Answers
Section 1: What are
language skills?
•
giving presentations in other subjects or
for interviews for college, university or jobs
•
in an argument, discussion or debate
with someone else
Activity 1 (page 5)
•
trying to persuade someone to do
something
1
•
writing a letter of complaint or making a
complaint in person
•
doing effective research.
2
3
Possible answers include:
•
reading, writing, talking, listening
•
being able to understand, analyse and
evaluate a text
•
using technical terms for language
•
being able to explain techniques used
and why they were used
•
being able to use language techniques in
your own writing and speaking
•
similes, metaphors, personification,
alliteration, onomatopoeia, spelling,
grammar, punctuation, structure.
4
Possible answers include:
•
in the writing portfolio/Critical Essay
•
analysing literature/Reading for
Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation
•
spoken language presentations/
discussions
•
research skills.
5
Possible answers include:
•
writing in social subjects, media, art,
science reports, drama
Possible answers include:
•
dealing with customers or clients,
writing or reading reports, listening to
information or reading between the lines
and seeing what is being implied by
someone’s words
•
teacher, copywriter, editor, English as
a foreign language teacher, journalist,
web content manager, writer, librarian,
information officer, marketing assistant,
researcher, public relations officer,
social media manager, actor, bookseller,
tourism assistant, childcare assistant,
lawyer, psychologist, publisher, market
researcher, advertising, customer
service assistant, administration
assistant, school support assistant.
Students are likely to come up with a list
which will include a range of the items from
the discussion points detailed above.
Activity 2 (page 6)
Reading
Writing
Talking/listening
Understand, analyse and
evaluate a text
Use language techniques in own
writing and speaking
Understand, analyse and
evaluate a text
Use technical terms for
language
Similes, metaphors,
personification, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, spelling,
grammar, punctuation, structure
Use technical terms for
language
Explain techniques used and
why they were used
Explain techniques used/
why they were used
1
Answers
Reading
Writing
Talking/listening
Similes, metaphors,
personification, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, spelling,
grammar, punctuation, structure
In the writing portfolio
Use language techniques in
own writing and speaking
Analysing literature
In the Critical Essay
Spoken language
presentations/discussions
Reading for Understanding,
Analysis and Evaluation
Write essays in social subjects,
media, art, science reports, drama
Give presentations in other
subjects/for interviews for
college, university or jobs
Doing effective research
Persuade someone to do
something
In an argument, discussion
or debate with someone else
Write letters of complaint
Try to persuade someone
to do something
Make a complaint in person
Activity 3 (page 6)
structured argument, use evidence well,
evaluate what other people say, use
persuasive skills and emotive language
Possible answers include:
●
●
●
●
●
2
Manager or coach of a sports team:
communicate strategies, listen to players,
overcome language barriers, persuade those
in charge that a player should be bought
or sold, persuade team to do better/keep
going/try harder, to motivate
Nurse, doctor, healthcare assistant:
communicate information clearly, listen to
patients, overcome language barriers, share
information without scaring people, use
a caring and considerate tone of voice, be
firm without being aggressive, write clear
records/referrals/reports, read research
materials and understand them, speak to
clients who may be vulnerable
Vet, animal trainer, pet carer: communicate
information clearly to owners, write reports
on dog behaviour, write plans and strategies
and instructions for owners, persuade
animals to do what they say, advertise and
persuade people to use their services
Supermarket assistant or sales assistant:
deal with complaints, calm down customers,
make small talk, sound friendly and
interested, persuade people to buy things
Lawyer or politician: persuade people
of things they don’t necessarily believe
themselves, build a clear and well-
●
Trades person: listen to what a customer
wants, build good relationships, advertise/
persuade people to buy services/products,
persuade suppliers to lower price, persuade
people to work for them or employ them
●
Tourism assistant or travel agent:
communicate clearly, persuade people
to go to places/buy holidays, do effective
advertising (in writing or orally), deal with
complaints by listening to other people and
using calming language
●
Financial adviser: give clear information,
make sure people understand key terms/
vocabulary, read a range of options and
understand what the implications are, listen
to clients’ needs, be able to explain services
●
Scientist: read journals, undertake
research, use the information in own work,
use technical terms correctly, write up
experiments/reports clearly
●
Journalist: listen carefully, communicate
clearly, write persuasively, create
arguments, analyse what people say and
work out what they mean so you can argue
against it if appropriate, use language to
create an effect or to stay neutral
Answers
Section 2: Studying and revising
language skills
Activity 2 (page 11)
1
Understanding
2
Analysis 3
Analysis
4
Understanding
5
Analysis
Section 3: Reading: understanding,
analysing and evaluating language
Activity 2: Synonyms (page 20)
Word
Definition
Synonym
Good
A positive thing, something to approve of High quality, of a high standard, superior
or to desire
Give
To transfer something to another person Present with, provide, supply
A lot
A large number
A great deal, many, a large amount
Think
To have a belief or idea
Ponder, reflect, contemplate
However
Anyhow, all the same, yet
Contradicting a word that came before/
can be used to explain how something is
done
Activity 4: Inference (pages 22–23)
1
2
Possible answers include:
•
Marie is kind – ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
•
Marie is frugal – ‘Slice the top crust off
that bread but keep it.’
•
Marie is kind to animals – ‘For the birds’,
‘Someone should feed them.’
•
Marie admires the birds/thinks the birds
are like her – ‘I like the common wee
birds’, ‘it’s easy enough to build a great
wee nest when you’ve a whole forest to
fly in, but you’d need to be something
special to build one round the Falls.’
Possible answers include:
•
They were shocked – ‘incomprehension’,
‘unsure if this was a joke … tragedy’,
‘most stunning turn of events’
3
•
Didn’t understand what was happening –
‘incomprehension’, ‘unsure if this was a
joke … tragedy’, ‘weird’
•
Surprised, excited – ‘Thrilling sense of
anticipation’, ‘no question’. Repetition of
‘imagine’
Possible answers include:
•
Disapproval of hunters/the ‘landed
gentry’ – ‘Prey for the landed gentry’,
‘might benefit game hunters’
•
Regret at the reduction in the size of the
forest – ‘a mere 5 per cent’
•
Disapproval at the clearing of the
land/deforestation/timber industry –
‘Looking beyond that’, ‘systematically
vandalised’, ‘deer are destructive to
plant life’
3
Answers
•
Values the ecosystem/biodiversity –
‘as important to the ecosystem as a
rainforest’, ‘where is the habitat, now, for
the lynx, the wild boar, the capercaillie,
the red squirrel, the wolf? … all used to
be native to this land.’
•
help increase your friendship group
•
help reduce nervousness
•
give you valuable experience in a job
•
widen your contact with different groups
of people
•
help you make links with other people
Activity 5: Understanding • help you find a mentor or to become one.
4 a) Possible answers include any two of:
­language skills (pages
• Her fabric has gone missing.
• Her house won’t look as nice
23–26)
1
without it.
a) Possible answers include any two of:
•
The climate has changed massively.
