Prose — IGCSE World Literature (0408) questions by topic
Prose questions in IGCSE World Literature ask you to explore how a named novelist builds a striking opening, conveys a character's shifting thoughts and feelings, or memorably portrays a father figure across an extract or the whole text. Explore, discuss and to what extent recur among the top command words, alongside explain and how far, and each wants sustained engagement with the writer's craft rather than plot summary.
Every response is a single 25-mark essay, so this page gathers 60 real questions set between 2023 and 2025. Draft full answers and submit them for instant marking to see whether your reading moves from surface meaning to a sensitive, evaluative response supported by well-chosen quotation, which is exactly where marks separate.
What examiners look for
- Strong answers stayed locked onto the specific terms of the question and the named text or extract throughout, drawing apt references from across the whole novel.
- Reports praise candidates who explored how a writer's language, structure and form create effects, rather than simply listing techniques spotted in the passage.
- The best responses moved beyond surface meaning to deeper interpretation, backed by a sensitive personal response and well-integrated quotation.
- On the Chang family question, examiners noted that strong scripts discussed their role as villains tied to death and disaster, tracing the impact through to Gaoling's escape to America.
May–June 2025, Paper 31
SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN: Fever Dream Read the printed extract, and then answer the question that follows it. (The extract is described in the shared stimulus and is not reproduced…
Answer this question and get it marked →FABIO GEDA: In the Sea There are Crocodiles Read the printed extract, and then answer the question that follows it. (The extract is described in the shared stimulus and is not…
Answer this question and get it marked →SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN: Fever Dream In what ways does Schweblin powerfully convey a sense of fear in the novel? Do not use the extract printed in Question 1 in answering this question.…
Answer this question and get it marked →FABIO GEDA: In the Sea There are Crocodiles Explore the ways in which Geda memorably portrays Enaiat's search for a safe place to live. Do not use the extract printed in Question…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Read this extract from Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream, and then answer the question that follows it. The extract is a tense bedside scene in which Amanda's mother (Carla) urges…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read this extract from Fabio Geda's In the Sea There are Crocodiles, and then answer the question that follows it. The extract describes a perilous sea crossing: out on the water…
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Schweblin powerfully portray the relationship between Carla and David? Do not use the extract printed in Question 1 in answering this question. [25]
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Geda powerfully portrays Enaiat's hopes for a better life. Do not use the extract printed in Question 3 in answering this question. [25]
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 33
SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN: Fever Dream Read the printed extract (from 'Fever Dream', Oneworld, pp79-82), and then answer the question that follows it. The extract is a tense exchange in…
Answer this question and get it marked →FABIO GEDA: In the Sea There are Crocodiles Read the printed extract (from 'In the Sea There are Crocodiles', Vintage, pp125-127), and then answer the question that follows it.…
Answer this question and get it marked →SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN: Fever Dream Explore how Schweblin vividly conveys Amanda's impressions of Carla. Do not use the extract printed in Question 1 in answering this question. [25]
Answer this question and get it marked →FABIO GEDA: In the Sea There are Crocodiles How does Geda memorably depict Enaiat's experiences in Greece? [25]
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
In what ways does Schweblin make this such an unsettling moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan memorably depicts the conflict between LuLing and Precious Auntie at this moment in the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Schweblin vividly portrays the relationship between Amanda and Nina.
Answer this question and get it marked →How far does Tan encourage you to admire Ruth?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
Explore the ways in which Schweblin makes this early moment in the novel so intriguing.
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan strikingly conveys attitudes towards old age at this moment in the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Schweblin vividly captures Carla’s fear of her son, David.
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Tan powerfully portrays the relationship between LuLing and Precious Auntie.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 33
To what extent does Schweblin make this a satisfying ending to the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan strikingly portray Ruth and GaoLing at this moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Schweblin makes Fever Dream such a frightening novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan strikingly portray conflict between generations?
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 31
In what ways does Schweblin make this moment in the novel so disturbing?
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Tan make this such a memorable moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Schweblin memorably portrays Omar, David’s father.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan make The Bonesetter’s Daughter such a moving novel? (Do not use the extract printed in Question 3 in answering this question.)
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 32
In what ways does Schweblin make this moment in the novel so disturbing?
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Tan make this such a memorable moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Schweblin memorably portrays Omar, David’s father.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan make The Bonesetter’s Daughter such a moving novel? (Do not use the extract printed in Question 3 in answering this question.)
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 33
In what ways does Schweblin make this such a powerful and significant moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan makes this such a memorable moment in the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Schweblin create disturbing impressions of rural Argentina in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan movingly convey what growing old is like for LuLing?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 31
In what ways does Mishima make this such a dramatic and significant moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan makes this moment in the novel so shocking.
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Mishima vividly portrays the relationship between Shinji and his mother.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan memorably convey LuLing’s struggles in adapting to life in America?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 32
How does Mishima make this such a revealing moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan memorably depict the Catching of Ghosts at this moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Mishima makes Shinji such an admirable character.
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Tan strikingly portray the relationship between Ruth and her mother?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 33
How does Mishima strikingly portray Shinji at this moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Tan vividly conveys Ruth’s thoughts and feelings at this moment in the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →To what extent does Mishima make it possible for you to admire Terukichi?
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Tan memorably convey the impact of Art and his daughters on Ruth?
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
In what ways does Mishima make this such a dramatic moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan makes this such a striking opening to the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Mishima memorably convey the importance of work in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Tan memorably portrays the Chang family.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 32
In what ways does Mishima make this such a dramatic moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore how Tan makes this such a striking opening to the novel.
Answer this question and get it marked →In what ways does Mishima memorably convey the importance of work in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →Explore the ways in which Tan memorably portrays the Chang family.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 33
How does Mishima create such memorable impressions of the lighthouse-keeper and his wife at this moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Tan vividly portray the relationship between Ruth and Art at this moment in the novel?
Answer this question and get it marked →To what extent does Mishima encourage you to feel sorry for Chiyoko?
Answer this question and get it marked →How does Tan encourage you to sympathise with LuLing during her life in China? (Do not use the extract printed in Question 3 in answering this question.)
Answer this question and get it marked →