Exam May 2015: Tips for Students
Here we suggest things to be considered on an exam by looking at the May 2015 exam
for this course. First we list each question, and then we discuss things to consider when
answering the questions.
Task 1a:
Read the text from Night Film by Marisha Pessel in the box below.
Explain how the author uses language features and literary devices to describe the
narrator’s feelings about his ex-wife. Use examples from the text.
Task 1 for the spring 2015 exam is based on a short excerpt from a recent novel by the
American writer Marisha Pessel. The question asks the pupil to do two things:
1) Explain the use of language features and literary devices to reveal the narrator’s
feelings about his ex-wife
2) Provide examples of the language features and literary devices found
As mentioned in our advice on answering exam tasks, one of the problems with this
type of question is that pupils find examples that are more content-related than
language-related. For example, in answering this question a pupil mentions that the
narrator met a woman called Cynthia at university. The pupil writes:
The narrator still has feelings for Cynthia because he has known her since she was
young and in university and seems to remember this fondly.
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While this is a valid point about the narrator, it is content-based, not an example of a
language feature or a literary device. If this pupil had looked at how the narrator
expresses this fond memory, then he would be answering the question. For example:
When he remembers Cynthia as she once was, he describes her with the adjectives
“flighty” and “poor”, suggesting that once upon a time she was more alive and like
most young people, full of intellectual curiosity and bravado, as suggested by the
allusion to Simone de Beauvoir. He then describes her as childlike and full of the joy
of life; she had a runny nose that she could wipe on her sleeve, she is compared to a
happy dog hanging its head out the window in a simile and the metaphor “wind
fireworking” her hair suggests a carefree, fun-loving young girl. This is meant to
contrast with the sad referral to the present-day Cynthia in the short and to-thepoint sentence “that woman was gone now”. The sentence carries extra effect
because all around it are sentences full of metaphors, similes and descriptive
language. The matter-of-fact, bare statement in this sentence sounds remorseful and
gives us a sense of the narrator’s regret and loss. He obviously still loves Cynthia, or
at least the Cynthia he used to know. But, as he says, “few survived real money”.
The use of the adjective “real” then contrasts with “poor” as the narrator suggests
that the Cynthia he once knew has been corrupted by the wealth the hairy-wristed
Bruce brings into the equation.
Finding other language features/literary devices
The paragraph above represents a way of answering the question. In adding to this, the
pupil should work closely with the text to find other features/devices. For example, in the
first two sentences of the excerpt we are given a contrast that is both comical and sad.
These very short sentences make two contrasting statements with no embellishment:
“She was still beautiful. It was awful”. This has an ironic twist and we soon find out the
reason why this is “awful”. As the juxtaposition of the two adjectives beautiful/awful is
uncommon, this helps to accentuate the narrator’s pain over having lost his wife. The
narrator is no longer waking up to the beauty of Cynthia, someone named Bruce is. The
use of the first name makes the new relationship personal and the loss of Cynthia even
more painful to the narrator. In a rather petulant way the narrator expresses that he has
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hoped his wife would age quickly now she was not with him. For this he uses the rather
grotesque simile where he hopes she would develop “wrinkles like a maze of molehills
screwing up a legendary lawn”. There is a bitter man behind these words and the
description of the size of the wrinkles is an example of hyperbole which shows the
measure of the narrator’s disappointment.
However, the narrator is obviously conflicted as he returns to Cynthia’s beauty: her
“green eyes” “those cheekbones”. He refers to her looks with positive adjectives: “still
youthful and bright”. Nevertheless, the torment the narrator feels is still present. In the
same sentence where he is mulling over her beauty, the UN translator metaphor brings
him back to his senses; this was a woman not only beautiful but also complicated and
moody, at least in the narrator’s eyes. Moreover, she “broadcast” her moods. The use of
this verb means she expected him to be paying close attention to her at all times and
he had to understand every expression. It sounds as if his marriage was a matter of
always desperately trying to read between his wife’s lines, a strenuous task that must
ultimately lead to failure, it can be assumed.