•
•
There have been multiple times when
the world has been iced over.
She has been looking forward to
having it.
•
She is annoyed with Cassie.
•
After last time the ice reduced,
humanity could start to thrive.
•
She thinks she has had a hard life.
b) Possible answers include any two of:
b) Possible answers include any two of:
2
3
4
•
Nora believes Cassie is a liar.
•
Nora thinks Cassie has put her
through a lot in her life.
•
Changes in the weather are caused
by differences in the way the planet
turns.
•
•
The differences in the way the planet
turns affects how much energy the
Earth receives from the sun.
Cassie doesn’t listen to her mother/
is trying to not get involved with her
mother.
•
•
The Earth’s climate is undergoing
more changes.
Cassie doesn’t care about why her
mother is upset.
•
Cassie wants her mother to go away.
•
This is because of what humans are
doing.
•
We burn damaging products.
•
We create damaging gases.
•
We do this knowingly.
5
•
•
Possible answers include any four of:
•
helps your mood
•
good for stopping your arteries from
clogging and makes them more flexible
•
provides lots of good chemicals that your
body needs
•
protects your skin from damage
•
can help you feel less hungry and
therefore stop you from eating too much
•
Possible answers include any two of:
•
6
The photographer:
•
feels numbed by it all
•
finds the photographs painful.
The editor:
•
is only interested in what will sell the
most newspapers
•
shows no feelings.
The reader:
•
gets upset for a short amount of time
•
forgets easily.
a) Possible answers include any two of:
•
hung about the street
can help reduce your body mass by
reducing your appetite.
•
there at all hours of the day
•
there first thing in the day
Possible answers include any four of:
•
there when he had lots of time
•
make you feel better about yourself
•
there when he had very little time
•
make you feel valuable
•
there in darkness.
Answers
b) Possible answers include any two of:
•
It was a nice evening.
•
There was no one around.
•
There was no wind.
•
The lights were not shaking.
•
There were no distractions from the
shops.
•
It was a very quiet night.
•
It was easy to hear from a distance.
•
You could hear anyone coming
towards you easily.
4
•
helps you work out how much you should
give for good service when in a restaurant
•
helps you work out how much you owe in
a split restaurant bill
•
helps you work out whether something
you want to buy is good value or not
•
helps you check if your wages are
correct, how much a salary increase
will add to your pay or if you are not
being paid the right amount for your job.
a) Possible answers include:
•
Activity 6 (pages 26–27)
1
2
Possible answers include any two of:
•
It is good for your brain.
•
You grow more grey cells.
•
Some areas of the brain become more
efficient.
•
It helps you make decisions and stay
focused.
Eighty per cent of children cannot read a
clock with hands.
•
Looking at the time on mobiles is the
most common way to tell the time.
•
Most children don’t wear watches.
•
Lots of children cannot figure out what
time it will be if you add 30 minutes to a
given time.
•
3
b) Possible answers include:
•
Possible answers include any two of:
•
Many use digital numbers to tell the time
instead of half past, quarter past, etc.
Possible answers include any four of:
•
helps you work out how much money you
have to spend
•
keeps your bank accounts organised
•
helps you live within your means
Shop worker, fast food restaurant
worker, assembly line worker,
cook/chef, chemist/doctor, joiner/
carpenter, metal worker, surgeon/
nurse, English teacher.
5
Shop – counting cash; fast food
restaurant/assembly line worker –
working out how many items are
needed to produce goods; cook/chef –
calculating and weighing out correct
ingredients for recipes; chemist/
doctor – calculating correct dosage
of medicine; joiner/carpenter/metal
worker – making sure wood/metal is
cut to the correct size; surgeon/nurse
– checking all items used in surgery
are accounted for; English teacher –
adding up marks and working out
what percentage a student has scored.
Possible answers include any four of:
•
Maths is vital.
•
Maths is everywhere.
•
Maths is useful in the workplace.
•
Maths develops our problem-solving
skills.
•
Maths helps us get paid correctly.
•
Maths helps the brain get strong and
enables us to learn better.
5
Answers
3.1 Word choice
Activity 1: Word choice (pages 30–31)
Words
Denotation
Connotations
Possible answers include:
Possible answers include:
Dim, dark, shadowy
Poorly lit/lacking in light/ very dark
Sinister mood, hidden things or
places
Old, elderly, ancient
No longer young/belonging to the
past
Neutral/frail/extremely old
Love, devotion,
infatuation
A strong feeling of affection or
attraction
Neutral/extreme loyalty or worship/
obsessive or unrealistic
Skinny, lean, slender
Thin
Unhealthily thin/toned or wellmuscled, possibly related to meat/
attractive
Cheap, bargain,
inexpensive
Low in price
Tacky or low quality/good value/
neutral
Activity 2: Word choice
(pages 32–33)
1
Possible answers include:
•
‘Vile’ (1) has connotations of contempt
and disgust at the fans’ behaviour. (1)
•
‘Disgusting display’ (alliteration) (1)
shows that the writer thinks racism is
sickening and awful. (1)
•
•
‘Bigotry’ (1) has connotations of nasty,
judgemental and narrow-minded
opinions. (1)
‘Blight’ (1) has connotations of disease
and rot, showing that the writer sees
racism as being like this. (1)
‘Abhorrent’ (1) suggests that every
right-minded person would find racism
repugnant and completely unacceptable. (1)
•
‘Abuse’ (1) shows disapproval as it suggests
cruelty and a sustained attack. (1)
•
‘Must stamp it out’ (1) suggests this
behaviour has to be quickly and forcefully
removed. (1)
Possible answers include: •
6
‘Nothing more’ (repetition) (1) shows
the writer believes racism is the worst
possible thing there could ever be. (1)
•
•
2
lots and lots of benefits – perhaps too
many to count. (1)
‘Many, many’/‘more’ (repetition) (1)
suggests the writer believes there are
•
‘Vital’ (1) suggests that it is absolutely
essential to life. (1)
•
‘Massive’ (1) suggests the importance is
highly significant. (1)
•
‘Well-rounded’ (1) suggests it makes you
a better person. (1)
•
‘It could save your life!’ (1) suggests that
all the positive things associated with
reading must not be ignored. (1)
Other possibilities include lists of positive
words. Judge on merit.
