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SingaporeEnglish Literature

Reading Prose Fiction

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does a writer make a character feel real, and how do you show what a character is like and how the writer reveals it?

Explain how a writer builds character in prose (through actions, speech, description and what others say), and analyse what a character is like and how we are shown it
A clear, scaffolded answer to the N(A)-Level Literature skill of analysing characterisation in prose fiction. The ways a writer shows what a character is like (actions, speech, description, others' views), the show-not-tell idea, and how to write about character with evidence.
8 min answer →

Who is telling the story, how much do they know, and how does the choice of narrator change what you understand and feel?

Identify the narrative point of view of a story (first person and third person) and explain how the choice of narrator shapes meaning and the reader's sympathy
A clear, scaffolded answer to the N(A)-Level Literature skill of identifying narrative point of view in prose fiction. First person and third person, what each narrator can and cannot see, and how point of view controls what you understand and who you side with.
8 min answer →

How is a story put together from beginning to end, and how does the order and shaping of events affect the reader?

Explain the plot and structure of a story (beginning, build-up, climax, ending; flashbacks and time shifts) and analyse how the way events are arranged creates effect
A clear, scaffolded answer to the N(A)-Level Literature skill of analysing plot and structure in prose. The shape of a story (opening, build-up, climax, resolution), flashbacks and time shifts, tension and foreshadowing, and how arrangement creates effect.
8 min answer →

How does a writer use the time and place of a story, and the mood it creates, to make you feel something?

Explain how a writer uses setting and creates atmosphere (place, time, weather, details) and analyse how it builds mood and meaning
A clear, scaffolded answer to the N(A)-Level Literature skill of analysing setting and atmosphere in prose. How place, time, weather and small details build mood, how setting can mirror feeling, and how to write about atmosphere with evidence.
8 min answer →

How do a writer's word choices and sentence style change the effect of a passage, and how do you write about them?

Analyse a writer's word choice (diction) and sentence style (length and type) in prose, and explain how these choices create effect
A clear, scaffolded answer to the N(A)-Level Literature skill of analysing word choice and sentence style in prose. How diction and connotation work, how short and long sentences create effect, and how to write a precise comment about a writer's style.
8 min answer →