english literature essay type questions and answers

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How to Answer Essay Type Questions in Literature Examinations

Last Updated: November 14, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 84% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 143,422 times.

Answering essay questions on literature exams can be daunting, especially with timed exams. Before the test, you should have a full understanding of how the different parts of a classical argument fit together to make a whole. The best way to quickly write an organized essay is to outline your argument before you begin your answer. With a little bit of preparation, you can ensure a good grade on your exam.

Writing Your Essay

• Create a bullet point for each point you choose to make in your paper.
• Your first point should include the introduction, statement of facts, and thesis.
• You should break up the “proof” or body paragraphs into however many points you laid out in your thesis. If you promised three points, create three bullet points. If you promised four points, create four bullet points. Remember that the body paragraphs must follow the exact order of the thesis.
• Create a point for the statement of the counterargument. You can either create a new point/paragraph for your refutation of it, or keep it all in one paragraph by making the refutation a subpoint.
• Create a point for the conclusion.

• If you're using external sources, you should include them in your outline. You don't want to accidentally leave out a great source because you got caught up in the writing and forgot about it.

• Use transition words like furthermore, similarly, or indeed to transition between agreeing ideas. [4] X Research source
• Use "conflict" transition words and phrases to transition between conflicting ideas — like the counterargument and your refutation of it. Examples include however, in contrast, on the other hand, or conversely.

• Make sure to refer back to your outline repeatedly during the writing process. This is the roadmap of your answer. Don't wander away from it and get off-course.

• If you're being graded primarily on the content of your argument, leave grammar and spelling editing for your last step.
• If you're being graded primarily on your grammar and spelling, by all means, correct your errors as you go!
• In most cases, you won't be graded on one or the other. Keep your specific teacher or standardized test in mind. Have a strategy for when you plan to correct your errors before you take the test.

• If you're in an isolated room, read the essay aloud to yourself to look for grammar errors that sound wrong. It's easier to hear mistakes than see them on the page.
• Read your sentences backwards to look for spelling errors you might skim over if you were reading the sentences normally. [5] X Research source

Structuring Your Argument

• Introduction (exordium)
• Statement of Facts (narratio)
• Thesis (partitio)
• Proof (confirmatio)
• Refutation (refutatio)
• Conclusion (peroratio)
• The introduction, statement of facts, and thesis are often grouped together in the first paragraph of the answer.

• Another way to think of the exordium is to consider where the word "introduction" comes from. The prefix "intro" means "inward," as in introspection (looking inward). "Duction" comes from the Latin root "ducere," which means "to lead." This is where we get the modern words duke (one who leads) and orchestra conductor (one who leads together). [7] X Research source [8] X Research source
• In the introduction, you want to intro + duce, or lead the reader inward, further into your argument.

• If your reader already knows the background information, you may be able to skip this section.
• In Cicero's Latin, this section was called the "narratio," which is where we get the modern word "narrator." The narrator is the voice in a book that gives readers information that can't be delivered through dialogue or action.
• The word "knowledge" itself shares a root with narration : gnoscere. [10] X Research source In this section, you give the readers the knowledge they need to follow your argument.

• Cicero's Latin word, partitio, shares a root with the modern word "partition," which means division or separation. When Beyonce sings "Driver roll up the partition, please," she's asking the driver to roll up the window that separates him from the passengers in the back.
• So the thesis is where you list out the different parts of your argument — your X, Y, and Z — in list form, separately.

• Note that it's not enough to just list a bunch of quotes and statistics from sources. That's not making an argument — it's restating someone else's information or argument.

• Don't include a counterargument without refuting it. To refute means to "beat back." [13] X Research source The only reason you include the opposing point of view is to beat it back and strengthen your own position.

• Do not transition into your conclusion with a signal phrase like "in conclusion" or "in summary." Find a less obvious, more sophisticated transition.

Expert Q&A

• Never plagiarize another author's words or ideas. You can fail the assignment or even the entire course, or get suspended or expelled from school Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Tristen Bonacci. Licensed English Teacher. Expert Interview. 21 December 2021.
• ↑ https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/sites/default/files/global/documents/library/essay_outline_worksheet.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/29/
• ↑ https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html
• ↑ http://www.stlcc.edu/Student_Resources/Academic_Resources/Writing_Resources/Writing_Handouts/proofreading.pdf
• ↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=exhort
• ↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=duke&searchmode=none
• ↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=conductor&searchmode=none
• ↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=narration&allowed_in_frame=0
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/
• ↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=refute

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How to Answer Literature Questions

Do these seven simple things to answer Literature questions correctly:

• Identify exactly what the Literature question you are about to answer requires from you.
• Have a brief outline or plan for your Literature answer.
• Begin your Literature essay with a direct reference to the main point of the Literature question.
• State and develop each point of your answer in separate paragraphs.
• For each point, quickly give evidence from the novel, drama or poem to support it.
• Make brief, occasional general comments about how a point relates to real-life situations.
• Finally, close your Literature essay with a brief but compelling concluding paragraph.

The above is just a summary of the necessary steps to take to answer Literature questions correctly. If you need further explanation on these points about how to answer the WAEC Literature question, for example, then continue reading. Because in the coming paragraphs, I will show you the details of all the tips and tricks you can use to answer Literature questions.

So whether you are a high school student or an adult learner looking for how to answer the WAEC/WASSCE Literature essay questions on prose, drama and poetry, I’ve got you covered.