3
Possible answers include any two of:
•
‘Groundbreaking’ (1) suggests nothing
like this has ever been done before. (1)
•
‘First place in the world’ (1) suggests
that Scotland is better than everyone
else in this respect. (1)
•
‘Courageous’ (1) suggests the
government has had to make a difficult
decision. (1)
•
‘Bigger’/‘more powerful’(1) shows how
much of a physical advantage adults
have over children. (1)
•
‘Beat’/‘inflict violence’ (1) reframes
smacking in a more negative way/does
not downplay smacking/speaks of it
Answers
in the same way as any other form of
domestic abuse. (1)
•
4
‘Smaller, weaker and vulnerable’ (1)
shows how easy it is to hurt children. (1)
•
‘No-brainer’ (1) suggests it is
unreasonable to think any other way. (1)
•
‘Applauded’ (1) suggests their actions
are praiseworthy. (1)
•
‘Logical’/‘appropriate’ (1) suggests the
action makes complete sense. (1)
•
‘Grow’/‘nurtured’ (1) are positive words
that connote that we are looking after
our children well. (1)
a) Possible answers include:
•
‘Terrified’/‘frightening (noises)’ (1)
shows the impact of fireworks is
massive. (1)
•
‘Cower (under tables)’ (1) shows the
animals are so afraid they try to hide
away. (1)
•
‘(Bark) incessantly’ (1) shows
animals are constantly distressed. (1)
•
‘Shaken’ (1) shows the startling effect
the fireworks have on babies/being
shaken is bad for babies. (1)
5
•
‘Fill up’ (1) shows the negative impact
of fireworks on the NHS as hospitals
have to treat so many people. (1)
•
‘The burned’/‘the mutilated’/‘the
blinded’ (1) – the rule of three/list of
very serious injuries shows how badly
people are affected by fireworks. (1)
•
‘Dozens’ (1) suggests that police have
to work with more cases than they
can cope with during an evening. (1)
•
‘Mischief makers’ (1) suggests people
do bad things deliberately. (1)
•
‘Blast (them off)’ (1) suggests
massive explosions, like in a war. (1)
•
‘Like they’re in a war zone’ (1)
suggests violence and destruction
with devastating consequences. (1)
•
‘Tortured’ (1) suggests brutally
inhumane ways of treating animals. (1)
•
‘Sick people’ (1) suggests those who
hurt animals with fireworks need
medical attention because their
behaviour is not normal. (1)
a) Possible answers include:
•
‘Doom’ (1) suggests an inevitable,
negative fate. (1)
•
‘Gloom’ (1) suggests dark misery. (1)
•
‘Scream’ (1) suggests babies are
violently upset by fireworks. (1)
•
‘Peek’/‘worried’ (1) suggests old
people are afraid to look outside. (1)
•
‘Thoroughly’ (1) suggests the misery
is all encompassing, complete. (1)
•
‘Barrages’ (1) connotes constant. (1)
•
•
‘Abuse’/‘violence’ (1) suggests threat/
danger. (1)
‘Depressing’ (1) suggests the news
brings nothing to make you
cheerful. (1)
•
‘Missiles’ (1) has connotations of war,
showing how violent it is outside. (1)
•
‘Irreversible’ (1) suggests it is almost
pointless even trying. (1)
•
‘Going to die’ (1) is not very optimistic
about the future. (1)
•
‘Lying’ (1) suggests that none of our
leaders ever tell us the truth. (1)
•
‘Who knew?’ (1) has a bitter/sarcastic
tone, suggesting we have always
known that. (1)
•
‘Chaos’ (1) suggests politics is going
to create a massive crisis. (1)
•
‘A waste of space’ (1) suggests our
young people have no value. (1)
•
‘Unable to function’ (1) suggests
children cannot cope with everyday
life. (1)
b) Possible answers include:
•
‘Not a riot’ (1) – the previous
description sounds like it is a violent
protest when it is not. (1)
•
‘It’s time’ (1) shows that the writer
believes action must be taken
now. (1)
•
‘We’ (1) suggests this affects us all. (1)
•
‘Banned’ (1) shows the writer
believes there must no longer be any
access to fireworks for the public. (1)
7
Answers
•
‘Can’t afford’ (1) suggests poverty
among young adults. (1)
•
‘Worry less’ (1) again commands us
to stop dwelling on negatives. (1)
•
‘Saddled with debt’ (1) suggests
young adults can never escape their
problems. (1)
•
‘Sunshine’ (1) connotes brightness
and positivity. (1)
•
‘The bright side’ (1) suggests we step
away from dark thoughts. (1)
•
‘A drain’ (1) suggests the elderly are
consuming far too many resources. (1)
•
‘Disaster’ (1) suggests the NHS is in
an appalling state. (1)
•
‘Probably an asteroid’ (1) suggests
(humorously) that our complete
devastation may, at this very moment,
be hurtling towards us and we don’t
even know. (1)
Activity 3 (pages 34–35)
1
Possible answers include:
•
‘The nights I’ve spent’ (1) starts the
passage with a personal anecdote. (1)
•
‘Yep, you got it’ (1) informal language
suggests a question/answer situation
with the reader. (1)
•
‘It’s my kids’ homework from school’ (1)
suggests an answer to a question asked
in a conversation – colloquial use of ‘kids’
is the type of language you would use in
a conversation. (1)
b) Possible answers include:
•
‘Largely’ (1) emphasises that most
people are not awful. (1)
•
‘Peaceful’/‘productive’/‘co-operative’
(1) creates the impression that people
do get on and help each other. (1)
•
‘Ditch (the negativity)’ (1) commands
us to stop being pessimistic. (1)
•
‘Act positively’ (1) commands us to be
more optimistic. (1)
•
‘Actively’ (1) contrasts the passive
impression of young people given
before. (1)
•
‘Spreading the word’ (1) shows how
young people are effectively raising
the profile of an important issue. (1)
•
‘Setting an example’ (1) shows that
young people are doing more about
this than their elders. (1)
Possible answers include:
•
‘Kind of’ (1) suggests the writer is not
very committed to seeing the value, that
she is not certain. (1)
•
‘When you’ve got exams to do’ (1)
suggests she thinks it is important for
older students. (1)
•
‘Need to’ (1) suggests the writer
thinks it is important when it has a real
purpose. (1)
•
‘Stick’ (1) suggests the writer thinks it is
important for memory. (1)
•
‘How much more/how many’ (1)
repetition of these shows that things
are bigger and better than they used
to be. (1)
‘Actual’ (1) suggests that many
‘important things’ you are taught at
school are not actually that vital.
