Passage A: Overcoming fear The first jump from an aeroplane is a jittery nightmare of fear. More than likely, the act of jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane with a heavy parachute on one’s back generates more real fear than anything, short of armed combat. The teaching method in fashion when I made my first jump, almost ten years ago, involved crawling out of an open door of an aircraft and hanging from the wing strut. The jumpmaster calculated the force of the wind against airspeed of over a hundred kilometres an hour, and added in a nine-hundred-metre drop. He shouted at the student to let go of the strut at the point where all these variables might combine to deposit him or her in the centre of the drop zone. On that first jump I was the second student out of the plane. A young woman went first, and when she reluctantly let go, I saw her body hurtle down through empty space like a sack of cement. When she let go of the strut, gravity tilted her over into an exaggerated belly flop – arms straight out and slightly above the head, legs held just above the back – spread-eagled like a frog. She was already a tiny speck before the static line attached to the plane pulled the parachute open for her. From far above it looked like one of those flowers blooming in time-lapse photography in a nature documentary. The plane circled around, and it was my turn to confront the fear of falling. The jumpmaster had stressed the importance of holding my back arched. When the jumpmaster judged that I was in the proper position he shouted ‘Go!’ This was a command I obeyed with extreme reluctance. The plane disappeared overhead. I held position from the waist up, but my legs were moving at a flat-out pace. I think, looking back on it, that my fear, ignoring the hard facts of physics, was screaming, ‘Run or you’ll die!’ Nevertheless, I didn’t go into much of a spin. The chute opened splendidly, and I floated slowly to earth in an utter silence punctuated only by the bass drumbeat of my heart. It didn’t matter that I’d failed to hold position. The point of the first jump is simply doing it. The niceties come later, if the student decides there is going to be a later. Jumping once is about defeating fear rather than demonstrating skill, boldly breaking through the bars and escaping the confines we set for ourselves. Afterwards, my skydiving classmates and I were giddy and ecstatic, like a group of children getting off a roller coaster, with an excitement fuelled by a sense of accomplishment. Some of my classmates who went on to further jumps might have been looking to recapture that first incredible adrenaline rush – as I know I was – but this is a process of diminishing returns. As the novice becomes accustomed to the fear, the thought process changes gradually. During the first jump you think – ‘I know thousands have done it before, but this time it’s me, and I’m going to die.’ This gives way to a more casual attitude – ‘Okay, some people have been injured, some have even been killed, but I’m careful, and that’ll never happen to me.’ My experience suggests that the novice skydiver discovers, over the next few jumps, that one can never feel again that first thrill of pure and primal fear. He or she also learns to appreciate the skill involved in skydiving, and begins to understand that the mechanics of flying are pleasurable in themselves. This is the reason some people become hooked on the sport. The woman I watched fall off the strut that day nearly a decade ago has now logged over a thousand jumps. Question: 2. Identify a word or a phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words underlined. [6] 2(a) (i) A novice has a horrendous feeling when he jumps from an aeroplane for the first time. ………………………………………………………………………………… [1] (ii) The young woman was seen speeding dangerously towards earth. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1] (iii) While the writer was soaring gently to earth, the thumping of his heart disrupted the sheer tranquillity. …………………………………………………………………………………… [1] (iv) A joy of completion stirred the exhilaration of the children embarking from a roller coaster. …………………………………………………………………………………… [1] (V) The amateur skydiver finds, throughout the leaps, that one can never feel again that first rush of unadulterated and deep-seated fright. ........................................................................................................................... [1] (VI) The lady I watched tumble off that day almost 10 years prior has now registered over 1,000 leaps ........................................................................................................................... [1] 2. (b) Using your own word, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined. [4] The plane circled around, and it was my turn to confront the fear of falling. The jumpmaster had stressed the importance of holding my back arched. When the jumpmaster judged that I was in the proper position, he shouted ‘Go!’