Higher English
RUAE Skills
Booklet
OWN WORDS
Own Words – refers to questions that ask you to find information/answers in the passage and then
say the same thing, but using your own words as much as possible.
Wording Of Own Words Questions
Specific
General
Using your own words…
Explain…
In your own words…
Summarise…
Using your own words as far as possible…
Identify…
Things To Remember/How to Answer:

Find anything you can use in the passage and underline it.

Then, from what you have underlined, select JUST enough to answer the question (paying
careful attention to the marks available), and translate what is written into your own words,
without losing the original meaning.

Many of these questions will ask you to summarise points made in the passage. It is essential
your answers are concise (to the point), as you don’t have enough time to write huge
paragraphs. Bullet points work well.
OWN WORDS: EXAMPLE ANSWERS
Culloden Moor is one of the bleakest places on the planet. I know, because I’ve
been there. Wind-blasted, as featureless as a desert, it is made even more dismal
thanks to the memory of the dreadful events that took place there on April 16,
1746. In less than an hour, King George II’s men routed Bonnie Prince Charlie’s
army, and sent those who evaded capture fleeing for their miserable lives.
Question
Using your own words, what two reasons does the author give for claiming that ‘Culloden
Moor is one of the bleakest places on the planet’? (2)
Bad Answer
Two reasons for the author claiming that ‘Culloden Moor is one of the bleakest places on the planet’
are that it is wind blasted and looks like a desert
Good Answer
Two reasons are:


It constantly has strong winds and has a very bland landscape with no notable features.
It was the scene of a great defeat by the English of the Scottish army led by Bonnie Prince
Charlie.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Teachers are giving up teaching, and youth organizations are dying because they cannot find
adults prepared to run them. Everywhere good, inspirational people are turning their backs on
children because they are terrified of the children and their parents turning on them, accusing them
of all manner of wrongdoing. They can no longer operate, they say, in a climate of suspicion and fear.
Q. Why, according to the writer, are teachers and youth workers “turning their backs on
children?
2
2. The discover that a comet impact triggered the disappearance of the dinosaurs as well as more
than half the species that lived 65 million years ago may have been the most significant scientific
breakthrough of the twentieth century. Brilliant detective work on the part of the hundreds of
scientists in analyzing clues extracted from the study of fossils, and by counting the objects in nearearth space, has allowed dinosaur mass-extinction to be solved. As a result we have new insight into
the nature of life on Earth.
Q. According to the first sentence, what important discovery has been made about comet
impact?
2
3. Once we appreciate that impact catastrophes have shaped life as we know it, and that such events
will happen again in the future, how will this awareness alter the way we see ourselves in the cosmic
context? Will we let nature take its course and trust to luck that our species will survive the next
violent collision? Or will we confront the forces that may yet influence the destiny of all life on Earth?
Q. According to the writer, what two possible courses of action are open to us with regard to
future “impact catastrophes”?
2
4. Evolution is mostly to blame. It has designed mankind to cope with deprivation, not plenty. People
are perfectly tuned to store energy in good years to seem them through lean ones. But when bad
times never come, they are stuck with that energy, stored around their expanding bellies.
Q. What, according to the writer, is the fundamental difference in approach between Transport
for London and the Government?
2
5. It’s the most famous painting in the world and a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. But most
people fight through the crowds in the Louvre Museum to spend a mere 15 seconds in front of it just long enough to grab a snapshot. At least at the Eiffel Tower, the other highlight of travelbrochure Paris, you get the excitement of the lift and an incredible view. Here you get one small, dark
picture surrounded by a jostling crowd of hundreds. This year the crowds lining up to see the Mona
Lisa have grown thicker than ever. So why do people still come in their thousands to pay homage to
the painting?
Q. What two reasons does the writer give for the popularity of the Eiffel Tower?
2
6. I could, of course, start talking about the values of community spirit, of the enterprising can-do
attitude of many Highland villagers, and the sense of belonging that small towns in the middle of
nowhere can bring. About what a great place to bring up kids. But to do that would make me sound
soft, sentimental and southern, and if there’s one thing that distinguishes the Highlander, it’s
hardiness.
Q. Using your own words as far as possible, outline four important points that are made to
develop the writer’s argument about the advantages of Highland living.
4
7. Why should we bother? Let me count the ways. Language reflects our cultural experiences and
offers layers of particularly evocative meanings to our lives. (It is no accident that Scots has so many
terms for rain and general climactic driechness.) To understand and value this is not to enter into
some kind of sterile argument about the linguistic hierarchy. This is not about Scots versus English, or
Scots versus Gaelic; it is a celebration of our rich diversity which brings us vivid, though not
interchangeable, versions of Scots from rural Aberdeenshire to Galloway and its many variations in
our cities. But it doesn’t just weave colour into the national tapestry; according to the conclusions of
the recent audit, an increased status for Scots also brings important economic consequences.
Q. “Let me count the ways.” In your own words, briefly summarise the “ways” that the writer
sets out in the rest of the paragraph.
3
CONTEXT
Context – this basically refers to what is round about a word or phrase in the passage. Context
questions ask you for the definition of a word or phrase. You then have to quote from round about
the word/phrase and explain how the words you have quoted helped you understand what it meant.
Wording Of Context Questions
Supply a definition for
- Specific
and explain how the context helped you arrive at its meaning.
Explain how the context helped you arrive at the meaning of …
How do lines 1-3 help you arrive at the meaning of…
Things to Remember/How to Answer:

Underline or highlight the word/phrase in the passage to help you focus on the words
immediately before and after it.

