Past Songs of Ourselves Exam Questions

1. Explore the ways in which the Wordsworth presents Lucy in She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways .

2. Norman Nicholson uses childhood as a means of exploring other ideas in Rising Five. Identify the ideas of
the poem and comment on the ways in which they are presented.

3. Explore the ways in which Mervyn Morris presents the
relationship between a small child and an adult in Little
Boy Crying.
4. How does James K. Baxter develop our understanding of
character in Farmhand?
5. Comment on the ways in which ideas are presented in
Before the Sun.
Essay Checklist
Ensure you write about each of the following:
 Form (shape of the stanzas) and
structure (line length, enjambment,
caesura)
 Meaning (what is it about and how do
you know?)
 Personal response (what did you
actually think about the poem?)
 Poetic devices such as alliteration,
repetition, rhyme, rhythm
 Imagery such as metaphors, similes,
personification, symbolism.

You must quote and analyse these in depth in

6. Explore the ways in which memories of childhood are order to get a top grade.
presented in Plenty.

7. Comment on the ways in which changes in perspective between childhood and adulthood are explored in
two of the following poems: Plenty, Rising Five, Little Boy Crying.

8. Eplore the significance of the ways in which Liz Lochhead presents the Storyteller and Storytelling in her
poem.

9. Consider the significance of the ways in which women are presented in two of the following poems:
Muliebrity, Plenty, She dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways.

10. Consider the ways in which Charles Lamb reminisces and conveys regret in The Old Familiar Faces.

11. Consider the ways in which one or two of the following poems present ideas about social injustice and lack
of liberty: Caged Bird, Song to the Men of England, Monologue, Spectator Ab Extra , Carpet weavers,
Morocco.
 12. Explore the ways in which Maya Angelou uses the caged bird metaphor to present her ideas.

13. Consider the ways in which one or two of the following poems present ideas about work: Song to the Men of
England, Carpet weavers, Morocco , Monologue, Muliebrity, Storyteller.

14. Comment on the ways in which Heaney presents the experience of grief in Mid- Term Break.

15. Explore the ways in which Sujata Bhatt presents her memory of the girl in Muliebrity.

16. Comment on the way the relationship between individuals and the natural world is presented in two or three
of the following poems: Farmhand, Before the Sun, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways , Rising Five .

17. Comment on the way character is created in one or two of the following poems: Before the Sun, Farmhand,
She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways , Spectator Ab Extra, Monologue.

18. Explore the ways in which the poet has used language and other poetic devices to present ideas in …….. 
(apply this question to any of the poems)

19. Which poem from the collection do you find most moving and thought-provoking? Write about the poet's
ideas and the ways in which he or she has presented them to successfully affect your emotions and
thoughts.

20. Contrasts and oppositions are used as a means of conveying ideas in several poems in the collection.
Explore the ways in which contrasts in the language and imagery in one or two of the following poems are
used: Spectator Ab Extra,Song to the Men of England , Carpet weavers, Morocco , Plenty, Caged Bird

Revision recommendations:

 Know how you would answer as many of these questions as possible, either by writing a timed essay
or by writing a plan
 Don’t choose favourite poems and leave others out- you have no idea what the questions will be!
 The International School of Toulouse has a great website on these poems. Type the school name into
google, then go to ‘curriculum website’ followed by ‘English’ and ‘IGCSE’.