Paper 2 (Past Exam)

Answer one essay question only. You must base your answer on at least two
of the Part 3 works you have studied. Answers which are not based on a
discussion of at least two Part 3 works will not score high marks. Your
answer should address the ways in which language, context and structure
contribute to your reading of each work.
Our Part 3 Literary Texts
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
A Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez (HL ONLY)

Remember, Higher Level students address the question in relation to AT

LEAST TWO WORKS STUDIED; meaning you could choose all three literary
works. Whereas, Standard Level students have only studied two works.
1. Analyse how justice is represented and understood in (at least) two
works studied.
2. Writers often use a character who is alienated from his or her culture or
society in order to explore cultural or social values. Examine this idea with
reference to (at least) two works studied.
3. What impact does setting have on your understanding of the central ideas
or themes presented in (at least) two works studied?
4. Literature is often said to be timeless. To what extent is this true of (at
least) two works you have studied?
5. It has been said that history cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage,
need not be lived again. To what extent do (at least) two works studied
face history in order to ensure that its wrongs need not be lived again?
6. Looking closely at (at least) two works studied, show that more than one
interpretation could be made of those works.

More questions
Here are several sample questions that you may find useful to unpack. These questions have
not appeared on exams before, but they have been written in the spirit of the Paper 2 exam.
1.

Explain how the authors of at least two literary works have portrayed a social group in a
particular way. How may the contexts of the authors influenced their portrayal of these social
groups?

2.

It is often said that literature is a voice for social commentary. How is this true of at least
two works that you have read.

3.

To what extent can the meaning of a literary work change over time? How does this
question apply to at least two works that you have read.

4.

To what degree are readers influenced by their culture and context. Explain how at lest
two works could be read differently depending on the culture of their audience.

5.

'Coming of age' is a common theme in literary works. With regards to at least two literary
works, explain how the author's own youth influenced their portrayal of this theme.

6.

With regards to at least two literary works, explain how the setting both influences the
characters and reflects the author's own context.

7.

How are the characters from at least two literary works representational of people from
the time and place in which they were written?

8.

Why might two of your Part 3 works be considered 'timeless'?

9.

With regards to two literary texts, explain why authors may have chosen to depict events
in a particular sequence or order.

10.

How do two literary works both reflect and challenge the spirit of the times in which they
were written.