ Billy clearly respects Kes, despite having little respect for anyone else like his teachers or family. He talks about Kes with great reverence, especially to Mr Fathing. He is also very defensive about her when other people question him, for example when Tibbut goes on in class about how much time Billy spends with Kes, “Billy turned on him, the movement releasing a fresh head of tears... ’It’s better than thee anyday, Tibby.’ ” • At the end of the book Billy is devastated by the death of Kes. He spends hours looking for her, and when he finds out that Jud has killed her, he uses very harsh language: “You bastard!” When he finds the body, he continues to care for the bird, stroking its feathers and keeping it safe. The death of Kes also makes Billy remember his circumstances surrounding his dad leaving home.

6 This question gives you three bullet points to think about — make sure you write about all three. You can make other points too as long as they’re relevant to the question — you can write about anything that the ending of the novel means to you, but make sure that you back up your points with sensible explanations and examples. Mere are some things you could write about:

✵ The setting for the ending is very gloomy. The cinema is ruined and deserted and the weather is dark and rainy, suiting Billy’s mood after the death of Kes and the fight with Jud. “Black. The silence ringing, intensified by the faint hum of distant traffic. Billy shivered...”

✵ At first Billy’s memories are very happy — of being warm and safe in the cinema with his dad. of the films and ice creams and sweets. In his memories Billy is escaping from the real world in the same way that Kes allowed him to escape from the real world.

✵ But the rest of Billy’s memories — of his father leaving — are about destruction. This happy life before his father left was destroyed, the cinema where he was happy has been destroyed, and Kes has been destroyed.

✵ Jud killing Kes perhaps reminds Billy about his early childhood happiness being destroyed by his mother’s affair and his father leaving.

✵ When Billy imagines himself on the big screen with Kes, he is thinking of the way that having Kes made him feel — like he was larger than life. They are up on the moors where Billy is free from the bullying and unfairness of his real life in the town.

✵ The fact that in Billy’s dream Kes cannot harm Jud reflects Billy’s feeling of despair. There is nothing he can do to stop bad things from happening to him or people in his life destroying his happiness. Even Kes, who Billy really respects, cannot protect him.

✵ Billy’s fantasy about being in a film continues the theme of fact and fiction that runs through the book. Kes is, to some extent, part of Billy’s fantasy world, removed from his everyday life.

✵ In the passages describing Billy’s memories, Hines uses very short sentences to show how Billy was much younger then and thought in simpler ways, for example “Chewing his sweets. Little picture. News, trailers and adverts. Lights going up.” These short sentences also reflect the fragmentary nature of memories and dreams.

✵ At the end, Billy leaves the cinema and his fantasy life behind and returns to the real world. “The traffic was still running. A woman on the opposite pavement looked across at him as she walked by.” He then buries Kes very matter-of-factly in the field and goes to bed. It is as if Billy is burying his memories of his father and his childhood as well. There is a sense at the end of Billy growing up and accepting the harsh realities of his real life and rejecting his memories and fantasies.

✵ The end is very abrupt. The rest of the book contains detailed descriptions of small things that Billy notices, like birds and nature. At the end of the book, Hines shows the change in Billy by writing in a blunt and direct way: “When he arrived home there was no one in. He buried the hawk in the field just behind the shed: went in, and went to bed.” Hines refers to Kes as “the hawk”, showing how Billy has now emotionally distanced himself from Kes.

✵ The final feeling left by the ending is one of resignation. Billy is able to accept his father leaving and the fact that Kes is dead. Hines shows this by the weather — when Billy leaves the cinema “The clouds were breaking up and the stars showed in the places between them.” This shows how Billy is now calm and resigned after the turmoil of the day.

7 You should aim to make six or seven valid points for this question. It asks you to focus on Holden and how is he presented in the novel, and also how the ending fits in with the rest of the novel. You need to make sure that you compare how Holden is presented in the last chapter with how he’s presented in the rest of the novel.

✵ By making Holden the narrator, Salinger allows the reader to see the world through Holden’s eyes, providing a greater insight into his thoughts, feelings and emotions. This gives Salinger more control over the opinions we form of Holden.

✵ Throughout the novel Holden comes across as being very disillusioned with the phonincss of society. He believes most adults have sold out — in the opening paragraph of the story he says his brother D.B. is “being a prostitute” for working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. Holden has such a strong aversion to this phoniness that towards the end of the novel it makes him hurt physically.

✵ Salinger gives Holden a very cynical, jaded and negative voice that taints most of what Holden sees. This effect is created through the way he describes things and the remarks he makes, for example he describes Pencey’s headmaster as “a phony slob”.

✵ Holden still has this cynical outlook at the end of the novel, but some of the negativity seems to have been removed. He describes D.B.’s English friend as “pretty affected, but very attractive”. It seems that the cynicism and dislike of phoniness is still there, but the bitterness and negativity is gone. This gives the impression that Holden has moved on a bit.

✵ Holden spends most of his time reminiscing about the past and how good it was. This gives the impression that he doesn’t want to grow up and face an uncertain future — he would rather go back in time when he felt more happy and secure.

✵ This struggle of moving from childhood to adulthood is present through the entire novel. Holden resents most adults and things related to the adult world, but he likes people that have an innocence like his sister Phoebe and his dead brother Allie. This is because he associates innocence with childhood and life being much simpler.

✵ At the end of the novel Holden is still reminiscing. In the closing paragraph he says “I sort of miss everybody I told about”, suggesting that although Holden’s now in hospital he hasn't really moved on, that he'd rather go back to a horrible point in his life than face the future and grow up.

✵ Holden is as uncertain about his future at the end of the novel as he is throughout the rest of it. He says “how do you know what you’re going to do till you do it?... you don't.”

✵ The novel doesn't have a traditional happy ending. This reflects the theme of phoniness throughout the novel. It would seem wrong for Holden, who hated phoniness so much, to live happily ever after like in the Hollywood films that he disliked.

✵ By ending the novel with Holden still in hospital it puts the reader in the same situation as Holden. We don’t know if Holden is going to get better or if he will cope with adulthood. It seems fitting as the journey we share with Holden is one of uncertainty where Holden doesn’t know what is happening. As a reader we don’t really know what Holden was like before the novel started, so it’s appropriate that we don’t know what he’s like after he’s finished telling his story.

8 To answer this question you should comment on Holden’s relationships with young people in general, but you’ll also need to discuss his relationships with specific young people in the novel, for example Phoebe, Ackley and Sally Haynes. Also have a think about how Holden’s relationships with young people reflect the themes of the novel. Here are some points you could make in your answer:

✵ Holden sees all characters in the novel in two different ways — cither exuding the phoniness of adultness, or in a childlike, simple manner with an air of innocence. He applies this way of seeing people to young people as well as adults, and this affects the relationships he forms with people. The nearer the young characters are to becoming adults, the more Holden associates them with phoniness and so he has a greater difficulty relating to them.

