Past Questions On Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

AQA A (NEAB) English Literature GCSE

Foundation Tier 2002

EITHER a) ‘The most obvious leader was Jack.’

What makes Jack a powerful leader? How do you think William Golding wants you to respond to him?

Write about:

· Jack’s powerful qualities

· how the writer shows Jack as a leader and a powerful figure

· how you think the writer wants you to respond to Jack

· how you respond to Jack.

OR b) How does William Golding show evil at work in Lord of the Flies?

Write about:

· early signs of evil on the island

· characters and evil intentions

· how the writer shows evil at work.

Higher Tier 2002

EITHER a) Remind yourself of the passage printed below from Chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies.

Write about:

· the ways this passage connects with other parts of the novel

· what the passage shows about the writer’s concerns

· the ways the writer has used details in this passage.

Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry – threw it to miss. The stone, that token of preposterous time, bounced five yards to Henry’s right and fell in the water. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Her, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins. /
5
Henry was surprised by the plopping sound in the water. He abandoned the noiseless transparencies and pointed at the centre of the spreading rigs like a setter. This side and that the stones fell, and Henry turned obediently but always too late to see the stones in the air. At last he saw one and laughed, looking for the friend who was teasing him. But Roger had whipped behind the bole again, was leaning against it breathing quickly, his eyelids fluttering. Then Henry lost interest in stones and wandered off. /
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OR b) Why do you think William Golding chose to set Lord of the Flies on an island, and how does he use the island in the novel?

Foundation Tier 2001

EITHER a) Lord of the Flies begins with making friends, and ends in death and violence.

What do you think are the main reasons for this change, and what is the writer trying to show by it?

Write about:

· the reasons for the change from friendship to death and violence

· how the writer shows this change in the boys

· what you think he is saying about the boys, and about people in general.

OR b) Piggy is clearly a clever boy, but he is a victim too.

How is he important in the novel?

Write about:

· what sort of a boy Piggy is

· how the writer conveys Piggy’s character to the reader

· what Piggy’s treatment by the other boys shows about them

· why you think Piggy is important

Higher Tier 2001

EITHER a) Read again the beginning of the novel up to:

“What’s your name?”

“Ralph.” (about 2 pages in)

How does this opening prepare the reader for the rest of the novel?

Write about:

· the events in the rest of the novel which are suggested by what happens here

· how words and phrases are used to suggest later developments

· how the writer’s concerns in the rest of the novel start to appear hers.

OR Piggy is clearly a clever boy, but he is a victim too.

How does the writer use him in the novel?

Foundation Tier 2000

EITHER a) Some of the events in Lord of the Flies are violent and disturbing.

Choose at least two of these events, and write about:

· what is violent and disturbing in these events

· the importance of these events in the novel

· how the writer makes the events violent and disturbing, by the way that he writes.

OR b) How much do you think Ralph is to blame for what goes wrong on the island?

Write about:

· the ideas Ralph has about life on the island at the start of the novel

· the decisions Ralph makes

· how the writer presents the character of Ralph

· other reasons for things going wrong.

Higher Tier 2000

EITHER a) What is the importance of Simon in Lord of the Flies?

Write about:

· the importance of the part Simon plays in the plot

· how Simon is different from the other boys

· what Simon might represent

· the ways the writer uses Simon to convey his ideas.

OR b) What do you think Golding has to say about evil in Lord of the Flies? How does he convey his ideas to the reader?

Foundation Tier 1999

EITHER a) Remind yourself of the end of the novel from: ‘Ralph screamed…’, which is about four pages from the end.

Do you think this is a good ending to the novel?

You should write about:

· what has just happened to the boys that leads to this situation

· how the writer brings out the feelings and attitudes of the boys and of the naval officer

· how effectively the writer’s ideas are shown in the passage

· your own feelings about he rescuer of the boys.

OR b) Write about the relationship between Jack and Ralph in the novel.

Include:

· what they think of each other at the start of the novel

· how their relationship changes during the novel

· how the writer brings out the differences between them

· why the writer chooses to end their relationship with Jack trying to kill Ralph.

Higher Tier 1999

EITHER a) At the end of the novel the Naval Officer says, ‘I know. Jolly good show. Like the Coral Island.’

Why did Golding choose to end the novel with such a mistaken view?

OR b) Simon says: ‘Maybe there is a beast.’

Ralph says: ‘But there isn’t a beast.’

Jack says: ‘We’ll make sure when we go hunting.’

How does William Golding use the ‘beast’ in the novel as a whole?

You should write about:

· what the ‘beast’ may symbolise

· the way the boys’ ideas about the ‘beast’ change

· what effect the ‘beast’ has on the boys.

Foundation Tier 1998

EITHER a) At the beginning of the novel Ralph is elected chief. Some of the boys disagree with this choice. Who do you think would have been the best leader? Choose one of the following boys: Jack, Piggy, Ralph, Simon.

You should write about:

· what qualities he has that would make him a good leader

· your opinion of him as a person

· how the writer shows the good qualities of your chosen character

· why your choice would be better that the other three.

OR b) How is Ralph changed by his experiences on the island?

You should write about:

· what he is like when the boys are first stranded on the island

· what he tries to do and how he responds to events and other characters

· how the writer shows us the character of Ralph

· what you think the writer wants Ralph to represent.

Higher Tier 1998

EITHER a) At the end of Chapter 5, Ralph asks for ‘something grown up…a sign or something’. What do you think is the significance of the ‘world of grown ups’ at this point in the story, and in the novel as a whole?

You should write about:

· the different attitudes of the boys towards ‘grown ups’

· events that occur on the island and in the outside world

· the writer’s ideas and how he conveys them to the reader.

OR b) Ralph is changed by his experiences on the island. How does Golding show this?

You should write about:

· what he is like when he is first stranded on the island

· what he tries to do and how he responds to events and situations

· how the writer presents the character of Ralph

· your own opinions of Ralph.