How to Answer Essay Questions for Literature Exams/Marking Scheme

 

 

HOW TO ANSWER ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR LITERATURE   EXAMS/MARKING SCHEME

Answering essay questions on literature in WAEC, NECO and higher institution exams require good writing and analytical skills Literature essays can be especially difficult since the “facts” you have to deal with can be abstract, such as characters or the entire plot.  It can be tempting to parrot everything you know when writing literature answers, but your essay must have focus and planning.  While attempting to write out answers for literature, you must follow these simple tips that will help you in scoring good marks.

10 BEST APPROACHES TO ANSWERING LITERATURE QUESTIONS.

  Time out yourself while writing the paper.

 1.     Spend 5 to 10 minutes to read through the question, you are going to answer by jotting the important points at the back of your answer sheet.  You must remember to cross them before you submit them.

2.     Underline or highlight keywords or phrases in the essay question itself.  For instance, if you are given this question “comment on the character and role of lady Blacknell in Arms and the Man.  The keywords here are “character and “role” and they must be treated separately as two items.

3.     Make sure that your essay has a brief and focused introduction, with a thesis (also called a statement of purpose) and a summary of your main points.    Remember that your essay must have a beginning, middle, and conclusion.   Here is a good introductory paragraph for the character of the lady 

Blacknell  “Lady Blacknell is Algernon’s domineering aunt and Gwendolyn’s  mother”

4.     Ensure to back up your claims (analysis) by finding relevant examples from your texts.

5.     Do not summarise the entire plot as your answer.  Remember the examiner has too many scripts to mark and record, hence he will not waste time reading irrelevant details.

 6.     Remember to use quotations (prose), dialogue in a play, or stanza (poetry). Note that it is essential that you be as specific as possible, only if your examples are directly related to the topic or question in question.

7.     As you write, stop once in a while to make sure that you are still on the question and not rambling (out of point).

 8.     In literature exam, focus, and clarity of expressions are just as important as getting as many facts down on paper.  Avoid repeating the same ideas in all the questions.  Even if some of the questions require the same ideas, try to rephrase the ideas in different ways.

9.     You must give yourself some time in the end.  This will enable you to dot your ‘I’s and cross your ‘T’s.  When you pause halfway and re-read your exam answer, you will probably spot and correct a few spelling or grammatical errors.  No wonder the English and Literature department, UNIBEN has this exam mission statement.  Correct use of language and logical arrangement of material is necessary for passing” as their watchword.

 10.                        Write a more compelling conclusion, which should be a brief restatement of your main points and why they are significant.  Note that these rules may also be helpful in your English language paper (essay and letter writing).

              The above examiner’s secrets or marking schemes can serve as an open sea to scoring the highest marks in the literature essay exam.  Try this today and see if you wouldn’t be ‘A’s and ‘B’s friendly.

 HOW TO ANSWER CONTEXT QUESTIONS IN LITERATURE

EXAMINATIONS

           Context questions are questions about a particular passage that is taken out of the play.  They are usually set for public examinations, such as WAEC, NECO, and other degree examinations.  It’s aimed at testing your knowledge of the play and your understanding of the language.  This is when you ascertain or explain what led to a particular incident or speech and what came after. 

 To achieve this.  you need to understand the play to the core.  And such questions include: who made that statement?  To whom? And on what occasion? You may also be asked to give the connotative or denotative meaning of an underlined sentence Context questions require an excellent understanding of selected texts.  Therefore students must pay attention to the following rules when reading a drama text:

1.     When reading a drama text, identify the writer and the title of the play where the passage was extracted first.

 2.     Pay attention to the plot of the drama (play).  Take note of all the conflicts that occur in all the acts and scenes and also the various way the conflicts are resolved.

 3.     Pay close attention to the lexical meaning of words in the text by underling some lexical items and also look them up in a good dictionary in a play.  This is because you may be asked to interpret the meaning or phrase in some lines.

              4.     Ensure that you have adequate knowledge and understanding of the subplot                 and play within a play, if any.

 5.     Identify the ‘cast, or character in the text: the cast are identified by what they say and what other casts say about them. You must take to heart the formula 5 WS in identifying characters ranging from who is the speaker?  To whom, when (time), where (setting), and what transpires in the scenes.  In doing this, you should be able to link each setting that appears in each scene and acts with the characters.

           6.     Pay attention to the setting of each act or scene, because it will aid you in identifying where the speech is made and what transpires in the scene.

 7.     When studying a drama text, pay full attention to literary devices or figures of speech used by the playwright.

           8.     In answering context questions, your answer must be brief and direct to the point.  “Prevarication” (by not answering questions directly) is not allowed.

 

 DRAMA

           The term drama comes from a Greek word ‘dram’, meaning “action” In Classical Greek, and drama also means “to do” or “to act”

         Drama is the imitation or representation of reality on stage.  It is an imaginative expression of ideas in form of action and dialogue. Dramatic personae are known as characters in a drama, which also comprises actors and actresses.  A drama cannot be regarded as a play until it is acted on stage.

 

          A play is a drama in book form.  It is written in or without act and scene that is meant to be performed on stage.  Play, therefore, means drama for the stage.  A playlet is a short drama piece.  The distinguishing characteristic of drama as a genre is its reliance on action and dialogue.  Whenever you observe two quarrelsome drivers at traffic, you will see those two primary elements of drama-action and dialogue.  It is basically through the actions and dialogues of characters that the story which is a piece of drama is developed, and if you take away these elements, there wouldn’t be any drama.

 

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

 Chorus:  This is a group of characters who comment or provide information on the action of the play.  They can be part of the dramatic personae.  Femi Osofisan is known for the use of chorus in his plays.

