Literature 1: Short Stories Analysis
MOCK TEST
There are three sections. Section one is gap fill; section two is short answer; section
three is short answer about an unseen story.
You may use an English-English dictionary during the test.
Answer ALL the questions on the lined test paper (NOT on the exam).
Do not change the order of the test questions. If necessary, leave a blank space
on your test paper and return to that section later.
You can earn up to 80 points for this exam. The pass mark is 44 points (55%).
You have two hours.
Section 1: Gap fill 20 points, 2 points per question
Instructions: Read each question carefully and write only the answer (up to four words)
on your answer paper.
ON THE REAL EXAM there will be ten gap fill questions similar to the ones below
covering the literary elements studied during the course.
PREPARATION TIP: As preparation, you could make a list of your own gap fill
questions with your classmates to practice with.
1. Within Freytag’s pyramid for plot analysis, the _______________ is the point in
the plot when the conflict is introduced, causing tension to rise.
2. A story in which the main character is lost at sea, fighting waves and wind and
starvation is an example of a person vs. _______________ conflict.
3. A protagonist whose goal is to bravely fight against a corrupt social order is a(n)
_______________ character.
4. A story narrated by the protagonist who is breaking the law, but believes they are
doing the right thing is told from the _______________ point of view.
5. …
PLEASE TURN OVER
, Section 2: Short answer 40 points, 5 or 10 points per question
Instructions: Read each passage carefully and then answer the questions which follow
it. Ensure that your answers are clear, cohesive and concise. When quoting, provide the
first two and the last two words of the quote.
ON THE REAL EXAM there will be ten short answer questions covering four of the
stories covered during the course and all of the literary elements: three stories have
three 5-point questions each, and one story has one 10-point question about theme.
PREPARATION TIP: It is highly recommended that you complete a worksheet about
each of the stories covered during the course. You must be prepared to answer
questions on any of the literary elements about any of the short stories. Rather than
trying to ‘memorise’ answers, you are advised to carefully study the elements of fiction
and the stories in order to understand them both so that you demonstrate your analytical
skills during the exam.
Fragment 1, from The Sniper by Liam O’Flaherty (1923)
Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke
hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself
against the parapet of the roof. The sniper took another whiff and put out the
cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left.
Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a
flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen
the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street.
He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew
himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There
was nothing to be seen--just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against
the blue sky. His enemy was under cover.
1. Analyse the plot of The Sniper in up to 5 sentences. Use the terminology from
Freytag’s Pyramid to name and briefly describe each of the plot elements present
in The Sniper in the order in which they occur in the story. (5 points)
2. Characterisation in The Sniper: (5 points)
a. In the fragment above, what type of characterisation is being used to
characterise the sniper? (1 point)
b. Provide and explain at least two examples from the fragment to support
your answer. (4 points)
PLEASE TURN OVER
MOCK TEST
There are three sections. Section one is gap fill; section two is short answer; section
three is short answer about an unseen story.
You may use an English-English dictionary during the test.
Answer ALL the questions on the lined test paper (NOT on the exam).
Do not change the order of the test questions. If necessary, leave a blank space
on your test paper and return to that section later.
You can earn up to 80 points for this exam. The pass mark is 44 points (55%).
You have two hours.
Section 1: Gap fill 20 points, 2 points per question
Instructions: Read each question carefully and write only the answer (up to four words)
on your answer paper.
ON THE REAL EXAM there will be ten gap fill questions similar to the ones below
covering the literary elements studied during the course.
PREPARATION TIP: As preparation, you could make a list of your own gap fill
questions with your classmates to practice with.
1. Within Freytag’s pyramid for plot analysis, the _______________ is the point in
the plot when the conflict is introduced, causing tension to rise.
2. A story in which the main character is lost at sea, fighting waves and wind and
starvation is an example of a person vs. _______________ conflict.
3. A protagonist whose goal is to bravely fight against a corrupt social order is a(n)
_______________ character.
4. A story narrated by the protagonist who is breaking the law, but believes they are
doing the right thing is told from the _______________ point of view.
5. …
PLEASE TURN OVER
, Section 2: Short answer 40 points, 5 or 10 points per question
Instructions: Read each passage carefully and then answer the questions which follow
it. Ensure that your answers are clear, cohesive and concise. When quoting, provide the
first two and the last two words of the quote.
ON THE REAL EXAM there will be ten short answer questions covering four of the
stories covered during the course and all of the literary elements: three stories have
three 5-point questions each, and one story has one 10-point question about theme.
PREPARATION TIP: It is highly recommended that you complete a worksheet about
each of the stories covered during the course. You must be prepared to answer
questions on any of the literary elements about any of the short stories. Rather than
trying to ‘memorise’ answers, you are advised to carefully study the elements of fiction
and the stories in order to understand them both so that you demonstrate your analytical
skills during the exam.
Fragment 1, from The Sniper by Liam O’Flaherty (1923)
Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke
hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself
against the parapet of the roof. The sniper took another whiff and put out the
cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left.
Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a
flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen
the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street.
He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew
himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There
was nothing to be seen--just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against
the blue sky. His enemy was under cover.
1. Analyse the plot of The Sniper in up to 5 sentences. Use the terminology from
Freytag’s Pyramid to name and briefly describe each of the plot elements present
in The Sniper in the order in which they occur in the story. (5 points)
2. Characterisation in The Sniper: (5 points)
a. In the fragment above, what type of characterisation is being used to
characterise the sniper? (1 point)
b. Provide and explain at least two examples from the fragment to support
your answer. (4 points)
PLEASE TURN OVER