The same applies to you if you are an undergraduate student studying for a college degree in Literature and English. It does not really matter the particular degree-awarding institution you are attending because Literature questions and the way to answer them are generally the same everywhere.

A Special Note to My Colleague Teachers of Literature

I trust that you will find something useful in this post to add to the guidelines you will be giving to your students regarding what they need to do to answer Literature questions correctly.

Access Sample Literature Essay Templates

Do you want a practical demonstration of the tips in this post? Well, you can have as many as over 200 Literature essay templates or plans right here at Cegast Academy.

We have over 80 essay questions and answer templates on Second Class Citizen. Additionally, there are more than 70 questions and answers templates on both African and Non-African Poetry.

Then also, you can access more sample Literature essay plans and templates on The Lion and the Jewel, The Invisible Man, Fences as well as Look Back In Anger.

With that out of the way, allow me to walk you through the simple steps to take to answer Literature questions correctly. We shall begin with the first point above.

You Really Need This

First of all, I assume that any student of Literature who is looking for tips on how to answer Literature questions must have already read, thoroughly, the prescribed Literature prescribed books. At the very least, such a student should have read a detailed plot summary and analysis of the Literature texts.

It is also advisable to have a chapter-by-chapter summary of the novel or a scene-by-scene summary of the prescribed drama text.

Such a student must have as well gone through the set poems for the examination already.

For WAEC/WASSCE, NECO/SSCE and JAMB Literature candidates up to the year 2025, I strongly recommend that you take a look at the following tutorials. They will help you to have a good feel of the various Literature textbooks as well as other related topics you need to study.

Plot Summary and Analysis of Second Class Citizen

Chapter by Chapter Summary of Second Class Citizen

Analysis of Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

The Grieved Lands of Africa Analyzed

17 Reasons Why Students Fail Literature

The Lion and the Jewel Plot Summary and Analysis

Harvest of Corruption Summarized – Themes, Characters and Dramatic Techniques

Summary of Scene 4 of Harvest of Corruption

A Brief Summary of Faceless by Amma Darko

Summary and Analysis of Chapter 4 of Faceless by Amma Darko

You need to know the stories, plays and poems well enough. It makes enough sense to say that you cannot say anything meaningful about what you know nothing about.

So let’s take it that you’ve got your stuff all set and ready to roll.  Now you’re looking for how to use it to answer any Literature question that might come your way.

1. Know what the questions require from you

Look at it this way. When someone asked you a question, you would only give the right answer if you heard and understood it well enough. This is why we ask for a repeat of a question when we didn’t hear it well the first time.

How to Get A WAEC/WASSCE Certificate Without Attending Senior High School

The Shortest Plot Summary of Fences

A Short Summary of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

The same goes for examination questions. You can only get the marks you need if you provide the right answer to the Literature question. And the starting point is knowing exactly what you are being asked to do. Take some time to get your understanding of the question right.

Let me explain a bit further. Look at this question.

Comment on the use of repetition in D.H. Lawrence’s poem, Bat.

The above question requires just one simple thing from you. That is, write an essay on the use of REPETITION in the poem BAT.

Almost every Literature essay question tries to make the student’s work as easy as possible. In this case, all you need to focus on is the literary technique known as REPETITION and nothing more. And the poem is ‘Bat’ , please.

This is where you need to convince yourself that you can truly say as much as possible about REPETITION in D.H. Lawrence’s poem called ‘Bat’.

Quite frankly, it is easy to write an essay on just one literary technique in a poem. The same goes for a question about a theme or a character in the text in question.

Knowing what the question requires from you will help you to limit the scope of your essay to only what is needed to carry a very high mark. You will not have to go on writing about unnecessary stuff that takes you nowhere.

2. Have a brief outline for your Literature answer.

A good essay plan is an essay half-written. Take a small fraction of your time to list the key points and stages of your essay.

Let’s take another example.

Examine Senghor’s Black Woman as a negritude poem.

A simple but effective answer plan for the above Literature question could be this.

• Introduction – what negritude literature/poetry is about
• Brief subject matter/meaning of ‘Black Woman’
• Elements of negritude poetry found in Black Woman

-Subject Matter

-Some relevant poetic techniques – 2 or 3

• Conclusion – restatement of elements of negritude and how effective they are.

About six to eight paragraphs should be enough for this essay on Black Woman as a negritude poem.

The moment you have a rough outline of what you will be writing about in the essay, the writing process itself becomes much easier.

3. Begin with a direct reference to the main point.

As you can see in the essay plan example I gave you a moment ago, the introductory paragraph is about the main point in the question – negritude poetry.

Every other thing you know about the poem, novel or drama is irrelevant if it is not mentioned in the question you want to answer.

Just learn to start answering all Literature questions with a quick reference to the main point. Life gets easier this way. And your examiner will reward you for knowing what to say and what not to say.

4. State and develop each point of your answer in separate paragraphs.

Another key step to take to correctly answer Literature questions is to organize your essay in an orderly manner.

Simplify everything by devoting each point to a separate paragraph. And do not waste time in doing so.

For example, in the ‘Black Woman’ essay plan above, the point about the theme can be in a single paragraph. Then you can share the two or three poetic devices among two or three paragraphs as the case may be.

Remember that all your points must have something to do with the main point of the Literature question.