. This was a command I obeyed with extreme reluctance. The plane disappeared overhead. I held position from the waist up, but my legs were moving at a flat-out pace. I think, looking back on it, that my fear, ignoring the hard facts of physics, was screaming, ‘Run or you’ll die!’ (i)Confront………………………………………………………………… [1] (ii)Arched………………………………………………………………… [1] (iii) Reluctance………………………………………………………………. [1] (iv) Flat-out…………………………………………………………………… [1] 2. (c) Use two examples from the text below to describe what the narrator sees as the woman makes her first jump. [2X2.5= 5] Use your own words in your explanation. When she let go of the strut, gravity tilted her over into an exaggerated belly flop – arms straight out and slightly above the head, legs held just above the back – spreadeagled like a frog. She was already a tiny speck before the static line attached to the plane pulled the parachute open for her. From far above it looked like one of those flowers blooming in time-lapse photography in a nature documentary. [5] ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3. Re-read the description of the writer's first experience of parachuting in paragraph 5, beginning, ‘Nevertheless, I didn't go into …’ Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs. Choose six examples of words or phrases from the paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should include the use of imagery. Write about 200 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer. [6X2.5= 15] Mark Scheme: Question 1: a) i) nightmare ii) Hurtle iii) Floated slowly iv) Excitement fuelled (V) Primal Fear (VI) Logged 2. b) (i) Confront – come face to face, tackle or approach challenges i) Arched – back curved or bent (ii) Reluctance – expressing unwillingness or disinclination (iv) Flat-out – as fast as possible, vigorous pace 2. (c) Use two examples from the text below to describe what the narrator sees as the woman makes her first jump. [2X2.5= 5] Use your own words in your explanation. When she let go of the strut, gravity tilted her over into an exaggerated belly flop – arms straight out and slightly above the head, legs held just above the back – spreadeagled like a frog. She was already a tiny speck before the static line attached to the plane pulled the parachute open for her. From far above it looked like one of those flowers blooming in time-lapse photography in a nature documentary. [5] Exaggerated belly flop: The writer uses delicious visual and tactile imagery by describing the acrobatically gravity-hugging jump of the young girl. The phrase portrays the action of diving in a very elegant and artistic way, the fact that bellyflopping movement can orchestrate the image of the graceful plunge of a breath-taking ballerina in dance choreography, it can also depict the bravado, and the conviction of the girl while she was about to plunge into the lap of emptiness. But, quite amusingly, gravity in a ludicrous fashion did not let her keep the balance as she was floating in a flip-flopping and zigzagging gyration. This could convey how she was hurled into the sky by the powerful gravity thus ruining her temporary ballerina-like graceful fall. The writer uses this vivid imagery to dramatise the incident of diving while stimulating the reader’s senses to capture the moment of the girl’s skydiving in a humorous fashion. Spread-eagled like a frog (Simile): all four limbs extended; undignified, flailing, ludicrous, out of her element; may be seen as humorous. A tiny speck (understatement): emphasises the vastness of the sky/their insignificance/stresses how far they fall. Flowers blooming in time-lapse photography: the parachute opening/filling with air resembles petals opening; elegance replaces the undignified fall at this point; the parachute opening at abnormally fast speed establishes control/sense of beauty; can represent birth/growth/rejuvenation. Re-reading description: 6 steps strategy to analyse writer’s technique in order to produce the perfect answer: 1. General overview: First you have to write a general overview/general effect/general impression of the paragraph. 2. Quote: State the image or word you will analyze, use quotation mark in your reference. If you can write the technique correctly, name it, if you cannot, skip this part. But, analysing techniques will always help you to write perceptive and high-quality comment on the stylistic effect of the language choices by the author. 3. Implied meaning (infer from the text): Focus on implied meaning and connotation i.e., what do your selected words and phrases make you think of? Why has it been used? 4. Describe the effect: What is the impact of the words and phrases on the reader? Why the words and images are important? 