Paper+2+Exam+questions

= [|PAPER 2, MAY 2008] =

[|English A1 SL paper 2 TZ1.pdf] - May 2009 (Time Zone 1)

[|English A1 SL paper 2 TZ2.pdf] - May 2009 (Time Zone 2)

statement about the writing of plays.
 * Year || HL || SL ||
 * 2008N || “It is through speech primarily that a dramatist reveals who his characters are.” Using **at least two** works you have studied, show how far you can agree that this is a valid
 * 2008N || “It is through speech primarily that a dramatist reveals who his characters are.” Using **at least two** works you have studied, show how far you can agree that this is a valid

The audience’s expectation and the fulfilment or reversal of expectation are both used by playwrights. How have **at least two** of the plays you have studied satisfied or disappointed expectation, and with what effect? || Most plays have stage directions ; some have none or almost none. What do you see as the relevance of stage directions in **at least two** plays you have studied?

Plays frequently explore moral or ethical dimensions of choices people make. Discuss in **at least two** plays the dramatic handling of such issues. ||
 * 2008M || “What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out? To what extent do you find this statement applicable in **at least two** plays you have studied?

A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. With reference to **at least two** plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have used this technique.

“Comedy exposes human weakness; tragedy reveals human strength.” How and to what extent does this claim apply to **at least two** of the plays you have studied? A change in status of the characters in a play (a success, for example, a loss or exposure) helps to convey the ideas and/or values of the dramatist. How and to what extent has change in status contributed in this way to **at least two** of the plays you have studied? || The desire for power drives many of the tensions of drama. Discuss the ways in which dramatists have presented tensions which arise from the desire for power in **at least two** plays. “In drama there are more interesting roles for men than for women .” Discuss to what extent you agree with this statement and what it is that makes a role interesting. Refer closely to **at least two** plays you have studied.

How do guilt and/or blame contribute to conflict and the overall effect in **at least two** of the the overall effect in **at least 2** plays you have studied? || to **at least** **two** plays you have studied and how have the “stories” been effectively delivered through theatre?
 * 2007N || “The compulsion to talk,” to tell one’s story, or the stories of others might be seen as very important to the construction of plays. How far has the telling of stories been important

The climax of a dramatic work does not always occur in a fixed or expected place. Comparing **at least** **two** works you have studied, discuss the placement of the climactic moment of the plays and the effects on dramatic action. || Some plays appeal more to the head than the heart, while others seem to want to evoke an emotional response. Referring to **at least two** works you have studied, discuss with specific evidence the ways in which playwrights have appealed either to the “heads” or the “hearts” of their audiences, or to both.

Drama sometimes invites us to become acquainted with times and cultures not our own. What particular situations perhaps different to your own circumstances have **at least** **two** playwrights included in their plays and by what dramatic means have they delivered them to their audiences? ||
 * 2007M || “To succeed in creating a convincing character, the dramatist needs to give the audience a sense that characters have inner thoughts and feelings.” To what extent, and in what ways, does this statement apply to **two** or **three** plays you have studied?

Setting can often reflect the underlying ideas in a play. In the light of this statement consider the importance and use of setting in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. || With reference to **two** or **three** plays you have studied, examine the dramatic significance of failures in communication.

Consider the ways in which scene changes may highlight the development of the characters and their relationships in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. || plays you have studied.
 * 2006N || “On the stage character must be created solely through action, behaviour and speech.” Compare the skill with which dramatists create our impression of the characters in **two** or **three**

“All plays pose questions about the world, yet some questions are easier to ignore than others.” In the light of this statement, evaluate the questions raised in **two** or **three** plays and show how and to what degree these issues are explored. || “The success of a play depends not on our liking, or approving of, the characters but on whether we recognize in them something of ourselves.” Say how far you would agree or not with this view of characters in **two** or **three** plays you have studied, discussing how characters are presented and with what effect.

“Plays are rarely entirely tragic or comic, but a mixture of the two.” Using **two** or **three** plays you have studied, say how far you would agree with this statement, supporting your view with address of both content and form. || Comparing **at least two** plays you have studied in the light of this statement, show how variations of pace and rhythm have been used to attract or heighten the interest of the audience.
 * 2006M || “In dramatic construction there must be variation of pace and rhythm, monotony of any kind being certain to induce boredom.”

