Subject: English literature
Time: 3 hours
Instructions:
* Answer all questions
* Write your answers in clear and legible handwriting
* Use proper grammar and punctuation.
Section A: Poetry Analysis (50 marks)
Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence :
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by ,
And that has made all the difference .
Questions:
1. What is the speaker's initial reaction to the two roads?
2. How does the speaker decide which road to take?
3. What qualities do the two roads represent?
4. What might the speaker symbolize?
5. What theme does the poem explore? Explain?
Section B: Drama Analysis (30 marks)
Read the following excerpt from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet,"
Act II, Scene 2, and answer the question that follow:
(Juliet appears on her balcony)
Juliet:
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are you Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou wilt not be but sworn my love,
And I'll not be a Capulet.
- What is the significance of Juliet's words? Analyze her emotions and internal thoughts as expressed in this balcony scene.
- How does Juliet's soliloquy contribute to the development of the conflict in the play?
Section C: Prose Analysis (20 marks)
Read the following excerpt from Charles Dickens' novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" and answer the questions that follow:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
- Provide a succinct and detailed analysis of this opening sentence from its historical context during the French Revolution to emphasize its dual implications
- Identify, explain, and explore at least two significant narrative techniques adopted by the author for portraying duality/contrasts throughout the novel .