Exemplar responses to CXC CSEC English B Paper 020, 2012

The CSEC English Ilabus outlines the skills that are tested h the English B examination. Four
criiical kills that are outlined b the Ilahus are the testing of i description (the outIiiiin ot
relei ant ()fliPfli). anai sis (the ahilitx to break don n, select and comnent on the ,iamficance of
relevant details) and, synthesis (the ability to bring together and condense in a new form
information drawn from various sections of a text for the purpose of answering a particular
question); (ii) the ability to communicate informed opinions and judgements in well-structured,
analytical responses in oral and s ritten form using the vocabulary of literary criticism: (iii) the
ahilit to recognise the uriters craft the nriter as a person nho employs .arious techniques in
the shaping of language and the presentation of character and behasiour) and i) the ability to
respond to West Indian and other Literatures in Engish: no\eis. short stories, poems and plays:
to make rational and sensitive appraisal of s alue judgements, states of consciousness and other
concepts explored in literature, and relate these to everyday living.
In short students are expected to:

demonstrate the ability to describe or outline relevant content

dnal\se. that is. break do\n, eiect and comment on significant relexait details
synthesize, that is, appropriately select relevant information from different sources and
organize it coherently in response to a particular question
comfortably and fluently write about literary works using the language of literary
criticism
recognise the writers use of techniques and devices to effectively convey issues.
thoughts and obseri ations
respond to the various issues and ideas explored in literature and demonstrate an
understanding of how these reflect, elucidate and relate to everyday life.

These skills represent, to a significant extent, the expectations regarding students abilities once
they are thoroughly prepared to study and respond to literature .More specifically, students who
are so prepared are expected to demonstrate (in their responses) understanding through
kiow ledge of text and insight which includes their ha\ ng adequate and rele ant content, and
their selecting rele ant and accurate examples. Of equal importance is their expression which
takes in properly organized responses n hich are appropriately structured and developed, have
clear and logical argument, and use language which includes clear and appropriate expression
and show eumpetence in the nwchanic of wrd:ng sentence tructnre. erammar, nunctuatlon.
and spellIng)
The essay students nr:te are theiefoie es abated in the context of thee ktli
5 outlined by the
syllabus and analyses of students work is ill he useful if guided by the parameters outlined in
these skills in the syllabus.

ii.

In The Day the World Almost Cane to an End and Mom Luby and the Social Worker humor
isuset
(a) Describe ONE humorous locident in EACH story.

(8 marks)

(b) Which story do you find more interesting? Justify your response.

(8 marks)

(c) Show how the writer creates humour in the telling of EACH story.

(9 marks)

Total 25 marks

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

01219020/F 2012

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Questions ii (Prose FictionShort Story) on the 2012 CSEC English B

paper will he analvied in
the context outlined abo\ e

Question ii

Prose Fiction

Short Stor
.4 4rld of Poetry fnr CXC

Ha7ei Simrnonds-McDonald and Darid Williams

Question 11 on the 2012 English B paper required that candidates describ

e a humorous incident
in the two named stories. gis e justification for which story
they find more interesting and show
how humour is created in the telling of each ctory. The given stories are
Mom Luhv and the
Social Worker and The Day the World Almost Came to an End.
This question seeks to get candidates to demonstrate skills outlined page
22 of the syllabus with
particular focus on skills number 2. 3, 4 and 5. In a nutshell, the candidate
5 to outline relevant
i
content (describe), select and comment on reles ant details (analyse)
draw from relevant
sections of the texts to answer the question (synthesise). recognise and write
about the writers
craft and produce well-argued ,judgements based on the information in the text.
.

This candidate describes in accurate detail what is humorous in both texts.

In describing the
humour in both texts, the candidate focuses on giving both the details
of each story but
emphasises the sense of humour in each. In The Day the World Almost
Cane to an End, after
deccrihing the personality ot the character. the candidate highlig
hts the character reaction to the
incident to demonstrate that he/she is fully aware of how the charac
tef s seeming courage
followed by his/her response the introduction of an airplane being heard
for the first time is
nothing short of humorous. Describing a seemingly assured narrator,
the candidate traces the
weakening of the nalTator s confidence that the world is almost comin
g to an end and its ultimate
breaking on the sound of the airplane. The candidate leaves no doubt that
the childish reaction
to the unknown the aircraft is what is humourous. This response is good
because it not only
describes but directs the reader to how the candidate is thinking by highlig
hting specifically what
the candidatc considers humorous.

In Mom Leby and the Socai Worker. the candidate is spot on n highig
hting the difterent
responses of Mom Luby and the Social worker to a similar situation. The candid
ate is not lost on
me humour in the fact tnat Mom Luhy Is tar more knowledgeable about u hat
ought to happen
than the states officially appointed worker. According to the candidate the contras
t is hilarious
hut the iesponse goes further to point out that such contrast point out the flaw
s in the y stem.
Here we see a candidate who not onl describes humour hut import
antly offers us a s iew
regarding what the stolv ue. cuch humour to highlight about soLlety.
The good response a ould
simply have described the incident; this superior response proided an insight
into what the

In describing how humour is created in The Day the World

Almost Came to an End the
candidate choses to build the argument around the innocence of the
child, the immersion of both
the reader and the child in the world of religion and the childs
ignorance of technology the
airplane. The capacity of the candidate to bring these details togeth
er and argue that the authors
combining of these three things leads to the childs humorous reactio
n is demonstrated. In Mom
Luby and the Social Worker the candidate points out the contras
t between both characters and
Mom Lubys questioning the social worker as the basis on which
the humour in the story is
created. It is not lost on the candidate that the dishevelled appear
ance of Miss Rushane after
being subject to questions and a lesson from Mom Luby is the climac
tic moment in the story.

In responding to the final section of the question specifically, this

candidate who has done well
to include throughout the response critical insights into how the
humour is created and what it
means simply summarises. The final paragraph therefore, approp
riately points to the idea that
humour created in these stories occurs from the overreaction
of the narrator in The Day the
World Almost Came to an End and from the satirical and exagge
rated presentation of a system
in Mom Luhy and the Social Worker. Such a statement points
to the focus the candidate has
which helps him/her to note that he/she has responded to the
question so well that there is only a
need to summarise what has been presented in the essay.
This response highlights a candidate who has superior organisationa
l skills, excellent analytical
and synthesising skills and commendable understanding of literary
language and how to talk
about literature in such language.