Practice Paper 5

I (i) · Practice question

"My mother thinks us long away;
'Tis time the field were mown.
She had two sons at rising day,
To-night she'll be alone."

• (a) Name the poem from which these lines are taken. Name the poet. 1 mark
• (b) Who are 'us'? 1 mark
• (c) Why will the mother be alone tonight? 1 mark
• (d) What is the effect of the contrast in the last two lines? 2 marks

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• (a) "Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree" by A. E. Housman.
• (b) The speaker and his brother Maurice.
• (c) The speaker has killed his brother Maurice and must run away.
• (d) It shows the sudden tragedy: in one day the mother loses both sons, one dead and one a fugitive. The simple words create pathos and sympathy.

I (ii) · Practice question

"We climb out of bed with a frouzly head,
And a snarly-yarly voice.
We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl"

• (a) Name the poem from which these lines are taken. Name the poet. 1 mark
• (b) Who are 'We'? 1 mark
• (c) Name one sound device in the third line. 1 mark
• (d) What is the effect of the made-up words 'frouzly' and 'snarly-yarly'? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Camel's Hump" by Rudyard Kipling.
• (b) Children and grown-ups alike: anyone who has "the hump".
• (c) Internal rhyme ("scowl"/"growl") or alliteration (the "g" sounds of "grunt" and "growl").
• (d) They are playful and humorous, and their sounds suggest an untidy, grumpy mood. They make the lesson amusing for children.

II (i) · Practice question

""You are not to go into the gooseberry garden," said the aunt, changing the subject.
"Why not?" demanded Nicholas.
"Because you are in disgrace," said the aunt loftily."

• (a) Name the text from which these lines are taken. Name the author. 1 mark
• (b) Why is Nicholas "in disgrace"? 1 mark
• (c) Why does the aunt change the subject? 1 mark
• (d) What does 'loftily' suggest about the aunt? Is her reasoning convincing? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Lumber Room" by Saki (H. H. Munro).
• (b) He refused to eat his bread-and-milk because there was a frog in it, which he had put there himself.
• (c) Nicholas has pointed out that she did not listen when Bobby said his boots were hurting.
• (d) She speaks in a proud, superior way. Her reasoning is weak: being in disgrace has nothing to do with the garden, and Nicholas "did not admit the flawlessness of the reasoning".

II (ii) · Practice question

"We all sit in the dressing room and talk. Talk about what happened. Within minutes there is laughter and the jokes have started to flow."

• (a) Name the text from which these lines are taken. Name the speaker/author. 1 mark
• (b) Who are 'We'? 1 mark
• (c) When does this happen? 1 mark
• (d) Comment on the use of the present tense and the short sentences. 2 marks

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• (a) "The Lahore Attack" by Kumar Sangakkara.
• (b) The Sri Lankan cricket team.
• (c) After the team bus has reached the stadium and they have survived the attack.
• (d) The present tense makes the scene immediate, as if it is happening now; the short sentences slow the pace after the violence and show relief. The laughter shows the team's resilience and friendship.

III (i) · Practice question

"LUKA. It isn't right, madam.... You're just destroying yourself."

• (a) Name the play from which these lines are taken. Name the playwright. 1 mark
• (b) Who is Luka? 1 mark
• (c) Why does he say she is 'destroying' herself? 1 mark
• (d) What is the dramatic purpose of these opening words? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.
• (b) Popova's old footman (servant).
• (c) She has shut herself up in the house for a year, mourning her husband and refusing to go out or enjoy life.
• (d) They introduce Popova's situation and her exaggerated mourning, and they present Luka as a voice of common sense. They prepare for the comedy when Smirnov arrives and her mourning collapses.

III (ii) · Practice question

"You're a boor! A coarse bear! A Bourbon! A monster!"

• (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) What has made the speaker so angry? 1 mark
• (d) Why are these words important in the play? 2 marks

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• (a) "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.
• (b) Popova, to Smirnov.
• (c) Smirnov refuses to leave without his money, shouts, mocks her mourning and threatens Luka.
• (d) They give the play its title. The insult leads Smirnov to challenge her to a duel, which causes the comic reversal when he falls in love with her.

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.

