Prose and Poetry Comprehension
What the domain tests
Prose and Poetry Comprehension checks whether you can read a prescribed extract closely and answer about speaker, situation, theme, tone, character and poetic technique. Questions usually ask for reference to context, explanation, inference and appreciation, not a summary of the whole lesson.
Core rules
- Read the extract twice: first for the situation, second for the exact wording of the question.
- Identify the speaker, listener and occasion before interpreting tone.
- Answer in your own words unless the question says 'quote' or 'pick out'.
- For poetry, name the figure of speech and explain its effect, not just its label.
- Match answer length to marks: a two-mark answer needs a claim plus a reason.
Worked example
Extract: 'The old man planted a sapling though he knew he would not sit in its shade.' Question: What quality of the old man is revealed? Reasoning: the contrast is between planting and not benefiting personally. 'Though' signals sacrifice. Answer: He is selfless and thinks of future generations; he plants for others, not for his own comfort.
Traps that cost marks
Retelling the story instead of answering the question; calling any comparison a metaphor; ignoring signposts such as 'though'; writing one word for a two-mark question; inventing details not in the extract.