Using context expertly in a 'Leave Taking' essay | Exit Quiz | Oak National Academy

A pupil asks: "At what moments in my essay can I weave in context?" How could you reply?

• You can weave context into your topic sentences.

• You only need to weave context into your thesis.

• You can weave context when looking at writer's intentions.

• You can weave context into your language analysis.

• You must weave context into the final sentence of every paragraph.

Answer explanation

There are no hard and fast rules about where you must include context, other than it must be included in every essay where appropriate. Sometimes that will be a topic sentence, sometimes it will be during language analysis or perhaps in your thesis.

Which word or phrase best completes this sentence: 'In a 'Leave Taking' essay, you should weave context __________ your essay.'

• lots

• at the start of

• if you can in

• throughout

Answer explanation

Having a deep understanding of the words "weave" and "throughout" will ensure that your essay are enriched by context which should be embedded into almost all analytical essays.

Which different types of contexts can we think about including in a 'Leave Taking' essay?

• historical contexts

• personal contexts

• literary contexts

• social contexts

• biographical contexts

Answer explanation

Different essay questions will be enriched by different types of context. It is your job to select the most interesting and valuable context each time.

A pupil defines what it means to weave context into a 'Leave Taking' essay. Which is the correct definition?

• presenting it as a series of isolated facts

• embedding it into a range of different moments in an essay

• having a table of different types of context

• including all four types of context into each paragraph

• writing a sentence about context at the end of each paragraph

Answer explanation

Including context in an essay should feel like a valuable moment to your analysis, argument and understanding, not just something to be added to the final sentence of a paragraph because you have to.

Tension or disagreement between a parent and child is often known as (a)   . Pinnock is very interested in exploring this type of conflict in 'Leave Taking'.

Answer explanation

There are many examples of intergenerational conflict in 'Leave Taking', from Mooma and Enid, to Enid and Del, and even, referenced briefly, Mai and her son.

In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Del accuses Enid of feeling (a)   to Britain, willing to do anything that is asked for her in England because she feels less worthy than its other citizens.

Answer explanation

Del uses metaphorical language, describing her mother as "bowing and scraping" to England, an attitude Del despises and rejects. It is a source of conflict between mother and daughter.