To what extent can the plays you have studied be seen to have, directly or indirectly, a social or political purpose? Refer to **two** or **three** plays, exploring how they achieve their purposes. || Comparing the opening scenes of **at least two** plays, discuss what audience expectations are aroused and how.

“Drama explains individuals, not relationships.” Paying close attention to how individuals and relationships are presented in **two** or **three** plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement to be true. ||
 * 2005N || “In plays, no one arrives on or leaves from the stage without contributing in some way to the complexity of the play.” Considering two or three plays you have studied, compare the impact on meaning of some arrivals and departures from the stage.

What dramatic techniques have playwrights used to convey ideas and/or beliefs in two or three plays you have studied, and how effective have they been? || How and to what effect have dramatists made use of time in two or three plays you have studied?

“It is often said that protagonists in plays are flawed in some way” To what degree and with what effect are the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonists significant to two or three plays you have studied? || whole.
 * 2005M || “Some plays are either serious or light-hearted; others include both elements.” Consider some of the ways in which either or both sorts of element are presented in two or three plays that you have studied and discuss their importance for the understanding of the plays as a

Some dramatists make more significant use of physical elements such as stage scenery than do others. Discuss the extent of the use of such features and their impact on meaning in two or three plays that you have studied. || How do characters and the choices they make contribute to meaning in two or three plays you have studied?

Compare and contrast how dramatists create and use suspense in the development of two or three plays you have studied. || In what ways has the structure of plays you have studied seemed to impose some order on the human events of plays?
 * 2004N || “Dramatic structure is not random or arbitrary; it imposes a recognizable order on human behaviour and events.”

“In creating characters in drama, one //may// begin with stereotypes, but must end with individuals.” Discuss how far such a “rule” is demonstrated or not in plays you have studied. || “Drama has to do with both conflicts and denials.” How have dramatists in your study used either of these, or both together, to create plays that provoke //or// interest //or// disturb the audience?

Often, members of the audience will identify or sympathize with one character in a play over others. By what means have playwrights in your study managed to draw or undermine such responses to characters from the audience. ||
 * 2004M || Compare and contrast the role of symbolism in **two** or **three** plays you have studied.

“Long after the words are forgotten, the spectacle of the drama is remembered.” Compare **two** or **three** plays you have studied in the light of this quotation. || Compare the means by which atmosphere is created in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. In each case, discuss how the atmosphere presented contributes to your appreciation and understandiing of the play as a whole.

Through an analysis of some of the characters in **two** or **three** plays you have studied, compare the ways in which the struggle between internal and external forces is presented. || In light of this statement, consider the extent to which dialogue and monologue are used to advance the principal themes of the plays you have studied.
 * 2003N || “Plays consist, mostly, of talking.”

Plays often depend on various forms of irony to add complexity and interest for the audience. How have plays in your study enriched the theatrical experience through the use of irony? || The final scene of a play can serve many purposes. Compare the ways that playwrights in your study conclude their plays, showing how similar or different //purposes// are served, such as the satisfaction of the audience.

Important characters in plays are usually multi-dimensional. Discuss to what extent this statement is true of important characters in plays you have studied and comment on the techniques of characterisation employed by the playwrights. || this claim? In your answer you should refer to **two** or **three** plays you have studied.
 * 2003M || “Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech.” How far do you agree with

Compare the dramatic effectiveness of the relationship between setting and plot in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. || “Drama at its best investigates the problems that beset ordinary individuals.” In light of this statement consider the ways in which **two** or **three** dramatists you have studied explore the problems that affect individuals. Compare the presentation and functions of the openings in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. || that dramatic action and dialogue fulfill all the functions of presenting thought and action?
 * 2002N || Plays are often said to show rather than tell. How far do plays in your study indicate

A “love story” is often present in drama. Compare and evaluate the manner in which a “love story”, broadly interpreted, either sits at the centre of plays you have studied or intrudes its concerns into the central issues. || While the momentum of the play is carried by major characters, there is often a significant minor character who is a catalyst for change or enlightenment.î Compare the role of a significant minor character in plays you have studied, showing how these characters contribute to the dramatic action.

