LITERATURE COMPONENT

NOVEL

Madam Sara Basarudin

English Unit
MRSM TERENDAK MELAKA
The Novels are:
(a) Potato People by Angela Wright
(b) Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe
(c) The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston
Leroux
(d) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Stevenson
(e) The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Hawkins
STRATEGY FOR UNDERSTANDING
THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 –THE NOVEL

1. Read and make sure you have a good understanding

of the Form 2 and Form 3 Novels.
2. Read the questions carefully.
3. Look for the most important word or words in the
questions.
4. Make sure you understand the task.
5. This type of question test your understanding of the
novel read. It also tests you ability to support your
statements.
STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2
- THE NOVEL

1. Study the task. For example, you

may have to write about a character
you like. Or it could be about an
event you consider important to the
story. Then you have to support your
answer.
STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2
- THE NOVEL

1. Always choose the story you like best. It

is easier to write when you like the
story.
2. Read the novel(s) as many times as you
can before the examination.
3. There are no right or wrong answers for
personal response. You must be
convincing. Make your statements clear.
If you sound sure and firm in your
answer, then it will have a good effect.
STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2
- THE NOVEL

1. A good vocabulary will help.

2. Concentrate on descriptive writing
for the first part. The second part
focuses on giving reasons. The
reasons should be solid and rational.
You can bring in your own
experiences to support the answer.
STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2
- THE NOVEL

• You may use a mixture of tenses in

your answer. The present tense is
often used especially when you
express your own opinions. The
past tense is used to talk about
actions that had taken place in
the past in the novel.
TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 -

THE NOVEL :

 Choose only one novel for the answer. Do

not write about all the 5 novels.
 Your answer should be a short essay of
more than 50 words.
 Your answer must be in continuous
writing.
 Check your spelling and grammar.
 Do not spend more than 20 minutes on
this section.
Sample Question

Based on the novels above,

choose one character that does
not show good human
qualities. Write about the
character that you have chosen
and give reasons for your
choice.
This requires knowledge of the characters and incidents
that happened to give the reasons for the choice of that
character.
Outline:
 Name the novel that you have chosen.
 You can briefly state what the novel is
about. (optional)
 Name/state the character/event/lesson etc
you have chosen. (depends on the
question)
 Describe/list/highlight at least 2
characteristics/actions/events etc as
examples/reasons to support your choice.
 Describe/show how character/event/lesson
etc affects other characters/people and
you.
Model Answer
I would like to write about the
Phantom or Erik in ‘The Phantom of the
Opera.’ He blackmails and threatens the
people who run the opera. He makes
them feel very afraid of him. Later he
even kidnaps Christine for his own
selfish reasons. All these actions do
not show good human qualities.
However, I must say he is not totally
bad.
Continuation…
I choose to write about him
because he is a very interesting
character. He has many bad qualities
as I mentioned. I would not do harmful
things like him. However, he is also
compassionate. He may be bad, but he
is also considerate to people he loves
like Christine. Thus, while there is a
bad side to human character, we
should also remember the good side.
Now you try
 Write about a female character
whom you like best.

 Fill in the gaps with suitable

words.

 Check answers.
More practice…

Practice makes perfect!

THANK YOU!

ALL THE BEST!