Starter quiz
- The speaker of 'Cousin Kate' is ...
- Kate
- the nobleman
- Kate's cousin ✓
- Kate's mother
- Kate's love rival ✓
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- At the end of 'Cousin Kate', the speaker reveals...
- she has poisoned Kate.
- she has given birth to the nobleman's son. ✓
- she has a plan to seduce the nobleman so he will leave Kate.
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- Which of the following quotes from 'Cousin Kate' suggests that the nobleman has conflicted feelings for the speaker?
- "Not mindful I was fair."
- "His plaything and his love." ✓
- "O Cousin Kate, my love was true"
- "I would have spit into his face."
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- Which of these words could we use to describe Victorian society?
- utopian
- communist
- matriarchal
- patriarchal ✓
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- What is the speaker of 'Cousin Kate' implying when she says that Kate's "love was writ in sand"?
- Kate's love for the nobleman is fleeting and will end quickly.
- Kate's love is passionate to the point of being obsessive.
- Kate's love is baseless; the speaker suspects she only loves him for his status. ✓
- Kate's love is empty and dry like the desert.
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- What does the speaker of 'Cousin Kate' suggest most attracted the nobleman to both women?
- They are both beautiful. ✓
- They are both kind and compassionate people.
- They all have similar interests.
- They are both younger than him.
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Exit quiz
- Match each literary method to the correct definition.
- juxtaposition⇔placing two or more elements side by side to highlight their contrasts ✓
- rhetorical question⇔questions asked for effect or to make a point, not requiring an answer ✓
- anaphora⇔repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines ✓
- What does pastoral mean?
- literature idealising religion and faith
- literature idealising rural life and nature ✓
- literature idealising a particular historical period
- literature idealising upper-class life
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- Which of these are conventions of a dramatic monologue?
- first-person perspective ✓
- an ABAB rhyme scheme
- focus on traditional characters/settings
- a silent audience ✓
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- Which of these are conventions of a ballad?
- narrative storytelling ✓
- slow reveal of the character's personality
- simple language and vocabulary ✓
- frequent use of enjambment
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- Which rhyming patterns are used in 'Cousin Kate'?
- ABAB ✓
- ABBA
- ABCB ✓
- ABCC
- AABB
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- Which of these quotations links to the pastoral themes in the poem?
- "my shame, my pride"
- "Call me an outcast thing"
- "your sport among the rye" ✓
- "He watched your steps along the lane"
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue.
- It also uses many traditional ballad conventions.
- Juxtaposition may have been used to create tension in the poem.
- Rhetorical questions may have been used to convey confusion about the conflict women faced in society.
- Rhyme is used to emphasise and link meanings in the poem.
Common misconception
The speaker feels as though her cousin Kate has ruined her life completely.
While the speaker does feel that Kate has stolen the life she deserved/desired, she also feels that she can have the 'last laugh' since she has given birth to the nobleman's son.
Keywords
Incredulity - being unable or unwilling to believe something; disbelief
Pastoral - literature idealising rural life and nature, often contrasting with urban experiences
Anaphora - repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences
Dramatic monologue - a poem where a single character speaks to a silent audience, revealing their thoughts
Ballad - a narrative poem, often set to music, using simple language, repetition, and a regular rhyme scheme
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