Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films — Edexcel A-Level Portuguese
Test yourself on Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films with PEARSON EDEXCEL A-Level practice questions.
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Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films explained
This row identifies A viagem do elefante, the 2008 novel by José Saramago, as a prescribed literary text for the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Portuguese (9PG0).
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The novel recounts the journey of an elephant, Salomão, sent from Portugal to Vienna in the sixteenth century, and it is studied as a complete work within the literary component. Learners need secure knowledge of the plot, the principal characters, the narrator's distinctive voice and the novel's reflection on power, travel and human-animal relations. Saramago's characteristic narrative style, with its long flowing sentences and ironic commentary, is part of what makes the text distinctive, and multiple-choice questions may test recognition of accurate detail about the journey, its historical framing and the author's treatment of his sources.
Your focus
- Identify A viagem do elefante accurately as a prescribed novel by José Saramago published in 2008.
- Explain how the journey of the elephant Salomão organises the novel's plot and themes.
- Evaluate statements about the novel's characters, historical framing and narrative style in order to select the correct option in a multiple-choice task.
Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films exam tips
Marking Points
- Correctly identifies A viagem do elefante as a novel by José Saramago published in 2008 and prescribed for study in the 9PG0 literary component.
- Recognises the central journey of the elephant Salomão from Portugal towards Vienna as the narrative's organising action.
- Identifies the principal human figures involved in the journey and their roles in advancing the plot.
- Distinguishes Saramago's narrative style, including his ironic and digressive commentary, from a plain historical chronicle.
- Rejects distractors that misattribute the novel, assign the wrong date or confuse it with another prescribed text.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Memorise the essential facts of each prescribed text, including author, publication date, form and central action, to eliminate multiple-choice distractors efficiently.
- 💡Pay attention to the distinction between the novel's historical setting and its date of publication, since distractors often exploit this confusion.
- 💡Note how the narrator comments on events, as questions may test recognition of the novel's ironic and digressive narrative voice.
Common Mistakes
- Misunderstanding: the novel is read as a straightforward historical record. Correction: it is a fictional narrative that reworks historical material with irony and imaginative invention.
- Misunderstanding: the elephant is treated as mere background. Correction: Salomão's journey structures the narrative and carries much of its thematic weight.
- Misunderstanding: the 2008 date is confused with the sixteenth-century setting. Correction: the novel was published in 2008 but is set in an earlier historical period.
- Misunderstanding: Saramago's long sentences are assumed to be careless. Correction: the style is a deliberate narrative technique that shapes how the reader experiences the journey.