The Examination Technique in English Literature: Workshop Handout

7/27/2019 The Examination Technique in English Literature: Workshop Handout

1/15

1 | The Examination Technique in English Literature- Rusiru Kalpagee Chitrasena

The Examination Technique in English Literature

Rusir Kalpagee Chitrasena

October, 2013


2/15


Introduction:

This one-day revision workshop intends to equip students of English Literature with the ability to perform

well at the exam, through step-by-step guidance to the examination technique.

Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, students should be able to:

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of some effective strategies for success in

literature exams.

Modify their answering style in order to meet the requirements of examinations.

Identify and avoid some of the common problems in exam essays.

Produce successful essays in response to examination questions.

Content:

1) Lead-in Activity: 2012 paper at a glance (10 minutes)

2) Writing Examination Essays: Some General Instructions (20 minutes)

3) Activities: (30 minutes)

a) Understanding the keywords

b) Re-citing the question

c) Formulating a thesis statement

d) Providing Evidence

e) Improving paragraph structure

4) Reading a Sample Essay (10 minutes)

5) How to organize an examination essay? : a step-by-step approach (20 minutes)

6) Group Writing Activity (20 minutes)

7) Some concluding remarks about revision (10 minutes)


3/15


Writing Examination Essays: Some General Instructions

Exams can be scary, but they are a reliable way of measuring our knowledge and skills. The

purpose of essay questions in literature exams is to give you a chance to demonstrate width and

depth of your reading and your ability to develop a solid argument and support it with

evidence.

When you write literature essays in exams:

Read the questions carefully. Understanding the question is half of the answer.

Quickly decide whether you are comfortable with the question. Selecting the wrong

question could ruin your exam.

Underline the keywords of the question because understanding the keywords will add focus

to your response.

Follow a consistent structure/format for your examination essays. It is true that literature

teaches you to be creative but a consistent structure will help you maintain focus and score

well at the exam.

Quickly draft a skeletal answer plan in less than 1 minute. Jotting down the sub-headings

would be enough.

Before you go to the exam, make sure you prepare a powerful introduction to each of the

texts you intend to work on. They should be short (1-3 lines) but compact and strikingintroductions. Refer to the sample introductions given. Generally the introduction should

set the question/topic against a wider background.

Re-cite the question in your own words. This is to show the examiner that you understand

the question. (Optional: Define the keywords and outline the approach you are going to

take.)

Create a thesis statement. A typical academic essay should have a thesis statement and a

literature essay is no exception. The main purpose of a literature is not to describe or

explain the poem, but to develop an in-depth argument based upon critical analysis.

Back your claims up with solid arguments. Select strong evidence (= what you consider to

be the best) to support your claims. Weak examples/evidence will give the impression that

your analysis is skimpy.

Each paragraph should follow a consistent structure. The first sentence, which is called the

topic sentence, should outline your point. It should be followed by concrete supporting


4/15


evidence and your interpretations of them. Each paragraph should end with some

concluding remarks.

Use transitional words to connect your ideas/sentences within and across paragraphs.

Otherwise your ideas will look disconnected. (e.g. Therefore, However, Yet, Nevertheless,

While, Whereas, Not onlybut also, One the one handOn the other hand, Despite,In spite of, At the same time, Overall, In conclusion)I dont ask you to overuse/misuse them

but use them when you need to connect your ideas effectively.

After proving your point, make sure you synthesize your arguments and offer an overall

conclusion. The concluding paragraph should bring together the main points, link back to

the question/thesis statement, and state the conclusion of your arguments clearly.

Feel free to come up with your independent thoughts, opinions and interpretations as long

as you can prove them with reference to the text.

Avoid sweeping statements such as, Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in English

literature

Avoid redundant/ useless statements that do not make sense. E.g. The writer uses

language to convey his original thoughts.

Good candidates directly quote from the text very often. However, it you cannot remember

the exact words, you may paraphrase them and use your own words to explain. Also quote

briefly and make more use of your own words.

