ENGLISH

Written Examination

Saturday 17 October 2015

Reading time: 9:00 am to 9:15 am (15 minutes)Writing time: 9:15 am to 12:15 pm (3 hours)

TASKBOOK

Section Number of questions Number of questions to be answered

Marks

A – Text ResponseB – Writing in ContextC – Analysis of language use

2041

111

20 20 20Total 60

This is where the rules of the exam would be on the real exam. Standard stuff: Do bring:

blue and/or black pens (lots) pencils, highlighters, rubbers, if you use them a dictionary a clear water bottle with no labels watches, though you’ll have to take them off and put them on the table, you

sneaky time lord cheaters (and regular mortals)Do NOT bring:

notes, blank sheets of paper, anything with invisible ink written on it (because the invigilators all have a sliver of lemon in their pocket for just such an occasion) calculators, white-out/liquid paper, lucky totems, voodoo dolls of the invigilators, or a frown.

Instructions There’ll only be one answer book in the exam, but you can request another

if you write big/a lot. Make sure you write the right essay in the right section, and be sure to tick

the correct box for your chosen Section A and B prompts/texts. Don’t write on two films between Sections A and B. All your responses must be in English. Go figure.

Do NOT screw yourself over by bringing phones etc. into the exam room. Seriously guys, this gets its own little text box and everything, so you know they’re serious.

All About Eve directed by Joseph Mankeiwiczi. All About Eve is an exploration of what happens when desires aren’t satisfied.

Discuss.OR

ii. In All About Eve, there are many different ways for a relationship to fracture. Do you agree?

Brooklyn by Colm Toibini. Eilis’ family and friends have more of a detrimental effect on her life than they

intend to. Do you agree?OR

ii. At its core, Brooklyn is about the importance of an optimistic outlook for the future. Discuss.

Burial Rights by Hannah Kenti. How does Burial Rights show the importance of stories and storytelling?

ORii. The characters in Burial Rights are victims of their circumstances. Do you agree?

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwoodi. “You are forced to understand their reasons for doing things and then you are

weakened.”Where do Elaine’s power and weaknesses come from in Cat’s Eye?

ORii. “Potential has a shelf life.”

To what extent does Atwood celebrate potential and possibility?

Cloudstreet by Tim Wintoni. “Keep the day ahead of you, that's what the old man used to say.”

The characters in Cloudstreet must look to the future if they want to achieve contentment. Do you agree?

ORii. In Cloudstreet it is the quotidian events that define the characters. Discuss.

Henry IV Part 1 by William Shakespeare i. “I would to God, thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be

bought.”To what extent do the characters’ reputations in Henry IV Part 1 define them?

ORii. “Sir John stands to his word, the devil shall have his bargain; for he was never yet

a breaker of proverbs: he will give the devil his due.”Hal is not the only character who keeps his promise and accomplishes what he sets out to do. Do you agree?

I for Isobel by Amy Wittingi. Isobel tries, and fails, to set up effective emotional barriers. Discuss.

ORii. The characters in I for Isobel are victims of either extreme love, or extreme hate.

To what extent do you agree?

In the Country of Men by Hisham Matari. “Can you become a man without becoming your father?”

How does Matar’s novel show the importance of self-determination?OR

ii. “Nationalism is as thin as a thread, perhaps that's why many feel it must be anxiously guarded”In the Country of Men depicts a world tormented by fear and suspicion. Discuss.

Mabo directed by Rachel Perkinsi. The characters in Mabo are more heroes than victims. Discuss.

ORii. In Mabo, Perkins suggests that achieving justice is more difficult than it seems.

Do you agree?

Medea by Euripidesi. There are many sources of Medea’s pain in this play. Discuss.

ORii. Medea shows that being emotional is just as dangerous as being logical. Discuss.

No Sugar by Jack Davisi. The characters in No Sugar wish to change their circumstances, but are ultimately

unable to do so? To what extent do you agree?OR

ii. The society in this play is oppressive in many ways. Discuss.

Selected Poems by Gwen Harwoodi. Harwood’s poems are made all the more confronting by their realism and honesty.

Discuss.OR

ii. Gwen Harwood celebrates the potential of women whilst simultaneously lamenting their role in society. Discuss.