5. Give evidence from the text to support each point.

Do not just make a point and leave it hanging there. Prop it up with concrete evidence from the novel, play or poem.

For example, if you say the poet has used personification in ‘Black Woman’ , go ahead and quickly cite an example or two.

Quote a line or just a couple of words to prove what you have just said. Then explain how this evidence relates to the main point in the question.

Again, in the case of Senghor’s ‘Black Woman’, say how what you have quoted supports the assertion that truly, the poem belongs to the negritude tradition.

Please note that you can paraphrase areas of the original text as your evidence.

The truth is it is not always easy to quote exactly what you want to use as proof of a point you have made in your Literature essay. This is why you are free to use paraphrasing instead of quoting wrongly.

6. Relate your points to real-life situations.

Literature mirrors life. One of the best ways to answer Literature questions, whether in a WAEC exam or similar high school exams, is to occasionally relate what you have observed to practical life situations.

This works best when your Literature answer is about a character and their role in a play or novel. It is equally good for Literature questions that ask the candidate to discuss a particular theme in the text.

A quick warning, though. Do not overdo this. Always remain focused on the core demands of the question.

Also, any brief general commentary can be part of the explanation of your points in the respective paragraphs. You do not need to give them their own separate paragraphs.

7. Write a concluding paragraph.

Here are some quick tips to consider when you are writing your conclusion

• Make it short
• Summarize what you consider to be your most important points in the body of the essay.
• Give an assessment especially when the question contains words like, ‘examine’ and ‘assess’. How do you do this?

All you need to do here is to state the extent to which you think (based on all that you’ve been saying in the essay) the author has been able to effectively deal with whatever literary device or theme or character you are looking at.

In most cases, you will be on the safer side to give credit to the author even if you do not agree with everything.

Final Thoughts

Now you know the key steps to take to answer Literature questions in the most acceptable manner. Make sure to check out additional tutorials on characters and themes that will give you more practical examples of how to answer all types of WAEC Literature questions. And don’t hesitate to leave a comment if something is still not clear to you.

Did you find this information helpful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!

Ralph Nyadzi

Ralph Nyadzi is the Director of Studies at Cegast Academy. He is a qualified English tutor with decades of experience behind him. Since 2001, he has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature and related subjects. He combines his expertise with a passion for lifelong learning to guide learners from varying backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. Ralph shares lessons from his blogging journey on BloggingtotheMax . He lives with River, his pet cat, in the Central Region of Ghana.

• Ralph Nyadzi https://www.cegastacademy.com/author/misteraf/ The Grieved Lands of Africa Quiz: Objective Test Questions and Answers
• Ralph Nyadzi https://www.cegastacademy.com/author/misteraf/ Caged Bird Questions and Answers (Multiple Choice)
• Ralph Nyadzi https://www.cegastacademy.com/author/misteraf/ Bat Poem Questions and Answers (D.H. Lawrence)
• Ralph Nyadzi https://www.cegastacademy.com/author/misteraf/ Black Woman Questions and Answers: Objective Practice Test (Poetry)

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1 thought on “how to answer literature questions”.

Wow…this was very enlightening and educative. Thank you very much sir. Please sir i am writing JAMB this year and i am an art student. I am not very certain on the prescribed texts, poems and anthologies for Literature in English and i have checked JAMB site for the syllabus but i’m not sure if they’ve updated their literature syllabus. Sir, if you kindly know the texts and poems for this year, it would be really helpful. Thank you sir.

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How to Write a Good English Literature Essay

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

How do you write a good English Literature essay? Although to an extent this depends on the particular subject you’re writing about, and on the nature of the question your essay is attempting to answer, there are a few general guidelines for how to write a convincing essay – just as there are a few guidelines for writing well in any field.

We at Interesting Literature  call them ‘guidelines’ because we hesitate to use the word ‘rules’, which seems too programmatic. And as the writing habits of successful authors demonstrate, there is no  one way to become a good writer – of essays, novels, poems, or whatever it is you’re setting out to write. The French writer Colette liked to begin her writing day by picking the fleas off her cat.

Edith Sitwell, by all accounts, liked to lie in an open coffin before she began her day’s writing. Friedrich von Schiller kept rotten apples in his desk, claiming he needed the scent of their decay to help him write. (For most student essay-writers, such an aroma is probably allowed to arise in the writing-room more organically, over time.)

We will address our suggestions for successful essay-writing to the average student of English Literature, whether at university or school level. There are many ways to approach the task of essay-writing, and these are just a few pointers for how to write a better English essay – and some of these pointers may also work for other disciplines and subjects, too.

Of course, these guidelines are designed to be of interest to the non-essay-writer too – people who have an interest in the craft of writing in general. If this describes you, we hope you enjoy the list as well. Remember, though, everyone can find writing difficult: as Thomas Mann memorably put it, ‘A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.’ Nora Ephron was briefer: ‘I think the hardest thing about writing is writing.’ So, the guidelines for successful essay-writing:

1. Planning is important, but don’t spend too long perfecting a structure that might end up changing.

This may seem like odd advice to kick off with, but the truth is that different approaches work for different students and essayists. You need to find out which method works best for you.

It’s not a bad idea, regardless of whether you’re a big planner or not, to sketch out perhaps a few points on a sheet of paper before you start, but don’t be surprised if you end up moving away from it slightly – or considerably – when you start to write.

