IB PAPER TWO QUESTIONS: DRAMA SECTION

Dorta/Woolley-Larrea 2015-16

THE ONLY SECTION YOU WILL WRITE ON!!

IB Paper Two Exam Directions:
Answer one essay question only. You must base your answer on at least two of the Part 3 Works you have
studied. You must compare and contrast these works in response to the question. Answers which are not
based on a discussion of at least two Part 3 works will not score high marks.

2007:
1. Some dramatists make more significant use of physical elements such as stage scenery
than do others. Discuss the extent of the use of such features and their impact on meaning
in two or three of the plays you have studied.
2. To succeed in creating a convincing character, the dramatist needs to give the audience a
sense that characters have inner thoughts and feelings. To what extent, and in what ways,
does this statement apply to two or three plays you have studied?
2008:
1. What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out? To what extent do you find this statement
applicable in at least two plays you have studied?
2. A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters
know. With reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have
used this technique.

2009:
1. The success of any drama depends on the credibility of the protagonists. Referring closely to
at least two of the plays you have studied, explore to what extent and in what ways they
illustrate the truth of this statement.

2. Looking closely at one or more of the following elements: lighting, sound and music, discuss
the ways in which they can affect the presentation of ideas in at least two of the plays you
have studied.

2010:
1. Drama can be said to contain something of the ritual something to be repeated in front of an
audience for a significant occasion, event or purpose, or simply everyday routines and patterns
of behaviour. In what ways have at least two plays you have studied made use of the notion
of ritual in this way and to what effect?

2010
2. The dramatic life of any play often emerges from what is not said rather than what is.
Examine the role and significance of all or any of silence, suggestion and subtext in at least
two plays you have studied.

2011:
1. With reference to at least two plays you have studied, discuss the significance of dialogue in
the playwrights presentation and construction of character.

2. The key to the dramatic life of any play is the fact that action takes place in particular, limited
spaces. How important is the sense of spatial confinement to the drama of at least two of
the plays you have studied?

2012:
1. Without contraries there is no progression. Consider the role and use of opposition and/or
contradiction in at least two plays you have studied.
2. Plays should never seek to teach, but only to entertain. To what extent and by what means is
this view supported by your study of at least two plays?
2013:
1. Consider the means by which shifts in tempo are created, and the consequent dramatic impact
of these shifts, in at least two of the plays you have studied.

2. In everyday usage the word theatrical often means extravagant or is used to describe
behavior that exhibits exaggerated emotions. To what extent, and in what ways, do at least
two of the plays you have studied exemplify the definitions of theatrical?
3. Drama is created by placing ordinary people in situations of crisis. Explain some of the
methods used to create drama in this way in at least two of the plays you have studied.

2014:
1. Drama often generates levels of meaning that are not directly stated (sometimes called subtext). Explore some examples of the presence of sub-text and its dramatic importance in at
least two of the plays you have studied.
2. Some plays use an identified narrator or chorus, while others force us to make unfiltered
meaning of events. How has the presence or absence of such a commentator helped or
hindered you in finding meaning in at least two of the plays you have studied?
3. In what ways and to what ends have at least two of the plays you have studied made use of
either compressed or expanded time frames?
2015:
1. Consider the ways in which at least two of the plays you have studied make use of stock or
stereotypical characters and compare the effects achieved.
2. Consider and compare the means by which at least two of the plays you have studied create
moments of harmony and to what dramatic ends.
3. We are fascinated by the play of power and persuasion in relationships: explore and compare
the dynamics in relationships, and the dramatic means by which they are established, in at
least two plays that you have studied.