Then after describing the beauty of Cynthia with positive adjectives like “green”
(suggesting freshness), he comes to the description of the new man in her life. Here we
get the noun “paunch” and the adjective “hairy” to describe Bruce. Language is used
to make the new union of Bruce and Cynthia sound like a business deal, again
reflecting the narrator’s loss and bitterness. Bruce had a “knack” for “spotting deals”,
which makes the union of the two sound more like buying a luxury car. The ridiculous
name of the painting and the name of the painter suggests money, something the
narrator obviously does not have much of himself. This is accentuated through the use
of the verb “allowed”: “She allowed herself to be bought”. Of course, we cannot know
if this is true, but the narrator makes it sound as if his wife dumped him for someone who
could give her more material wealth. This bitterness may also mask his attempts to put
the blame for the break-up solely on his wife. It is easier to say someone left you for
money than because they did not love you anymore.
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The penultimate and last sentences in the extract underscore the money theme.
“Taking someone to the cleaners” is an idiom often used to suggest that one has been
conned out of one’s money. However, here the cleaners metaphor means that all the
good things that attracted the narrator to Cynthia, the “raw edges”, the “dirt and
hunger” and the “guileless laughter” have been “ironed out”. The ironing here can be
associated with pressed shirts, the look of the successful businessman, which returns us
to the money metaphor. Cynthia has not only been bought according to the narrator,
her soul and personality have been cleaned out. Where Cynthia would probably say
she has become sophisticated and mature, the author sees loss and corrupted
change.
Closing comments
The main point of the answer to this question is that the focus has to be on language
and literary devices. Pessel is an author who loves similes and metaphors as can be
seen in this short extract. This task is obviously addressing the first part of the curriculum
where pupils are required to show their skills in understanding the effect of language in
a text, and knowing the effect of literary devices is also part of the curriculum. Pupils
should use basic terminology (adjective, adverb, noun, verb, structure, contrast,
repetition, simile, metaphor, etc.) in their analysis and must not fall into the trap of
writing more about content than language. This is a short answer question, so the pupil
will not have to write as much as we have done above to get a good grade; our
intention has been to show a number of examples of language features and literary
devices.
Task 1 b:
It has been a century since the outbreak of WWI. The painting in the box below is an
artist’s reaction to this time.
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Comment briefly on what the artist expresses about this period in history.
This question states clearly what period is in question when it mentions the centenary for
the outbreak of WWI. The painting is from 1918, the end of the war. There are three
areas that are relevant to comment on:
1) The painting itself and its style
2) The title of the painting
3) The period in question
Here is a list of some of the things that could be mentioned:
1) The painting’s qualities:
a. Bleak colours, ruddy brown and black, mixed with the sun and blue sky.
But the dark colours appear to dominate
b. Leafless/lifeless trees, no new growth
c. Desolate landscape. The ground is filled with what looks like shell holes.
The lumps of brown earth suggest the bodies of soldiers or perhaps their
helmets. Perhaps the ground resembles the trenches typical to WWI.
d. The trees appear to be burnt and destroyed
e. The painter creates darks shadows in the ground which again suggest
waste and desolation
f.
The sun bursting over the desolate landscape: symbol of optimism or
depiction of despair over what the sun shines on?
2) The title “We Are Making a New World” can be understood in two ways. If you
prefer to see the sun as a symbol of optimism, then the title can be a statement
that now it is a time to start again, the sun is still shining. The other way of reading
the title is that it is ironic: the new world we are making is one of destruction,
desolation and decay. The sun is shining on a dead landscape.
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3) The painting has Modernist qualities: fragmented, expressive with a deeply
scarred landscape, abstract landscape, bleak colours; it communicates a
subjective experience; beauty is not the goal; pessimistic? The last point is a
matter of interpretation.
4) The period referred to is WWI – a time of war and massive casualties and
destruction and the artist attempts to capture all this in his painting.
Answering the question
An answer might start like this:
The painting by Paul Nash is a harsh portrayal of the realities of WWI. It is
ironically entitled “We Are Making a New World”. Nash seems to be asking, “What
new world are we making?” He uses dark browns and black to depict a scarred and
desolate landscape where presumably nothing can grow….
Your answer could see the painting either as optimistic or pessimistic. That point is open
for interpretation and either way of seeing the painting will be accepted by the
examiners as long as it is based on what is in the painting and is not ridiculously off the
mark. Your answer should be relatively short and must refer to the artistic qualities of the
painting and their effect. You should also mention the war that it presents. A good
answer will also interpret the title. It might be a good idea to mention both
interpretations of the title (optimistic or ironic) and then state which of the two
interpretations you prefer.