Give the meaning of the word

Quote a word or a phrase from the context

Explain how this word/ phrase helps you understand the meaning of the original word.
CONTEXT: GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES
Explain how the context helped you arrive at the meaning of “insubordination” in line
43 (2)
Good Response
The word “insubordination” means not following the orders given to you by someone in a
position of authority or command over you.
 The words “loved to display his rebellion” helped me arrive at this meaning because it suggests
that the soldier likes to rebel against his commanding officers and, therefore, it suggests that
“insubordination” involves not doing what they told him.

Bad Response
The soldier obviously likes showing off in front of his friends and messes around on a regular
basis so he mustn’t like the officers much.
Bad Response
The word means to have a laugh because the soldier is always having fun and messing around.
Bad Response
The context helped me guess that “insubordination” is not doing what your officers tell you to
do.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. If you read a wonderful new book by sociologist Frank Furedi – Paranoid Parenting – you
will see the story of a teacher who quit the profession after a school trip was cancelled. Some
parents were worried the trip would involve their children in a 45-minute journey in a private
car. Would the cars be roadworthy? Were the drivers experienced? Were these non-smoking
cars?
Q. How does the story told in the paragraph help you to understand the meaning of the
word ‘paranoid’?
2
2. Others are, however, convinced that it is only a matter of time before we face Armageddon.
Liberal Democrat MP and sky-watcher Lembit Opik says: “I have said for years that the chance
of an asteroid having an impact which could wipe out most of the human race is 100 percent.”
He has raised his worries in the Commons, successfully campaigned for an all-party task force
to assess the potential risk, and helped set up the Spaceguard UK facility to track near-Earth
objects. He admits: “It does sound like a science fiction story and I may sound like one of those
guys who walk up and down with a sandwich board saying the end of the world is nigh. But
the end is nigh.”
Q. How does the story told in the paragraph help you to understand the meaning of the
word ‘Armageddon’?
2
3. Librarians have another function still, which the internet cannot fulfill. Librarians, like
museums, are custodians of knowledge – and should be funded as such. It has become the
fashion in recent decades to turn our great national libraries and museums into entertainment
centers, with audio-visuals, interactive displays and gimmicks. While I have some esoteric
knowledge, it cannot always be reduced to the level of a child’s view of the universe. We have
a duty to future generations to invest in the custodians of our cultures, n particular its
literature and manuscripts.
Q. How does the story told in the paragraph help you to understand the meaning of the
word ‘custodians’?
2
LINKING
Linking – this type of question directs you towards a sentence, almost always at the start of a
paragraph. You normally have to quote (AT LEAST) twice from this sentence.

One quotation should be connected to the previous paragraph/section of the passage.

The other quotation should introduce what comes next in the paragraph/section following on
from the linking sentence.

Look for CONJUNCTIONS (and, but, however, yet, also …) to quote and comment on whether
they mark a continuation (for and, also…) or turn (for but, however, yet…) in the line of
discussion.
Your answer should have two sentences, each with a quotation.
One sentence has a quotation and explanation of how it connects to what came before the linking
sentence.
The other sentence should have a quotation and an explanation of how it connects to what comes
next.
Wording of Linking Questions
Explain how the sentence
performs a linking function in the passage.
Comment on the function performed by the sentence
Things to Remember/How to Answer:

You should always quote from the linking sentence, the one you are directed to in the
question.

Quote the words that link back to ideas in the previous paragraph.

Explain how this connects with the argument or ideas in the previous paragraph.

Quote the words which link to the following paragraph or move the argument forward.

Explain what the author goes on to write about in the following paragraph.
LINKING: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES
Comment on the function performed by the sentence “These social problems did not prevent Smith
having a successful career in the music industry” (3).
Good Response
The sentence performs a linking function in the passage.
The words “These social problems” connect to the previous paragraph which described how
Smith struggled to make friends and never attended parties during his time as a student.
 The words “successful career in the music industry” introduce the rest of the paragraph which
is about the awards he won with his band, including the Brit for best newcomer and it also tells
the reader about the money he made through huge record sales.


