Posted: September 14th, 2017

ENGLISH

ENGLISH

1.
Beckett
“
Nothing is funnier than unhappiness
.”
(Nell in
Endgame
)
Discuss
Waiting for Godot
and
Endgame
in the light of this quotation.
2.
Byrne
The Slab Boys Trilogy
has been described as “
a study in aspiration and frustration
”.
Discuss Byrne’s dramatic treatment of “
aspiration and frustration
” in
The Slab Boys
Trilogy
.
3.
Chekhov
“
Chekhov’s characters experience human passions—love, hate, rage, jealousy—only in a
temporary or muted form.
”
Keeping this assertion in mind, discuss Chekhov’s presentation of at least
two
characters in
Uncle Vanya
or
in
The Cherry Orchard
.
4.
Friel
“
Friel’s characters inhabit the territory between hope and disappointment
.”
To what extent do you agree?
In your answer you should refer to
Translations
and
Dancing at Lughnasa
.
5.
Lindsay
“
Lindsay is at his most bitingly satirical when he focuses on the corruption of the Church
.”
How far do you agree?
6.
Lochhead
Analyse and evaluate Lochhead’s use of stagecraft and other dramatic techniques in
Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off
and
in
Dracula

7.
Pinter
“
Ultimately, the objective for Pinter characters is to survive.
”
Discuss with reference to
two
or
three
of the specified plays.
8.
Shakespeare
EITHER
(
a
)
Othello
and
Antony and
Cleopatra
“
Iago and Octavius Caesar are each, in their own ways, in love with power.
”
Keeping this assertion in mind, compare the role and function of Iago in
Othello
with the role and function of Octavius Caesar in
Antony and Cleopatra
.
OR
(
b
)
The Winter’s Tale
and
The Tempest
Discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of the relationships between fathers and their
children in
The Winter’s Tale
and
in
The Tempest
.
9.
Stoppard
“
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
and
Arcadia
offer the audience a perfect
marriage of comedy and grave thoughts
.”
How far do you agree?
10.
Wilde
“
From the overbearing Lady Bracknell to the intriguing Mrs Erlynne, Wilde presents his
audiences with some truly memorable mothers.
”
Compare the presentation and role of Lady Bracknell in
The Importance of Being
Earnest
with the presentation and role of Mrs Erlynne in
Lady Windemere’s Fan
.
11.
Williams
“
In his plays Williams presents us with brave outcasts
”.
How far do you agree with this description of Williams’s characters in
A Streetcar
Named Desire
and
in
Sweet Bird of Youth
?

Burns
Discuss Burns’s treatment of human “
fauts and folly
” in
three
or
four
of the specified
poems and songs.
13.
Chaucer
“
Death is everywhere in the literary landscape of
The Pardoner’s Tale
.
”
Examine
The Pardoner’s Tale
in the light of this assertion.
14.
Donne
“
A mingling of intellect and passion . .
.”
How well does this describe Donne’s poetry? You should refer to
three
or
four
of the
specified poems.
15.
Duffy
Read the following poem and then answer the questions that follow it.
Poet for Our Times
I write the headlines for a Daily Paper.
It’s just a knack one’s born with all-right-Squire.
You do not have to be an educator,
just bang the words down like they’re screaming
Fire!
CECIL-KEAYS ROW SHOCK TELLS EYETIE WAITER.
ENGLAND FAN CALLS WHINGEING FROG A LIAR.
Cheers. Thing is, you’ve got to grab attention
with just one phrase as punters rush on by.
I’ve made mistakes too numerous to mention,
so now we print the buggers inches high.
TOP MP PANTIE ROMP INCREASES TENSION.
RENT BOY: ROCK STAR PAID ME WELL TO LIE.
I’d like to think that I’m a sort of poet
for our times. My shout. Know what I mean?
I’ve got a special talent and I show it
in punchy haikus featuring the Queen.
DIPLOMAT IN BED WITH SERBO-CROAT.
EASTENDERS’ BONKING SHOCK IS WELL-OBSCENE.

