FINAL EXAMINATION

AUGUST 2016 SEMESTER

COURSE : CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS

COURSE CODE : CLS 1323
DURATION : 3 HOURS
FACULTY : EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
PROGRAMME : B. ED. (HONS.) TESL
LECTURER : NORHAMIDAH MOHD YUSOF

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

This paper consists of two (2) sections:

Section A – 30 questions (Multiple-choice & error correction)

Section B – 2 questions (Essay)

Answer all questions in Section A and Section B.

All answers of:

Section A and B must be written in the answer booklet provided.

The answer for each section must start on a new page.

Candidates are NOT ALLOWED to bring any unauthorized items into the exam hall
except with the permission of your invigilator.

Do Not Open the Question Paper Until Instructed

This Question Paper Consists of Six (6) Printed Pages

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SECTION A : MULTIPLE CHOICE & ERROR CORRECTION (40 MARKS)

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS

Part I (10 marks)

Write (T) for statements which are TRUE and (F) for statements which are FALSE.

1. A non-fictional character is a character that is a real-life figure, whether played by an

actor or used as an actual historical figure in a work of fiction.

2. The second person narrative was once a popular writing technique in detective stories

and satires.

3. Unity and consistency in point of view is important to avoid triteness.

4. When writing fictionalised stories, the writer should not derive ideas from real life

because real life stories come under the category of non-fiction.

5. A writer must not use various literary devices to establish the tone of a story.

6. The categories in story grammar cannot be reordered by the writer because it would

change the storyline.

7. A summary of a literary work cannot convey the full meaning of the whole work.

8. ‘Sad and affectionate’ or ‘violent and desperate’ are indications of a writer’s style.

9. Creative writing involves imagination, invention in form, content and marketability.

10. A theme is the main idea in a work of literature but it is not considered one of the
fundamental components of fiction.
.

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Part II (10 marks)

Fill in the blanks with one of the correct words in the table.

triteness allusions metaphor accidental shifts limited omniscience

satire theme suspense resolution limited objectivity

1. A __________ is discovered through descriptions of ideas rather than through

statements of ideas.

2. Reader’s suspension of disbelief may be shattered due to __________ in point of

view, resulting in the story becoming unreal.

3. __________ should be avoided unless it is intended for a boring character.

4. __________ begins as soon as the conflict or problem is introduced, which is usually

at the beginning.

5. Every conflict must have a __________, be it clear and simple or subtle and complex.

6. A _______________ narrator can create the element of suspense in a mystery story as

the information is being revealed gradually for he lacks total knowledge.

7. __________ is used when a writer wants to present a story through the eyes of only

one of the characters.

8. One can established a witty, sardonic tone stylistically in a written work through the

use of wordplay, irony and _______________.

9. __________ expands a writer’s ability to use nonliteral comparisons and to evoke

images.

10. A _______________ asserts the identity of the things compared.

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Part III (20 marks)

Rewrite the following sentences using the correct punctuation. There is ONE (1) error in
each sentence.

1. “Rap music first became popular in the 80s.”

2. Ramli, who speaks two languages is bilingual.
3. The librarian stopped in front of poor Roberto who was making the most noise.
4. The grizzly bear stood on its hind legs, it growled to ward off the tourists from its
young.
5. Photography and writing are interesting and fun but they don’t provide much
income.
6. At sharp noon, the clock struck! causing the people to madly rush to the mall for
the lunch hour special sale.
7. There were three ways to kill the beast; by shooting it, by piercing it with a spear,
and by hitting it with a hard object.
8. The two cars (the bright yellow Ferrari and the glittering grey Porsche) whizzed
past our lagging car, an old glum looking Volkswagen.
9. The old woman sank to her feet and wailed “Let the curses of my tongue ruin even
the mightiest among you,” as she gasped for her last few breaths.
10. Many state names in the United States are Spanish words for example, Colorado
means “red” or “reddish-coloured,” and Montana is from a Spanish word meaning
“mountain.”

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SECTION B : ESSAY QUESTIONS (60 MARKS)

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS

Part I (30 marks)

The following text is a prose poem taken from Simon Armitage’s 2010 collection Seeing
Stars. In this text the author gives a speaking voice to a sperm whale.

Write a text in not more than 300 words that employs an unusual voice.

The Christening

I am a sperm whale. I carry up to 2.5 tonnes of an oil-like

balm in my huge, coffin-shaped head. I have a brain the
size of a basketball, and on that basis alone am entitled to
my opinions. I am a sperm whale. When I breathe in, the
fluid in my head cools to a dense wax and I nosedive into
the depths. My song, available on audiocassette and
compact disc is a comfort to divorcees, astrologists and
those who have ‘pitched the quavering canvas tent of their
thoughts on the rim of the dark crater’. The oil in my head
is of huge commercial value and has been used by NASA,
for even in the galactic emptiness of deep space it does not
freeze. I am attracted to the policies of the Green Party on
paper but once inside the voting booth my hand is guided
by an unseen force. Sometimes I vomit large chunks of
ambergris. My brother, Jeff, owns a camping and outdoor
clothing shop in the Lake District and is a recreational user
of cannabis. Customers who bought books about me also
bought Do Whales Have Belly Buttons? by Melvin Berger
and street maps of Cardiff. In many ways I have seen it all.
I keep no pets. Lying motionless on the surface I am said
to be ‘logging’, and ‘lobtailing’ when I turn and offer my
great slow fluke to the horizon. Don’t be taken in by the
dolphins and their winning smiles, they are the pickpockets
of the ocean, the gypsy children of the open waters and
they are laughing all the way to Atlantis. On the basis of
‘finders keepers’ I believe the Elgin Marbles should
remain the property of the British Crown. I am my own
God – why shouldn’t I be? The first people to open me up
thought my head was full of sperm, but they were men, and
had lived without women for many weeks, and were far
from home. Stuff comes blurting out.

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Part II (30 marks)

Write a commentary of about 300 words on the writing that you have produced in Part I.

Your commentary should:

• explore aspects of the author’s craft in the text by Simon Armitage.
• reflect on the ways in which you have drawn on the above author’s text to inspire your
own piece of writing
• pay equal attention to the above published work and your own writing.

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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