Paper 2 Sample Questions
1. Explain how the authors of at least two literary works have portrayed a
social group in a particular way. How might the contexts of the authors have
influenced their portrayal of these social groups?
2. It is often said that literature is a voice for social commentary. How is this
true of at least two works that you have read.
3. To what extent can the meaning of a literary work change over time? How
does this question apply to at least two works that you have read?
4. To what degree are readers influenced by their culture and context. Explain
how at least two works could be read differently depending on the culture of
their audience.
5. 'Coming of age' is a common theme in literary works. With regards to at least
two literary works, explain how the author's own youth influenced their
portrayal of this theme.
6. With regards to at least two literary works, explain how the setting both
influences the characters and reflects the author's own context.
7. How are the characters from at least two literary works representational of
people from the time and place in which they were written?
8. Why might two of your Part 3 works be considered 'timeless'?
9. With regards to two literary texts, explain why authors may have chosen to
depict events in a particular sequence or order.
10. How do two literary works both reflect and challenge the spirit of the times
in which they were written?
11. Drama sometimes invites us to become acquainted with times and cultures
not our own. What particular situations perhaps different to your own
circumstances have at least two playwrights included in their plays and by
what dramatic means have they delivered them to their audiences?
12. A necessary part of drama is not only to present conflict between the
characters in a play but also to create conflicts within each member of the
audience. Compare and contrast two or three plays you have studied in the
light of this comment.
13. The final scene of a play can serve many purposes. Compare the ways that
playwrights in your study conclude their plays, showing how similar or
different purposes are served, such as the satisfaction of the audience.
Paper 2 Sample Questions
Through the Lens of…
Context
• Which social groups are omitted from a text, and what might this reflect about
its production?
• To what extent do male and female literary characters accurately reflect the
role of men and women in society?
• How are the characters from at least two literary works representational of
people from the time and place in which they were written?
• How might the context of the author have influenced their portrayal of a
particular social group or groups?
• How do two literary works both reflect and challenge the spirit of the times in
which they were written?
• How do the conflicts between characters reflect the kinds of conflicts from the
time and place in which the texts were written?
Politics
• How valid is the assertion that literature is a voice for the oppressed?
• How is justice represented?
• How do writers use isolated/alienated characters in order to explore their
society’s values or attitudes?
• Literature always has a political purpose; its aim is never simply to entertain –
do you agree or disagree with this statement?
• How does literature “face” history in order to ensure that “wrongs need not be
lived again?”
• How can literature be used as a form of protest?
Style
• To what purpose do authors sometimes choose not to follow a chronological
sequence of events in their literary works?
• How is setting used to convey central themes?
• How is narrative perspective used to achieve the author’s goals/intentions ?
Reception
• What do you think of the assertion that the meaning of a text is fixed and
does not change over time?
• Is literature timeless?
• How can we explain the continued interest in a particular work in different
contexts and at different times?
Paper 2 Sample Questions
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How is our perspective on literary texts affected by our cultural practices?
How can different people interpret texts differently?
To what extent can the meaning of a literary work change over time? How
does this question apply to at least two works that you have read?
Theme
• If beauty is a relative term, how do one or more of the works you have
studied explore this idea?
• How does a particular term or concept, such as childhood, change in the way
it is represented in the texts you have studied?
• 'Coming of age' is a common theme in literary works. With regards to at least
two literary works, explain how the author's own youth influenced their
portrayal of this theme.