Stasiland by Anna Funderi. Anna Funder’s beliefs undergo significant changes over the course of this text. To

what extent do you agree?OR

ii. “You have to look at how normal people manage with such things in their pasts.”In Stasiland, Funder shows that simply coping is a victory in itself. Do you agree?

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelmani. “No, darling! To die it's easy... But you have to struggle for life!”

The most significant war the characters in The Complete Maus face is the one that is inside themselves. Discuss.

ORii. To what extent does the graphic format of The Complete Maus inform our

interpretation of the characters and their actions?

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichiei. It is not good or bad, I tell her, it is simply mine. And that is what matters.”

Adichie’s short stories are ultimately uplifting, even if they may not seem that way on the surface.

ORii.

The War Poems by Wilfred Oweni. Owen suggests that the worst part of the war stems from the fact that it was

unexpected. Discuss.OR

ii. To what extent are the speakers in Owen’s poems involved in the horrors around them?

The White Tiger by Aravind Adigai. “If only a man could spit his past out so easily.”

The characters in The White Tiger are constantly grappling with the past as well as the present. Discuss.

ORii. Adiga’s novel is about the way injustice affects people. Discuss.

This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolffi. “Being realistic made me feel bitter. It was a new feeling, and one I didn’t like,

but I saw no way out.”Does Jack have any control over his life?

ORii. Tobias Wolff’s memoir is both honest, and detached. Do you agree?

Will You Please Be Quiet Please by Raymond Carveri. Carver’s short stories are united by the characters’ shared emotions and desires.

Discuss.OR

ii. How does Carver show the importance of independence in his short stories?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontei. “Honest people don't hide their deeds.”

None of the characters in Wuthering Heights are completely honest. Discuss.OR

ii. Bronte’s novel shows the dangers of investing too much trust in other people. Do you agree?

Context 1 – The Imaginative LandscapeNight Street …Kristel Thornell A Passage to India …Directed by David Lean The View from Castle Rock …Alice Munro Peripheral Light- Selected and New Poems …John Kinsella

Prompt‘We decide which connections to landscapes will have the most meaning for us.’

TaskComplete an extended written response in expository, persuasive, or imaginative style. Your writing must draw from at least one selected text for this Context and explore the idea that ‘we decide which connections to landscapes will have the most meaning for us.’

Context 2 – Whose Reality?Death of a Salesman …Arthur MillerFoe …J. M. Coetzee Wag the Dog …Directed by Barry LevinsonThe Lot: In Words …Michael Leunig

Prompt‘Sometimes imposing our realities on others’ is justifiable.’

TaskComplete an extended written response in expository, persuasive, or imaginative style. Your writing must draw from at least one selected text for this Context and explore the idea that ‘sometimes imposing our realities on others’ is justifiable.’

Context 4 – Exploring Issues of Identity and BelongingThe Mind of a Thief …Patti Miller Summer of the Seventeenth Doll …Ray Lawler Wild Cat Falling …Mudrooroo Skin …Directed by Anthony Fabian

Prompt‘We will always struggle to belong to what we don’t understand.’

TaskComplete an extended written response in expository, persuasive, or imaginative style. Your writing must draw from at least one selected text for this Context and explore the idea that ‘we will always struggle to belong to what we don’t understand.’

Context 3 – Encountering ConflictThe Lieutenant …Kate GrenvilleLife of Galileo …Bertolt Brecht Every Man in this Village is a Liar …Megan Stack A Separation …Directed by Asghar Farhadi

Prompt‘Confrontation with the unfamiliar will always lead to conflict.’

TaskComplete an extended written response in expository, persuasive, or imaginative style. Your writing must draw from at least one selected text for this Context and explore the idea that ‘confrontation with the unfamiliar will always lead to conflict.’

TASK

How does the writer use written and visual language to attempt to persuade readers to share her point of view?

Instructions for Section CSection C requires students to analyse the ways in which language and visual features are used to present a point of view.Read the material on the following two pages and complete the task below.

Background Information

The local neighbourhood committee in North Valley recently voted to enforce a district-wide no-tolerance policy for littering.

An editorial responding to this decision was printed in the district’s newsletter to be distributed amongst North Valley residents. The newsletter has also published a variety of views from other community members about their reactions to the proposal.

