LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

(ENGLISH PAPER – 2)
Maximum Marks: 80

Time allowed: Two hours

General Instructions

1. Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.

2. You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.

3. This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.1

4. The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.2

5. The paper has four Sections.3

6. Section A is compulsory – All questions in Section A must be answered.

7. You must attempt one question from each of the Sections B, C and D and one other
question from any Section of your choice.

8. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

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 SECTION A
(Attempt all questions from this Section.)

Question 1
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options.
(Do not copy the questions, write ONLY the correct answers.) [16]

(i) In Act 3, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar, which character kneels at Caesar's feet to
plead for the repeal of his brother's banishment, only to be one of the first to
stab him?
(a) Trebonius
(b) Metellus Cimber
(c) Casca
(d) Decius Brutus

(ii) In 'The Elevator', what physical characteristic of the old woman is

particularly unsettling to Martin?
(a) Her unusual height
(b) Her crooked nose
(c) Her eyes that seem to watch him intently
(d) Her wrinkled hands

(iii) The poem, 'The Haunted House', uses the motif of the house to symbolize:
(a) the temporary nature of human life.
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(b) the permanence of memory and grief.
(c) the importance of material possessions.
(d) the fear of the unknown.
(iv) The Second Triumvirate was formed primarily to:
(a) establish a new democratic government.
(b) bring Caesar’s assassins to justice.
(c) divide control of the Roman provinces.
(d) restore the Roman Republic.

(v) What does the photographer in 'With the Photographer' see as the central
flaw in the narrator's face?
(a) The shape of his nose
(b) The expression in his eyes
(c) The color of his hair
(d) The lack of character in his features

(vi) Adjoa's grandmother, Nana, believes that a woman's strength lies in her:
(a) intelligence and wit.
(b) physical size and ability to bear children.
(c) kindness and compassion.
(d) ability to read and write.

(vii) The primary theme of 'The Glove and the Lions' is a critique of:
(a) animal cruelty.

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(b) the arrogance of royalty.
(c) the superficiality of chivalry.
(d) the recklessness of youth.

(viii) After Brutus's funeral oration, the citizens of Rome feel that:
(a) Caesar was a tyrant who deserved to die.
(b) Brutus and the conspirators are honorable men.
(c) Antony should not be allowed to speak.
(d) Caesar's death was a betrayal of the Roman people.

(ix) In 'When Great Trees Fall', the natural world's reaction to the falling trees
is best described as:
(a) indifference.
(b) a brief pause and then a return to normalcy.
(c) a profound and lasting disruption.
(d) an act of revenge against the trees.

(x) In Act 4, Scene 3 of Julius Caesar, Brutus's stoicism is tested by:

(a) Cassius's constant complaints.
(b) the news of Portia's death.
(c) the ghost of Caesar.
(d) the impending battle with Antony and Octavius.

(xi) Which of the following best describes the relationship between Brutus and
Cassius in Act 4?
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(a) unwavering loyalty
(b) mutual suspicion
(c) fraternal rivalry
(d) strained but still united

(xii) 'The Girl Who Can' challenges the traditional Ghanaian concept of
beauty by celebrating:
(a) thinness.
(b) small feet.
(c) intelligence.
(d) a lighter skin tone.

(xiii) What is King Francis's reaction when the lady throws her glove into the
lion pit?
(a) He is amused by her boldness.
(b) He is horrified by her cruelty.
(c) He is impressed by her cleverness.
(d) He is angered by her disregard for the Count's safety.

(xiv) After Antony's speech, the citizens of Rome turn against the conspirators
and declare them to be:
(a) noble patriots.
(b) honorable men.
(c) traitors.
(d) merciful leaders.

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(xv) What is the central metaphor in 'The Haunted House'?
(a) The ghosts represent the fear of death.
(b) The house represents the human heart or soul.
(c) The fire represents passion and anger.
(d) The doors represent new opportunities.

(xvi) In 'The Elevator', the story concludes with the implication that:
(a) Martin has overcome his fear.
(b) the old woman is a malevolent supernatural being.
(c) Martin has a mental illness.
(d) the fear was all in his imagination.

SECTION B
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)

DRAMA
(Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)

Question 2
Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 3, Scene 2, given below and answer
the questions that follow:

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Brutus: Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you
may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may
believe: censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better
judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say, that
Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose
against Caesar, this is my answer: —Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome
more.

(i) What is the purpose of Brutus’s speech? What rhetorical devices does he use
to win the crowd's trust at the beginning of his address? [3]
(ii) Brutus states, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.”
Explain the central argument he is making here.7 Do you find it convincing?
[3]
(iii) How do the citizens react to Brutus’s speech? What does this initial
reaction reveal about their character and loyalty? [3]
(iv) Compare and contrast Brutus's and Antony's rhetorical styles in their
respective speeches. Which is more effective and why? [3]
(v) What is the significance of Antony’s final tribute to Brutus at the end of the
play? Does it change your perception of Brutus? [4]

Question 3
Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 4, Scene 3, given below and answer
the questions that follow:
Brutus: With what's she in the grave?
Cassius: For shame, you gods! The ghost!
Brutus: I did not know that thou didst love me so.
Cassius: Do not presume to talk so, my good lord.

