Explain how Beethoven achieves a sense of drama in the extract from the first movement of Piano Sonata no. 8, 'Pathétique.

There are lots of different techniques composers use to create drama. I would have a checklist of different areas to listen out for:Tempo – It is likely to be quite fast, or perhaps there are sudden changes in tempo.Harmony and tonality – It may be in a minor key. Listen out for the use of dissonant chords; diminished sevenths would be likely, particularly during the period Beethoven was writing this music.Melody – Wide range in pitch, using very high and/or very low notes. The melody may also have dissonant or very wide intervals.Texture – There may be thick chords, or a busy polyphonic texture with lots of things going on at once.Rhythm – Composers might achieve a sense of drama through the use of dotted rhythms, staccato, or syncopation, which drives the music forward.
Any question which asks you to explain how a composer creates a certain mood can be approached in this way. Whenever you listen to music, I would encourage you to listen carefully and think about whether it sounds happy/sad/angry/dramatic etc. and why it sounds that way. It may difficult at first but the more practice you have at spotting various techniques the easier it will become to notice them in an exam situation. It also makes listening more interesting!