Creative Writing

24 Grade 10 English questions on Creative Writing, with worked marking schemes. 24 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   Which sentence uses personification?

   A. The lorry was as slow as a tortoise climbing the escarpment.

   B. The lorry was an ancient Isuzu with a cracked windscreen and no number plate.

   C. The old lorry groaned up the escarpment and refused to go further.

   D. The tea bushes in Kericho stretched for kilometres in neat green rows.

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   3 marks

   State three things a writer should decide about a character before beginning to write a short story.

   (3 marks)

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3. Question 3

   1 mark

   Why is it important for a creative writer to revise a first draft rather than submit it as it is?

   A. Because revision allows the writer to cut weak parts, sharpen word choice and correct errors that obscure meaning

   B. Because a first draft must be rewritten in a completely different genre

   C. Because teachers award marks mainly for neat handwriting in the final copy

   D. Because a first draft is always shorter than the required number of words

   (1 mark)

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4. Question 4

   1 mark

   A learner's story about a drought in Turkana contains this dialogue: "Greetings, my esteemed father. I hereby wish to inform you that the water reservoir has been depleted." What is the main weakness in this dialogue?

   A. The dialogue uses the wrong tense throughout

   B. The dialogue does not include a dialogue tag naming the speaker

   C. The dialogue is not punctuated with quotation marks

   D. The register is too formal to be convincing for a child speaking to a parent

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   4 marks

   Explain two ways in which a well-chosen setting can strengthen a short story.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Two ways, 2 marks each (1 for the point, 1 for development/example): - Creates mood or atmosphere: e.g. a power blackout in an estate at night builds tension before a confrontation. - Makes the story believable/credible: specific local detail (a matatu stage, a cattle dip, a sugarcane weighbridge) convinces the reader the world is real. - Generates conflict itself: drought, flooding, or a long walk to school can be the obstacle the character must overcome. - Reveals character: how a person behaves in their surroundings shows their values or status. (Accept any two developed points.)

6. Question 6

   4 marks

   Describe four things a learner should check when revising the second draft of a short story.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any four, 1 mark each: - That the opening hooks the reader and the ending satisfies rather than trails off. - That every scene advances the conflict; cut passages that do not. - That word choice is precise and vague or repeated words (nice, very, thing) are replaced. - That dialogue is correctly punctuated and sounds like real speech for that character. - That point of view and tense stay consistent throughout. - That paragraphing, spelling and sentence structure do not obscure meaning. - That the piece still meets the set task (length, given opening or closing line, genre). (Max 4 marks.)

7. Question 7

   5 marks

   Outline the stages of a conventional short story plot, in the order in which they occur.

   (5 marks)

   Marking scheme

   1 mark for each stage correctly named and briefly explained; the five stages must be given in this order: 1. Exposition - setting, main character and ordinary situation introduced. 2. Rising action / complication - a problem or conflict disturbs the situation and tension builds. 3. Climax - the point of greatest tension where the outcome is decided. 4. Falling action - the consequences of the climax work themselves out. 5. Resolution / denouement - the situation settles and loose ends are tied. (Accept equivalent terms, e.g. "conflict" for complication. A stage named out of sequence earns no mark.)

8. Question 8

   1 mark

   In a short story, a narrator says: "I did not know then that the letter in my pocket would cost me my place at school." Which narrative technique is being used?

   A. Soliloquy

   B. Flashback

   C. Foreshadowing

   D. Irony of situation

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   4 marks

   Identify two weaknesses in the following opening and suggest one improvement for each. "Hello reader. In this composition I am going to tell you about a very interesting day that happened to me. It was very interesting indeed."

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Weakness 1 (1 mark): It announces the composition instead of beginning the story / addresses the reader as an essay would. Improvement (1 mark): Begin directly inside the action or a striking moment, e.g. "The gate was already locked when I reached the school." Weakness 2 (1 mark): Vague, repeated evaluation ("very interesting") tells the reader what to feel and gives no concrete detail. Improvement (1 mark): Replace the judgement with specific sensory or factual detail that lets the reader judge for themselves. (Accept other valid weaknesses, e.g. no character named, no hint of conflict, each with a matching improvement.)

10. Question 10

    1 mark

    Which opening line is most likely to create an effective narrative hook in a short story?

    A. In this composition I will describe a very memorable day in my life.

    B. My name is Kiptoo and I am going to tell you about something that happened to me last year.

    C. The day my father sold the last heifer, he came home whistling.

    D. It was a normal Monday morning like any other Monday morning in our village.

    (1 mark)

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11. Question 11

    1 mark

    Which of the following is the clearest example of a metaphor rather than a simile?

    A. The Nairobi Expressway was a grey ribbon flung across the city.

    B. Her laughter sounded like rain on an iron roof.

    C. The sun was as hot as a jiko at midday.

    D. The maize field rippled like a green lake in the wind.

    (1 mark)

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12. Question 12

    1 mark

    A learner's story contains these lines: "Mueni walked to the river and filled her jerrycan. Then she hears a shout behind her and drops the rope." Which revision removes the inconsistency in tense?

