GCSE
Literature –
Understanding
Prose
Revision
Booklet
Section A – Animal Farm
In this part of the exam you will have one hour to answer three questions about
Animal Farm.
What will the questions be like?
You will have to answer two questions related to an extract from the text (parts
a and b).
You will also have to answer a question related to the extract question (part c)
where you have to choose your own extract from the text.
What shall I do?
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Read the instructions carefully
Divide your time carefully and keep a close eye on it!
Write something for all of the tasks
Read the questions carefully
Make sure you are answering the question you have been asked
When you have finished your writing read through your work and check for
errors – particularly in Part C where spelling, punctuation and grammar are
awarded marks
How will I be marked?
In the Animal Farm section of the exam, the examiner is looking for you to:
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Incorporate detail in your answers
Evaluate characters and their relationships, attitudes and motives
Show understanding of themes and ideas in the novel
Show understanding of how language is used for effect in the novella
Show understanding of how the novella is structured for effect
Explain Orwell’s intentions when writing his novel
Evaluate how the novel would affect a reader
The examiner is also looking at the accuracy of your writing in part C:
 Expression will be clear and fluent
 The answer will be well structured
 Paragraphs will be used
 Spelling and punctuation will be accurate
 Specialist vocabulary will be used accurately
Animal Farm
Plot
Number each event from Animal Farm so the plot is in the right order.
The animals are happy, working hard together for a shared goal. Snowball
teaches the animals how to read whilst Napoleon trains the dogs. They all
agree on a set of Commandments to live by and regular meetings to ensure
that the farm is run fairly.
Years pass and gradually conditions on Animal Farm deteriorate, until the
farm is no longer any different to in Jones’s day.
Old Major gathers the animals in the barn to talk to them of a dream he has
had where animals live together in harmony and work for themselves, free
from human oppression. He teaches them a song and tells them to work
towards this vision of the future.
After a storm, the animals awake to find the windmill has collapsed. Napoleon
claims Snowball has sabotaged it. He goes on to blame other incidents on the
farm as being the fault of Snowball, even re-writing history – claiming that
Snowball was not a hero at the Battle of the Cowshed.
The animals work hard to re-build the windmill and when they are finally
finished Mr Frederick attacks it. The animals are ordered to re-build the
windmill again.
Snowball and Napoleon begin to disagree frequently in a struggle for power.
They particularly disagree over Napoleon’s plans for a windmill to produce
electrical energy for the farm.
Boxer is injured whilst re-building the windmill. He is taken away in a van.
Squealer tells the animals that Boxer is going to the vets but actually
Napoleon has sold him to the glue-maker.
Old Major dies. The other pigs take on the task of guiding the other animals
towards a future free from human oppression – they call this ‘Animalism’.
The pigs become more and more like humans, until they walk on two legs and
carry whips. They change the commandments of Animalism.
Despite Snowball’s departure, the animals are ordered to build the windmill.
It is a slow and difficult process but the animals work hard as a team.
Late one night, the animals seize the farm from Mr Jones after he has
repeatedly forgotten to feed them. They re-name the farm Animal Farm.
During a meeting where Snowball is speaking about the windmill, Napoleon’s
dogs arrive and chase Snowball off of the farm. Napoleon takes charge and
declares that there will be no more meetings and the pigs will now make all
the decisions.
When Mr Jones returns to try to re-gain control of the farm, the animals
defeat him again in what becomes known as The Battle of the Cowshed.
Snowball is a particular hero in this event.
Snowball invites Mr Pilkington over for dinner. When the animals look
through the window they can no longer tell the difference between the pigs
and the humans.
Animal Farm begins to engage in trade with humans and the pigs move into
the farmhouse previously occupied by Mr Jones.
Napoleon begins a ‘purge’, killing any animal who disagrees with him.
Squealer justifies all of Napoleon’s actions as necessary for the future of the
farm. The pigs ignore the fact that all of the other animals are hungry and
cold.
Quiz Questions
1. What is the name of the song that Old Major teaches the animals and which becomes
their anthem in the Rebellion?
2. What is the name of the ‘heaven’ described by Moses, the tame raven?
3. How long after Old Major’s death do the animals seize the farm?
4. What was the farm’s original name?
5. What are the Seven Commandments of Animalism?
6. These Commandments are reduced to a maxim. What is it?
7. Describe the flag the animals create.
8. How many letters is Boxer able to learn?
9. What food do the pigs take for themselves, claiming they need it for their good
health?
