HL Literature P2 past paper questions

May 2014 TZ1

 Using at least two works you have studied, show how and to what extent authors
have created interesting characters whose thoughts remain hidden.
 Discuss the importance of the journey as an organising structure in at least two
works you have studied.
 Discuss the means by which authors endeavour to control our sympathy in at least
two works you have studied.
November 2012 TZ0
 “Characters in fiction come to life through their dialogue.” In at least two works you
have studies, explore important moments where dialogue develops character
portrayal.
 The influence of belief in traditions such as religion, family bonds, or patriotism can
be used to develop such narrative aspects as, for example, setting, motivation, or
sources of conflict. In at least two works you have studies, show how writers have
incorporated such influences to good effect.
General questions
 Works of literature often address continuity or change across generations. Referring
to at least two works you have studied, in what ways and to what effect have such
issues across generations been presented?
 Aspects of the physical body – potential, limitation, special attributes – are often
used by writers in their presentation of humans or animals. Show how and to what
effect at least two writers you have studies have used such material.
 Delaying revelation and withholding information are techniques sometimes used by
writers to sustain the reader’s interest. In at least two works you have studies, show
how writers have been able to employ such strategies in varying ways and with
differing or similar effects.
 Playfulness in words, attitudes and behaviour is not just for children. With close
reference to at least two works you have studies, examine how and to what effect
authors have presented playfulness on the part of adults.
May 2010 TZ2
 Almost all novels and short stories have a cultural context. How is such a context
presented, and to what extent is it important for understanding works by at least
two writers?

 “Even in the darkest and most pessimistic of novels or short stories, there is light.”
To what extent is this true with respect to works by at least two authors and how

has “light”, or the lack of it, been presented?

General questions:
 Some literary texts, although set in a particular place or time, convey ideas that are
universal. In what ways, and to what extent, is this true in works by at least two
writers?
 Writers frequently incorporate the supernatural in their works. Discuss the ways in
which at least two authors have introduced elements of the supernatural, and the
effects of such features in the works as a whole.
 “Life is a game played against chaos and death.” How far, and in what ways, does this
statement apply to at least two woks by different writers?
 “You have to read between the lines.” To what extent and in what ways do at least
two writers manage to convey what lies beneath the surface of the text?

May 2008 TZ1

 Discuss the ways in which at least two novels or short stories you have studied
demonstrate that the search for identity can be a conscious or an unconcious
process.
Adequate to good answers will identify characters who seem to be searching for their
identity and discuss the ways in which such characters are presented as being aware or
unaware of their search. They will also consider the circumstances which initiate the
search. Circumstances which create the impulse for the search and consideration of the
outcomes may also be considered.
Good to excellent answers will do all of the above in greater depth. They are also likely
to show a sharper awareness of what is meant by a search for identity, will discuss how
the search is presented and provide insight into the techniques used by the writers.
 “Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice.” Referring to at least two
works you have studied, explore the ways in which the writers have attempted to
persuade us to accept or challenge this view.
Adequate to good answers will demonstrate some understanding of the prompt
offering some clarification of both “defiance” and “duty”. They will discuss how
characters have reacted to instances of injustice and they will make an attempt to
discuss similarities and/or differences in the writers’ positions in regard to these
instances.
Good to excellent answers may additionally demonstrate a secure understanding of the
prompt. They will explore how the writers have crafted the characters’ responses to
instances of injustice and show understanding of similarities and/or differences in the
writers’ positions in regard to these instances.

General questions:
 “Why won’t writers allow children simply to be children?” Discuss the presentation
and significance of children, or the state of childhood, in at least two works you have
studied in the light of this complaint.
Adequate to good answers will show some understanding of the implications of the
prompt. They will choose some relevant examples of children or childhood, and discuss
how these are presented and their role in the work as a whole.
Good to excellent answers will have a sophisticated understanding of the prompt. They
will show in detail how their authors have presented children and examine the
significance of children or the state of childhood in the works.
 It is said that writers are the conscience of the world. In what ways have at least two
of the works you have studied encouraged you to appreciate or question this
assertion?
Adequate to good answers will show some understanding of what the prompt means
and select details to support whether it applies to their texts or not. They may discuss
how writers arouse the reader’s awareness of problems in the world.
Good to excellent answers will show a deeper understanding of the “conscience of the
world”. They will be able to isolate and discuss in detail techniques used to help the
reader understand how the writer has portrayed matters of conscience.
 “Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.” Discuss at least two works you have
studied in light of this statement, and say how far you would agree with it.
Adequate to good answers will attempt an explanation of what the prompt means,
perhaps focusing on how art helps in manifesting truth. They will take position in
relation to the prompt and show how the works they use support that position.
 Good to excellent answers will offer a much fuller and clearer explanation of the
quotation and show, in detail, how it applies (or does not apply) to their texts. It may
discuss whether “truth” can be conveyed through literature.
 “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.
Adequate to good answers will attempt an explanation of what the prompt means.
They will select appropriate examples of doubt and/or certainty, and consider the
ways in which doubt and/or certainty are presented and relate them to the
implications of the prompt.
Good to excellent answers will do all of the above in a more detailed and sophisticated
manner.

