Adipo Sidang's Parliament of Owls: Answering Excerpt and Essay Questions: A Guide to Adipo Sidang's Parliament of Owls, #3

By Jorges P. Lopez

This book teaches readers, especially students of drama in high school and colleges, how to respond to questions. This is because, often, students do not fail because they do not know; poor performance results from inability to interpret questions appropriately and therefore, poor response to them. This book approaches this problem in a number of ways. First, it teaches the reader how to interpret question words, giving enough questions to show how this should be done. Then, it shows the reader how to organize essays, begining with an understanding of what essays are and what examiners expect from them. It examines paragraphing, essay organization - including introduction and conclusion - then examines timing according to the number of words or length of essay expected and the time allowed for the paper and therefore, each questions. Finally, it examines terms used in literature with a bias to drama which allows the reader to understand what critics and examiners mean by them. It gives abundant examples drawn from Parliament of Owls. Although this book uses the KENYA CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EXAMINATION, through which high school students matriculate into college, the explanations given allow for all students across the world to be able to adapt these skills to their own exam situations. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jorges P. Lopez
• Release date: Jan 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224367627

Jorges P. Lopez

Jorges P. Lopez has been teaching Literature in high schools in Kenya and Communication at The Cooperative University in Nairobi. He has been writing Literary Criticism for more than fifteen years and fiction for just over ten years. He has contributed significantly to the perspective of teaching English as a Second Language in high school and to Communication Skills at the college level. He has developed humorous novellas in the Jimmy Karda Diaries Series for ages 9 to 13 which make it easier for learners of English to learn the language and the St. Maryan Seven Series for ages 13 to 16 which challenge them to improve spoken and written language. His interests in writing also spill into Poetry, Drama and Literary Fiction. He has written literary criticism books on Henrik Ibsen, Margaret Ogola, Bertolt Brecht, John Steinbeck, John Lara, Adipo Sidang' and many others.

Book preview

WRITING YOUR ANSWERS IN LITERATURE

This book uses questions from the KENYA CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION English Papers 101/2 – in which candidates answer questions based on an EXCERPT taken from a specific set text studied during the course to earn 25 marks – and 101/3 – in which candidates answer 3 essay questions (each with 20 marks) in two and a half hours. The skills taught here, however, are applicable to any examination. The only thing required is to examine the time and marks given in your own exam and make appropriate adjustments. Some College exams, for instance, require the student to answer a question in ONE HOUR to earn 25 marks. The candidate should adjust the time suggested here and paragraphing to fit this particular exam.

Literary writing is a well-thought-out process which you will have to cultivate yourself. Apart from practicing to write like others in the field, you need to adopt the right language, the correct diction and the correct styles; you not only need to know how to interpret questions and how to present answers but also do a lot of practice before the final exam so that planning, timing and other such impediments do not come in the way of performance. This section takes you through a deliberate planning and writing out of your essay, teaches you how to interpret context questions and shows you how to tell in no uncertain terms whether you have done what your examiner requires at every stage of the question by considering the marks awarded and how to earn them. This is done in four stages; interpreting questions, planning and writing out your essay, revising your essay and timing your essay. 

I) Interpreting Questions.

It is important to seriously regard what certain question words mean because it is not uncommon to find a student go through the motions of answering a question but end up not doing so because the answer does not address the question. Here are the most common question words that you will find, especially in essay questions, with a considered opinion of what they require you to do. A sample question and the possible approach you might take to the question has also been