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Year 10 English · Symbolism and motif

Name: ______________________

Date: ____________

1. What is the term for an image, object or phrase that recurs throughout a text to develop a theme? (one word)
2. What is the main difference between a symbol and a motif?
- ☐ (a) A symbol must be a colour, while a motif must be an object.
- ☐ (b) A motif recurs throughout a text, while a symbol can appear just once.
- ☐ (c) Symbols only appear in poetry.
- ☐ (d) There is no difference at all.
3. Which conventional symbol usually represents peace?
- ☐ (a) A storm
- ☐ (b) A dove
- ☐ (c) A skull
- ☐ (d) A broken mirror
4. In an original story, a girl keeps a map with her grandmother's handwriting on it. She studies it when she feels lost, and at the end she draws her own route on it. What does the map most likely symbolise?
- ☐ (a) Her interest in geography homework
- ☐ (b) Guidance from her family, and finally her own sense of direction in life
- ☐ (c) The weather in the story
- ☐ (d) A mistake the writer forgot to remove
5. A film keeps returning to a close-up of a ticking clock as a deadline approaches. What does this motif mainly create?
- ☐ (a) Humour
- ☐ (b) A sense of tension and urgency
- ☐ (c) A feeling of calm
- ☐ (d) Confusion about the setting
6. What do we call the central idea about life that symbols and motifs help to develop? (one word)
7. Which is the strongest analytical sentence?
- ☐ (a) There is a bird in the story.
- ☐ (b) The bird is a symbol.
- ☐ (c) The caged bird symbolises Lina's lack of freedom, so when she opens the cage the writer suggests she has finally claimed her independence.
- ☐ (d) I liked the part with the bird.
8. A wilting flower appears each time a character's friendship with her best friend weakens. What theme is this motif most likely developing?
- ☐ (a) The decline of a relationship
- ☐ (b) The importance of gardening
- ☐ (c) The joy of spring
- ☐ (d) The value of money

Answer sheet

1. motif — A motif is defined by repetition across the text.
2. A motif recurs throughout a text, while a symbol can appear just once. — A symbol stands for an idea; a motif is a recurring element, which often carries symbolic meaning.
3. A dove — The dove is a widely recognised symbol of peace.
4. Guidance from her family, and finally her own sense of direction in life — The map is linked to her grandmother and to feeling lost, and drawing her own route suggests she is finding her own way.
5. A sense of tension and urgency — The ticking clock repeatedly reminds the audience that time is running out.
6. theme — Symbols and motifs are tools writers use to build themes.
7. The caged bird symbolises Lina's lack of freedom, so when she opens the cage the writer suggests she has finally claimed her independence. — It names the symbol, explains the idea it represents and links it to a key moment in the story.
8. The decline of a relationship — The flower wilts in step with the friendship, so it represents the relationship fading.