•
•
‘Medicine has advanced’ (1) shows
that progress is being made. (1)
‘Important things’ (1) suggests that you
should only have homework when it is for
an essential reason. (1)
•
•
‘We have an NHS’ (1) suggests that
simply just having one is a massively
positive thing. (1)
‘Home learning’ (1) – changing the term
suggests that ‘learning’ is better than
‘work’, which is done just for the sake of
it, whereas ‘learning’ is useful. (1)
•
‘A solution even for that’ (1) suggests
that there is something to fix
everything now in our world. (1)
•
‘Much better’ (1) demonstrates the
writer’s approval of learning as opposed
to repetitive homework. (1)
•
8
2
Answers
3
Possible answers include any two of:
•
•
•
•
•
‘Repeating’/‘another’ (1) suggests there
is one activity to do after another, it is
repetitive, boring and never-ending. (1)
‘(Feel like a) punishment’ (1) suggests
the writer disapproves of making children
do something they hate/preventing
children enjoying their lives. (1)
Repetition of ‘do’ (1) suggests that there
is lots of homework/that it is intended to
keep you busy. (1)
‘Maybe fit in some dinner/How about a
snack?’/‘A drink’/‘Clubs and sports and
playing outdoors?’ (1) suggests that the
basic needs/normal things that a child
would spend time on have to be stopped
because of homework. (1)
•
‘Finish it in time for your bath and then
bed’ (1) suggests there is no time for
any pleasure or leisure because of
homework. (1)
•
‘The homework monster’ (1) suggests a
scary, unpleasant task. (1)
•
4
‘(It’s a form of) torture’/‘torturous (hour)’
(1) suggests this is painful and cruel. (1)
•
‘Together’ (1) suggests a co-operative
approach. (1)
•
‘Warm woollen blanket’ (1) suggests
comfort and togetherness. (1)
•
‘Chocolatey fingers’ (1) suggests messy
play/comfort food. (1)
•
‘Delectable treats’ (1) suggests the food
made together is delicious. (1)
•
‘Create a rainbow of colour’ (1) suggests
a wondrous effect when you make
healthy food yourself. (1)
•
‘Marvel’ (1) suggests that the library is
somewhere filled with awe. (1)
•
‘Wonders’ (1) suggests that the library’s
contents are amazing. (1)
•
‘Hallowed walls’ (1) suggests that the
library is a place to worship. (1)
•
‘Red in the face’/‘breathless’ (1) suggests
having lots of energetic fun. (1)
•
‘Part of the sky’ (1) suggests a feeling of
being above the rest of the world. (1)
•
‘Create’ (1) suggests imagination and
discovery. (1)
•
‘A million ways’ (1) suggests an infinite
range of opportunities to discover the
world. (1)
‘No way to win’ (1) suggests no one
achieves anything from it. (1)
Possible answers include any three of:
5
Possible answers include:
•
‘The wonders’ (1) suggests curiosity and
excitement. (1)
•
‘Don’t’ (1) commands the reader to stop
doing pointless homework. (1)
•
‘Glorious’ (1) suggests beauty and
amazement. (1)
•
•
‘Golden’ (1) suggests warmth and the
richness of the sky. (1)
‘Punish’ links back to previous ideas of
torture and punishment, (1) showing the
negative impact it has. (1)
•
•
‘Intricate’ (1) suggests that the insects
are delicate and complex. (1)
‘All!’ (1) shows everyone hates homework/
everyone is affected badly by it. (1)
•
•
‘Metallic lacquered bugs’ (1) suggests
they are like tiny pieces of art. (1)
‘Let children play’ (1) commands the
reader to stop removing choices for
leisure and pleasure. (1)
•
‘Cascades of red and gold and brown’ (1)
suggests colourful plumes of leaves
falling. (1)
•
•
‘Snuggled’ (1) suggests warmth and
affection. (1)
‘Home isn’t for work’ (1) is a play on the
word ‘homework’ to back up the writer’s
point that home and work are very
separate things. (1)
•
‘It’s for family’ links back to the ideas of
learning together (1) and reminds us of
what is important. (1)
9
Answers
3.2 Imagery: figurative and descriptive language
Activity 3: Analysing similes and metaphors (page 41)
Extract
1
Possible answers include:
‘Chips of stone’ – his eyes are compared to stones. Stones are hard and small,
suggesting his eyes are small and that they don’t show any life or emotion.
‘Forest’ – his beard is compared to a forest; ‘undergrowth’ – his eyebrows are
compared to undergrowth. Both compare his hair to untamed wild environments. This
suggests his hair is unkempt, messy and wild.
2
‘Old as sin’ – sin has been around since the start of time. This suggests the old woman
has been around forever.
‘Sharp as a dagger’ – just as a dagger is sharp and damaging, so too are Mrs
McDougall’s words hurtful and cutting when she decides to be critical.
3
‘Flapping their gums’ – they are not literally doing this. It suggests they are not doing
anything sensible with their mouths; that they are talking nonsense.
‘Blowing hot air’ – also, not literally true. This suggests what is coming out of their
mouth is not useful information.
‘Trumpeting’ – a trumpet is a loud musical instrument, suggesting the politicians were
just creating loud noises.
4
‘Assault’ is a violent attack. The large number of colours felt like the writer’s eyes were
being attacked, suggesting they felt extremely uncomfortable and disliked what they
were seeing.
5
‘Work of art’ – the countryside is not literally a work of art. A work of art is beautiful
and expertly crafted. This suggests the countryside is also gorgeous and perfect.
‘Sparkling like crystal’ – crystal shimmers in the light and so do the Fairy Pools. This
makes them sound rare and expensive.
‘Stands like a sentry’ – a sentry is a kind of soldier who protects others. This suggests
the rocks are like a layer of protection.
‘Guards’ reinforces the idea of protection.
Activity 4: Personification (page 42)
1
2
10
The sound of the wind is compared to the
howl of a wolf or like it is screaming in
a sinister way. The rain is made to seem
violent. This all connotes that the weather
was frightening and dangerous.
The personification here makes it seem like
all the machines were alive. They all seem
happy and peaceful doing their jobs, creating
a warm atmosphere.
3
The car is personified, making it sound sick
and unable to continue.
4
The moon and clouds are made to sound
childlike and the stars seem to be positive
and happy.
Answers
Activity 7: Consonant sounds (page 45)
Sibilant
Plosive
Liquid
Fricative
The motion of the magpie was almost
noiseless, but its beauty was magnificent.
Silently, they slid across the sea, steadily
aiming for that southern shore.


They followed that bird, finding its flight
path matched their own.

The waves lightly lapped against the side
of the ship.

There was a sudden crunch, a crack and
a bang as the ship hit ground.

That was the end of that very peaceful
voyage.
3.3 Sentence structure
Activity 1: Creating
sentences (pages 48–49)
Possible answers include:
1
It’s easy to get your young kids outdoors
enjoying nature. Instagram is full of images
of children #makingmemories, looking
at bugs, running in the woods, hiking and
camping. What you don’t see, though, are
the older children. The pre-teens and the
teenagers seem to be missing completely
from this scene. Studies have shown that
from age 11, young people stop engaging
with nature and that they don’t go back
to it until they reach the age of 30. That’s
a long time and also an important time
when accessing the natural world would
have many benefits for this age group.
Many studies show how positively being
outdoors affects the mental health of our
teenagers. At a time when they are more
and more stressed, being outdoors should
be a priority. It helps our kids be happier, be
calmer and to develop empathy and focus,
just what they need at that age. As a society,
we should all be trying to get out more.
Nasal

2
We know that many parts of modern life cause
harm to our environment. Did you realise,
though, the impact the fashion industry has
on the environment? The amount of clothing
we buy has increased by 60 per cent and
this increase in production is contributing a
whopping 10 per cent of the damaging carbon
emissions affecting our planet. These effects
include major pollution of water supplies
and over-consumption of water which dries
up vital supplies – the Aral Sea has almost
dried due to the consumption of the fashion
industry. In addition to this, these clothes,
when we wash them, deposit plastic into the
water supply which ends up polluting the sea.