10. Which animal hides during the Battle of the Cowshed?
11. Which animal disappears from the farm and where is she spotted?
12. What does Snowball claim that building the windmill will allow the animals to do?
13. How does Napoleon express his contempt for Snowball’s windmill plans?
14. What are Boxer’s two slogans?
15. How is the Commandment ‘No animal shall sleep in a bed’ adapted?
16. Who does Napoleon claim that Snowball was secretly working with?
17. How is the commandment ‘No animal shall kill any other animal’ changed?
18. How is the commandment ‘No animal shall drink alcohol’ adapted?
19. What does Napoleon think is wrong with him the day after he has drunk whisky?
20. What is Boxer looking forward to on his twelfth birthday?
21. Which animal tells the others that it says ‘Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler’ on the
side of the van that takes him away?
22. What do the pigs buy with the money they earn from selling Boxer?
23. How is the maxim that the sheep bleat changed at the end of the novel?
24. At the end of the novel The Seven Commandments are replaced by just one. What is
it?
Characters
Write a character profile for each character in the novel – their name, what type of animal
they are appearance, what they do on the farm, what they represent in the allegory, what
Orwell was using them to illustrate, reader feelings towards them, etc.
Mr Jones
Snowball
Napoleon
Squealer
Boxer
Clover
Mollie
Benjamin
Moses
Mr Frederick, Mr Pilkington and Mr Whymper
Key Vocabulary
Use your class notes and a dictionary to define these key words and how they relate to
animal farm.
Allegory
Capitalism
Communism
Corruption
Democracy
Dictatorship
Exploitation
Ideology
Manipulation
Oppression
Propaganda
Prosperity
Rebellion
Revolution
Rhetoric
Sabotage
Tyrant
Utopia
How to Answer the Animal Farm
Questions
There are four parts to the question on Animal Farm – a, b and c. Parts a, and b are based
on an extract you are given and are worth a total of 28 marks. Divide your time like this:
Part A – 20 minutes
Part B – 20 minutes
Part C – 20 minutes
Approach all of these extract questions in the same way.
1. Read the questions, identify the keywords.
a. From the extract, what do you discover about the character of Boxer?
b. Comment on how language is used to create an impression of panic in the
Muriel began to spell out the words. But Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of
a deadly silence he read:
"'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and
Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Do you not understand what that means? They are taking
Boxer to the knacker’s!"
A cry of horror burst from all the animals. At this moment the man on the box whipped
up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. All the animals followed,
crying out at the tops of their voices. Clover forced her way to the front. The van began
to gather speed. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop, and achieved a canter.
"Boxer!" she cried. "Boxer! Boxer! Boxer!" And just at this moment, as though he had
heard the uproar outside, Boxer's face, with the white stripe down his nose, appeared at
the small window at the back of the van.
"Boxer!" cried Clover in a terrible voice. "Boxer! Get out! Get out quickly! They're
taking you to your death!"
All the animals took up the cry of "Get out, Boxer, get out!" But the van was already
gathering speed and drawing away from them. It was uncertain whether Boxer had
understood what Clover had said. But a moment later his face disappeared from the
window and there was the sound of a tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van. He was
trying to kick his way out. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would
have smashed the van to matchwood. But alas! his strength had left him; and in a few
moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away. In desperation the
animals began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop. "Comrades,
comrades!" they shouted. "Don't take your own brother to his death! " But the stupid
brutes, too ignorant to realise what was happening, merely set back their ears and
quickened their pace. Boxer's face did not reappear at the window.
2. You don’t need to write an introduction as time is too short! Aim to write at least
one paragraph for each part of the question with a range of quotations. Try to:
- Use the keyword from the question
- Aim for 4 pieces of relevant evidence from the extract
- Explain what the quotation shows
- Refer to the language used in the quotation if the question asks about language–
choose a word or a language technique to zoom in on and explain in detail
* For the foundation tier style question, say as much as you can about what happened just
before / after the extract to show your knowledge and understanding of the text
a.In the extract we discover that Boxer is not as strong as he used to be. Once the other
animals tell him that he needs to leave the van he tries really hard to kick his way out. The
phrase ‘tremendous drumming’ shows this as the word ‘tremendous’ shows just how hard he
is kicking and the word ‘drumming’ illustrates that Boxer isn’t just kicking the side of the
van once but continually. The narrator describes how in the past this would have easily
allowed Boxer to escape from the van as it would have ‘smashed it to matchwood’. Here the
verb ‘smashed’ shows how comprehensively Boxer would have been able to demolish the van
and ‘to matchwood’ reinforces this as matches are tiny pieces of wood. However, now
Boxer’s attempts to kick his way out have no impact as quite quickly ‘the sound of
drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away’. He is still trying to kick as illustrated by the
repetition of ‘drumming’ but eventually has to give up as the ‘drumming hoofs grew fainter’.