Bad Response
The sentence describes how Smith was not very good socially but he was also a success in the music
industry so it lets us know what the passage is about.
Bad Response
The sentence is a linking one as it tells us about how he had social problems and then it also lets us
know about his success as a musician so it is basically telling the reader what the passage has been
about and how it is going to change.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. My mother was born near Gloucester, in the early 1880s. Through her father, John Light, she
had some mysterious connection with the Castle, half-forgotten, but implying a blood-link
somewhere. Indeed it was said that an ancestor led the murder of Edward II.
But whatever the illicit grandeurs of her forebears, Mother was born to quite ordinary poverty.
When she was about thirteen years old her mother was taken ill, so she had to leave school for
good. She had her five young brothers and her father to look after, and there was no one else
to help.
Q. Show how the first sentence in the second paragraph acts as a link in the argument.
(2)
2. The popular press found copy in Einstein. Newspaper photographers discovered a highly
photogenic subject: his was a face of character: drooping, kindly eyes and wrinkles of humour
surrounded by a leonine mane of hair. The habits of the man were a little irregular; already
some of the characteristics expected of the absent-minded professor were beginning to show:
he lived a simple life uncluttered by possessions and any of the outward trappings of success;
when there was no need to be careful he was careless about his dress: sometimes he wore no
socks.
All these qualities, combined with the publicised qualities of the man, kindliness, gentleness
and warmth, would still not have been sufficient to turn Einstein into the international figure he
was to become. The missing ingredient in this recipe for public fame was the apparently
incomprehensible nature of Einstein's work. For a few years after the publication of the general
theory of relativity only a limited number of scientists familiarised themselves with it in detail.
Its abstruse nature became legend and absurd stories sprang up around its esoteric
significance. It was even rumoured that there were few men in the world who were capable of
understanding the theory.
Q. Demonstrate how the underlined sentence performs a linking function.
(2)
3. To us the sheer profusion of servants on the nineteenth century scene is striking. In 1851
between seven and eight per cent of the entire population of the country were servants, if we
ignore children under ten. For women and girls the figure was over thirteen per cent and for
them "service" was so much the commonest job that it accounted for nearly twice the number
employed in the whole textile industry- by far the most important group of manufactures and
one in which the majority of workers were female. It can almost be said that every family able
to feed and clothe some sort of servant kept one. Within this vast and heterogeneous army
conditions varied from the miserable child-of-all-work, sleeping on a sack under the stairs, in
bondage for a few coppers a week and her wretched keep, to the great magnate's house
steward, a prosperous member of the middle class.
Q. Show how the phrase underlined relates to what has gone before it and introduces a
new idea to be developed in the remainder of the paragraph.
(2)
4. At school, Alastair had shown exceptional promise. He had excelled as a scholar, as a musician
and on the games field; his popularity and talent had made him an obvious choice for head
boy in his last year.
His university career made a sad contrast to the years as a golden boy. A baffling lack of
commitment saw him fail his first year exams, and after a nervous breakdown early in his
second year, he dropped out altogether.
Q. Show how the underlined sentence acts as a link.
5. Mary Stuart was certainly rated a beauty by the standards of her own time: even John Knox
described her as "pleasing". In her height, her small neat head, and her grace she resembled
the contemporary ideal. It was the type of beauty which her contemporaries were already
learning to admire in art, and could now appreciate in life, all the more satisfyingly because it
was in the person of a princess.
Not only the appearance, but also the character of Mary Stuart made her admirably suited to
be a princess of France in the age in which she lived. Mary was exactly the sort of beautiful
woman, not precisely brilliant, but well-educated and charming, who inspired and stimulated
poets by her presence to feats of homage.
Q. Show how the first sentence of the second paragraph acts as a link in the argument.
(2)
WORD-CHOICE
Word-Choice – refers to when an author chooses to use certain words or phrases to create a
particular effect, e.g. to suggest mood or create an impression of someone. Questions usually identify
an effect created and ask you to quote words and help explain how they create this effect.
Wording Of Word-Choice Questions
How does the writer’s word-choice…
Comment on the effect created by the writer’s word-choice in lines…
Explain how the word-choice in lines
help create an impression of…
How does the writer’s use of language…/Analyse how the language…
Things To Remember/How to Answer
In your answer you should:

Have single word quotations wherever possible.

Have an individual explanation for each quotation used.

Quote a word/ phrase

Give the connotations of the word or phrase (what it makes you think of/ what you associate
with the word).

Explain what this suggests about the writer’s argument or what they are describing.
WORD-CHOICE: GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES
Example Question
How does the writer’s word-choice in lines 1-3 help the reader understand that the event
suffered from a lack of organization?
Good response
The word-choice of “shambles” emphasizes how much of a disaster the event was as we
associate this word with chaos and lack of organisation.
 The use of the word “mayhem” also suggests how badly organized the event was as it has
connotations of lack of order and chaotic scenes.