Washing clothes deposits enough microfibres
into the sea to make 50 billion plastic bottles.
It takes 700 gallons of water to make one
cotton shirt – enough water to last a person
who drinks the recommended eight cups a
day for a whopping three-and-a-half years. A
pair of jeans takes 2000 gallons. This is due
to the amount of cotton needed to make our
clothing. The fashion industry uses enough
water to dye clothes to fill 2 million swimming
pools (Olympic size) every year and is also the
cause of 20 per cent of water pollution around
the world.
11
Answers
Activity 3: Sentence length (page 50)
Example
Possible answers include:
1
Use of short sentences:
• ‘27p’ – used to emphasise how very little it cost and to show it was not worth it.
• ‘Yep, you read that right.’ – creates a chatty tone, speaking directly to the reader.
• ‘And he’s a millionaire’ – emphasises the point that the Health Secretary does not
need the money.
2
Use of short sentences: ‘A shot rang out’/‘There was a thump’/‘Birds flew out of the
trees’ – creates a shock and surprise.
Longer sentence, including a list: ‘Somewhere in the woods, he had a herd, a mate,
fauns.’ The use of the list of things that would lose the stag creates sympathy for the
stag.
Contrast of the short sentence after a long one: ‘This was his life.’ Emphasises how
important the writer thinks it was.
Short sentence: ‘For the hunter, this was his sport.’ After all the sympathetic detail,
this short sentence seems very blunt and negative about the hunter.
3
‘The figures are horrifying.’ Short sentence creates a strong impact, showing the
writer’s strong disapproval by emphasising the word ‘horrifying’.
‘This is a rise of 22 per cent’. Short sentence allows a blunt piece of statistical
information to have maximum impact.
‘A homeless man? Life expectancy of 45 years’. Short question and answer highlights
how short their lives are.
‘For women, the gap is even wider.’ Short, blunt sentences showing how unfair life is.
‘All for the want of a home.’ Short sentence shows how simple it could be to fix.
4
‘It seems so long ago’/‘It was’/‘So long ago.’ Short sentences show the mind of the
author as she remembers.
‘I can remember it in pictures really. And smells. Candyfloss and popcorn and sugar
lollies. Maybe even the whiff of a freshly baked donut.’ Short sentences create
snapshots of the things she can remember.
‘The dark sky above, stars blotted out by the brightness of the lights around us – red
and gold and blue and green and purple and white – they flashed and strobed as
the music blared from each of the attractions.’ The longer sentence gives a detailed
description of what she sees and hears. Creates a sense of wonder and excitement
and also how much is going on.
‘And I did! I wanted to go as fast as I could! The waltzers were always my favourite!’
The sentences speed up as they get towards the waltzers; shorter sentences show
building anticipation.
‘I remember my warm gloves and my hat and holding my mother’s hand and feeling
like I was happy and safe, and life could never get better.’ Long sentence creates a
sense of comfort and a sense that there is so much that is good.
‘Simpler times.’ Short sentence sums up/emphasises the simple statement of fact,
made simple by its shortness.
12
Answers
Activity 4: Sentence
lengths (page 51)
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Short sentences create a sense of tension
and urgency.
Short questions show the character’s fear.
Short repeated sentences show the
character trying to control herself.
A longer sentence and then a short sentence
creates a dramatic pause.
Short sentences create a sense of tension
and urgency.
Long sentences show how much care the
character is taking with what she’s doing.
Short questions show the character’s fear.
Short sentences show the character is
interrupted.
● Short sentences create a sense of tension
and urgency and a cliffhanger.
●
Activity 5: Sentence
types (page 52)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Question
Exclamation/minor sentence
Rhetorical question
Command
Exclamation
Command/exclamation
Statement
Activity 8: Sentence patterns (page 55)
1
Sentence patterns:
Pattern
Examples
List
‘Boys don’t cry. Boys are rough, tough and sporty. Boys are more confident than
girls. Boys are more badly behaved, do less well in school and get into more
trouble in the community. Boys will be boys, after all. Yep, I’m sure we’ve all heard
things like this before. Boys can’t like pink things or play with “feminine” toys.’
‘… messages boys are given from childhood, from clothing, from TV and from the
adults in their lives’
‘… boys are heroes or messy monsters. They are footballers or leaders and are strong’
List
‘… deadbeat dad, Homer Simpson; obese and bullied Daddy Pig; Peter Griffin who
is not a good “family guy”. Dads are inept, absent or evil (Darth Vader, Dr Evil,
Thanos, anyone?)’
‘Where are the clever dads, the ones who make excellent parents, the literate
readers, the role models of intellect and compassion and kindness?’
Repetition
‘Boys don’t … Boys are … Boys are … Boys are … Boys will be boys … Boys can’t’
Unusual
word order
‘Without the words or channels to communicate, they are trapped.’
Balance or
contrast
‘… their sporting heroes, Ronaldo and Messi, but they are rare examples of talent
and have aspects to them that are less desirable in a role model’.
13
Answers
2
Unusual sentence lengths and types and their impact:
Unusual sentence
Impact
‘Boys don’t cry. Boys are rough, tough and
sporty. Boys are more confident than girls …
Boys will be boys, after all.’
Repeated pattern of short sentences creates
the sense of the repeated ideas of masculinity
society conveys
‘And a lot of this is true. Why? Because society
makes it so.’
Short sentence is conversational. Short
question allows the writer’s opinion to be given
as an answer
‘The messages boys are given from childhood,
from clothing, from TV and from the adults in
their lives, is that boys are heroes or messy
monsters.’
Longer sentence/list shows there are a
number of poor representations of masculinity
from many sources
‘Yep, I’m sure we’ve all heard things like this
before … They need to “man up”. Ugh. I hate that
expression … Kids’ TV even perpetuates this.’
Short sentences create a conversational tone
‘Look at TV dads in popular culture: deadbeat
dad, Homer Simpson; obese and bullied Daddy
Pig; Peter Griffin who is not a good “family guy”.’
Longer sentence/list shows there are a
number of poor representations of fatherhood
‘Dads are inept, absent or evil (Darth Vader,
Dr Evil, Thanos, anyone?) Useless, the lot of
them.’
List of negatives, including rhetorical question
about evil dads in culture, emphasises how
many bad representations of fatherhood
there are. Short sentence/minor sentence
emphasises how poor the role models are
‘Where are the clever dads, the ones who make
excellent parents, the literate readers, the
role models of intellect and compassion and
kindness?’
Use of a question/rhetorical question (accept
either) shows how few positive role models
boys have by making the reader answer the
question with ‘nowhere’
‘Ask our boys who they aspire to be like –
go on!’
Command speaks directly to us, asking for our
involvement
‘Without the words or channels to communicate,
they are trapped. We are failing our boys.’