The fact that this happens in just ‘a few moments’ illustrates Boxer’s weakness now as not
only does he not have the strength to kick his way out but he is also lacking the stamina to
keep trying. This is in contrast to Boxer earlier in the novel who diligently built the
windmill and whose motto was ‘I will work harder’. This shows that, due to his age,
overwork and injuries, Boxer is no longer as strong as he used to be.
b. In the extract language is used to create a sense of panic as the animals realize what is
happening to Boxer. As Benjamin reads the words on the side of the van there is a ‘deadly
silence’ which builds up tension as the animals wait to hear what it says. Structurally, this
use of silence at the start of the extract reinforces the panic that is felt once the
animals realize where Boxer is going. Once Benjamin reads the side of the van, the animals
respond with ‘a cry of horror’ and ‘Clover forced her way to the front’. The use of the
word ‘cry’ shows the panic that the animals feel at finding out that Boxer is not going to
the vets but to the knacker’s yard and ‘horror’ shows just how upset they are at this news.
Mild-mannered Clover ‘forcing’ her way to the front also reflects the panic that the
animals feel as she feels that she needs to get closer to Boxer in order to try to save him.
Finally, the animals’ panic is shown in what Clover says: ‘”Boxer!” Clover cried in a terrible
voice. “Boxer! Get out! Get out quickly!”’ Clover’s use of exlamatories ‘Boxer!’ shows the
urgency she is feeling and her use of repeated imperatives ‘get out’ shows how panicky she
is and how much she wants Boxer to hear her. The description of her speaking ‘in a terrible
voice’ also reflects her panic and fear as she shouts to Boxer.
The part c question is also marked for your spelling, punctuation and grammar. You should
spend 20 minutes on this question.
1. Read the question, identify the keyword.
c. Explore the significance of ignorance in one other part of the novel.
2. Choose an appropriate extract to use. Look closely at the extract for language that
will answer the question you have been asked.
The extract you choose should:
- Be relevant to the question you have been asked
- Be long enough that you have got enough to say
- Have some interesting language that you could zoom in on
3. Again, you don’t need to write an introduction as time is too short! Aim to write at
least one paragraph with a range of quotations. Try to:
- Use the keyword from the question
- Include a range of evidence from the extract
- Explain what the quotation shows
Another extract where ignorance is shown is in Section 8 of the novel where Napoleon
sells some of the farm’s timber to Frederick. Napoleon is shown as being ignorant by the
way he reacts when he has traded with humans. He thinks he has been clever by insisting
that Frederick pay for the timber in bank notes, rather than with a cheque. As soon as he
is in possession of the cash, he ‘reposed on a bed of straw ‘ with the money ‘at his side,
neatly piled on a china dish’. This shows how pleased Napoleon is with himself as the word
‘reposed’ suggests he is reclining and the fact that he has the money ‘neatly piled’ next to
him suggests that he is showing off what he believes he has earnt. His ignorance in human
trade is shown when the ‘timber is carted away at high speed’ by Frederick, suggesting
that he has a reason to want to collect his goods at ‘high speed’ or as quickly as possible.
Also the description of the bank notes as ‘flimsy white things’ also suggests ignorance as it
gives the impression that the bank notes Frederick gave Napoleon didn’t even look very
realistic - bank notes in any currency are rarely ‘flimsy’ as they need to be rather more
hard-wearing – yet Napoleon clearly doesn’t notice.
This ignorance is verified when, three days later, the animals discover that ‘the bank notes
were forgeries!’ The reaction of the animals to this discovery, in the words ‘hullaballoo’ and
‘choking roar’, suggest the fuss and the anger made around the discovery of the forgeries
which shows how ignorant the animals were to the concept of the bank notes being forged.
This shows the animals’ ignorance of the human world, of money and trade. Napoleon
thought he was very clever for insisting on cash instead of a cheque – indeed, he was
utterly ignorant of what a cheque was, describing it as ‘something called a cheque’ – but he
is instead able to be easily fooled by forged bank notes. This illustrates how ignorant the
pigs are of the capitalist human world which they are beginning to engage with. This is as
you would expect but is a reminder that the ignorance of the pigs at this stage reflects
their relative innocence as they are not yet complicit in a world which encourages the
oppression of animals.