This generation has no respect for their environment. How do I know, you may ask? Well I only have to look out my front window and observe the abundance of rubbish lying in the streets, clogging up drains, and making a mockery of what was once a lovely place to live.

Nowadays, I can’t even walk down to my local butcher’s without cigarette butts sticking to my shoes or plastic bags flying in my face. And sure enough, these offending pieces of waste are coming from none other than some rag-tag bunch of youths chain-smoking or binge-drinking in the supermarket car park. These individuals are not misguided; they are as scummy and nugatory as the rubbish they’re dropping so carelessly.

Are people aware of the harm they are doing to our town, our community? Are people aware that their actions have consequences? Are people aware that every time they litter, they’re making our lives just a little bit worse?

And are people aware that someone else has to clean their mess up? I’m reminded of my four year old nephew, who’s also quite averse to picking up after himself. I could follow his trail from one end of the house to the other – a river of toy dinosaurs and plastic cars – while my brother tiredly reminds him that he needs to put things in the proper place when he’s finished with them. And he will learn, eventually. He’s already becoming more considerate and self-aware, since he knows not to take his toys into the kitchen when his father is preparing meals, or into his mother’s office when she’s working. So how is it that this four year old has a better sense of right from wrong, and of social responsibility than a vast majority of our citizens?

Truthfully, I believe this is a problem of selfishness. There are people in this town who are so wrapped up in their own lives and how they appear to their friends that contemplating too far into the future by asking questions like ‘where this litter will end up?’ or ‘whose job is it to pick this stuff up’ is just beyond them. And the sad thing is we can’t just wait for them to grow up like we can with toddlers. These people need to be taught a lesson, and there’s only one effective way of doing that.

Litter Bugs Are

Trash!

If these litterbugs are made to literally pay the price of the damages they’re causing, then perhaps they’ll think twice next time they’re about to toss a cigarette butt out of a car window, or just drop a food wrapper next to a bin instead of inside it. I don’t like that it’s come to this, but the council’s decision to impose a realistic method of deterring people is exactly what we need right now.

And maybe this’ll make our lives just a little bit better.

How utterly preposterous! Imagine walking home one day, completely exhausted with your mind on other things, and you let a candy bar wrapper slip from your hand, or a tissue is blown out of your pocket. Suddenly you’re $375 poorer, all because of some silly little accident. You think the litter police are going to listen to your explanation though? You think they’ll listen to reason?

I’m making barely above minimum wage, and I for one don’t want to forfeit the equivalent of a week’s worth of groceries for me and my family, just to appease some bureaucratic dunce on the council board that thinks taxing everything is the solution to every problem. This is completely unrealistic.

- Paulette Morris

How on earth is this going to be enforced? Will there be guards on street corners, scanning the gutters for any stray bits of rubbish? Or maybe they should hire a few hundred forensic biologists to examine the rubbish and trace the fingerprints or skin cells on it in order to find the culprit. No, wait – I have a better idea! How about we just put cameras everywhere! On the streets, in shops and offices, in your home… I mean, they have to do something with all the revenue they’re collecting with this tax. Why not have a 24/7 government service that’s just there to make sure you’re on your best behaviour? What could possibly go wrong!?

- Max Lawson

Surely there’s a better solution here – what if the community was to get together once a fortnight and have a collective Clean-Up Day? It’d teach the younger kids to have more respect for their surroundings, but it’d also help the older ones realise just how much of their litter ends up scattered about the place. Reforming people’s mindsets would be more effective than simply wringing everyone’s wallets dry.

- Julie Sanders

COMMENTS

Examination Assessment Criteria(translated from the original jargon)

Section A – Text Response- demonstrates a thorough understanding of the text with appropriate quoting and other

evidence in order to support a sophisticated contention- relevant ideas that deal directly with the prompt and its implications- appropriate vocabulary choices, controlled expression, good syntax and grammar

Section B – Writing in Context- discussion is relevant to the prompt, drawing explicitly and/or implicitly from its key ideas

as well as the selected text- quality ideas and use of detail or evidence- sophisticated standard of writing, and consideration of purpose, form, and language

Section C – Analysis of Language Use- clear understanding of the writer’s contention, as well as a balanced, selective incorporation

of both textual and visual information- shows a good understanding of which language and other features are used to persuade, how

they persuade, and why- effective use of metalanguage and general sentence structure