English Literature – Term 1
Grade 9
Academic Year 2023-2024
Name:
Class:
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Date: _________________
Unit 1 - SA No. 1
Instructions: Read the following questions carefully and answer accordingly.
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE OVER UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.
1. Write your name on the Question paper.
2. Read all instructions carefully.
3. Use blue or black pen for your answers. You can use a pencil for
drawings or diagrams.
4. The use of correction fluid/tape is not allowed.
5. The total mark for this paper is 40.
6. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer. All rough work should be
done in this booklet.
Total Pages: 7
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SECTION 1
Analysis and interpretation of the poem Stealing by Carol Ann Duffy . (10 points)
Stealing
by Carol Ann Duffy
Collection Selling Manhattan, 1987
The most unusual thing I ever stole? A snowman.
Midnight. He looked magnificent; a tall, white mute
beneath the winter moon. I wanted him, a mate
with a mind as cold as the slice of ice
within my own brain. I started with the head.
Better off dead than giving in, not taking
what you want. He weighed a ton; his torso,
frozen stiff, hugged to my chest, a fierce chill
piercing my gut. Part of the thrill was knowing
that children would cry in the morning. Life's tough.
Sometimes I steal things I don't need. I joy-ride cars
to nowhere, break into houses just to have a look.
I'm a mucky ghost, leave a mess, maybe pinch a camera.
I watch my gloved hand twisting the doorknob.
A stranger's bedroom. Mirrors. I sigh like this - Aah.
It took some time. Reassembled in the yard,
he didn't look the same. I took a run
and booted him. Again. Again. My breath ripped out
in rags. It seems daft now. Then I was standing
alone among lumps of snow, sick of the world.
Boredom. Mostly I'm so bored I could eat myself.
One time, I stole a guitar and thought I might
learn to play. I nicked a bust of Shakespeare once,
flogged it, but the snowman was the strangest.
You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?
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Questions:
1. What is the theme of the poem: “Stealing” by Carol Ann Duffy?
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2. In which verse is the poem “Stealing” by Carol Ann Duffy written?
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3. What does the “Snowman” symbolize in the poem ‘Stealing’ by Carol Ann Duffy?
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4. Is the poem, “Stealing” by Carol Ann Duffy a dramatic monologue? If yes, justify.
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5. When was the poem “Stealing” published and in which collection?
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6. What does the phrase “Life’s tough” indicate in the poem ‘Stealing by Carol Ann
Duffy?
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7. What are the things that the poet stole in the poem “Stealing”?
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8. What are the examples of personification, symbolism, and metaphor in the poem?
Justify.
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9. “Sometimes I steal things I do not need” – what is the poet trying to say
with this line? Justify your interpretation as the reader .(2 points)
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SECTION 2
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Literary devices
Choose the correct answer. (10 points).
1. "Buzzz" went the bee past Thomas's face. This is an example of what literary device? Choose one.
A. Metaphor
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Alliteration
2."Darkness has a way of falling down on you around here," Thomas's father told him. This is an
example of what literary device?
A. Personification
B. Alliteration
C. Hyperbole
3.____________________ is when the author gives a hint about events to come later in the story. Fill
in the blank with the best answer.
4. ...with the night coming like liquid behind him. This is an example of what literary device?
A. Metaphor
B. Alliteration
C. Simile
5. He could hear the wind whistling by his ears. This is an example of what literary device?
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Personification
6. A man swung down from a mile-high spruce. This is an example of what literary device?
A. Personification
B. Hyperbole
C. Onomatopoeia
7. A man swung down from a mile-high spruce. This is an example of what literary device?
A. Personification
B. Hyperbole
C. Onomatopoeia
8. The hair hanging mosslike from its jowls bristled and tumbled gold and orange. This is an example
of what literary device?
A. Imagery
B. Foreshadowing
C. Metaphor
9. A metaphor _____________ two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
10. I think of you a million times a day. This is an example of what literary device?
A. Personification
B. Hyperbole
C. Alliteration
SECTION 3
5
Based on the guiding questions analyse the poem below:
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Guiding questions:
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Who is the narrator speaking to?
Find three command phrases in the poem. What is the effect of these?
Do you think the poet feels hopeful about relationships? Why or why not?
Identify what the onion is or does, and in what ways this is similar to relationships.
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