Before starting reading, here are a few listening tasks to help learn more about the historical and literary context of the work and its author James Joyce. The first task is a bit longer and easier than those that will be on the exam, but it will give you a good overview of Irish history that will help you understand the book much better. The second task will help you learn more about the author of the book and his connection with the city of Dublin, where the stories take place. The last task is about half the length of a task from the exam, but will help you understand the literary movement of realism which the book belongs to.
Listening Task: An Introduction to Irish history
Listening Task: James Joyce and Dublin
On the exam, there will be an essay in which you have to read either a fragment from a literary work or a scientific article and then analyse it and recommend it to readers. Here you can try a task using a fragment from "Eveline," the fourth short story of the collection. After writing it, please give it to your teacher for feedback.
After finishing the tasks, you can move onto the first short story, "The Sisters".