Past Mock Exam Papers - LC - HL - English by The Examcraft Group

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Leaving Cert Higher Level

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TABLE of CONTENTS Pre-Leaving Certificate Examination - HIGHER LEVEL

MOCK PAPER 1

MOCK PAPER 6

Paper 1

Paper 2

MOCK PAPER 7

Paper 2

MOCK PAPER 3 Paper 1

Paper 2

105

MOCK PAPER 8

Paper 1

113

Paper 2

121

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Paper 2

Paper 1

MOCK PAPER 2

MOCK PAPER 4

MOCK PAPER 9

Paper 1

129

Paper 2

137

MOCK PAPER 5

MOCK PAPER 10

Paper 1

145

Paper 2

153

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Pre-Leaving Certiϐicate Examination

English – Higher Level – Paper 1

Total Marks: 200

Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

• This paper is divided into two sections, •

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•

Section I COMPREHENDING and Section II COMPOSING. The paper contains three texts on the general theme of WRITING INSPIRING WORDS. Candidates should familiarise themselves with each of the texts before beginning their answers. Both sections of this paper (COMPREHENDING and COMPOSING) must be attempted. Each section carries 100 marks.

• •

SECTION I – COMPREHENDING

• Two Questions, A and B, follow each text. • Candidates must answer a Question A on one text and a Question B on a different text. Candidates must answer only one Question A and only one Question B.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer a Question A and a Question B on the same text.

SECTION II – COMPOSING

• Candidates must write on one of the compositions 1 – 7.

SECTION I

COMPREHENDING

(100 marks)

TEXT 1 ͵ PHENOMENAL WOMEN ͵ Michelle Obama and Maya Angelou This text contains extracts from a number of sources describing the power of the poet Maya Angelou’s inspiraƟonal words. It includes an extract from Michelle Obama’s speech where she salutes Maya Angelou’s example to all women through both her acƟons and her words. Extract 1 Maya Angelou’s powerful poem, SƟll I Rise, con�nues to be used to illustrate the power of resilience.

“You may write me down in history With your bi�er, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But s�ll, like dust, I’ll rise.”

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For Maya herself, having faced a trauma�c childhood event, she spent years in silence before eventually nding her voice again and using her words to inspire others. Angelou was a favourite of the Obamas. In 2011, Barack Obama awarded her the Presiden�al Medal of Freedom, quo�ng her as he did so: “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Delighted when he was elected president, she declared: “We are growing up beyond the idiocies of racism and sexism.” As a child, my rst doll was Malibu Barbie — that was the standard for perfec�on. That was what the world told me to aspire to. But then I Extract 2 It is such a profound honour — truly a proud discovered Maya Angelou, and her words li�ed honour — to be here today on behalf of myself me right out of my own li�le head. Her message and my husband as we celebrate one of the was very simple: she told us that our worth had greatest spirits our world has ever known, our nothing to do with what the world might say. dear friend Dr Maya Angelou. She taught us Instead she said: “Each of us comes from the that we are each wonderfully made, intricately creator trailing wisps of glory.” She reminded us woven and put on this Earth for a purpose far that we must each nd our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the greater than we could ever imagine. world with all the pride and joy that is our birth When I think of Maya Angelou, I think of the right as members of the human race. aﬃrming power of her words. The rst �me I read Phenomenal Woman, I was struck by Dr Angelou’s words sustained me on every step how she celebrated black women’s beauty like of my journey. Through lonely moments in ivyno one had ever dared to before. Our curves, covered classrooms and colourless skyscrapers. our stride, our strength, our grace. Her words Through blissful moments mothering two were clever and sassy. They were powerful and splendid baby girls. Through long years on sexual and boas�ul. And in that one singular the campaign trail, where at �mes my very poem, Maya Angelou spoke to the essence of womanhood was dissected and ques�oned. black women but she also graced us with an For me, that was the power of Maya Angelou’s anthem for all women, a call for all of us to words — words so powerful that they carried a embrace our God-given beauty. And oh, how li�le girl from the South Side of Chicago all the desperately black girls needed that message. way to the White House. As a young woman, I needed that message. 2

And today as First Lady, whenever the term ‘authen�c’ is used to describe me, I take it as a tremendous compliment because I know that I am following in the footsteps of great women like Maya Angelou. But really, I am just a beginner. I am baby authen�c.

to myself, “Maya Angelou knows who I am! And she is roo�ng for me! So now, I’m good. I can do this. I can do this.”

