LITERATURE COMPONENT

NOVEL

Madam Sara Basarudin

English Unit

MRSM TERENDAK MELAKA

The Novels are:

(a) Potato People by Angela Wright(b) Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe(c) The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston

Leroux(d) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis

Stevenson(e) The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

Hawkins

STRATEGY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 –THE NOVEL

1. Read and make sure you have a good understanding of the Form 2 and Form 3 Novels.

2. Read the questions carefully. 3. Look for the most important word or words in the

questions.4. Make sure you understand the task.5. This type of question test your understanding of the

novel read. It also tests you ability to support your statements.

STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 - THE NOVEL

1. Study the task. For example, you may have to write about a character you like. Or it could be about an event you consider important to the story. Then you have to support your answer.

STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 - THE NOVEL

2. Always choose the story you like best. It is easier to write when you like the story.

3. Read the novel(s) as many times as you can before the examination.

4. There are no right or wrong answers for personal response. You must be convincing. Make your statements clear. If you sound sure and firm in your answer, then it will have a good effect.

STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 - THE NOVEL

5. A good vocabulary will help.6. Concentrate on descriptive writing

for the first part. The second part focuses on giving reasons. The reasons should be solid and rational. You can bring in your own experiences to support the answer.

STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 - THE NOVEL

7. You may use a mixture of tenses in your answer. The present tense is often used especially when you express your own opinions. The past tense is used to talk about actions that had taken place in the past in the novel.

TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF PAPER 2 -

THE NOVEL:

Choose only one novel for the answer. Do not write about all the 5 novels.

Your answer should be a short essay of more than 50 words.

Your answer must be in continuous writing.

Check your spelling and grammar. Do not spend more than 20 minutes on

this section.

Sample Question

Based on the novels above, choose one character that does not show good human qualities. Write about the character that you have chosen and give reasons for your choice.

This requires knowledge of the characters and incidentsthat happened to give the reasons for the choice of that character.

Outline: Name the novel that you have chosen. You can briefly state what the novel is

about. (optional) Name/state the character/event/lesson etc

you have chosen. (depends on the question)

Describe/list/highlight at least 2 characteristics/actions/events etc as examples/reasons to support your choice.

Describe/show how character/event/lesson etc affects other characters/people and you.

Model AnswerI would like to write about the

Phantom or Erik in ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ He blackmails and threatens the people who run the opera. He makes them feel very afraid of him. Later he even kidnaps Christine for his own selfish reasons. All these actions do not show good human qualities. However, I must say he is not totally bad.

Continuation…

I choose to write about him because he is a very interesting character. He has many bad qualities as I mentioned. I would not do harmful things like him. However, he is also compassionate. He may be bad, but he is also considerate to people he loves like Christine. Thus, while there is a bad side to human character, we should also remember the good side.

Now you try

Write about a female character whom you like best.

Fill in the gaps with suitable words.

Check answers.

More practice…

Practice makes perfect!

THANK YOU!

ALL THE BEST!