Examination Speaking Points

Active Vocabulary

British Character

Monarchy in GB

Reading

Theme is the subject or topic of a literary work, usually expressed in a single word or short phrase. Stories and poems can be about

• the power of love; the role of money in people’s lives; bullying;
• the institution of marriage;
• a mysterious murder case;
• the problem of choice in people’s life…
• The main idea or message of a literarywork is is a statement that a piece of literature makes about a particular subject, usually expressed in a full sentence. Many works exemplify or dramatize political, psychological or social ideas. Examples of ideas include:

• Love is a very powerful motivating factor.
• Each person has their own idea of happiness.
• Children can be very cruel and bullying is a problem in many schools.
• People show their true colours in extreme conditions.
• Money alone doesn’t guarantee one’s happiness.
• Politicians often lie.

Note: Many works can have many themes and many ideas and both are open to interpretation.

How to find ideas

• direct statements by the author or the author’s persona;
• the organization of the story;
• the setting;
• the actions of the major character(s);
• statements made by the characters;
• imagery or symbolism;
• title;
• the total impression of the work(the emotional impact of the story).

Tips

In the stories included in this unit, be alert to the implications of each work. Try to find answers to the following questions:

• What is the story about?
• What is the best statement of the idea that you can make?
• How do the authors make their ideas apparent?

Revision will be a substantial component of students’ curriculum and independent work this term. Mind the fact that the examination speaking points, the examination stories and the examination active vocabulary involve those studied throughout terms 5, 6 and 7.

Work out an individual scheme of effective time management, so as to have enough time for the revision of the material studied in terms 5 and 6.

Examination Speaking Points

1. English as a world language.

2. English or Esperanto as a world language.

3. Variants of English.

4. Success through a foreign language.

5. Musical traditions in Great Britain. Music festivals.

6. Musical traditions in Great Britain. Folk music.

7. The importance and characteristics of the British press.

8. Radio and TV in Great Britain.

9. The Open University.

10. Personality studies.

11. Parental behaviour in moulding a child’s personality.

12. Modern family values.

13. Air pollution (global warming).

14. Energy crisis.

15. The major environmental problems confronting Britain today.

16. The Green Movement.

17. Environmental problems in Belarus (Chernobyl).

18. The British versus the Americans.

19. British stereotypes.

20. Customs and traditions in GB.

21. Monarchy or republic in GB?

Examination stories

1. R. Bradbury. All Summer in a Day

2. J. Archer. Just Good Friends

3. P. Lively. Next Term, We’ll Mash You

4. Hardy. The Returned Soldier

5. Saki. The Open Window

6. A. Maley. Gossip

7. B. Brown. The Star Ducks

8. M. Spark. You Should Have Seen the Mess

9. M. Binchey. The Garden Party

10. T. Pears. Blue

11. J. Collier. The Chaser

12. J. Archer. Cheap at Half the Price

13. R. Goldberg. Art for Heart’s Sake

14. Saki. The Lumber-Room

15. Ph. Dick. Human Is

16. J. Mark. Teeth

17. E. Hemingway. Cat in the Rain

18. J. Winterson. O’Brien’s First Christmas

19. M. Whitaker. Hannah

20. A. Cassidy. Shopping for One

21. D. Leavitt. Gravity