MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS BOARD
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA, MSIDA
SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE LEVEL
SPECIMEN PAPER
Syllabus 2013
SUBJECT: English Literature
PAPER NUMBER: IIA
TIME: 2 hrs.
Answer one question from each Section
Each section carries equal marks
SECTION A
DRAMA
Answer ONE question only
1.
MACBETH (W. Shakespeare)
Lady Macduff
Whither should I fly?
I have done no harm. But I remember now
I am in this earthly world, where, to do harm
Is often laudable; to do good, sometime
Accounted dangerous folly: why then, alas!
Do I put up that womanly defence,
To say, I have done no harm? What are these faces!
Enter Murderers
Murderer
Where is your husband?
Lady Macduff
I hope, in no place so unsanctified,
Where such as thou may’st find him.
Murderer
He’s a traitor.
Son
Thou liest, thou shag-hair’d villain!
Murderer
What, you egg!
Stabbing him
Young fry of treachery!
Son
He has kill’d me, mother:
Run away, I pray you!
a. What has led Macbeth to order the killing of Lady Macduff and her son?
b. Discuss how this episode reflects Macbeth’s further plunge into evil.
c. Excluding the role of the Witches, explore how the theme of betrayal is developed in the
play.
1
2
Examine how through various images of sight and sound, Shakespeare makes the
sense of guilt very vivid in Macbeth.
3
With close reference to the play, consider the different types of conflict that are found
in Macbeth.
TWELFTH NIGHT (W. Shakespeare)
4
Malvolio
Lady, you have. Pray you, peruse that letter.
You must not now deny it is your hand;
Write from it, if you can, in hand or phrase;
Or say ’tis not your seal nor your invention;
You can say none of this. Well, grant it then,
And tell me, in the modesty of honour,
Why you have given me such clear lights of favour,
Bade me come smiling and cross-garter’d to you,
To put on yellow stockings, and to frown
Upon Sir Toby and the lighter people;
And, acting this in an obedient hope,
Why have you suffer’d me to be imprison’d,
Kept in a dark house, visited by the priest,
And made the most notorious geck and gull
That e’er invention play’d on? Tell me why.
a. What circumstances have led Malvolio to be fooled into thinking that Lady Olivia might be
interested in him?
b. Write about the behaviours of Malvolio that make you think he deserves what he is put
through.
c. Excluding Malvolio, how far do you agree that other characters in Twelfth Night get what
they deserve?
5
‘Although Feste, the clown, is one of the minor characters, he has an important role
in the play.’ Discuss.
6
Compare and contrast the characters of Olivia and Viola as they appear in Twelfth
Night.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (William Shakespeare)
1
Shylock
To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
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a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
will better the instruction.
a.
b.
c.
d.
2
Explain briefly the immediate context of the above passage.
What does the passage reveal about the character of the speaker?
Shylock seeks revenge. Explain how he tries to justify his intention.
What is the relationship of this passage to the general theme and outcome of the play?
‘Portia has the characteristics of a true heroine.’ Discuss.
3
‘Although it is not a tragedy, The Merchant of Venice gets very close to being one.’
Discuss.
THE PLAY OF KES (Barry Hines and Alan Stronach) and
DEAR NOBODY (Berlie Doherty)
4
‘In The Play of Kes, while Billy manages to control a bird of prey, in most other areas
of his life Billy is the victim of people and circumstances that prey on him.’ Discuss.
5
In Dear Nobody various characters have different attitudes towards abortion.
Compare and contrast these attitudes.
6
By referring to characters and episodes from both plays, show how the value of life is
depicted in The Play of Kes and in Dear Nobody.
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (Arthur Miller)
7
Write about the theme of betrayal in A View from the Bridge.
8
‘Although Eddie is a far from perfect character, he wins the sympathy of the
audience.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?
9
How does the play maintain the interest of the audience?
SECTION B
POETRY
Answer ONE question only.
THE NEW DRAGON BOOK OF VERSE
3
1 In My Parents Kept me from Children who were Rough and The Discovery, the boy and the
Indian experience fear when faced with the unfamiliar. Show how the poets depict this fear.
2 Illustrate how the concern with death is presented in two of the following poems: Sonnet
LX, The Soldier and The Lesson.
3 In the poem Wind, Ted Hughes describes the intensity of a gale. By paying particular
attention to language and imagery, show how he makes such a force of nature vivid to the
reader.
SECTION C
PROSE
Answer ONE question only on ONE text.
THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS
1
Why does the author purposely allow Bruno to die at the end of the story? What effect
does it have on the reader?
2
Talking about acting, his grandmother had told Bruno: ‘You wear the right outfit and
you feel like the person you’re pretending to be.” Discuss his relationship with his
grandmother and how this relates to what Bruno does when he puts on the Jews’ uniform and
crosses the fence.
3
Discuss how Boyne exploits the horrors of the Holocaust through the innocence of a
child.
THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR AND OTHER STORIES (R. Dahl)
4
Most of the characters in these short stories reflect Roald Dahl’s idea of human
nature. He thought that people act nice on the outside, but it is difficult to know what is going
on in their minds. Discuss with reference to any two stories.
5
‘I remember seeing the spurts of flame from his gun as he came, and I remember
seeing the child for a split second, standing still, facing the machine. I remember that wind
was blowing her hair.’ Write about the relationship between the narrator and the child in the
story Katina.
6
By referring to the short stories in the collection, identify and describe some features
in the writing of Roald Dahl which have made him such a successful writer.
ANIMAL FARM (G. Orwell)
7
In Animal Farm, fear and ignorance are two major obstacles which prevent the
animals from achieving their dream of freedom. Discuss.
4
8
Animal Farm pokes fun at the foolishness of society. Explore the different ways in
which Orwell paints a comical picture of human beings in his novel.
9
Imagine you are Napoleon at the end of Animal Farm. Write an account for your
personal journal or diary in which you describe your thoughts and feelings.
PRIVATE PEACEFUL (M. Morpurgo)
10
Throughout the story, Tommo seems to live in the shadow of his brother Charlie.
Support this statement with close reference to the narrative.
11
Private Peaceful takes the reader on a journey that moves from instances of simple
happiness to disturbing hardships. Discuss.
12
Describe the suffering caused by war as depicted in Private Peaceful.
THE OTHER SIDE OF TRUTH (B. Naidoo)
13
Amidst the injustices, the inequalities and the corruption, acts of bravery triumph in
The Other Side of Truth. Discuss.
14
The Other Side of Truth explores ‘human dilemmas’ as Sade and Femi struggle with
the new realities that life in London imposes on them. Discuss.
15
Discuss the theme of truth as brought out in The Other Side of Truth.
FRANKENSTEIN (Mary Shelley)
16
Victor Frankenstein’s creation is referred to as ‘The Monster’. Do you think it is a fair
description of the creature? Give reasons for your answer.
17
‘The story of Frankenstein shows the dangers caused by the misuse of knowledge.’
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
18
‘Frankenstein is not just a horror story.’ To what extent do you agree with this
statement?
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