Suggestions of Answers

The Living Photograph (Jackie Kay)

a) Grandmother is wearing white broderie anglaise shirt, pleated skirt, and flat shoes.
b) Grey bun / she tied up her hair in a bun
c) She was ready to die / she was not scared to die
d) Quality: Brave.
Reason: Grandmother was not scared to die.
Quality: Kind.
Reason: Grandmother had a kind smile round her eyes.
e) A kind old smile round her eyes
f) From tall, she became small and hunched
g) Pleated skirt and flat shoes
h) I) Grandmother became hunched.
ii) Grandmother became senile/ Grandmother passed away.
i) Death is unknown and unthinkable
j) Grandmother and grandchild / persona
k) Grandmother became senile / forgetful
l) Write inside a diary (journal) / Write a song / poem about the person / Paint a picture or
carve a sculptor.
m) White hand in black hand
n) Three years old
o) Grandmother was getting weak physically
p) Grandmother’s smile is still living / Grandmother’s smile is still breathing.
q) She is sad for losing her grandmother / She misses her grandmother.
r) Death / the afterlife
s) Grandmother and grandchild
t) Lesson: Appreciate the people we love.
Reason: They will not be around us forever.
u) Grandmother’s soup forgot to boil
v) Grandmother and grandchild come from different races.
w) She was still young.
x) Character: Caring
Reason: The persona took care of grandmother in her deathbed.
Character: Observant
Reason: She noticed her grandmother’s physical and mental changes over the years.
y) Memories.
Reason: It helps persona to remember her grandmother.
z) Opinion: Unknown and unthinkable
Reason: The persona never experience death to know how it is like.

Charge of the Light Brigade (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

a) The battlefield
b) A distance of 2.5km
c) Loyal / obedient
d) Opinion: No.
 Reason: War only destroy lives
e) They were attacked (with cannons and guns) from all sides
f) It is their duty to obey the command given to them
g) The battlefield is horrible. There are cannon balls exploding, and many dead bodies
h) Cannon / Gun
i) Commander / lieutenant / captain / general
j) The Light Brigade was only supposed to retrieve guns left by the enemy and not fight in the
frontline
k) Unhappy / upset / disagree
l) Diplomatic relationship / Sign peaceful treaties
m) The enemy had more advanced weapon compared to theirs
n) I would feel proud of them (as they have sacrificed for our country) / sad (as they lost their
lives in vain)
o) 600 / six hundred
p) Destruction of homes / cities. Starvation / People become refugees
q) The commander probably received wrong information or intelligence
r) Nervous / Bold
s) They rode boldly towards the enemy
t) Feeling: I would feel scared.
Reason: The battlefield is fatal.
u) Theirs but to do and die
v) Commander / lieutenant / captain / general
w) Into the Valley of Death
x) Lesson: War destroys lives.
Reason: Hundreds of soldiers died in the battlefield
y) Celebrate Veterans Day / Erect War Memorial Statues / Dedicate a museum of soldiers and
the battles they fought
z) Opinion: No.
Reason: The lives of the Light Brigade could have been spared if they corrected the wrong
command.

A Poison Tree (William Blake)

a) He told his friend his feelings

b) He used smiles and deceitful wiles
c) His revenge was successful / His foe is destroyed (defeated)
d) Response: Admit my mistakes and move on.
Reason: It is not healthy to harbour anger and vengeance
e) His friend and foe
f) And with soft deceitful wiles
g) The persona’s foe is equally cunning / dishonest / the persona’s foe finally succumbed to
persona’s trick
h) I) I would let him know of my feelings.
ii) I would approach him professionally and discuss our situation.
i) Tree symbolised the persona’s anger / the apple symbolises the persona’s revenge plan
j) He wanted to take (or eat) the apple
k) The persona was no longer angry with his friend
 l) Answer: No.
Reason: Revenge only creates circle of hatred and it hurts both persons.
m) He went into the garden to take the apple
n) And I sunned it with smiles / and with soft deceitful wiles
o) Wrath
p) He nurtured his anger with tears / He hid his anger with smiles and cunning tricks
q) Anger
r) To show that the foe has lost all guidance and fell into the persona’s trick
s) He ate the poison apple and died
t) Lesson: Deep-seated anger can hurt everyone.
Reason: The persona spent his days and nights feeling angry and crying while the foe was
destroyed through revenge.
u) Till it bore an apple bright
v) Anger
w) The foe
x) Character: Vengeful.
Reason: He plans a revenge instead of being open about his anger
y) Feeling: I feel sad.
Reason: The persona should have discussed with his foe their feelings and offenses
z) Action: I will pray / listen to music / go shopping / sleep / talk to my parents
Reason: praying calms my spirit. Music/shopping/sleep takes my mind off my anger. My
parents can offer me ideas and solutions.

What Has Happened to Lulu? (Charles Causley)

a) An old rag-doll / Lulu’s rag-doll

b) A money-box
c) He is worried / concerned / curious
d) Response: Report to the police / check with my sibling’s close friends.
Reason: The police have the resources to investigate and track missing people/ perhaps their
friends know where my sibling could have gone to
e) She was angry / sad / worried / confused
f) There is a rag-doll on the bed
g) Lulu probably left home on a car or motorcycle
h) I) Curious / worried.
ii)And why do tear-drops fall?
i) Rag-doll symbolises Lulu’s childhood
j) She does not know what to do next
k) A money-box
l) Answer: No.
Reason: the persona deserves to know the whereabouts of his sister
Answer: Yes.
Reason: The persona is too young to worry and understand the situation
m) Voices and engine roar
n) And why do you crumple that note on the fire?
o) It was the sound of rain
p) Lulu and mother had an argument / Lulu ran away with a friend
q) Sad
r) She does not want persona to see her crying
s) Why is the window wide, mother,
t) Report to the police / check with Lulu’s close friends / put up missing person’s posters
u) She throws the note into the fire
v) They were just dreams
w) She wanders about
x) Sign: The money-box is gone.
Reason: She takes the money because she knows she will be away on her own.
y) Have healthy communication with each other / Spend time doing activities together.
z) I) No, she had to run away from home in order to feel free.
ii)Children should be allowed to make informed choices as long as they do not commit
crimes/ illegal activities.