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Brutus: I should not, if I were not Brutus.
Cassius: I should have been much more grieved.
Brutus: How now, Pindarus?
Pindarus: There is a message from the army, lord.

(i) The provided extract is not an exact quote from the play but a mixture of
lines. Please answer the following questions based on the correct events of Act
4, Scene 3. What is the source of the initial quarrel between Brutus and
Cassius, and how does it intensify? [3]
(ii) Brutus reveals to Cassius the tragic news of Portia’s death. How does this
news affect the quarrel between them? What does it reveal about Brutus’s
character? [3]
(iii) What is the significance of the appearance of Caesar’s ghost to Brutus?
What message does the ghost deliver, and what does it foreshadow? [3]
(iv) Describe the differences in military strategy proposed by Brutus and
Cassius before the Battle of Philippi. Whose advice is followed, and what is the
outcome? [3]
(v) In Act 5, Scene 5, Brutus says, “Caesar, now be still: / I kill’d not thee with
half so good a will.”8 Explain the meaning of this line. What does this final
thought reveal about Brutus’s internal conflict? [4]

SECTION C
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)

PROSE – SHORT STORIES

(Treasure Chest – A Collection of Poems and Short Stories)

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Question 4

Read the following extract from Stephen Leacock’s short story, ‘With the
Photographer’ and answer the questions that follow:
The photographer did not answer. He was looking at my face with the raptness of a man
who is not a man but a photographer. It was as if he had taken my face and was looking
at it with a microscope. “Now look at me,” he said. “Give me your smile. I want a smile
of cheerfulness, of merriment, of joy. One, two, three! Click!”

(i) What is the narrator's attitude toward the photographer at this point in the
story? How is this attitude conveyed? [3]
(ii) Describe the various attempts the photographer makes to "correct" the
narrator's face. Why does the photographer feel these changes are necessary?
[3]
(iii) How does the narrator's appearance change throughout the session, and
what is the final outcome of the photograph? [3]
(iv) The story uses humor to satirize a certain profession. What is the central
object of this satire, and how is the humor achieved? [3]
(v) What is the narrator's final reaction to the completed photograph? What is
the main message about beauty and identity that the story conveys? [4]

Question 5
Read the following extract from Ama Ata Aidoo’s short story, ‘The Girl Who
Can’ and answer the questions that follow:
They had told me that in order for a girl to become a full woman, she must have a big
bottom and a heavy walk. I had neither. My bottom was small, and my legs were like
sticks. And I was ashamed. But now, it was as if all my shame was washed away.

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(i) What is the traditional belief about female identity in Adjoa's family, and
who are the main proponents of this view? [3]
(ii) How does the narrator's personal feeling of shame stem from these
traditional beliefs? [3]
(iii) What pivotal moment in the story leads to Adjoa's feeling that her "shame
was washed away"? Describe the event and its impact on her family. [3]
(iv) What does the story's ending suggest about Adjoa's future and her
relationship with her community's traditions? [3]
(v) How does the story use the conflict between Adjoa and her grandmother to
explore the broader theme of tradition versus modernity and individuality? [4]

SECTION D
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)

POETRY
(Treasure Chest – A Collection of Poems and Short Stories)

Question 6
Read the following extract from Leigh Hunt’s poem, ‘The Glove and the
Lions’ and answer the questions that follow:
"By God!" cried Francis, "rightly done!" and he was full of joy,
And he was glad for his own sake, and his own brave boy,
And gave a thousand ducats to the knight,
And loved the lady with a royal love.
But the brave Count de Lorge turn'd away, and gave no heed to her,
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And left the court, and went to war, and never came back again.

(i) This extract is a slight variation from the original poem. Please answer the
questions based on the correct events. How does King Francis react when
Count de Lorge retrieves the glove? What does his reaction reveal about his
character? [3]
(ii) What is the "brave Count's" final action after he retrieves the glove and
returns to the stands? What does this action signify? [3]
(iii) The poem's ending provides a strong moral. What is the lesson that the
Count de Lorge teaches the lady and the court? [3]
(iv) The poem's central conflict revolves around the lady's desire to test her
lover. Discuss the nature of this test and its moral implications. [3]
(v) What is the significance of the title, 'The Glove and the Lions'? Explain
how these two symbols represent the central themes of the poem. [4]

Question 7
Read the following extract from Thomas Hardy's poem, ‘The Haunted House’
and answer the questions that follow:
We'll hear the sound of the house-ghosts
That have no house to live in,
That have no name to answer to.
And the living are not living
And the dead are not dead,
And the world is just a dream.
(i) The provided extract is not from Longfellow's 'Haunted Houses' but from
Thomas Hardy's poem of a similar name. Please answer the following

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questions based on Longfellow's poem. Who is the "ghost" in Longfellow's
poem, and what does it represent? [3]
(ii) What is the central theme of the poem, 'The Haunted House'? Explain how
the speaker's relationship with the past is portrayed. [3]
(iii) The poem contrasts the "stranger" and the speaker. What can the stranger
see and what can they not see? [3]
(iv) What is the significance of the poem’s setting—a house where the speaker
is sitting by the fire? How does this setting contribute to the poem’s mood and
message? [3]
(v) How does Longfellow use sensory details, such as sound and light, to create
the atmosphere of a "haunted house"? [4]

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