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Sunday, November 15, 2009

SPM Section D

Know your text

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

This week, we will look at the last question in Section D of the 1119 English paper. Question 34, which is based on the novels studied, carries 15 marks – 10 for content and 5 for language. It is quite easy to obtain marks for this question if you know your text well.

Knowing the text means knowing the plot, characters, themes, moral values and messages or lessons conveyed.

Knowing the plot means knowing the events, the sequence of events and details of the events. You should know what causes an event to occur. You should also know whether an event triggers other events and the effect an event or events on characters.

Knowing the characters means knowing the people in the story. You should focus on their characteristics – their physical, emotional and mental attributes. We learn about a character from what the author says about him or her, what other people say about him or her, or we may have to infer these characteristics from the character’s behaviour, actions or thoughts. Make sure you know your text well enough and are able to provide relevant and accurate information to support a point you make about a character.

Knowing the themes means knowing the main ideas that are conveyed in the novel. A theme is usually expressed as a statement about life. Some themes are explicit while most are implied, which means that they are not revealed directly.

Likewise, moral values or lessons may be conveyed explicitly or be implied.

An analysis of the aspects tested since 2004

GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERING QUESTION ON THE NOVEL

Read the question carefully. Ask yourself what is required of you. Underline key words or phrases in the question so that you cover every aspect required.

Spend about five minutes planning your answer. A well-planned answer is one which is thought out and organised. Points are clearly advanced and the line of thought or argument is easy to follow. In other words, the answer should be smooth flowing. There is no irrelevant information or deviation from the question. Your answer should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Do pay attention to paragraphing. You may leave a line between paragraphs.

Display a sound knowledge of, and engagement with the novel. Provide relevant details to support your answer. Do not make the mistake of merely retelling the story. Remember, the examiners have read the texts. What they want to see is your engagement with the text.

As this is a language paper, focus on using correct language. Use simple sentences if you cannot handle complex structures. What is important is that you convey your ideas clearly. Do pay attention to spelling and punctuation, and write neatly and legibly. When we respond to literary texts, we usually use the present tense but if this is not possible, you may respond in the past tense. The important thing is to be consistent.

Be careful when answering questions on moral values. Many students confuse characteristics with values. If a character is brave, the value is bravery. Likewise, if a character is wise, the value is wisdom. Remember to use adjectives for character traits and nouns for values. Do not mistake negative values for moral messages. Students have been known to say that one of the moral values or messages in The Pearl is greed. The value/ message conveyed is one should not be greedy.

Let’s consider the strengths of the answer. The answer is well structured.

It has an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

The introductory paragraph conveys the idea that there are several lessons to be learnt from the novel but only one lesson is chosen as required by the question and that lesson is that we should not be greedy. The next sentence conveys what greed can do to a person.

Before the effects of greed are discussed, it is important to mention briefly what Kino’s life was like before the discovery of the pearl.

This is to show how Kino and his life changed as a result of desiring something to the extent that he misplaces his priorities. The paragraphs which follow convey the problems and losses that poor Kino has had to suffer.

The conclusion conveys the idea that Kino too realises how wrong he was and that Steinbeck had deliberately given the story a sad ending so that we, the readers, can learn something from this tragic tale.

Remember, this is only a sample answer.

This is not the only way to write an answer.

Common pitfalls

Some candidates do not read the question carefully. In this question, for instance, you are asked for one lesson but some candidates have been known to write about more than one lesson. This clearly shows failure to understand the requirements of the question.

Some candidates tend to retell the story. As mentioned earlier, the examiners have read the text. There is no need for you to narrate the story.

Some candidates also show that they have no clear understanding of the text. They only know about some events, and not in detail at that. This is due to not reading the text. It is important for you to read the text several times so that you know the story well. Also, you may gain new insights every time you read the text. Good luck!

This is the last segment of the SPM English series.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT A SAMPLE QUESTION.

Write about a lesson you have learned from the novel you have studied. Support your answer with details from the text.

The novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck conveys several lessons to the readers. One lesson which I have learnt is that we should not be greedy. This is because greed is a destructive force.

Initially, Kino is a happy and contented man although he is poor. He is not bothered by the lack of material comfort in his life. His only material possessions are a canoe and his brush house.