Often the most extensively planned essays are the most mechanistic and dull in execution, precisely because the writer has drawn up a plan and refused to deviate from it. What  is a more valuable skill is to be able to sense when your argument may be starting to go off-topic, or your point is getting out of hand,  as you write . (For help on this, see point 5 below.)

We might even say that when it comes to knowing how to write a good English Literature essay,  practising  is more important than planning.

2. Make room for close analysis of the text, or texts.

Whilst it’s true that some first-class or A-grade essays will be impressive without containing any close reading as such, most of the highest-scoring and most sophisticated essays tend to zoom in on the text and examine its language and imagery closely in the course of the argument. (Close reading of literary texts arises from theology and the analysis of holy scripture, but really became a ‘thing’ in literary criticism in the early twentieth century, when T. S. Eliot, F. R. Leavis, William Empson, and other influential essayists started to subject the poem or novel to close scrutiny.)

Close reading has two distinct advantages: it increases the specificity of your argument (so you can’t be so easily accused of generalising a point), and it improves your chances of pointing up something about the text which none of the other essays your marker is reading will have said. For instance, take In Memoriam  (1850), which is a long Victorian poem by the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson about his grief following the death of his close friend, Arthur Hallam, in the early 1830s.

When answering a question about the representation of religious faith in Tennyson’s poem  In Memoriam  (1850), how might you write a particularly brilliant essay about this theme? Anyone can make a general point about the poet’s crisis of faith; but to look closely at the language used gives you the chance to show  how the poet portrays this.

For instance, consider this stanza, which conveys the poet’s doubt:

A solid and perfectly competent essay might cite this stanza in support of the claim that Tennyson is finding it increasingly difficult to have faith in God (following the untimely and senseless death of his friend, Arthur Hallam). But there are several ways of then doing something more with it. For instance, you might get close to the poem’s imagery, and show how Tennyson conveys this idea, through the image of the ‘altar-stairs’ associated with religious worship and the idea of the stairs leading ‘thro’ darkness’ towards God.

In other words, Tennyson sees faith as a matter of groping through the darkness, trusting in God without having evidence that he is there. If you like, it’s a matter of ‘blind faith’. That would be a good reading. Now, here’s how to make a good English essay on this subject even better: one might look at how the word ‘falter’ – which encapsulates Tennyson’s stumbling faith – disperses into ‘falling’ and ‘altar’ in the succeeding lines. The word ‘falter’, we might say, itself falters or falls apart.

That is doing more than just interpreting the words: it’s being a highly careful reader of the poetry and showing how attentive to the language of the poetry you can be – all the while answering the question, about how the poem portrays the idea of faith. So, read and then reread the text you’re writing about – and be sensitive to such nuances of language and style.

The best way to  become attuned to such nuances is revealed in point 5. We might summarise this point as follows: when it comes to knowing how to write a persuasive English Literature essay, it’s one thing to have a broad and overarching argument, but don’t be afraid to use the  microscope as well as the telescope.

3. Provide several pieces of evidence where possible.

Many essays have a point to make and make it, tacking on a single piece of evidence from the text (or from beyond the text, e.g. a critical, historical, or biographical source) in the hope that this will be enough to make the point convincing.

‘State, quote, explain’ is the Holy Trinity of the Paragraph for many. What’s wrong with it? For one thing, this approach is too formulaic and basic for many arguments. Is one quotation enough to support a point? It’s often a matter of degree, and although one piece of evidence is better than none, two or three pieces will be even more persuasive.

After all, in a court of law a single eyewitness account won’t be enough to convict the accused of the crime, and even a confession from the accused would carry more weight if it comes supported by other, objective evidence (e.g. DNA, fingerprints, and so on).

Let’s go back to the example about Tennyson’s faith in his poem  In Memoriam  mentioned above. Perhaps you don’t find the end of the poem convincing – when the poet claims to have rediscovered his Christian faith and to have overcome his grief at the loss of his friend.

You can find examples from the end of the poem to suggest your reading of the poet’s insincerity may have validity, but looking at sources beyond the poem – e.g. a good edition of the text, which will contain biographical and critical information – may help you to find a clinching piece of evidence to support your reading.

And, sure enough, Tennyson is reported to have said of  In Memoriam : ‘It’s too hopeful, this poem, more than I am myself.’ And there we have it: much more convincing than simply positing your reading of the poem with a few ambiguous quotations from the poem itself.

Of course, this rule also works in reverse: if you want to argue, for instance, that T. S. Eliot’s  The Waste Land is overwhelmingly inspired by the poet’s unhappy marriage to his first wife, then using a decent biographical source makes sense – but if you didn’t show evidence for this idea from the poem itself (see point 2), all you’ve got is a vague, general link between the poet’s life and his work.

Show  how the poet’s marriage is reflected in the work, e.g. through men and women’s relationships throughout the poem being shown as empty, soulless, and unhappy. In other words, when setting out to write a good English essay about any text, don’t be afraid to  pile on  the evidence – though be sensible, a handful of quotations or examples should be more than enough to make your point convincing.

4. Avoid tentative or speculative phrasing.

Many essays tend to suffer from the above problem of a lack of evidence, so the point fails to convince. This has a knock-on effect: often the student making the point doesn’t sound especially convinced by it either. This leaks out in the telling use of, and reliance on, certain uncertain  phrases: ‘Tennyson might have’ or ‘perhaps Harper Lee wrote this to portray’ or ‘it can be argued that’.