“People often act first and reflect afterwards.” In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been more and less important to the plays you have studied? || study.
 * 2002M || Using **two** or **three** plays you have studied, compare the presentation of two or three characters (//e.g.// introduction, dramatic interactions with other characters), saying in each case how the presentation furthered the dramatistsí purposes, and how it rewarded your

“Time and place are the basic elements of a play.” In what ways does your study of **two** or **three** plays lead you to support (or modify) this generalization? || All characters in a play are mouthpieces for their author. From a consideration of some characters from the plays you have studied, say how far you agree.

A necessary part of drama is not only to present conflict between the characters in a play but also to create conflicts within each member of the audience. Compare and contrast Say to what degree this observation is a satisfactory account of the attractions of the drama you have studied, and compare the means by which playwrights achieve the willing engagement of their audiences.
 * two ** or **three** plays you have studied in the light of this comment. ||
 * 2001N || “The reason we will pay money to spend our leisure time watching two or three hours of unhappiness and frustration is that most of us never give up hope.”

“Within the complexity of a play, there are points of emphasis which allow the audience to connect events or feelings, or make conclusions and evaluations.” Compare the means by which different playwrights create such moments of significanceand their success in doing so. || “A dramatist commonly links the satisfying of the audience’s expectations with a defiance of them.” Evaluate the validity of this view by discussing both the subjects of the plays you have studied and the effect on the audience.

“What do women and men really want?” Discuss the dramatic techniques through which the similar or different desires of the genders have been expressed in plays you have studied, saying how the presentation of them creates an effect on the audience. || Compare at least two of the plays which you have studied in the light of this statement.
 * 2001M || “As the action of the play unfolds, dramatic tension is often produced by the contrast of concealment and revelation.”

Compare and contrast the presentation of any three or four characters in plays you have studied. Say how, and how effectively, each character seems to you to further the dramatic force of the play in which he or she appears. || “The theatre brings into the open important issues of the time.” How have dramatists presented “important issues” in plays you have studied?

Compare and discuss how the action unfolds in two or three plays you have studied, paying attention to the sequence of particular scenes. How effective do you find the arrangements to be in each play as a whole? ||

= = All characters in a play are mouthpieces for their author. From a consideration of some characters from the plays you have studied, say how far you agree.

A necessary part of drama is not only to present conflict between the characters in a play but also to create conflicts within each member of the audience. Compare and contrast **two** or **three** plays you have studied in the light of this comment

“Drama at its best investigates the problems that beset ordinary individuals.” In light of this statement consider the ways in which **two** or **three** dramatists you have studied explore the problems that affect individuals.

Compare the presentation and functions of the openings in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. Compare the means by which atmosphere is created in **two** or **three** plays you have studied. In each case, discuss how the atmosphere presented contributes to your appreciation and understanding of the play as a whole.

Comparing the opening scenes of **at least two** plays, discuss what audience expectations are aroused and how. “Drama explains individuals, not relationships.” Paying close attention to how individuals and relationships are presented in **two** or **three** plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement to be true. With reference to **two** or **three** plays you have studied, examine the dramatic significance of failures in communication.

Consider the ways in which scene changes may highlight the development of the characters and their relationships in **two** or **three** plays you have studied.

While the momentum of the play is carried by major characters, there is often a significant minor character who is a catalyst for change or enlightenment.. Compare the role of a significant minor character in plays you have studied, showing how these characters contribute to the dramatic action.

.People often act first and reflect afterwards.. In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been more and less important to the plays you have studied?

The final scene of a play can serve many purposes. Compare the ways that playwrights in your study conclude their plays, showing how similar or different //purposes// are served, such as the satisfaction of the audience.

Important characters in plays are usually multi-dimensional. Discuss to what extent this statement is true of important characters in plays you have studied and comment on the techniques of characterisation employed by the playwrights. “Drama has to do with both conflicts and denials.” How have dramatists in your study used either of these, or both together, to create plays that provoke //or// interest //or// disturb the audience?

Often, members of the audience will identify or sympathize with one character in a play over others. By what means have playwrights in your study managed to draw or undermine such responses to characters from the audience. How and to what effect have dramatists made use of time in two or three plays you have studied?

“It is often said that protagonists in plays are flawed in some way” To what degree and with what effect are the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonists significant to two or three plays you have studied?

While the momentum of the play is carried by major characters, there is often a significant minor character who is a catalyst for change or enlightenment.. Compare the role of a significant minor character in plays you have studied, showing how these characters contribute to the dramatic action.

.People often act first and reflect afterwards.. In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been more and less important to the plays you have studied?

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