ACE IN ENGLISH

A MODULE ON LITERATURE COMPONENT

(NOVEL: THE CURSE)

"While thought exists, words are alive

and literature becomes an escape, not
from, but into living."
Cyril Connolly

EXAMINATION TIPS
1.

Identify the keywords in the question.

2.

Introduction students should state the novel and the author

3.

For content

4.

state ideas / opinions with examples

provide evidence from the novel

write down as many ideas as possible (at least three)

For closing

5.

conclude by stating personal responses / opinions

You are allowed to answer the questions using present tense or past tense. But,
bear in mind you have to be consistent in using one form of tense throughout
your response.

PRACTICE 1
Based on the novel that you have read, write about the character you like the most.
Give reasons why you chose the character.
Guidelines

State the novel and the author

State the character whom you like

Describe the characters traits that you like

Elaborate with your views and examples from the text

SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Content Ideas

Closing

In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the character I like the
most is the Old Lady who lived in the jungle.
The Old Lady was thought of as an evil witch by the villagers.
They were afraid of her as they thought that she possessed strange
powers. The villagers had also heard that the Old Lady had killed
her own husband.
However, the Old Lady was in fact a very wise and kind lady.
Azreen had known her for a long time and was not afraid of her.
She was skilled in finding herbs that she used to cure illnesses and
she liked helping the people who needed her help. The Old Lady
told Azreen the truth behind the rumours. She had indeed killed her
husband but it was in self-defense. She did not have money to leave
the island so she chose to live in the jungle, away from the villagers.
The Old Lady was also a very caring and forgiving woman. She
forgave her husband for his abusive ways and did not hold any
grudges against the villagers who shunned her and called her a
witch. When Azreen asked her to help Mohd Asrafs grandmother
who had fallen ill, the Old Lady agreed to help. Asrafs
grandmother had recovered but later, she took a turn for the worse
and died.
Everyone in the village blamed the Old Lady for the death of
Asrafs grandmother and they angrily gathered in front of her house
with torches. Azreen and Asraf had scuffle in front of the Old
Ladys house and he accidentally dropped the torch he was holding
and set the house on fire. The Old Lady was trapped and injured
inside the burning house. Just before the Old Lady died, she told
Azreen to not forget everything that she had taught her and most of
all learn to forgive.
Because of that, I admire the Old Ladys character. In my
opinion, she was a good and selfless person at heart and she was
greatly being misunderstood by the villagers.

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PRACTICE 2
Based on the novel that you have read, write about an important lesson that you have
learned from the novel.
Support your answer with close reference from the text.
Guidelines

State the novel and the author

State the important lesson that you have learned

Give your views with examples from the novel

SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Content Ideas

Closing

In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, an important lesson that

can be learnt is that we must always be calm an in control of our
actions, even in times of distress.
The Old Lady, who lived in the jungle, had prepared some herbal
medicine for Mohd Asrafs grandmother who was ill. Asraf was
Azreens friend and the Old Lady agreed to help him, although she
was greatly misunderstood and mistreated. However, after a few
days, Asrafs grandmother passed away. Asraf was overcome with
grief and he was swayed by the angry words of the villagers who
said that they believed the Old Lady was a witch. He could not think
clearly and gave in to his uncontrolled feelings of sadness and rage.
Asraf and the villagers went to the Old Ladys house to confront
her.
Azreen ran to the Old Ladys house to stop them. During her
scuffle with Asraf, he accidentally dropped the torch he was holding
and set the house on fire. The Old Lady was trapped inside. Before
she died, she told Azreen to remember all that she had taught her
and learn to forgive. She remained calm even though she was
trapped under a beam and managed to still give Azreen some words
of advice.
Asraf later regretted his actions, which he knew were cause by
grief, but it was too late. If Asraf had remained calm, then he would
not have listened to the villagers who were frightened by old
rumours and were quick to look on the negative sides of things and
accuse the Old Lady of wrongdoing. Asraf should have take some
time to think and remember the Old Ladys kindness instead of
acting irrationally.
This event has shown me the importance of staying calm and
being in control of our thoughts and actions so that we will not
regret after.

