Observation

This question requires the candidates to account for the usage of surprise and how it contributes to the development of the plot. Most candidates could not pick out issues that portray surprises in the play.

Candidates were expected to discuss:

• The central theme of the interplay of social class and marriage in Victorian England developed through suspense.
• Explanation of terms: Plot refers to the arrangement/sequencing of events and actions in the play. These affect the fortunes of the characters. Surprise is a device the writer uses to change the reader’s expectations about how events and actions ‘proceed to produce certain predictable outcomes.’
• Helena’s surprise arrival changes Jimmy’s mood at a time when his relationship with Alison appears to be a happy one.
• Alison’s departure and surprise return, which triggers Helena’s departure.
• The reconciliation between Jimmy and Alison: the writer has successfully used surprise as an artistic device to create the desired effect of reconciling the feuding couple.

Candidates’ performance in this question was fair.