Key Extracts to look at for Part C
questions
Find and re-examine the following key extracts which could be useful to revise to use for
part C questions
Old Major’s speech
Oppression, violence
The animals have the farm to themselves
Hope, happiness, freedom
The animals’ first harvest
Equality, freedom
The Battle of the Cowshed
Violence, fear
Snowball is run off the farm
Violence, power
The first change to the Commandments
Deception, duplicity, ignorance
Boxer questions Squealer
Deception, duplicity, power, ignorance
The purges
Deception, duplicity, power, violence, fear
Napoleon’s re-branding as ‘Our leader’
Power, corruption
Frederick cons Napoleon
Deception, ignorance
The windmill gets blown up
Violence
Boxer gets killed
Ignorance, deception, duplicity, corruption
The Commandments are changed
Ignorance, deception, corruption
Section B –
Of Mice and Men
In this part of the exam you will have forty five minutes to answer one question
from a choice of two about Of Mice and Men.
What will the questions be like?
You will have to answer one question from a choice of two, making reference to
the whole text and the social and historical context (what life was like when the
book was written)
What shall I do?
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Read the instructions carefully
Keep a close eye on the time!
Read the questions carefully
Choose the question that you feel most confident about answering
Make sure you are answering the question you have been asked
When you have finished your writing read through your work and check for
errors
How will I be marked?
In the Of Mice and Men section of the exam, the examiner is looking for you to:
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Incorporate detail in your answers
Evaluate characters and their relationships, attitudes and motives
Show understanding of themes and ideas in the novella
Show understanding of what life was like in America in the 1930s when the
book was written
 Explain Steinbeck’s intentions when writing his novella
 Evaluate how the novella would affect a reader
Of Mice and Men - Plot
Put these main events of Of Mice and Men in order.
Lennie and George meet Curley’s Wife. George warns Lennie to stay away
from her as she is trouble.
George finds Lennie in the brush. He tells him the story of the dream and
then shoots him.
After an afternoon of work, Slim and George talk in the bunkhouse. George
opens up to Slim about his past with Lennie.
The Boss tells Lennie and George off for arriving late and George tells him a
number of lies.
Candy overhears Lennie and George talking about their dream and offers
them money if he can join them. This makes their dream a reality.
Lennie and George meet Curley, the Boss’s son. After he leaves, Candy
gossips about him and his wife.
When most other people go to town, Lennie visits Crooks in his room and
Crooks bullies him.
Lennie and George arrive at the ranch and meet Candy who gossips about
the boss and Crooks.
Curley’s Wife opens up to Lennie in the barn. She invites him to stroke her
hair and he accidentally breaks her neck. Lennie tries to hide her and runs
away.
Lennie and George meet Slim and he is welcoming and kind.
After accusing Slim of being with his wife, Curley starts a fight with Lennie.
Lennie is scared but fights back when George tells him to and crushes
Curley’s hand.
Lennie and George camp out overnight in the brush and talk about their
dream.
Candy and Curley’s Wife also visit Crooks in his room. Curley’s Wife is cruel
to Crooks.
Lennie is alone in the brush. He has hallucinations as he is distressed and
worried.
Carlson insists that Candy’s dog is shot because it is old and smells. No one
supports him so Candy reluctantly agrees and Carlson shoots it.
Lennie is alone in the barn with his puppy, whom he has killed.
Candy finds Curley’s Wife dead. George instantly knows Lennie has done it.
Curley and Carlson want to shoot Lennie.
Quiz Questions
1. Where is Of Mice and Men set?
2. When is Of Mice and Men set?
3. What was the Great Depression?
4. What was life like for women at this time?
5. What was life like for ethnic minorities at this time?
6. Where have George and Lennie come from?
7. What do Lennie and George eat by the fire when they are camping out?
8. How many bunks are there in the bunk house?
9. What does George find next to his bed?
10. What lies does George tell The Boss?
11. What tournament has Curley won in the past?
12. What colour lipstick does Curley’s Wife wear?
13. How many pups did Slim’s bitch have?
14. What is Slim’s job title?
15. What game do the men play outside?
16. What does Candy eat that gives him gut ache?
17. How much money does Candy offer Lennie and George?
18. What is the name of the man who writes in to the magazine that Slim reads?
19. What are the names of the two cat-houses in town?
20. What colour is the pup Slim gives Lennie?
21. Where did Curley’s Wife meet Curley?
22. Who does Lennie imagine when he is hallucinating in the brush?
Characters
Write down what you know about each character. Think about what kind of character they
are, what kinds of relationships they have with others, how they are developed throughout
the novel.
Key Vocabulary
Use your class notes and a dictionary to revise these key terms and link them to the
novella.