Dialogue:  It is the conversation or exchange of words among the characters in a play.  It is the most distinguishing element of drama.

 Dramatic Personae:  It is the list of characters in the play.

 Cast: Cast is the full list of characters that are playing different roles in the play.

 Suspense:  It has to do with anxiety or uncertainty about what is about to take place in a play.  It arouses the curiosity of a reader or the audience watching a play.

 Denouement:  It is the turning point in the course of events in the play.  It is also the resolution of conflict where all the mystery or conflict is resolved. The action in the play either ends in happiness or failure for the protagonist.  It is also the reversal of the hero’s fortune.

 Catastrophe:  This is the final outcome when the conflict ends in a tragedy that is caused by a sudden, unexpected and terrible event.

 Catharsis or Katharsis is a term coined by Aristotle? It is the purgation or release of strong emotion or feeling in a literary work, especially in drama.

 Prologue: It is an introduction or an exposition to a literary work.

 Epilogue:  It is the conclusion or a final statement in a literary work.

 Interlude:  This is a short entertainment between the acts of a play.  It is used as a sign of relief to the audience.  It is also a break in-between a literary work.

 Climax (From the Greek Klimax ‘staircase’ or ‘ladder’):  This is the highest point of incidence in a play usually moved from an unserious issue to the noble serious one.  In Shakespeare’s Hamlet. the rising action reaches the climax of the hero’s fortunes with his proof of the king’s guilt the device of the play within a play.

 Anticlimax:  It is synonymous with bathos.  It denotes a sudden change from the noble serious and exciting to the absurd, unimportant, lowly, and ‘uninteresting the issue, e.g.  Mr. Kopiko lost his wife, dog, wristwatch, and a script.

 Flashback:  It is the bringing back or recalling of events that happened before the work opened.  It is also referred to as past events and how they contributed to the present situation in the play.

Protagonist:  It is the chief character in a play.  The protagonist is also known as a hero.  If he is a male you call him a hero, female is the heroine.  The plot centers on the action of the protagonist, for instance, Brother Jero is the protagonist in Soyinka’s Trial of Brother Jero.

 Antagonist:  This is the character that attacks or creates problems for the protagonist.  An antagonist is also known as a villain.  Shylock is the antagonist in William Shakespeare’s  Merchant of Venice.

 Foreshadow:  This provides a hint or idea to the reader or the audience, an action that has not yet taken place in drama.  The chorus in the prologue of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a good example of foreshadowing.

 Prefiguration:  It is another word for foreshadowing, which presents a certain event that will occur as the story progresses.

 Hubris:  This is the moment of recognition of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge in a character.

 Peripeteia:  It is an irredeemable reversal of the hero’s fortune in a tragedy.

 Hamartia:  It is the moral flaw or weakness that leads to the downfall of a major character in a drama.

 Tragic Flaw:  It is the weakness in the character of the protagonist, which attributes to his downfall.  For instance, short temper is Odewale’s tragic flaw in Olu Rotimi’s The God’s are not to blame.  And this results in the killing of his father.

 Playwright/Dramatist:  The writer of a play is known as the playwright or dramatist.

 Soliloquy:  This is the act of talking to oneself silently or aloud especially in a speech in a play.

 Comic Hero:  It is a character that makes one laugh.  The character’s problems are always resolved at the end of the play.

 Clown:  They entertain the audience by making them laugh.  They are also known as dramatic fools or jesters.

Dramatic Monologue:  This is a play, an act, or scene performed by a single character e.g Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Dead.

 Aside:  This is when a character with other characters on stage says something which is heard by the audience alone most times the character faces the camera and expresses his feelings.

 Tragic Hero:  It is a protagonist that ends in an unhappy way.  He is usually pulled down by circumstances greater than him.  For instance, Hamlet is the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

 Pathos:  This is what arouses the sympathy pain and sorrow in a character.  It makes one feel bad.

 Props:  They are the materials that are used for theatrical performance and they are coloring items,  lighting gadgets, and scene devices.

 Deus ex Machina:  It is a person or character that came to save a situation.

 

KINDS OF DRAMA

 Comedy: It is a play or drama that ends happily:  It deals with light issues or misfortune by creating a feeling of joy and laughter to the reader.  It is usually satiric in nature.  Wole Soyinka’s Lion and the Jewel is a good example.

 Tragedy:  It is a play that ends in death and serious misfortune thereby creating a feeling of sorrow in the mind of a reader e.g Olu Rotimi’s The Gods are not to blame.

 Comedy of Manners:  It is an amusing play film/movie or book that shows the silly behavior of a particular group of people, and the vicissitudes of young lovers and what becomes of them.  Shakespeare’s Lovers labor’s lost and much Ado about Nothing are good example.

 Tragic Comedy:  It begins sadly with a tragic outcome but ends in a happy way.  Shakespeare’s Twelfth  Night is an elusive example.

 Melodrama: (“Melos” is a Greek term for ‘song’.  It deals with the exaggerated behavior of certain people.  It makes use of hyperbole, action, and satire, which usually ends happily.  The Victorian melodramas can be said to have the same relation to tragedy.  The protagonists are flat types: the hero is great-hearted.

 Pantomime/Dance Drama:  It is performed with music, facial expression and other body movements.

 Mime:  It is a play that lacks dialogue.  It involves the use of facial expression and gesticulation.

 Miracle and Morality Plays:  They are verse drama that deals with extracted stories from the holy bible based on the lives of some saints. Medieval plays are good examples.

 Masque:  It is a play written in verse

Farce:  It is a play that elicits fun and laughter.  It is aimed at creating amusement for the reader or audience.  Example, Femi Osofisan’s.  The Engagement.