Repton School
English Department
GCSE English & English Literature
Revision Guide
REVISION QUESTIONS (CONT.)
Of Mice and Men
Q: Look again at the opening pages of the novel up to the point where George throws away Lennie’s mouse. How well does this opening prepare us for later events in the novel?
Q: How significant to the story are the various settings? You should refer to at least two settings in your answer. You may wish to consider how the settings are described, affect characters’ lives and relate to events in the novel.
Q: How does the way of life led by the characters affect the events of the story?
Q: How far do you agree that the death of Lennie is inevitable? You should refer closely to his words, to events and to the actions of other characters in your answer.
Q: What are George’s weaknesses and strengths? You should refer to speech, events and the opinions of others in your answer.
Q: How does Curley’s reaction to his wife’s death match with what you have learned about him in the rest of the novel. You should refer closely to language and actions.
Q: How important is Curley’s wife to the story? You should refer to speech and events in your answer.
Q: In what ways do you think Slim and Candy add to the interest of the novel? You should refer closely to their actions and conversations.
Q: What is the significance of loneliness in this novel? You should refer in detail to characters, settings and language in your answer.
Q: Look again at the last one and a half pages of the novel from ‘George raised the gun…’ until the end. How does this ending emphasise the relationship between George and Lennie?
REVISION QUESTIONS (CONT.)
Best Words (pre-1914)
Q: Look again at ‘Let me not’ in which Shakespeare discusses lasting love. Compare this poem with one other poem from the selection which deals with love in a different way. You should look closely at the language used.
Q: Consider the subject of ‘To a Mouse’ and how Burns treats this subject. Compare this poem with one other from the selection which in some way presents reflections on human life. You should look closely at the language used.
Q: Read again ‘To Autumn’ and compare Keats’ use of nature with one other poem from the selection. You should look closely at the language used.
Q: Look again at ‘Amen’ in which Rossetti discusses the purpose of life. Compare this poem with one other in the selection which invites you to reflect on life. You should look closely at language used.
Best Words (post-1914)
Q: Look again at ‘Long Distance’ by Tony Harrison in which he writes about the death of his parents. Compare this poem with one other from the selection which also deals with death in some way. You should refer closely to language used.
Q: Look again at ‘Bedtime Story’ by George Macbeth in which he uses humour for a serious purpose. Compare this poem with one other from the selection which also has a serious purpose. You should refer closely to language used.
Q: Look again at ‘Once Upon a Time’ by Gabriel Okara. Compare it with one other poem from the selection, showing how poems can be used to convey a moral or a message about life. You should refer closely to the language used.
Q: Look again at ‘Ballad of the Bread Man’ by Charles Causley. Compare it with one other poem from the selection, showing how something familiar can be described in an unusual way.
CONTENTS
GCSE English
1. Introduction: EXAMS
2. Response to READING: Media texts
3. Response to READING: Non-fiction texts
4. Response to READING: Poetry from other cultures
5. WRITING to argue/persuade/advise
6. WRITING to analyse/review/comment
7. Quality of LANGUAGE
GCSE English Literature
8. Introduction: EXAMS
9. Section A: DRAMA
10. Section B: POETRY
11. Section C: PROSE
12. Appendix: REVISION QUESTIONS
REVISION questions (cont.)
War Poems (pre-1914)
Q: Read again ‘Dirge of the Dead Sisters’ by Rudyard Kipling. Compare the poem with one other poem from the pre-1914 selection, which also considers the wartime role of women.
Q: Read again ‘A Wife in London’ by Thomas Hardy. Which aspects of war does the poet consider in this poem? Compare the poem with one other poem from the pre-1914 selection which considers a very different aspect of war.
Q: Look again at ‘War’ by Edgar Wallace. This poem concentrates on the tragic after-effects of battle. Compare this poem with one other poem from the pre-1914 selection which considers a different aspect of war. You should look closely at the language used.
Q: Look again at ‘The Battle of Blenheim’ by Robert Southey. Compare this poem with one other poem from the pre-1914 selection which you consider also presents the futility of war.
War Poems (post-1914)
Q: Look again at ‘The Horses’ by Edwin Muir. Compare this poem with one other from the post-1914 selection in which the poet uses nature to emphasise the effects of war. You should look closely at the language used by the poets.
Q: Look again at ‘Icarus Allsorts’ by Roger McGough. Compare this poem with one other from the post-1914 selection in which the poet brings out the horror of war in an entirely different way. You should refer closely to the language used by the poets.
Q: Look again at ‘Does it Matter?’ by Siegfried Sassoon in which he gives his views on war. Compare this poem with one other poem from the post-1914 selection in which the poet uses anger to emphasise the effects of war. You should look closely at the language used.
Q: Look again at ‘Exposure’ by Wilfred Owen. Compare this poem with one other poem from the post-1914 selection showing how the poet uses imagery and language to convey the horror of war.
12. REVISION QUESTIONS
An Inspector Calls
Q: What is your opinion of the character and role of Gerald Croft or Sheila Birling in the context of the play? You should look closely at language and actions in your answer.
