Q.1
What is taking place in this poem?
  • An exam
  • An appointment with a doctor
  • A job interview
  • A wedding
Q.2
The poem is in whose voice?
  • The poet's
  • The interviewer's
  • The job candidate's
  • The secretary's
Q.3
Which words best describe the interviewer's tone?
  • Gentle, kindly, thoughtful
  • Raging, dismissive, emotional
  • Arrogant, contemptuous, condescending
  • Humble, sensitive, delicate
Q.4
The interviewer does NOT question the suitability of which of the following?
  • The candidate's health
  • The candidate's marital status
  • The candidate's accent
  • The candidate's age
Q.5
The poem is written in the first person plural throughout. Why might this be?
  • The candidate is being interviewed by a panel (several people)
  • The interviewer uses the royal 'we' out of sheer arrogance
  • The use of the word 'we' emphasizes the exclusion of the candidate
  • Any of the above
Q.6
Look again at the way the poem is structured and, in particular, how it is laid out. Considering the words on the right-hand side (like 'Ah'), what does the long gap before them tell the reader?
  • The gaps show the reader that the interviewer is taking care to phrase the words sensitively
  • The gaps enable the reader to imagine the long pause the interviewer leaves before saying the words
  • The gaps show the reader that the interviewer is struggling for words
  • The gaps are purely there to make the poem look attractive on the page
Q.7
Thinking about the answer to question six, what effect does this technique create?
  • It creates a feeling of boredom for the reader
  • It creates a feeling of suspense, allowing the reader to become more excited
  • The reader begins to believe that the candidate will be given the job after all
  • The reader can almost hear the dripping sarcasm in the clipped responses
Q.8
'You will be hearing from us shortly' is what an interviewer would say to conclude an interview. The interviewer in the poem will have said this to the candidate, who knows the interview has not been a success. Why is this an appropriate title for this poem?
  • The title merely summarizes the meaning of the poem
  • The title shows that the candidate will certainly get a job somewhere soon
  • The title reinforces the theme of inequality between the interviewee and the interviewer
  • The title reminds us that we will have to wait until the end of the poem to know what happened
Q.9
Which of the following phrases implies that the interviewer is looking for someone reasonable competent, but youthful?
  • 'And now a delicate matter'
  • 'Precisely the right degree of immaturity'
  • 'Were you educated'
  • 'Your qualifications, though impressive, are not, we must admit, precisely what we had in mind'
Q.10
What is the effect of the last three lines?
  • The interviewer implies that everyone is in agreement that the candidate's existence is pointless
  • The interviewer implies that everyone will take pity on the poor candidate
  • The interviewer wanted to know where the candidate was born, but was interrupted
  • All of the above
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