Lord of the Flies - Sample exam question
In your exam, you may be asked a question about the whole text OR about an extract from the text as well as the whole text. Either way, these are the analysis skills you will need to use.
The question
Starting with this extract, how does Ralph's character change throughout the novel?
Write about:
- how Golding presents Ralph in this extract
- how Golding presents Ralph as someone who matures through the course of the novel as a whole
The extract
Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood - Simon was dead - and Jack had... The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.
From chapter 12
Before you go on to the next page, make some notes about what you might write.
Hints
- Think about the key words in the question ('character', 'change').
- Think about this extract – what is happening at this point? How have events affected Ralph? Highlight some key points.
- Think about Ralph's development across the entire novel and the things which he learns about life.