Q: In what ways does Priestley present Mr Birling to us at the start of the play so that we are prepared for his attitudes and behaviour in the rest of the play? You should refer in detail to language and events.
Q: In Act Three, just before the Inspector exits, he offers some advice to the Birlings: ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. How does the play present the need to take that advice? You should look closely at language, characters and actions in your answer.
Q: In Act 3, when Eric realises that the Inspector knows the truth about what happened to Eva Smith, he says: ‘Whoever that chap was, the fact remains that I did what I did…and that’s why I don’t feel like sitting down and having a nice cosy talk’. In the light of what Eric says here, examine the ways in which the Birling family and Gerald use their social status and the beliefs of their class and times to exploit Eva and make her their victim.
Q: In what ways does Priestley make his criticisms of the social conditions of the time dramatically successful? You may wish to consider: the behaviour of the Inspector; the interrogation of the characters one by one; the conclusion of the play.
Q: In Act 1, when Sheila is commenting on the fact that Gerald “never came near” her “all last summer” and he is protesting that he “was awfully busy at the works all that time”, Mrs Birling advises: ‘Now, Sheila, don’t tease him. When you’re married you’ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had’. How does the play present the attitudes of women of the time? You should look closely at language and actions in your answer.
1. GCSE ENGLISH
GCSE English has two exams:
PAPER ONE / 1 hour, 40 minutesSection A: reading / Section B: writing
Pre-released media texts
Unseen non-fiction text / Argue/persuade/advise
Each section is worth the same number of marks. You should spend:
60 minutes on Section A (25 for media, 35 for non-fiction) and
40 minutes on Section B
PAPER TWO / 1 hour, 30 minutesSection A: reading / Section B: writing
Unseen and pre-released
poetry from different cultures / Analyse/review/comment
Again, both sections are worth the same number of marks, but you should spend:
50 minutes on Section A and
40 minutes on Section B
This is because you will need more time to read and understand the unseen poem.
2. media texts
You are familiar with the media texts from the pre-released booklet. The examiner will therefore expect you to know them really well.
You will be asked to write about two of the articles and you should stick to the bullet points in the question. They are likely to be:
· What is Article X about
· Comment on the balance of fact and opinion in Article X
· Analyse the language used in Article Y
· Comment on the meaning/effect of pictures in Articles X and/or Y
All the texts are broadly about the same issue, but there are differences between them. They each have a different emphasis and use language and layout to create a different tone and arouse different emotions in the reader. You are usually asked to comment on the balance of fact and opinion in the articles.
The exam is testing whether you have read the texts in detail so you must show that you are aware of details. Consider why the writer has chosen to use particular words? What effect do they have? What effect does layout have?
How can you practise in your own time?
· Read over the work you have already done
· Make notes on similarities/differences in the pre-released texts
· Read the newspaper regularly, applying the four questions
11. Section C: PROSE
First of all, read Of Mice and Men again – it’s less than 150 pages!
Once you have reminded yourself of what happens, and the sequence of events, you should focus on drawing up notes on individual characters and themes. How are the characters presented? How do they develop? What do they contribute to the story? What techniques has Steinbeck used to create them?
In addition, you may wish to consider the following themes:
· Loneliness
· Friendships/relationships
· Dreams in general and The American Dream in particular
· Race
· Gender
· Old Age
· Man’s fate/destiny
Consider also the settings presented in the novel. How is each described and how do settings contribute to the development of the novel’s themes and ideas?
Consider when the novel was written (1937). What were the conditions of the time in America? What message is Steinbeck exploring through the presentation of his characters and the events narrated in the novel?
As well as reading through your notes and revision materials, attempt some of the essays in the appendix, remembering to present a structured argument, supported with short, embedded quotations from the text.
10. SECTION B: POETRY
Make sure that you know which set of poems you have been required to study for this Section of the examination: War Poems or Best Words, pre-1914 or post-1914.
Read through the relevant poems in your anthology, including the material that has been written by the editor to introduce the poems themselves.
Make sure that you understand in detail the subjects, themes and messages, how the poem is written and the context that prompted each poet to write.
This Section of the examination requires you to compare two poems. One poem will be selected by the examiner for you; the other poem should be selected by you. Therefore, you need to make notes on the similarities and differences between the poems in your collection. Areas to consider for comparison are: themes and attitudes, the language used by the poets and the structure of the poems.
Some areas for consideration might be:
War Poems / Best WordsThe role of men/women in war
Suffering or loss in war
Hatred or love of war
Heroism in war
The futility of war
Sympathy for those involved
Nature in relation to war
The horror or cruelty of war / Love
The human experience
Relationships and people
Different perspectives on life
Suffering and loss
Moral messages
Important decisions
Use of nature
As well as reading through your notes and revision materials, attempt some of the essays in the appendix, remembering to present a structured argument, supported with short, embedded quotations from the text.
3. non-fiction texts
This section is more challenging because the text is unseen; however, the examiner will not expect you to know it in as much detail as the media texts.
You will probably be asked to explain what the writer is describing in the passage and how he makes the passage vivid, effective or entertaining for the readers. Use the following structure as a guide:
Introduction:
Summarise what the passage is about, the main themes and images and the emotions of the writer (give an overview).