Pretest-LanguageAnalysis

Question1

Question2:

1：Instructions for Section A

（1）After Darkness by Christine Piper i. “Some things are best left in the past.” To what extent is this view supported by Piper’s After Darkness? OR ii. ‘Dr Ibaraki faces the same challenges in Japan and Australia.’ Discuss.

（2）All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr i. ‘In the novel, being different is an advantage.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘All the Light We Cannot See explores the human capacity to create, preserve and destroy.’ Discuss.

（3）Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo i. ‘In Annawadi, overwhelming poverty breeds hard-heartedness.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘The people of Annawadi are powerless to change their lives.’ Discuss.

（4）Extinction by Hannie Rayson i. ‘In Extinction, the characters find no resolutions to their problems.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘In the play, the natural world and the human world struggle to exist in harmony.’ Discuss.

（5）Frankenstein by Mary Shelley i. ‘The readers’ sympathies lie not only with Victor but also with the creature.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘Victor never truly understands the creature he has created.’ Discuss.

（6）In Cold Blood by Truman Capote i. ‘Capote examines the coexistence of good and evil in human nature.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘The murder of the Clutter family shakes the beliefs of everyone in the community.’ Discuss.

（7）Island: Collected Stories by Alistair MacLeod i. “This, we know too, cannot go on much longer.” ‘In MacLeod’s stories, the characters see change as a threat.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘Island: Collected Stories reveals that history and tradition are powerful in shaping lives.’ Do you agree?

（8）Like a House on Fire by Cate Kennedy i. To what extent are the characters in these stories defeated by their circumstances? OR ii. ‘The importance of kindness and compassion is highlighted in Kennedy’s stories.’ Discuss.

（9）Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare i. “ISABELLA […] O, ’tis excellent To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant.” ‘Power corrupts both Angelo and the Duke.’ Do you agree? OR ii. Order is restored in Measure for Measure, but at what cost?

（10） Nine Days by Toni Jordan i. ‘In Jordan’s novel, seemingly insignificant decisions have major consequences.’ Do you agree? OR ii. How does Nine Days explore the relationship between the past and the present?

（11）Old/New World: New & Selected Poems by Peter Skrzynecki i. ‘Skrzynecki’s poetry offers readers a positive view of life.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘In his poetry, Skrzynecki describes his world as one of merging cultures.’ Discuss.

（12）Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi i. How do Marji’s parents seek to protect her from the realities of revolution? OR ii. “Bad people are dangerous but forgiving them is too.” What role does forgiveness play in the text?

（13）Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock i. ‘In Rear Window, Hitchcock presents a cynical view of relationships.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘Lisa is the real hero of Rear Window.’ Do you agree?

（14）Selected Poems by John Donne i. ‘In his poetry, Donne looks inward to his own feelings and outward to the world around him.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘Donne’s poems reflect both a joy in living and a constant awareness of mortality.’ Discuss.

（15）Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel i. “[…] survival is insufficient.” What is more important than survival for the characters in Station Eleven? OR ii. “Always these memories, barely submerged.” ‘Station Eleven demonstrates that nothing is ever completely lost.’ Discuss.

（16）Stories We Tell directed by Sarah Polley i. How does Polley’s documentary show the far-reaching impact of family secrets? OR ii. ‘Stories We Tell portrays the interplay between loss and hope.’ Discuss.

（17）The Golden Age by Joan London i. ‘The Golden Age explores Frank’s gradual realisation that he can rely only on himself.’ Do you agree? OR ii. ‘In the end, love saves the characters in The Golden Age.’ Discuss.

（18）The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin i. ‘The Left Hand of Darkness is set in a world where loneliness is ever present.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘In The Left Hand of Darkness, trust is based on accepting difference.’ Do you agree?

（19）The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville i. ‘For the characters in Grenville’s novel, language is both an obstacle and an opportunity.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘The Lieutenant portrays a struggle between obedience to authority and adherence to personal values.’ Discuss.

（20）The Women of Troy by Euripides i. ‘Euripides’s play warns of the dangers of displeasing the gods.’ Discuss. OR ii. ‘Even though the women of Troy are defeated, they retain their dignity.’ Do you agree?

2.Instructions for Section B

(1)Pair 1 Tracks by Robyn Davidson and Charlie’s Country directed by Rolf de Heer i. “To be free is to learn, to test yourself constantly, to gamble.” (Tracks) “I’m free now!” (Charlie’s Country) Compare the characters’ understanding of freedom in the two texts. OR ii. Compare how Tracks and Charlie’s Country present the challenges of living between cultures.

(2)Pair 2 Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood and Ransom by David Malouf i. “How can we trust them?” (Invictus) Compare the ways in which the two texts explore the value of trust. OR ii. Compare what the two texts suggest about stepping outside traditional roles.

(3)Pair 3 Stasiland by Anna Funder and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro i. “It is so hard to know what kind of mortgage our acts put on our future.” (Stasiland) “You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided.” (Never Let Me Go) Compare the ways in which the characters in Stasiland and Never Let Me Go control their own fates. OR ii. Compare how the two texts represent the difficulties of remembering or forgetting the past.

(4)Pair 4 Reckoning by Magda Szubanski and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri i. Compare the extent to which the children in Reckoning and The Namesake experience success. OR ii. Compare the challenges both Magda and Gogol have in forming lasting relationships.

(5)Pair 5 The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks i. ‘In stressful times, we often doubt what we most strongly believe.’ Compare the ways in which the two texts explore this idea. OR ii. Compare how the concept of social responsibility is examined in the two texts.

(6)Pair 6 Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler and The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood i. “ROSALIND: If I have to do everything myself, I will.” (Photograph 51) “[…] I had to use every ruse and stratagem at my command.” (The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus) Compare how the two texts demonstrate Rosalind’s and Penelope’s determination. OR ii. Compare how the two texts explore the consequences of arrogance.

(7)Pair 7 Black Diggers by Tom Wright and The Longest Memory by Fred D’Aguiar i. Compare how conflicting loyalties are portrayed in Black Diggers and The Longest Memory. OR ii. ‘Society is capable of changing.’ Compare how the two texts explore this idea.

(8)Pair 8 I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb, and Made in Dagenham directed by Nigel Cole i. Compare how the importance of family is explored in I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban and Made in Dagenham. OR ii. Compare how I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban and Made in Dagenham celebrate the value of adhering to principles.