English Literature — Suggested Paper 1

1(i). What were Julius Caesar's dying words?

1(ii). Which of the following phrases best describes Antony's mood when he says: 'O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low? Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure?’

1(iii). Which of the following does Antony NOT say about Caesar in his funeral speech?

1(iv). Antony says, 'These many then shall die; their names are prick'd.' These words reveal that he is __________.

1(v). During their quarrel, Brutus says to Cassius, 'Away, slight man!' Brutus's tone in the above line can be best described as __________.

1(vi). Towards the end of the play, Pindarus reports that Titinius had been captured by enemy troops. What does Cassius do on hearing this news?

1(vii). What did Martin dislike about the elevator in his apartment building?

1(viii). Choose the option that lists the sequence of events from Stephen Leacock's short story, 'With the Photographer' in the correct order: 1. Even as he was protesting, the photographer managed to take a candid photograph with which he was very pleased. 2. At the studio, the photographer's criticism of his face, made the author feel worthless and unattractive. 3. Disturbed and upset by the photographer's criticisms and instructions, the author voiced his protest. 4. The author wanted to have his photograph taken.

1(ix). 'Nana has many voices. There is a special one she uses to shut everyone up.' What do these lines from Ama Ata Aidoo's short story, 'The Girl Who Can', tell us about Nana?

1(x). What were the people in Mead's neighbourhood doing when he was out walking at night?

1(xi). In Alphonse Daudet's short story, 'The Last Lesson', Franz says that 'all our bad news had come from there.' What does 'there' refer to?

1(xii). Which of the given options contains the figure of speech that appears in the following lines from Longfellow's poem, 'Haunted Houses'? 'The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, …'

1(xiii). The mood in the poem, 'When Great Trees Fall', moves from __________.

1(xiv). In the poem, 'The Glove and the Lions', King Francis exclaims, 'rightly done!'. What action of Count de Lorge does he applaud when he says this?

1(xv). Select the option that shows the correct relationship between Statement 1 and Statement 2 based on the poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’. Statement 1: The mite on the paper ran, crept, faltered, hesitated and cowered. Statement 2: The poet-narrator realised that it was an intelligent living creature.

1(xvi). Sukumar Ray's poem, 'The Power of Music' can be classified as __________.

2(i). What does Antony say he is there for? What does he say he is not there for? What do you think he is actually there for?

2(ii). What were the three conditions that Brutus had laid down before allowing Antony to speak to the citizens of Rome?

2(iii). List the three arguments that Antony uses immediately after he speaks these lines to prove conclusively that Julius Caesar was not ambitious.

2(iv). Antony repeatedly uses certain words in his speech to describe Brutus. What are they? Why does he do this?

2(v). Which one argument of Antony’s do you think had the greatest impact on his listeners? Give a reason to support your answer. What were the citizens’ feelings towards Antony before he began his speech? How do their feelings towards him change at the end of his speech?

3(i). Explain what Brutus means when he says, 'O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords In our own proper entrails'.

3(ii). What were Cassius' last thoughts before he died? How did Titinius honour the dead Cassius?

3(iii). What does Brutus promise when he says, 'I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.'? Why does he make this promise? What aspect of Brutus' character does this reveal to us?

3(iv). Explain the term 'funerals'. Why does Brutus not want to hold 'his funerals' in their camp? Where will 'his funerals' be held?

3(v). How does Lucilius demonstrate his loyalty to Brutus at the end of the play? What does this tell you about Brutus’ character? How is Lucilius rewarded for his loyalty by Antony? What does this reveal to us of Antony's character?

4(i). Who entered the elevator when the door slid open? Describe this person.

4(ii). Why was Martin afraid of using this elevator?

4(iii). What led to Martin’s fall down the stairs? What did it result in?

4(iv). How does the story end? Bring out the element of horror in the ending.

4(v). What was Martin’s father’s opinion of him? What does this reveal to us about his father’s character?

5(i). In which year is Bradbury’s story set? What did Leonard Mead ‘most dearly love to do’?

5(ii). In the given extract, what does Bradbury compare Mead’s experience of walking through the city late at night to? List two reasons why you would consider the comparison suitable.

5(iii). Which three responses from Mead are viewed with suspicion by the police car?

5(iv). Where is Mead taken to at the end of the story? What observation does the author make about Mead’s house as the police car drives through the street?

5(v). Mention two dangers that the author is warning us against, through this story. Suggest an alternative title for the story. Give one reason for your choice.

6(i). Describe the scene at the beginning of the poem.

6(ii). "Leigh Hunt uses vivid sound and visual images to describe the contest between the royal beasts in the pit." Justify with close reference to the text.

6(iii). Who was the ‘beauteous lively dame’ mentioned in the poem? What did she do? What prompted her to do this?

6(iv). Explain the following lines in your own words: (a) ‘smiling lips and sharp bright eyes which always seemed the same’ (b) ‘the occasion is divine’ (c) ‘Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there’

6(v). When King Francis exclaims, "rightly done!", what action of Count de Lorge does he applaud? Why do you think the Count behaved the way he did?

7(i). What is Bhisma Lochan Sharma known for? When can one hear him? Explain the following words from the given extract: ‘You catch his strain’.

7(ii). How can we tell that his singing was not appreciated by the people who heard him?

7(iii). The poet uses ridiculous images to exaggerate the effect of Bhisma Lochan Sharma’s voice on his listeners. Mention any three such images.

7(iv). How does the poet describe the billy goat which appears at the end of the poem? What does it do to help bring relief to the suffering people?

7(v). Bring out the significance of the title of the poem. Do you feel sympathy for Bhisma Lochan Sharma or for those who listened to him? Give reasons for your response.