Bad Response
The writer tells us that the event was badly organized because there was mayhem and it seemed a bit
of a shambles.
Bad Response
The writer uses “shambles”, “chaos” and “mayhem” to emphasise that the event was badly organized.
Bad Response
The words “shambles” and “mayhem” show it was badly organized because we associate these words
with being badly organized.
Bad Response
The use of “little” suggests that the event was badly organized because it suggests there was not
much happening.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. We had a power cut on Tuesday evening. I sat in the dark, oddly relaxed. No e-mail. No telly. Not
enough torchlight to read by.
Meanwhile, my younger son thrashed from room to room, between Wii console, computer and TV,
fretting that the shows he had Sky-plussed wouldn’t record, scrabbling to see how much charge was
left in his brother’s laptop so that he might, at very least, watch a movie.
When I laughed at his techno-junkie despair he exclaimed in white-hot fury: “It’s all right for you. To
me it’s…it’s like living in poverty.”
Q. Show how the writer’s word choice in the second paragraph conveys how much the loss of
electricity affected the writer’s son.
2
2. When I was a teenager, I spent almost three years straight in psychiatric hospitals being treated for
severe anorexia nervosa. Unlike some newspaper columnists, I do not feel compelled to talk about
my personal experiences with the mental health profession in every article I write. In fact, I try to
avoid talking about them altogether, mainly because I hope that I have something more to offer than
my history.
However, the nonsense that has been spouted of late in the media about eating disorders is too
ubiquitous and too stupid, even by the low standards of the media’s usual coverage of the illness.
And while I would never claim that my personal experience makes me an expert on the subject,
maybe it gives me a different perspective than, say, a lazy news reporter churning out clichés under a
deadline or a columnist in search of easy outrage.
Q. Show how the writer’s word choice in the second paragraph makes clear her contempt for
sections of the media.
4
3. A new sight puzzles winter ramblers in East Suffolk: a bold hand-lettered sign declaring “Say no to
sea eagles here”. Baffling, at first: not much point in saying “no” to that flying fortress of the bird
world, the white-tailed sea eagle. It wouldn’t listen.
That, however, is not what the “no” suggests. It is a cry raised by farmers, landowners and levelheaded bird-lovers horrified at a plan hatched by the quango Natural England and the RSPB. They
want to spend more than £600,000 to introduce the birds to Suffolk. They claim “vast” popular
support – though you could doubt the validity of a sample of 500 people asked some saccharine
question about whether they fancy seeing one.
Q How does the writer’s word choice in the second paragraph make clear her low opinion of
the plan?
2
4. Last week it was proposed that parents should be exhorted to adhere to the following five-a-day
childcare check-list: read to your kids for 15 minutes; play on the floor with them for 10; talk to them
for 10 minutes; praise them regularly; and give them a nutritious diet.
The problem isn’t the checklist itself, but the “nudge” principle behind the campaign. This politically
trendy word litters the report. Governments are becoming overly fond of nudging, manipulation,
beguiling and frog-marching us towards the kinds of personal change they say would lead to better
health, reduced crime and other grand objectives.
Q Show how the writer’s word choice in the second paragraph shows her disapproval of the
campaign.
4
5. Homework has a lot to answer for. It doesn’t mess up every child. But the mental oppression of
leaving school for the day, and then facing hours of slog, alientates many. Piling mountains of
homework on children is the surest way to turn education into drudgery.
In the 40 years since I last wore a blazer, the culture of excessive homework has become far worse,
denying children the time to discover the infinite richness and possibilities of life. The narrowing of
the curriculum over the past 30 years – pushing art, music, sport and drama to the margins – is
shocking.
Q. Show how the writer’s word choice in these paragraphs makes clear his disapproval of
homework.
6. Research by the RSPCA has found that a quarter of schools own pets, ranging from a hermit crab
to a horse. Hurrah! A small piece of chaos, of life, amid the regimented drilling that we call school.
But not for much longer, for the RSPCA believes there is a danger that the kids might be too noisy, or
the lighting conditions could be wrong, and that the classroom pet may receive variable care from
different families at evenings or weekends.
If the RSPCA has its way, no more generations of kids will be taught to care for the school guinea pig
or rabbit, or hermit crab; no more learning responsibility and respect for animals, no feeling the joy of
holding a live thing in their hands. Laughably, the charity suggests that schools should get a soft toy
instead to teach children about animal welfare.
Q. Show how the writer’s word choice emphasises the positive side of having pets in schools.
IMAGERY
Imagery – these questions ask you to identify an image in the passage. Then you have to comment
on the ideas associated with the image and explain how these ideas are connected to the main idea
in the question.
Imagery encompasses three different techniques: simile, metaphor and personification.
Wording Of Imagery Questions
Any question with the words “image” or “imagery” in it.
OR
How does the writer’s use of language…
Things To Remember/How to Answer:

STRUCTURE YOUR ANSWER

State the type of imagery (Simile, Metaphor, Personification)

Identify the image (what is being compared to what?)

