2010
1. “Poetry presents significant ideas in a compressed form.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond
to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. “Poetry is the expression of a poet’s singular outlook.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to
this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “Poetry should be great – a thing that enters into the soul.” To what extent do you agree with this view?Respond
to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2009
1. “There is pleasure to be found in poetry, pleasure that can be experienced by poet and reader alike.” To what
extent do you agree with this view?Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have
studied.
2. “In poetry, thematic concerns are developed through symbols and imagery.”To what extent do you agree with this
view?Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “Poetry provides readers with glimpses of imagined places and heightened experiences.”To what extent do you
agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2008
1. “The power of poetry is in the effective communication of commonplace ideas.” To what extent do you agree
with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. “Poetry requires the reader to understand at least some of the writer’s intentions.”To what extent do you agree
with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “The power of poetry lies in its use of language.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this
question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2007
1. The power of poetry lies in its ability to express or evoke emotion. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your
response should include close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. An individual poet’s “voice” is distinctive. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your response should include
close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. In poetry the fusion of language and theme is very strong. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your
response should include close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2006
1. To what extent does poetry express simple human emotions in complex ways? Respond to this question
with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. With close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied, discuss the view that the language of poetry shapes
how readers interpret its themes and ideas.
3. To what extent do you agree that poetry is the perfect medium for the expression of humankind’s innermost
thoughts and feelings? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2005
1. To what extent do you agree that the stylistic features of poetry shape the reader’s understanding of its ideas?
Discuss your views with reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. To what extent do you agree that places or settings reinforce ideas in poetry? Discuss your views with reference
to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. To what extent do you agree that poetry’s themes are universal regardless of when and / or where it was written?
Discuss your views with reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2004
1. In the poetry you have studied this year, how was your understanding of the texts shaped by methods used in
crafting and shaping them? Refer to AT LEAST TWO poems in your answer. (Note: You could refer to language,
form, techniques, poet’s individual style, etc.)
2. Discuss whether poetry is better suited to sadness or to joy. Justify your views with close reference to AT LEAST
TWO poems you have studied.
3. Discuss the ways in which symbols and figurative language (imagery) are used to develop themes in AT LEAST
TWO poems you have studied.
1. “Poetry presents significant ideas in a compressed form.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond
to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. “Poetry is the expression of a poet’s singular outlook.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to
this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “Poetry should be great – a thing that enters into the soul.” To what extent do you agree with this view?Respond
to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2009
1. “There is pleasure to be found in poetry, pleasure that can be experienced by poet and reader alike.” To what
extent do you agree with this view?Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have
studied.
2. “In poetry, thematic concerns are developed through symbols and imagery.”To what extent do you agree with this
view?Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “Poetry provides readers with glimpses of imagined places and heightened experiences.”To what extent do you
agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2008
1. “The power of poetry is in the effective communication of commonplace ideas.” To what extent do you agree
with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. “Poetry requires the reader to understand at least some of the writer’s intentions.”To what extent do you agree
with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. “The power of poetry lies in its use of language.” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this
question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2007
1. The power of poetry lies in its ability to express or evoke emotion. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your
response should include close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. An individual poet’s “voice” is distinctive. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your response should include
close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. In poetry the fusion of language and theme is very strong. To what extent do you agree with this view? Your
response should include close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2006
1. To what extent does poetry express simple human emotions in complex ways? Respond to this question
with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. With close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied, discuss the view that the language of poetry shapes
how readers interpret its themes and ideas.
3. To what extent do you agree that poetry is the perfect medium for the expression of humankind’s innermost
thoughts and feelings? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2005
1. To what extent do you agree that the stylistic features of poetry shape the reader’s understanding of its ideas?
Discuss your views with reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2. To what extent do you agree that places or settings reinforce ideas in poetry? Discuss your views with reference
to at least TWO poems you have studied.
3. To what extent do you agree that poetry’s themes are universal regardless of when and / or where it was written?
Discuss your views with reference to at least TWO poems you have studied.
2004
1. In the poetry you have studied this year, how was your understanding of the texts shaped by methods used in
crafting and shaping them? Refer to AT LEAST TWO poems in your answer. (Note: You could refer to language,
form, techniques, poet’s individual style, etc.)
2. Discuss whether poetry is better suited to sadness or to joy. Justify your views with close reference to AT LEAST
TWO poems you have studied.
3. Discuss the ways in which symbols and figurative language (imagery) are used to develop themes in AT LEAST
TWO poems you have studied.