Of course, these days, there’s not the sense of panic
you got a few years back. What with the box
et cet. I wish I’d been around when the Titanic
sank. To headline that, mate, would have been the tops.
SEE PAGE 3 TODAY GENTS THEY’RE GIGANTIC.
KINNOCK-BASHER MAGGIE PULLS OUT STOPS.
And, yes, I have a dream—make that a scotch, ta—
that kids will know my headlines off by heart.
IMMIGRANTS FLOOD IN CLAIMS HEATHROW WATCHER.
GREEN PARTY WOMAN IS A NIGHTCLUB TART.
The poems of the decade . . .
Stuff’em! Gotcha!
The instant tits and bottom line of art.
(
a
)
Make a detailed analysis of the techniques used by Duffy to present an
unsympathetic view of the speaker in this poem.
(
b
)
Go on to discuss the techniques used by Duffy to present unsympathetic views of
characters in
two
other specified poems.
16.
Heaney
“
The Strand at Lough Beg
and
Casualty
address the questions of guilt and
involvement also raised in the most unflinching of the bog poems
.”
Discuss the poetic means by which Heaney addresses “questions of guilt and
involvement” in
The Strand at Lough Beg
and
Casualty
and
in
one
of the bog poems.

Henryson
“
In both
The Testament of Cresseid
and
The Morall Fabillis
an impression is
given of the world as a hard and unjust place
.”
How far do you agree?
18.
Keats
“
O for a life of sensations rather than of thought!
”
(Keats, in a letter to Benjamin Bailey 1807)
How effectively does Keats convey “
a life of sensations
” in
three
or
four
of the
specified poems?
19.
MacDiarmid
“
MacDiarmid’s poetry ranges widely over time and space, exploring the fundamental

mysteries of love and death and human destiny
.”
Discuss with reference
either
to
A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle
or
to
three
or
four
of the specified lyrics
.
20.
Muir
“
Muir is fascinated by time, both the measurable passing of years in human experience and
the idea of eternity beyond human experience
.”
Discuss with reference to
three
or
four
of the specified poems.
21.
Plath
Read the following poem and then answer the questions that follow it.

Text has been removed due to copyright issues.
(
a
)
Make a detailed analysis of Plath’s use of symbols in her treatment of the
relationship presented in this poem.
AND
(
b
)
Go on to discuss Plath’s use of symbols in her treatment of relationships in
two
or
three
other poems.
22.
Yeats
Discuss Yeats’s treatment of Irish identity in
three
or
four
of the specified poems.

23.
Atwood
“
Both Elaine Risley in
Cat’s Eye
and Grace Marks in
Alias Grace
are creators—and
part of their creative force is shown in their formulation of their own narratives
.”
In what ways does Atwood present both Elaine Risley in
Cat’s Eye
and
Grace Marks
in
Alias Grace
as creators of their own narratives?
24.
Austen
Compare Austen’s treatment of status and snobbery in
Pride and Prejudice
with her
treatment of status and snobbery in
Persuasion
.
25.
Dickens
Discuss some of the ways in which Dickens explores the corrupting influence of
money in
Hard Times
and
in
Great Expectations
.
26.
Fitzgerald
“
. . . the darkness of a marriage and the relief of affairs
.”
How far do you agree with this view of the central relationships in
The Beautiful and
Damned
and
in
Tender is the Night
?
27.
Galloway
“
A key feature of Galloway’s fiction is the way it transforms the innocent and trivial into
something terrifying.
”
Discuss some of the ways in which Galloway achieves this transformation in
The Trick
is to Keep Breathing
and
in
Foreign Parts
.
28.
Gray
“
Gray’s manipulation of structure has been identified as being a significant feature of his
writing
.”
How effective do you find Gray’s “
manipulation of structure
” in
Lanark
and
in
Poor
Things
?
29.
Hardy
Compare the role and function of Damon Wildeve in
The Return of the Native
with
the role and function of Alex D’Urberville in
Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Topic G
The linguistic characteristics of political communication
For
both
questions on this topic, you are provided with a speech made by the British Prime
Minister in 2011, David Cameron, about riots which had taken place in parts of Britain on
the previous evening. Read the speech, and then answer
one
of the questions which follow
it.
Speech made by David Cameron
Good morning. I’ve come straight from a meeting of the government’s COBRA
committee for dealing with emergencies, where we’ve been discussing the action that
we will be taking to help the police to deal with the disorder on the streets of London
and elsewhere in our country. I’ve also met with the Metropolitan Police
Commissioner and the Home Secretary to discuss this further. And people should be
in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and
to make them safe for the law-abiding. Let me first of all completely condemn the
scenes that we have seen on our television screens and people have witnessed in their
communities. These are sickening scenes, scenes of people looting, vandalising,
thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers, and even attacking fire
crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has
to be confronted and defeated. I feel huge sympathy for the families who’ve suffered,
innocent people who’ve been burned out of their houses, and to businesses who’ve seen
their premises smashed, their products looted, and their livelihoods potentially ruined.
I also feel for all those who live in fear, because of these appalling scenes that we’ve
seen on the streets of our country. People should be in no doubt that we are on the side
of the law-abiding—law-abiding people who are appalled by what has happened in
their own communities. As ever, police officers have shown incredible bravery on our
streets in confronting these thugs. But it’s quite clear that we need more, much more
police on our streets, and we need even more robust police action, and it’s that that I’ve
been discussing in COBRA this morning. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has
said that, compared with the six thousand police on the streets last night in London,
there will be some sixteen thousand officers tonight. All leave within the Metropolitan
Police has been cancelled. There will be aid coming from police forces up and down
the country, and we’ll do everything necessary to strengthen and assist those police
forces that are meeting this disorder. There’s already been four hundred and fifty
people arrested. We will make sure that court procedures and processes are speeded up,
and people should expect to see more, many more, arrests in the days to come. I am
determined, the government is determined, that justice will be done and these people
will see the consequence of their actions. And I have this very clear message to those
people who are responsible for this wrongdoing and criminality: you will feel the full
force of the law, and if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough
to face the punishments. And to these people I would say this: you are not only
wrecking the lives of others, you’re not only wrecking your own communities, you are
potentially wrecking your own life too. My office this morning has spoken to the
Speaker of the House of Commons, and he has agreed that Parliament will be recalled
for a day on Thursday, so I can make a statement to Parliament and we can hold a
debate, and we are all able to stand together in condemnation of these crimes, and also
to stand together in determination to rebuild these communities. Now if you’ll excuse
me, there is important work to be done. Thank you.