Give the literal meaning of the image (Just as…)

Explain the connection between the two (so too…)

Explain the effect of the image
IMAGERY: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES
Many schools today are terrifying. Adults who are unfortunate enough to wander by one when
the bell goes for lunch, find themselves forced to cower against a wall, as hordes of savage
barbarians charge into the streets, claiming new territory in their endless campaign to turn the
world into a less pleasant place.
Example Question
How does the writer use imagery to make his displeasure with schoolchildren clear to the
reader? (4)
Good Answer


“hordes of savage barbarians” – metaphor
Just as an army consist of many soldiers and is destructive, so too are there a lot of children
and they are violent and dangerous. This implies the writer’s disapproval of school children.


“claiming new territory” - metaphor.
Just as an army takes a territory over and destroys the peace that used to exist there, so too
are the pupils destructive, frightening and invasive of space other people once felt was theirs.
This implies the writer’s displeasure.
Bad Answer
The writer makes the reader think that the children are really nasty and horrible because they are
running out into the streets and taking them over. The writer obviously feels scared of the children if
he is caught up in the middle of them during lunch-time.
Bad Answer
The writer tells us that the children are like “barbarians”. It is obvious that this makes him afraid of
them and he doesn’t like it when they rush out of school like barbarians.
Bad Answer
An image is created of the children being like “hordes of savage barbarians”. Because he describes
them like this, it is clear that he is using an image to make them seem unpleasant.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Many details referred to in our story are still controversial. Debate is particular heated as regard
the roles of impacts [of asteroids] in directing the course of human history. The whole topic is in a
state of ferment, a symptom that something significant is brewing
Q. Show how effective you find the writer’s use of imagery in conveying the excitement of the
“debate”
2
2. Thanks to rising agricultural productivity, lean years are rarer all over the globe. Pessimistic
economists, who used to draw graphs proving that the world was shortly going to run out of food,
have gone rather quiet lately. According to the UN, the number of people short of food fell from
920m in 1980 to 799m twenty years later, even the world’s population increased by 1.6 billion over
the period. This is mostly a cause for celebration. Mankind has won what was, for most of his time on
the planet, his biggest battle; to ensure he and his offspring had enough to eat. But every silver lining
has a cloud, and the consequence of prosperity is a new plague that brings with it a host of
interesting policy dilemmas.
Q. How effective do you find the imagery in these lines in illustrating the writer’s line of
thought? You should refer to two examples in your answer
4
3. I have spent a substantial portion of my life in libraries, and I still enter them with a mixture of
excitement and awe. I am not alone in this. Veneration for libraries is as old as writing itself, for a
library is more to our culture than a collection of books; it is a temple, a symbol of power, the hushed
core of civilization, the citadel of memory, with its own mystique, social and sensual as well as
intellectual.
Q. By referring to one example, show how the writer’s imagery in these lines conveys the
importance of libraries
2
4. London is different for all of its people. They make the most of the elements in it that have
meaning for them and ignore the rest. A city is an a la carte menu. That is what makes it different
from a village, which has little room for tolerance and difference. And a great city is one in which as
many people as possible can make the widest of choices from its menu.
Q. Show how the image of the “a la carte menu” illustrates the point the writer is making in
these lines.
2
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Sentence Structure – refers to when a writer tries to emphasise certain words or ideas through the
way that sentences are set out, e.g. short sentences, use of colons, lists, etc.
The question will usually ask you to:
- identify unusual sentence structure features;
- explain which words or ideas are emphasized because of them;
- connect what is emphasized with the question.
Wording of Sentence Structure Questions
Specific
Any question with the words “sentence structure” in it.
Look out for specific questions on the use of italics, repetition, word order,
brackets/dashes/parenthesis, questions.
General Questions that include sentence structure
Show how the writer…
How does the writer’s use of language…
Things To Remember/How to Answer

The words “to emphasise” should be present in your response to sentence structure questions,
in the first sentence of your answer.

Identify a sentence structure technique and where it occurs in the passage (you may put the
line number or quote the words)

Explain the impact of using the sentence structure technique/ how it adds to the writer’s
argument.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE: FEATURES
Almost all sentence structure features are designed to create emphasis. In other words, to make
words or ideas stand out more.
Short sentences draw our attention to and emphasise the words/ideas in them. Suggest something is
sudden, abrupt, final.
Long sentences often build up to a climax, drawing our attention to and emphasizing what is at the
end of them, which is therefore emphasized. Sometimes used to suggest an idea/process is drawn out
or complicated.
Varied sentence length is used to add emphasis to ideas, usually in the short sentences, e.g. if you
have a few long sentences then all of a sudden there is a short snappy sentence, you pay attention to
the words/ideas in the shorter sentence.
Lists often draw our attention to what is actually listed, often to emphasise how much of something
there is.
Colons often create a pause for emphasis, drawing our attention to what follows immediately after
the colon. They are also used to separate sentences into two equal parts, allowing us to compare or
contrast different ideas or qualities mentioned in each half. They sometimes introduce a list.
Brackets or dashes are used to separate something from the rest of the sentence, thus emphasising
what is in parenthesis, e.g. example, additional information, change of tone, important ideas.
The use of exclamation marks emphasises how passionately a writer feels about something.
Questions - Using a series of questions might emphasise confusion. The use of questions that
directly involve the reader can help emphasise the ideas in the question, as we pay more attention
to them due to an increased sense of involvement. Look out for rhetorical questions, which are used
to make a point and do not need an answer.
Repetition – any word or phrases which are repeated, automatically stand out, emphasising certain
ideas.
Word Order – Another name for word order is syntax. Look out, in particular for a technique called
inversion, which takes what would usually be at the end of a sentence and places it at the start, e.g.
“Horrified I was.” or “Being two-faced was the thing she was best at”. We pay attention to the word
“Horrified” in the first example and “being two-faced” in the second. This is mainly due to the fact
that they are so clearly placed in a strange position within the sentence.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES
Example Question
How does the writer use sentence structure to reveal his concerns about the attitudes displayed
towards immigrants? (4)
Good Answer
“:an unnecessary level of paperwork” – sentence structure, colon – used to introduce his
judgment about the level of paperwork demanded so highlights the bureaucracy facing new
arrivals into this country, he feels the paperwork is not needed.
 “racism” – repetition - by emphasizing this word, it is clear that he is concerned about the
prejudice being displayed against immigrants which he feels are based on our intolerant
attitude towards other cultures.

Bad Answer
The writer uses repetition to emphasise that he feels that the people who are protesting against the
arrival of immigrants are racist. He is concerned about this.
The writer also uses brackets to show that the people coming into the country are not really
welcomed.
Bad Answer
The writer uses brackets round “waiting with clenched fists rather than open arms” to show he is
concerned about the way we treat immigrants upon their arrival in this country.
He also tells us that he is concerned about the “racism” because he repeats this word.
1. One faction has cried constantly that the countryside is in mortal danger from greedy developer
whose only motive is profit; another has kept roaring that farmers are killing every wild thing in sight
and threatening the very soil on which we stand through overuse of machinery and chemicals; still
another has been continually heard ululating over a decline in the bird population, or the loss of
hedgerows, or the disappearance of marshland, or the appearance of coniferous forest.
Q. Show how the sentence here emphasis the strong feelings of those who feel the countryside
is under threat
2
2. The green-belt protectionists claim to be saving unspoilt countryside from the rampant advance of
bulldozers. Exactly what unspoilt countryside do they imagine they are saving? Primordial forest,
unchanged since Boudicca thrashed the Romans? Hogwash. The English have been making and
remaking their landscape for millennia to suit the needs of each passing generation
Q. How effective do you find the writer’s use of sentence structure in conveying his attitude to
this argument from the “green-belt protectionists”?
2
3. Everywhere you turn there is an army of professionals – ably abetted by the media – hard at work
encouraging parents to fear the worst. Don’t let your children out in the sun – not unless they’re
wearing special UV-resistant T-shirts. Don’t buy your children a Wendy house, they might crush their
fingers in the hinges. Don’t buy a baby walker, your toddlers might brain themselves. Don’t buy
plastic baby teethers, your baby might suck in harmful chemicals. Don’t let them use mobile phones,
they’ll sizzle their brains. Don’t buy a second-hand car seat, it will not protect them. And on and on it
goes.
Q. How does the sentence structure of these lines emphasise the writer’s feelings about the
“army of professionals”?
2
4. There is no doubt that obesity is the world’s biggest public-health issue today – the main cause of
heart disease, which kills more people these days than AIDS, malaria, war; the principal risk factor in
diabetes; heavily implicated in cancer and other diseases. Since the World Health Organisation
labeled obesity an epidemic in 2000, reports on its fearful consequences have come thick and fast.
Q. How does the writer’s sentence structure stress the seriousness of the health problems?
2
TONE
Tone – is the mood or attitude of the writer towards the subject matter. A question on tone involves
you writing a sentence in which you clearly identify the tone.
Then, depending on the marks available, you should have one or two quotations with a clear
explanation of how the tone is created through the words you have quoted.
Wording Of Tone Questions
Specific
Comment on the writer’s tone in…
General Questions that include tone
What is the tone of the writer in… and how is it
created?
Show how the writer…
How does the writer’s tone…
How does the writer…
How does the writer’s language…
Identify the writer’s tone…
Examples of Tone
Formal/Informal
Sarcastic
Ironic
Depressed
Cynical
Optimistic
Angry
Disappointed Humorous
Concerned
Apologetic
Disbelieving
Doubtful
Negative
Bitter
Irritated
Mocking
Scathing
Serious
Enthusiastic
Hopeful
Critical
Confused
Hostile
Things to Remember/How to Answer:

Identify the tone (try to select from the above list)

Quote a word/expression as evidence

Explain how the word/expression creates the tone
Pessimistic
Gloomy
Lighthearted
TONE: GOOD AND BAD ANSWERS
Example Question
Comment on the writer’s tone in lines 10-12 and how it helps develop his argument. (2).
Good Response
“catalogue of let-downs”- disappointed tone.
The idea of a catalogue suggests that there have been a series of things that have
disappointed or “let down” the writer.
 This helps develop his argument because he has already explained how he had high hopes
that the government would take some action to cut harmful emissions but the disappointed
tone helps emphasise how little has been done to deal with the issue.


