1
1 mark
Who is the speaker in Poppies?
a soldier describing his own experience
a teacher speaking to her class
a mother addressing her son
a neighbour watching the family
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Power & Conflict (AQA GCSE English Literature): Exam Questions
Exam code: 8702
13 hours286 questions
2
1 mark
What does the mother do to her son before he leaves?
She sews a poppy into his sleeve.
She ties a scarf around his head and smartens his hair.
She straightens his collar and smooths his clothes.
She polishes his shoes.
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3
1 mark
How is the son’s nose described against the window?
flattened against the glass
pressed into the corner
scratched by the frame
reflected like a mirror
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4
1 mark
What phrase does the mother use to claim her own courage?
“I stayed calm”
“I was brave”
“I held my nerve”
“I kept strong”
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5
1 mark
What personal act does the mother imagine as she recalls letting go?
walking with her son to the school gate
writing a letter to him at war
praying in a church for her son’s safety
sewing another blazer
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6
1 mark
What is the effect of the image “Sellotape bandaged around my hand”?
It mixes domestic imagery with war-like violence.
It suggests the mother is wounded in battle.
It shows the son is injured at school.
It describes how she makes first aid kits.
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7
1 mark
What does the image of the “treasure chest” suggest about the world?
It suggests prosperity must be stolen.
It is locked away from her son.
It contains gold and money.
It is overflowing with opportunity and wonder.
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8
1 mark
What does the image of the dove symbolise?
sacrifice and loss
hope and peace
freedom and release
memory and mourning
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9
1 mark
What is the central theme of Poppies?
the lasting impact of war across generations and families
the grief and sacrifice of a mother sending her son to war
the pride of military service and honour
the tension between memory and reality
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1
1 mark
What emotion is most strongly conveyed when the speaker recalls “I was brave, as I walked with you to the front door”?
pride in showing courage through restraint
resentment at being left to face fear alone
anxiety that bravery might seem unfeeling
determination to hide her pain
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2
1 mark
What effect does Weir achieve by opening the poem with the reference to “Armistice Sunday”?
It suggests the poem celebrates military victory.
It sets a scene of national unity and pride.
It introduces remembrance and grief as central themes.
It contrasts peace with a hopeful new beginning.
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3
1 mark
How does the image “spasms of paper red” shape the reader’s response?
It conveys the sharp sting of emotional pain.
It describes the physical strain of remembrance.
It links remembrance to the violence of war.
It hints at the soothing comfort of handmade poppies.
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4
1 mark
How does Weir use the free-verse dramatic-monologue form to express the parent’s emotions?
It allows spontaneous expression without structure.
It mirrors the flow of memory and shifting feelings.
It gives rhythmical control to steady the grief.
It separates public and private voices clearly.
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5
1 mark
How do enjambment and caesura together reflect the parent’s emotional state?
They create a disrupted rhythm mirroring grief.
They impose a regular pace to represent control
They produce a steady beat symbolising endurance.
They suggest formal restraint and detachment.
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6
1 mark
What is the effect of contrasting domestic and military imagery, such as “Sellotape bandaged around my hand”?
It links gentle household acts with the language of injury and war.
It fuses homely and military imagery to show how conflict invades daily life.
It portrays ordinary care as an emotional wound inflicted by absence.
It suggests the speaker’s routine has become a symbolic act of remembrance.
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7
1 mark
How is the final image of the parent “hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind” most effectively interpreted?
as evidence that the child has returned safely
as comfort found through faith in peace
as enduring grief that can never be resolved
as an acceptance of the natural cycle of life
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1
1 mark
When comparing Poppies and War Photographer, which statement best explains how structure and viewpoint shape their portrayal of grief?
In Poppies, first-person memory makes grief intimate; in War Photographer, third-person distance makes it observational.
In Poppies, short stanzas and broken lines suggest control, while in War Photographer, strict form releases emotion.
In Poppies, the narrator’s empathy softens grief; in War Photographer, the voice of others intensifies it.
In Poppies, a circular structure restores peace; in War Photographer, disjointed flashbacks break continuity.
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2
1 mark
How do Poppies and Remains each portray the lasting impact of war memories?
Both show memories fading with time; Weir’s speaker finds gradual acceptance, while Armitage’s narrator learns to forgive himself.
Both use flashback to recall the past vividly, but Weir’s memories comfort while Armitage’s destroy.
Both suggest memory keeps the pain of war alive, yet Weir’s is personal grief and Armitage’s is survivor’s trauma.
Both treat memory as distortion, revealing emotion rather than literal truth about the past.
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3
1 mark
How do Poppies and War Photographer each reveal the emotional cost of witnessing conflict from afar?
Both show emotional distance protecting the speakers from grief; Weir’s mother gains perspective, while Duffy’s photographer feels detached peace.
Both show distance offering safety but deepening emotional strain.
Both present emotional paralysis; Weir’s grief mirrors Duffy’s drained detachment.
Both suggest recalling others’ pain brings calm rather than distress.
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