Practice Questions for Advanced Module B: W.B Yeats
Most students consider Module B to be the most difficult of all three modules. It requires a close knowledge of text and language forms and features used to create meaning within texts. Refine your skills and test your knowledge with the following questions:
- How is your personal response to the poetry of Yeats shaped by a perception of voice in the poems? In your answer, refer to THREE of the poems set for study. (2009 Catholic Trial)
- A valuable text has something to say and says it well. How valid is this claim, considering the different contexts in which a text can be received? In your response compare your evaluation of Yeats’ poetry with one other perspective on his work. Base your discussion on close analysis of at least TWO poems. (2009 ETA Trial)
- Write a series of three or four reflections that demonstrate how your response to William Butler Yeats’ poetry changed and developed during the process of your critical study. Base your reflections on a detailed examination of TWO or THREE of Yeats’ poems. (2009 Independent Trial)
- “A text has value if it creates opportunities for change, while maintaining its core values.” Explore this notion in relation to your text set for study.
- A key aspect of the poetry’s ongoing appeal is Yeats’ use of meaningful structure. In your view, to what extent does the structure contribute to the appeal of Yeats’ poetry? Support your evaluation with detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems prescribed for study.
- How has considering other interpretations of Yeats’ poetry helped you develop your own appreciation of the textual integrity of the poetry? In your response you should consider the ideas, poetic techniques and structure of at least TWO of Yeats’ poems prescribed for study.
- Tension between individuals and life experiences create interest in the poetry of W.B Yeats. Discuss in reference to two poems.