However, when he finds the pearl he becomes ambitious. He desires things which he has never considered before. He wants new clothes for himself, Juana and Coyotito. He also wants to marry Juana in a church. He wants a harpoon and a rifle. Most importantly he wants an education for his son, Coyotito.

However, his desire for these things soon becomes an obsession. When he is attacked the first time, Juana advises him to get rid of the pearl because she believes that the attack was triggered by the pearl. He refuses to listen to Juana and is adamant on keeping the pearl. When he is attacked a second time, Juana again tells him to throw the pearl away but he refuses to listen. He is intent on getting a better life for himself and his family.

Unfortunately, after these attacks, he becomes suspicious of everyone. When Juana quietly creeps out of the house to throw the pearl away, he follows her and is able to stop her before she flings the pearl out into the sea. Angry, he lashes out at her and beats her viciously, punching her in the face and kicking her in the stomach. His determination to keep the pearl makes him lose his senses. He beats up the one person who has been very supportive of him.

Things become worse for him when he accidentally kills a man in the third attack.

The people who are after the pearl are also driven by greed. They too become destructive. They destroy his canoe and burn his brush house. Kino, knowing that his life and that of his family’s are at stake, has no choice but to flee. He heads towards the mountains and he is pursued by three trackers who will stop at nothing to get hold of the pearl. The pursuit ends with Kino killing all three trackers.

Unfortunately, his son Coyotito is also killed by a stray bullet.

Monday, November 2, 2009

LITERATURE

Literature made easy

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

Section D of the 1119 English paper focuses on the literature component and carries 25 marks. All in, there are 3 questions: Question 32, 33 and 34. Questions 32 and 33 carry 5 marks each while Question 34, which is on the novels, carries 15 marks. By now, you should be familiar with the six poems, five short stories and one of the three prescribed novels. The literature component is not as difficult as it seems. You need to know and understand all your texts well. Do not focus on a few selected ones as it is difficult to pinpoint which poem or short story will be tested. You must engage with them on a personal level. If you are able to respond to the texts by bringing in your own knowledge and experiences, you will be able to have a better understanding of them.

Do discuss the texts with your teacher and friends. Do not be upset if your interpretation is different from someone else’s. Remember, no two people will have exactly the same interpretations. What is important is that you should be able to prove your interpretations with textual evidence. You might have noticed that there is a common thread among some of the texts.

For instance, the idea of having to make choices and its consequences is explored not only in the poem The Road Not Taken but also in the short story The Necklace and the novel The Pearl. Mathilde Loisel could have told her friend Madame Forrestier the truth but she chooses not to.

As a result she endures ten years of hardship. Likewise, Kino chooses to keep the pearl despite his wife’s warnings and loses everything in the end.

Below is an analysis of the texts tested since 2004:

Guidelines for tackling poems and short stories

· Read and understand all the six poems and five short stories.

· Pay close attention to the language used by the writer to convey his ideas and thoughts.

· With short stories, make sure you know the plot well. Also, focus on characterisation, themes, values and messages conveyed by the writer.

· With the poems, make sure you understand the literal/denotative meaning as well as the figurative/connotative meaning. The former is the dictionary meaning while the latter is the inferred or implied meaning.

· There is no harm in knowing some of the common literary devices (metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia) employed in the short stories and poems.

· Remember, the answers to the first three questions on the poem and short story can be found in the extract given.

· The fourth question is usually a personal response question and the answer is teased out of candidates. This means you need to know the poem or story well in order to tackle this question. (This is where engaging with the texts is important).

Let’s look at some sample questions.

Drinking milo,
Nyonya and baba sit at home.
This was forty years ago.
Sarong-wrapped they counted
Silver paper for the dead,
Portraits of grandfathers
Hung always in the parlour.

a. Where are nyonya and baba?

at home [1 mark]

b. What are they doing?

counting silver paper for the dead [1 mark]

c. Which word means ancestors?

grandfathers [1 mark]

d. Do you think it is important for us to remember our ancestors?

