Critical Reading Paper: Scottish Text

This paper makes up one half of the Critical Reading Paper in the exam. (The other is UAE) In the Scottish Text section you will be asked to read one of the Norman MacCaig poems we have studied … and then answer questions on it. This paper will be worth 20 marks.

 Read the poem through before you start, even if you know it well.  Read the questions carefully.  Work out exactly what they are asking before you answer.  Check how many marks each question is worth and think about how these marks will be allocated.

 Identify two of the main concerns in the text…  ‘Identify’ means finding an idea and putting it into your own words. (Find and Translate!)  When asked about the main ideas / concerns of the text show your understanding of poem’s story and the main messages / themes it is conveying. (Bullet points!)

 Show how one example of the poet’s language helps to clarify or illustrate her meaning…  There could be up to 6 marks awarded in this paper for this type of question.  To answer successfully you will have to quote a word / image / technique (1) and then comment on its effect in relation to the question (1).

 How effective do you find…  These questions are asking how well you think the writer has done something.  Generally speaking, you say the writer has used language well and then go on to show how by quoting a word / technique and commenting on it.

 Generally, conclusions sum up the key ideas of a text and leave us with something to think about.  In poetry, poets use a number of techniques to effectively conclude their work.  These include: a continuation of the ideas from earlier in the poem; a continuation of language from earlier in the poem; a continuation of imagery from earlier in the poem; a link / echo of the opening lines; a striking / dramatic final line which highlights one of the poem’s key ideas; rhetorical questions.

 How effective do you find any two aspects of the final stanza as a conclusion to the poem?  In this type of question you will need to show an understanding of the term ‘conclusion’ and show how the last lines continue the ideas / language / imagery from the rest of the poem.  Marks are allocated: example(1) + comment (1)

 The final question is worth 8 marks.  It will ask you to compare or contrast the poem you have in front of you with at least one other you have studied by the same writer.  This should be set out in bullet points.  The following slide provides guidance on how to do this.

Marks /8What you need to do … (The assessment poem is “Memorial” 2 marksDiscuss the common idea of personal experience that runs through his poems: and explain it in detail. i.e. Dealing with loss: How it changes his perceptions of life and death, regrets, how he sees elements of the person around him etc. 2 marksRefer to the given extract (i.e. “Memorial) and refer to ideas, techniques etc and link to above ideas. 4 marksRefer to other poem/s. Make similar references to techniques ideas + comment and effect.