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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1
1 mark

Who is the speaker in Storm on the Island?

  • an individual soldier on patrol

  • a collective community voice

  • a priest in a church

  • a fisherman at sea

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2
1 mark

Why are trees not planted near the houses?

  • the soil is too rocky for roots

  • the sea air poisons plants

  • the wind would uproot them

  • the farmers dislike trees

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3
1 mark

What is compared to a tame animal in the poem?

  • the sea

  •  the wind

  • the roof

  • the lightning

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4
1 mark

What effect is created by the oxymoron “exploding comfortably”?

  • It shows how nature can be violent yet distant.

  • It shows the speaker enjoys the storm.

  •  It shows the houses are completely safe.

  • It shows explosions from war are nearby.

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5
1 mark

What is the effect of the phrase “the wizened earth has never troubled us”?

  • It shows the land is harsh but rarely dangerous.

  • It shows the land is fertile and therefore reassuring.

  • It shows the land is young but still untested.

  • It shows the land is barren but not threatening.

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6
1 mark

What is the effect of the line “it is a huge nothing that we fear”?

  • It shows fear comes from an invisible, intangible force.

  • It shows the storm is only noise without real danger.

  • It shows the villagers fear the silence after a storm.

  • It shows the storm’s power is exaggerated in memory.

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7
1 mark

What is suggested by the use of military language in the poem?

  • that the island is preparing for battle against enemy soldiers

  • that the storm feels like a physical war against nature

  • that the government sends troops to help the island

  • that the villagers are trained as soldiers

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8
1 mark

What central theme is expressed in Storm on the Island?

  • the power of nature over human life

  • the security found in strong communities

  • human ability to withstand and control nature

  • the comfort of home in times of danger

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1
1 mark

What is revealed by Heaney’s use of the collective “we” in the poem’s opening?

  • It distances the speaker from the community, stressing isolation.

  • It builds a sense of shared endurance and mutual vulnerability.

  • It exaggerates the danger by suggesting everyone feels the same panic.

  • It makes the poem sound impersonal, like a weather report rather than emotion.

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2
1 mark

What attitude towards the island’s harsh landscape is shown in the building imagery of “rock” and “slate”?

  • respectful acceptance of a tough environment that demands effort and adaptation

  • frustration that the barren ground prevents beauty or comfort

  • confidence that human design can permanently control the weather

  • admiration for the scenery as a symbol of artistic creativity

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3
1 mark

Which technique most effectively conveys the storm’s unpredictability and violence?

  • harsh alliteration and brief pauses that show the storm striking in sudden bursts

  • personification that makes the storm appear both threatening and strangely human

  •  jarring shifts in tone between calm and panic that suggest changing emotional control

  • forceful verbs and fragmented imagery that plunge the reader into turbulence and fear

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4
1 mark

What does presenting the poem as one long stanza most strongly achieve?

  • The single block neatly divides the experience into ordered stages.

  • The single block makes the account feel calm, regular, and controlled.

  • The single block sustains relentless pressure, mirroring an unbroken assault.

  • The single block shortens the storm’s duration and contains the threat.

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5
1 mark

Why does Heaney compare the spray to “a tame cat turned savage”?

  • to show how something once safe and familiar can suddenly become violent and uncontrollable

  • to suggest that nature’s calm appearance can briefly disguise its underlying threat

  • to imply that the aggression of the storm reflects human fear more than real and present danger

  • to show how homely, everyday images can only partly capture nature’s violent energy

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6
1 mark

What broader view of humanity’s place in nature is implied by the ending?

  • People ultimately command natural forces through ingenuity and courage.

  • Enduring humility and acceptance, not control, enable survival beside vast power.

  • Nature offers moral guidance, rewarding virtue and punishing arrogance.

  • Fear is temporary and ends once the storm’s damage is repaired.

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1
1 mark

How do Storm on the Island and Ozymandias present humanity’s attempts to control natural power?

  • Both show humanity believing it can master nature — Heaney’s “we are prepared” and Shelley’s “Look on my works” reveal arrogance undermined by destruction.

  • Both suggest humanity and nature exist in balance — Heaney’s “we are prepared” sounds confident, while Shelley’s “colossal wreck” implies nature’s acceptance of decay.

  • Storm on the Island shows humans powerless before nature, whereas Ozymandias seems to glorify the “king of kings” who defies time and desert alike.

  • Both claim human creativity resists destruction — Heaney’s island endures storms, and Shelley’s sculptor immortalises pride through “hand that mocked them.”

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2
1 mark

How do Storm on the Island and The Prelude explore humanity’s fear of nature?

  • Both portray awe turning to dread — Heaney’s “huge nothing that we fear” and Wordsworth’s “struck and struck again” show realisation of insignificance.

  • Storm on the Island shows confident mastery, while The Prelude shows a joyous connection with nature.

  • Both suggest fear arises from misunderstanding, which is quickly resolved through reason.

  • Storm on the Island treats fear as communal strength, whereas The Prelude sees fear as childish exaggeration.

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3
1 mark

Which interpretation best explains how Storm on the Island and The Prelude depict conflict between humanity and the natural world?

  • Both dramatise nature’s overwhelming power — Heaney through violent imagery of attack, Wordsworth through a psychological storm of conscience.

  •  Storm on the Island shows peace after the storm, while The Prelude ends in chaos and despair.

  • Both treat nature as nurturing; fear arises only from human imagination.

  • Storm on the Island views nature as divine punishment, while The Prelude denies moral meaning.

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