Tag: Questions

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Sample exam questions on ‘I’m The King of the Castle’

  1. Do you think Edmund Hooper is completely evil, or do you feel sympathy for him at any point in the novel?
    You should write about:
    1. What he does in the novel and how he treats Kingshaw // His upbringing and his relationship with his father
    2. How you respond to him at different points in the novel,
    3. The way the write makes you feel and think about him at these moments.
       
  2. Write about the ways in which you think Mrs Kingshaw and Mr Hoper contribute to Kingshaw’s death.
    You should write about:
    1. What sort of people they are // Their actions which lead to the death of Kingshaw
    2. How they respond to the hostility between Hooper and Kingshaw
    3. How the writer influences the way you feel about them.
       
  3. What part does Fielding play in the story?
    You should write about:
    1. Why is he important to the story line //False hope and hopes dashed
    2. How does the writer use this section to build up the reader’s and Kingshaw’s hopes?
    3. How different are the characters Hooper and Fielding and why this difference is important.
    4. How different is Fielding’s home life?
       
  4. The incident at Leydell Castle gives false hope to Kingshaw and to the reader. What happens and why does it not enable Kingshaw to escape from Hooper’s influence.
    You should write about:
    1. How we see Kingshaw’s confidence //The differences in the boys reactions to each other
    2. Kingshaw’s feelings straight after the accident
    3. The renewal of hope for Kingshaw and the renewal of hostilities immediately upon his return.
       
  5. Kingshaw is doomed from the very first moment he sets foot in Warings. Do you think this is true? Discuss using evidence to support your answer.
    You should write about:
    1. The different personalities of the two boys // The parents increasing involvement with each other
    2. The techniques the author uses to raise our hopes and dash them again
    3. The use of weather and setting as a technique to raise the tension in the novel.
       
  6. In what ways is the title ‘I’m the King of the Castle’ an appropriate one?
     
  7. ‘I’m the King of the Castle’ is about isolation and lack of love. No-one in the book is loved or gives love.
    1. How far do you agree with this statement? Write about the relationships in the novel and the ways in which Susan Hill presents them.
       
  8. Susan Hill consciously uses irony to great effect throughout the novel. Explain. (This is an advanced question!)
    You should write about:
    1. When she uses irony //What her purpose is e.g. insight into character
    2. How it is used to intensify the dramatic tension
    3. How it is used to manipulate the readers’ emotions.
       
  9. To what extent does Kingshaw view his death as a ‘sacrifice’?
    You should write about:
    1. His temptations //His inability to stoop to Hooper’s level
    2. His sense of moral responsibility // His sense of duty to his mother.
       
  10. What do you think is the importance of creatures in the novel? Write about two or three incidents where creatures are important and explain:
    1. What is shown about the characters by their response to the creatures
    2. What is the significance of creatures in the novel as a whole
    3. How the writer uses creatures as symbols or to convey ideas.
       
  11. Remind yourself of the first part of the novel where Hooper’s grandfather dies. Why does Susan hill start the novel with an account of the death of Hooper’s grandfather?
    You should write about:
    1. What is shown about Hooper and Mr Hooper in the passage
    2. How the passage prepares us for what comes later
    3. The writer’s skill in creating atmosphere.
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I’m The King of the Castle: Questions on chapters 1-12

  1. Read chapters one and two.
  2. Write a description of Warings.
  3. Make notes about the three generations of Hoopers.
  4. At the end of chapter three write diary extracts for Charles Kingshaw and Edmund Hooper exploring their feelings about the other and referring to details of their dealings with each other.
  5. How has the author used the weather to emphasise Kingshaw’s feelings and the trauma of the events which have happened to him so far.
  6. Read on and do character studies of Mrs Kingshaw and Mr Hooper. What do they look like, wear, expect out of this relationship, attitudes to their children etc.
  7. Read to top of page 81.
  8. Do quiz. (see separate document)
  9. Read on into chapter 6. Make notes on the ways in which the author builds an atmosphere first of all of tranquillity, then gradually increases the tension. Looking at vocabulary, sentence structure, specific features of Hang Wood, light, noises etc.
  10. Now read the Hang Wood section (chapters 6-9)– as you go make notes on the different little scenes between the two boys, like who gets the upper hand, how the balance of their relationship seems to change and what you learn about the character of each of them.
  11. Read the storm section: bottom of p 104 to the bottom of page 107. How is Hooper’s fear different in character from Kingshaw’s? How does he deal with it? What does Kingshaw do? How does it affect Hooper afterwards? Why is Kingshaw baffled?
  12. In the section pages 108-110 what is the difference between Kingshaw and Hooper’s beliefs about life after death? What difference do you think it has made to their development as human beings? How does it affect Kingshaw?
  13. In what way does the finding of the pool mark a turning point in the nature of the relationship between the two boys? Pages 115-126
  14. Page 127 is the second time Kingshaw has been tempted to do something to Hooper – what happens here and what was the first time?
  15. In chapter 8 how does Hoper begin to reassert himself? How does he demonstrate that knowledge is power?
  16. How does Kingshaw prove himself the superior moral being in this chapter?
  17. Chapter 9 marks the final moments of peace and truce between them – where does Kingshaw go and when there what does he wish? How does the author evoke the atmosphere of this place?
  18. Chapter 10 breaks the fragile truce between them. In what ways do they both act like the small boys they are? What is surprising about the adults response to the situation? How does Mrs Kingshaw inadvertently hit the nail on the head? Now that it’s over how does Charles view the wood? What does Mrs K’s withholding of information make her son feel?
  19. What bombshell drops on Charles in Chapter 11? Why is this the last straw for him? This prompts a particularly nasty incident of bullying. What happens? What does Kingshaw’s dream tell us?
  20. Chapter 12 and the visit to Leydell Castle. Finally Kingshaw gets then upper hand – how? Why is his behaviour so surprising? Page 190 is Kingshaw’s third temptation what is it? How has he reacted each time? Why? What have we learned about Kingshaw’s own response to power?