But for Dr Angelou, her own transi�on was never enough. You see, she didn’t just want to be phenomenal herself. She wanted us all to be phenomenal right alongside her. So that’s what she did throughout her life�me. She gathered so many of us under her wing. I wish I was her daughter. But I was right under that wing — sharing her wisdom, her genius and her boundless love.

And she did this not just for black women but for all women. For all human beings. She taught us all that it is okay to be your regular old self, whatever that is. Your poor self, your broken self, your brilliant, bold, phenomenal self. That was Maya Angelou’s reach.

And that’s really true for us all. Because in so many ways, Maya Angelou knew us. She knew our hope, our pain, our ambi�on, our fear, our Maya Angelou, now she was the original. She was anger, our shame. And she assured us that in the master. For at a �me when there were such spite of it all — in fact, because of it all — we s�ing constraints on how black women could were good. And in doing so, she paved the way exist in the world, she serenely disregarded all for me and Oprah and so many others just to be the rules with ercely passionate, unapologe�c our good ol’ black women selves. She showed self. She was comfortable in every inch of her us that, eventually, if we stayed true to who we are, then the world would embrace us. gloriously brown skin.

She touched me, she touched you, she touched all of you, she touched people all across the globe — including a young white woman from She made me feel like I owned the place, too. Kansas who named her daughter a�er Maya She made me feel like I had been born on that and raised her son to be the rst black president stage right next to her. And I remember thinking of the United States.

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This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer QuesƟon A and QuesƟon B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks (i)

Based on your reading of TEXT 1, what is your impression of Maya Angelou? Support your answer with detailed reference to the text.

(ii)

In TEXT 1, Michelle Obama credits Angelou’s words as being “so powerful that they carried a li�le girl from the South Side of Chicago all the way to the White House”. Discuss the extent to which you think words we hear have power to inuence the type of person we aspire to be. (15)

(iii)

With reference to both content and style, iden�fy how Michelle Obama convinces readers of the key role Dr Angelou played in her life. Support your answer with reference to the extract. (20)

(15)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks Maya Angelou passed away, but she lives on in her books and poetry. Choose a gure from the past that you nd interes�ng. Write the text of a talk they might give to young people today explaining how they feel about their legacy, what they think of modern lifestyle and what advice they might oﬀer to young people with similar interests today.

TEXT 2 – “You can’t wait unƟl life isn’t hard any more before you decide to be happy.” This text contains a number of extracts from the personal essays published on the blog of Nightbirde, a singer who captured the aƩenƟon of the audience of America’s Got Talent with her talent and her posiƟvity in the face of her cancer diagnosis with the words: “You can’t wait unƟl life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy”.

A journalism professor in a long grey sweater taught me the diﬀerence between a story worth wri�ng and a public rela�ons stunt. A real story s�ll has meaning, even if nobody ever hears it; a PR stunt only ma�ers if people are watching. And that became a new item on the list of promises to myself: that I would never let my life become a PR stunt. My life would have meaning, even if nobody ever knew it. I wanted to write a story I was proud of, even if nobody read it.

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Most people never think about breathing, but I think about it a lot. There was a �me when there were too many tumours in my lungs for the doctors to count. Knowing the number wouldn’t have changed the outcome — I was running out of room for air. Even as the tumours shrunk, I found myself breathing shallow, and some�mes not breathing at all. The tumours were ge�ng smaller, but the grief was sprawling out.

It was a pilgrimage, this trip. A symbol of my willingness to walk the long road of healing with my own two feet, get my hands dirty, and maybe even let God breathe for me. It was my solemn ‘yes’, to go through, instead of trying to go over or under or around. It was a resolu�on that I wouldn’t cheat the system any more. I shook hands with pain and agreed to play fair. I would walk the path. I would see it through.

I’ve been to the desert only a few �mes in my life, but every �me it changed me. It’s hard to explain the desert to someone who has never been, but I can tell you that the silence lasts for miles. The desert never interrupts. The desert never rushes.