Provide a detailed analysis of the linguistic features of this speech which characterise
it as a piece of political communication.
14.
Discuss some of the linguistic similarities and differences between this speech and
examples from another kind of political communication (for example, a blog, a debate
in parliament, or a party political broadcast).
Read carefully the short story
Powder
(1996) by Tobias Wolff and then answer the
question that follows it (
Page nineteen
).
Powder
Just before Christmas my father took me skiing at Mount Baker. He’d had to fight
for the privilege of my company, because my mother was still angry with him for
sneaking me into a nightclub during his last visit, to see Thelonious Monk
1
.
He wouldn’t give up. He promised, hand on heart, to take good care of me and have
me home for dinner on Christmas Eve, and she relented. But as we were checking out
of the lodge that morning it began to snow, and in this snow he observed some rare
quality that made it necessary for us to get in one last run. We got in several last runs.
He was indifferent to my fretting. Snow whirled around us in bitter, blinding squalls,
hissing like sand, and still we skied. As the lift bore us to the peak yet again, my father
looked at his watch and said, “Criminy. This’ll have to be a fast one.”
By now I couldn’t see the trail. There was no point in trying. I stuck to him like
white on rice and did what he did and somehow made it to the bottom without sailing
off a cliff. We returned our skis and my father put chains on the Austin-Healey while I
swayed from foot to foot, clapping my mittens and wishing I was home. I could see
everything. The green tablecloth, the plates with the holly pattern, the red candles
waiting to be lit.
We passed a diner on our way out. “You want some soup?” my father asked. I shook
my head. “Buck up,” he said. “I’ll get you there. Right, doctor?”
I was supposed to say, “Right, doctor,” but I didn’t say anything.
A state trooper waved us down outside the resort. A pair of sawhorses were
blocking the road. The trooper came up to our car and bent down to my father’s
window. His face was bleached by the cold. Snowflakes clung to his eyebrows and to
the fur trim of his jacket and cap.
“Don’t tell me,” my father said.
The trooper told him. The road was closed. It might get cleared, it might not.
Storm took everyone by surprise. So much, so fast. Hard to get people moving.
Christmas Eve. What can you do.
My father said, “Look. We’re talking about five, six inches. I’ve taken this car
through worse than that.”
The trooper straightened up. His face was out of sight but I could hear him. “The
road is closed.”
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