Pearson Edexcel International A Level · English Literature (YET01)

Prescribed poems listed from Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry 2002–2011: Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 5 written questions with worked solutions. All on Prescribed poems listed from Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry 2002–2011.

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Question 1

1 mark

In the poem Material by Ros Barber, what does the transition from "handkerchiefs" to "paper tissues" primarily represent?

Question 2

1 mark

In the poem Effects by Alan Jenkins, from the Poems of the Decade anthology, how does the poet primarily use the physical description of the mother’s hands to convey the theme of aging and loss?

Question 3

1 mark

In the poem The Lammas Hireling by Ian Duhig, how does the ambiguity of the narrator’s voice contribute to the poem’s exploration of guilt?

Question 4

1 mark

In Simon Armitage’s poem Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass, how does the poet use personification to establish the tone of the conflict?

Question 5

1 mark

In John Burnside's poem History, how does the structural fragmentation of the lines on the page reflect the poem's exploration of the post-9/11 world?

Question 6

3 marks

In the poem Eat Me by Patience Agbabi, how does the poet use alliteration and plosive sounds in the final stanza to emphasize the theme of consumption and control?

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Question 7

4 marks

In Seamus Heaney’s Out of the Bag, how does the poet transition between the childhood perspective and the adult's reflections on the origins of life and medical science?

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Question 8

6 marks

Analyze how the structure and varying line lengths in John Burnside’s History reflect the narrator’s internal attempt to find fragments of stability in a world destabilized by the events of September 11.

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Question 9

7 marks

Compare how Giuseppe by Roderick Ford and The Deliverer by Tishani Doshi explore the themes of human cruelty and the failure of morality.

In your response, you should consider:
a) The use of setting and atmosphere in both poems.
b) How the poets use language to distance the perpetrators from their actions.
c) The significance of the ending of each poem in conveying a moral message.

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Question 10

7 marks

Compare the ways in which The Map Woman by Carol Ann Duffy and one other poem from the prescribed list explore the relationship between identity and place.

In your response, you must:
a) Analyze how poets use imagery to represent the influence of environment on the self.
b) Compare the structural choices made by both poets.
c) Discuss the extent to which place is presented as inescapable.

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