Use of short sentences creates a blunt, matter
of fact tone. Unavoidable statements of fact
‘Look beyond behaviour at the causes. And
never give up on them.’
Use of short commands creates a call to action
– makes us feel compelled to make changes
Activity 9: Punctuation
(page 58)
2
Has buying people flowers gone out of
fashion now? Is it now only oldies who
bother with floral gifts? It’s like birthday
cards – people now don’t seem to be buying
them for each other, often simply wishing a
happy birthday on social media.
3
Why is cotton wool so gross? Especially the
kind you get at the dentist – you know, the
rolled up balls of horror that squeak against
your teeth when they want to keep them dry?
Ugh, it makes me squirm just to think of them!
Possible answers include:
1
14
It’s clear that TV channels don’t take Scottish
football seriously. It seems that coverage of
our game only happens after programmes
on the English game and now it also seems
like American Football programmes go on
TV before Scottish sport makes it on.
Answers
Activity 10: Punctuation
(page 59)
‘Our politicians are lying to us (who
knew?)’ – the parenthesis includes a
rhetorical question which makes an ironic
comment, suggesting that politicians are
well known for lying.
Possible answers include:
1
‘Turn it off!’ – the exclamation mark adds
weight to the command – making it more
emphatic.
‘Economy going – tourism’ – the dash is
used to introduce an explanation of what it
is that is both a problem and a necessary
requirement of Skye.
‘walkers, cyclists, cars, caravans, camper
vans and tour buses; litter is chucked
away carelessly in some of its famous
beauty spots; and outdoor spaces are
becoming outdoor toilets for many of these
thoughtless visitors’ – commas create a list
of increasingly larger items that are blocking
the road. Semi-colons are used to separate
items in a list – a list of things that are
causing problems on Skye.
Activity 11: Sentence
structure (page 60)
Possible answers include any two examples:
1
Parenthesis/‘in simple silence’ (1) to
show how they didn’t speak but it wasn’t
awkward. (1)
‘Fairy Pools, the Neist Point lighthouse, and
the island’s astonishing ranges and stony
crags at the Quiraing and the Old Man of
Storr’ – the commas create a list of the
different places on the island that are being
affected.
2
‘What was it? Who was there?’ – questions
used here show the character’s confusion
and worry.
Parenthesis/‘slowly’ (1) reflects the
peaceful/sad mood. (1)
The dash (1) introduces the importance of
the last few minutes. (1)
2
Dash (1) introduces a contradiction about
her dislike of cats. (1)
‘Now they were in her house!’ – the
exclamation shows her fear and concern
that there is someone in her home.
Exclamation mark (1) emphasises how
much she hates cats. (1)
Colon (1) introduces an explanation of why
she dislikes old people. (1)
‘To calm down, to breathe deeply, to stop
panicking’ – commas create a list of things
the character must do so she doesn’t put
herself in more danger.
3
‘It’s thoroughly depressing!’ – exclamation
mark shows that the writer is frustrated with
the news.
‘The impact of climate change is almost
irreversible – our planet is going to die’ –
the dash introduces an expansion to the
previous point, explaining the impact of the
irreversible changes to the climate.
Colon (1) introduces the different sides of
the woman’s personality. (1)
Semi-colons (1) separate the two sides of
the contrasts in her personality/separate the
list of personality traits she has. (1)
‘Knew she was home – she had turned
the light on’ – the dash introduces an
explanation of why the intruder would know
she was in the house.
‘Scuffle – a clunk upstairs, the smashing of
glass!’ – the dash creates a dramatic pause.
The exclamation mark shows the shock of
hearing the noise.
Short/simple sentences (1) create a slow
pace/sad mood/simplicity that reflects the
situation. (1)
Short sentences (1) create simple/blunt
facts at the end/show contradictions in
the way the grandchild feels about the
grandmother/create impact – real sadness
at the very end. (1)
3
Question (1) introduces topic under
discussion. (1)
List (1) used to show the vast number of
issues the youths of today face. (1)
‘How odd – and how great – is that?’/
rhetorical question (1) shows writer’s
surprise. (1)
15
Answers
‘– and how great –’/parenthesis (1) used to
show how pleased the writer is. (1)
Dash (1) used to introduce statistics which
prove the point about the drop in dangerous
drinking. (1)
Exclamations (1) used to show surprise/
happiness about the improvements. (1)
Question/answer format (1) used to try to
answer possible questions the reader might
also have. (1)
Short sentences (1) used to give blunt,
matter-of-fact answers. (1)
Dash (1) used to introduce the economic
argument. (1)
Series of questions (1) suggests a range of
other possible causes of the mental health
crisis. (1)
Short sentences at the end (1) suggest the
writer believes these are the cause. (1)
Activity 12: Comma
splice (page 61)
Possible answers include:
1
Mary loves to go on holiday. She goes abroad
at least three times a year. [;/and]
2
We saw a beautiful sunset. We had to stop
and take a picture. [;/so]
3
I find doing assignments stressful. I usually
end up with a last-minute panic. [;/and]
4
He makes an amazing lasagne. I can’t get
enough of it. [and/so/;]
5
The audience did not enjoy the play. They
felt the acting was wooden and forced.
[;/because]
6
Sixty-seven per cent of customers agreed
that the new version was better. The trial
had been successful. [and/so/;]
7
Inside, the house was a total mess.
Students should be rewarded for replacing
the comma with another suitable piece of
punctuation or a suitable conjunction or linking
phrase.
16
Activity 13: Commas
(page 62)
1
However, the building still had to be cut
down.
2
The famous film director, who was known
to be quick to anger, told his leading lady
that she had to change her entire character
portrayal.
3
The application can scan, print, save, send
and edit documents.
4
After going to the beach, we plan to go out to
dinner.
5
Sadly, I was unable to go to the party.
Activity 14: Plurals
(page 63)
Word
Plural
Activity
Activities
Berry
Berries
Church
Churches
Daisy
Daisies
Echo
Echoes
Fly
Flies
Fox
Foxes
Half
Halves
Hero
Heroes
Igloo
Igloos
Knife
Knives
Lamb
Lambs
Oppressor
Oppressors
Scarf
Scarves
Studio
Studios
Volcano
Volcanoes
Zero
Zeros
Answers
Activity 15: Apostrophes
(page 64)
1
She’s my best friend – truly the nicest of girls
who ever lived. Her beauty’s not just skin
deep, she’s a lovely person inside and out.
2
It wasn’t the best day I’ve ever had. I lost
my dad’s car keys and I was supposed to
be going to John’s house later. I’d never
get to go now! It’d cost a fortune to replace
the keys! I’ll probably not be able to buy my
season ticket now! The cost of car keys is
outrageous!
3
tax, you’d be in a good position to pick up
one of the houses on the council’s books.
4
Fishing is a slow and painstaking business.
First you have to get the right hooks and bait
and if you’ve not got patience, even those won’t
help you. Standing in the drizzle for hours as
your toes get frozen isn’t always the best fun.
