COLLECTION OF POEM QUESTIONS FROM 2018 SPM TRIAL

1) The Living Photograph

Straightforward Questions (answers can be found in the text)

From Stanza 1, [1 mark]
1. what does the word ‘there’ refer to? Kelantan ‘18

2. which phrase means “open embroidery on white linen”? Sabah (Kudat) ‘18

3. describe what the grandmother was wearing. Johor (B. Pahat) ‘18

4. which line shows that the grandmother is a pleasant person? Terengganu ‘18

5. which phrase describes the grandmother’s hair? Pahang (C3) ‘18

6. what is the colour of the grandmother’s hair? Johor (B. Pahat) ‘18

7. the persona and her grandmother are of different races. Which line shows this Kelantan ‘18
difference?

8. which word means ‘intelligent and alert’? Pahang (C1) ‘18

From Stanza 2, [1 mark]

1. list two things of what persona remembers of her grandmother [2 marks] Terengganu ‘18

2. give two evidence that shows the grandmother is affected by old age. [2 marks] Sabah (Kudat) ‘18

3. which line tells us that the grandmother had passed away? Kedah ‘18

4. there is one dish mentioned. What is it? Johor (K. Tinggi) ‘18

From Stanza 3, [1 mark]

N/A

1 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
 HOTS Questions (answers cannot be found in the text / must give own answer)
Giving Opinion [1 mark]
1. To whom the title of the poem relates to? Melaka ‘18

2. How old was the persona when the photograph was taken? Sabah (Kudat) ‘18

3. The poem shows how the persona loves and appreciates his/her grandmother.
Give an example of how you can show love and appreciation towards your family
Sabah (Kudat) ‘18
members.

4. What can you tell about the grandmother from the way she dresses? Pahang (C1) ‘18

5. What do the ‘sharp blue eyes’ tell us about the grandmother’s race? Pahang (C1) ‘18

6. In Stanza 2, why do you think ‘the tall grandmother became small’? Pahang (C3) ‘18

7. ‘the crinkled smile is living, breathing’

From this line in Stanza 3, what can you say about the relationship between the
Pahang (C3) ‘18
grandmother and the persona?

8. Why do you think the grandmother forgot to boil the soup? Melaka ‘18

9. How old was the poet when the photograph was taken? Melaka ‘18

10. In Stanza 2, why did the persona’s grandmother became small? Kelantan ‘18

11. In Stanza 1, why do you think the grandmother held the persona’s hand? Kedah ‘18

12. From Stanza 3, why is the smile is ‘still living and breathing’? Kedah ‘18

13. From Stanza 2, what does the line “her soup forgot to boil” tell us about the Johor (B. Pahat) ‘18
persona’s grandmother?

14. Who are in the photograph? Johor (K. Tinggi) ‘18

2 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
15. Why do you think only grandmothers go to “the awful place”? State one reason. Johor (K. Tinggi) ‘18

Giving Suggestions [2 marks]

1. How can we treasure our memories with our loved ones? Give two ways
Suggestion 1:
Terengganu ‘18
Suggestion 2:

2. How would you preserve the memories of your loved ones? State two ways.
Suggestion 1:
Pahang (C1) ‘18
Suggestion 2:

3. Appreciating the elders is lacking among teenagers nowadays.

How can you promote this value among teenagers? Suggest two ways.
Pahang (C3) ‘18
Suggestion 1:

Suggestion 2:

4. Give two suggestions on how you can show your love and appreciation towards
your grandmother.
Melaka ‘18
Suggestion 1:

Suggestion 2:

Response – Reason [2 marks]

1. Suggest what you can do to foster a good relationship with your family members?
Action:
Kelantan ‘18
Reason:

2. State a way to show kindness to the elders. Give a reason for your answer.
Way:
Kedah ‘18
Reason:

3. The writer admires her grandmother for her personal qualities.

State one quality and support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Johor (B. Pahat) ‘18
Quality:
Evidence:

4. ‘But there she is still’

What does the line suggest about the emotion of the persona?

Johor (K. Tinggi) ‘18

If you were the persona, what would you do to overcome this kind of feeling?

