Poem A Poison Tree : Questions + Answers

 -What emotion is expressed in Stanza 1 ?

Anger

 -Which word in stanza 2 that has the same meaning as

“dishonest”?
Deceitful

 -What happened to the persona’s foe eventually and how did the
persona react to this?
The persona’s foe eventually died. He was glad to see his foe    outstretched beneath
the tree

 -What would you do if you had a misunderstanding with your

enemy? Suggest 2 ways.
 Talk to my enemy and solve the problem
 ignore my enemy
………………………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 1, what happened to the persona when he did not express
his anger?
His anger intensified / grew.

 -In stanza 3, what did the apple refer to?

The apple referred to the persona’s anger / hatred.

 -In stanza 4, why did the persona feel happy?

He felt happy because his foe fell into his trap.

He felt happy because his foe died under the tree.

 -In this poem, the persona was angry with his foe. If you were the
persona’s friend, what advice would  you give to him?
Advice 1  . I would advise my friend to speak honestly to his foe so they could clear
the misunderstanding between them

Advice 2:  I would advise my friend to forgive his foe because being angry would only
hurt him and his foe

…………………………………………………………….

 -What did the persona do when he was angry with his friend?
He told him his wrath and the wrath was gone.

 -In stanza 2, how did the persona allow his anger to grow?
He watered it in fears and tears and sunned it with smiles and deceitful wiles

 -In stanza 3, what does the word it refer to?

The persona’s anger / the poison tree / the tree

 -If you were the persona, would you have been glad to see your “foe
outstretched beneath the tree”? Give a reason to support your answer.
Yes because he had done something bad to me. OR

No, because we could have forgiven each other’s mistake.

………………………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 1, who is the persona angry with?

His friend/ his enemy/ his foe ( ONLY ONE ANSWER)

 -Which word in stanza 1 shows the persona is similar to an apple

tree?
Grow

 -In stanza 2, what does the word ‘it’ refer to?

The wrath

 -How would you feel if you had a misunderstanding with your

friend? Explain.
Feelings : upset/sad/ unhappy    [ 1 mark ]

Explanation  I have no one to talk to.

………………………………………………………………………………………

 -Which phrase is stanza 1 has the same meaning as ‘kept his anger
to himself’
I told it not

 -What did the persona do to ensure that the tree grew healthily?
CHOOSE ONE:

He watered it with tears / He sunned it with smiles/ He sunned it with soft deceitful
wiles

 -‘In the morning glad I see

-My foe outstretched beneath the tree’
-In your opinion, how did the persona feel that morning?
The persona felt happy/ excited/ glad/ contented

 -Do you agree with the persona’s feeling? Give a reason for your
answer.
No, because it is wrong to kill someone.
Yes because the persona felt contented.

Poem What Has Happened to Lulu? : Sample Questions + Answers

 -Where is the setting of the poem?

Lulu’s bedroom/ Lulu’s room

 -Who is asking what has happened to Lulu?

Lulu’s sibling/ Lulu’s brother/ Lulu’s sister

 -In stanza 6, how does the persona’s mother feel?

The persona’s mother feels confused/ worried/sad

 -Lulu has left the house. Give two reasons why do you think Lulu decided to do so.

1. She had an argument with her mother.

2. She had a fight with her mother.

3. She wanted to have more freedom.

4. She was being influenced by her friends.

………………………………………………………………………………………

 From stanza 4,

              “I woke to voices late last night”

              Whose voices the persona may have heard that woke him up?

The persona’s mother and Lulu/ Lulu and her friend / The persona’s mother and friend

 -What can you infer from the line “I heard an engine roar”?

Lulu has gone away in a car / Lulu has run away in a car / Lulu is being driven away in a car

 -In stanza 5, what does the phrase “gust of rain” being compared to?

Someone’s cry / Somebody’s cry

 -What is the persona’s mother doing in stanza 6 and why do you think she reacts that
way? Give a reason for your answer.

Mother cried because she was upset that Lulu had run away.

………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 1, what can be seen on Lulu’s bed?

A rag-doll

 -In stanza 3, why do you think the persona’s mother crumples the note?

She was angry with what written in the note/ She did not want to know

what was written in the note

  -I woke up to voices late last night’

The voices belong to Lulu and mother/ Lulu and her friend/ Lulu’s

mother and friend/ Lulu and her kidnapper/ Lulu’s mother and the

kidnapper.

 -In your opinion, why do you think teenagers run away? Give two reasons.

They are influenced by the wrong company of friends

They want to get away from overprotective parents

They want to be free

Peer pressure

Parental neglect

Personal problems

Teen pregnancy

Drug addiction

Abused by parents / siblings

………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 2,

              -(i) What does the line “the curtain flapping free” indicates?

It was windy and the window is opened

              -(ii) What did Lulu take with her?

