Practice Paper 4

I (i) · Practice question

"Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep."

• (a) Name the poem from which these lines are taken. Name the poet. 1 mark
• (b) Who is addressed as 'thou'? 1 mark
• (c) What are the 'Blue curtains of the sky'? 1 mark
• (d) What mood is created in these lines? How? 2 marks

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• (a) "To the Evening Star" by William Blake.
• (b) The evening star (Venus).
• (c) A metaphor for the evening sky, closing like curtains as night comes.
• (d) A calm, peaceful, loving mood. Gentle images of dew, sleeping flowers and closing curtains, and the personification of the star and the flowers, make evening seem tender and protective.

I (ii) · Practice question

"The king was silent. Then he said slowly,
'Never since I was born of my mother
Have I seen or heard of a skull which spoke.'"

• (a) Name the poem from which these lines are taken. Name the poet. 1 mark
• (b) Who told the king about the skull? 1 mark
• (c) What does the king's silence suggest? 1 mark
• (d) What happens as a result of this conversation? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Huntsman" by Edward Lowbury.
• (b) Kagwa, the huntsman.
• (c) He doubts Kagwa's story and is thinking carefully (suspicion).
• (d) The king sends two guards with Kagwa to find the skull, ordering that Kagwa must die if the skull does not speak. The skull stays silent, so the guards kill Kagwa.

II (i) · Practice question

""What a silly thing Love is," said the Student as he walked away. "It is not half as useful as Logic, for it does not prove anything.""

• (a) Name the text from which these lines are taken. Name the author. 1 mark
• (b) When does the Student say this? 1 mark
• (c) Name one feeling of the Student at this moment. 1 mark
• (d) What is ironic about these words? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde.
• (b) At the end of the story, after the Professor's daughter rejects his red rose and he throws it into the street.
• (c) Anger / disappointment / bitterness (any one).
• (d) The Nightingale has just died to create the rose out of true love, but the Student calls love "silly". He never understands the sacrifice, and he returns to Logic and books.

II (ii) · Practice question

"Oh my God, the sea's coming in."

• (a) Name the text from which these lines are taken. Name the author. 1 mark
• (b) Who says these words? 1 mark
• (c) How does the narrator react at first? 1 mark
• (d) Why is this line important in the extract? 2 marks

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• (a) An extract from "Wave" by Sonali Deraniyagala.
• (b) Orlantha, the narrator's friend.
• (c) She is not alarmed; she sees only the white curl of a big wave and thinks it strange.
• (d) It is the first warning of the tsunami. Its simple words show that nobody understood the danger, which creates suspense and tragic irony.

III (i) · Practice question

"After all I had asked you.....After all you had promised faithfully.....Why—why did you look in at me?"

• (a) Name the play from which these lines are taken. Name the playwright. 1 mark
• (b) Who is the speaker? 1 mark
• (c) What promise has been broken? 1 mark
• (d) How will this incident affect the relationship between the speaker and the person spoken to? 2 marks

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• (a) "Twilight of a Crane" by Junji Kinoshita.
• (b) Tsu.
• (c) Yohyo had promised never to look at her while she was weaving.
• (d) Because her true form as a crane has been seen, she can no longer stay; their marriage will end and Tsu will leave Yohyo for ever.

III (ii) · Practice question

"Fire, then! You can't understand what happiness it would be to die before those beautiful eyes, to be shot by a revolver held in that little, velvet hand...."

• (a) Name the play from which these lines are taken. Name the playwright. 1 mark
• (b) Who speaks these words, and to whom? 1 mark
• (c) Why has the speaker been told he will be shot? 1 mark
• (d) What change in the speaker do these words show? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.
• (b) Smirnov, to Popova.
• (c) Popova has challenged him to a duel and threatens to fire if he does not stand back.
• (d) He has fallen in love: the man who hated women now praises her "beautiful eyes" and "velvet hand" and is ready to die for her. The sudden change is comic and leads to his proposal.

I · The Prince and the Pauper

Read the following extract from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and answer all the questions given below it.

"But meantime, Miles Hendon was resolving the difficulty. "Let the child go," said he; "ye heartless dogs, do ye not see how young and frail he is? Let him go—I will take his lashes."
"Marry, a good thought—and thanks for it," said Sir Hugh, his face lighting with a sardonic satisfaction. "Let the little beggar go, and give this fellow a dozen in his place—an honest dozen, well laid on."
...
Hendon made no outcry under the scourge, but bore the heavy blows with soldierly fortitude. This, together with his redeeming the boy by taking his stripes for him, compelled the respect of even that forlorn and degraded mob that was gathered there; and its gibes and hootings died away, and no sound remained but the sound of the falling blows."

