Literature in English for SPM

Act 1  1. What causes do Salerio and Salanio suggest to be the reason for Antonio's melancholy? They first assume that Antonio's ships have been wrecked and his fortunes lost. After Antonio assures them that his ships and fortunes are safe, they then infer that he is in love and obsessed with someone. However, Antonio denies this claim as well. 2. What advice does Gratanio offer Antonio? Gratiano tells Antonio that his solemn disposition causes him to appear older than he actually is. Moreover, he cheekily suggests that Antonio should be more similar to himself who is often merry. 3. Why does Bassanio want Antonio to lend him more money? Bassanio requires money to woo Portia as he wishes to impress her. 4. Why does Shylock hate Antonio? Shylock hates Antonio because he lends money without interest which in turn, damages Shylock's business. Moreover, Antonio treats Shylock with disdain and verbally abuses Shylock. Once, Antonio even spat on Shylock. 5. Why does ...

Hey everyone! Hope life's been good to you.  I've been receiving a few emails recently for requests/advice. I'm always happy to respond so don't hesitate to get in touch :) As most of the stuff I've planned to upload are already on the blog, I'm fast running out of ideas. I need your help to add the content and improve upon it. Do me a favor(and everyone else who visits this blog) and participate in the survey, alright? Thanks a bunch. Regards, Bugga Click here for survey!  Help Bugga help You!

1. Write a character sketch about Bassanio. (8m) Happy-go-lucky He is seemingly content to live life as it is without having long-term ambitions, such as having a job his ambition to woo Portia is a recent one Bassanio, despite not having a job nor any means to return any loans, keeps borrowing money from Antonio In fact, he never promised to return Antonio's money His wish to marry Portia stems from a single encounter with her in Belmont and after hearing various praises of her beauty This is a rather rash decision considering that he also risked Antonio's life in order to get money to woo Portia He never took into account the possibility of failure Loyal Just after he managed to win Portia(and most definitely consummate their marriage), he rushes back to Venice to attend to Antonio He was willing to put off his wedding with Portia to try and rescue Antonio from his fate, however impossible it may seem He also bravely offered his life in exchange fo...

* Bugga's Disclaimer*  As mentioned before, I am not a professionally trained teacher. Merely a former SPM candidate passionate in literature and a willingness to share. Whatever strategies I am sharing below are from my experiences and may or may not serve you as well as it did for me. Feel free to employ my strategies but bear in mind that they are not a magical solution.  Type-A Questions Not much can be said about Type-A questions considering it's simplicity. But there are some things that should be considered. Speed is of utmost importance when answering this question. Often, there are so many points that can be extracted from the text that you spend necessary time contemplating on which point to write down. So just forget about counting the number of words in each point and just choose the sentence that looks the shortest.  Also, paraphrasing is key to increasing speed. This should be something you are able to do effortlessly because if you can't, yo...

Embracing Your Shadow - Chua Kok Yee 1. Who is the protagonist's wife? (Rose) 2. What beverage has she made for the both of them? (Milo) 3. How long have they been married? (twelve years) 4. Who is their neighbour? (Mr. Wong and family) 5. How many tables are there for their wedding dinner? (fifty) 6. Who is their best man? (Woon) 7. When did the protagonist see the 'other woman' before he marries his wife? (six years) 8. What is the name of the protagonist's daughter? (Luna) Thieving Daughter - Chua Kok Yee 1. What is the protagonist cooking? (Singapore fried mee-hoon) 2. Who is her daughter? (Aisya) 3. Who is the daughter's boyfriend? (Kamal) 4. What is the name of the narrator? (Kak Noor) 5. What does she find in her daughter's wadrobe? (a sexy black dress) 6. How did the narrator's husband die? (an accident) 7. How did the narrator's parents die? (a road accident) Sambal Without Anchovies - Chua Kok Yee 1. What is the name of Ha...

Embracing Your Shadow - Chua Kok Yee 1. With close reference to the text, describe what the persona remembers about his wedding dinner. (8m) 2. "We should be thankful for the good things that we have" Discuss with close reference to the story. (12m) 3. With close referene to the text, describe how the protagonist compares his own situation with that of his granduncle's. (8m) 4. "If we chase shadows, we may end up with nothing." Discuss with close reference to the story. (12m) Sambal Without Anchovies - Chua Kok Yee 1. "Nora is an understanding wife and daughter-in-law." Explain with close reference to the text. (8m) 2. "The old must give way to the new." Discuss with close reference to the story. (12m) 3. How is Hanif different from his father? How are they the same? Explain with close reference to the text. (8m) 4. "Old ways must make way for new and better ideas." Discuss with close reference to the text. (12m) T...

1. With close reference to the text, explain how Saeng and her family have adapted to their new life in America. (8m) Saeng She has been living in America for the past four years She speaks a mix of English and Laotian with her family However, she feels more comfortable speaking in English She still has not completely adapted to American culture Her cultutrally conservative background is at odds with the more liberal and outlandish American culture She feels embarassed while watching MTV Thirteen year old Americans are more comfortable doing certain things than she herself is despite already being sixteen She works extremely hard in her academics She has never failed a test even when she first enrolled into school and knew not a word of English She spent many nights with her mother translating English words into Laotian to understand better Deep inside, Saeng feels homesick She does not feel as if she truly belongs This feeling is most apparent when she sees...