A�er a mental collapse that le� me on the bathroom oor for months, I drove from Ohio to Los Angeles with my brother. I had traveled from East to West Coast several �mes, but always by plane. I love that planes let you skip over �me and space. I can close my eyes in one place and open them in another. But this �me I took the long way.

What I wanted more than anything was a diﬀerent past, but my face was telling stories that I could not erase. My body would not lie. There was an ache that I couldn’t shake oﬀ, no ma�er how much I bullied myself. I spent a long �me believing that if I wanted it badly enough, I could be scar-free; that if I made myself tall We set out from the Midwest, where the shadows enough, I could in�midate the pain into turning stretch as far as they want to because there is away. But my soul wouldn’t rest un�l I nally plenty of room for it. We came through the snow admi�ed I was wrong. globe world of the Rockies, then through Utah’s purple skies and powder blue mountains, where I was a universe of swollen ques�ons, slouching the loose amber sand stained the bo�om of in the passenger seat. I stared out the window my shoes. We came through New Mexico and through the atlands, and the tunnels under Arizona, where crispy desert owers close their mountains, through the snow and the hills and the rain and the heat. I let it all pass through eyes and lean towards the sun. 4

I breathed deep. Breathing is holy for me. My hands were dirty, and God’s too. I closed my eyes and leaned into the sun, this �me with a li�le more room for air.

me. Grief can take so many forms. When we were almost to the end, we pulled oﬀ onto a dirt road in Arizona to have a funeral for my marriage.

We found an ice scraper under the seat and A line from my favourite poem says this: dug a grave in the sand. I crouched down and “There’ll be days like this, my mama said, pulled my marriage cer�cate out of a clear When you open your hands to catch, plas�c sleeve. It was as cool and smooth as the day it was handed to me. I saw my signature in And wind up with only blisters and bruises. . . When your boots ll with rain, blue ink, a broken oath in my own handwri�ng. and you’ll be up to your knees in His signature was there too, and I didn’t ght it disappointment. when I felt sen�mental. When he signed it, he And those are the very days you have all the really believed that he loved me. I knew that. more reason to say thank you. The complicated truth sagged in my gut. Because there’s nothing more beauƟful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the I put the two wedding bands and the papers in the sand, and lit a corner. Fire and wind pulled shoreline, no maƩer how many Ɵmes it is sent away.” it all apart, one eck of feathery ash at a �me. I pressed my lips together and hummed quietly. It was the melody that played when I wore the I see mercy in the dusty sunlight that outlines white dress and made the promise. I wanted to the trees, in my mother’s crooked hands, in the end it the same way it started—with sincerity blanket my friend le� for me, in the harmony of the wind chimes. It’s not the mercy that I asked and nality and a song. for, but it is mercy nonetheless. And I learn a I pushed the sand back over the ashes and set a new prayer: thank you. It’s a prayer I don’t smooth white stone on top. My brother le� for mean yet, but will repeat un�l I do. the car, and I stood silently with the cac�.

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This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer QuesƟon A and QuesƟon B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks (i)

Based on your reading of TEXT 2, what is your impression of the author, Nightbirde?

(15)

(ii)

Nightbirde’s status was bolstered by what the judges on America’s Got Talent referred to as her “authen�city”. Discuss the extent to which you think that authen�c talent is overshadowed by talentless ‘fame seekers’, due to the widespread availability of social media pla�orms. (15)

(iii)

Iden�fy four elements of Nightbirde’s wri�ng style, evident in TEXT 2, and discuss how eﬀec�vely these stylis�c elements are employed to cra� a lyrically beau�ful and engaging piece of personal wri�ng. Support your answer with reference to TEXT 2. (20)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks Nightbirde’s song It’s okay was described as “the words we all needed to hear in 2021”. Write the text of the blog post you would write, including a quote you believe are the words we, as a society, need to hear in 2023. In your blog post you should reect on the power of posi�vity, discuss some of the challenges faced by people in 2023, and share your thoughts and feelings on what keeps you inspired during life’s challenges. 5

TEXT 3 – ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS In this edited extract from a novel composed as a young Vietnamese man’s leƩer to his mother, who cannot read, On Earth We’re Briey Gorgeous is an authenƟc portrait of love, idenƟty, forgiveness and nding yourself through words.