Make sure that your writing is free of basic grammar and spelling errors.

Never misspell names of the prescribed texts, characters or authors.

Keep you language formal. Avoid the use of slang, informal expressions, or sms language.

Aim for short and clear sentences.

Write clearly. Illegible handwriting will annoy the examiner.

Make sure you are confident with the use of basic critical terminology. (e.g. figures of

speech, forms of poetry and etc.)

Underline the titles of the literary works or enclose them within inverted commas.

Refer to poets, playwrights, novelists by their surnames.


5/15


Once you have finished writing, make sure you go through it again to check if there are any

major/errors or omissions. Practically speaking, you may not have time to correct all your

mistakes/omissions but going through what you have written is often better than not going

through it.

For each question, do not write more than 3 pages. Even a very good candidate will not be

able to manage more than that under exam conditions.

Spend about 25-30 minutes for each of the four questions.

Give equal weight to all the questions. Dont get carried away with the first couple of

questions because you may not have enough time to complete the fourth response.

Finally, keep calm and remember- its just another exam, not the end of the word.


6/15


Activities:

A.Keywords B. Adding Focus:

C. Thesis statement: D. Evidence

E. Paragraph Structure:

a) Underline the keywords of the following questions.

Gaston exploited the false pride and vanity of the othermain characters in the play Villa for Sale. Is this a fair

comment on the play? Support your answer with

evidence from the text. (2011)

Jane Eyre is a strong moral character which combines

passion and reason; gentleness and firmness.

Comment on this statement referring to the novel, Jane

Eyre. (2011)

b) i) Can you define all the keywords in the question?

Ii) Are there words that you do not understand?

In you exam essay, you need to recite the idea of the

question in your own words. See whether you can re-

cite the following questions in your own words.

Everyman, though spiritually weak at the

beginning, becomes strong at the end. Discuss

this statement referring to events in the play.

(2011)

Genuine love entails sacrifice. Discuss this

statement referring to events in The Gift of

Magi. (2011)

Look at the following questions carefully and formulate an

appropriate thesis statement. All you need to do is try to answer

the question comprehensively in a single sentence.

What is the theme of the short story, The Gift of Magi? How is

this theme conveyed in the text? (2010)

Shakespeares The Seven Ages of Man is as true of life today

as it was during his time. Comment on this statement.

(2009)

A Minor Birdis about mans distance from nature. Comment

on this statement.

The following are claims made by some O Level

literature students in their examination essays. Find

evidence from your prescribed texts to back the

following claims up.

a) Parrot is a funny poem because it makes humoro

observations about human nature through the point

view of a personified parrot.

b) According to Everyman, Death is not at all frighten

The following is a paragraph from an essay written by an O level student of literature. How

would you improve this paragraph?

Wordsworth reflects upon the time when he knew Lucy and sees her living a secluded life close to

nature. He puts her in a physical setting, beside the springs of Dove. He compares her to things of

beauty in nature:

A violet by a mossy stone

Fair as a star, when only one

Is shining in the sky.

Now she is dead, he images her bound up with nature, as though she has become part of the earth

rolling through space:

Rolled round in earths diurnal course,

With rocks and stones and tress.


7/15


Model Exam Essay

In Anthem for Doomed Youth, one becomes intensely aware of the suffering of the

combatants in the battlefield. Do you agree? Give your reasons referring to events in the

poem. (2012 O Level)

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) is one of the most meticulously

crafted poetic renditions of the futility of war. Heightening the sense of incongruity between the

solemn religious funeral rites and the cruel parody of these ceremonies in war, Owen works

through a series of contrasts in his poem to suggest that the realities of war negate the values of

ordinary and peaceful life, especially the Christian way of life.

The present response evaluates Owens poem with reference to the statement that its reader

becomes intensely aware of the combatants sufferings in the battlefield. In fact, the intensity of

emotion in the poem surprisingly captures the agony of war as a process of victimizing the youth

in Owens attempt to provide an authentic portrayal of the sufferings of the combatants, shaped

by his own trench experiences.