Mentioning the artistic period of Modernism and why this painting is typical of the
period will be a plus, but the question does not specifically ask for this.
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Task 2
a)
Read the short story in Appendix 1.
Discuss the meaning of the story by looking at character, setting and dialogue. Also
consider the importance of the title of the story in your discussion.
This task asks you to interpret a short story and also tells you exactly what to look for and
discuss:

character

setting

dialogue

title
The most important thing to do with a question like this is to read the story at least twice
and decide if 1) you feel you have understood it correctly and 2) if you can write about
each of the four points listed above.
Brief summary of the story:
The key to the story is the girl’s “powers of observation”. It is obvious that the narrator of
the story is an experienced writer as he has very strong powers of observation, laying
the scene in a restaurant open for us to see and experience. He witnesses two scenes:
a group of Japanese gentlemen eating at the restaurant and a conversation between
a young man and a young woman who appear to be close to getting married. They
appear to be having an argument where the girl seems to be forcing her will over the
reluctant young man. The argument centres on her becoming an author: an editor has
given her praise for her first book and her “powers of observation”. The book she has
written has a rather clichéd title and the narrator seems to suggest that the quality of
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the work might be questionable. The narrator also suggests between the lines that the
editor thinks the selling point is really the young lady’s looks:
I wondered to which publishing firm Dwight belonged. I could imagine the blurb he
would have already written about her abrasive powers of observation. There would
be a photo, if he was wise, on the back of the jacket, for reviewers, as well as
publishers, are human.
The young man appears to be sceptical to his fiancée’s writing career and would
rather stick to the wine trade that has been chosen for him by his family. At the end of
the story, as they are leaving the restaurant, the young man asks about the Japanese
gentlemen, to which his fiancée answers:
"Japanese?" she said. "What Japanese, darling? Sometimes you are so evasive I
think you don't want to marry me at all."
The woman with the great powers of observation has not noticed these gentlemen at
all, they have been invisible to her. So much for her powers of observation … The
Japanese gentlemen are therefore vital to the understanding of the story simply by
being present and unnoticed by this aspiring author.
Answering the question
A good answer will look at the two main characters and discuss what we learn about
them through the narrator’s descriptions and the dialogue. Example: The young man
seems to have difficulty standing up to his fiancée and the narrator is obviously
concerned about his future chances in the relationship. The girl has a very high opinion
of herself and relies very much on her editor and the misguided praise he has given her.
The setting is the restaurant and the people in it. The way it and the events that take
place there are described is an example of what a writer with real powers of
observation can do. The most important part of the setting is the presence of the
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Japanese gentlemen and their eventual invisibility. What is revealed in the story is that
the young lady knows very little about writing, has no powers of observation and is
probably being tricked by her editor who is thinking more about “selling her” than
selling her book.
A good answer will look at character, setting and dialogue without retelling the story
and will delight in the somewhat surprise ending of the story. When doing that you can
then look at the wonderful irony in the title of the story. The title is not “The Japanese
Gentlemen” or “The Japanese Gentlemen in a Restaurant”, but “The Invisible Japanese
Gentlemen” where the whole point of the story is their invisibility to the girl with the
laudable powers of observation.
Hints:
1. If you insist on writing about the story and have not really understood it, do not
write things like: “I’m not sure what the Japanese gentlemen are doing there, but
they are there.”
2. If you have understood the story and mention the ending and the importance of
the invisibility of the gentlemen, it is an excellent idea to mention the “powers of
observation”.
3. It is important to state again that examiners will not be impressed by pupils who
use most of their text to retell the story. That is just data dumping, not analysis or
interpretation.
b)
One of the most important functions of the first pages of a book is to “hook” readers so
they will want to read on.
Read the three openings in Appendix 2.
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Discuss some of the literary techniques the writers use to draw the reader into the story,
for example, setting, structure, point of view, characterization, figurative language. Use
examples from the openings.