What I am about to tell you, you will never know. But so be it. I am wri�ng to reach you – even if each word I put down is one word further from where you are. I am wri�ng to go back to the �me, at the rest stop in Virginia, when you stared, horror-struck, at the taxidermy buck hung over the soda machine by the restrooms, its antlers shadowing your face. In the car, you kept shaking your head. “I don’t understand why they would do that. Can’t they see it’s a corpse? A corpse should go away, not get stuck forever like that.”

I think now of that buck, how you stared into its black glass eyes and saw your reec�on, your whole body, warped in that lifeless mirror. How it was not the grotesque moun�ng of a decapitated animal that shook you – but that the taxidermy embodied a death that won’t nish, a death that keeps dying as we walk past it to relieve ourselves.

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from September to November, they will move, one wing beat at a �me, from southern Canada and the United States to por�ons of central Mexico, where they will spend the winter. They perch among us, on windowsills and chainThere is so much I want to tell you, Ma. I was link fences, clotheslines s�ll blurred from the once foolish enough to believe knowledge just-hung weight of clothes, windowsills, the would clarify, but some things are so gauzed hood of a faded-blue Chevy, their wings folding behind layers of syntax and seman�cs, behind slowly, as if being put away, before snapping days and hours, names forgo�en, salvaged and once, into ight. It only takes a single night of shed, that simply knowing the wound exists frost to kill oﬀ a genera�on. To live, then, is a does nothing to reveal it. I don’t know what I’m ma�er of �me, of �ming. saying. I guess what I mean is that some�mes I That �me when I was ve or six and, playing don’t know what or who we are. Days I feel like a prank, leapt out at you from behind the a human being, while other days I feel more like hallway door, shou�ng, “Boom!” You screamed, a sound. I touch the world not as myself but as face raked and twisted, then burst into sobs, an echo of who I was. Can you hear me yet? Can clutched your chest as you leaned against the you read me? door, gasping. I stood bewildered, my toy army My doubt is everywhere, Ma. Even when I helmet �lted on my head. I was an American know something to be true as bone I fear the boy parro�ng what I saw on TV. I didn’t know knowledge will dissolve, will not, despite my that the war was s�ll inside you, that there was wri�ng it, stay real. I’m breaking us apart again so a war to begin with, that once it enters you it that I might carry us somewhere else — where, never leaves – but merely echoes, a sound exactly, I’m not sure. Just as I don’t know what forming the face of your own son. Boom. to call you — White, Asian, orphan, American, That �me, in third grade, with the help of Mrs mother? I am wri�ng because I wasn’t trying to Callahan, my ESL teacher, I read the rst book make a sentence – I was trying to break free. that I loved, a children’s book called Thunder Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the Cake, by Patricia Polacco. In the story, when a distance between the hunter and its prey. girl and her grandmother spot a storm brewing Autumn. Somewhere over Michigan, a colony on the green horizon, instead of shu�ering the of monarch bu�eries, numbering more than windows or nailing boards on the doors, they �een thousand, are beginning their yearly set out to bake a cake. I was unmoored by this migra�on south. In the span of two months, act, its precarious yet bold refusal of common 6

Female monarchs lay eggs along the route. Every history has more than one thread, each thread a story of division. The journey takes four thousand eight hundred and thirty miles, more than the length of this country. The monarchs that y south will not make it back north. Each departure, then, is nal. Only their children return; only the future revisits the past. To be or not to be. That is the ques�on.

sense. As Mrs Callahan stood behind me, her mouth at my ear, I was pulled deeper into the current of language. The story unfurled, its storm rolled in as she spoke, then rolled in once more as I repeated the words. To bake a cake in the eye of a storm; to feed yourself sugar on the cusp of danger. Because I am your son, this made perfect sense. The rst �me you hit me, I must have been four. A hand, a ash, a reckoning. My mouth a blaze of touch. The �me I tried to teach you to read the way Mrs Callahan taught me, my lips to your ear, my hand on yours, the words moving underneath the shadows we made. But that act (a son teaching his mother) reversed our hierarchies, and with it our iden��es, which, in this country, were already tenuous and tethered. A�er the stu�ers and false starts, the sentences warped or locked in your throat, a�er the embarrassment of failure, you slammed the book shut. “I don’t need to read,” you said, your expression crunched, and pushed away from the table. “I can see – it’s go�en me this far, hasn’t it?”

