Answering Context Questions

Contest questions are detailed questions asked to ascertain whether the student knows and understands a particular novel, play or poem.

Context questions ask details about:-

1. the speaker of the words;
2. to whom the words are spoken;
3. what particular words mean; what particular phrases and sentences mean;
4. the figures of speech in the lines quoted;
5. the importance of the quotation in the story;
6. what the passage indicates about the characters of the speaker and the listener;
7. how the words quoted are related to previous passages or later actions.

In some papers students are asked to paraphrase the lines or part of the passage.

Hints for the student when answering context questions

1. Answer the question directly.
   
2. Answer in a complete sentence unless told to do otherwise.
   
3. Do not refer to the extract itself as a context - it is taken out of context. Call it 'the passage' or 'these lines' or 'the words'.
   
4. Keep your answers as short as possible. There is no need to write at length. Quotations are not necessary in this type of answer although they are acceptable if they are not "lifted" directly from the given passage.

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