5. Comparison: does this image contrast with another image in the same paragraph? Why has the writer done this? 6. Link: The link concludes your analysis; by linking back to the question. It can also develop another layer of meaning by linking to other parts of the text or the text’s overall theme. Mark Scheme: (re-reading description) The writer's first experience of parachuting in paragraph 5, beginning ‘Nevertheless, I didn't go into …’ Nevertheless, I didn’t go into much of a spin. The chute opened splendidly, and I floated slowly to earth in an utter silence punctuated only by the bass drumbeat of my heart. It didn’t matter that I’d failed to hold position. The point of the first jump is simply doing it. The niceties come later, if the student decides there is going to be a later. Jumping once is about defeating fear rather than demonstrating skill, boldly breaking through the bars and escaping the confines we set for ourselves. Afterwards, my skydiving classmates and I were giddy and ecstatic, like a group of children getting off a roller coaster, with an excitement fuelled by a sense of accomplishment. Sample Answer: In paragraph 5, the author sheds light into the topsy-turvy experience of confronting his fear while skydiving with a sense of triumph. The author engenders a sense of indulgence and hilarity with the emotive adverb “splendidly” to literally indicate how the parachute unbolted without a hitch. This could also suggest that it must have looked intense and thrilling while the readers are drawn into the suspenseful saga of an airy-fairy adventure. The author’s impending relief is also accentuated with the use of visual imagery “floated slowly” to elucidate how he was able to support himself in the midst of a terrifyingly breathtaking dive. The effortless drifting here suggests a feeling of safety. These phrases formulated the connotation of the writer's dauntless resolve to deal with dramatic plunge from a dizzying height. The stout-hearted character of the writer was suffused when with sheer audacity he coined the hyperbolic phrase ‘utter silence’ to dramatically describe his gallant escapade as a moment of quiet and unperturbed bliss. The use of hyperbole has intensified the tension while sumptuously portraying his devil-may-care attitude as the author, in the height of this madness or apparent superman-esque strength; he has embraced an aeronautical adventure with composure and aplomb. Here the reader gets to experience the gutsiness and fortitude of the author. Then the writer decides to evoke the reader's auditory sensation by crafting a sensory imagery “punctuated by the bass drumbeat of my heart” to depict periodic interruption of silence which he was undergoing in the midst of his heroic adventure. The powerful verb “punctuated” and aural imagery “bass drumbeat of heart” convey how his inner peace was shattered the moment his pulse was pounding with a low-pitched sound while he was resisting the pressure of gravity. On the one hand, the reader appreciates the wilful embrace of the tricky skydiving by the author, while, on the contrary, the reader gets dismayed when they see the tranquil state of the writer is intervened due to his physical reaction. The writer has adroitly managed the contrasting portrayal of sound and the silence with these two phrases which invoked an imaginary state of mind where readers experience the thrill as well as the vexation as they keep applauding the daredevil act of the writer while also anticipating sticky situation if the author fails to conquer his fear. Eventually, the dilemma is sorted out when readers, in a breathtaking fashion witness the writer “boldly breaking through the bars”. This imagery is infused with alliteration signifying the escape from imprisonment by the author from this vortex of being stuck in the fear as well as determinedly willing to confront it. This powerful imagery represents a sense of escapism as if he had had found freedom by pushing the boundaries of his physical limitations as well as reinventing his courage to suppress his fear. The reader, at last with palpable sense of relief apprehends the narrator’s willpower and fierce competitiveness to overcome his fear with a thrilling turn of events where the narrator finally learns “Where there’s a will, there must be a way”. Remaining phrases: Giddy and ecstatic (powerful adjective, emotive word): disorientated and delirious with joy and relief/silly with happiness. Like a group of children getting off a roller coaster (Simile): shared exhilaration of completing a new (seemingly uncontrolled) experience, stresses the extremes/highs & lows of the emotional turmoil. Recaptured youth, rejuvenation Fuelled (powerful verb): Their excitement is prolonged, energised/nourished by the achievement.