3 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
 2) The Charge of the Light Brigade

Straightforward Questions (answers can be found in the text)

From Stanza 1, [1 mark]
1. which phrase reflects distance? Selangor A ‘18

2. which word means ‘a group of soldiers’? Perlis ‘18

3. what were the soldiers ordered to do? Selangor B ‘18

4. what were the soldiers ordered to do? Sarawak (Kapit) ‘18

5. which word means ‘attack’? Penang ‘18

6. Whom does ‘he’ refer to? Selangor B ‘18

7. who is speaking to the soldiers? Perak (LMS) ‘18

8. the commander instructs the troop to attack the enemies. Which line refers to
this?
N. Sembilan ‘18

9. How many soldiers were there in the Light Brigade? SBP ‘18

From Stanza 2, [1 mark]

1. which word can be used to describe a feeling of discouragement? Perlis ‘18

2. which word means ‘made a mistake’? Selangor A ‘18

3. which line tells the reader that the command was a mistake? Perak (Tengah) ‘18

4. quote one line that tells us the soldiers obeyed the order without questions. Perak (LMS) ‘18

5. why do you think the soldiers rode on without questioning their orders? SBP ‘18

4 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
6. why did the soldiers not rebel against the order given to them? Perlis ‘18

From Stanza 3, [1 mark]

1. which phrase describes the force and the sound of cannons? SBP ‘18

2. what did the soldiers face on all sides of the battlefield? Perak (Kinta) ‘18

3. which line shows the bravery of the soldiers? Penang ‘18

4. what does the poet call the place where the soldiers were going to? Perak (Tengah) ‘18

HOTS Questions (answers cannot be found in the text / must give own answer)
Giving Opinion [1 mark]
1. ‘Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why’
Selangor A ‘18
Why do you think the soldiers could not make a reply?

2. ‘Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why
Selangor B ‘18
Theirs but to do and die’
What is the characteristic of the Light Brigade reflected here?

3. Why the location of this battle is is called ‘the valley of Death’? Sarawak (Kapit) ‘18

4. How would you feel if you were with the six hundred men in this situation? Sarawak (Kapit) ‘18

5. Give two character traits of the soldiers S’wak (Kuching) ‘18

6. ‘Into the valley of death.’

Explain why this line is repeated.
S’wak (Kuching) ‘18

7. How was the soldiers attacked in the valley of death? S’wak (Kuching) ‘18

5 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
8. What is the quality of the soldiers in Stanza 3? Perak (Kinta) ‘18

9. Besides their courage, what else did the soldiers display? Perak (Kinta) ‘18

10. What is one of the moral values in the poem? Perak (Kinta) ‘18

11. ‘Theirs not to make reply,

Their not to reason why,
Perak (Tengah) ‘18
Theirs but to do and die’
From these lines above, what quality do you think is being instilled in the soldiers?

12. Why do you think the soldiers have no way to escape death? Penang ‘18

13. The soldiers realised their leader had made a mistake. Why do you think they still
followed the order in Stanza 2?
N. Sembilan ‘18

14. From Stanza 2, when the soldiers entered “the valley of Death,” how do you think
they felt?
N. Sembilan ‘18

15. In Stanza 2, why did the soldiers continue fighting in a losing battle? MRSM ‘18

16. In Stanza 1, what does the phrase ‘valley of Death’ refer to? MRSM ‘18

17. What happened to the soldiers in Stanza 3? MRSM ‘18

18. What happened to the soldiers in Stanza 3? Perak (LMS) ‘18

6 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
 Giving Suggestions [2 marks]
1. In your opinion, is war the answer to solve conflicts? Give two reasons.
Reason 1:
Selangor A ‘18
Reason 2:

2. One of the consequences of war is the loss of lives. State two others.
Suggestion 1:
Selangor A ‘18
Suggestion 2:

3. Suggest two ways to protect your country.

Suggestion 1:
Perak (LMS) ‘18
Suggestion 2:

Response – Reason [2 marks]

1. What would you have done if you were one of the soldiers in The Light Brigade?
Give a reason to support your answer.
Penang ‘18
Action:

Reason:

2. If you were the leader of the troop, what would you have done when you knew
you had made a mistake? Why?
N. Sembilan ‘18
Action:

Reason:

3. Do you think war is necessary? State a reason.

Opinion:
MRSM ‘18
Reason:

4. “Charge for the guns!” he said.

People tell us what to do almost every day. How would you react if you were told
to do something beyond your capabilities? Provide a reason for your answer.
Reaction: SBP ‘18

Reason:

5. How can we honour our soldiers today? Suggest one way and give a reason for the
suggestion
Sarawak (Kapit) ‘18
Suggestion:

Reason:

7 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
6. Do you agree that war is cruel? Give one reason to support your answer.
Opinion:
Perak (Tengah) ‘18
Reason:

7. How do you think you would feel if you knew the enemies were waiting for you at
the end of the road? How would you tackle the situation?
S’wak (Kuching) ‘18
Emotion:

Action:

8. Based on stanza 3, if you were the commander of the Light Brigade, what would
you do in that situation? Give a reason for your answer.
Perlis ‘18
Action:

Reason:

8 Compiled by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya (HBY), SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah