Easter Supported Study
April 2015
Close reading question types
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Own words.
Summary.
Context.
Linking.
Word Choice.
Imagery.
Tone.
Sentence Structure.
Effective opening paragraph.
Effective conclusion.
Remember
If you are asked about “language” then you may
be able to write about:
Word Choice
Imagery
Tone
Sentence Structure
Keep your W.I.T.S about you!
Remember your key strategies:
• read the passage very carefully before attempting
the questions.
• read the title and the sub-heading carefully.
• read each question very carefully and look to see
how many works it is worth.
• make sure that you work out which type of question
it is.
• use the correct methods for answering each question
type.
• don’t answer in sentences.
• ensure that your answers are sufficiently detailed.
Own words practice
Using your own words, explain how J.K. Rowling is
“fortunate” (3)
JK Rowling is fortunate in that the reason for her fame
exists at one remove from her. Harry is nothing to do
with who her parents were, or how good she looks on
television. He is the product of her imagination,
interacting with the imagination of millions of others.
Just as the books, with their literary allusions and
cultural quirks, borrow from other traditions, so the
wizard world is held in common. Internet sites discuss
the plot, translators try to render “Hogwarts” in
other languages. Harry is public property in a way
that his creator, despite the dustbins and long lenses,
is not.
Three from:
• Her success is not a result of her family
connections.
• Her success is not due to her appearance.
• Her success is because of her talent and
creativity.
• The public talk about her novels, not about
her.
Explain fully and in your own words why
the writer was “astounded” (3)
Years ago, when my own children still went to bed
neatly scrubbed in fresh Thomas the Tank Engine
pyjamas and sheets scented with fabric conditioner
rather than stale sweat, I watched a documentary on
the late, great John Peel, in which the famously easygoing DJ was reduced almost to tears when talking
about the state of his teenage son’s bedroom—the
arguments it triggered and the feelings it evoked in
him. I was astounded. What a disproportionate
reaction! How bizarrely out of character!
Three from:
He was usually very relaxed and laid-back.
His response to his son’s bedroom was excessive
His response was strange.
His response was not as she would have
expected (it was not like him).
Linking questions practice
In a time of economic hardship, we are seeking out the simple and
cheap—family entertainment that makes us feel part of
something bigger. But the popularity of such shows may be
traced back even further—to the emergence of 19th-century
periodicals which relied on reader contributions. Reality TV is
merely a manifestation of a very, very old craving. We love
sentimental stories; we love a tear jerker, and shows like The X
Factor are no more crass or exploitative than cheap sensational
19th-century fiction.
Yet it seems that 21st-century viewers are looking for more than just
simple entertainment. Part of the attraction is the sense of
control The X Factor gives us: the sense that we can put right
wider social wrongs by voting for our favourite contestants and
that although our lives are being shaped by forces beyond our
control—such as government cutbacks, widespread job losses or
social deprivation—the ability to have a say in what happens to
others in reality TV shows gives us back a much-needed sense of
power.
“simple entertainment” links back to the
previous paragraph where we are told how we
have been enjoying types of entertainment
similar to reality tv since the 19th century.
“looking for more than” links forward to where
we are told that people enjoy reality tv due to
the power and control it gives us over what
happens.
Years ago, when my own children still went to bed neatly
scrubbed in fresh Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas and
sheets scented with fabric conditioner rather than stale
sweat, I watched a documentary on the late, great John Peel,
in which the famously easy-going DJ was reduced almost to
tears when talking about the state of his teenage son’s
bedroom—the arguments it triggered and the feelings it
evoked in him. I was astounded. What a disproportionate
reaction! How bizarrely out of character!
Now, of course, I understand only too well where those feelings
came from. The powerlessness, the sense of failing in your
parental duties, the feeling of not being considered, not
respected. The fact is that even the most laidback parents can
find that children’s bedrooms become emotional battlefields
within the family home. According to Professor Tanya Byron, a
clinical psychologist, this could be because the mess plays
right into our deep-seated fears as parents.
“those feelings” links back to the previous
paragraph where we are told of John Peel’s
dramatic emotional response to seeing the
mess of his son’s room.
“I understand” links forward to where we are
told of some of thoughts and emotions that
many parents feel about this subject.
Word choice practice
Explain how the writer’s word choice helps to
show the negative effects of fame (4)
The missing part of the Cinderella story is what
happens when she puts on the glass slipper
and disappears into the palace. Rowling filled
in the blanks, describing to Jeremy Paxman
how she has to cope with begging letters,
journalists rifling through her bins,
photographers lurking on the beach, and
strangers accosting her in the supermarket.
“lurking”
This has connotations of suspicious and
inappropriate behaviour, spying, hidden...
This emphasises that Rowling has to tolerate
suspicious and inappropriate behaviour from
photographers who hide from her and spy on
her from a distance.
“accosting”
This has connotations of unwanted attention,
hassled, harassed...
This emphasises that Rowling is often the victim
of unwanted attention from people she does
not know who hassle and harass her when she
is trying to live a normal life.
