To download Jessica's PowerPoint, click on the file below.
how_many_miles_to_babylon_school_powerpoint_part_2.pptx |
Mrs Shannon's Literacy Hut |
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To download Jessica's PowerPoint, click on the file below.
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Some of you found the mock question difficult on Frederick - here's a mindmap that Daniel completed. Thanks Daniel. Possible points: Submissive Unhappy Lonely/Alienated Ineffective Cowardly
How Many Miles to Babylon
As with many of the characters in Johnston's novels, Alexander Moore is a young man who is trying to escape the responsibilities and limitations of the class into which he has been born by forging a relationship with someone from the opposite side of the great social, religious and political divide. Through the character of Alec, Johnston offers a picture of life in the Big House before its fall. The only child of a bleak marriage, Alec was brought up in the Big House of an Anglo Irish estate outside Dublin. It is an isolated and lonely existence and is made all the more unbearable when Alec is forced to discontinue his friendship with Jerry Crowe. He finds himself confined to the world of his sparring parents; an ineffectual but genuine father and a cold, manipulative yet beautiful mother. The awful tension between two people at war with one another and the effects of these hostilities on their son is convincingly captured in the first part of the novel. By her own admission this may be due in part to Johnston's own experience of the break-up of her parent's marriage when she was a child and her own divorce from her first husband. As Alec faces his execution, he makes it clear that it is the combination of the expectations placed on him by his social class and his mother's rejection of him that have led to his impending death. Alec's life has been marked by indecision and cowardice and ironically, it is the one brave and decisive act of his life that both saves him and marks his end. Alec runs away from the social and personal isolation of life at home only to find it follows him to the trenches of Flanders. His friendship with Jerry isolates both of them and its warmth seems to be at odds with the coldness of war. Through the characters of Alec and Jerry, Johnstonseems to be suggesting that it is their Irishness that sets them apart and allows them to maintain their humanity in the face of the dehumanisation of war. In asserting his own humanity above his role as an "officer and a gentleman", Alec raises himself above the horror of war and redeems himself. The tragedy remains, however, that his redemption costs him his life.
Single Text: 60 marks Reminder: 3 Short questions worth 10 Marks Choice of 3 Long questions worth 30 Marks We have completed our revision for the mocks and you will get your assessment results back next week!! General comment: Some of you are not providing accurate quotations to strengthen your answer. Please revise our quotation booklet!! Please Note: Examiners marking scheme: Candidates will express and support their point of view. Expect appropriate reference to/quotations from the novel in support of the case being made. Expect a diverse appreciation of the idea of entertaining. Ensure you have prepared for the following types of questions: Ten–Mark Sections Character This is undoubtedly the examiners’ favourite type of question. You may be asked to comment on one or more of the main characters and say why they act the way they do in the novel. Relationships These questions generally focus on the central relationship in the novel. Plot Questions In these questions, you may be asked what happens at a particular point in the novel. You must be accurate here. Do not give analysis or personal opinion when answering a question on the plot. The world of the text/social setting You may be asked questions about the setting of the novel and how the time and place in which they live affects the characters. Theme or Issue You may be asked to comment on the theme of the novel. An important moment in the text You may be asked to describe a happy, sad, pleasant, disturbing, frightening, important, amusing, enjoyable or dangerous moment. Remember, when describing this moment, to say why it is happy or sad etc. The ending You may be asked to comment on the ending. Was it what you expected? Thirty-mark questions (8 Paragraphs) These types of questions are similar to the ten-mark question. The principal difference is the length of answer expected. Letter/report/diary entry/review– Use of appropriate language, showing an awareness of your audience and an understanding of how the task should be approached is important. Stick to the points and facts as they are presented in the novel. It is a test on your knowledge of the text. Character/relationship/theme/alternative ending etc. There may be an element of personal response here. PAST EXAM QUESTIONS 2012 1.(a) Alec’s mother tells him that Fredrick Moore might not be his father. Describe the effect this news has on Alec. (10) (b) In your opinion, why does Jerry decide to join the British Army? Support your answer with reference to the text. (10) 2.Explain what you find most interesting about Major Glendinning. (10) 3.Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i)‘Alicia Moore is a difficult character to like.’ Do you agree this statement? Base your answer on your knowledge of the novel. OR (ii) You have been asked to give a talk to your class on the following topic: ‘The Ireland we read about in Jennifer Johnston’s novel, How Many Miles to Babylon, is not at all like the Ireland of today.’ Write the text of the talk you would give. You are free to agree or disagree with the statement. Your answer should be based on your knowledge of the novel. OR (iii) Which one of following statements do you think best describes Jennifer Johnston’s novel, How Many Miles to Babylon? –It is a story about war. –It is a story about social class. –It is a story about relationships. Explain your answer with reference to the text. 2011 1.(a) Describe an occasion, in the early part of the novel, which reveals the close friendship between Alec and Jerry. (10) (b) Do you think that the relationship between Alec and his mother was good or bad? Give one reason for your answer. (10) 2.What is your opinion of Frederick Moore, Alec’s father? Explain your answer. (10) 3.Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i)‘During the course of the novel Alec learns many bitter lessons: about people, social position, duty, friendship, etc.’ Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer based on your reading of the novel. OR (ii) Write an article about Jennifer Johnston’s How Many Miles to Babylon? For your school magazine in which you consider whether the novel is relevant to young people today. OR (iii) Imagine you are Jerry and you have been condemned to death. Write a final letter to be sent to your mother. You might write about your experiences in France, memories of your youth in Ireland, your friendship with Alec, your search for your father, your regrets, etc. 2008 1. (a) Alec admits that he lacked ‘team spirit’. Do you think that he would have been a more successful person if he had been sent to school? Explain your answer. (10) (b) Describe what happened on the last evening/night before Alec and Jerry joined the army. (10) 2. Describe a pleasant or a disturbing event in the novel and explain why you found it so. (10) 3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) Major Glendinning has been asked to write a report recording his opinion of Alec Moore after Alec has been executed. Write that report. OR (ii) “How Many Miles to Babylon? is a great read." Write an article for a magazine, in which you support or oppose the above view of the novel. OR (iii) Imagine that you are either Alec or Jerry. Write the letter that you would send to either your mother or father describing your war experience. 2006 1.(a) Describe what life is like for Alec living at home with his mother and father. Support your views with reference to the novel. (10) (b)“We had great times.” What, in your view, are the great times Alec and Jerry had together? Explain your answer. 2. Do you understand why Alec shot Jerry? Explain your answer. (10) 3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) Imagine that Alicia, Alec’s mother, kept a diary. Write the diary entry she might have written on the day Alec went away to enlist in the army. OR (ii) In the beginning of the novel, Alec says –“I love no living person.” From your reading of the novel, do you think that this is true? Explain your answer with reference to the text. OR (iii)“It is every young man’s duty to fight for his country.” Based on your reading of the novel, write out the speech that you would make in response to this statement. 2003 1.(a) Briefly describe Alec’s home life with his mother and father. (10) (b) In your opinion, why did Alicia, Alec’s mother, encourage him to go to fight in the war? (10) 2. Do you think that Alec was a good friend to Jerry? Explain your answer. (10) 3.Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) Imagine you were with Alec and Jerry on the battlefields of World War I. Write some short diary entries telling what life was like. OR (ii)“Mother, just a few lines to tell you what I think of you…” Complete this letter from Alec to his mother, Alicia, saying the things you think he should have said to her. OR (iii) What is your opinion of Major Glendinning, Alec’s commanding officer? Explain your opinion. This is a fantastic resource which will allow you to revise previous exam questions on 'How Many Miles to Babylon'. Well worth taking an hour to check this out! You will clearly see how the marks are being awarded.
http://www.studyclix.ie/Subjects/Leaving-Certificate/Ordinary/English/How-Many-Miles-to-Babylon_qm_ Found this Prezi which revises the cultual context in How Many Miles to Babylon - useful for The Single Text too!
http://prezi.com/jtojsixydahn/copy-of-how-many-miles-to-babylon-introduction/?res_nr=4&sis=2143689126 Thought I'd share this song seeing as we studied How Many Miles to Babylon? I admit, it's not going to help you in the exam but sure, hey, if you're stressed, it might relieve a bit of tension :-) There's a nice story to it! |
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