✵ Holden has lots of friends and acquaintances. In the few days the story is set in, he meets or contacts lots of people. This suggests that Holden is probably more accepted by his peers than he is aware of, but because he alienates himself from everyone else, believing he is different, he’s unable to see this.

✵ However, Holden appears to be socially inept and unable to interact or form normal relationships with people his own age. When Sally Haynes doesn’t agree with his idea to run away he gets angry, calls her “a royal pain in the ass” and really upsets her. Throughout the novel most of Holden’s interactions with young people seem to end in confrontation.

✵ Phoebe is the one character that Holden treats with complete kindness and respect. He feels he has to explain himself to her and when he upsets her he makes a huge effort to make it up. He understands Phoebe far better than he understands people his own age, and when he upsets her he is able to predict how she will react and he knows how to cheer her up. He likes her innocence, and the fact that she is genuine and easy to understand.

✵ The only other positive relationship Holden demonstrates in the novel is with Jane Gallagher, who is one of the few people he doesn’t make negative comments about. However, Jane doesn’t actually appear in the novel, so we only get Holden’s interpretation of the friendship that happened a few summers ago. The reason

he likes Jane seem to be very similar to the reason why he likes and gets on with Phoebe. He makes lots of comments about her being young, him really understanding her — “1 really got to know her quite intimately” — and Jane not being aware of appearances. Because of this, he doesn’t associate Jane with the phoniness of the adult world.

✵ In contrast, Stradlater’s obsession with public appearance is one of the reasons Holden hates him. He gets aggravated with him for being artificial. This demonstrates how Holden is unable to form good relationships with his peers, because he feels that he is the only genuine person left in the world.

✵ Ackley is another person Holden is unable to form a normal relationship with. Holden holds Ackley in complete contempt, but because Ackley doesn’t understand this, even when Holden tells him, he uses it as a source of amusement.

9 This isn’t the easiest of questions to answer on An Inspector Calls. The relationship between Sheila and her brother Eric doesn’t seem to be one of the main themes in the play, but there is plenty to write about for this question if you know where to look for it. A good way to look for things to write about is to find bits of dialogue between Sheila and Eric throughout the play and discuss what these show you about how their relationship changes. You could make some of the following points:

✵ Near the start of the play, before the Inspector arrives, Eric and Sheila seem to be like a typical brother and sister, childishly squabbling and teasing each other but without seeming too serious about it. E.g. Sheila tells Eric off for being drunk — “You’re squiffy” — and when he retaliates she is annoyed and tells him “Don’t be an ass, Eric”.

✵ Their relationship becomes more strained as the Inspector makes them reveal their past actions. When it becomes apparent that Eric was involved with Eva/Daisy, he lashes out at Sheila: “You told her. Why, you little sneak!” Sheila seems hurt by this — “that’s not fair, Eric” — and defends herself by saying she has been loyal to him.

✵ However, by the end of the play Eric and Sheila have become united against the other characters in their view that, even though the Inspector appears not to have been real, they should still take responsibility for the way they have treated Eva/Daisy.

✵ When Biding, Mrs Biding and Gerald get excited about the news that the Inspector is a fake, Sheila sarcastically remarks, “I suppose we’re all nice people now”. Biding is annoyed by this, but Eric supports her: “She’s right, though”.

✵ Eric becomes more and more emotional about his belief that they should all learn a lesson about what has happened — “You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all. And I can’t see it like that”. He and Sheila form a bond, standing up to the other characters despite being criticised for being childish, with Sheila adding: “That’s just what 1 feel, Eric. And it’s what they don’t seem to understand.”

✵ While Biding dismisses Eric’s point of view, Sheila goes so far as to say that it is “the best thing any one of us has said tonight and it makes me feel a bit less ashamed of us.” Eric and Sheila are now firmly united and continue to confront the other characters, with Sheila almost taking the role of the Inspector and Eric supporting her with bitter criticisms of his parents’ attitude.

✵ Bil ling mocks the way his children stand up for each other: “Now look at the pair of them — the famous younger generation who know it all”. But the phone call that follows suggests that they were right in taking a stand against the older generation’s views.

10 There’s loads you could write about in an answer to this question, but be careful to avoid simply re-telling the story — it’s an easy trap to fall into. Make a plan of all the points about the social criticisms in the play you want to include, then find some good quotes to show how Priestley presents these ideas. Try to give your own original views every now and again, as this will keep the examiner interested. You could make some of the following points in your answer:

✵ Priestley criticises the class structure of the time by showing how the rich seemed to be exploiting the working class. The first sign of this happens in the workplace: Birling refused his workers a pay increase, because “it’s my duty to keep labour costs down”, and sacked Eva/Daisy because he saw her as a troublemaker. This business-minded approach is shown to be the first step towards Eva/Daisy’s apparent suicide.

✵ This exploitation also occurs in the private lives of the characters, as both Eric and Gerald had relationships with Eva/Daisy but ended up leaving her in a worse condition than she had been in before.

✵ The character of the Inspector is used by Priestley to point out the failure of powerful people to take responsibility for the more vulnerable members of society. One by one he points out the Bidings’ and Gerald’s role in Eva/Daisy’s suicide, and he openly tells them what he thinks about the way they live: “Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.”

✵ Priestley shows the ignorance of rich people by portraying Birling and his wife as making lots of mistaken assumptions. One of the earlier signs of this is Biding’s assertion that “The world’s developing so last that it’ll make war impossible.” The play is set in 1912, just 2 years before the outbreak ol World War I, so the audience would have seen Birling as complacent and wrong here, especially as the play was first performed just after the end of World War 11. Because this comment occurs near the start of the play, this gives a negative early impression of Birling.

✵ Mrs Birling is shown to be arrogant, callous and cold-hearted in the way she treats Eva/Daisy. She runs a “Charity Organization”, but turns down Eva/Daisy when she most needs charity. She dismisses her on class grounds, assuming that she must be lying about refusing to accept stolen money — “as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!”. Priestley uses this episode to show how badly the powerful treat vulnerable people, and how quick they are to unfairly judge them.

✵ Priestley also shows how hypocritical middle class society is by portraying the Birlings as keeping up a facade of being a happy, functional family, when in fact they are anything but. At the beginning of the play they all sit down at their “quiet little family party”, but by the end it turns that they don’t really know each other at all — Eric clearly has a drink problem and has been frequenting establishments where prostitutes go, but Mr and Mrs Birling are totally shocked by this, suggesting that they are not very good parents.