"The King turned to Tom, and said kindly—"My poor boy, how was it that you could remember where I hid the Seal when I could not remember it myself?"
"Ah, my King, that was easy, since I used it divers days."
"Used it—yet could not explain where it was?"
"I did not know it was that they wanted. They did not describe it, your Majesty."
"Then how used you it?"
The red blood began to steal up into Tom's cheeks, and he dropped his eyes and was silent.
"Speak up, good lad, and fear nothing," said the King. "How used you the Great Seal of England?"
Tom stammered a moment, in a pathetic confusion, then got it out—
"To crack nuts with!""

• (i) When and where does this incident take place? 2 marks
• (ii) Why could Tom not tell the courtiers where the Great Seal was? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) used it divers days 1 mark
• (b) in a pathetic confusion 1 mark
• (iv) Why is this moment both humorous and important for the plot? 4 marks

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• (i) When and where does this incident take place?
  On Coronation Day in Westminster Abbey, after the true King has proved his identity and the Great Seal has been found.
• (ii) Why could Tom not tell the courtiers where the Great Seal was?
  He did not know what the Great Seal was, because nobody had described it to him; he had been using it without knowing its importance.
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) used it divers days
  Used it on several (many) days.
• (b) in a pathetic confusion
  In a pitiful state of embarrassment and confusion.
• (iv) Why is this moment both humorous and important for the plot?
  It is funny that the most important symbol of royal power was used to crack nuts; the court bursts into laughter. It is also important because Tom's answer removes the last doubt that Edward is the true King, since only someone familiar with royalty could know where the Seal was. Theme: appearances and symbols of power mean little without real knowledge and character; Edward's kindness to Tom.

II · Bringing Tony Home

After the family moves house, the narrator is sent back to the old neighbourhood with errands to do: buying rations, collecting the new ration books and fetching a dressing-table mirror. He adds:

"But I had another very important task to perform, something I had secretly vowed to myself I would do."

• (i) When and where does this take place? 2 marks
• (ii) What is the "very important task"? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) task to perform 1 mark
• (b) secretly vowed 1 mark
• (iv) What does this sentence reveal about the narrator? How does it build suspense? 4 marks

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• (i) When and where does this take place?
  After the family has moved from Depanama to Wijerama; the narrator is sent back to Depanama.
• (ii) What is the "very important task"?
  To bring his dog Tony home to the new house.
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) task to perform
  A job he had to carry out.
• (b) secretly vowed
  Made a private, solemn promise to himself.
• (iv) What does this sentence reveal about the narrator? How does it build suspense?
  It reveals his love and loyalty to Tony, his determination and his growing independence: he plans something important without telling the adults. Ending the list of ordinary errands with a 'secret' task creates curiosity and suspense about what he will do. Themes: the human-animal bond; growing up; parting and reunion.

III · The Vendor of Sweets

Jagan hears that Mali wants to go to America to learn to write. His cousin brings the news to the shop. Jagan reacts:

"He should rather go to a village granny, he said, all his patriotic sentiment surging."

• (i) When and where does this happen? 2 marks
• (ii) Why is Jagan shocked? 2 marks
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) a village granny 1 mark
• (b) patriotic sentiment surging 1 mark
• (iv) What themes of the novel are reflected in this reaction? 4 marks

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• (i) When and where does this happen?
  In Jagan's sweet shop, in the evening, when the cousin tells him of Mali's plan to go to America.
• (ii) Why is Jagan shocked?
  He did not expect his son to leave him and go so far away to a Western country, and he thinks Indians do not need to go abroad to learn story-telling.
• (iii) Explain the meaning of the following phrase as it occurs in the passage: (a) a village granny
  An old village woman who tells traditional stories.
• (b) patriotic sentiment surging
  A strong feeling of love for his country suddenly rising in him.
• (iv) What themes of the novel are reflected in this reaction?
  National pride and the value of Indian tradition (story-telling belongs to the village and the epics); the conflict between the older and younger generations; tradition and modernity / East and West. It also shows Jagan's love and anxiety for his son.

1. How does Keats use personification and the sonnet form in 'To the Nile'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a Petrarchan sonnet addressed to the river.
• Personification: "Son of the old moon-mountains African", "Nurse of swart nations".
• The river as a living being who rests "'twixt Cairo and Decan" and "dost taste / The pleasant sunrise".
• Octave and sestet; the volta: "O may dark fancies err!"
• Rhyme scheme and compact form give unity.
• Conclusion: form and personification support the change of attitude.

2. How does Szymborska use time to build tension in 'The Terrorist, He's Watching'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a bomb set to go off at thirteen twenty.
• The countdown and the precise timing.
• People going in and out; chance and fate.
• The terrorist's calm observation.
• The final seconds.
• Conclusion: time makes the reader feel helpless suspense.