When you were a girl in Vietnam, the neighborhood kids would take a spoon to your arms, shou�ng, “Get the white oﬀ her, get the white oﬀ her!” Eventually you learned to swim. Wading deep into the muddy river, where no one could reach you, no one could scrape you away. You made yourself an island for hours at a �me. Coming home, your jaw would cla�er from cold, your arms pruned and blistered — but s�ll white.

When asked how he iden�es his roots, Tiger Woods called himself “Cablinasian,” a portmanteau he invented to contain his ethnic makeup of Chinese, Thai, Black, Dutch, and Migra�on can be triggered by the angle Na�ve American. To be or not to be. That is the of sunlight, indica�ng a change in season, ques�on. A ques�on, yes, but not a choice. temperature, plant life, and food supply.

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This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer QuesƟon A and QuesƟon B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks (i)

Based on your reading of TEXT 3, outline three interes�ng insights you gained into the rela�onship between the narrator and his mother.

(ii)

In TEXT 3, Vuong describes the lingering impact of the past war on his family’s present life. Discuss the signicance of understanding the inuence of historical events on our sense of individual or cultural iden�ty. (15)

(iii)

The author of this extract is also a renowned poet. Do you think this is evident in the manner that Vuong describes people, events and situa�ons? Iden�fy four features to support your claim. Support your response with reference to the wri�ng in the extract. (20)

(15)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks “As Mrs Callahan stood behind me, her mouth at my ear, I was pulled deeper into the current of language. The story unfurled…” Write a leƩer to a person who inuenced your love of language – spoken or wri�en word. This might be a favourite author, singer or poet, a teacher, or someone who introduced you to a new language. In your le�er, refer to the moment you realised your love of language was developing, how you’ve beneted from it, and then encourage others who may not enjoy your chosen language. 7

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SECTION II

COMPOSING

(100 marks)

Write a composi�on on any one of the assignments that appear in bold print below. Each composi�on carries 100 marks. The composi�on assignments are intended to reect language study in the areas of informa�on, argument, persuasion, narra�on, and the aesthe�c use of language. 1.

TEXT 2 highlights how Nightbirde’s a�tude to “see it through” carried her through her diﬃcult experiences.

Write a discursive essay about the importance of determinaƟon in the face of obstacles and challenges. TEXT 1 includes an image of Maya Angelou and some of her most inspiring quotes.

Write a personal essay in which you reect on the relevance of at least one of those quotes to your life. In TEXT 3, we learn about how the monarch bu�ery represents the passing of culture, knowledge and tradi�ons from genera�on to genera�on.

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Write a feature arƟcle for a magazine where you discuss the diluƟon of naƟonal culture(s) associated with freedom of travel, the rise in migraƟon and the impact of social media.

In TEXT 2, we learn Nightbirde was selected as a nalist in America’s Got Talent. Write a short story which includes a character reaching a pivotal moment in their life.

In TEXT 3, we see how the author uses monarch bu�eries as a metaphor for his family’s story of migra�on. Write a short story where an animal plays a central role.

In TEXT 3, the author’s mother is shocked at the display of a taxidermy buck hung over the soda machine. Write a speech to be delivered to a World Youth Conference outlining your views on the relaƟonship between humans and animals.

In TEXT 2, Nightbirde graphically describes her journey to the desert. Write a descripƟve essay describing in detail an important journey to a signicant place.

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Pre-Leaving Certiϐicate Examination

English – Higher Level – Paper 2

Total Marks: 200

Time: 3 hours 20 minutes Candidates must attempt the following:

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• ONE question from SECTION I – The Single Text • ONE question from SECTION II – The Comparative Study • ONE question on the Unseen Poem from SECTION III – Poetry • ONE question on Prescribed Poetry from SECTION III – Poetry

N.B. Candidates must answer on Shakespearean Drama. They may do so in SECTION I The Single Text (Macbeth) or in SECTION II, The Comparative Study (Macbeth, Othello).