Over recent years, this seems to be a popular type of question on the exam. As the
pupil’s first meeting with these texts is on the exam there is every opportunity to write
independent answers where the pupil uses his or her competence in literary analysis to
examine the three extracts.
The question also tells the pupils what they could look into in each extract (setting,
structure, point of view, characterization, figurative language), so there is no confusion
over what they are to do.
Text 1 is quite straightforward, but there are many elements of humour in the text (e.g.
the sneezing, Will slow and limping). The text also has an element of mystery. Why is this
man who has a napkin once given to him by the King living in such obvious poverty?
Why is the manservant Will so old and basically not very useful? Why is there so much
dust floating around and what is in the package?
A point could be made about the writing style reflecting the time the story is set in
(1683). The language is quite formal, some words are capitalised in the middle of
sentences and words such as “dispersal”, “purloined” and “provenance” reflect a
language from older times and also perhaps reflect a rather pompous main character.
Perhaps the fact that the story is set in an older time and using the language of that
time is something that could draw the reader into the story.
The point of view is first person, which brings us closer into the story as we see things
through the eyes of the main character, who seems to be rather old and pompous and
to have fallen on hard times. But he is also kind in his concern for Will, so he is a
sympathetic character we might want to learn more about.
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The setting is interesting as it conflicts with what we would know. Why does a man who
has known the King live in a dusty home, eating bad food served by a servant who can
hardly walk? And what is in the parcel?
Text 2 is from the same novel as the extract used in Task 1a.
This text has a strong sense of mystery. Who is the young woman, why is she out on the
streets alone so late at night? Is she crazy? This is a very good hook. Other aspects that
are interesting to look into are characterization (what we learn about the narrator from
things he says about himself – “the best part of my life behind me”), setting (it is dark,
mysterious, cold and wet – a very mysterious setting) and structure (the mystery about
the girl intensifies with the very short last three paragraphs).
The first-person point of view draws us into the story, as we are interested in the narrator
and in what is going to happen between him and the girl. The language is modern as
compared to text 1, and the sentences are often short and have modern expressions
like “strung out”. The setting is mysterious and scary; so much so that the narrator
imagines his own shadow trying to run away “as if it didn’t have the nerve to stay”.
Text 3 reads somewhat differently. It appears to be a diary entry in the first paragraph
with a first-person point of view, but then it changes to third-person. We get more
information about the main character in this text than in the other two texts. We know
the main character has been adrift in a boat at sea for 27 days and that he is, or has
been, a world class runner. We also know that the story takes place during WWII and
that the men in the small raft are in the air force. They are also in Japanese territorial
waters.
The text is very descriptive of their condition and hooks us because we want to know
their fate. Will they survive? Will they be captured, killed or will they succumb to the
elements?
The language is modern and captures a scene of quiet desperation (“they were alone
on sixty-four million square miles of ocean”).
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Answering the question
We have not looked at too many specific examples here, as the choice of what to
focus on is up to each pupil. The main thing to do with this question is to maintain a
focus on some of the literary techniques suggested in the exam question as well as
focussing on how well these openings “hook” the reader. What you should not do is
retell the stories. This will not score you good points. Dig into the texts, use the suggested
literary techniques and discuss what makes each opening special to you as a reader, or
just as legitimately, discuss why you don’t like an extract and why it is not an effective
hook, using the same foundation: literary techniques used in the extract.
c)
Using the text in the box below as your point of departure, discuss what you have
learned about interaction and communication between people in some of the
literature and/or films you have studied in your course this year.
Have you seen the world lately, McGrath? The cruelty, the lack of connection? If you're an
artist, I'm sure you can't help but wonder what it's all for. We're living longer, we social
network alone with our screens, and our depth of feeling gets shallower. Soon it'll be
nothing but a tide pool, then a thimble of water, then a micro drop. They say in the next
twenty years we're going to merge with computer chips to cure aging and become immortal.
Who wants an eternity of being a machine"?
Night Film by Marisha Pessel
This is a deceptive question that looks easy but is not as straightforward as it first seems.
There is a temptation to wander away from what the question asks you to do and to
write too much about the modern media world. To answer this question well you have
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to decide exactly what the question is asking you to do and you have to determine
what the text in the box is about and how it ties into the question.