Bad Response
The writer’s tone is clearly fed up and this helps develop his argument as he has not been impressed
by the lack of action taken to stop polluting the atmosphere.
Bad Response
The writer creates an angry tone. He is obviously angry because he tells us about the fact the
government has done nothing to stop the atmosphere being destroyed.
1. Then there is the proliferation of action groups dedicated to stopping construction of roads,
airports, railway lines, factories, shopping centres and houses in rural areas, while multifarious
organizations have become accustomed to expended their time and energies in monitoring and
reporting on the state of grassland, waters, trees, moorlands, uplands, lowlands, bird’s eggs,
wildflowers, badgers, historical sites and countless other aspects of the landscape and its inhabitants.
Q. Show how the writer’s use of tone in these lines conveys his disapproval of the “action
groups”
2
2. I am fed up listening to scaremongers about the E. coli virus, telling me my child should never visit
a farm or come into contact with animals. I am weary of organizations that are dedicated to
promulgating the idea that threats and dangers to children lurk everywhere. I am sick of charities who
on the one had attack overprotective parents and at the same time say children should never be left
unsupervised in public places.
Q. Identify the writer’s tone and explain how it is conveyed.
2
3. Survivors of essentially random impact catastrophes – cosmic accidents – were those creatures who
just happened to be ‘lucky’ enough to find themselves alive after the dust settled. It doesn’t matter
how well a creature may have been able to survive in a particular environment before an event –
being thumped on the head by a large object from space during the event is not conductive to a long
and happy existence
Q. Explain how the writer creates a slightly humorous tone
2
4. The only solution – and I am just waiting for the politicians to recommend it explicitly – is for none
of us to go anywhere. Stay at home and save the planet. But that would be a craven retreat from all
the social, professional and cultural interactions that unrestricted mobility makes possible – and
which, since the Renaissance, have made great cities the centres of intellectual progress
Q. Show how, in this paragraph, the writer creates a tone which conveys her disapproval of the
‘solution’
2
5 MARK COMPARISON QUESTION
This is the final question in a Higher RUAE paper. It asks you to compare the ideas looked at in
Passage 1 and Passage 2.
Things to Remember/How to Answer:

You should already be familiar with the ideas of Passage 1

When reading Passage 2, make notes and summarise ideas down the margin, this will make
this question easier

Highlight quotations that back up the ideas you have summarised

Follow the layout below:
Layout for the final comparison question
1. Both passages agree/disagree that ______________________________________________.

Passage 1 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Passage 2 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Both passages agree/disagree that ______________________________________________.

Passage 1 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Passage 2 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Both passages agree/disagree that ______________________________________________.

