The Sunday News
Charles Dube
THIS week we examine ways of answering passage-based questions in Literature in English. These questions are set in both prose and drama texts. Some years ago such questions were the preserve of drama only. By the end of this observation learners will be having clues on how to respond to texts with insight and imagination, using quotations to back up their ideas.
Ideas lacking back up quotations are generally unconvincing in Literature.
Learners also need to explain how language features, structure and form create different effects to the reader. This is biased towards drama texts than prose texts. In the examination learners may choose to answer a passage-based question. This means the question refers to an extract printed in the examination question paper or examination. When answering this type of question, you will need to know the whole play or novel well, but most of your answers should be focused on the passage.
When approaching a passage-based question: read the question first. Read the passage at least twice, thinking about: the characters in the story if it is a prose extract, or who is on stage if the extract is from a play. In drama think about the relationship between the characters and how they behave and talk. Think about relevant themes and any interesting language used. Think about what happens before and after the passage.
Many learners get stuck when answering questions on what happens before or after the extract proving lack of reading.
Learners are encouraged to read the plays or novels throughout if they are to be conversant with all the details of the story.
This tendency of lazy readers who survive by listening to ideas raised in class discussions is dangerous as they are bound to fall short in proving supporting details to questions cited above.
Read the question again and think carefully about what you are being asked to do. If it helps underline key words in the question, not the whole question. It is essential to understand the key terms used when studying literature. Some of the following terms may be in the examination questions and learners need to be able to use them in their answers: Insight is understanding more than just the surface meaning of the story. They need to understand interpretations — that views and opinions are often different.
They need to understand themes — main ideas or issues in the story. Key again is for learners to understand setting — where the action takes place. This is important as learners will understand and try and get close to those places maybe through reading more on them, therefore help them get correct answers by inference. Often in the given extract there are characters either named or insinuated and learners through reading or study of the whole text will know the protagonist — the main character.
Learners also need to understand the tone used in the play or story — that is the general feeling of a passage. For example, funny, sad or thoughtful. What learners should learn from the key terms highlighted here is that literature has its own appropriate language. In as much as we use generally language or expression in literature there are better literary terms we can use where applicable. A literature answer should sound different from an ordinary composition.
There are many more literary terms learners can use than just these few given here. When learners get into the examination room should be fully armed with as many literary terms and use them where appropriate. They cannot afford to plant them where they do not apply. Reading with insight means that a learner has looked below the surface meaning to see some subtle message that the writer or playwright is giving the audience or readers. For example, what a character says does not just give direct information, it can also show something about his or her personality, values, mood and relationships.
As stated earlier learners should support their ideas with quotations. When you answer a passage-based question, it is important to choose words and phrases from the passage to support your ideas. Quotations they show some elements about the characters. Understanding the significance of characters: For instance, in your examination if you answer a general question on the play you are studying, you will need to show a clear understanding of the whole play and of the characters.
Learners will also need to show that they appreciate how the playwright creates and uses characters to represent particular points of view. When writing about their chosen play and its characters, they should look closely and the playwright’s language, think about the choice of words, phrasing and tone, and their impact on the audience. There is need to explain why and how things are said and what this reveals about the characters.
If you are answering a question about a character, remember to think about his or her role throughout the play. Characters usually change as the play unfolds, showing different sides of their personalities. This means that the readers or audience’s feelings change too. Remember when analysing characters, you should think about how they are described, what they say and how they behave with other characters. For example, often the main character in a novel will go on an emotional journey that changes them.
Learners are tested on novels where they explore themes. We know that a theme is an important idea that an author explores in a book. There will often be more than one theme. Many novels usually selected as set books usually share the themes of loneliness, isolation and uncertainty. There are many more found in other novels and drama texts like: identity, friendship, childhood, injustice, love, education, prejudice (an unfair opinion), racism,
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