✵ Also, Gerald and Sheila are clearly not as close as they appear to be, as Gerald had an affair without Sheila knowing. Mrs Birling’s reluctance to face up to her family’s problems shows that she is more concerned with keeping up appearances and social climbing, rather than with actually keeping a functional family. This adds to Priestley’s suggestion about the hypocrisy of the upper classes.

11 You need to write a good, well-structured essay to get high marks in this question. Making a brief plan before you begin on the essay is a good idea, to help you make sure you include all the points you want to include and to give your work a clear structure. Include an introduction and a conclusion, and try to comment on the part fate plays with reference to each of the five main characters in the novel. Here are some ideas for points that you could include in this answer:

✵ Gabriel Oak is forced by a trick of fate to be a servant to Bathsheba Everdene, the woman he loves. First, in chapter V, he loses his Hock and his future security when his young dog chases the sheep over a cliff. This gives him no way of supporting Bathsheba and ends all his hopes of marrying her — “what would she have done in the poverty now coming upon me!” he wonders.

✵ Then, after looking without success for work in town, Gabriel Oak crawls into a cart to sleep. During the night it carries him to Bathsheba’s new farm, and he climbs out just in time to save her straw and barns from the fire. This leads directly to him being employed as her shepherd.

✵ Fate plays a part in beginning Farmer Boldwood’s dangerous infatuation with Bathsheba, when he receives the valentine she sends him. The valentine was intended only as a “pretty surprise” for a little boy, but Bathsheba, bored and slightly irritated by Boldwood’s lack of interest, decides to send it to him instead as a joke. The seal she happens to use — “it is some funny one, but I can’t read it” — in fact reads “Marry Me”, and this has a great effect on Boldwood — “the large red seal became as a blot of blood on the retina of his eye; and as he ate and drank he still saw in fancy the words thereon”. Had Boldwood not received this valentine, it seems likely that he would never have paid any attention to Bathsheba, and both his own fate and that of Sergeant Troy would have been very different.

✵ One of the clearest instances in the novel of fate changing the lives of its characters is in chapter XVI, when the unfortunate Fanny Robin inadvertently leaves Sergeant Troy standing at the altar. “O Frank,” she protests when she eventually locates him, “I made a mistake — 1 thought that church with the spire was All Saints... and found then that I was in All Souls”. Fanny’s mistake leaves Troy free to marry Bathsheba, and condemns Fanny herself to follow a new path that leads eventually to her death.

✵ Fate plays many cruel tricks on the characters in this novel, but it is also what keeps Bathsheba and Gabriel together. After their argument in chapter XX, when Gabriel criticises Bathsheba for the trick she played on Farmer Boldwood — “Leading on a man you don’t care for is not a praiseworthy action” — she is so angry that she sends him away from the farm. However they are reunited in chapter XXI, when Bathsheba’s sheep break down a fence, eat the young clover and become ill. Gabriel is the only one who can save them, so Bathsheba is forced to send for him and beg him to come back. Gabriel saves the sheep, “and she smiled on him again.”

✵ Bathsheba’s accidental meeting with Sergeant Troy as she inspects her livestock is another example of the course of several people’s lives being determined by a chance encounter. As these two strangers pass on the public footpath, Bathsheba’s skirt becomes entangled with Troy’s spur and the two are hitched together. This gives Troy the opportunity to flirt with Bathsheba as they disentangle themselves, and to arouse her interest in him. This, of course, eventually leads to their marriage, to Troy’s abandonment of Fanny Robin, and to Boldwood’s insane jealousy.

12 Again, this question requires a structured essay, with an introduction and a conclusion. Remember to focus on the language that Hardy uses to describe Bathsheba’s words and actions, and to comment on the effect that this has on the three main male characters in the novel — Gabriel Oak, Farmer Boldwood and Sergeant Troy. Examples of points you could make in your answer are:

✵ Bathsheba is a beautiful woman — all three of the main male characters in the novel comment on this at some point. On his first sighting of her, Gabriel Oak thinks her “a fair product of Nature in the feminine kind”, Boldwood, when he finally notices her, decides that “neither nature nor art could improve this perfect one of an imperfect many” and Sergeant Troy tells her at their very first meeting “I've never seen a woman so beautiful as you.” It is her own pleasure in her appearance that first attracts the attention of Gabriel Oak, when he happens to see her outdoors admiring herself in a looking-glass in the opening chapter. He decides that she is vain, and yet the strangeness of her behaviour fascinates him and makes him notice her good looks even more.

✵ Bathsheba likes to be admired and to play games with the men around her. For example, she runs after Gabriel following his proposal and tells him that “my aunt made a mistake in sending you away from courting me.” Gabriel is delighted, but it turns out that Bathsheba has encouraged him for no good reason and has no intention of marrying him — “1 don’t love you, so t’would be ridiculous” — she merely enjoys the male attention.

✵ Another example of the games Bathsheba plays with the men around her is the sending of the valentine to Farmer Boldwood. He stands out for Bathsheba because he has failed to notice her — when she sees him driving back from the market, he “passed as unconsciously and abstractedly as if Bathsheba and her charms were thin air.” She is “piqued” by this, and decides to play the trick of sending the valentine. This unconventional behaviour does at last attract the farmer’s attention, but she “genuinely repented” when she realises that he has actually fallen in love with her.

✵ Bathsheba is fascinating to the men around her because she is so independent, and thus unlike most other women at that time. Gabriel Oak, when he first sees her making decisions and giving orders to the workers at her new farm, marvels at “the rapidity with which the unpractised girl ... had developed into the supervising and cool woman here.” Bathsheba herself declares: “I want somebody to tame me; 1 am too independent.” It is this spirit that captivates the men around her.

✵ Bathsheba is fascinating to men because of the way her delicate physical appearance contrasts with her strength of mind and will. She makes the decision to manage the farm she inherits on her own, and even goes to market and deals with the other farmers as an equal. At the market she is “the single one of her sex that the room contained ... prettily and even daintily dressed ... like a breeze among furnaces.” All the men in the room stare at her, but Bathsheba is determined that she will be accepted, and eventually wins the admiration of the other fanners — “We ought to be proud of her here — she lightens up the old place.”

✵ Despite Bathsheba’s thoughtlessness, her headstrong ways and her desire for attention, Hardy has not made her an unpleasant character. She is concerned for the well-being of Fanny Robin, despite her own jealousy, and deeply sorry for the pain she causes Farmer Boldwood — “О. I am wicked to have made you suffer so!” She is also clearly capable of strong feelings herself, as Hardy shows as she describes her feelings for Sergeant Troy — “I love him to very distraction and misery and agony!” She also shows courage and is willing to take control of her own fate, as she demonstrates when she works alongside Gabriel, fighting to save her harvest. It is these qualities that ultimately hold the attention of Gabriel, the most gentle and patient of all her male admirers.

