SOUTH EASTERN KENYA UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2014/2015
FIRST YEAR MAY-AUGUST 2015 SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS FOR THE
DEGREE OF EDUCATION (ARTS)
TLT 102: PRACTICAL CRITICISM
DATE: 12TH AUGUST, 2015
TIME: 2.00-4.00PM
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer question ONE and any other TWO questions
1. QUESTION ONE.
a. What is practical criticism? 4 marks
b. What does the method of practical criticism entail? (12marks)
c. What is literary criticism? (4 marks)
d. Explain the difference between practical criticism and literary criticism. (10 marks)
2. QUESTION TWO.
Define the following literary terms giving examples from texts of your choice (20 marks)
a. Symbolic title
b. Tone
c. Omniscient narrator
d. Satire
e. Attitude
3. QUESTION THREE
Referring closely to specific plays, identify and explain significance of five dramatic techniques
employed by playwrights (20 marks)
4. QUESTION FOUR
Explain the main elements of prose fiction that a critic should heavily focus on. Attempt to give
illustrations from various texts. (20 marks)
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5. QUESTION FIVE
a. Poets exploit various sound patterns to create a memorable and pleasurable effect.
Identify and discuss any four phonic features commonly used in poems. (10 marks)
b. Apart from phonic elements, identify and explain four stylistic devices prevalently
employed in poems. (10 marks)
6. QUESTION SIX
Attempt a critical evaluation of the following poem. (20 marks)
The Rainy Day
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary:
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary:
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! And cease repining:
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
(BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW)
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