AQA GCSE English Literature · 3.2.3

Unseen poetry

50 exam-style questions with answers for 3.2.3 Unseen poetry in AQA GCSE English Literature (spec 8702). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

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Question 1
How are the marks split in the unseen poetry section?
Answer:
24 marks for the question on the first unseen poem and 8 marks for the comparison, so 32 marks in total, a third of Paper 2. You will not have seen either poem before the exam.
Question 2
Which assessment objectives are tested in the unseen poetry section?
Answer:
AO1 (a critical, informed response with textual references) and AO2 (language, form and structure). Context (AO3) is not assessed, so focus on the poem itself.
Question 3
Roughly how should you divide your time in Section C?
Answer:
About 45 minutes in total as a guide: a few minutes to read and annotate both poems, then roughly 25 to 30 minutes on the 24-mark question and 10 to 15 minutes on the 8-mark comparison.
Question 4
What should you do when you first read an unseen poem?
Answer:
Read the title, then read the whole poem twice. On the first read, find out what is happening; on the second, annotate language, form and structure.
Question 5
What is a useful framework for approaching an unseen poem?
Answer:
Ask What is it about? Who is speaking? What is the feeling or message? How does the poet show this (language, structure, form)? It stops you from only spotting techniques.
Question 6
How should you use the title of an unseen poem?
Answer:
Treat it as a clue to the subject, tone or idea, and consider what it makes you expect. Then look for any twist or irony in how the poem develops it.
Question 7
How do you work out who is speaking in a poem?
Answer:
Look at pronouns (I, we, you), the situation and the attitude shown. The speaker might be the poet, a character or a 'persona' with a different view from the poet.
Question 8
How do you identify the tone and mood of a poem?
Answer:
Look at word choices, the type of imagery, rhythm and punctuation. Describe tone precisely (for example bitter, tender, wry, urgent) and show how it may change.
Question 9
What is a volta?
Answer:
A turn or shift in thought, tone or argument in a poem, such as at the start of a sestet in a sonnet. Spotting it helps you comment on structure and meaning.
Question 10
Why are the opening and ending of a poem important?
Answer:
The opening sets the scene, tone or situation, and the ending may resolve, twist or deepen it. Commenting on how they connect shows a good grasp of structure.
Question 11
How should you structure an answer to the 24-mark question?
Answer:
Start with a short overview of the poem's idea, then move through the poem in order (beginning, middle, end), analysing methods and effects with short quotations. End with a brief judgement.
Question 12
How should you structure the 8-mark comparison?
Answer:
Quickly name the key similarity or difference in theme or approach, then compare one or two methods in both poems with brief evidence. Keep it short, direct and balanced.
Question 13
Which connectives help you compare poems?
Answer:
Similarly, likewise, both poets, whereas, in contrast, on the other hand, however and unlike. They show you are comparing directly, not describing the poems separately.
Question 14
How should you use quotations in an unseen poetry answer?
Answer:
Use short quotations of a word or phrase, embed them in your sentence and analyse specific words. Longer quotations waste time and do not show analysis.
Question 15
What is a stanza?
Answer:
A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in prose. Changes in stanza length or the number of stanzas can show shifts in idea or mood.
Question 16
What is a couplet?
Answer:
Two successive lines, often rhymed. It can give a sense of neatness, wit or finality, especially at the end of a poem.
Question 17
What is a tercet?
Answer:
A stanza of three lines. Tercets can give a sense of flow and movement, especially in poems that use enjambment.
Question 18
What is a quatrain?
Answer:
A stanza of four lines, often with a rhyme scheme such as ABAB. It is one of the most common stanza forms.
Question 19
What are the octave and the sestet?
Answer:
The first eight lines and last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. The octave often presents a problem and the sestet gives a response, with the volta between them.
Question 20
What is a refrain?
Answer:
A line or phrase that is repeated through a poem. It can stress an idea, create rhythm or show obsession or ritual.
Question 21
What is rhyme and what is a rhyme scheme?
Answer:
Rhyme is a match of end sounds in words. The rhyme scheme is the pattern, marked with letters such as ABAB, and shows structure and control.
Question 22
What is half-rhyme (pararhyme)?
Answer:
Words that nearly rhyme because the consonants match but the vowels differ, such as 'worm' and 'warm'. It can create unease or a sense of things not quite fitting.
Question 23
What is internal rhyme?
Answer:
Rhyme within a line, not just at the end. It links ideas and can create music or momentum.
Question 24
What is enjambment?
Answer:
When a sentence or phrase runs on from one line or stanza to the next without punctuation. It creates flow, urgency or a sense of things spilling over.
Question 25
What is an end-stopped line?
Answer:
A line that finishes with punctuation, so the sense stops at the line break. It can create a controlled, final or measured effect.
Question 26
What is a caesura?
Answer:
A pause in the middle of a line, often marked by punctuation. It can slow the pace, add emphasis or show hesitation.
Question 27
What is blank verse?
Answer:
Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. It sounds like natural speech but still has a formal rhythm, and is often used in serious or reflective poetry.
Question 28
What is free verse?
Answer:
Poetry with no regular rhyme scheme or metre. It can sound like natural speech and gives the poet freedom to shape the line and pace.
Question 29
What is rhythm, and what is metre?
Answer:
Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, and metre is a regular, measured pattern of them. A regular rhythm may suggest order, while a broken one can suggest disruption.
Question 30
What is iambic pentameter?
Answer:
A line of ten syllables with five 'feet', each an unstressed then a stressed syllable (da-DUM). It is close to natural speech and is common in sonnets and Shakespeare.
Question 31
What are a trochee, a dactyl and an anapaest?
Answer:
Types of metrical foot: a trochee is stressed then unstressed (DUM-da), a dactyl is stressed then two unstressed (DUM-da-da) and an anapaest is two unstressed then stressed (da-da-DUM). They create different rhythms such as marching or galloping.
Question 32
What is a ballad?
Answer:
A narrative poem, often in quatrains with a strong rhythm and rhyme, that tells a story. Ballads are often simple and dramatic.
Question 33
What is a sonnet?
Answer:
A 14-line poem, usually in iambic pentameter. The Petrarchan form has an octave and a sestet, and the Shakespearean form has three quatrains and a couplet; sonnets often explore love or an argument.
Question 34
What is an elegy?
Answer:
A poem of mourning for someone who has died, often reflecting on loss and memory. It tends to have a sad, thoughtful tone.
Question 35
What is an ode?
Answer:
A poem addressed to a person, object or idea, with praise or deep feeling. It is usually formal and elevated in tone.
Question 36
What is a dramatic monologue?
Answer:
A poem in which a character speaks to a silent listener, revealing their personality without intending to. The reader reads between the lines.
Question 37
What is a lyric poem?
Answer:
A short poem expressing personal thoughts and feelings, often in the first person. It tends to be musical and reflective.
Question 38
What is a narrative poem?
Answer:
A poem that tells a story, with characters, setting and plot. Examples include ballads.
Question 39
What is apostrophe in poetry?
Answer:
Addressing someone absent, or an object or idea, as if it can listen ('O sea!'). It creates intensity and can reveal the speaker's emotion.
Question 40
What types of imagery should you look for in a poem?
Answer:
Visual (sight), auditory (sound), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) imagery. Sensory detail helps the reader experience the poem and shows what the poet wants to emphasise.
Question 41
What is an extended metaphor?
Answer:
A metaphor developed over several lines or the whole poem. It explores a comparison in depth, such as treating life as a journey.
Question 42
What is a paradox?
Answer:
A statement that seems contradictory but contains a truth. It makes the reader think more carefully, and an oxymoron is a short paradox such as 'bitter sweet'.
Question 43
How can symbolism work in a poem?
Answer:
A concrete image stands for an abstract idea, such as a road for choices or a rose for love. Look for repeated images and consider what they suggest.
Question 44
What effects can the dash and the ellipsis have in a poem?
Answer:
A dash can show a sudden break, an afterthought or a shift in direction, and an ellipsis can show hesitation, trailing thought or something unsaid. They often show emotion or uncertainty.
Question 45
What effects can questions and exclamations have in a poem?
Answer:
Questions can show doubt, a search for meaning or a challenge to the reader, and exclamations show strong feeling or surprise. Both bring a speaking voice into the poem.
Question 46
What effect can short lines and long lines have?
Answer:
Short lines can feel abrupt, tense or emphatic, while long lines can create flow, calm or a sense of expansion. A change in line length can mark a shift.
Question 47
What sound devices should you look for in poetry?
Answer:
Alliteration, assonance, sibilance, onomatopoeia and repetition. Link them to meaning, for example harsh sounds for anger or soft sounds for calm.
Question 48
What effect can repetition have in a poem?
Answer:
It can stress a key idea, create rhythm, show obsession or give a sense of ritual. Always say what is emphasised and why.
Question 49
How can layout and white space be used in a poem?
Answer:
Gaps, indentation and line breaks can create pauses, isolation or emphasis. Odd layout may mimic the subject, such as a falling shape for descent.
Question 50
How do you compare two poets' attitudes to a similar subject?
Answer:
Say what each poet thinks or feels, then compare how methods (imagery, tone, form, structure) show those attitudes. Focus on the key difference or similarity, not a list of features.

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Unseen poetry

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