13 Before you start your answer, read through the extract really carefully, and pick out all the bits that will help you, then work out what you’re going to say about them. Although the question is based on an extract, you still need to think about the play as a whole — say why this bit is particularly revealing in the context of The Caretaker as a whole. Here are some points you could make:

✵ Aston says very little during the play, and what he does say is very disjointed. This makes it very striking when he speaks so eloquently and for such a long period of time. Most of the time the characters don’t say very much at a time.

✵ The impact of what was done to Aston in the hospital is mirrored in his monologue. When he describes things that happened leading up to the moment when he had something done to his brain, he speaks fluently and without any gaps. However, once he starts describing how he felt after the operation, he becomes very disjointed, emphasising the effect the operation has had on his mind.

✵ Aston doesn’t show much action in the play. Mick shows violent tendencies, but Aston does not. This makes it more revealing when he describes a previous, more violent side to his character — “I laid one ol them out and 1 had another one round the throat”.

✵ This is a description of a very dramatic and disturbing event, but Pinter makes it more memorable because the rest of the play has little action in it. The language used here is very matter-of-fact, which contrasts with the terrible event Aston is describing.

✵ This monologue also reveals more about Aston’s character. He used to talk to people, but in the past it had terrible consequences. One of the paradoxes of the play is that Aston is saying “I don’t talk to anyone...”, yet he is talking to someone here, and revealing very dark and personal details about himself.

✵ This is the moment in the play where Aston reveals what he is striving to achieve — there is underlying menace in “I’ve often thought of going back and trying to find the man who did that to me”, but this is counteracted by the almost comical “But I want to do something first. I want to build that shed out in the garden”. The audience knows Aston will never build the shed, in the same way that Davies will never go to Sidcup, and because he won’t build the shed, he will never have his revenge.

✵ This play doesn’t give up its meanings easily, so the clear, straightforward nature of this monologue is really important for explaining other things in the play. Aston fills his room with useless old junk, as if he’s trying to make up for the memories that he has lost. And his obsession with fixing things mirrors the way that he himself has become a little like a broken machine.

14 Remember to write in the first person for this question. If you can mimic Mick’s style of speech, you’ll impress the examiner. You won’t need a conventional introduction and conclusion, but you could start by saying how you’re feeling generally, before moving onto more specific thoughts. You could end by saying what you think will happen in the future. Here are some ideas:

✵ It’s not been easy for me, having a brother like Aston, you know. He’s just not interested in what I got in mind for this place, and he’s filling it up with all this junk. He doesn’t like work, he doesn’t. I could have made this place into a palace, I really could.

✵ The trouble is, Aston’s not quite right any more, not since the hospital. When they brought him home to me and mum, he couldn’t think very well, and he laid out all his things, all the things he knew belonged to him. He thought he'd die, but he didn’t. And now he collects all this junk, maybe cos he can’t collect his thoughts any more.

✵ He’s never forgiven our mum for signing that form in the hospital, either. She signed him over to them. 1 think he blames me, too, but I was just a kid when it happened. I’ve tried to look after him, I let him stay here, and 1’11 never hear a word spoken against him.

✵ Me, I had plans, big plans. 1 could have turned this place into a penthouse. Charge a lot of rent for it, 1 could. Or Aston and 1 could have lived here together. The thing is though, Aston is never going to change, he’s never going to do the work for me.

✵ That Davies, he was an odd one. Don’t know why Aston let him stay. What a stink! And he wasn’t paying any rent, either. I offered to let him be caretaker here, but he got a bit out of his depth, and then it turned out he wasn’t an interior decorator at all; he had absolutely no idea how to decorate a table in afromosia teak veneer. And he had two names, which wasn’t right. He’d told me a pack of lies. He reminded me of some bloke I met once. Reminded me of lots of people, come to think of it. But the end came when he called Aston “nutty”.

✵ That’s when I broke the Buddha. I couldn't stand it any more. I’ve got my own business to worry about. I don't need all this hassle about this house. I’m leaving it for Aston to deal with, he can do what he likes with it, fill it with his junk for ever if he likes. 1 had to break the status quo. We can’t go on living in the past. I’m getting out, going to get on with my life. I can’t go on waiting for Aston to build that shed. I don’t think he ever will.

15 a) Make sure you give a clear and structured answer to this question. Also remember the question says “with close reference to the extract”, so make sure you give quotations and make good use of the extract. Here are some examples of points you could use in your answer:

✵ At the beginning of the extract, Harper Lee introduces the tension by showing that Tom is nervous and that his “black velvet skin had begun to shine”.

✵ The tension builds up throughout the passage. Tom starts to speak more and more quickly as he describes how Miss Mayella, “grabbed me round the legs, grabbed me round th' legs, Mr Finch”.

✵ In the middle of the extract there is a sudden pause as Tom “had come to a dead stop”. You can imagine everyone paused in silence waiting to see what would happen.

✵ Then there is the bang of the gavel and the lights come on in the courtroom. These heighten the tension and seem to emphasise the drama of the moment.

✵ This is followed by Tom’s rapid and almost gabbled description of events, “I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door an’ 1’da had to push her”.

b) You need to write a fairly substantial answer for this one. Remember that you need to write from Jem’s point of view so use the sort of language he would use. You have to imagine Jem’s thoughts and feelings but your answer should be based on what happens in the novel. Here are some examples of points you could use: • I remember back when me and Scout was real scared of Boo. But we were also kinda’ fascinated. We wanted to flush him out of his house, bit like striking a match under a turtle.

✵ All the time Tom Robinson’s trial was going on was a very difficult time for me. I knew that Atticus wanted me to be calm. It was like starting to become a gentleman, but it was really hard to keep calm. Especially ’cos when I did lose my temper I ended up having to read all those times to Mrs Dubose. I didn’t really understand it all but I guess now 1 can see why she was so strange.

✵ When we were at the jailhouse it was really scary. I guess it was one of the few times when I refused to listen to Atticus but 1 was really glad that 1 did. I was really worried something bad would happen to him.

✵ The trial was very difficult. 1 was so proud of Atticus in the courthouse. Especially how he managed to show how the attacker must have been left handed and so it couldn’t have been Tom Robinson.

✵ That made it even harder to believe the guilty verdict. 1 still don't really know how to make the system fair. Atticus thinks that we have to have juries but I don’t understand it. Seems we need some fair minded folk to do the right thing.

✵ Now I can see 1 learned lots of things from all the things that happened. Turned out Boo Radley wasn't so scary as folk said. Actually he saved me an’ Scout.

c) You can pick any of the female characters as long as you explain how they have an important effect on Scout. Remember to address each of the bullet points. So don’t spend all the time describing the character, or how she speaks, but forget to write anything about her effect on Scout. Here are some points you could make about Calpurnia:

✵ Calpurnia helped Scout to learn to read and write. She is described throughout as quite a stern character and a harsh teacher: “I seldom pleased her and she seldom rewarded me” (chapter two).

