Cáca Milis (Leaving Cert Irish): Model Answers
Cáca Milis, 2015 (H1 Sample Answer)
"Ní duine deas í Catherine sa scannán 'Cáca Milis', rud atá soiléir ón gcaoi a gcaitheann sí le Paul agus iad ar an traein." Déan plé ar an ráiteas sin.
"In the film 'Cáca Milis', Catherine is not a nice person, something that is clear from the way that she treats Paul when they are on the train." Discuss that statement.
Approaching the Question
Planning your answer will keep you focused and help you include all the key information.
Marking for the Prós, Filíocht and Litríocht Breise questions:
- 30 marks available
- 5 marks for the quality of Gaeilge.
- 25 marks for eolas (knowledge-how well you know and understand the text).
To achieve the 'Sármhaith' (22-25 marks) category in your answer, here's what the marking scheme requires:
- Plé an-chuimsitheach ar an ráiteas. (A very comprehensive discussion of the statement.)
- Tuiscint an-shoiléir léirithe sna pointí eolais. (A very clear understanding expressed in the points of information.)
- Tagairtí sármhaithe, sárthéagartha don téacs. (Excellent, well-structured references to the text.)
- Smaointe forbartha go sármhaith. (Excellently developed ideas.)
This may seem overwhelming, but it's a question you can prepare really well for!
- Make sure you have a solid understanding of the texts – know the plot, key moments, characters, their relationships, and any important writing or film techniques.
- Practice exam questions - they are very repetitive!
- However, it's important to avoid reciting a memorised answer. You must answer the question in front of you to score highly. Don't just summarise the text!
- Refer to the question frequently throughout your answer. This is easier than it sounds! All you need is a few key phrases that you can adapt to tie in any exam question, such as:
- Aontaím leis an ráiteas seo. (I agree with this statement.)
- Is léir go bhfuil… (It is clear that)
- Léiríonn sé seo go… (This shows that)
- Tá sé seo an soiléir ón gcaoi… (This is very clear from the way…)
- Feicimid go… (We see that…)
- Gan aon amhras ar bith… (Without any doubt…)
- Tip: Refer back to the question at the end of each paragraph!
- Personal response shows that you understand and are engaged with the text. You could use phrases like:
- Dar liom… (According to me…)
- Creidim go bhfuil…. (I believe that…)
Check out our 'Prós: Essential Vocabulary' notes for a full list of useful phrases and examples!
Question Breakdown
What is the question asking?
The question is asking us to discuss a statement.
Ní duine deas í Catherine sa scannán 'Cáca Milis', rud atá soiléir ón gcaoi a gcaitheann sí le Paul agus iad ar an traein. (In the film 'Cáca Milis', Catherine is not a nice person, something that is clear from the way that she treats Paul when they are on the train.)
Elements of the question:
- Is Catherine a nice person?
- How does her treatment of Paul reveal this?
Let's be real – Catherine is definitely not a nice person (you'd probably keep your distance on a train!). Agreeing with this in your introduction shows the examiner that you understand the question and are jumping straight in, not just summarising. Tie this to the second part of the question – her treatment of Paul clearly proves she's not a nice person.
Ní féidir a shéanadh ach gur duine mailíseach agus mífhoighneach í Catherine sa scannán Cáca Millis. Ní duine deas í ar chor ar bith. Tá sé seo an soiléir ón gcaoi a gcaitheann sí le Paul agus iad ar an traein.
It cannot be denied that Catherine is a malicious and impatient person in the film Cáca Millis. She is not a nice person at all. This is very clear from the way she treats Paul when they are on the train.
What examples from the film support this statement?
- Catherine is annoyed when Paul boards the train and drops his bag.
- She ignores Paul's attempts at conversation, responding abruptly and rudely.
- She lies about the scenery outside the train to make Paul uncomfortable.
- Catherine tells Paul that there is a worm in his cake and that he has eaten half of it. When he begins to panic, she moves his inhaler out of reach.
Discuss each point in its own paragraph. At the end of each paragraph, link the example back to the question, explaining how it supports the statement.
Check out our 'Prós: Essential Vocabulary' notes for useful phrases on linking your answer to the question!
