SEEP Prompts pre-2006 to 2014 Inclusive

Society/ Societal Values/Family

1. Using a work studied in this course, show how a character’s conflict reveals societal
values.

2. Analyze the role that gender plays in the struggle of one or more central characters in a
work studied in this course.

3. To what extent is a character responsible for his/her isolation from society in a work
studied in this course?

4. Evaluate the role of family in a character’s success or failure in a work studied in this
course.

Environment as Influence/Setting

5. For a work that you have studied in this course, analyze how surroundings influence a
character(s) and illuminate theme.

6. With reference to a work studied in this course, assess to what extent setting shapes or
influences a central character.

7. For a work studied in this course, analyse the extent to which setting affects a character's
actions and reveals a theme.

8. For a work that you have studied in this course, analyze how setting develops theme.

Ambition/ Conflict

9. For a work studied in this course, analyze the extent to which ambition shapes ONE
character’s choices and reveals theme.

10. Show that a character’s internal conflict between reason and passion develops theme in a
work studied in this course.

11. In a work you have studied in this course, debate to what degree chaos is the result of a
character's struggle to re-order his or her world.

12. Show that a character’s inability to escape the difficulties of his/her past contributes to
the development of a theme in a work studied in this course.

13. To what extent does a character’s obsession lead to his/her success or failure in a work
studied in this course?
14. With reference to a work studied in this course, show that the author develops a central
theme through a character who is unable to change his/her course of action.

15. With reference to a work studied in this course, show that a theme is developed when a
central character finds it difficult to achieve his/her aspirations in the circumstances in
which he/she lives.

16. With reference to a work studied in this course, analyse the extent to which the reluctance
of a central character to accept reality may lead to tragic consequences.

17. In a work you have studied in this course, analyse how a central theme is expressed
through a character's success or failure in reconciling incompatible aspects of his or her
life.

Characters/ Characterization

18. To what extent is a character's acquired self -knowledge essential to the resolution of a
work? Justify your answer with reference to a work you have studied in this course.

19. In a work studied in this course, to what extent does a character develop while attempting
to balance his/her ideals with the reality of the world in which he/she lives?

20. Adversity is the most important factor in shaping character and/or identity. Assess the
validity of this statement with reference to a work that you have studied in this course.

21. With reference to a work studied in this course, to what extent is a character’s courage or
strength revealed through confrontation with a moral dilemma?

22. Those qualities that make a character heroic (or admirable or exceptional) may also cause
his or her suffering or destruction. To what extent is this statement true of a character in a
work you have studied in this course?

23. With reference to a work studied in this course, to what extent is a central character
enlightened or changed by his/her main quest?

24. Assess how the changes in a character's personal convictions, OR a character's refusal to
alter his/her personal convictions, contributes to the development of theme in a work
studied in this course.

25. Through sharp contrast, a character foil enhances certain traits of a central character.
Analyse how a secondary character operates as a foil and is employed to develop theme
in a work studied in this course.

26. With reference to a work you have studied in this course, analyse how a character's
aspirations are thwarted by his or her imperfections.
27. In a work you have studied in this course, to what extent does a secondary character (or
secondary characters) amplify a major theme?

28. To struggle against great odds is the essence of real courage. Assess the extent to which
this definition of courage applies to a character (or characters) in a work you have studied
in this course.

29. To what extent do relationships contribute to the central character’s ultimate

understanding of himself/herself in a work studied in this course?

30. Love is one of the most significant forces in human nature, and how a person responds to
love can reveal a great deal about him or her. Analyse the extent to which ONE
character's experience with love contributes to the development of character and theme in
a work studied in this course.

Structure/Point of View/Imagery/Symbolism

31. Analyze how the structure of a work studied in this course emphasizes a central theme.
(Structural elements may include the metaphor of the journey, the use of parallels or
contrasts in situations or characters, the narrative’s approach to time, the narrative
perspective, the order of events, etc.).

32. The structure of a work can be defined as any organizing principle underlying the way the
story is presented. In a work that you have studied in this course, identify a structural
element of the text and explain its effect in developing theme. (Structural elements may
include the metaphor of the journey, the use of parallels or contrasts in situations or
characters, the narrative’s approach to time, the narrative perspective, the order of events,
etc.).

33. With reference to a work studied in this course, analyze the contribution of point of view
(or in drama, the device of soliloquy) to the development of character.

34. In a work that you have studied in this course, discuss how narrative point of view (or in
drama, the device of soliloquy) is used to develop theme.

35. Analyze the author’s use of imagery to illuminate the central theme of a work studied in
this course.

36. Show how theme and/or character is developed through symbolism and imagery in a
work studied in this course.

37. Seeing a character's life as a journey in search of truth or meaning may help us to
understand a central theme of the work. Apply this statement to a work that you have
studied in this course and assess the degree to which this search is successful.
38. Evaluate an author's use of humour to reinforce a central theme. Support your answer
with detailed reference to a work you have studied in this course.

39. Referring to a work studied in this course, show how the author’s use of imagery and/or
symbolism reveals significant aspects of a central character’s personality.

40. Show how the author’s use of imagery and/or symbolism reveals theme OR reinforces
aspects of character in a work studied in this course.

41. With reference to a work studied in this course, analyse how literary techniques
contribute to theme, referring to some of the following: imagery, symbolism, parallelism,
irony, or contrast.

Theme/Values/ Ethics/ Human Nature

42. Analyse the extent to which a character’s past contributes to his or her success or failure
in a work studied in this course.

43. Analyze how a character’s internal AND external conflicts help to develop a central
theme in a work studied in this course.

44. For a work that you have studied in this course, identify a character who must contend
with the past and show how his or her relationship with the past affects present actions,
attitudes, or values.

45. Analyze the extent to which the central character of a work studied in this course reflects
significant qualities of human nature in his or her response to adversity.

46. To what extent does isolation (physical, emotional or societal) cause a character to
evaluate his or her moral beliefs or personal convictions? Discuss in reference to a work
studied in this course.

47. Show that a conflict based on morals or values is used to develop a central theme in a
work studied in this course.

48. Show that a conflict based on morals or values is used to develop a central character in a
work studied in this course.

49. Assess how betrayal and/or treachery develop character AND theme in a work studied in
this course.

50. To what extent does a central character’s struggle in a complex world reveal elements of
human nature and/or the values of society in a work studied in this course?
Optional Comparative Literature Question (has never been tested on an exam before, but if
teachers are given options to choose from, they might want to try this)

51. Show how TWO of the works studied in this course critique the same elements of the
society or culture from which they originate.