Give a reason for your answer

Yes, because they are an important part of our past/ we should respect the for what they have done for us/we would not be here if not for our ancestors

No, there is no point in remembering our ancestors as we should concentrate on our present

[2 marks]

*Any answer that is logical is acceptable here

Reading Tennyson at six
p.m. in pajamas,
Listening to down-pouring
rain; the air ticks
With gnats, black spiders fly,
Moths sweep out of our rooms
Where termites built
Their hills of eggs and queens zoom
In heat.
We wash our feet.
For bed, watch mother uncoil
Her snake hair

a. What is the persona wearing?

Pyjamas [1 mark]

b. Which phrase tells you that it is raining?

down-pouring rain [1 mark]

c. Name one creature that comes out of hiding during the monsoon season.

gnats/black spiders/moths/termites [1 mark]

d. In your own words, explain what the speaker means when she says ‘watch mother uncoil her snake hair’?

She notices that her mother’s long hair uncoils like a snake when it is untied [2 marks]

See if you can answer the following questions on the short stories.

But one Sunday, having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh herself after the labours of the week, she suddenly saw a woman who was leading a child. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming.

Madame Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not?

a. Why did Madame Loisel go for a walk at the Champs Elysees?

To refresh herself (after the labours of the week) [1 mark]

The answer is found in the line “… having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh herself after the labours of the week…”,

b. Who does the word her in the extract refer to?

Madame Forestier [1 mark]

The answer is found in the line before the reference “Madame Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her?”

c. What can you conclude about Madame Loisel’s feelings about having settled the debt?

She is pleased that she has settled the debt/There is a sense of pride in

having settled the debt. [1 mark]

You have to conclude this from the lines “Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not?”

d. Do you think it was right of Madame Loisel to speak to Madame Forestier?

Give a reason for your answer.

Yes, I think she did the right thing because she had nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

or

No, speaking to Madame Forestier only revealed that the ten years of her life

had been wasted because the necklace had been an imitation. [2 marks]

*Any answer that is logical is acceptable here

Remember the answers to the first three questions can be found in the extract. Only the fourth question requires some interpretation/reflection on your part.

SUMMARY WRITING

More on summary writing

LAST week, we had a look at reading comprehension and summary writing. Here is question 31 which could not be included in last week’s article due to space constraints.

31. Based on the passage given, write a summary on:

> the reasons the writer and her husband migrated to Malaya, and

> the problems the writer and her husband faced in Malaya.

Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning.

Your summary must:

> be in continuous writing form (not note form)

> use materials from lines 21 to 46

> not be longer than 130 words including the 10 words given below.

Begin your summary as follows:

My husband felt that migrating to Malaya was the only ...

Answers to summary writing

Below are the sentences taken from the passage, and the summary points are in italics.

First uncle had mortgaged the land to a local bank many years ago when the crops had failed.

He was too old to work the farm alone and my husband was not interested in farming at all, having spent most of his growing years in Malaya.

Worse still, due to the outstanding mortgage payments first uncle was heavily in debt and

the banks had refused to give the farmers any more loans

My husband often left me alone because he had to work outstation.

I was extremely lonely as I had no one to talk to.

Our only neighbours were some Malay families and I could not talk to them because I did not understand a word of the local language

In those days, there was no electricity supply.

The wooden house we lived in had no piped water, either

For a while, we led a quiet and happy life that is, until the tin mine ceased operations and my husband lost his job

After three months, my husband had still not found a job.

He finally gave in to the demands of second uncle and his wife.

My husband had to scrub the drains and

cut the grass on their five acre piece of land

Meanwhile, I had to do all the tedious household chores.

Here is a sample summary using phrases and sentences from the passage.

My husband felt that migrating to Malaya was the only solution because his uncle had mortgaged the land (reason 1) and he was heavily in debt (reason 2). Moreover, the banks had refused to give farmers any more loans (reason 3). Besides, my husband was not interested in farming (reason 4). However, life in Malaya was just as difficult. My husband often left me alone (problem 1) when he had to work outstation. I was extremely lonely (problem 2). I had no one to talk to as I did not understand the local language (problem 3). Worse still, there was no electricity supply (problem 4) or piped water (problem 5). Things became worse when my husband lost his job at the tin mine (problem 6). We had no choice but to move to Kuala Lumpur. After three months, my husband was still without a job (problem 7).

(125 words)