Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Possible Exam Questions on Gatsby

Alongside the Section A (a) type question where you will more than likely have to "Write about the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter ___" some other possible Section A (b) questions could focus on one of the below. If any of you want some additonal practice on answering this type of discursive question, submit an essay to me, I'll mark it and give you feedback accordingly. Practice makes perfect and all that! :)


1.     ‘The characters are irresponsible dreamers.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

2.     ‘Nick Carraway is too deeply involved in events and relationships to be a reliable narrator.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

3.     ‘In The Great Gatsby, love is presented as an unobtainable fantasy.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

4.     ‘Unrequited longing is central to the meaning and tone of The Great Gatsby.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

5.     ‘In The Great Gatsby, the characters are presented as somehow removed from what happens to them.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

6.     ‘The settings of The Great Gatsby represent aspects of The American Dream.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

7.     ‘In The Great Gatsby’, The American Dream is presented as a trap.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

8.     ‘The ending is both moving and appropriate.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

9.     ‘Despite presenting himself to us as mere onlooker, Nick is partially responsible for what happens in the novel.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

10.  The Great Gatsby is a bleak view of a broken society.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

11.  ‘The past will always haunt those not satisfied with their present.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

12.  ‘Reality is a state of mind dismissed by the characters in The Great Gatsby.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

13.  The Great Gatsby is a cynical novel.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

14.  ‘The women characters are merely decorative figures of seemingly fragile beauty.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

15.  ‘The characters are morally blind, especially Nick.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

16.  ‘Gatsby is so mysterious and isolated, it is impossible to relate to him and this makes the novel a failure.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

17.  ‘The novel paints a world of desolation and despair.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]

18.  ‘Daisy and Tom are not tragic characters; they are merely unattractive.’
How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Great Gatsby? [21]


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