You'll need to point out that Catherine is not a nice person—a lot (seriously, she's the definition of "cold as ice!"). To improve your Gaeilge mark, use a variety of adjectives!
| Irish | English |
|---|---|
| Mailíseach | Malicious |
| Mífhoighneach | Impatient |
| Drochbhéasach | Rude |
| Crua | Cruel |
| Cruálach | Cruel |
| Cantalach | Cranky |
| Fuarchúiseach | Indifferent |
| Díoltasach | Vengeful |
| Mithrócaireach | Merciless |
| Leithleach | Selfish |
| Míchairdiúil | Unfriendly |
Freagra
Ní féidir a shéanadh ach gur duine mailíseach agus mífhoighneach í Catherine sa scannán Cáca Millis. Ní duine deas í ar chor ar bith. Tá sé seo an soiléir ón gcaoi a gcaitheann sí le Paul agus iad ar an traein.
It cannot be denied that Catherine is a malicious and impatient person in the film Cáca Millis. She is not a nice person at all. This is very clear from the way she treats Paul when they are on the train.
Ar an gcéad dul síos, feicimid gurbh duine mífhoighneach í ag tús an scannáin nuair a tháinig Paul isteach sa charáiste ar an traein. Is léir go raibh déistín ar Catherine nuair a shuigh Paul síos in aice léi. Bhí bata aige agus ba bheag nár bhuail sé Catherine leis. Thit a mhála páipéar as a lámh agus feicimid go raibh Catherine ag éirí mífhoighneach nuair a bhí uirthi an mála a phiocadh suas do Phól.
First of all, we see that she is an impatient person at the start of the film when Paul comes into the carriage on the train. It is clear that Catherine was disgusted when Paul sat down next to her. He had a stick and he nearly hit Catherine with it. His paper bag fell out of his hand and we see that Catherine was becoming impatient when she had to pick up the bag for Paul.
Is léir nár dhuine cairdiúil nó deas í Catherine nuair a thosaigh Paul ag caint léi. Chuir a chuid cainte isteach go mór uirthi agus ní raibh sí ag iarraidh caint leis. Léigh Catherine a leabhar nuair a bhí Paul ag insint scéal a shaol di. Labhair sí go borb nuair a chuir sé ceisteanna uirthi. Chomh maith leis sin, bhí sí drochbhéasach leis mar níor thug sí freagairt ar bith dó. Is léir nach raibh aon meas nó trua aici don fhear ball bocht.
It is clear that Catherine is not a friendly or nice person when Pól started talking to her. His words really annoyed her and she did not want to speak to him. Catherine read her book when Paul was telling her his life story. She spoke abruptly when he asked her questions. As well as that, she was rude as she did not give him any answers. It is clear that she had no respect or pity for the poor blind man.
Nuair a thosaigh Paul ag déanamh cur síos ar an suíomh lasmuigh den fhuinneog, bhí ionadh ar Catherine. Bhí a fhios aici go raibh an bá ann, chomh maith le habhainn agus muileann adhmaid. Ach bhí sí tuirseach de na ceisteanna a bhí sé i gcónaí ag cuir uirthi agus mar sin, thosaigh sí ar bhob a bhualadh air. Dúirt sí le Paul go raibh loch agus bád ann chomh maith mar, bhí a fios aici go n-éireoidh sé mí-shuaimhneach. Níor lig Catherine air go raibh sí ag insint bréige. Léiríonn sé seo gur dhuine crua í.
When Paul started to describe the setting outside of the window, Catherine was surprised. She knew that there was a bay there, as well as a river and wooden bridge. But she was tired of the questions that he kept asking her and so, she started playing a trick on him. She said to Paul that there was also a lake and a boat there, as she knew that he would become uneasy. Catherine did not tell him that she was telling lies. This shows that she is a cruel person.
Ina theannta sin, feicimid gur dhuine mailíseach í Catherine nuair a bhog sí an t-análóir as greim Paul. Dúirt sí go raibh péist sa cháca agus gur ith sé leath den phéist. Chaith sé amach an cáca as a bhéal agus bhí líonrith air. Fuair Paul bás agus níor thug Catherine aon cabhair dó.
In addition, we see that Catherine is a malicious person when she moved the inhaler out of Paul's reach. She said that there was a worm in the cake and that he had eaten half of the worm. He spat the cake out from his mouth and he was panicked. Paul died and Catherine did not give him any help.
Sa chaidhreamh idir í féin agus Paul ar an traein, léirigh sí go raibh mailíseacha inti. Bhain sí pléisiúr agus Paul a chrá agus a chéasadh. Thaispeáin sé seo an taobh dorcha dá phearsantacht. Mar sin, is léir nár dhuine deas í Catherine sa scannán.
In the relationship between herself and Paul on the train, she showed that she was a malicious person. She took pleasure in tormenting and torturing Paul. This shows the dark side of her personality. So, it is clear that Catherine is not a nice person in the film.