INDEX OF SINGLE TEXTS

All the Light We Cannot See A Doll’s House Macbeth Frankenstein The Picture of Dorian Gray

Page - 2 Page - 2 Page - 3 Page - 3 Page - 3

SECTION I

THE SINGLE TEXT

(60 marks)

Candidates must answer one quesƟon from this secƟon (A – E).

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE – Anthony Doerr

(i)

“All the Light We Cannot See is about the power of human connecƟon.” Based on your reading of the novel, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Explain your answer, giving reasons for your response. Develop your answer with reference to Doerr’s novel, All the Light We Cannot See. OR IdenƟfy and discuss the various ways in which Doerr’s narraƟve style added to your engagement with the novel. Develop your response with reference to the text.

A DOLL’S HOUSE – Henrik Ibsen

(i)

“Ibsen uses a variety of techniques to create a world of decepƟon in the play A Doll’s House”.

(ii)

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Discuss this statement with detailed reference to the text. OR

(ii)

“Both Torvald and Nora display a variety of character traits and values that contribute to the dramaƟc and tragic outcome of the play.” To what extent would you agree or disagree with this view? Support your answer with reference to the play, A Doll’s House.

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MACBETH – William Shakespeare

(i)

“Shakespeare uses a variety of techniques to create a world of decepƟon in the play Macbeth”. Discuss this statement with detailed reference to the text. OR

(ii)

“Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth display a variety of character traits and values that contribute to the dramaƟc and tragic outcome of the play.”

To what extent would you agree or disagree with this view? Support your answer with reference to the play, Macbeth.

FRANKENSTEIN – Mary Shelley

(i)

“Frankenstein is a novel that showcases how the desire for revenge develops in response to unmet human needs.”

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Based on your reading of the novel, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Explain your answer, giving reasons for your response. Develop your answer with reference to Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. OR

(iii)

IdenƟfy and discuss the various ways in which Shelley’s narraƟve style added to your engagement with the novel, Frankenstein. Develop your response with reference to the text.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – Oscar Wilde

(i)

“The Picture of Dorian Gray is about Dorian’s moral degeneraƟon.” Based on your reading of the text, to what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement in relaƟon to Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray? Develop your response with reference to the text. OR

(ii)

IdenƟfy and discuss the various ways in which Wilde’s narraƟve style added to your engagement with the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Develop your response with reference to the text.

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SECTION II

THE COMPARATIVE STUDY (70 marks)

Candidates must answer one ques�on from either A – Theme or Issue or B – Literary Genre, or C – General Vision and Viewpoint. Candidates who answer a ques�on in SECTION I – The Single Text, may not refer to the same text in answer to ques�ons in this sec�on. All texts used in this sec�on must be prescribed for compara�ve study for this year’s examina�on. Candidates may refer to only one lm in the course of their answers.

Please note: • Ques�ons in this sec�on use the word text to refer to all the diﬀerent kinds of texts available for study on this course. • When used, the word reader includes viewers of lms and theatre audiences. • When used, the term technique is taken to include techniques employed by all writers and directors of lms. • When used, the word author is taken to include all writers and directors of lms. • When used, the word character is understood to refer to both real people and c�onal characters in texts.

THEME OR ISSUE

“There are many reasons why the explora�on of the same theme or issue can be more cap�va�ng in some texts than in others.”

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Compare the reasons why you found the explora�on of the same theme or issue more cap�va�ng in some texts than in others. Support your answer with reference to at least two texts on your compara�ve course. (70) OR

“Studying a theme or issue in a text can enable us to contemplate and evaluate aspects of the human condi�on.” (a)

In rela�on to one text on your compara�ve course, discuss the extent to which your chosen theme or issue is relevant to the evalua�on of the human condi�on. Support your answer with reference to the text. (30)

(b)

In rela�on to two other texts on your compara�ve course, compare the extent to which your chosen theme or issue is relevant to the human condi�on. (40)

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LITERARY GENRE

“Authors use various literary techniques to make the nal moments of texts meaningful and compelling.” Compare the extent to which the above statement is valid in rela�on to your understanding of the literary genre in at least two texts on your compara�ve course. Develop your answers with reference to your chosen texts. (70) OR “No two texts are exactly the same in the manner in which they tell their stories.” Discuss how the story is told in one text you have studied as part of your compara�ve course and how that managed to capture your interest in the story being told. (30)

(b)

With reference to two other texts on your compara�ve course, compare how the stories were told and how that did or did not manage to capture your interest in the story being told. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts. (40)

(a)

In response to 2(b), you may refer to the same or diﬀerent ways the stories are told as those referred to in 2(a) above and how that did or did not manage to capture your interest in the story.