✵ Often her harshness also shows her education and honesty as well. For example when she is angry with Scout for being rude about Walter Cunningham’s eating habits. At this point Scout is often angry with Cal and thinks she likes Jem more than her.

✵ However, throughout the story Cal also shows herself to be tender and thoughtful — for example, after telling Scout off in chapter three, she makes her favourite crackling bread.

✵ She is also often shown to be quite dignified and intelligent. She is one of the few who can read at her church.

✵ When she has her exchange with Lula at the church in chapter twelve, she shows a calm dignity and it seems that everyone at the church backs her up.

✵ Cal is always there as a friendly influence on Scout. This sometimes seems to be contrasted to the stem, prim and properness of the ladies of the town.

✵ Though Scout sometimes feels Cal is very mean and harsh to her, we often see how Cal has a strong moral influence on Scout as well as being a figure of comfort in her times of need.

16

a) This question isn’t too hard — they give you every thing that you need to answer it in the extract. If you get a question like this, go through the passage they give you and pick out anything that you think might be relevant to the question. Then all you need to do is think ol some interesting things to say about the bits that you've chosen. Here arc some examples of things that you could say lor this passage:

✵ The fact that Curley enters and leaves the bunk house on his own shows that he is lonely and that none of the men on the ranch like him or want to spend any time with him.

✵ The “high-heeled boots” that Curley wears are a sign of his superiority and power over the other men, but we also know that he is small, “slim” and “young” so perhaps he chooses to wear the boots to give the men the impression that he is bigger than he really is.

✵ Steinbeck presents Curley as an aggressive bully when he demands that Lennie speaks: “By Christ, he s gotta talk when he’s spoke to”.

✵ At the end of the passage, Steinbeck reveals that Curley hasn’t earned his position of authority over the men: he is only in charge because he is “the boss’s son”.

✵ Curley is presented as a violent character in this passage. Steinbeck describes his appearance as somebody who wants to start a fight, he has “hands closed into fists” and his posture is a “slight crouch” as though he is an animal waiting to pounce.

✵ Steinbeck presents Curley as a judgemental man who quickly takes a dislike to people. As soon as he sees George and Lennie, he seems to form a negative opinion of them: “His eyes passed over the new men and stopped. He glanced coldly...”.

b) This question is a bit harder than the first one because it doesn't provide anything as a starting point — you have to use your own knowledge of the book. Remember to make your answers sound as though Crooks is speaking (have a look at the language in the book for some ideas for this). Here’s some examples of the kind of things that you could put for this question:

✵ Well, after all that, I’m still here at the ranch. For a while when Lennie and Candy were talking about getting a little farm of our own I was real excited, I could jus’ picture it in my mind. But now I’ve realised that that were jus’ fantasy, it’s baloney jus’ like Curley’s wife said, no negro like me ever get the chance to live in peace. I'll be here workin’ till my back’s so bent that I’m no good to no one, and then I’ll get canned.

✵ I don’t know what came over me when 1 told Curley’s wife that she was a floozy an’ that none of us wanted her around and for her to “jus’ get out, an' get out quick”. That was a real stupid thin’ for a nigger to do. Sure, I do think she's as stupid as them chickens but a guy can easy get lynched for saying things half as bad as that. I’ve come to my senses now though, I know that I’m at the bottom of the pile and that ain’t ever gonna change.

✵ I felt bad after I'd been teasing Lennie that George weren’t ever coinin’ back and that he’d got hurt. That weren’t fair, Lennie was a good guy, OK, so he wasn’ the cleverest, but he was kind. I know what it feels like when people give you hell and it ain’t nice. I wish I could have a friendship like George an’ Lennie had — they was always lookin’ out for each other. I’m never gonna have that; I jus’ can’t trust people anymore after everything that’s happened to me.

c) This question’s asking you what Candy brings to the book — what does he represent and how does Steinbeck use him to discuss certain themes? Don’t forget about Candy’s dog too. Here are a few examples of things that you could put for this question:

✵ John Steinbeck uses Candy to make a comment about life in America in the 1930s. Steinbeck doesn’t think that it’s fair that people have to work all their lives and they have nothing to look forward to. Steinbeck portrays Candy as a victim of society — for example, he lost his hand in an accident and all he received was “two hundred an' fifty dollars”, he still has to work as a cleaner and there is no one to take care of him.

✵ Just like George, Lennie and Crooks, Candy starts to believe in the dream of living off the land on a small farm which will be “our own place”. Steinbeck seems to be suggesting that having fantasies like this is an inevitable part of human nature, when even a wise old man can start believing that they can come true.

✵ Candy and his dog have many things in common — they are both old and frail and they are both nearing death. Carlson shoots Candy’s dog because he is worthless and he “stinks to beat hell”. By aligning Candy with his dog, John Steinbeck points out how on the ranch men are treated like animals. In fact, Candy thinks that his dog’s death was better than what he can expect: “see what they done to my dog... when the can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me”.

✵ Steinbeck’s choice of the name Candy is ironic because life on the ranch is not at all sweet like candy — the reality is that it’s hard and unrewarding. The cruelty of life is revealed when the other men go to find Lennie and Candy is left alone with Curley’s dead wife and the thought of his dead dog. He says that Curley’s wife is a “poor bastard” because he knows that she would never have been happy, just like everyone else on the ranch.

✵ Even though he’s had a really tough time, Candy is nice to George and Lennie when they arrive: “You can have them two beds there”. John Steinbeck seems to have faith in human beings by showing that even when life is tough people are still capable of kindness.

17 a) To do well on this question, remember to select relevant parts of the extract as quotations to back up your points. It’s important to discuss the language used in the extract when answering this question. Here are some points you could include in your answer:

✵ Shylock seems thoughtful and introspective. He wonders why he is going out to see people he doesn't trust: “But wherefore should I go? I am not bid in love”.

✵ Shylock’s character seems serious and perhaps depressed. He criticises the “shallow foppery” and “vile squealing” of the revellers, preferring his house to be “sober”. He pessimistically predicts that there is “some ill a-brewing”.

✵ Shylock seems very suspicious and prejudiced against Christians. He instructs his daughter to stay inside and ignore the “Christian fools with varnished faces” in the street parade outside. He says vindictively that he goes to see Antonio, the “prodigal Christian” in “hate” to feed upon his wealth.

✵ Shylock seems very protective and controlling of his daughter. He insists that she should stay indoors and “stop my house's ears” so that she can not even hear the revelry.

✵ Shylock’s Jewish identity is reinforced by expressions such as “By Jacob's staff I swear”. His dream about “money bags” suggests highly negative stereotypes of Jewish people as greedy money-lenders. It’s likely that the prejudices of the time in which Shakespeare lived influenced his characterisation of Shylock. A modern audience might feel uncomfortable about the anti-Semitic overtones in the way Shylock is portrayed.

