How to answer PMR Paper 2 - Section C (Literature)

PMR 2011 candidates, you are encouraged to use the following framework in order to answer Paper 2 - Section C (Literature):

PARAGRAPH 1

  1. State the novel that you choose (ONE novel only). 
  2. State the author of the novel.
  3. State briefly what the novel is about.
  4. Write one statement that answers the question.


You may start Paragraph 1 using one of the following phrase:
  • The novel I have chosen is…
  • I like to choose….
  • The novel I have studied is…..


Example on how to start Paragraph 1:

               The novel I have chosen is The Phantom of The Opera written by …… The story is about a love triangle involving Erik, Christine Daae and Raoul. ………………………………………………

PARAGRAPH 2
Evidence 1 + Detail

PARAGRAPH 3
Evidence 2 + Detail


PARAGRAPH 4
Evidence 3 + Detail

PARAGRAPH 5
  • Conclusion (compulsory)
  • One sentence only
*Minimum two(2) evidences + details

Tips to answer literature questions
Identify key phrases from the question. During examination, it is advisable to use a highlighter or a red pen to highlight the key phrases

Example 1:
Based on one novel, describe a good quality that you admire in a character in the novel. [PMR 2010]

From the above question, the key phrases are:
  • one novelStudents should choose ONE novel only.
  • a good quality in a characterChoose ONE good quality for ONE character.


Here is the sample answer with explanation:

SAMPLE ANSWER
EXPLANATION

          The novel that I choose to answer is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Briefly, the story is about Dr Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr Hyde. It is a tale of good versus evil amidst a society that practices high moral values. I admire the character of Mr Utterson who is very trustworthy.

Introduction
  • State the novel that you choose and state the author of the novel
  • State briefly what the novel is about
  • Write one statement that answers the question



          The positive quality of him can be seen when Mr Utterson declined from giving too much information about the affair of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to Richard Enfield. They were having their usual walk together when this matter was brought up. Mr Utterson realized that it was better to not let anybody know about Dr. Jekyll’s relationship with Mr Hyde.


Evidence 1 + detail
Write the first evidence in detail on where Mr Utterson shows that he is trustworthy.

          Dr. Jekyll trusted Mr Utterson to keep his will in Mr Utterson’s safe. Although Mr Utterson was quite troubled by the request, he did it anyway and guarded it. When he knew about the evilness of Mr Hyde, he did not mention about Dr. Jekyll’s will that contains the monster’s name to a single soul. 



Evidence 2 + detail
Write the second evidence in detail on where Mr Utterson shows that he is trustworthy.

          At the end of the story, Mr Utterson kept his promise to read Dr. Lanyon’s letter after Dr. Jekyll’s tragic death.  He is a trustworthy fellow and did not to tell anyone about what had happened to Dr. Jekyll. He decided to let the events that had happened to be forgotten for the sake of his friend’s good name.


Evidence 3 + detail
Write the third evidence in detail on where Mr Utterson shows that he is trustworthy.

          Mr Utterson is one of the characters that give colours to this story. He is so trustworthy that he became the character that I admire.




Conclusion
Write on why you admire the character.
You can briefly give your own opinion



Here is the sample answer without explanation:


          The novel that I choose to answer is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Briefly, the story is about Dr Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr Hyde. It is a tale of good versus evil amidst a society that practices high moral values. I admire the character of Mr Utterson who is very trustworthy.

          The positive quality of him can be seen when Mr Utterson declined from giving too much information about the affair of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to Richard Enfield. They were having their usual walk together when this matter was brought up. Mr Utterson realized that it was better to not let anybody know about Dr. Jekyll’s relationship with Mr Hyde.

          Dr. Jekyll trusted Mr Utterson to keep his will in Mr Utterson’s safe. Although Mr Utterson was quite troubled by the request, he did it anyway and guarded it. When he knew about the evilness of Mr Hyde, he did not mention about Dr. Jekyll’s will that contains the monster’s name to a single soul. 

          At the end of the story, Mr Utterson kept his promise to read Dr. Lanyon’s letter after Dr. Jekyll’s tragic death.  He is a trustworthy fellow and did not to tell anyone about what had happened to Dr. Jekyll. He decided to let the events that had happened to be forgotten for the sake of his friend’s good name.

          Mr Utterson is one of the characters that give colours to this story. He is so trustworthy that he became the character that I admire.


Example 2:
Choose one of the novels above. Then, write about an incident that you think is important. [PMR 2008]


Key phrases:
  • one novel - choose ONE novel only. 
  • an incident - Choose ONE incident that you think is important.


Sample answer with explanation:


SAMPLE ANSWER
EXPLANATION

          The novel which I have read is The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. The story is about a love triangle involving Erik, Christine Daae and Raoul. I found that the disappearance of Christine Daae was very important in the story.

