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SingaporeEnglish LiteratureQuick questions
Reading Drama
Quick questions on Character and dialogue in drama explained: H2 Literature in English
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is subtext?Show answer
Subtext is what is meant but not said. Characters in drama, like people, often do not say what they really feel; they hint, evade, deflect, or say one thing while meaning another. The richest dramatic dialogue works largely through subtext, and analysing it - reading the accusation beneath a casual question, the fear beneath bravado - is one of the highest-value skills in drama.
What is the dynamics of exchange?Show answer
Dialogue is interaction, so analyse the exchange, not just isolated lines. Who controls the conversation? Who asks and who answers, who interrupts, who falls silent? A character who dominates, deflects, or is repeatedly cut off is being characterised by the pattern of the exchange.
What is q1?Show answer
Why is dialogue the primary tool of characterisation in drama? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is subtext, and why is reading it valuable? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
How do the dynamics of an exchange characterise the speakers? [3 marks]
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