IGCSE Literature Question Bank, for Batch 2023

Prose: [From Stories of Ourselves Volume 2]

Nathaniel Hawthorne, ‘Dr Heidegger’s Experiment’

Extract -

“But they were young: their burning passions proved them so. Inflamed to madness by the
coquetry…quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth.”

Q. How does Hawthorne make this such a dramatic and significant ending to the story?
Q. ‘Dr. Heideggar is portrayed as a venerable yet enigmatic old man in this story.’ Do you
agree? Discuss with close reference to the story.

O Henry, ‘The Furnished Room’

Q. How has the author’s description of setting evokes a feeling of eeriness and suspense in
this story?
Q. Can you say that The Furnished Room is a tragic story? Discuss.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ‘The Widow’s Might’

Q. How are the themes of struggle and independence portrayed through the characterization
of Mrs. McPherson?
Q. How does the story ‘A Widow’s Might’ movingly portray the struggle of women in a
restrictive setting?

Henry Handel Richardson, ‘And Women Must Weep’

Q. How are the themes of innocence and control being juxtaposed to effectively bring out the
protagonist’s feelings in this story?
Q. How has the writer successfully depicted Dolly’s failure and depression in the conclusion
of this story?

Marghanita Laski, ‘The Tower’

Q. How has Laski powerfully described Caroline’s journey through the tower?
Q. How does Laski portray the sense of being confined in the story “The Tower’?

Janet Frame, ‘The Reservoir’

Q. How has the reservoir been transformed from an object of fear in the beginning to a
symbol of confidence and freedom in the end?
Q. ‘The Reservoir’ celebrates the innocence of childhood and is a captivating coming of age
story. Justify the statement.

Langston Hughes, ‘Thank You M’am’

Q. How has Hughes conveyed the idea of self-confidence and an unflinching attitude of Mrs
Jones in his story, Thank You Ma’m?

Anjana Appachana, ‘Sharmaji’

Q. How has Anjana Appachana used the dichotomy between tradition and modernity in her
story, Sharma ji? Respond with close reference to the text.
Q. In the story we see, the central character Sharma ji is always trying to escape from his
professional responsibilities (his work as a clerk in the office). How has this become evident
in Sharma’s character and through his actions from the beginning of the story? Discuss this
with reference to the story.
Q. Explore and discuss the theme of conflict as used in the story, Sharma ji by the author.
Refer to the writer’s use of language, diction and other stylistic features.

Yiyun Li, ‘A Thousand Years of Good Prayers’

Q. In his story, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Yiyun Li has provided an interesting and
unique perspective on love and how one’s values about love might inform one’s identity.
Discuss.
Q. How does Yiyun Li paints a compelling portrait of a relationship between a father and a
daughter in the story ‘A thousand years of good prayers’?

Segun Afolabi, ‘Mrs Mahmood’

Q. What aspects of relationship have been discussed through the characters of Mr.
Mahmood and Isobel in the story?
Q. ‘Mrs Mahmood is essentially a story that hints at failure and escape’. Do you agree to this
statement? Discuss with reference to the text.
Poetry: [From Songs of Ourselves Volume 2, Part 4]

Elizabeth Thomas (‘Corinna’), ‘The Forsaken Wife’

Q. How does the speaker in the poem, The Forsaken Wife assert her fidelity and dedication
toward her husband who has been disloyal to her?

Philip Bourke Marston, ‘After’

Q. In what ways is the poem a philosophical rumination over grief, sadness, and
loneliness?
Q. How does the poetic speaker create an intimate and intense portrait of grief in the
poem ‘After’?

Algernon Charles Swinburne, ‘A Leave-Taking’

Q. How does Swinburne evocatively present/explore the theme of love in the poem ‘A
Leave-Taking’?
Q. How does the speaker memorably characterize the ladylove in the poem ‘A Leave-
Taking’?
 Sir Thomas Wyatt, ‘I Find No Peace’

Q. Discuss the feelings that love can provoke in the poem ‘I Find No Peace’.
Q. Identify the figures of speech in the poem.

James Joyce, ‘I Hear an Army’

Q. ‘I Hear an Army’ talks about lost love. Justify.

Q. How does the Army symbolise loneliness in the poem?

Charlotte Mew, ‘Rooms’

Q. In what ways does "Rooms" by Charlotte Mew vividly describe a struggle for
freedom?
Q. How does Charlotte Mew effectively create a sentimental poem about loss and life?

Robert Browning, ‘Love in a Life’

Q. How does Browning memorably portray the speaker's search/quest for love in "Love in a
Life"?
Q. How does Browning memorably describe the struggle of a lovelorn spirit?

Lauris Edmond, ‘Waterfall’

Q. Discuss the ways in which the poet tries to prove that young age ends quickly.

Mary Monck (‘Marinda’), ‘Verses Written on Her Death-bed at Bath to Her Husband in
London’

Q. How does Mary Monck present an unforgettable portrait of undying love in the poem
‘Verses Written on Her Death-bed at Bath to Her Husband in London’?
Q. How does the speaker powerfully portray a beautiful tale of companionship in the
poem ‘Verses Written on Her Death-bed at Bath to Her Husband in London’?

A R D Fairburn, ‘Rhyme of the Dead Self’

Q. How has the poet conveyed the themes of loss of hope and humanity?
Q. How does the poet present the transformation of the speaker?

Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples’

Q. How is Shelley's poem "Stanzas Written in Dejection, near Naples" a poem about
isolation and loneliness?
Q. How does the speaker develop a poignant feeling of dejection in the poem "Stanzas
Written in Dejection, near Naples"?

Derek Walcott, ‘Nearing Forty’

Q. What impact the age upon the speaker is described in the poem?

Elinor Morton Wylie, ‘Now Let No Charitable Hope’

Q. How is ‘Now Let no Charitable Hope’ a powerful poem about freedom and
oppression?
Q. How does the speaker engage with the theme of women’s rights in the poem ‘Now
Let No Charitable Hope’?

Alexander Pope, ‘From An Essay on Criticism’

Q. How has the poet employed style of writing and other poetic features to make it a
successful didactic poem?

Henry Wotton, ‘The Character of a Happy Life’

Q. How does a religious book or a friend give happiness according to the poet ?
Q. How does a contented man have all without having anything?
Drama:
William Shakespeare Twelfth Night
Q. What qualities does Duke Orsino possess that allow Viola to fall in love with him?
Q. Discuss Viola’s use of her disguise.
Q. Do you think that like Orsino, Olivia seems to confuse illusion with reality and mistake
infatuation for love?