Passage 1 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Passage 2 states “_____________________________” this shows _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Passage 1: TV matters: celebrity talent shows
1. The revelation of the guests for the latest runs of two celebrity talent contests suggest a
definite shift in personnel. Rory Bremner becomes the first practising satirist to sign up for
Strictly Come Dancing, while Kirsty Wark is the first serving current affairs heavyweight to
tackle Celebrity MasterChef.
2. When the star challenge genre took off (with Celebrity Big Brother and I'm a Celebrity …), it
was generally regarded as a sort of welfare state or pension scheme for the neglected or semiretired. This impression continued as the wannabe formats expanded: for example, Jan
Leeming, Michael Buerk and Jennie Bond all put on the MasterChef oven gloves after leaving
the newsdesk, the latter also munching slugs in the Australian jungle.
3. The perception was that failing at trivial challenges might damage the credibility of a serious
journalist or actor. Being exposed as the worst public dancer since David Brent turned John
Sergeant into a light entertainment celebrity (The One Show, ITV documentaries), but would
have finished him if he had still been a political editor.
4. Now, though, a class system of talent franchises has become established. While the London
house-share and the Aussie jungle are still considered below the top tier of celebrity society,
Strictly Come Dancing and MasterChef are viewed as toff slots, with the possession of a hot
trot or knock-out risotto suggesting breadth of character.
5. Regardless of how far they get in the contests, Bremner and Wark should still be able to go
back to lampooning and interviewing government ministers, although there must be a slight
risk of a cheeky politician saying: "Kirsty, that question is as thick and tasteless as your peach
pavlova."
6. So the spirit of Comic Relief – in which serious TV types show what sports they are by doing
something silly or unexpected – has now spread across the schedules.The judgments are
delicate. There are still people whose broadcasting credibility could not easily survive showing
Len and Bruno or Greg and John what they've got – Jeremy Paxman, Ian Hislop, David
Dimbleby, Sir David Hare – but, as Wark and Bremner have realised, there are now designated
green zones for upmarket stars who want to sashay or saute competitively.
Passage Two: Michael Hogan
1. It would surely be dream casting for the BBC if Pippa Middleton were to slip on her dancing
shoes and join the raggletaggle of celebrities taking part in Strictly Coming Dancing. And
according to reports, producers of the Beeb's ballroom behemoth have approached the
Duchess of Cambridge's sister to do just that.
2. Amid copious references to her posterior ( 'It's Strictly bum dancing', 'pert Pippa's not-so-bum
deal' and the like), the Sun has claimed the future queen-in-law has been offered "a five-figure
sum" because clad in skimpy sequinned costumes, P-Middy would boost ratings – not to
mention send tabloid hacks scurrying for the "buttock" section of their thesauruses regardless
of where she'd finish on the leaderboard. (Bottom, obviously.)
3. This got us thinking – who else would we like to see being insulted by Craig Revel Horwood
under a glitterball in three months' time? There's nothing Strictly likes more than a serious,
suity type letting their hair down and it's proved a fertile career move for broadcast journalists,
notably "dancing pig" John Sergeant . Who could step out from behind their desk next? Anna
Ford's got the legs, Jon Snow's taste in ties might indicate latent Latin flair and Sir Trevor
McDoughnut would go down well.
4. There's invariably some sportsmen and footballing Afghan hound Robbie Savage is rumoured
to be ready to rumba. Manchester United's Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar are newly
retired – although we'd rather see their team-mate Ryan Giggs struggling to stick to one
partner.
5. But that's enough twinkle-toed speculation from us. Do you fancy watching Pippa's paso
doble? Who would you like to see whirling, twirling and tolerating Brucie's dad-jokes come
September? Let us know below. And, it almost goes without saying, keeeeeep dancing.
Q. Each writer expresses their view on celebrity talent shows. Identify key areas on which they
agree or disagree. In your answer, you should refer in detail to both passages.
You may answer this question in continuous prose or in a series of developed bullet points
5
END OF BOOKLET
NOW USE THE BOOKLET OF PASSAGES TO PRACTISE THESE SKILLS
Higher Close Reading Formulae
The guidelines below will gain one mark each, if done correctly. If the question is worth 2 or more
marks, you MUST work through the formula again for every extra mark available. It is suggested you write in concise
bullet points rather than full sentences throughout the paper.
Understanding Questions
ALL understanding questions should be answered IN YOUR OWN WORDS! If you lift answers straight from the passage
without changing them into YOUR OWN WORDS as far as possible, you will lose the mark. This includes general
questions you can’t assign to a formula below.
Many of these questions will ask you to summarise points made in the passage. It is essential your answers are concise
(to the point), as you don’t have enough time to write huge paragraphs. Bullet points work well.
Context Question
1. Give the meaning of the word
2. Quote a word or a phrase from the context
3. Explain how this word/ phrase helps you understand the meaning of the original word.
Linking Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
Quote the words that link back to ideas in the previous paragraph.
Explain how this connects with the argument or ideas in the previous paragraph.
Quote the words which link to the following paragraph or move the argument forward.
Explain what the author goes on to write about in the following paragraph.
Imagery Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify the image (what is being compared to what?)
Give the literal meaning of the image (Just as…)
Explain the connection between the two (so too…)
Explain the effect of the image
Word Choice Question
1. Quote a word/ phrase
2. Give the connotations of the word or phrase (what it makes you think of/ what you associate with the word).
3. Explain what this suggests about the writer’s argument or what they are describing.
Sentence Structure Question

1. Identify a sentence structure technique and where it occurs in the passage (you may put the line number or
quote the words)
2. Explain the impact of using the sentence structure technique/ how it adds to the writer’s argument.
3. Look out for:
Statement











Question/ rhetorical question
Exclamation
Command
Minor sentence
Punctuation
List
Parenthesis
Inversion
Climax or anti- climax
Antithesis
Etc
Language Question
Language questions want you to focus on word choice, imagery, tone and structure. Sometimes the paper will
identify specific techniques it wants you to analyse. Remember to keep your WITS about you.
1. Identify the language feature you will be dealing with and follow the formula for that type of question.
Final Question
The final question asks you to compare the two passages. You will have answered detailed questions on passage one but
MUST spend some time carefully reading passage two and looking for key ideas.
The final question will ask you to identify similarities, OR differences, OR similarities and differences in the two articles.
The question is worth 5 marks and is looking for at least three comparisons.
Each comparison should have:



A subheading explaining what the comparison is.
A quote and explanation from passage one.
A quote and explanation from passage two.
REMEMBER: the more you study and complete past papers,
the more familiar you will become with the formulae.