An English university professor used to write in the margins of an essay which used this last phrase, ‘What  can’t be argued?’

This is a fair criticism: anything can be argued (badly), but it depends on what evidence you can bring to bear on it (point 3) as to whether it will be a persuasive argument. (Arguing that the plays of Shakespeare were written by a Martian who came down to Earth and ingratiated himself with the world of Elizabethan theatre is a theory that can be argued, though few would take it seriously. We wish we could say ‘none’, but that’s a story for another day.)

Many essay-writers, because they’re aware that texts are often open-ended and invite multiple interpretations (as almost all great works of literature invariably do), think that writing ‘it can be argued’ acknowledges the text’s rich layering of meaning and is therefore valid.

Whilst this is certainly a fact – texts are open-ended and can be read in wildly different ways – the phrase ‘it can be argued’ is best used sparingly if at all. It should be taken as true that your interpretation is, at bottom, probably unprovable. What would it mean to ‘prove’ a reading as correct, anyway? Because you found evidence that the author intended the same thing as you’ve argued of their text? Tennyson wrote in a letter, ‘I wrote In Memoriam  because…’?

But the author might have lied about it (e.g. in an attempt to dissuade people from looking too much into their private life), or they might have changed their mind (to go back to the example of  The Waste Land : T. S. Eliot championed the idea of poetic impersonality in an essay of 1919, but years later he described  The Waste Land as ‘only the relief of a personal and wholly insignificant grouse against life’ – hardly impersonal, then).

Texts – and their writers – can often be contradictory, or cagey about their meaning. But we as critics have to act responsibly when writing about literary texts in any good English essay or exam answer. We need to argue honestly, and sincerely – and not use what Wikipedia calls ‘weasel words’ or hedging expressions.

So, if nothing is utterly provable, all that remains is to make the strongest possible case you can with the evidence available. You do this, not only through marshalling the evidence in an effective way, but by writing in a confident voice when making your case. Fundamentally, ‘There is evidence to suggest that’ says more or less the same thing as ‘It can be argued’, but it foregrounds the  evidence rather than the argument, so is preferable as a phrase.

This point might be summarised by saying: the best way to write a good English Literature essay is to be honest about the reading you’re putting forward, so you can be confident in your interpretation and use clear, bold language. (‘Bold’ is good, but don’t get too cocky, of course…)

5. Read the work of other critics.

This might be viewed as the Holy Grail of good essay-writing tips, since it is perhaps the single most effective way to improve your own writing. Even if you’re writing an essay as part of school coursework rather than a university degree, and don’t need to research other critics for your essay, it’s worth finding a good writer of literary criticism and reading their work. Why is this worth doing?

Published criticism has at least one thing in its favour, at least if it’s published by an academic press or has appeared in an academic journal, and that is that it’s most probably been peer-reviewed, meaning that other academics have read it, closely studied its argument, checked it for errors or inaccuracies, and helped to ensure that it is expressed in a fluent, clear, and effective way.

If you’re serious about finding out how to write a better English essay, then you need to study how successful writers in the genre do it. And essay-writing is a genre, the same as novel-writing or poetry. But why will reading criticism help you? Because the critics you read can show you how to do all of the above: how to present a close reading of a poem, how to advance an argument that is not speculative or tentative yet not over-confident, how to use evidence from the text to make your argument more persuasive.

And, the more you read of other critics – a page a night, say, over a few months – the better you’ll get. It’s like textual osmosis: a little bit of their style will rub off on you, and every writer learns by the examples of other writers.

As T. S. Eliot himself said, ‘The poem which is absolutely original is absolutely bad.’ Don’t get precious about your own distinctive writing style and become afraid you’ll lose it. You can’t  gain a truly original style before you’ve looked at other people’s and worked out what you like and what you can ‘steal’ for your own ends.

We say ‘steal’, but this is not the same as saying that plagiarism is okay, of course. But consider this example. You read an accessible book on Shakespeare’s language and the author makes a point about rhymes in Shakespeare. When you’re working on your essay on the poetry of Christina Rossetti, you notice a similar use of rhyme, and remember the point made by the Shakespeare critic.

This is not plagiarising a point but applying it independently to another writer. It shows independent interpretive skills and an ability to understand and apply what you have read. This is another of the advantages of reading critics, so this would be our final piece of advice for learning how to write a good English essay: find a critic whose style you like, and study their craft.

If you’re looking for suggestions, we can recommend a few favourites: Christopher Ricks, whose  The Force of Poetry is a tour de force; Jonathan Bate, whose  The Genius of Shakespeare , although written for a general rather than academic audience, is written by a leading Shakespeare scholar and academic; and Helen Gardner, whose  The Art of T. S. Eliot , whilst dated (it came out in 1949), is a wonderfully lucid and articulate analysis of Eliot’s poetry.

James Wood’s How Fiction Works  is also a fine example of lucid prose and how to close-read literary texts. Doubtless readers of  Interesting Literature will have their own favourites to suggest in the comments, so do check those out, as these are just three personal favourites. What’s your favourite work of literary scholarship/criticism? Suggestions please.