Show how any two examples of the writer’s
word choice create sympathy for the character
of Oliver Twist (4)
That is where Dickens came in. Many books were
banned under apartheid but not the classics of
English literature. Pupils arriving hungry at school
every day were captivated by the story of a frail but
courageous boy named Oliver Twist.
The book was a revelation. Systemised oppression of
children happened in England too! They were not
alone. Slave labour, thin rations, and cruel taunts
were part of a child’s life in the world outside as well.
“frail”
This has connotations of weak, vulnerable,
undernourished, unhealthy...
This creates sympathy as it emphasises how
weak, vulnerable, undernourished and
unhealthy Oliver Twist was in the novel.
“slave labour”
This has connotations of hardship, cruelty, loss
of freedom, no rights, no dignity...
This creates sympathy for Oliver Twist as it
emphasises that he had his freedom and
rights taken away from him and that he lived a
life of cruelty and hardship.
Context questions practice
Explain how the context enables you to work out the
meaning of the word “detritus” (2)
The other morning, I found myself on my knees in my son’s
bedroom, sobbing into a rather iffy smelling sock. All
around me was the detritus of 16-year-old male life: piles
of discarded clothes of indeterminate cleanliness, BB
gun pellets, shards of glass from the mirror shattered by
said BB gun. I counted five towels, all damp and heaped
on the floor. One smelt as if it might have started
sprouting its own fungal lifeform. On the plus side, there
were also plenty of books, mostly school textbooks,
which had been put to ingenious uses: a handy breakfast
tray (with bowl and spoon virtually welded to the front
cover), a prop to jam open the window.
The word “detritus” means mess and
rubbish.
The author refers to the fact that all
around her son’s room there were “piles
of discarded clothes” and “shards of
glass”.
This emphasises that her son had left many
broken and abandoned belongings
around his room, making it very untidy.
Explain how the context enables you to work out the
meaning of the word “virtual” (2)
The X Factor, brainchild of Simon Cowell, is the most
popular programme on Saturday night. Each week,
hundreds make the pilgrimage to be part of the live
audience, and millions of us tune in at home to watch.
As a result, many of us will spend more time in the virtual
company of the contestants than we do with our real-life
friends and family. In a modern world in which local
communities have become increasingly fractured, where
relatives live further apart from each other than ever
before and where one in five of us will never speak to our
neighbours, Cowell’s creation seems to be filling the void.
The word “virtual” means created by technology
or computers.
The author refers to the fact that millions of
people regularly “tune in” to watch the XFactor and that we see people in the show
more than we see people we know in “reallife”.
This emphasises that the relationships we have
with people on the X-Factor are not real, they
are simulated by technology.
Tone questions practice
Explain how the author uses language to
create a tone of disapproval (2)
And yet despite the fact that more of us seem to be
tuning in than ever before, relatively little is known
about who watches and why. All we know is that The
X Factor—even if it signifies the disintegration of
civilised society—is a reality-television phenomenon.
So why, after a decade of phone-in rows, vote rigging
accusations and celebrity-hungry wannabes with
bloated egos, does the British public remain so in love
with reality television?
“wannabes”
This has connotations of inferior, inadequate,
delusion, talentless...
This emphasises how the author believes that
the X-Factor competition attracts people who
are delusional as well as being talentless and
inadequate performers.
“disintegration”
This has connotations of damage, destruction,
erosion, harm...
This emphasises that the author believes that
the X-Factor competition is actually harmful to
our society and it is causing damage and
destruction to it.
Explain how the author uses language to
create a reassuring tone (2)
Some people dislike texting. Some are bemused
by it. But it is merely the latest manifestation
of the human ability to be linguistically
creative and to adapt language to suit the
demands of diverse settings. There is no
disaster pending. We will not see a new
generation of adults growing up unable to
write proper English. The language as a whole
will not decline. In texting what we are seeing,
in a small way, is language in evolution.
“There is no disaster pending” is a short
sentence.
This is used to emphasise the author’s point that
texting is not harmful, damaging or
destructive to the English language and that
we should not be concerned about it.
“evolution”
This has connotations of adapting, improving,
changing, progress...
This emphasises the author’s point that texting
represents how the English language is
constantly changing, adapting and improving
for the better.
Imagery questions practice
Explain why “pilgrimage” is an
effective use of imagery (3)
It is a Saturday night in the northernmost fringes of
London. Outside an anonymous building with blankedout windows, a discarded plastic bag swirls in the
breeze.
At first glance it seems a miserable place. But in fact this
is where dreams are made and broken. Because this is
where, every weekend, The X Factor goes live.
The X Factor, brainchild of Simon Cowell, is the most
popular programme on Saturday night. Each week,
hundreds make the pilgrimage to be part of the live
audience, and millions of us tune in at home to watch.
“pilgrimage” is a metaphor.
The author is comparing travelling to be part of the XFactor audience to a pilgrimage.
Just as a pilgrimage is a profound and spiritual journey
of great importance, so too was the journey to be
part of the X-Factor audience an almost holy and
religious experience for some people.