The text in the box is basically saying that the more technical ways of connecting with
people we create, the less connected we really are. The question then asks you to
examine what you have learned about interaction and communication between
people in some of the literature and/or films from your course. The first thing to note in
the question is that it states that you have to use more than one work. As more than
one work is involved, the question invites a comparison aspect but does not directly
state that you have to compare. However, when introducing at least two works in a
question like this it would be a good idea to compare what you have learned from
each work.
The topic of interaction and communication is of course very wide, so your focus should
be on, for example, how characters interact, how a character interacts with his or her
environment, or how characters communicate or fail to communicate in the works you
have chosen. Writing a general essay about the modern technological world, social
media, etc. is not answering the question. If you write an essay, for example, about
Julian Assange and Wikileaks, or about how Facebook is keeping people physically
away from each other, you risk getting a very low grade because your answer is not
relevant to the question. You may be addressing the ideas mentioned in the text in the
box, but you have to use literary works and/or films in your answer.
d)
Read the lyrics and poem, in Appendix 3, which have different perspectives on
relationships.
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Using examples from the two poems in Appendix 3, interpret what they say about the
relationships they depict
There are two works to interpret in this question and you should treat each work with an
equal amount of attention and text. The question tells us that the two works represent
two perspectives on relationships, so you are given a good start by the wording of the
question.
The lyrics by Richard Thompson are about the break-up of a relationship as told from
the man’s perspective. The lyrics have a repeating ironic line: “That’s one small thing in
her favour / That’s another small thing in her favour” (repeated six times). The ironic tone
is the most prominent feature of the song and suggests that the man has a rather
sarcastic view on the ending of his relationship.
The poem, on the other hand, has a strong feminist perspective and message. To show
a full understanding of the poem you should discuss this feminist message and how the
running metaphor in the poem of the colour pink is used to describe the feminine style
being forced on “the big, beautiful copper-haired woman”.
Some of the aspects that could be mentioned in each work
“Another small thing”:
The simple rhyme scheme adds to the ironic/sarcastic tone.
When they broke up, “at least she looked me in the eye”, but it was with a “less than
fond goodbye”. This ironic tone runs throughout the poem and then is a symbol of the
failed relationship. One could also choose to see this is as sign of the man’s reluctance
to think too harshly about his now ex-wife.
The metaphor “Life gives you bitter pills to savour” suggests how the relationship soured
and became bitter. The lyricist adds an interesting element to this line with the choice of
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the verb “savour” instead of the normal “swallow”. This suggests that the bitterness in
the relationship lasted over a period of time and gives a rather pessimistic view on
marriage and relationships. Should one really savour the bitter pills? Or does this simply
suggest that the man is rather pessimistic about life?
While he is grateful for his last kiss with her, it is combined with a gentle slam of the door.
Again, he is ironically grateful for this “gentle slam” as another small thing in her favour.
Is he searching for a positive angle or is he just being ironic?
When she tells him why she is leaving in stanza three, it is done with the slow release of
the clutch, suggesting that there might be some reluctance to leave as she rolls down
the driveway and is gone. Could this suggest that the man is clutching at straws, now
looking for anything positive to say about the relationship? Or does the slow release of
the clutch still suggest the inevitability of the break-up?
He seems pleased to be a part of her heart, but the problem is the adjective describing
the heart – it is wandering, suggesting that she was always looking for greener pastures
and it would have been impossible for him to keep her.
In the final full stanza, he chooses to remember better times with her, telling us that
things were better once. To illustrate this he personifies the vows, “they did not waver”.
One line in the song that might be difficult to understand and not easy to find in a
dictionary is the first line of the poem, “Got her ducks all in a row”. This means to get
one's affairs in order or to get organized. A a general piece of advice: If you find a line
confusing and feel unsure about what you are doing, it might be best to leave the line
alone and look for other parts of the lyrics you feel more confident writing about.
Each line of the lyrics can be interpreted as having something to say about the
relationship. We will not do that here, as everyone will have different choices as to what
they want to focus on. However, we have given some examples above. The question
asks you to interpret the lyrics and to say something about the relationships it depicts. As
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we have shown, this song is about the break-up of a marriage from the man’s point of
view where he seems to put a kind of soft but quite ironic blame on the woman. She is
the one with the wandering heart, the one letting out the clutch and driving away, and
the one gently slamming the door. The man leaves us with a rather pessimistic and sad
view on relationships.
