Which of the following statements is the best description of a good critical essay?
It will concentrate entirely on examining the content of the text in detail
The essay will discuss the connection between the style and content of the text
The essay will concentrate on analysing the style of the text in depth
Which of the following should you try to do in a critical essay?
Reveal as much of your knowledge of the text as you can
Use as many quotations as possible
Discuss the aspects of the text that are most relevant to the question
Which of the following definitions applies to the structure of a text?
How the text is divided up or put together
The sequence in which the events occur
An account of what happens
Which of the following definitions applies to the theme of a text?
The main stylistic technique used by the writer throughout the text
The central idea explored and developed in the text
The sequence of events which occur in the course of the story
Which narrative voice is used in the line: We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre?
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre
First person
Second person
Third person
Which of the following must be included in the introductory paragraph of a critical essay?
A detailed summary of the plot of the text being studied
A reference to the words of the question which set the task
A selection of important quotations
Which of the following poetic techniques is used in this quotation?
She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott.
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Rhythm and rhyme
What function do you think the following sentence would have in a critical essay?
One of the key themes of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is the contrast between appearance and reality.
A topic sentence stating the point to be developed in the rest of the paragraph
A piece of supporting evidence for a statement already made
A statement drawing the paragraph to a conclusion
Seamus Heaney writes that Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour
A topic sentence at the start of a paragraph
A statement sentence elsewhere in the paragraph
Evidence to support a point
In his poem ‘Blackberry Picking’ Seamus Heaney examines how a young person’s attitude to nature develops as he grows up.