GENERAL VISION AND VIEWPOINT

“The general vision and viewpoint of a text can change greatly from the opening scenes to the conclusion of the text.”

SA M

Compare how the general vision and viewpoint changed or remained the same from the opening to the concluding scenes of at least two texts you have studied as part of your compara�ve course. (70) OR

(a)

Discuss the extent to which a character’s values in one text on your compara�ve course inuenced your sense of the general vision and viewpoint of this text. Develop your response with reference to your chosen text. (30)

(b)

In rela�on to two other texts on your compara�ve course, compare the extent to which a character’s values inuenced your sense of the general vision and viewpoint of each of these texts. Develop your response with reference to your chosen texts. (40)

In response to 2(b), you may refer to the same or diﬀerent ways a character’s values inuenced your sense of the general vision and viewpoint as those referred to in 2(a) above.

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SECTION III

POETRY

(70 marks)

Candidates must answer A – Unseen Poem and B – Prescribed Poetry.

UNSEEN POEM (20 marks)

Read the following poem by Mary Nagy. Answer either QuesƟon 1 or QuesƟon 2 which follow.

I Wish I Knew I wish I knew, from the very start, that self-esteem is a home grown virtue. And that you should never plant those precious seeds, in someone else’s garden.

I wish I knew, at every step, that all those seeds really require, in order to bloom, is approval, from yourself.

Yes I wish I knew, way back then, that self-approval is their sunlight, peace their soil and love is their rain.

And all the other things can come and go like the seasons and the wind,

SA M

I wish I knew, all along, that those seeds can grow so tall, so strong and so erce, like the most beauƟful sunowers, if the condiƟons are right.

Or they can wither away to weed and husk, If neglected.

I wish I knew, that no maƩer how much of the world I scoured, I would not nd a beƩer garden, than the one I could grow myself, if only I knew how. And I wish for you, to know, this too, so you, can grow, and water, you.

Mary Nagy

This poem has been used without the author’s prior consent.

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(a)

How accurately do you think the poet describes the analogy of self-esteem as a seed in the poem above? Support your response with reference to the poem. (10)

(b)

IdenƟfy two images from the poem that make an impact on you and give reasons for your choice. (10) OR

Discuss the appeal of this poem with reference to the theme, the poet’s use of language and the tone. Support your answer with detailed reference to the poem. (20)

PRESCRIBED POETRY (50 marks)

Candidates must answer one of the following quesƟons (1 – 5). Emily Dickinson

John Donne

Discuss how successfully, in your opinion, Emily Dickinson employs a range of stylisƟc features in an innovaƟve way in order to convey both overwhelming wonder and unseƩling interest in her work. Develop your response with reference to the poems by Emily Dickinson on your Leaving CerƟcate English course.

“Donne makes masterful use of startling imagery and wit to communicate the dramaƟc situaƟons and intense experiences that lie at the heart of his poetry.”

SA M

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your response with reference to the poems by Donne on your Leaving CerƟcate English course.

Derek Mahon

“Derek Mahon transforms the familiar and mundane through his own disƟncƟve style.”

Discuss the above statement, developing your response with reference to your experience of the poems by Derek Mahon on your Leaving CerƟcate English course.

Paula Meehan

From your study of the poetry of Paula Meehan on your course, select the poems that, in your opinion, best illustrate how Meehan’s accessible and appealing language allows rich insights into her personal reecƟons and public commentary. JusƟfy your selecƟon by illustraƟng how Meehan’s accessible and appealing language allows rich insights into her personal reecƟons and public commentary.

W.B Yeats “While Yeats’ wriƟng style is challenging as he moves between realism and symbolism in his poetry, his themes are accessible to all.” Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the above statement. Develop your response with reference to the themes and language evident in the poems by W.B. Yeats on your course. 7 15

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