Hey guys! So I've been in college for over a month now and it's great to see that there is some increased traffic to this site despite the inactivity on my part. I've been really really busy as the learning experience is quite different to that of high school (read: no extra tuition and a lot more making and remaking notes). However, I understand that midterms exams are almost upon you guys (which is, by the way, quite important if you plan on applying for scholarships) so I'll try to post up the Merchant of Venice as soon as possible. If you guys have any questions or requests at all, do leave a comment or you can email me directly. Please don't be shy; I have a fair bit of knowledge but no idea what to share it all without pointers. It's gotta be a two-way street, yea? Cheers and good luck, ya'll Regards, Bugga P.S. I'm taking Literature in English in A-Levels and I must say, it's awesome. P.P.S. I'm happy to help share some advi...

1. With close reference to the text, describe Sarun after he has enlisted into the army. (8m) 2. With close reference to the text, describe the Nong Chan Refugee Camp. (8m) 3. With close reference to the text, explain the difference between the Nong Chan camp and Khao I Dang camp. (8m) 4. With close reference to the text, describe the clay village made by Jantu. (8m) 5. Hope is the only thing that keeps one surviving during difficult times. Discuss this statement with close reference to the novel. (12m) 6. "In war, there is only loss, no gain." Discuss this statement with close reference to the novel. (12m) 7. With close reference to the text, discuss Dara's journey of self realization. (12m) 8. The transformation of Dara from a little excited girl to a mature and responsible one is due to the difficulties she faced during the war.  Discuss this statement with close reference to the novel. (12m)

1. With close reference to the text, describe the Nong Chan Refugee Camp. (8m) The Nong Chan Refugee camp is located in a vast, barren plain with few shrubs and trees Dara describes the place as a "scrubland" It is also mentioned that the soil in the paddy fields are hard and cracked from the dry season Thousands of people had already settled down in Nong Chan before Dara and her family had arrived The people there have constructed thatched lean-tos and plastic tents to live in They also dug mudholes for the buffaloes They also built fences around vegetable patches They also chopped the trees for their branches to be used as firewood The people at Nong Chan are bustling around, almost like their lives are normal Children play with tops or draw water from wells Some people sit around to chat Women are taking down laundry from lines or cooking meals A sinewy old man was splitting firewood Boys scrub their buffaloes clean Sisters comb each other...

1. If you are Aisya's friend, what advice would you give her to help her resolve her conflict and mend her relationship with her mother? Discuss with close reference to the story. (12m) First advice: Aisya should tackle the problem of her mother's self-loathing about her advancing age and her physical decline Her mother is jealous of her daughter's beauty She is extremely critical of her own appearance in the mirror Her imagintation of her husband tells us of her subconscious insecurities ("You're still beautiful and desirable, my husband says") Aisya should   constantly remind her mother that she will always be beautiful to help her self-esteem She should also be more willing to compromise with her mother's wishes about borrowing clothes or accessories Furthermore, she could bring her mother out shopping together to spend time with her as well as address her mother's need for beautifying herself Second advice: Aisya should tack...

1. With close reference to the text, compare and contrast the old Chief Rooster and the new Chief Rooster. (8m) Similarities:  Both have same job  They are both heads of security Their job is to protect the chickens from the hawks Both have the same protocols They define "threatening" birds as birds who are different from chickens They deal with these birds by forcing them to be similar to other chickens  In Lani's case, it is to clip her wings Both have the island's best interest at heart They are intent on keeping the island safe Both are paranoid about hawks Differences: The old Chief Rooster was ruthless in punishing birds that he deems are different(i.e. hawks); the new Chief Rooster was hesitant when deciding to clip Lani's wings The old Chief Rooster rejected any claims that there could be more than two types of birds; the new Chief Rooster conceded that there is the existence of sparrows The new Chief Rooster is ...

Hey guys, Hope my work here has been appreciated.  Anyways, I'll be leaving for college in a month so that means I will practically have no time spared to update this blog. Whatever I can post while I still can is likely all that will be posted.  Since there's only a short amount of time but quite a lot left to share, I thought of opening up myself to suggestions. Basically, if you have a question you can drop me a comment here and I'll see if I can help you(should be in my syllabus, though) before I leave. Cheers. -Bugga P.S. Do share this blog around. You know, try to make a community of fellow LIE students.  P.P.S. If there's anyone has additional material that they want to share, feel free to hook me up. I'll give credit of course.

1. We should not chase shadows when we have light. Discuss with close reference to the text. (12m) Definitions: Shadow In the context of this story, the "shadows" are desires that cannot be fulfilled In a literal sense, there is no way a person can chase or catch a shadow Light In the context of this story, "light" represents happiness and prosperity Evidence: The author has a very loving family (i.e. light) Rose(his wife) has been extremely loving towards him She loves that he's a philosopher and a smart-ass Luna(his daughter) shares a close bond with him They wish each other goodnight, every night The author loses his family because of his obsession with the mystery woman (i.e. chasing shadows) Rose senses the secret place the mystery woman occupies in the author's heart She is unable to tolerate his secret desires anymore and is jealous that the author is unable to love her completely After talking to his wife abo...

1. "Every time he proposes a new idea to his father, he runs into a brick wall." Describe three incidents to justify the statement above. Refer closely to the text. (8m) Hanif suggests to Pak Samad to change the way of cooking sambal Hanif proposes that the sambal and anchovies to be cooked separately With this method, the sambal can be refrigerated overnight and the anchovies will not turn soggy As a result, wastage is reduced and profits increase Pak Samad vehemently refuses because he insists that this new method will change the taste of the sambal Hanif counters that all the other stalls do the same and Pak Samad gives up arguing Hanif suggests to Pak Samad to sell nasi lemak without lining it with banana leaves Hanif argues that selling nasi lemak without banana leaves can save costs and increase profits He also states that the customers don't care about the banana leaves Pak Samad rejects the idea for the sake of tradition and nostalgia He adds ...