May 2008 TZ2

 “The past is forever in the present.” How does the use of narrative techniques, in at
least two of the works you have studied, demonstrate whether or not this statement
is valid?
Adequate to good answers will give consideration to the prompt, exploring how
various narrative techniques are used to introduce the past into the “present” time of
the novel.
Good to excellent answers will look more closely at the prompt, giving emphasis,
perhaps, to the idea of “forever” and examining in detail the significance of the past
within the context of the work.
 Justify, with close reference to at least two of the texts you have studied, your
judgement as to whether their endings are fitting in the light of what has gone
before.
Adequate to good answers will discuss the endings of at least two works, exploring the
meaning of the term “fitting” and its relevance to those endings.
Good to excellent answers will demonstrate a very close knowledge of the endings of
the works and form a firm argument as to whether such endings can be considered
fitting in the light of what has preceded them.
General questions: (OMG EW NOOO)
 Some writers make us see people’s lives through the lens of nostalgia. In what ways
have writers used nostalgia in at least two of the works you have studied?
Adequate to good answers will show some understanding of the word “nostalgia” and
discuss ways nostalgia has been used in the works.
Good to excellent answers may explore more fully the phrase “the lens of nostalgia”,
discussing in a sophisticated manner the ways in which nostalgia has been used.
 Urban settings are often portrayed as “spiritual wastelands”. To what extent, if at all,
and by what means, have at least two of the works you have studied presented
urban settings in such a way?
Adequate to good answers will be able to show understanding of how a physical setting
may be portrayed as a spiritual wasteland and discuss examples of the ways in which
writers have used settings to explore this concept.
Good to excellent answers will be able to explore more fully the dimensions of a
“spiritual wasteland” and show, in much more detail, how the chosen texts do or do not
use urban settings to depict “spiritual wastelands”.
 Images of sickness, both real and metaphorical, can reflect corruption in individuals
and/or society. To what degree and to what effect is this evident in at least two of
the works you have studied?
Adequate to good answers need to show how sickness can reflect corruption in
individuals and/or society and give examples from the works studied of how authors
have linked sickness with corruption.
Good to excellent answers will analyse in depth the different ways in which sickness
can be used to demonstrate corruption of any kind.
 “All Art is quite useless.” With close reference to at least two of the texts you have
studied discuss and give reasons for the extent to which you agree or disagree with
this statement.
Adequate to good answers may employ a variety of approaches agreeing or
disagreeing with the quotation and try to apply it to the chosen works, giving reasons
for the candidate’s view.
Good to excellent answers may possibly show an understanding of the ironic or
humourous nature of the quotation and apply it to the works with much more detail
and sophistication.
Random questions
 Compare how writeers in your study have explored the themes of judgment and
punishments, OR disguise and deceit, OR love and friendship, and with what effect.
 “A writer without a keen sense of justice and injustice would be better off editing a
school yearbook.” To what degree is such a sense of human behaviour important to
works you have studied?
 The form of a work is often considered equal in importance to the content of a work
of literature. How far does your experience confirm or question this notion?
 Sometimes readers are disappointed with literature in which abstraction and
reflection are more in evidence than the concrete and particular. How far has your
appreciation of works of literature been based on either of these preferences?
 Ambiguity has often been considered an enriching aspect of literature. Discuss what
has been gained or lost by the inclusion of what you define as ambiguity in the
works you have studied.
 “Conventional behaviour is not always moral.” To what extent, and in what ways,
does this statement apply to at least two of the novels you have studied?