✵ Shylock seems isolated from the other characters. He doesn’t like or trust the people he is going to supper with. His daughter and servant make plans behind his back, which suggests they don’t respect or trust him.

✵ The fact his daughter lies to him at the end of the extract might make the audience think she is scared of him. This might reinforce the impression that Shylock is bad-tempered and intimidating.

b) For a good mark on this question, remember to write an introduction and conclusion, and to write in paragraphs. Here is a list of points you could make:

✵ In Act 1, Scene 1, Bassanio tells Antonio that he wants to marry Portia because she is a rich heiress, and it would help him financially. His first description of her is “a lady richly left” which suggests this is her most attractive quality as far as he is concerned. It is only as a secondary point that he says “she is fair” and “Of wondrous virtues.”

✵ At the beginning of the play, Bassanio views Portia as a prize, whom he must compete for against the other suitors. He says Portia’s golden hair is like the golden fleece of legend, and “many Jasons come in quest of her.”

✵ From the beginning, Portia seems to look favourably on Bassanio. Portia has met him before and when she is reminded of him by Nerissa, she says “I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praise.” When Bassanio arrives at Belmont she makes it clear she likes him in a very confident and forthright way: “1 pray you tarry; pause a day or two I Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong /1 lose your company.” • When Bassanio chooses the right casket, both Bassanio and Portia are delighted. Bassanio is proud and “Giddy in spirit” that he has chosen correctly. Portia portrays herself as humble before Bassanio. describing herself as an “unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed.” She gives everything she has to him.

✵ When Bassanio receives a letter explaining that Antonio’s life is in jeopardy because of the debt he took out on Bassanio’s behalf, their relationship changes. Bassanio has to admit that he has acted like a “braggart” by asking his friend to borrow money for him so that he could woo Portia. Portia takes control of the situation and orders that double the sum be paid to Shylock to save Antonio.

✵ Portia again shows her intelligence and power in the Court. Disguised as a man she saves Antonio s hie and as a reward takes the ring which Bassanio had promised never to part with. Later, she uses the fact that Bassanio has given the ring away as an excuse to chide him, before revealing her trick.

c) To gain full marks on this question, you need to write a thoughtful, coherent essay. You need to write with confidence, backing up your points with quotes and examples from the play. Here are some examples of points which you could make:

✵ The theme of characters disguising themselves appears throughout the play, and sometimes this signifies danger and deceit. For example, the revellers dress up with “varnished faces”, Jessica dresses up as a boy to escape her father’s house and Portia and Nerissa dress as men in order to infiltrate the Court.

✵ Shylock pretends it is “in a merry sport” that he suggests the use of Antonio’s flesh as collateral on the loan. Antonio doesn’t realise that he might be held to his word. He thinks that Shylock is being kind by offering the loan without interest.

✵ Portia’s suitors have to choose one of three caskets: gold, silver or lead. II they choose the casket containing Portia’s picture, then they will gain her hand in marriage. The Prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket, because he is taken in by its rich appearance: “Never so rich a gem I Was set in worse than gold.” He loses and the scroll inside warns him, “All that glisters is not gold...Gilded tombs do worms infold.”

✵ The Prince of Aragon is also fooled by the appearances of the caskets, choosing the silver one. He arrogantly believes he “deserves” Portia and that he will win her hand by choosing the casket which promises “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves”. He dismisses the correct lead casket without much thought because it is “base” and ordinary. Shakespeare uses the characters of Morocco and Aragon to demonstrate the foolishness of people who judge by appearances.

✵ When Bassanio chooses a casket, he gives a thoughtful speech about how appearances can be deceptive. Shakespeare discusses this theme in detail through this speech. He describes how vices and evil often hide themselves with the appearance of virtue. He associates gold with greed (mentioning the legend of King Midas). Bassanio eventually chooses instead the lead casket which promises nothing and requires him to “give and hazard all he hath”, and he is rewarded.

✵ There is a Christian overtone to the symbolism of the three caskets. Choosing the first gold casket suggests greed, and choosing the second silver casket suggests arrogance. The correct choice is the lead casket, which looks plain and unattractive. This choice requires the suitor to “give and hazard” all they have. This is similar to Christian parables, where people are encouraged to give up their wealth and risk everything for their faith.

✵ Shylock believes the law is on his side in his case against Antonio — he says “I crave the law” because he believes it will help him gain his personal vengeance. He turns down the offer of six thousand ducats because he hopes to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Appearances are deceptive though; through Portia’s learning, it turns out that the law is actually against him and he loses half his goods.

18 For full marks on this question you need to write a good, well-structured essay. You should aim to make at least six good points in your answer and to back these up with quotes and explanations. Here are some points you could include in your answer:

✵ Romeo is in danger at this moment of the play. He has spent the night with Juliet, but if her family find him, they will kill him. He has to leave: “I must be gone and live, or stay and die”.

✵ Juliet wants Romeo to stay because she is in love with him. She tries to persuade him it is still night and he doesn't need to go yet: “Believe me love, it was the nightingale”. There is a dramatic conflict between her wish for them to stay happily together, and the danger Romeo is in if he stays.

✵ Romeo has been exiled from Verona for killing Juliet’s cousin. Therefore the audience are aware during this scene that the lovers are going to be forced to part, and that this might be the last happy moment they have together.

✵ There is a contrast between the romantic, soft language associated with their love — for example, “yon grey is not the morning's eye, I ’Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia’s brow” — and the harsh language associated with their parting, e.g. “fearful”, “severing”, “harsh discords”.

✵ At the beginning Juliet tries to persuade Romeo it is not day, and Romeo says it is. But then at the end of the extract, they each seem to change their mind. Romeo half-jokingly agrees “it is not day”, and Juliet sadly says “it is, it is”. The change in Juliet from sounding loving and happy to sad and disconsolate is shocking.

✵ At the end of the scene, Romeo seems willing to abandon common sense and his own safety in order to stay with Juliet: “I have more care to stay than will to go.” This romantic foolhardiness adds to the intensity of the scene, and emphasises their feelings for each other.

✵ This scene mirrors the earlier, balcony love scene. In both scenes it is nearly dawn and Romeo is in danger of being discovered by Juliet’s family. In the balcony scene they have only recently met and talk about getting married; in this scene they have just got married and are having to part.

✵ The intimacy of the situation, the morning after their first night together, makes this scene more compelling. There are only a few times in the play when Romeo and Juliet are actually alone together.