This is effective as it emphasises how many people get
so much happiness from the X-Factor that they want
to travel there to experience it and show their love
and devotion.
Explain why “Hurricane Katrina” is an
effective use of imagery (3)
Part of the problem is that as our children grow up, we expect them to
show the same consideration and empathy as adults. Wrong, says
Professor Byron. “Adolescence is about making the transition from
dependent child to independent adult. There are all these changes
happening. The biological, psychological and social elements are
thrown into a big washing machine and whirled about. It’s all part of
the process, but it’s confusing.”
But that doesn’t mean we have to accept that one room in our home
will look permanently as if it has had an encounter with Hurricane
Katrina. “It’s still OK to set boundaries for adolescents, just different
boundaries,” says Professor Byron. “It’s OK for there to be family
contracts that say these are the rules. “Teenagers need to
understand that life isn’t all about their needs. A family is like a
team. You all work together and pull your weight.”
“Hurricane Katrina” is a simile.
The author is comparing the bedroom to
somewhere touched by a hurricane.
Just as somewhere touched by a hurricane
would be completely destroyed and
devastated, so too was the bedroom in an
extremely messy and untidy condition.
This is effective as it emphasises Prof. Byron’s
point that parents should not have to tolerate
their children’s bedrooms being excessively
dirty, unkempt and uncared for.
Sentence Structure Practice
Explain why the author has used one type of
sentence structure in this paragraph (2)
One mother says that her 13-year-old daughter regards it as an
invasion of her human rights if she goes into her room or tells her
to tidy up. “She has the best room in the house, in the loft, and
regards the shower room next door as ‘her bathroom’. But there
are pressing reasons why I have to go up there: she leaves the
windows open in all weathers, she uses my expensive hair products
and hides them, she takes a fancy to certain items of clothing that
don’t belong to her, which I otherwise might never see again and
she drops her hated school uniform in a heap on the floor so if I
didn’t pick it up, she’d go to school looking like a tramp. Now
there’s a new one: I’ve been used to finding apple cores in various
states of putrefaction in her room for years, but since having fixed
braces fitted, she can no longer bite into them, so guess where I
have to go looking for my chopping boards and sharp knives?”
The author has used a colon to provide a list of
the reasons why the mother has to go and
inspect her daughter’s room from time to
time.
The author has used a list.
“She leaves the windows...tramp”
This is to emphasise the number and variety of
different reasons why the mother needs to go
and inspect her daughter’s room from time to
time.
Explain why the author has used one type of
sentence structure in this paragraph (2)
“Sometimes our reaction is about recognising that
they are growing up and moving away and that
we won’t always be able to tidy up for them.
They’re going to have to look after themselves.
Adolescence is a very chaotic time emotionally.
The trivia of life—the towels on the floor, the
washing not put away—can be a safe area for
parents to vent worry and tension.”
The author has used parenthesis.
This is to provide us with more information
which explains what the author means by the
minor aspects of life.
Effective opening paragraph
Explain one reason why this is an
effective opening to the passage
(2)
Tennis players are a funny bunch. Have you
noticed how they always ask for three balls
instead of two; how they bounce the ball the
same number of times before serving, as if any
deviation from their routine might bring the
world collapsing on their heads?
The author has used a rhetorical question.
“Have you noticed...on their heads?”
This is to involve and engage the reader in the
article and to encourage the reader to think
about the point he is making regarding how
tennis players are very superstitious.
The author has used a short sentence.
“Tennis players are a funny bunch”.
This is used to grab the reader’s attention
straight away and to give impact to his point
that tennis players often behave in a very
strange and superstitious manner.
Effective Conclusions
Explain how this provides an effective
conclusion to the passage (2)
Perhaps this, in the end, is the key to Cowell’s
success: he acknowledges that we crave the
appearance of reality, but that we also want
the reassurance of a happy ending for those
who deserve it and retribution for those who
do not.
Either that or we just want to laugh at the man
with the comb-over singing an out-of tune
Mariah Carey song.
The author mentions that one of the reasons why we
watch reality tv is because we enjoy watching people
making fools of themselves.
(“we just want to laugh at the man with the combover singing an out-of tune Mariah Carey song”)
This links back to lines 54-57 where the author
mentions how much we love laughing at the deluded
and talentless people on shows like the X-Factor.
(“A part of us just loves it when people are awful and
embarrass themselves”)
Summary questions
Using your own words, summarise
the main points the author is
making about the popularity of
reality tv shows (5)
• Being on the X-Factor could be the start of
someone’s career or the end of their hopes
and ambitions.
• The X-Factor has become very popular,
attracting a huge audience.
• Many people see the people on reality tv
shows more than they see their own family
members.
• Many people develop relationships with the
contestants on these shows despite having
never met them.
• Some people use their “relationship” with
these contestants as a substitute for their own
friends and family.
• Most people know that reality tv shows are
artificial and designed to make money, but we
still enjoy them anyway.
• We watch these shows so that we can feel a
part of the dream of normal people just like
us.