If you go, listen to locals’ advice. They know the
best spots and they’d be worth hearing about. 5
She stole my coat. I’d not long got it either.
Mum had picked it specially for me. She’s
always been jealous of my stuff, though.
Mum’s not one to start trouble either,
especially as she’s got her favourite – and it’s
not me! I’d get it back. I made that promise
to myself – and I always keep promises I
make myself! There’d be no more stealing of
coats or dolls or toys or sweets. I’d be taking
hers now. Susan’s stuff would soon be mine.
The government’s plans about social
housing are coming on at last. Plans detail
the types of houses that will be available
to those on low wages. If you’ve never had
debts relating to your rent or your council
3.4 Text structure
Activity 1 (page 66)
Possible answers include:
Question
Content
Language
Either/both
Explain why the first paragraph (lines …) is an
effective opening to the passage as a whole.
In the opening lines of the poem, several of the main
ideas and concerns of the poem come across clearly.
Identify three of these main ideas or concerns.


Look at lines … Choose an expression from these
lines and explain how it contributes to the passage’s
effective introduction.

Activity 3: Topic sentences (page 69)
1
Topic sentence in each paragraph:
Paragraph
Topic sentence
2
Dr Tanya Evans of Stanford University produced research which shows that knowing
maths affects the brain positively.
3
Maths also helps you with time.
4
There are a whole range of other life skills that maths helps with.
5
Maths develops your problem-solving skills and your ability to think analytically –
to identify problems and look for solutions.
6
Maths is used in almost every career in some way, not just in the careers of
mathematicians and scientists.
17
Answers
2
Main point of each paragraph:
Paragraph
Main point of paragraph
1 (introduction)
The writer states that people think maths is boring but it is actually very useful.
2
She explains the results of Dr Tanya Evans’s research on the positive effects
maths has on the brain.
3
Maths helps you with telling the time.
4 and 5
Maths helps you with a range of skills important to your life.
6
Maths helps you with a range of careers that aren’t just science or maths based.
7 (conclusion)
The writer draws her argument to a conclusion by explaining that maths is all
around us and is important for success in life. She finishes with a pun that helps
to finish the argument in an interesting way.
Activity 4 (page 70)
Refers to previous point
Refers to new point
… good for your health
… good for your mood
… stanza one is positive in tone
… the second stanza takes a darker turn
Summertime seemed so far away …
… the colder nights made us wish for the sunshine
again
… the writer use setting to create a link to
the theme of good versus evil
… exemplifies it in his characters
Activity 5 (pages 72–73)
18
Extract
Refers to previous point
Refers to new point
1
‘abused and hurt animals’ links back (1)
to the writer’s desire to ‘Work[ing] with
an animal rescue charity’/‘animals which
are being abused, neglected and cruelly
treated’ (1)
‘human behaviour that would hurt the
most’ links forward (1) to how ‘staff were
verbally abused’ by owners/how owners
‘did not appreciate their visit’/were
‘exceptionally uncooperative and rude’/
were ‘abusive people’ (1)
2
‘modern solution for a modern
problem’ links back (1) to the possibility
of ‘removing their access to the
internet’/‘be appropriate, easy and
effective’ (1)
‘many problems with the idea’ links
forward (1), where the writer explains
the problems: it is ‘illegal’/‘it wouldn’t
work’/‘worked around by the simple use of
a cable’/‘the jammer would also jam the
internet access of everyone else’ (1)
Answers
Extract
Refers to previous point
Refers to new point
3
‘soul searching’ links back (1) to the idea
that ‘No one seems to know why this
is’/‘There are no clues’/‘it is a mystery!’
(1)
‘any woman could tell you the reason’
links forward (1) to the reasons/evidence
that women are not attracted to careers
in the music industry/‘50 per cent of its
members had experienced harassment/80
per cent did not report it/Sexism is rife in
music videos and rap lyrics/women are
always expected to be less clothed than
men/Even the idea of “girl power” reflects
the sexism/these are grown women who
have been reduced to stereotypes and
infantilised’ (1)
‘the reasons that women are
underrepresented’ links back (1) to
the idea that ‘the music industry has a
problem with “girl power”’/the statistics
that show that women are a minority
in the industry: ‘three men for every
woman’/‘women make up only 12 per
cent of songwriters and 2 per cent of
producers’ (1)
4
‘felt none of this’ links back (1) to the
signs of autumn, the wind, rain or cold
that the woman does not feel: ‘leaves
fluttered and fell’/‘The naked branches
bent under the force of the breeze’/‘The
drizzle misted the sky’/‘chilling those
outdoors to the bone’ (1)
‘she was perfectly content’ links forward
(1) – the subsequent details give a clear
indication of comfort and pleasure:
‘healthy blaze’/‘keeping her toasty
warm’/‘her hands were comfortably
wrapped around a hot chocolate and a
good book’ (1)
‘however’ (1) indicates a change from the
negatives outside to the positives inside (1)
5
‘progress in this area’ links back (1) to
all the areas where improvements have
been made: ‘a medical issue’/‘prevented
those with disabilities from taking full
part in society’/‘society’s inability to adapt
itself to the needs of all its members’/‘be
focused on how non-disabled society
creates barriers that prevent those with
disabilities accessing and participating in
wider society’ (1)
‘para sports’ links forward (1) to the
writer’s new points about the Paralympic
Games: ‘Coverage of the Paralympic
Games’/‘genuine appreciation of their
skill, stamina and talent’/‘challenging the
negative stereotypes some people hold
about sports people with disabilities’ (1)
19
Answers
3.5 Tone
Activity 1 (page 80)
Extract
Tone
Analysis
1
Emotive
We are supposed to feel sorry for Anara. ‘Walks 17 miles’/‘haul … on her
shoulders’ (1) makes you feel sorry for her as this is an unreasonable
expectation. (1)
‘To find water’/‘filthy water’/‘nothing to sustain her’ (1) shows that she
lacks the basics in her life, as does ‘has no shoes’/risk of pain and injury.
