Of Mice and Men - sample exam question
If you are studying prose with CCEA your examination will be closed book. This means you will not be allowed to bring your book into the examination.
You will be given a choice of two essay questions about Of Mice and Men in the exam. You need to choose one to answer. They will usually be about specific characters or themes in the text.
The examiners are looking for you to demonstrate good knowledge of the whole book. You must have a clear idea about:
- plot
- themes
- characters
- language, form and structure
You should be able to use some key quotations from the text. You will need to remember these as you will not be allowed a book in the exam. You should structure your answer logically, with a brief introduction and conclusion.
The following is an example of the type of question you will get for Of Mice and Men.
With reference to the ways Steinbeck presents Slim, show how far you agree that Slim deserves to be admired.
Essay writing tips
Before you start writing your essay, you should spend five minutes planning what you will write. Think about how you can break down your answer into logical paragraphs.
A good approach to begin with is to highlight any key terms which stand out for you.
In the sample question the key term you must think about is 'Slim deserves to be admired'.
Make sure you use the key term frequently throughout your essay. This helps to keep your answer focused as you create your argument.
The structure of your planning - and your essay - should provide evidence that Slim deserves to be admired and evidence that Slim does not deserve to be admired.
It is also important to include comments on the effects of how Lee uses language and techniques to present the character of Slim and whether he deserves to be admired.
Language and stylistic devices / narrative techniques could include some of the following:
- structure of the text - chapters, climax, chronologicalEvents are written or spoken about in the order in which they actually happened. ordering, flashback, conclusion
- descriptive techniques - for example vocabulary choices, use of imagery and the senses
- creation of setting - for example time, place, atmosphere
- creation of character - for example through narrator鈥檚 descriptions, use of dialogue, actions
- narration - for example omniscientAll knowing - an omniscient narrator is one who knows all of the thoughts and feelings of the characters in a story. narrator, first person narration, multiple narrators, use of personaThe voice adopted by an author for a particular purpose, this voice does not necessarily reflect the author's true thoughts. It can also mean a mask that someone presents to the world as their real character ('persona' is the Latin word for an actor's mask). , autobiography
- cohesiveFitting together well to form a united whole. elements - for example repetition of words or ideas, climax, suspense, sequentialHappening in a logical order. ordering
- disjunctiveLacking any clear connection or consistency. elements - for example cliffhangerA plot device featuring a character in a perilous or difficult situation, used to ensure that an audience will return to see how the situation unfolds. endings, flashbacks
- use of punctuation and other typographical effects - for example italics, capitalisation, suspension points Sometimes known as ellipses, these are usually three dots used in a sentence to indicate where a word or words have been left out, the missing words can usually be guessed from clues in in the text.
You should use short quotations which you have remembered from the book to support your ideas.
You will also be given marks for paraphraseRestating the meaning of a piece of text in your own words. parts of the book and referring to specific events, as this shows your knowledge of the text.