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O-LevelLiterature in EnglishPoetryMay/June 2013Paper 1 Q1625 Marks

Read this poem, and then answer the question that follows it: The Planners They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded, filled with permutations of possibilities. The buildings are in alignment with the roads which meet at desired points linked by bridges all hang in the grace of mathematics. They build and will not stop. Even the sea draws back and the skies surrender. They erase the flaws, the blemishes of the past, knock off useless blocks with dental dexterity. All gaps are plugged with gleaming gold. The country wears perfect rows of shining teeth. Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis. They have the means. They have it all so it will not hurt, so history is new again. The piling will not stop. The drilling goes right through the fossils of last century. But my heart would not bleed poetry. Not a single drop to stain the blueprint of our past's tomorrow. How does Boey Kim Cheng powerfully convey his attitude to the Planners in this poem?

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The correct answer is . This question tests the candidate's understanding of poetry within the Literature in Englishsyllabus. The examiner's mark scheme requires...

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About This O-Level Literature in English Question

This structured question appeared in the Cambridge O-Level Literature in English (2010) May/June 2013 examination, Paper 1 Variant 2. It tests the topic of Poetry and is worth 25 marks.

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