“Woman in Pink”:
As mentioned, this poem has the running metaphor of the colour pink. One of the first
signs telling us that pink is not a positive metaphor for her relationship is the use of the
verb “drowning” in pink. This suggests being overwhelmed and even killed by pink. Then
comes a listing of all the pink things the woman has or has been given. In the end she
even talks in a pink powder voice. The alliteration of the “p” sound suggests that the
speaker of the poem does not approve. In fact the entire fourth stanza has five of the
“p” sounds plus the harsh sounding “china kitten”. This all adds to a sense of the
speaker’s disapproval of the woman’s relationship. This is also underlined by the first line
in the poem where the speaker sees the woman as “big, beautiful, copper-haired”, not
mentioning pink in her description of the woman.
By stating that “her husband brings her pink tissues”, etc., the speaker suggests that
both pink and a submissive lifestyle are being forced on the woman.
When the speaker mentions the woman’s illness and bitter crying we feel that her illness
could be directly related to living a life not meant for her. The speaker tells us that to
“cure” the woman, she would take her away from all the pink and give her an active
life of rock climbing and sailing, things submissive women do not enjoy. To complete the
colour metaphor the speaker says the woman would only wear green, the colour of
nature and outdoors and perhaps in this context, healthiness.
It is always important to try to understand all the understated messages in a poem, but
you can still write an excellent interpretation if you do not notice everything. This means
that when you work on the poem, try to dig as deep as you can to find meaning,
without of course digging too deep and finding more than what is there! One thing that
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is suggested in the poem is that the two women in the poem, the woman in pink and
the speaker of the poem are in hospital. We know this from the second line mentioning
“the next bed”. This tells us that they are lying side-by-side in beds and the most obvious
place for this is in hospital. As women would lie in the same ward, this also tells us that
the speaker of the poem is a woman. The hospital interpretation is reinforced by the
crying at night, the coughing and the mention of a cure.
Once you have understood that the two women are in hospital and that the woman in
pink is sick, it is not far-fetched to assume that the woman could be sick from all the pink
she is drowning in. The use of the verb drowning could then be linked to the reference
to the sea in the penultimate stanza. Instead of drowning, the woman is now sailing, at
least in the speaker’s vision for her.
What is clear about the poem is the feminist message enhanced by the colour
metaphor pink/coppery/green and the contrasts between pink things (pink frilly
nightdresses, pink fluffy cardigan and slippers, pink messages, pink tissues, pink china
kitten), with the repetition of the adjective pink, and positive and empowering actions
(riding the seas, splitting rocks, abseiling cliffs).
Writing the answer
As we mention in our text on answering exam tasks, the best way to compare two works
is to compare them point by point. However, as the two works here are quite different,
a legitimate approach would be to look at each work individually and then write a full
comparison of the two relationships that are presented. The lyrics present a typical
relationship gone sour as seen from the man’s point of view, while the poem criticizes a
relationship where a woman is forced into a role not suited to her, and by association
not suited to any woman. The poet suggests a cure that carries a strong feminist
message. Who knows, perhaps the woman with the wandering heart is really trying to
escape a “pink” marriage? But that is just speculation.
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Linking words (examples)
Type of connection
Example words
adding ideas,
and, in addition, furthermore, besides, also, moreover,
showing sequence
too, another thing, similarly, next, and then, what’s
more, for one thing… for another, first, in the first place,
to start with, first of all, secondly, thirdly, finally
contrasting ideas
but, however, on the one hand, on the other hand,
despite, nevertheless, nonetheless, still, though, yet, in
contrast, on the contrary, all the same, whereas, in
spite of, although this may be true
showing
therefore, so, as a consequence, consequently, that is
consequence
why, because of this, for this reason
showing examples
for example, for instance, such as, including, in
particular, apart from, except, and so on, and so forth
showing time
when, while, after, afterward, at last, before, currently,
during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, at
the same time, simultaneously, then, until, as soon as,
as long as, since
comparing ideas
than, as … as, above all, first and foremost
showing emphasis
even, indeed, in fact, of course
making conclusions
on the whole, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have
shown, as a result, thus, to sum up, in brief
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