Much of all this may strike you as common sense, but even the most commonsensical advice can go out of your mind when you have a piece of coursework to write, or an exam to revise for. We hope these suggestions help to remind you of some of the key tenets of good essay-writing practice – though remember, these aren’t so much commandments as recommendations. No one can ‘tell’ you how to write a good English Literature essay as such.

But it can be learned. And remember, be interesting – find the things in the poems or plays or novels which really ignite your enthusiasm. As John Mortimer said, ‘The only rule I have found to have any validity in writing is not to bore yourself.’

Finally, good luck – and happy writing!

And if you enjoyed these tips for how to write a persuasive English essay, check out our advice for how to remember things for exams  and our tips for becoming a better close reader of poetry .

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30 thoughts on “How to Write a Good English Literature Essay”

You must have taken AP Literature. I’m always saying these same points to my students.

I also think a crucial part of excellent essay writing that too many students do not realize is that not every point or interpretation needs to be addressed. When offered the chance to write your interpretation of a work of literature, it is important to note that there of course are many but your essay should choose one and focus evidence on this one view rather than attempting to include all views and evidence to back up each view.

Reblogged this on SocioTech'nowledge .

Not a bad effort…not at all! (Did you intend “subject” instead of “object” in numbered paragraph two, line seven?”

Oops! I did indeed – many thanks for spotting. Duly corrected ;)

That’s what comes of writing about philosophy and the subject/object for another post at the same time!

Reblogged this on Scribing English .

• Pingback: Recommended Resource: Interesting Literature.com & how to write an essay | Write Out Loud

Great post on essay writing! I’ve shared a post about this and about the blog site in general which you can look at here: http://writeoutloudblog.com/2015/01/13/recommended-resource-interesting-literature-com-how-to-write-an-essay/

All of these are very good points – especially I like 2 and 5. I’d like to read the essay on the Martian who wrote Shakespeare’s plays).

Reblogged this on Uniqely Mustered and commented: Dedicate this to all upcoming writers and lovers of Writing!

I shall take this as my New Year boost in Writing Essays. Please try to visit often for corrections,advise and criticisms.

Reblogged this on Blue Banana Bread .

Reblogged this on worldsinthenet .

All very good points, but numbers 2 and 4 are especially interesting.

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Reblogged this on rainniewu .

Reblogged this on pixcdrinks .

• Pingback: How to Write a Good English Essay? Interesting Literature | EngLL.Com

Great post. Interesting infographic how to write an argumentative essay http://www.essay-profy.com/blog/how-to-write-an-essay-writing-an-argumentative-essay/

Reblogged this on DISTINCT CHARACTER and commented: Good Tips

Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented: This could be applied to novel or short story writing as well.

Reblogged this on rosetech67 and commented: Useful, albeit maybe a bit late for me :-)

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, expert's guide to the ap literature exam.

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect on the test. Whether the 2023 test date of Wednesday, May 3, is near or far, I'm here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam.

In this guide, I'll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test-day tips. You'll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!

AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types

The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections in this order:

• An hour-long, 55-question multiple-choice section
• A two-hour, three-question free-response section

The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and cogently communicate that analysis in essay form.

Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the AP Literature exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. It counts for 45% of your overall exam grade .

You can expect to see five excerpts of prose and poetry. You will always get at least two prose passages (fiction or drama) and two poetry passages. In general, you will not be given the author, date, or title for these works, though occasionally the title of a poem will be given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you.

The date ranges of these works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, but you might occasionally see a passage in translation.

There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. I'll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.

"Pretty flowers carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.

The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam

Without further delay, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP Lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the AP Course and Exam Description .

#1: Reading Comprehension

These questions test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level . They don't require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what's going on.

You can identify this question type from words and phrases such as "according to," "mentioned," "asserting," and so on. You'll succeed on these questions as long as you carefully read the text . Note that you might have to go back and reread parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying.

#2: Inference

These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator's opinion, an author's intention, etc.—based on what is said in the passage . It will be something that isn't stated directly or concretely but that you can assume based on what's clearly written in the passage. You can identify these questions from words such as "infer" and "imply."

The key to these questions is to not get tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage .

In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions: you need to know not just what a passage says, but also what it means.

#3: Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language

These are questions for which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase . You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device, such as a simile or metaphor ) or include a figurative phrase in the question itself.

The meaning of figurative phrases can normally be determined by that phrase's context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to?

Example 1: Identifying

Example 2: Interpreting

#4: Literary Technique

These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do , from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem, and to what effect?

You can identify these questions by words/phrases such as "serves chiefly to," "effect," "evoke," and "in order to." A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself: so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure?

#5: Character Analysis

These questions ask you to describe something about a character . You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters' attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters .

This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question , since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than they do for poetry ones.

#6: Overall Passage Questions

Some questions ask you to identify or describe something about the passage or poem as a whole : its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases such as "in the passage" and "as a whole."

To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird's-eye view . What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details?

#7: Structure

Some AP Lit questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage: a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc . Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing.

Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts —structural, tonal, in genre, and so on—will be of key importance for these questions.

#8: Grammar/Nuts & Bolts

Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question , such as what word an adjective is modifying. I'd also include in this category super-specific questions such as those that ask about the meter of a poem (e.g., iambic pentameter).

These questions are less about literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language .

That covers the eight question types on the multiple-choice section. Now, let's take a look at the free-response section of the AP Literature exam.

Keep track of the nuts and bolts of grammar.

