GCSEEnglish LiteratureAQAExam Questions4. The Poetry AnthologyPower & Conflict

Power & Conflict (AQA GCSE English Literature): Exam Questions

Exam code: 8702

13 hours286 questions

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Power & Conflict

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11 mark

Who narrates the story of the pilot?

  • the pilot himself

  • the pilot’s wife

  • the pilot’s daughter

  • the pilot’s neighbour

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21 mark

What natural image is described as “like a huge flag”?

  • a shoal of fish

  • a flock of birds

  • a wave crashing

  • a mountain peak

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31 mark

What memory does the pilot recall when seeing fish in the water?

  • playing games by the shore with his brothers

  • learning to sail with his father

  • celebrating festivals in his village

  • watching parades in the city

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41 mark

What happens when the pilot chooses to return home?

  • He is welcomed and celebrated as a hero.

  • He is ignored and shunned by his family.

  • He is arrested by the military.

  • He is sent back to war.

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51 mark

How do the children initially respond to their father’s return?

  • They continue to chatter and laugh with him.

  • They immediately reject and ignore him.

  • They beg their mother to forgive him.

  • They are ashamed and run away from home.

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61 mark

What does the simile comparing fishing boats to bunting suggest?

  • celebration of life at sea

  • anger at his duties

  • military power of the fleet

  • danger of the voyage

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71 mark

What change occurs as the children grow older?

  • They forget who their father is.

  • They ignore their father like their mother does.

  • They leave home to join the military like their father.

  •  They pretend their father died in battle.

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81 mark

How does the daughter’s narration conclude the poem?

  • She recalls how the neighbours treated her father as though he no longer existed.

  • She describes how she and her siblings learned to ignore their father.

  • She explains that her mother never spoke to him again.

  • She reflects that her father may have wondered which was the better way to die.

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11 mark

What does the description of the pilot’s “shaven head” and “samurai sword” largely symbolise at the start of the poem?

  • his desire for freedom and rebellion

  • his commitment to his patriotic duty

  • his confusion about his cultural role

  • his preparation for a family journey

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21 mark

The phrase “full of powerful incantations” most strongly suggests that the pilot is:

  • repeating orders from his superiors mechanically

  • encouraged by spiritual and patriotic conviction

  • whispering farewell to his family

  • expressing anger at the inevitability of death

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31 mark

Why does the daughter’s narration begin with “Her father embarked at sunrise”?

  • To show that the event is ancient history

  • To suggest that the pilot’s actions caused destruction

  • To symbolise a hopeful or honourable beginning

  • To highlight the daughter’s resentment

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41 mark

What is the effect of Garland’s imagery of the sea as “green-blue translucent”?

  • It shows nature as calm and inviting.

  • It mirrors the pilot’s fading courage.

  • It conveys the beauty of his homeland.

  • It reflects the danger of the mission.

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51 mark

Why does Garland describe the fish “flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun”?

  • To show how nature mirrors movement and life

  • To symbolise the pride of the soldier’s duty

  • To suggest the sea is metallic and harsh

  • To evoke light before the pilot’s downfall

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61 mark

How does Garland’s use of enjambment affect the tone of the poem?

  • It emphasises control and precision.

  • It mirrors the flow of the pilot’s thoughts.

  • It breaks the calm with sharp rhythm.

  • It distances the voice from emotion.

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71 mark

What is the significance of the final shift from the father’s journey to the daughter’s reflection?

  • It shows that the daughter has forgiven her father.

  • It reveals that the father’s death finally brought peace to the family.

  • It highlights the lasting emotional isolation caused by his return.

  • It celebrates the father’s bravery for disobeying orders.

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11 mark

In what ways do Kamikaze and War Photographer differ in their treatment of moral duty?

  • Garland’s pilot rejects his duty, while Duffy’s photographer endures his.

  • Both question authority, though Garland’s tone is colder than Duffy’s.

  • Garland praises disobedience, while Duffy condemns complacency.

  • Both celebrate heroism through faithful service to one’s role.

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21 mark

How do Kamikaze and Remains explore the persistence of guilt after conflict?

  • Kamikaze minimises guilt, while Remains exaggerates it for effect.

  • Kamikaze ends with forgiveness, while Remains ends with despair.

  • Both depict guilt as a shared national burden rather than personal.

  • Both portray guilt as internal and lifelong, rooted in memory.

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31 mark

How do Kamikaze and War Photographer contrast in their portrayal of heroism?

  • Both idealise bravery through public praise and fame.

  • Garland links heroism to empathy; Duffy to endurance.

  • Garland condemns weakness; Duffy mocks commitment

  • Both treat heroism as futile in the modern world.

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