Introduction
  • State the novel that you choose and state the author of the novel
  • State briefly what the novel is about
  • Write one statement that answers the question


          On the night that Raoul planned to run off with Christine, Erik kidnapped her and took her to his house on the lake. Driven by strong determination, Raoul and the Persian ventured into the underground of the Opera House in the quest of rescuing Christine. Nevertheless, they fell into Erik’s trap. They were tortured to death in the room of mirrors and suffered from thirst from the intense heat in the room. They were unable to help Christine.


Evidence 1 + detail
  • Write the sequence of the incident in detail.
  • Who were involved?
  • Where the incident took place?
  • What happened?
  • Why & when it happened?


          In order to save Raoul and the Persian’s lives, Christine made a sacrifice by telling Erik that she was willing to marry him. Despite Erik’s hideous face, she agreed to be Erik’s wife. She kissed Erik lovingly on his ugly mouth. Her kindness touched Erik’s heart. Then, Erik set Christine, Raoul and the Persian free.



Evidence 2 + detail
  • Write the sequence of the incident in detail.
  • Who were involved?
  • Where the incident took place?
  • What happened?
  • Why & when it happened?


          This incident is very important because we learnt that Erik was not at all evil and that he too, was a human with a heart. We also learnt that the Persian was a helpful person and he knew Erik quite well. Apart from that, we learnt that Christine was a very nice young lady and she had a kind soul. Besides that, Raoul was very much in love with Christine and he was willing to look for her even though she was captured by the Phantom of the Opera, Erik.


Evidence 3 + detail
  • Write on why you think this incident is important
  • What are the moral values from this incident


           I think the disappearance of Christine Daae was very important in the story because there are lots of lessons that can be learnt from the characters’ involved.




Conclusion
Briefly state why the incident mentioned is important




Sample answer without explanation:

          The novel which I have read is The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. The story is about a love triangle involving Erik, Christine Daae and Raoul. I found that the disappearance of Christine Daae was very important in the story.

          On the night that Raoul planned to run off with Christine, Erik kidnapped her and took her to his house on the lake. Driven by strong determination, Raoul and the Persian ventured into the underground of the Opera House in the quest of rescuing Christine. Nevertheless, they fell into Erik’s trap. They were tortured to death in the room of mirrors and suffered from thirst from the intense heat in the room. They were unable to help Christine.

          In order to save Raoul and the Persian’s lives, Christine made a sacrifice by telling Erik that she was willing to marry him. Despite Erik’s hideous face, she agreed to be Erik’s wife. She kissed Erik lovingly on his ugly mouth. Her kindness touched Erik’s heart. Then, Erik set Christine, Raoul and the Persian free.

          This incident is very important because we learnt that Erik was not at all evil and that he too, was a human with a heart. We also learnt that the Persian was a helpful person and he knew Erik quite well. Apart from that, we learnt that Christine was a very nice young lady and she had a kind soul. Besides that, Raoul was very much in love with Christine and he was willing to look for her even though she was captured by the Phantom of the Opera, Erik.

          I think the disappearance of Christine Daae was very important in the story because there are lots of lessons that can be learnt from the characters’ involved.

More important tips!
  1. Answer what the question wants. If the question asks you to write about "an incident that you think is important", just write three(3) or minimum two(2) evidences about "ONE INCIDENT that you think is important" in a novel. Don't write about more than one incident. If you write more, you'll definitely not going to get full 10 marks because your answer shows that you don't understand the question! 
  2. Make sure your answer is organized. Use the suggested framework.
  3. Learn the qualities of one character by heart. Actually, it's important to learn every element in a novel by heart. But, if you have difficulties remembering all those elements (plot, characters, themes, moral values), it's advisable to understand and memorize at least one character's qualities and their respective textual evidence. If you can understand the plot and the characters in a novel, you should be able to answer just any question. Trust me!
  4. Read and check your answer. Does your answer satisfy the question? Have you given enough evidence to support your answer? Do you give any irrelevant points?

Teachers, 

Comments

  1. teacher , novel 'the prisoner of zenda' takde ek ?
    i'm from trg .

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi ieyrah, in selangor we use the phantom & the opera and dr jekyll & mr hyde. However, u can get tips from this link :
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2011/09/gempur-pmr-english-2011-by-jpn-perak.html

    all the best for your pmr ok :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. teacher, boleh tak tlg bagi jwpan untuk topic "character whom you emulate" . saye tak tau la nak buat. tak berapa faham. boleh send dekat m.imran17@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. teacher. can give me sample answer for "character whom you emulate" pls. you can send it to my email. m.imran17@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Imran,

    Firsly, you need to be clear on what the question wants you to write. Does the question say, "Write about A CHARACTER whom you can emulate" or "Write about CHARACTERS whom you can emulate". This is very important because different question requires different answer.