19 You need to write a fairly substantial answer for this one. You need to write from the Friar’s point of view, using a tone of writing which is appropriate to his character. You can also work short quotations from the play into your answer. You can come up with your own ideas about what the Friar’s thoughts would be at this point in the play, but you must be able to show that there is some basis for these ideas in the play itself by referring to particular scenes/incidents. Remember that the Friar may not know everything which has happened in the play, so try and stick to discussing parts of the play where he is present. Examples of points you could make in your answer are:

✵ When I first agreed to many the young Montague Romeo and his Capulet bride, 1 thought 1 would be making a bond between their feuding families. 1 hoped to turn their households’ rancour to pure love. It was a dangerous course to take; a tortuous risk. In my foolish pride I thought I could solve the troubles of this city. May I be forgiven. I can only hope the Prince will understand.

✵ Romeo had a young man’s love and foolhardiness. He claimed that to marry Juliet was all he wanted from life, and that after that death would hold no fear for him. It was an ill omen that he should have spoken such words. 1 tried to give him my elderly wisdom: to be calm, love moderately; long love doth so.

✵ My plan of giving Juliet the potion was born of desperation. 1 had to offer some help to Juliet. Her face was abused with tears, and she was near to suicide because she was being forced into marriage with Paris. 1 felt responsibility for her dire predicament because 1 had married her to Romeo in secret without her parents’ knowledge.

✵ The horror of the situation by this stage is difficult to describe. How could I have known that loving union in marriage of this young couple would lead by evil logic to the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt? I thought that if Juliet could at least escape to live with Romeo in exile, some happiness might be found. As God’s creature, 1 could only hope for a peaceful end to the bloody conflict.

✵ As for the letters, now those two young lovers are dead and ended, it is difficult not to sound like an old man making feeble excuses. I thought that by waiting at Juliet’s tomb and sending another missive to Romeo, any misunderstanding could be averted. But I was too late, too late. When 1 arrived, Romeo was already dead, and Juliet had little will to live. I tried to persuade her to hold onto life, but she would not hear my counsel.

✵ Perhaps I was a coward. It is bitter wisdom that safety and long life are the coward’s rewards and I would not reject them. I left that young girl alone in that nest of death. The stench of death did overpower my wits.

1 was shocked by seeing Romeo and Paris dead and could think only to remove myself from that foul prison of dead souls.

✵ Will the Prince understand my situation? If twisted these events could appear to be my fault, set in motion by the union 1 presided over. Maybe I should take blame, as penance for my survival. Or perhaps, this episode should be laid to rest gently and those still living should find their peace.

Paper 3 — Section В

20 Deal with the two parts of this question as separate tasks, but make sure you use the bullet points in both. It’s vital you compare the poems — if you don't you’ll lose out big time. Try to include a personal response somewhere too — the conclusion is a good place for this. Here are a few points you could write about (there are plenty of other poems you could use in part (b)):

(a) • In Storm on the Island, Heaney uses war-like language, such as “pummels” and “exploding”, to show that the storm presents a physical danger. Whitman also uses war-related words, such as “advancing’ and “lashing”, to show the danger of the storm in Patrolling Barnegat.

✵ Both Heaney and Whitman use the actions of people to suggest danger. Storm on the Island begins with the words “We are prepared”, suggesting they are expecting trouble. Similarly, the people patrolling the beach in Patrolling Barnegat are “struggling, the night confronting”.

✵ One difference between the ways the two poets present danger is that Heaney’s poem is more personal and direct. It is written in the first person, and this allows Heaney to openly describe the people’s feelings about the danger they are facing — “it is a huge nothing that we fear”. Whitman, on the other hand, writes mostly from the point of view of a narrator who is not involved in the events in the poem, so the feelings towards danger are described less overtly — the people are “a group of dim, weird forms”.

(b) • In The Field-Mouse, Clarke presents ideas about the danger that people in the former Yugoslavia were faced with by describing a harvest. The metaphor “the field lies bleeding” represents the damage and pain caused by the war. The danger in The Laboratory though is presented in a more straightforward way — Browning depicts a woman who is intent on killing her lover, and the danger presented by her is clear as she wants to “carry pure death”.

✵ Both poets use a lot of imagery to present danger. Clarke describes a dream where “my neighbour turned I stranger”, to suggest the idea of a country attacking its neighbour. The images in Browning’s poem are often more violent, e.g. “He is sure to remember her dying face!”

✵ Both poems present danger from a first person perspective. However, whereas Browning’s narrator relishes the danger she presents — “next moment 1 dance at the King’s!” — Clarke’s poem shows a sense of unease and guilt about what is happening: “we can’t face the newspapers”.

21 This question is all in one part. You can mainly tackle the poems one by one, but make sure you link your points together by using some phrases that show you’re comparing the poems. Include a brief intro and conclusion. Here are some points you could use in your answer:

✵ In Digging. Heaney openly shows admiration for his father — “By God, the old man could handle a spade”. He is also very proud of his grandfather— he seems to be boasting when he tells us he “cut more turf in a day I Than any other man on Toner’s bog.” The feelings Clarke describes in Catrin are also very candid, but are not as straightforward as those in Digging. The poet describes mixed feelings of love and aggression for her daughter: “Red rope of love”.

✵ In On my first Sonne, Jonson uses metaphorical language to express his pride and love for his dead son, saying he was his “best piece of poetrie”. He gives an idealised image of his son, and this is also the case in The Affliction of Margaret, in which the narrator describes her son as “among the prime in worth”.

✵ Jonson’s pain at the loss of his child is similar to the distress felt by the narrator in The Affliction of Margaret, who is desperate to hear from her missing son. But her attitudes towards him are expressed in desperate, emotional descriptions of her “love and longings infinite”.

✵ Both Digging and Catrin are written as memories of past events. Heaney’s memories of his father and grandfather seem very vivid and detailed — “The coarse boot nestled on the lug”. Similarly, Clarke’s memories are strong and clear, but, instead of being rooted in the past, her memories are linked with her current relationship with her daughter — “Still I am fighting / You off’.

✵ Both On my first Sonne and The Affliction of Margaret have a regular rhyme scheme, unlike either of the post-1914 poems. In Jonson’s poem, rhyming couplets create the effect of the poem being a lasting tribute to his son, with a sense of completeness coming from rhyming “lov’d boy” and “joy”. In Wordsworth’s poem, the rhyme scheme adds strength to the emotions Margaret is going through, e.g. the rhyming of “despise” with “lies” emphasises her negative feelings.

22 If the question’s split into two parts like this, you can treat it as two mini-questions, comparing two poems at a time, with a little intro and conclusion for each part. Here are some points you could include in your answer:

(a)

• In Before You Were Mine, Duffy presents love in the form of nostalgic descriptions of what the narrator’s mother was like before she was born. She admires her mother’s spirit and affectionately describes how glamorous she was — “Your polka dot dress blows round your legs”.