    A. "Mueni walked to the river and filled her jerrycan. Then she heard a shout behind her and dropped the rope."

    B. "Mueni walks to the river and filled her jerrycan. Then she hears a shout behind her and dropped the rope."

    C. "Mueni walked to the river and filled her jerrycan. Then, she hears a shout behind her, and drops the rope."

    D. "Mueni had walked to the river and had filled her jerrycan. Then she hears a shout behind her and drops the rope."

    (1 mark)

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13. Question 13

    4 marks

    State two differences between a descriptive composition and a narrative composition.

    (4 marks)

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14. Question 14

    1 mark

    A learner is writing a descriptive composition about Gikomba market. Which sentence makes the strongest use of sensory detail beyond sight?

    A. Frying smokies spat their oil into the air, and a trader's shout cut through the hiss of a radio selling benga.

    B. The market was very big and there were many people buying things everywhere.

    C. It was a beautiful and interesting market that everyone should visit at least once.

    D. Gikomba market is one of the busiest markets in Nairobi and it sells many items.

    (1 mark)

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15. Question 15

    1 mark

    A Grade 10 learner begins a short story like this: "Wanjiku was a nervous girl. She was walking to the shop in Nyeri town. She felt afraid." Which revision best applies the principle of showing rather than telling?

    A. "Wanjiku, who was a very nervous girl, walked fearfully to the shop in Nyeri town."

    B. "Wanjiku counted the cracks in the pavement, her fist tight around the coins, and crossed to the far side whenever a boda boda slowed near her."

    C. "It was a nervous and frightening morning as Wanjiku made the terrifying journey to the shop in Nyeri town."

    D. "Wanjiku was nervous. She was afraid. She was walking to the shop in Nyeri town, feeling scared."

    (1 mark)

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16. Question 16

    4 marks

    Describe how a writer can use dialogue to reveal character, rather than simply to pass on information.

    (4 marks)

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17. Question 17

    1 mark

    In a story about a prisoner on the morning of his release, the writer inserts a scene set fifteen years earlier, on the night of the arrest. What is the main purpose of this flashback?

    A. To hint at events that will take place after the story ends

    B. To reveal how the character came to be in his present situation and deepen the reader's understanding of him

    C. To shorten the story by removing the need for dialogue

    D. To bring the story to its resolution

    (1 mark)

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18. Question 18

    4 marks

    Account for the fact that a composition may be grammatically correct yet still score poorly as a piece of creative writing.

    (4 marks)

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19. Question 19

    3 marks

    Suggest three techniques a writer can use to build suspense in a narrative.

    (3 marks)

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20. Question 20

    1 mark

    A learner plans a story that must end with the sentence: "...and only then did I understand why my grandmother had kept the box locked." Which planning decision best suits this requirement?

    A. Write the whole story about the grandmother's childhood and mention the box only in the last line

    B. Add the given sentence at the end of any story about a grandmother, without changing the plot

    C. Withhold the contents of the box and plant small clues about the grandmother's past through the story

    D. Begin the story by explaining what is inside the box so the reader is not confused

    (1 mark)

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21. Question 21

    4 marks

    Rewrite the following sentence twice, using a different figure of speech each time, and name the figure of speech you have used in each case. "The lorry carrying miraa drove very fast along the Meru road."

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Version 1 (1 mark) with the figure named correctly (1 mark). Version 2 (1 mark) with the figure named correctly (1 mark). The named figure must match the version written. Examples: - Simile: "The lorry carrying miraa tore along the Meru road like a hunted animal." - Metaphor: "The miraa lorry was a green blur on the Meru road." - Personification: "The miraa lorry bullied its way along the Meru road." - Hyperbole: "The miraa lorry reached Meru before the dust had finished rising in Maua." No mark for a rewrite that merely adds adjectives with no figure of speech.

22. Question 22

    1 mark

    A learner writes a story in which the main character is an elderly fisherman on Lake Victoria, and the story uses the pronouns "he" and "him" but reveals only what that fisherman sees, hears and thinks. Which point of view has the learner used?

    A. Third person omniscient

    B. Third person limited

    C. Second person

    D. First person

    (1 mark)

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23. Question 23

    4 marks

    Distinguish between 'showing' and 'telling' in creative writing, and give one example of each based on a character who is angry.

    (4 marks)

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24. Question 24

    4 marks

    Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of writing a short story in the first person.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Advantage (2 marks: 1 for point, 1 for development): - Creates immediacy and intimacy; the reader has direct access to the narrator's thoughts and feelings and is more likely to sympathise with them. Disadvantage (2 marks: 1 for point, 1 for development): - The reader can only know what the narrator knows or notices, so events elsewhere cannot be reported directly and the narrator may be unreliable or unable to describe himself/herself objectively. (Accept other valid pairs, e.g. advantage: the voice is easier to sustain consistently; disadvantage: risk of the narrator merely listing events.)

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