To begin with, the use of the word, doomed in the title is noteworthy. According to the editors

of the poem, Owen initially named it Anthem for Dead Youth where the word, dead was

eventually replaced by doomed which refers to a state between life and death where an

individual is destined for certain death. Being doomed is certainly more painful than being dead

because a doomed person will suffer every moment of his life, haunted by the fear of death. The

very use of the word, doomed therefore highlights the magnitude of suffering experienced by

the young soldiers fighting in the war.


8/15


In the course of the poem, Owen further intensifies the tragedy of young soldiers dying at war by

lamenting over the denial of Christian funeral rights to them in order to make them rest in peace:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Only the monstrous anger of the guns..

In lieu of passing bells rung through the streets for the repose of the deceased souls in Christian

funerals, only the monstrous anger of the guns and the rapid rattle of the stuttering rifles

will accompany the departing souls of the soldiers victimized by war. In the absence of any

mourning voices or choirs singing in their praise to God, only the demented choirs of wailing

shells and the bugles that are used by the armed forces to relay instructions will bid them

farewell. The poet here makes extensive reference to traditional funeral rites in order to

demonstrate how solders that die in the battlefield are denied of these rites. Christian funeral rites

serve to pray for the soul of the deceased in order to speed their journey towards achieving

eternal peace in Heaven. It is believed that denial of these rites amounts to a denial of the

deceased souls right to rest in peace. Debunking the over-glorified myth of the war hero, the

poet, on the contrary, portrays the doomed/dead soldier as a miserable being who is denied of

their right to in peace (in a Christian sense) because they are not given the traditional funeral

rites traditionally performed in funerals.

In the remaining sestet, the poet draws the attention of the reader towards a realistic portrayal of

a fallen war heros funeral of his times. Some fellow soldiers, in whose eyes the holy glimmers

of goodbyes will shine in lieu of candles, will carry the sad news to the family of the deceased

and the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The messengers often might not have to convey the sad

news verbally; the sombre expression, most probably referred to as the holy glimmers in the


9/15


poem, will tell the loved ones what they longed not to hear. Underlying the over-glorified myth

of dying for ones country, only the deceased solders will be genuinely bereaved by their loved

ones.

In addition, the poets vivid description of the violence in the battlefield through powerful

language, imagery and sound effects also makes the reader aware of the suffering of the soldiers.

The comparison between cattle and men dying in the battlefield in the opening line conveys the

process of animalistic dehumanization caused by war, how war fails to recognize the humanity

of human beings. Alliteration and the onomatopoeic effect of expressions such as stuttering

rifles' rapid rattle powerfully evoke the horrid sensations of a battlefield. Therefore, Owens

skilful use of language also intensifies the sufferings of the combatants in this authentic rendition

of the experiences.

Although the poem is ironically called an anthem, i.e. a song of praise, the poet blatantly strips

the glorious garments of war to reveal its naked and crooked realities. Many poets have written

about war, but trench poets like Owen remain unique among such war poets because their

authentic renditions derived from their own experiences of the war. In Owens words, his

subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity". For these reasons, the present

writer is convinced that Owens Anthem is one of the most powerful renditions of the suffering

of the combatants in the battlefield. Even though this poem was written at the outbreak of the

First World War, the greatness and the relevance of this poem has doubtlessly transcended time

because war is a universal experience and the fury of war continues to plague the world.


10/15


How to organize examination essays?

Step 1: Read the question carefully.

1.1.See whether you understand the question.

1.2.Underline the keywords of the questions in order to find out the focus of the question.1.3.Follow the instructions given.

1.4.Draft a very brief plan of your answer. (In less than one minute.)

For example, look at the following question carefully.

Step 2: Write an introductory paragraph that includes a general statement about the

work/writer or the topic focused in the question.