Section II: Free Response

The AP Literature Free Response section is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions , so you'll have about 40 minutes per essay. That's not a lot of time considering this section of the test counts for 55% of your overall exam grade !

Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time however you want. Just be sure to leave enough time for each essay! Skipping an essay, or running out of time so you have to rush through one, can really impact your final test score.

The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt. The final essay is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you , the student.

Essays 1 & 2: Literary Passage Analysis

For the first two essays, you'll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development . One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e., the plot context of an excerpt from a novel).

Below are some sample questions from the 2022 Free Response Questions .

Essay 3: Thematic Analysis

For the third and final essay, you'll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select . You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any "work of literary merit."

So while you do have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about , the key words here are "literary merit." That means no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the old 2014 AP Lit Course Description .

(I know, I know—lots of genre fiction works do have literary merit and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. Indeed, you might find academic designations of "literary merit" elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP Lit test! Save it for a really, really good college admissions essay instead .)

Here's a sample question from 2022:

As you can see, the list of works provided spans many time periods and countries : there are ancient Greek plays ( Antigone ), modern literary works (such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ), Shakespeare plays ( The Tempest ), 19th-century English plays ( The Importance of Being Earnest ), etc. So you have a lot to work with!

Also note that you can choose a work of "comparable literary merit." That means you can select a work not on this list as long as it's as difficult and meaningful as the example titles you've been given. So for example, Jane Eyre or East of Eden would be great choices, but Twilight or The Hunger Games would not.

Our advice? If you're not sure what a work of "comparable literary merit" is, stick to the titles on the provided list .

You might even see something by this guy.

How Is the AP Literature Test Graded?

The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your total exam score; the three essays, or free-response section, comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5 . You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

So, how do you calculate your raw scores?

Multiple-Choice Scoring

For the multiple-choice section, you receive 1 point for each question you answer correctly . There's no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after you're able to eliminate any answer you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the right one.

Free-Response Scoring

Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward; however, essay scoring is a little more complicated.

Each of your essays will receive a score from 0 to 6 based on the College Board rubric , which also includes question-specific rubrics. All the rubrics are very similar, with only minor differences between them.

Each essay rubric has three elements you'll be graded on:

• Thesis (0-1 points)
• Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
• Sophistication (0-1 points)

We'll be looking at the current rubric for the AP Lit exam , which was released in September 2019, and what every score means for each of the three elements above:

To get a high-scoring essay in the 5-6 point range, you'll need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, but you’ll also need to stay focused, organized, and clear. And all in just 40 minutes per essay!

If getting a high score on this section sounds like a tall order, that's because it is.

Practice makes perfect!

Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam

There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.

Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot and read well . You'll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills .

I suggest checking out this list of notable authors in the 2014 AP Lit Course Description (pages 10-11).

In addition to reading broadly, you'll want to become especially familiar with the details of four to five books with different themes so you'll be prepared to write a strong student-choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these books inside and out.

See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.

Read (and Interpret) Poetry

One thing students might not do very much on their own time but that will help a lot with AP Lit exam prep is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language.

We know that poetry can be intimidating. That's why we've put together a bunch of guides to help you crack the poetry code (so to speak). You can learn more about poetic devices —like imagery and i ambic pentameter —in our comprehensive guide. Then you can see those analytical skills in action in our expert analysis of " Do not go gentle into that good night " by Dylan Thomas.

When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, you can then move on to close reading (see below).

Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills

Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won't hurt you. Close reading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why. You'll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions.

Here are some helpful close reading resources for prose :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's guide to close reading
• Harvard College Writing Center's close reading guide
• Purdue OWL's article on steering clear of close reading "pitfalls"

And here are some for poetry :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison's poetry-reading guide
• This guide to reading poetry at Poets.org (complete with two poetry close readings)
• Our own expert analyses of famous poems, such as " Ozymandias ", and the 10 famous sonnets you should know

Learn Literary and Poetic Devices

You'll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any test questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you'll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on them.

Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions :

• The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know
• The 20 Poetic Devices You Must Know
• The 9 Literary Elements You'll Find In Every Story
• What Is Imagery?
• Understanding Assonance
• What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry?
• Simile vs Metaphor: The 1 Big Difference
• 10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

Practice Writing Essays

The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it's critical that you practice your timed essay-writing skills . You of course should use the College Board's released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well supported with textual evidence.

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and overall experience . You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description , the College Board website , and our guide to AP English Lit practice test resources .

Be aware that the released exams don't have complete slates of free-response questions, so you might need to supplement these with released free-response questions .

Since there are three complete released exams, you can take one toward the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one toward the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.

Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP Lit prep.

AP Literature: 6 Critical Test-Day Tips

Before we wrap up, here are my six top tips for AP Lit test day:

• #1: On the multiple-choice section, it's to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you'll raise your chances of guessing the correct one.
• #2: Don't rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or when writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage!
• #3: Interact with the text : circle, mark, underline, make notes—whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage.
• #4: This was mentioned above, but it's critical that you know four to five books well for the student-choice essay . You'll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout.
• #5: Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. An outline will take you a few minutes, but it will help your writing process go much faster.
• #6: Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to write. This way you'll be able to get through it while thinking about the other two essays.

And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.

AP Literature Exam: Key Takeaways

The AP Literature exam is a three-hour test that includes an hour-long multiple-choice section based on five prose and poetry passages and with 55 questions, and a two-hour free-response section with three essays : one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by you, the student.

