Appendix 1: Examination paper 2010

Time allowed: three hours

Answer three questions, choosing at least one from each section (all three questions carry equal marks). Candidates may not discuss the same author more than once in this examination.

Section A

Candidates should refer to at least two novels by one author.

  1. 1. Discuss the function and significance of point of view in at least two novels by one author.
  2. 2. How do the endings of at least two novels by one author reflect the themes and style of their openings?
  3. 3. Consider how the use of any one literary technique can be used by a novelist to change and develop the reader’s interpretation of the narrative. Refer to at least two novels by one author.
  4. 4. ‘Tell the truth but tell it slant’ (EMILY DICKINSON). Discuss the literary techniques used to disguise the ‘truth’ of the text in at least two novels by any one author.
  5. 5. Discuss the treatment and significance of material gain in at least two novels by any one author.
  6. 6. Does the omniscient narrator continue to have any relevance to contemporary novels? Discuss with reference to at least two novels by any one author.
  7. 7. Discuss the representation and significance of one of the following in at least two novels by one author: oppression; illness; revenge.

Section B

Answers in this section should refer to at least two different authors. You may not write about an author or text that you have discussed in Section A.

  1. 8. Examine the exploration of gender and anxiety in at least two novels by different authors.
  2. 9. Is the use of allusion in a text an enjoyable puzzle or a source of frustration for the reader? Refer to at least two novels by different authors.
  3. 10. Examine the use of narrative style in at least two novels by different authors and explain how the authors have influenced the development of the novel as a genre.
  4. 11. Does the postmodern novel signal the death of the novel as a genre? Discuss with reference to at least two novels by different authors.
  5. 12. Examine the representation and significance of any one of the following in at least two novels by different authors: betrayal; travel; obsession.
  6. 13. Is the use of irony a dying art in the modern novel? Discuss with reference to at least two novels by different authors.
  7. 14. How is the atmosphere of suspense created and maintained in at least two novels by different authors?

Appendix 1: Examination paper 2010