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) is one of the most meticulously crafted poetic

renditions of the futility of war. Heightening the sense ofdissonance between the solemn religious

funeral rites and the cruel parody of these ceremonies in war, Owen works through a series of contrasts in

his poem to suggest that the realities of war negate the values of ordinary and peaceful life, especially the

Christian way of life.

Step 3: Outline the framework of your essay.

This could be done by:

Paraphrasing the question in a couple of lines

Formulating a thesis statement (This is the overall claim of your response. If

you try to answer the question given in a single sentence, a thesis statement

will be formed. As in the case of the question given here, the thesis statement

is sometimes given in the question itself.)

The present response evaluates Owens poem with reference to the statement that its reader becomes

intensely aware of the combatants sufferings in the battlefield. In fact, the intensity of emotion in the

poem surprisingly captures the agony of war as a process of victimizing the youth in Owens attempt to

provide an authentic portrayal of the sufferings of the combatants, shaped by his own trench experiences.

InAnthem for Doomed Youth, one becomes intensely aware of the suffering of the

combatants in the battlefield. Do you agree? Give your reasons referring to events in the

poem. (OL 2012)


11/15


Step 3: Now argue out your position with concrete supporting evidence from the relevant

work of literature as well as secondary sources.

Argument/Point 1:

To begin with, the use of the word, doomed in the title is noteworthy. According to the editors of the

poem, Owen initially named it Anthem for Dead Youth where the word, dead was eventually replaced by

doomed which refers to a state between life and death where an individual is destined for certain death.

Being doomed is certainly more painful than being dead because a doomed person will suffer every

moment of his life, haunted by the fear of death. The very use of the word, doomed therefore highlights

the magnitude of suffering experienced by the young soldiers fighting in the war.

Argument/Point 2:

In the course of the poem, Owen further intensifies the tragedy of young soldiers dying at war by

lamenting over the denial of Christian funeral rights to them in order to make them rest in peace:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Only the monstrous anger of the guns..

In lieu of passing bells rung through the streets for the repose of the deceased souls in Christian funerals,

only the monstrous anger of the guns and the rapid rattle of the stuttering rifles will accompany the

departing souls of the soldiers victimized by war. In the absence of any mourning voices or choirs singing

in their praise to God, only the demented choirs of wailing shells and the bugles that are used by the

armed forces to relay instructions will bid them farewell. The poet here makes extensive reference to

traditional funeral rites in order to demonstrate how solders that die in the battlefield are denied of these

rites. Christian funeral rites serve to pray for the soul of the deceased in order to speed their journey

towards achieving eternal peace in Heaven. It is believed that denial of these rites amounts to a denial of

the deceased souls right to rest in peace. Debunking the over-glorified myth of the war hero, the poet,


12/15


on the contrary, portrays the doomed/dead soldier as a miserable being who is denied of their right to in

peace (in a Christian sense) because they are not given the traditional funeral rites traditionally

performed in funerals.

Argument/ Point 3:

In addition, the poets vivid description of the violence in the battlefield through powerful language,

imagery and sound effects also makes the reader aware of the suffering of the soldiers. The comparison

between cattle and men dying in the battlefield in the opening line conveys the process of animalistic

dehumanization caused by war, how war fails to recognize the humanity of human beings. Alliteration

and the onomatopoeic effect of expressions such as stuttering rifles' rapid rattle powerfully evoke the

horrid sensations of a battlefield. Therefore, Owens skillful use of language also intensifies the sufferings

of the combatants in this authentic rendition of the experiences.

Step 3: Conclude your response. (about 75-100 words)

Although the poem is ironically called an anthem, i.e. a song of praise, the poet blatantly strips the

glorious garments of war to reveal its naked and crooked realities. Many poets have written about war,

but trench poets like Owen remain unique among such war poets because their authentic renditions

derived from their own experiences of the war. In Owens words, his subject is War, and the pity of War.

The Poetry is in the pity". For these reasons, the present writer is convinced that Owens Anthemis one of

the most powerful renditions of the suffering of the combatants in the battlefield. Even though this poem

was written at the outbreak of the First World War, the greatness and the relevance of this poem has

doubtlessly transcended time because war is a universal experience and the fury of war continues to

plague the world.


