paper 2 sl questions

Paper 2 questions for class discussion in Grade 12 SL1 and SL3  Jan-Apr 2014 with thanks to Ms Minaz

1.      “In drama there are more interesting roles for men than for women.” Discuss to what extent you agree with this statement and what it is that makes a role interesting. Refer closely to at least two plays you have studied.

2.      “Hope springs eternal.” How is hope or the lack of hope important in at least two literary works you have studied?

3.      “Drama at its best investigates the problems that beset ordinary individuals.” In light of this statement consider the ways in which two or three dramatists you have studied explore the problems that affect individuals.

4.      Compare the presentation and functions of the openings in two or three plays you have

            studied.

5.      How do characters and the choices they make contribute to meaning in two or three plays you have studied?

6.      What can a writer accomplish through the use of repetition? Respond with reference to two or three works you have studied.

7.      “Drama explains individuals, not relationships.” Paying close attention to how individuals and relationships are presented in two or three plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement to be true.

8.      How and to what effect is conflict used in two or three works you have studied?

9.      In what ways and to what effect have your writers focused on either the darker or lighter side of life in two or three works you have studied?

10.  There are many ways of achieving a memorable ending to a work of literature. In two or three of the works you have studied, how have your chosen authors made endings memorable?

11.  People often act first and reflect afterwards. In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been more and less important to the plays you have studied?

12.  Compare the importance of dreams or aspirations or ambitions to the impact of works you have studied.

13.  “Drama has to do with both conflicts and denials.” How have dramatists in your study used either of these, or both together, to create plays that provoke or interest or disturb the audience?

14.  “Some works challenge us more than others.” Discuss elements contributing to challenges for the reader in works you have studied, considering why the writers may have included such difficulties.

15.  “Tension is a necessity in all works of art.” Saying what you mean by “tension” in literature, discuss how far you agree with this view.

16.  With reference to two or three plays you have studied, examine the dramatic significance of

            failures in communication.

17.  Consider the ways in which scene changes may highlight the development of the characters and

            their relationships in two or three plays you have studied.

18.  Many works of literature deal with a sense of longing. How, and to what effect, have two or

            three writers you have studied made use of a sense of longing in their works?

19.   Fear and hope are significant in any person’s life. How have two or three writers you have

            studied presented these emotions in a convincing way, and what role have they played in the

            works concerned?

20.  “Literary works persuade us that human beings are worth caring for and writing about, no

             matter what their circumstances or condition.” To what extent is this evident in two or three

             works you have studied?

21.  To what extent do at least two plays you have studied explore the relationship and tension between

             rational and irrational behaviour as a means to further the action of the drama?

22.  Compare the ways in which at least two works you have studied handle the issue of closure

             and/or resolution.

23.  With reference to at least two plays by different dramatists, consider in what ways and to what

             extent they present life as being difficult to understand.

24.   Dramatists introduce their main characters in different ways and with differing effects. Compare or

             contrast the ways in which characters have been introduced in at least two plays you have studied,

             and consider what dramatic use is made of these introductions

25.  In what ways, and to what effect, have physical and/or spiritual journeys been presented in works

             by at least two writers?

26.   Hunger, thirst, physical deprivation – all of these have featured in literature. Consider the role of one

            or more of these elements and how they have been presented in works by at least two writers.

27.   Consider the presentation and effects of ignorance or lack of awareness in works by at least two

             writers.

28.   Sounds and noises feature in many works of literature. How have at least two writers included

             sounds and/or noises in their work and in what way have they been made significant?

29.  How do guilt and/or blame contribute to conflict and the overall effect in at least two of the

             plays you have studied?

30.  Structure and sequence are important elements in works of literature. How and to what effect

             have writers of at least two of the works you have studied used these elements to shape

             their works?

31.  Some writers establish precisely the time and/or place in which their works unfold; others are

             less precise. Discuss the effects and effectiveness of the techniques used to establish time and

             place in at least two of the works you have studied.

32.  Powerful emotion is the raw material of literature. To what extent and to what end is emotion

             employed in at least two of the works you have studied?

33.  The immediate setting of plays often has a larger historical or sociological context of which the

            audience is made aware. In what ways have playwrights in at least two works you have studied

             included or emphasized any of these settings and to what effect?

      34.  “Plays have their fair share of inspiring trumpet calls, though what they inspire is often terror –

             the trumpet of doom.” To what extent and in what ways have at least two works you have studied

            inspired terror or feelings of impending doom?

      35.    Economic circumstances can be critical elements of the way a writer presents the world through

              literary forms. In what way have economic factors been included in the works of at least two writers

              you have studied?

      36.   “I always start with a visual image,” is the way one writer describes the beginning of his work.

               In at least two works you have studied, identify one of the earliest visual images you recall from the

               work and explain how the writer uses it to engage the reader in a part or the whole of the work.

        37. All characters in a play are mouthpieces for their author. From a consideration of some

              characters from the plays you have studied, say how far you agree.

        38.   A necessary part of drama is not only to present conflict between the characters in a play

                but also to create conflicts within each member of the audience. Compare and contrast

                two or three plays you have studied in the light of this comment.

         39. Comment on the techniques of characterisation employed by the playwrights you have studied.

         40. A change in status of the characters in a play (a success, for example, a loss or exposure) helps

               to convey the ideas and/or values of the dramatist. How and to what extent has change in status

               contributed in this way to at least two of the plays you have studied?

41. ‘In plays, no one arrives on or leaves from the stage without contributing in some way to the complexity

      of the play.’ Considering two or three plays you have studied, compare the impact on meaning of some arrivals

      and departures from the stage.

42. What dramatic techniques have playwrights used to convey ideas/beliefs in two or three plays you have 

      studied and how effective have they been?

43. In plays, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, can be a significant presence, contributing to      

       action, developing other characters or conveying ideas. To what extent have you found this to be true of at least

       two works you have studied?

44. “We are often puzzled by the things people do, uncertain as to their motives.” In the light of this

      statement, consider ways in which character motivation is presented in works by at least two

      dramatists you have studied.

45. ‘What we aspire to and what we achieve are not always the same.’ In what ways and to what effect have at

       least two playwrights you have studied explored this human experience? 

46. ‘Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one.’ In the light of this statement, explore the

        impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.

47. ‘Memory feeds imagination.’ To what effect has memory been used in two or three works you have studied?

48. In what ways and to what effect have writers made use of anecdotes, analogies and allusions in their works?

49. Compare and contrast the ways in which writers have explored the relationship between experience and

       understanding.

50. Compare how writers have explored the themes of judgement and punishment.

51. ‘Life is a game played against chaos and death.’ How far, and in what ways, does this statement apply

        to two different works by two different writers?

52. Urban settings are often portrayed as ‘spiritual wastelands.’ To what extent and by what means have

        playwrights presented urban settings in such a way?

53. Awakenings or changes in consciousness are often explored in literature. Discuss how and to what effects

       playwrights have explored such phenomena.

54. How have playwrights used pace to produce interesting effects?

55. How are verbal disputes used by playwrights and how do these verbal disputes influence your response to

       characters and the unfolding of the action?

56. Discuss the role and significance of deceit.

57. Explore the role of the unexpected.

58. Compare the dramatic effectiveness of the relationship between plot and setting.

59. In what ways has the structure of plays you have studied seemed to impose some recognizable order on human

       behavior and the human events of the play?

60. Drama can be said to contain something of the ritual – something to be repeated in front of an audience for a   

      significant occasion, event or purpose, or simply everyday routines and patterns of behavior. In what ways have

      plays made use of the notion of ritual in this way and to what effect?