Sec 2EXP Literature EOY Exam Revision

Examination Format The EOY 2011 will examine students’ understanding in prose and Macbeth only. There will be no poetry. There will be two sections: Unseen Text: Prose Set Text: Macbeth

Section 1: Unseen Text [25 marks] Prose (short story) that you have never seen before. The length of the story is just short of 1.5 pages. It will test your skills of: Annotation Reading Answering question demands

Section 2: Set Text [25 marks] One essay question on Macbeth. It will test your understanding of Macbeth as a whole. This can be easier because:  You have studied the play  You are expected to have a strong personal response  You can prepare for the question by thinking about what strong scenes or quotes you can include in your answer.

Steps to answering unseen questions Step 1: Read the prose for initial impressions Form a basic idea or summary in your head of characters or the narrative Step 2: Read the prose for depth Annotate for: Complex words and their meaning Statements and meaning Your inferences Character details Literary Techniques

Step 3: Read for personal response After reading, ask yourself the following: How do I feel? Do I feel sympathy/revulsion/pain/pity/hatred/sadness? Why do I feel that way? What words trigger my feelings? What personal opinions do I have of this poem?

Plan, plan, plan You must plan your answers before you write them. There is no other way around this. When you do not plan, you will end up having nothing to write about. Make sure you quickly jot down your ideas while you consider the question, either in point form or a mind- map. Planning will give more structure to your answers and will help guide the examiner through your thoughts.

Essential things to note Please start a new question on a new page. Leave a line between parts of the questions. Eg. Question 1a and 1b Label your question numbers very clearly – failure to label your answers correctly will result in a penalty.

Timing Decide now (before the exam) how you will divide your time for the literature exam. For instance, you might want to put away at least 10 minutes for annotation purposes, and minimum 15 to write each answer. Remember, annotate the title and questions too!

How to prepare for the EOY Lit Study wherever you can: Set text questions are easy because you already have been exposed to the play and you will never be asked something that has not been taught. Re-look at your annotations and add more if necessary.

Take an educated guess at what kind of questions will appear. Think about how you will answer the question. Chances are very high that you will have prepared for the questions.

Most importantly … You must shortlist quotes that you will end up using in the exam. Obviously there are too many to choose from, but concentrate on these characters: Macbeth Lady Macbeth The Witches And quotes that perfectly sums up their emotions at that time. Look for quotes that are spoken by other characters about Macbeth.

You should study your list of quotes closely. Highlight key words and memorise them so you can use them in your essay. Aim for a page-length of quotes.

When writing your essay, remember PEE. Students often miss out on the Evidence part of the essay. Use evidence through: Quotations Macbeth laments ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ Paraphrasing Macbeth laments his wife’s passing through the Tomorrow soliloquy and mentions that life is like a stage performance.

Number 1 rule for paraphrasing: NEVER EVER EVER EVER NARRATE THE EVIDENCE. Eg. Macbeth kills Duncan and returns to his room to meet Lady Macbeth. There, Lady Macbeth tells him to put the daggers back in Duncan’s room. Macbeth refuses. Lady Macbeth takes the daggers back instead. Macbeth washes his hands. Use this instead: After the deed, Macbeth returns to his room and has a terse exchange with his wife. This shows that they are feeling tense and edgy. Macbeth is feeling guilty, as he says, ‘Macbeth does murder sleep!’ therefore ‘Macbeth shall sleep no more!’ Macbeth washes his hands, saying that the blood will stain the seas red. At this point, he is feeling remorse and guilt, and feeling that he has crossed a line and he can no longer take back his actions.

THERE MUST BE A POINT TO EVERY SENTENCE THAT YOU MAKE. There is no such thing as a wasted sentence. Every line must support the point your are trying to make.

Unseen text preparation: Find a random story (online, book) and set the timer for five minutes. Then annotate the story within five minutes. After that, take an educated guess at what kind of questions will appear. Impression? Literary Technique? Personal response?

Think about the most significant aspect of the prose. Eg. If the story is largely metaphorical in nature, you can be fairly sure that a literary technique question will be there. If the poem is about a person, then there is a very good chance that there will be a impression or personal response question. If there is more than one character, you are very likely to meet a relationship question. If there is something unique about the setting, there is a chance you might be asked about atmosphere or setting.

After you have some questions on hand, practice writing within the allocated time limit. Get your friends to peer mark. They can help find out whether you have a complete PEE.