13/15


Sample Examination Answer 2:

Christmas is a total commitment to one another and not merely exchanging gifts. Critically

examine this statement in relation to the short story, The Gift of the Magi. (2012)

Step 2: Write an introductory paragraph that includes a general statement about the

work/writer or the topic focused in the question.

Example:

A gripping tale about a young couple urged on by their love yet living on the edge of poverty,

The Gift of Magi by O. Henry is considered one of the best known and best beloved of

Christmas tales. It is a story. While the subject of the story is the romantic relationship between

Della and Jim who do not think twice before they give up their most valuable possessions to be

able to purchase the perfect Christmas gift for each other, the central theme is that

unconditional love is more important than any material possession and that sacrifice is the

essence of such an unconditional love relationship.

Step 3: Outline the framework of your essay.

The present question critically examines the proposition that Christmas is a total commitment to

one another and not merely exchanging gifts. In fact, no other piece of fiction written in English

better conveys this message better than O Henrys little masterpiece of love and sacrifice.

Step 3: Now argue out your position with concrete supporting evidence from the relevant

work of literature as well as secondary sources.

Focus on the importance of giving and sacrifice vis--vis basic Christian values taking examples

from the life of Jesus.

Mention how the importance of sacrifice is reflected in the story.

Focus on the role of commitment and sacrifice in the relationship between Jim and Della with

reference to the story.

Explain how the exchange of gifts between Jim and Della is different from yet another typicalexchange of Christmas gifts

Finally, consider why Jim and Della gave each other the ideal Christmas gifts.

Step 3: Conclude your response. (about 75-100 words)


14/15


Activity: Group Writing and Presentations:

In groups of 4-5, select one of the following essay questions and write a detailed answer

plan.

1. The Sea reflects the various moods and aspects of the sea and so represents Nature in its range

and variety. Give your opinion on this statement. (2011)

2. On what grounds would you argue thatAnne Frank Huis is a war poem?

3. The Night Mailis not only about a train, it is also about people. Comment on this statement.

4. Humour in the poem, Parrotis tinged with a touch of seriousness. Do you agree? Give your

reasons, with examples from the text.

5. Though funny at moments, one becomes seriously aware of the passage of life in ShakespearesThe Seven Ages of Man . Give your opinion on this statement.

6. The poem selected for study under the theme of nature reflect both mans intimacy with nature

as well as his distance. Comment on this statement referring to at least two of the nature

poems.

7. The characters and dialogues in You are Old my Father William are unbelievably funny. Do you

agree?

8. The Lake Isle of Innisfree pleases the senses and soothes the mind. Do you agree with this

statement?

9. Mid Term breakby Seamus Heaney makes one more angry than Sad. Comment on this

statement.

10.Would you agree thatA Worker Reads Historyby Bertolt Brecht is a satirical poem? Discuss

what it criticises and the techniques used to create the satirical effect.

11. It is sheer absurdity of the situation that makes Matilda a funny poem. Do you agree? Give your

reasons.

12.Shakespeares The Seven Ages of Man is as true of life today as it was during his time.

13.Out of the war poems in the anthology, which one moved you most? Justify your choice giving

examples from the poem you have selected.


15/15


14.Wedding Photographs shows the weakness of traditional marriage. Do you agree? Give your

reasons providing evidence from the text.

15.What is the theme of the song, Where have all the flowers gone? How is this theme brought

out?

16.Leave takingis a criticism of how elders are treated in modern society. Give your opinion on

this statement.

17.The Pigtailis a funny poem. What features in it make it a funny poem?

18.A Minor Birdis about mans distance from nature Comment on this statement.

Invalid signature

X Rusiru ChitrasenaRusiru Kalpagee ChitrasenaRusiru Kalpagee Chitrasena

Signed by: Eltu

Documents

The Examination Technique in English Literature: Workshop Handout