Paper 2 Questions (Eng A: Lang&Lit)

The Paper 2 exam, at both levels, consists of six questions, from which candidates choose one.  These typically ask you to discuss aspects of context or style, or a combination of both, using at least two of your Part 3 works. Though you are no longer required to write a comparative response, the more sophisticated (and usually higher-scored) responses do so.

Answer one essay question only. You must base your answer on both of the Part 3 works you have studied. Answers which are not based on a discussion of both Part 3 works will not score high marks. Your answer should address the ways in which language and context contribute to your reading of each work.

1. How can we explain the continued interest in a particular work in different contexts and at different times?



2. Writers often use a character who is alienated from his or her culture or society in order to explore cultural or social values. Examine this idea with reference to the two works studied.



3. What impact does setting have on your understanding of the central ideas or themes presented in the two works studied?



4. To what purpose do authors sometimes choose not to follow a chronological sequence of events in their literary works?



5. Looking closely at the two works studied, show that more than one interpretation could be made of those works.



6. With reference to at least two literary texts that you have studied, how does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?



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