• (i) When and where does this incident take place? 2 marks
• (ii) Why does Sir Hugh accept Hendon's offer so readily? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) soldierly fortitude 1 mark
• (b) its gibes and hootings died away 1 mark
• (iv) What does this incident reveal about Hendon and Hugh? How does Edward reward Hendon? 4 marks

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• (i) When and where does this incident take place?
  When Miles Hendon, disowned by his brother Hugh, has been sentenced to sit in the stocks in the village as a "sturdy vagabond"; the King is about to be whipped for protesting.
• (ii) Why does Sir Hugh accept Hendon's offer so readily?
  He hates his brother and enjoys seeing him humiliated and hurt; it is a chance for cruel revenge ("sardonic satisfaction").
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) soldierly fortitude
  The courage and endurance of a soldier.
• (b) its gibes and hootings died away
  The crowd's insults and jeering stopped.
• (iv) What does this incident reveal about Hendon and Hugh? How does Edward reward Hendon?
  Hendon is loyal, brave and selfless: he suffers to save the boy from pain and shame. Hugh is cruel, cowardly and spiteful. The mob's silence shows respect for true nobility of character. Edward touches Hendon's shoulders with the scourge and makes him an Earl; later, as King, he confirms it. Theme: true nobility comes from character, not birth.

II · Bringing Tony Home

Many years later, the narrator, now an adult, returns to the place of his childhood. He sees a man coming up from the hollow below the road and thinks he recognises him:

"he came walking with a swagger like the way toughs move and his manner changed immediately when he saw me standing by the car"

• (i) What is the situation described here? 2 marks
• (ii) Why does the man's manner change? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) walking with a swagger 1 mark
• (b) the way toughs move 1 mark
• (iv) What does this meeting show about the changes time has brought? 4 marks

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• (i) What is the situation described here?
  The adult narrator returns to his childhood neighbourhood and meets a man he believes is Jayasena, one of the brothers he knew as a boy.
• (ii) Why does the man's manner change?
  He sees a stranger by a car and does not recognise him; he is suspicious and a little afraid.
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) walking with a swagger
  Walking in a proud, confident way.
• (b) the way toughs move
  Like rough, aggressive men.
• (iv) What does this meeting show about the changes time has brought?
  The narrator remembers the man from happy childhood days, but the man does not recognise him; time and social difference (the adult with a car and dark glasses) have separated them. It shows the pain of returning to the past and finding it changed. Themes: memory and nostalgia; social change; the passing of time.

III · The Vendor of Sweets

Mali and Grace keep pressing Jagan to invest money in the story-writing machine. Jagan decides how he will respond:

"Gandhi has taught me peaceful methods, and that's how I'm going to meet their demand."

• (i) When does this take place? 2 marks
• (ii) Why does Jagan distrust the scheme? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) peaceful methods 1 mark
• (b) meet their demand 1 mark
• (iv) How does Jagan apply "peaceful methods"? Is this an honest use of Gandhi's teaching? 4 marks

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• (i) When does this take place?
  After Mali returns from America with Grace and asks Jagan for a large sum of money for his story-writing machine business.
• (ii) Why does Jagan distrust the scheme?
  He thinks it is unrealistic and wasteful, and he feels pressure is being put on him to part with his money.
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) peaceful methods
  Non-violent ways of resisting.
• (b) meet their demand
  Respond to what they are asking for.
• (iv) How does Jagan apply "peaceful methods"? Is this an honest use of Gandhi's teaching?
  He ignores the subject, avoids his son, uses the back door and keeps to his own part of the house: a kind of non-violent non-cooperation. This is partly sincere, since he hates conflict, but partly convenient, because Gandhi's ideas help him protect his money. It shows the comic contradictions in Jagan and the father-son conflict.

1. How does Tennyson make the reader see the world from the eagle's point of view in 'The Eagle'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a six-line poem in two triplets.
• Height and isolation: "Close to the sun in lonely lands".
• The sky surrounds him: "Ring'd with the azure world, he stands".
• From above, the sea looks small: "The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls".
• His home as a fortress: "He watches from his mountain walls".
• Sudden action: "And like a thunderbolt he falls".
• Techniques: personification, alliteration, hyperbole, simile, rhyme.
• Conclusion: the poem lets us share the eagle's majestic viewpoint.

2. "In 'Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree' Housman makes us pity a murderer." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a dramatic monologue from A Shropshire Lad; the speaker talks to Terence.
• Farewell to home: "Farewell to barn and stack and tree, / Farewell to Severn shore."
• The crime: "Maurice amongst the hay lies still / And my knife is in his side."
• The mother: "She had two sons at rising day, / To-night she'll be alone."
• His guilt and grief: "And here's a bloody hand to shake".
• The calm rural setting contrasts with violence.
• Ballad form, simple language, repetition.
• Conclusion: we feel pity for the speaker and his family while recognising the tragedy of his act.

3. How does Yasmine Gooneratne use the language of news and sport in 'Big Match 1983'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a poem about the ethnic violence of 1983 in Sri Lanka.
• The title: a "Big Match" suggests a sporting contest, which is bitterly ironic.
• Headline language: "Flash point in Paradise." "Racial pot boils over."
• History repeating: "see the first sparks of this hate/fanned into flame in Nineteen Fifty Eight".
• Political language: "divide and rule"; "a minority with a majority complex".
• Effect: detached, journalistic phrases contrast with real suffering.
• Conclusion: the poem criticises violence and the way it is reported and repeated.