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PRACTICE 3
Using the details from the novel you have studied,

describe the various settings in the story

Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Guidelines

State the novel and the author

Identify the different settings of the story

Describe the significant events / scenes in each setting

SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Content Ideas

Closing

There are various settings in the novel The Curse by Lee Su

Ann.
The novel began in a London setting, where Azreen was about to
sit for an examination at her university. However, she had to leave
for Malaysia unexpectedly when she received news that her sister,
Madhuri, had passed away. She travelled back to her village home,
which was located on a small island south of Pulau Langkawi, to
attend her sisters funeral. The houses were wooded and traditional
in contrast to the urban setting of London.
A lot of strange things were happening in the small village where
Azreens parents lived. Azreens sister, Madhuri, had died under
mysterious circumstances in the rubber estate in their village. The
rubber estate was an important setting in the novel because it was
the focus of the villagers attention. Indeed, one of the villagers,
Puan Normal, even claimed to have seen white blood on Madhuris
body and said that the village had been cursed as a result. The
rubber estate was also the place where Madhuri and Asraf would
sevretly meet, and where, one morning, Madhuris father, Saleh saw
them together and flow into a murderous rage.
Another setting which was used several times in the novel was
the home of the Old Lady whom Azreen had befriended. Azreen
spent a lot of time with the Old Lady who lived in the jungle near
the village. The villagers feared the Old Lady for it was rumoured
that she was a witch.
There were also several flashbacks to Azreen and Madhuris
younger days. Azreen attended the nearby school, which was where
she met Asraf. As the novel drew to a close, Azreen discovered that,
when Madhuri was a baby, she had been found near a paddy field
by Azreens parents a few years before Azreen was born.
The novel ends with the death of Azreens father, Saleh. Azreen
visited her familys and the Old Ladys graves before she left the
island and headed back to London.

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PRACTICE 4
Using the details from the novel you have studied,

write about the importance of family relationships

Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Guidelines

State the novel and the author

Highlight the importance of family relationships

Describe the significant events / scenes that highlight on family

relationships

SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Content Ideas

Closing

In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the family relationship between
Azreen Saleh and her sister Madhuri, led to the disclosure of buried family
secrets and the discovery of the identity of Madhuris murderer.
Azreen returned home from London to her parents village when her
sister, Madhuri passed away. Azreen and Madhuri were not very close.
Azreen had always felt that she was compared unfavourably too her sister
who was beautiful, soft-spoken, well-mannered and well-liked by the
villagers. On the other hand, Azreen was more of a tomboy and kept herself
busy with sports and activities more suited to boys. She played football with
the boys and rode her bicycle around the village. She was daring and
adventurous. Her good academic results allowed her to further her studies in
England, with the help of her foster parents. Azreen had been about to take
her exams when her sister passed away.
When she arrived home, Azreen felt alienated from her family. So much
had happened since she left for her studies in London. Her father seemed
distant and unfriendly. Her mothers illness had taken a turn for the worse for
she had become more forgetful and unwell. Madhuris mysterious death had
sparked rumours of a curse that had befallen the village. Azreen was
determined to find the truth about her sisters death. At the end of the novel,
it is revealed that Azreens parents had found Madhuri abandoned beside a
paddy field when Madhuri was just a baby. Azreens parents brought her up
and treated her like their own daughter. Sometimes, it seemed to appear that
they loved Madhuri more than Azreen.
Azreen finally discovered that Saleh had killed Madhuri in a fit of rage.
Although Saleh had always favoured Madhuri over Azreen, he was unable to
control his anger when he found out that his married daughter was secretly in
love with a man who was not her husband.
With Azreens determination to find out the truth, it led to the discovery
of the true killer. As such, the family relationship between Azreen and
Madhuri has helped to solve the mystery behind Madhuris murder.

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PRACTICE 5
Based on the novel that you have read, describe an element of love that is shown in
the novel. Support your answer with close reference to the text.
Support your answer with close reference to the text.
Guidelines

State the novel and the author

Highlight the element of love that can be found in the story

Describe the events / scenes

SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Content Ideas

Closing

In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, I can see the element of love being
portrayed through Madhuris character.
Madhuri was an obedient daughter who did all the household chores
diligently. She was more beautiful than Azreen. She was also more
conservative in comparison to Azreen as she was religious and good at
reciting Quranic verses. Because of her beautiful personality, Haji Ghani fell
in love with Madhuri at the first sight.
Madhuri loved Azreen very much. When she was a child, Madhuri would
carry Azreen on her bicycle and cycle to the market or post office to do some
chores for their busy parents. She would always shield her sister from being
punished by her father although it was to no avail. Then, she would console
and sooth Azreen to sleep.
Once, Madhuri helped her sister, Azreen to mend their mothers favourite
rattan basket, which Azreen broke while collecting durians. They continued
working on the rattan basket in their bedroom and even when their parents
returned home, they excused themselves quietly without eating dinner just to
finish weaving the new basket. Madhuri wanted to replace her mothers
broken basket which was placed in the hall.
Even though Madhuri was married to Haji Ghani, she was very much in
love with Mohd Asraf. They loved each other so much that they wanted to
elope but the plan did not follow through as Madhuri was murdered by her
own father, Salleh.
From the story, I can see that Madhuri loved her family and Mohd Asraf
very much. However, her own family member was the one who killed her.

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