Success Homeschool

Secondary 4 English · Intertextuality

Name: ______________________

Date: ____________

1. What is the term for a brief, indirect reference to a well-known story, person or text? (one word)
2. If someone calls a footballer's weak left foot their 'Achilles' heel', what do they mean?
- ☐ (a) It is their strongest skill
- ☐ (b) It is their single main weakness
- ☐ (c) It has been injured
- ☐ (d) It is a lucky charm
3. What does 'the Midas touch' mean?
- ☐ (a) The ability to make things successful or profitable
- ☐ (b) Being very clumsy
- ☐ (c) Having a gentle touch
- ☐ (d) Being unable to keep secrets
4. West Side Story reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a story about rival gangs in New York. This is best described as…
- ☐ (a) A parody
- ☐ (b) An adaptation
- ☐ (c) A biography
- ☐ (d) A news report
5. What is the main difference between a parody and a homage?
- ☐ (a) A parody exaggerates for humour or criticism; a homage imitates out of respect.
- ☐ (b) A parody is always longer.
- ☐ (c) A homage must be a film.
- ☐ (d) There is no difference.
6. What term describes the ways texts connect to, borrow from or respond to other texts? (one word)
7. A newspaper says a new law 'opened Pandora's box'. What does the writer suggest?
- ☐ (a) The law solved every problem.
- ☐ (b) The law released many unexpected problems.
- ☐ (c) The law was about boxes.
- ☐ (d) The law was very popular.
8. Why does a retelling of a fairy tale from the villain's point of view work best when readers know the original?
- ☐ (a) Because readers can compare versions and notice what has changed and why
- ☐ (b) Because it uses fewer words
- ☐ (c) Because fairy tales cannot be understood otherwise
- ☐ (d) Because the villain is always the hero

Answer sheet

1. allusion — An allusion relies on the reader recognising the source.
2. It is their single main weakness — Achilles could only be wounded in his heel, so an 'Achilles' heel' is a single weakness.
3. The ability to make things successful or profitable — King Midas turned everything he touched into gold.
4. An adaptation — It adapts the original story into a new setting and form (a musical).
5. A parody exaggerates for humour or criticism; a homage imitates out of respect. — Both imitate, but their purposes differ: mockery versus tribute.
6. intertextuality — Intertextuality is the web of connections between texts.
7. The law released many unexpected problems. — In the myth, opening Pandora's box released troubles into the world.
8. Because readers can compare versions and notice what has changed and why — The new meaning comes from contrast with the familiar version.