4. "In 'The Clown's Wife', the wife shows more strength than her husband." Do you agree? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a poem by John Agard spoken by a clown's wife.
• Public and private lives: "Up there he's a king on a throne, / but at home you should hear him moan."
• His sadness at home: "he seems to have the world on his shoulder".
• Her efforts: "I do me best to cheer him up, poor soul. / I juggle with eggs, I turn cartwheels".
• Her patience and love; his silence: "doesn't say what's bothering him inside".
• The ending: "what would I do without this clown of a wife?"
• Conclusion: a reasoned view; the wife's cheerful love is a quiet strength.

5. "We should admire Upside-Down rather than laugh at him." Discuss with reference to 'Upside Down'. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a humorous poem by Alexander Kushner.
• His contrary behaviour: "If he was told to turn to right / He turned to left out of spite."
• Comic examples: reading "ton" as "not"; asking a waiter for "a pair of socks / With clocks on them, and in a box".
• The circus: "everyone said Upside-Down / Was funnier than the circus clown".
• The letter from his aunt: "Shall I read it? P'raps I ought, / P'raps I will, p'raps I can't."
• Arguments for admiration: independence, refusing to conform.
• Arguments for laughter: his behaviour is foolish and makes life difficult.
• Conclusion: a balanced personal view with examples.

6. "Yohyo is a victim, not a villain." Discuss with reference to 'Twilight of a Crane'. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a simple peasant who marries Tsu.
• His innocence and kindness at the beginning; he once saved a crane.
• Sodo and Unzu tempt him with money and the capital.
• His growing greed and pressure on Tsu.
• He breaks his promise and looks at her.
• His loss at the end.
• Conclusion: a balanced answer: he is weak and responsible, but also a victim of others.

7. "'The Bear' makes fun of romantic ideas about love." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a farce about a widow and a creditor.
• Popova's romantic mourning for an unfaithful husband.
• Smirnov's cynical views about women: "Only freaks and old women are faithful and constant!"
• The duel as a parody of romance.
• Sudden love: "I'm in love like a boy, like a fool!"
• The ending: a kiss in front of astonished servants.
• Conclusion: Chekhov mocks sentimental, exaggerated love.

8. How does the fact that 'Wave' is a memoir make the tragedy more moving? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a memoir is a true personal account.
• Real people: Steve, Vik, Malli, her parents, Orlantha.
• First-person narration: we share her thoughts and confusion.
• Hindsight: she knows the outcome, so small details become painful.
• Restraint: she reports rather than exaggerates.
• Conclusion: truth and personal voice make the reader feel the loss.

9. "In 'The Lumber Room' the child is wiser than the adults." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: Nicholas and his aunt.
• The frog incident: adults proved "profoundly in error".
• Bobby's boots: "He told you twice, but you weren't listening."
• The aunt's failed plans: the tide was high at Jagborough.
• Nicholas's planning and imagination.
• Conclusion: Saki suggests adults could learn from children.

10. What message about sport and its values does Sangakkara give in 'The Lahore Attack'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a lecture about the spirit of cricket.
• Players as representatives of their country.
• Courage, discipline and calm under pressure.
• Unity and friendship within the team.
• Respect for ordinary people who showed courage.
• Conclusion: sport can unite and inspire a nation.

11. What does the red rose symbolise in 'The Nightingale and the Rose'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: the rose that the Student wants.
• True love and sacrifice: "build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart's-blood".
• Beauty created by suffering: "the reddest rose in all the world".
• For the Student: only a means to win a dance.
• For the girl: worth less than jewels.
• Its fate in the gutter.
• Conclusion: the rose shows how society wastes true love.

12. How does Mark Twain create humour in 'The Prince and the Pauper'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: humour from mistaken identity.
• Tom's blunders as prince: drinking the rose-water, leaving before the blessing.
• Using the Great Seal "To crack nuts with!"
• Hendon humouring the "mad" boy.
• The witch trial and the storm.
• Satire of court ceremonies.
• Conclusion: humour carries serious criticism.

13. How are the narrator's parents presented in 'Bringing Tony Home'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: the family's difficult situation.
• The mother: empathetic, kind and sensitive; gives him duties.
• The father: distant and at times insensitive.
• The family's economic hardship and move.
• The boy learns to live between their different natures.
• Conclusion: the parents help shape the boy's feelings and actions.

14. What is the role of the cousin in 'The Vendor of Sweets'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: Jagan's cousin, a friend and listener.
• His daily visits to taste sweets and gossip.
• He listens to Mali's letters as "an uncomplaining listener".
• Go-between: carries messages between father and son.
• At the end, he looks after the shop and tells Jagan of Mali's arrest.
• Comic and practical contrast to Jagan.
• Conclusion: a minor character with important functions.