You will be hearing from us shortly
You feel adequate to the demands of this position?
What qualities do you feel you
Personally have to offer?
Ah
Let us consider your application form.
Your qualifications, though impressive, are
Not, we must admit, precisely what
We had in mind. Would you care
To defend their relevance?
Indeed
Now your age. Perhaps you feel able
To make your own comment about that,
Too? We are conscious ourselves
Of the need for a candidate with precisely
The right degree of immaturity.
So glad we agree
And now a delicate matter: your looks.
You do appreciate this work involves
Contact with the actual public? Might they,
Perhaps, find your appearance
Disturbing?
Quite so
And your accent. That is the way
You have always spoken, is it? What
Of your education? Were
You educated? We mean, of course,
Where were you educated?
And how
Much of a handicap is that to you.
Would you say?
Married, children,
We see. The usual dubious
Desire to perpetuate what had better
Not have happened at all. We do not
Ask what domestic disasters shimmer
Behind that vaguely unsuitable address.
And you were born—?
Yes. Pity.
So glad we agree.
U. A. Fanthorpe
1 .
What is taking place in this poem?
An exam
An appointment with a doctor
A job interview
A wedding
2 .
The poem is in whose voice?
The poet's
The interviewer's
The job candidate's
The secretary's
3 .
Which words best describe the interviewer's tone?
Gentle, kindly, thoughtful
Raging, dismissive, emotional
Arrogant, contemptuous, condescending
Humble, sensitive, delicate
4 .
The interviewer does NOT question the suitability of which of the following?
The candidate's health
The candidate's marital status
The candidate's accent
The candidate's age
5 .
The poem is written in the first person plural throughout. Why might this be?
The candidate is being interviewed by a panel (several people)
The interviewer uses the royal 'we' out of sheer arrogance
The use of the word 'we' emphasizes the exclusion of the candidate
Any of the above
6 .
Look again at the way the poem is structured and, in particular, how it is laid out. Considering the words on the right-hand side (like 'Ah'), what does the long gap before them tell the reader?
The gaps show the reader that the interviewer is taking care to phrase the words sensitively
The gaps enable the reader to imagine the long pause the interviewer leaves before saying the words
The gaps show the reader that the interviewer is struggling for words
The gaps are purely there to make the poem look attractive on the page
7 .
Thinking about the answer to question six, what effect does this technique create?
It creates a feeling of boredom for the reader
It creates a feeling of suspense, allowing the reader to become more excited
The reader begins to believe that the candidate will be given the job after all
The reader can almost hear the dripping sarcasm in the clipped responses
8 .
'You will be hearing from us shortly' is what an interviewer would say to conclude an interview. The interviewer in the poem will have said this to the candidate, who knows the interview has not been a success. Why is this an appropriate title for this poem?
The title merely summarizes the meaning of the poem
The title shows that the candidate will certainly get a job somewhere soon
The title reinforces the theme of inequality between the interviewee and the interviewer
The title reminds us that we will have to wait until the end of the poem to know what happened
9 .
Which of the following phrases implies that the interviewer is looking for someone reasonable competent, but youthful?
'And now a delicate matter'
'Precisely the right degree of immaturity'
'Were you educated'
'Your qualifications, though impressive, are not, we must admit, precisely what we had in mind'
10 .
What is the effect of the last three lines?
The interviewer implies that everyone is in agreement that the candidate's existence is pointless
The interviewer implies that everyone will take pity on the poor candidate
The interviewer wanted to know where the candidate was born, but was interrupted
All of the above