Companionship
Disempowered
Euthanasia
Flirtatious
Foreshadowing
Hierarchy
Idyllic
Isolation
Microcosm
Migrant workers
Ostracised
Persecution
Predatory
Scapegoat
Segregation
Suffering
Provocative
Vulnerable
Key Quotations
Revise these key quotations for use in your essay style exam answer
1. ‘imitated George exactly’
2. ‘If I was alone, I could live so easy. I could go an’ get a job an’ work an’ no trouble’
3. ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’’
4. ‘But not us! An’ why? Because…because I got you to look after me and you got me to
look after you an’ that’s why!’
5. ‘Give the stable buck hell too’
6. ‘They let the nigger come in that night’
7. ‘little skinner, name of Smitty, took after the nigger’
8. ‘Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart’
9. ‘A girl was standing there looking in. She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes,
heavily made up’
10. ‘I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her’
11. ‘She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck
the eye.’
12. ‘a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn’
13. ‘for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about’
14. ‘They play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I
tell you, all of you stink to me.’
15. ‘Crooks’s face lighted with pleasure in his torture’
16. ‘I tell ya, a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick’
17. ‘I tell ya, I coulda went with shows.’
18. ‘Sat’I’day night, Ever’body out doin; som’pin. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’?
Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger an’ a dum dum an’ a lousy
ol’ sheep – an’ likin’ it becayse they ain’t nobody else.’
19. ‘Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it
ain’t even funny.’
20. ‘Crooks reduced himself to nothing.’
21. ‘I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.” She said
darkly, “Maybe I will yet.” And then her words tumbled out in a passion of
communication.’
22. ‘I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’
23. ‘he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish.’
24. ‘The hand shook violently but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the
trigger.’
How to answer the Of Mice and Men
question
There is a choice of two questions. You only answer one. You should spend 45 minutes on
the question you choose.
a. How is Lennie developed throughout the novel?
b. How is the theme of loneliness important in the novel?
1. Choose the question you want to answer.
2. Plan your answer carefully – you need to make a range of points from throughout
the novel.
3. Your introduction needs to define the theme / outline the character and refer to the
social and historical context.
Loneliness is an important theme in Of Mice and Men and many characters demonstrate
their loneliness. At the time the novella was set, many people felt lonely as they were
displaced and forced to live away from their families to earn a living during this time of
the Great Depression.
4. The main body of your response should use a range of quotations, show a full
understanding of the whole text and link back to the social and historical context –
what life was like in America in the 1930s.
This is an example paragraph:
At the start of the novella, Candy has his dog for companionship but it is clear that he is
lonely by the way that he is so keen to talk to Lennie and George when they arrive. Candy
meets them and quickly starts to gossip about other people on the ranch, particularly
Curley and his wife: ‘Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart.’ This shows that Candy is lonely
as he seems quite desperate for human contact, trying to provoke Lennie and George into
conversation. Candy’s loneliness increases when Carlson shoots his dog. Candy tries to avoid
this as he has ‘had him from a pup’ but no one supports him. He is clearly upset when his
dog gets shot as he turns to face the wall but no one comforts him or even seems to
understand his feelings, partly because men at the time would have become hardened to
living alone and almost used to feelings of loneliness. As a result of this event, Candy
offers his life savings to Lennie and George, who he has only just met, so that they can get
their dream ranch: ‘I’d make a will and leave a share to you guys’. This seems strange but
having lost his dog all Candy can see is a future full of loneliness so by offering his money
he is able to envisage a future with Lennie and George where he is not lonely. This shows
the massive effect of loneliness on Candy if he is willing to spend all of his savings just to
be part of Lennie and George’s dream. However, when it becomes clear that this dream is
not going to happen, Candy is devastated as he ‘lay down in the hay and covered his eyes
with his arm’. This is because he knows he is going to have to spend the remainder of his
days alone and lonely on the ranch. It is clear that loneliness has a massive impact on
Candy and his behaviour and the reader feels increasingly sorry for him as the novella
progresses. Candy represents the loneliness and isolation of many men in the 1930s and
how there was no way out of this loneliness for them.
* This answer is not finished! It needs to cover the loneliness of Crooks and Curley’s Wife
as well!
5. Your conclusion should sum up all of your ideas and come to a conclusion about the
theme / character.
In conclusion, the theme of loneliness is really important in Of Mice and Men as really
everyone is lonely in different ways and for different reasons. This reflects how lonely
and isolating life in 1930s America was for so many people at the time. It makes me
incredibly glad to live now, when people are much kinder to one another and there is more
of a sense of community.