The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score , and the free-response section is worth 55% . The three essays are each scored on a rubric of 0-6, and raw scores are converted to a final scaled score from 1 to 5.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam:

• Read books and be particularly familiar with four to five works for the student-choice essays
• Read poetry
• Work on your close reading and analysis skills
• Learn common literary devices
• Practice writing essays
• Take practice tests!

On test day, be sure to really look closely at all the passages and really interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on both multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. You should also outline your essays before you write them.

With all this in mind, you're well on your way to AP Lit success!

What's Next?

If you're taking other AP exams this year, you might be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam , to the Ultimate AP Chemistry Study Guide , to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide , we have tons of articles on AP courses and exams for you !

Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests . We've also got comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology , AP Biology , AP Chemistry , and AP US History .

Deciding which APs to take? Take a look through the complete list of AP courses and tests , read our analysis of which AP classes are the hardest and easiest , and learn how many AP classes you should take .

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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The Lumber Room

by Saki (H.H. Munro)

The lumber room essay questions.

What role does defiance play in "The Lumber Room"?

As one of the story's dominant themes, defiance plays a major role in "The Lumber Room." From the beginning of the story, Nicholas defies his aunt's wishes for good behavior and a deferential attitude toward her authority. While the other children obey her authority and calmly eat their breakfasts of bread and milk, Nicholas brings a frog in from the garden and complains about it being in his bowl. Nicholas continues to defy his aunt when she expects him to cry as the other children make their way to the beach. Instead of crying, Nicholas chuckles at the sound of his cousin weeping in the carriage. Defiance arises next when the aunt increases his punishment by not letting him access the gooseberry garden. Nicholas knows she expects him to defy her, and he uses that expectation of defiance to his benefit, fooling her into staying outside to prevent him from getting into the garden. While she is distracted, Nicholas enjoys the delights of the lumber room, defying his aunt's restriction against children entering the room. At the end of the story, Nicholas continues to use defiance to undermine his aunt's authority, refusing to help her out of the rain-water tank. Because she told him earlier that he was not allowed into the gooseberry garden, he argues, he cannot fetch a ladder to help her escape. By pretending to adhere to the initial rule, Nicholas manages to defy her wishes yet again.

In what ways does "The Lumber Room" suggest that children can be more intelligent than adults?

"The Lumber Room" shows how adults insecure about their own authority can misunderstand a child's mentality and needs. In the story, Saki depicts Nicholas as a mischievous and shrewd boy who excels in annoying his aunt, largely through predicting her actions and feelings. When Nicholas's brother and cousins are taken to Jagborough, Nicholas does not cry, because he is perfectly aware that him being upset is the very thing that his aunt wants. Although a child in such as situation is expected to react by weeping, Nicholas refrains from such behavior because he is mature enough to understand the circumstances of the punishment. Similarly, Nicholas's entry into the lumber room is a carefully planned mission, which shows that he is organized and is capable of devising a strategic plan—qualities an adult would possess. Nicholas had even practiced turning a key in a keyhole of a door prior to entering the lumber room. When Nicholas gains access to the room, he makes sure to sprinkle some dust on the old books after going through them so they do not appear to have been disturbed. Ultimately, Nicholas's intelligence makes it possible for him to subvert his aunt's authority and have a thoroughly enjoyable day despite being grounded.

What does the lumber room symbolize?

The lumber room at the center of the story is a symbol of Nicholas's imagination. Although lumber rooms would have been common enough in Edwardian homes—little more than a storeroom of furniture and possessions not currently in use in the rest of the home—the lumber room takes on mythical proportions in Nicholas's imagination. Because children are not allowed to see what is in the lumber room, Nicholas assumes it is a repository of treasures, and, once he gains entry, he finds the room meets his expectations. He marvels at the delicate and beautiful objects that lie within, such as a fire-screen tapestry, candlesticks shaped like snakes, a teapot in the shape of a duck, and a book of illustrated birds. Ensconced in the magic of the lumber room, Nicholas uses his imagination to think about what fate will befall the huntsman on the fire screen. He also invents a life story for the colorful mandarin duck in the picture book. The imaginative potential of the lumber room stays with Nicholas until the end of the story. While everyone else sits miserably at the table, Nicholas imagines further outcomes for the huntsman, believing the man and his dogs might escape the approaching wolves.

The Lumber Room Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Lumber Room is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Mischief is the dominant theme in "The Lumber Room." From the beginning to the end of the story, Saki delights the reader with Nicholas's persistent playful misbehavior. In the opening scene, the narrator details how Nicholas complains of a frog...

'Nicholas is not at fault for his conduct in the short story 'The Lumber Room'.

Nicholas is just a precocious child who uses his intelligence to outsmart his domineering aunt. Ultimately, Nicholas's penchant for mischief makes the boredom of living under his aunt's rigid control bearable.

What are the similarities between aunt and Nicholas?

I don't see many similarities between Nicholas and his aunt. He is mischievious, smart, and imaginative, and disobedient. His aunt is short-sighted and without imagination. Her moments of deceit aren't good natured. The only time I really see a...

Study Guide for The Lumber Room

The Lumber Room study guide contains a biography of Saki (H.H. Munro), literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Lumber Room
• The Lumber Room Summary
• Character List