    Secondly, identify the keywords. If the question is:
    "Write about A CHARACTER whom you can emulate"
    That means, you have to: Choose only ONE character from a novel and write about at least 2 good qualities of that character which you could emulate.

    If the question is:
    "Write about CHARACTERS whom you can emulate"
    That means, you have to: Choose MORE THAN ONE characters from a novel and write about at least 1 good quality which you could emulate from each character.

    You didn't mention the novel that you've studied in school but you may use the following framework:

    (The Phantom of The Opera):

    Christine Daae is the character that I hope to emulate.

    Firstly, I hope to emulate her hardworking attitude. Christine was just a poor singer from Norway. After her father died, she returned to Paris and worked hard at her singing because she wanted to be the best opera singer. Christine managed to sing beautifully under the guidance of Erik, her angel of music.

    Secondly, I hope to emulate her kindness towards everybody especially Erik. Even though Erik had an ugly face, Christine continued her friendship with Erik because Erik was kind to her. Erik was also her music teacher and helped her to achieve her dream to be the best opera singer in Paris. Next, she was also willing to be Erik's wife in order to save Raoul and the Persian's lives. She felt sorry for Erik because Erik never got his mother's love since he was young.

    From the above examples, we can conclude that Christine is not a selfish person. That is why I hope to emulate her positive attitudes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. By the way, According to the Oxford Dictionary:

    "emulate" means to try to do something as well as somebody else because you admire them (cuba untuk menjadi/meniru sifat seseorg yang anda minati)

    ReplyDelete
  7. i'm use phantom of opera in form2. sorry for not telling the novel that i've studied. anyway, thanks teacher for the answer. i think i'm going to use your answer for my PMR if this question comes out. :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. teacher ! can u give an example of determination in the prisoner of zenda novel ?
    hopefully u can give me ! .tq ..:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Shida, I teach in Selangor. We study The Phantom & Dr Jekyll. However, you may view the following link:
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2011/09/gempur-pmr-english-2011-by-jpn-perak.html

    I think the examples you are looking for are in Part 2 - Literature & Part 3 - Teacher Sahila.

    Sorry I can't help much. Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  10. teacher. one more please. sample answer for determination in phantom of opera .

    ReplyDelete
  11. teacher,can you give me about Phantom (interesting event)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Imran & Kuri,

    You can download sample answers from this link:
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2011/10/pmr-2011-more-last-minute-help.html

    Hope I've helped. All the best to both of you :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. kuri. did u spot interesting event that will come out tommorow? i spotted determination and character whom you can emulate

    ReplyDelete
  14. teacher. i the word is not too cleared. i'll try my best to read it. especially on page 5 and 6 about determination. anyway thx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Imran, I'm so sorry. The handwriting isn't clear due to the type of pen that the student used. Try printing the file. Maybe, you could read it easily.

    ReplyDelete
  16. last minute students..of course Im 1 of them :P

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi KitKat, Hope the information in this blog helped you answer the English papers this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sample answers for paper 2 PMR 2011 pls.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Scarlett, I'll publish some samples when I have them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Teacher Nuha, can i have some examples of english essays ( PMR )2012..... kindness is appreaciated :))

    ReplyDelete
  21. vanessa, u can download some examples from the download menu (above).

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dear Teacher,can you give me the examples of novel The Railway Children..I hope you can give it..anyway can i get your email please..so that i can contact you..thanks

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm sorry Shira, I can't help you with that because we study "How I Met Myself" in Selangor.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Shira, I'm sure your English teacher is the best person who could help you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. hi,teacher.i'm richard wong.can teacher give me a few examples about how i met myself with some bombastic words?please

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Richard Wong,
    You can download the notes from the following link. I'm sure the notes contain some interesting expressions or what you called "bombastic" words:
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-i-met-myself-synopsis-plot.html

    Recently, I posted a sample question on a character that shows determination. You can refer to this link:
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-i-met-myself-character-that-shows.html

    Happy learning!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well,it's quite useful for me.THANK YOU,TEACHER XD

    ReplyDelete
  28. Asalam , ticer .. How i met my self ada tak?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Richard Wong, you're welcome.

    Wslm Haidir, please refer to this link:
    http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-i-met-myself-character-that-shows.html

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hello, teacher Nuha! I'm taking pt3 next year. Even though your format is for pmr, it still helps me a lot. Thank you!

    Teacher, I have a request, can you give me a sample answer for "The moral values you have leart from the play A Night Out." But it'll be all right if you give a sample from another play. I just want to know the full format.

    By the way, teacher, I really appreciate your blog :) Hope you can reply asap.

    ReplyDelete

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