✵ Similarly, Armitage describes love for his mother in Mother, any distance, but his feelings are not as overtly expressed as those in Duffy’s poem. He describes how his mother helped him move into his new home, and uses the metaphor “your fingertips still pinch / the last one-hundredth of an inch” to show the closeness between them and how she will be there to support him if he needs her.

✵ Both these poems show the closeness of the narrator with their mother by writing in the first person and addressing her directly. In Duffy’s poem, she affectionately tells her mother “I knew you would dance / like that”, showing how well she knows and admires her. Armitage refers to the tape-measure “unreeling years between us”, showing that they have many shared memories and experiences.

(b) • In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare discusses romantic love in an unconventional way. The sonnet form is a traditional basis for love poetry, but Shakespeare subverts the normal ways of talking about love, by saying his mistress is not unbelievably beautiful: “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red.” In Clare’s Sonnet, the poet gives a much more straightforward and idealised description of his love for the countryside in summer — “I love to see the wild flowers come again.”

✵ Shakespeare shows that his love is all the more genuine because it is real rather than based on unrealistic comparisons — “I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare”. Clare’s poem, on the other hand, is far more idealistic, as he talks about “summer winds and insects happy wings.”

✵ Both Shakespeare and Clare use a lot of imagery in their poems. Shakespeare compares his lover’s appearance unfavourably to natural colours, to show that she is not perfect — “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun”. Clare also uses natural imagery, but in a more conventional way, to show his unquestioning love for the summer — “I like the willow leaning half way o’er / The clear deep lake”.

23 The way this question is phrased means you can compare the first two poems, then compare the second two separately. There are plenty of poems to choose from for this question. Make sure that, whichever you choose, you keep comparing the poems as much as possible. Here are some points you could include in your answer to this question:

✵ In Education for Leisure, Duffy uses the first person to show life from the point of view of a killer. The first person perspective allows the poet to show how the person kills because he/she is bored and wants to feel important — “today /I am going to play God”.

✵ Armitage also uses the first person to show the feelings of his narrator in My father thought it bloody queer, although in this case the feelings are those of someone looking back on a painful teenage memory. The narrator shows both the physical pain of having his ear pierced and the emotional pain caused by his father’s reaction: “the hole became a wound, became a sore, and wept”.

✵ Duffy also uses the first person to make it appear that, at the end of the poem, the narrator presents a direct threat to the reader — “I touch your arm.” In contrast, Armitage’s poem ends with the realisation that he now says the same things to young people as his father had said to him: “7/7 were you, I'd take it out and leave it out next year"

✵ Hardy uses the first person perspective to make a political point in The Man He Killed. He comments on the foolishness of war, and, by using the voice of a soldier, he makes the message sound as if it has come from experience: “I shot at him as he at me”.

✵ Like Hardy, Yeats uses the first person to give a voice to a person whose feelings might usually be ignored. The Song of the Old Mother shows the harshness and unfairness of the life of an old woman who must work all day without rest until she dies. Using the first person allows Yeats to show the pain and bitterness she feels at her hard life — “I must work because I am old”.

✵ In The Man He Killed, the first person is used to show how the soldier is a normal person struggling to work out why people go to war, through Hardy’s use of colloquial expressions and hesitation — “He thought he'd ’list, perhaps, / Off-hand like - just as I Yeats also uses the first person to show that the character in his poem is a normal, everyday person, by describing the mundane tasks she must perform: “1 must scrub and bake and sweep”. This makes it seem like she is just one of many people who are living this harsh life.

24 The question asks you to compare, so you have to say how the poems are similar and how they’re different in terms of how they show how people back home feel. Here arc a few points you could make:

✵ Both poems are written in the first person. In In Time of War, this is used to make the poem seem particularly personal and emotionally involved, as the wife of a soldier struggles with her emotions as her husband goes off to war — “1 render, blind with fear".

✵ In Of the Great White War, though, the narrator observes the reactions of those at home, which allows him to be more critical of their reaction: “I observed how the aged cried aloud in public places".

✵ Both poets give an impression that people at home do not react as nobly as they might. Thanet criticises herself because she cannot be as courageous as she had hoped — “braver thought 1 lack" — although she shows clearly that this is because she is so emotionally attached to her husband. Burke, on the other hand, suggests that the old people at home selfishly enjoy their lack of responsibility while the young risk their lives in the war: “the aged / Became suddenly young”.

• In Time of War has a regular structure, with two six-line verses and an a,b,a,b,c,c rhyme scheme. This gives the poem a traditional feel, in keeping with the poet’s loving sentiments for her husband. Of the Great White War is less conventional, consisting of thirteen lines of differing lengths. This allows Burke to place emphasis on the thoughts in the shorter lines, for example “Business as usual”, enforcing his suggestion that the old people take for granted the young people’s sacrifices.

✵ Burke’s poem uses phrases which are usually associated with a heroic image of war, such as “honour and chivalry” and “the Supreme Sacrifice”, but he uses these to show how these things are confined to the young soldiers going out to war, while others stay safely at home and drink their health. Thanet also uses emotive language, but hers is more to do with ideas about love rather than war — she feels she is expected to “love past all romance”, but shows how this is threatened by her husband having to go to war.

25 A good way to approach this question is to think about the messages the two poets are trying to give you, then look at how they use natural images to convey this impression. You could say:

✵ In There will come soft rains..., Teasdale uses natural images to create an idealistic picture of what the world will be like after the war has ended. She describes a peaceful, happy scene: “wild plum-trees in tremulous white”.

• As the Team’s Head-Brass, though, uses the image of “the boughs of a fallen elm” as the starting point for a conversation between the narrator and the ploughman about the death caused by war. The dead branches of the tree make them think about local soldiers who have died.

✵ Many of the images in Teasdale’s poem suggest sounds as well as a visual picture, using words such as “shimmering sound”, “singing" and “whistling”. This emphasises how different the time described will be from wartime, where, instead of these natural, gentle sounds there would be bombs and gunfire.

✵ Thomas also uses images to show the contrast between nature and war. The images of nature in Thomas’s poem differ sharply from the war-related images — e.g. the broken branches of the tree ultimately lead to the comment “If I should lose my head”, a very unnatural image, perhaps suggesting the unnaturalness of war.

✵ The last four lines of There will come soft rains ... show that humans’ influence is unimportant compared to that of nature. The poet says that spring “would scarcely know that we were gone”. Contrastingly, As the Team's Head-Brass shows that the war does have an influence on nature, as. if it hadn’t happened, “it would have been / Another world”.

Acknowledgements

CGP would like to thank the following:

Page 94 'My child, the fire risk' Dea Birkett, Friday April 4, 2003, The Guardian

Rage 96 'How to avoid teen tantrums' Sarah Tucker, Saturday July 20, 2002, The Guardian

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