[originaltext]M: Hello, Laura. Glad you could make it. You’re the only student

M: Hello, Laura. Glad you could make it. You’re the only student who put your name down for this literature tutorial so let’s get started, shall we? I want to run over some aspects of the novel, The Secret Garden, with you before the test next week. Be sure to take some notes and ask questions if you need to.
W: Sure, I will.
M: Okay, so, the story follows two key characters-- you should refer to them as protagonists-- who go by the names of Mary Lennox and Colin Craven. The story is set shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, and the narrative tracks the development of the protagonists as they learn to overcome their own personal troubles together.
W: That’s quite a common storyline, isn’t it?
M: Yes, you’re right, Laura. So, what can you tell me about the character of Mary?
W: Well, in the beginning she is an angry, rude child who is orphaned after a cholera outbreak and forced to leave India and move to the United Kingdom to her uncle’s house in Yorkshire.
M: That’s right--and there she meets Colin who spends his days in an isolated room, believing himself to be permanently crippled with no hope of ever gaining the ability to walk. The two strike up a friendship and gradually learn, by encouraging each other, that they can both become healthy, happy and fulfilled in life.
W: Will we need to remember a lot of these details for the exam?
M: Just the basic outline. Examiners don’t want to read a plot summary-- they know what the book is about. Focus on narrative techniques instead, such as point of view.
W: What does that mean?
M: It’s all about how we see the story. This story, for example, is written from the perspective of what is called an "omniscient narrator". Omniscient means all-knowing. So, as readers we get to see how all the characters feel about things, what they like and don’t like, and what their motivations are in the story.
W: Won’t it be hard to write a technical analysis? After all, it’s a kids’ book.
M: Well, it was initially pitched at adults you know, but over the years it has become seen as a more youth-orientated work. And you’re right in a sense-- the simple vocabulary makes it ideally suited for children. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t much to analyse. Look at the symbolism, for instance.
W: Symbols are things, right? Material things--like objects--that stand for abstract ideas.
M: Absolutely, yes. And the author uses many of them in the novel.
This is the end of Conversation Two.
Questions 6-10 are based on Conversation Two.
6. What is the literature tutorial about?
7. When is the story of the novel set?
8. Where do the two protagonists meet?
9. What does the student need to remember for the exam?
10. According to the tutor, in what way is The Secret Garden a kid’s book?