Her money-box

 -In stanza 3, why do you think the mother says “It is nothing at all?”

the mother does not want the persona to know what was written in that note / the mother does not
want the persona to know that she is worried

 -In your opinion, what do you think had happened to Lulu?

She ran away/ she was kidnapped

……………………………………………………………………………….

 -Who is the persona?

Lulu’s sibling/ Lulu’s brother/ Lulu’s sister

 -Which line in stanza 3, suggest the mother is crying?

And why do the tear-drops fall

 -Why was the mother crying?

She was upset with Lulu’s reaction

  -The number of teenagers running away from home is on the rise. What could be the
factors that contribute to this?

Factor 1: Argument with parents / family problem(s)

Factor 2: Peer influence / Any other acceptable answer

Novel The Living Photograph : Sample Questions + Answers

 -How old was the poet when the photograph was taken?

Three years old

 -The grandmother had become senile. How do you know this?

Her soup forgot to boil/ She has forgotten to boil her soup

 -How does the poet want to remember her grandmother?

Smiling/ living/ breathing

 -The poet shows how she loves and appreciates her grandmother in the poem. Give two
other ways how you can show your love and appreciation towards your family members.

1. We can celebrate their birthdays together.

2. We can go for a picnic together./ We can cook their favourite dishes / We can buy them
presents

………………………………………………………………………………………

 -To whom do you think the title of the poem relates to?

The persona’s grandmother

 -What happened to her grandmother’s physical appearance as she aged?

She becomes small and short because her back becomes round and hunched.

 -How does the persona describe the other world? How does this reflect the persona’s
perception of life after death?

It is described as an awful, unknown and unthinkable.

I think she feels the other world is a terrible unknown place and she cannot understand the living
condition there.

 -Who are in the photograph?

The persona and her grandmother.

 -In stanza 1, which words mean ‘open embroidery on white linen?

Broderie anglaise

 -Describe the grandmother’s skirt and shoes?

The skirt is pleated and the shoes are flat.

 -Why do you think the grandmother forgot to boil the soup?

She has become forgetful/ She has become senile.

 -Where was the persona when the grandmother passed away? Provide a reason for your
answer.

She was by her  grandmother’s side. The reason is because of the line her big hands hold mine.

 -Give one moral value that can be learnt from this poem?

1. We must treasure our loved ones when they are alive

2. It is difficult to lose a family member

 -What does the photograph represent?

The photograph represent the memories the persona has of her late grandmother

 -How old was the persona when the photograph was taken?

3 years old

 -Which line in the poem tells us the grandmother has become forgetful?

Her soup forgot to boil

 -Why do you think the writer’s ‘small grandmother is tall’ in the photograph?

I think it is probably because the photo was taken when the writer’s grandmother was younger

 -Which line tells you that the writer and her grandmother are from different ethnic
background?

White hand in black hand’

Poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade: Sample Questions + Answers

 -Explain what the poem is mainly about.

The poem is mainly about a battle where six hundred soldiers rode into a trap and were attacked by
the enemy on three sides. It shows the courage of these men who obeyed a command to charge
even though they knew it was a mistake.

 -What does the poem say about courage? Do you agree with what it says?

The poem describes the courage of soldiers who obeyed an order that would cause them to lose
their lives. It describes the horrific situation they faced when they were attacked on three sided by
fierce gunfire. It is saying that we should respect that kind of courage. I agree that such courage
deserves respect.

 -Describe the general tone of the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade.

The general tone of the poem is that of praise and amazement at the

courageous action of the soldiers.

 -What effect does the personification of death in line 24 have on the mood of the poem?
The personification of death helps the reader to picture the horror of the battlefield where the six
hundred soldiers were killed.

 -What effect does the repetition of ‘half a league’ have on the rhythm of the poem?

It creates a strong beat that reflects the galloping horses or marching soldiers.

 -Why is the location of this battle called ‘the valley of Death’?

It is called ‘the valley of Death’ to emphasise that it is the place where the soldiers will die in battle.

 -Whom does the pronoun ‘he’ in line 6 refer to ?

The pronoun ‘he’ refers to the leader of the six hundred soldiers.

 -What does the word ‘dismayed’ mean?

Sad and discouraged

 -How did the soldier know that someone had made a mistake?

They must have seen that the valley was surrounded by the enemy and that charging forward would
mean certain death.

 -How would you feel if you were with the six hundred men in this situation?

I would feel terrified being surrounded by the enemy and being shot at from three directions.

 -If these soldiers were your countrymen, what would you think of them?

I would honour them for their heroic action and amazing courage. What they did is beyond  the call
of duty.

 -How many soldiers were involved in the battle?

600 soldiers

 -Why is it called ‘the valley of the death’?

No one will survive the battle.

 -From stanza 2, who do you think has made the mistake?

The commander/ the captain/ the leader

 -One of the consequences of war is loss of lives. State two others.

loss of money/ loss of property/ loss of home/ loss of pet/ loss of income/ loss of livelihood/ loss of
jobs