Paper 1: Poetry and Prose
Time Allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Marks: 50
50% of Total Exam
Answer two questions from the Poetry section and one question from the Prose section. Each
question carries 25 marks.
Attempt any TWO questions from poetry and ONE question from prose
Poetry (25 marks)
Answer two questions from this section.
Question 1
How does Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 explore the theme of immortality through art? Analyze how
Shakespeare uses imagery, structure, and language to convey the message that poetry can transcend
the limitations of time.
In your answer, you should:
• Discuss speci c lines and their gurative meaning.
• Analyze the poem's form and structure, focusing on the sonnet format.
• Explore the concept of eternal beauty and how it relates to the speaker's beloved.
Question 2
In Love Armed, Aphra Behn explores the dual nature of love. How does Behn present love as both a
source of power and destruction? Discuss how the poet's use of literary devices reinforces these
con icting ideas.
In your answer, you should:
• Analyze the use of paradox and contradiction.
• Focus on how imagery and tone shape the reader's understanding of love's complexities.
• Provide examples of how love is portrayed as both empowering and weakening.
Question 3
Examine the social commentary in William Blake’s The Chimney Sweeper. How does Blake
critique the exploitation of children in his time, and how does he use the gure of the chimney
sweeper as a symbol?
In your answer, you should:
• Analyze the use of irony and contrast between innocence and experience.
• Explore how Blake portrays the relationship between the church, society, and child labor.
• Discuss the symbolism of the chimney sweeper in representing lost innocence.
Question 4
Carol Rumens' Carpet Weavers, Morocco provides a vivid glimpse into cultural and traditional
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practices. How does Rumens use imagery and metaphor to evoke a sense of beauty, craftsmanship,
and the hardships faced by the workers?
In your answer, you should:
• Discuss the visual imagery used to depict the labor process.
• Analyze the contrast between the beauty of the carpets and the hardship of those who weave
them.
• Explore how the poem comments on culture and tradition.
Prose (25 marks)
Answer one question from this section.
Question 5
In Nick, how does the protagonist’s relationship with his family shape the narrative? Discuss the
themes of guilt and alienation, and how these emotions are central to the character’s journey.
In your answer, you should:
• Explore the narrative structure and the signi cance of key moments of con ict.
• Discuss how the protagonist's past shapes his present.
• Analyze the symbols that re ect the internal struggles of the protagonist.
Question 6
Olive Schreiner’s The Woman’s Rose highlights the intricate dynamics of female rivalry and
solidarity. How does Schreiner use setting and symbolism to explore the complexities of
relationships between women?
In your answer, you should:
• Analyze the development of the relationship between the two women in the story.
• Focus on how symbols such as the rose enhance the narrative.
• Explore the contrasting themes of competition and empathy between the characters.
Question 7
Discuss the signi cance of the gold watch as a symbol in The Gold Watch. How does the story
examine the tension between generations and differing attitudes toward tradition and change?
In your answer, you should:
• Discuss how the gold watch serves as a link between past and present.
• Analyze how different characters perceive time and legacy.
• Re ect on the broader societal changes represented in the story.
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Paper 3: Drama – Open Text
Time Allowed: 45 minutes
Total Marks: 25
25% of Total Exam
Answer any ONE question from the Drama section.
Question 1
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, how does Shakespeare introduce the theme of love’s
irrationality? Discuss how the initial con icts between characters, particularly the love triangle, set
the stage for the chaotic events to come.
In your answer, you should:
• Analyze how characters such as Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius express love and desire.
• Explore the use of dramatic irony in presenting love as unpredictable.
• Discuss how the setting of Athens and the forest contrast to re ect the shift in control and
order.
Question 2
Discuss the role of Theseus and Hippolyta in Act 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How do their
attitudes toward marriage and love re ect broader themes of power and control within the play?
In your answer, you should:
• Analyze the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta as a symbol of order and harmony.
• Explore the contrast between their relationship and the younger lovers' con icts.
• Discuss how Shakespeare uses their dialogue to re ect societal expectations around love and
power.
Question 3
Explore how Act 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream establishes the relationship between magic and
reality. How do the references to the supernatural prepare the audience for the play’s exploration of
fantasy versus the real world?
In your answer, you should:
• Discuss the role of magic as foreshadowed in the opening act.
• Analyze how the early interactions between characters hint at the blurring of reality and
illusion.
• Explore the signi cance of setting the play in both Athens (a place of order) and the magical
forest (a place of chaos).
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Paper 4: Unseen Comprehension (Critical Commentary)
Time Allowed: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Marks: 25
25% of Total Exam
Answer any ONE question based on the unseen passage provided.
Question 1
Critically analyze the following unseen passage. How does the writer use language and structure to
evoke emotions and convey key themes? Focus on the use of literary devices such as imagery,
symbolism, and tone.
The Thought Fox (1957)
I imagine this midnight moment's forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock's loneliness
And this blank page where my ngers move.
Through the window I see no star:
Something more near
Though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:
Cold, delicately as the dark snow
A fox's nose touches twig, leaf;
Two eyes serve a movement, that now
And again now, and now, and now
Sets neat prints into the snow
Between trees, and warily a lame
Shadow lags by stump and in hollow
Of a body that is bold to come
Across clearings, an eye,
A widening deepening greenness,
Brilliantly, concentratedly,
Coming about its own business
Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox
It enters the dark hole of the head.
The window is starless still; the clock ticks,
The page is printed.
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In your answer, you should:
• Identify and analyze the key themes in the passage.
• Discuss the writer's use of language, including any notable imagery or symbolism.
• Explore how the tone and style of writing contribute to the emotional depth of the passage.
Question 2
In the following unseen passage, the author depicts a complex emotional landscape. How does the
structure of the text and the choice of language contribute to the mood and meaning of the passage?
Because I could not stop for Death – (479)
BY EMILY DICKINSON
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I rst surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
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In your answer, you should:
• Analyze how the passage's structure guides the reader through the emotional shifts.
• Discuss the effect of speci c word choices and their contribution to the overall mood.
• Focus on any metaphors or symbols that help illuminate the central themes of the text.
End of Paper
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