3. What is the role of the son in 'Once Upon a Time'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: the father speaks throughout to his son.
• The son represents innocence and sincerity.
• The father admits his faults to him: "So I have learned many things, son."
• The father wants to learn from him: "So show me, son, / how to laugh".
• Hope for the future.
• Conclusion: the child is a symbol of the values the adult world has lost.

4. Discuss the symbols of the swallow, the princess and the queen in 'Fear'. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a mother's fears for her daughter.
• The swallow: freedom and distance.
• The princess: wealth and luxury.
• The queen: power and complete separation: "on a throne / where I could not go to see her".
• The symbols grow in importance and in distance from the mother.
• Conclusion: they express the fear of a child growing up and leaving.

5. "The title 'Two's Company' is the key to the poem's humour." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: the proverb "Two's company, three's a crowd".
• The man wants to be alone to prove ghosts do not exist.
• His growing fear and precautions.
• The ghost in the cupboard: "I am the ghost. Pray who are you?"
• He is not alone after all: the title becomes ironic.
• Conclusion: the title and the twist work together.

6. What message does 'Twilight of a Crane' carry for modern society? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a folk tale retold as modern drama.
• Love and gratitude: Tsu's sacrifice.
• Greed and commercialism: Sodo and Unzu.
• The loss of innocence: Yohyo changes.
• Broken trust and its consequences.
• Relevance today: money can destroy relationships and nature.
• Conclusion: a lasting warning against materialism.

7. How do dialogue and stage directions create comedy in 'The Bear'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: a short farce.
• Quick, angry exchanges: "Is that the last word you've got to say?" "Yes, the last word."
• Asides that reveal hidden feelings: "Her eyes, her eyes! What an inspiring woman!"
• Stage directions: breaking chairs, the photograph, the pistols.
• Repetition and exaggeration.
• The final tableau with the servants.
• Conclusion: dialogue and action make the play lively and funny.

8. "In 'Wave', the sea, a place of holiday pleasure, becomes a destructive force." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: the setting at Yala.
• The peaceful holiday.
• The first sight of the wave.
• The water's power over the jeep.
• Irony: the sea brings death.
• Conclusion: nature is beautiful but uncontrollable.

9. "At the end of 'The Lumber Room', Nicholas is the winner." Do you agree? 15 marks

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• Introduction: the outcome of the day.
• The aunt's humiliation in the tank.
• The failed trip to Jagborough.
• Tea "in a fearsome silence".
• Nicholas thinking about the huntsman and the wolves.
• Conclusion: a reasoned view.

10. How does Sangakkara show sympathy and humility in 'The Lahore Attack'? 15 marks

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• Introduction: the speaker's honesty.
• Sympathy for others who have suffered violence.
• Admiration for the courage of ordinary people.
• Humility: "I felt humbled."
• Not presenting himself as a hero.
• Conclusion: these qualities make the speech moving.

11. Discuss the character of the Student in 'The Nightingale and the Rose'. 15 marks

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• Introduction: a young student in love.
• Emotional but shallow: he weeps for a rose.
• Bookish: "he only knew the things that are written down in books".
• Unable to understand the Nightingale.
• Rude and bitter at the end.
• Returns to Philosophy and Metaphysics.
• Conclusion: Wilde uses him to criticise intellect without feeling.

12. "In 'The Prince and the Pauper', people are judged by their clothes." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: the exchange of clothes.
• Tom accepted as prince because he wears royal clothes.
• Edward rejected and mocked because he wears rags.
• The guard at the gate.
• The coronation and the Great Seal.
• Conclusion: Twain criticises judging people by appearance.

13. How does 'Bringing Tony Home' recreate a vanished way of life in Sri Lanka? 15 marks

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• Introduction: an adult's memories of the past.
• Ration books, the co-op store, the Headman's office.
• Slow buses, trees and waterways.
• Neighbours and hospitality.
• Social change and the family's move.
• Conclusion: the novel is also a record of a past era.

14. "Jagan's retreat at the end is an escape, not a spiritual awakening." Discuss. 15 marks

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• Introduction: the ending of the novel.
• His reasons for leaving: Mali, Grace, unhappiness.
• Traditional ideal of vanaprastha.
• He still keeps his cheque book.
• He pays Mali's bail and offers Grace her fare.
• Conclusion: a balanced answer.