Past Paper Questions
This section of the paper is worth 20 marks.
You should allow about 40 minutes to answer the question.
You will need to find your question on the paper. Look for your author's name and/or the poetry question in Section 2 of Paper 2.
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:
You should allow about 40 minutes to answer the question.
You will need to find your question on the paper. Look for your author's name and/or the poetry question in Section 2 of Paper 2.
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:
- demonstrate understanding of a text’s distinctive qualities and how these shape meaning
- organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form
How does Owen explore the horror of war through the power of poetry? Refer to at least TWO poems you have studied.
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Using this quotation as your starting point, write a speech for a class presentation explaining how Wilfred Owen uses poetic techniques to convey the experience of war.
In your answer, you should refer to Anthem for Doomed Youth and at least ONE other of the prescribed poems. |
What aspects of your prescribed texts had the greatest impact on you?
In your response you should reflect on both the ideas and poetic techniques used in the prescribed text you have studied. You must refer to at least TWO poems. |
On the basis of the distinctive features of the prescribed text, argue for its inclusion in the “Top Poetry” list. You must refer to at least TWO poems.
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Identify ONE poem from your prescribed collection of poetry. Analyse the ways in which this poem reflects both the ideas and characteristics of your prescribed collection of poetry as a whole. Present your analysis in ONE of the following forms:
a) a speech on an HSC study day OR b) a contribution to an online HSC Resources site. |
In what ways does the poet draw you into the world of poetry? In your response make detailed reference to at least TWO poems.
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“Distinctive ideas are at the heart of all poetry”
In your view, what is a distinctive idea explored in Wilfred Owen’s poetry? Explain how this idea is developed in at least TWO poems you have studied. |
In what ways do these closing lines from Dulce Et Decorum Est draw together the central concerns of Owen’s poetry? In your response make detailed reference to your prescribed text. You must refer to at least TWO poems.
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Wilfred Owen’s poetry is shaped by an intense focus on extraordinary human experiences. Select TWO poems set for study and explore Owen’s portrayal of suffering and pity.
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How does this extract from ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ introduce us to the important ideas in Owen’s poetry?
In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems set for study. |
Discuss how Owen’s perspective on human conflict is conveyed in his poetry.
In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO poems set for study. |
How does Owen’s portrayal of the relationship between youth and war move us to a deeper understanding of suffering? In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO poems set for study.
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Owen’s poems present the reader with a powerful exploration of the impact of human cruelty on individuals. How does Owen achieve this in his poetry? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text
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Explore how Owen’s use of dramatic imagery highlights the carnage and destruction of war. In your response, make detailed reference to the extract from ‘Mental Cases’ and ONE other poem set for study.
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How does Wilfred Owen’s poetry portray interesting ideas about loss?
In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO poems set for study. |
Explain how Wilfred Owen’s poetry invites us into a different world and broadens our understanding of human experience.
In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems set for study. |
It is not only the subject matter but also the use of sensory imagery that makes Wilfred Owen’s poetry unsettling.
Discuss this statement making detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems set for study. |
Possible question focuses for the future
All questions will ask you to analyse the way language techniques are used in the poems.
There will always be a second focus for the unit. These may include, but are not limited to:
- youth and age
- life and death
- waste
- bitterness
- horrors of war
- interesting / significant / intense experiences
- human suffering / suffering
- inhumanity
- death and pity
- grief and loss
- insanity
- Owen's message to those at home
- Owen's stand against media and those who condone the war
- Owen's context (personal, political, etc
- intense emotion
- important ideas / central concerns