(1)
‘Nothing to cover her head’ (1) suggests she is vulnerable to
sunburn/‘blistering sun’ sounds very painful. (1)
‘Never attend school or receive an education’ (1) makes you feel sorry for
her as this suggests she has no way to escape her life. (1)
Being only ‘six years old’ (1) is a hard-hitting fact – she is very young to
have such responsibilities and has a difficult life. (1)
2
Critical
Word choice/use of exclamation: ‘scandalous!’ (1) shows that the writer
thinks the politician’s behaviour is disgraceful. (1)
List: ‘a time of cuts to education, children’s services and care for the
elderly’ (1) emphasises how many underfunded services could have
benefited from that money. (1)
Word choice: ‘this excuse for a politician’ (1) shows the writer does not
think he is fit to be a politician. (1)
Repetition: ‘thousands and thousands’ (1) emphasises just how much
money was spent. (1)
List: ‘clothing, fancy dinners, expensive wines, wages for his wife and
a second luxury home!’ (1) emphasises the range of expensive items
money was spent on. (1)
Rhetorical question: ‘How can he look at himself in the mirror without
blushing with shame?’ (1) shows we are supposed to agree with his
criticism of the politician’s behaviour. (1)
3
Excitement
Word choice ‘finally’/‘I’d been waiting for!’/‘loved them’/‘for years (1)
suggests a strong sense of anticipation. (1)
The dash ‘– the night …’/‘– since I had been a child’ (1) creates an excited
pause, showing the anticipation the writer had felt. (1)
Parenthesis ‘– oh, in so very few hours! –’ (1) is an almost spontaneous
comment which is included to show how close the writer was to an
amazing event. (1)
‘faces upturned’/‘just waiting’ (1) suggests an eagerness and anticipation
for the band to start. (1)
‘I felt like a child on Christmas Eve’/simile (1) – a child on Christmas Eve
would be extremely excited, waiting for much anticipated gifts. The writer
felt the same – the excitement was overwhelming as he waited for the gift
of this gig that he had longed for over many years. (1)
20
Answers
Activity 2 (page 81)
Possible answers include:
Extract
Persuasive technique and its impact
1
Rhetorical question ‘doesn’t it?’ (1) – includes us all in what the writer assumes is
a common perception of the value of zoos. (1)
Inclusive language ‘Let’s face it’ (1) – includes all of us – we all understand that zoos
have an important role in conservation. (1)
Rule of three ‘cruelty, mistreatment and death’ (1) – emphasises the scale of the
negatives of zoos. (1)
2
‘It is a great cause, a worthy cause, an awe-inspiring cause’ – repetition (1) used to
create an increasingly admiring tone. (1)
‘brave men, women and animals’ – list (1) of those who died (including animals) shows
how wide ranging the impact is. (1)
‘injured or died’ (1) – shows how conflict has negatively affected many. (1)
‘defence of their country’ (1) – shows the valuable job these people were doing. (1)
‘It is worth remembering!’ – dash/exclamation (1) stresses that we should value what
soldiers do. (1)
‘brave, brave people’ – repetition (1) emphasises the valour of the soldiers. (1)
‘toughest times’ (1) – shows that this is the worst time of a soldier’s life/offers a
sympathetic tone, as we should be supporting these people as a nation, it shouldn’t be
left to charity. (1)
‘brutal fate’ (1) – shows how awful the impact of war can be on soldiers. (1)
3
‘Abhorrent, disgusting and immoral’ – rule of three/list (1) of very emotive words shows
how awful the writer thinks the situation is. (1)
‘shameful’ (1) – shows how the writer believes the situation is immoral and we should
be embarrassed to have this situation in our country. (1)
‘abject poverty’ – the intensifier (1) makes this more than just poverty – their poverty is
extreme. (1)
‘most scandalous issue’ – superlative (1) used to show that the writer thinks this is the
worst possible situation. (1)
‘we should all be working’ (1) – uses ‘we’ and ‘all’ to include the reader in the call
for action. (1)
‘a civilised society, a caring society and one that values our people.’ – rule of three/list
(1) of values we are supposed to have, showing how treating our people like this seems
a contradiction of those values. (1)
‘How can we accept this?’ – rhetorical question (1) assumes we all agree that we
should not accept this; that this situation is unacceptable. (1)
21
Answers
Extract
Persuasive technique and its impact
4
‘worryingly’ (1) – word choice makes us feel concerned for young people. (1)
‘ever growing fog of mental ill health’/fog metaphor (1) – fog makes it difficult to see/
breathe just as mental health issues make it difficult for people to cope/see clearly/
breathe. (1)
‘suffocating’ – metaphor (1) makes it seem like our young people can’t breathe,
suggesting poor mental health is killing our young people. (1)
’70 per cent increase’/‘more than doubled’/‘have doubled again’/’93 per cent of teachers see
rates of mental illness among school pupils soaring’/use of statistics – providing data (1)
gives more weight to the writer’s concerns about the increase in mental health issues. (1)
‘How can we inject our youth with resilience, positivity and happiness?/How do we
dispel the dark cloud that seems to follow so many of them?’/use of questions/use of
‘we’ (1) – includes us all in trying to think about how to solve the issue. (1)
‘inject’/metaphor (1) – suggests a medical solution for the problem. (1)
‘dispel the dark cloud’/metaphor (1) – we need to get rid of the illnesses that stop our
young people being able to see clearly/see the bright side. (1)
‘bring some light’ (1) – symbolises the positives we need to bring back. (1)
‘– and ourselves – ‘/parenthesis (1) – highlights that it is not just young people who
need to change how they think. (1)
‘the first rays of sunshine’ (1) – shows that this could be the start of positivity coming
back. (1)
Activity 4 (page 83)
Extract
Emotion
Possible answers include:
1
Emotive –
to provoke
sympathy
‘darling wife’/‘inseparable’ (1) – shows just what Billy had lost; how
much he valued his wife. (1)
list of things that took his children away (1) – shows how his closest
family are far away or dead. (1)
‘one by one, they’ve passed’ (1) – shows how gradually his friends have
all died and how much grief he must have experienced. (1)
‘now, nipping to the shop for a paper, walking Alfie, his wee Jack
Russell Terrier and watching “Bargain Hunt”’ /‘The library, the corner
shop, the post office’ (1) – list of his activities/places he goes shows
how dull and mundane his life is now. (1)
‘Sometimes he’ll sit in the park, nodding to passing strangers’ (1) –
this emphasises his isolation as he has no one to sit with or talk to. (1)
‘Pay attention’ – commanding tone (1) used to speak directly to the
reader to make them take action. (1)
‘chat – your conversation’ – dash (1) is used to show why chatting is
important to isolated people. (1)
‘only human voice they hear all day’ (1) – finishes on a very sad note,
suggesting that a lonely person can have no conversation in the whole
course of a day. (1)
22
Answers
Extract
Emotion
Possible answers include:
2
Bitter, sad,
pleading,
honest
‘It wasn’t that I lied’ (1) – makes it sound like Marie’s trying to justify
herself. (1)
Afraid,
lacking
confidence
‘Sure, what good would telling that kind of truth do you?/You’d be crazy
to talk about it wouldn’t you?/What man would listen to that?’ (1) –
repeated questions show that she had wanted to keep the peace/didn’t
want to lose her husband. (1)
‘If he heard you, he’d have to change. Maybe he’d sooner leave.’ (1)
She was afraid she would lose her husband if she challenged him. She
wasn’t confident he loved her enough to hear a hard truth. (1)
‘I didn’t want him to leave./I loved him./I can’t throw that away even
now. I loved him.’ (1) Use of short sentences creates an honest tone –
Marie gives us basic facts. (1)
‘You see I’m just a mug’/‘I knew who you were the first time I saw you.
I knew’ (1) – sounds bitter. She knows she was being fooled all along. (1)
‘(Pause) What age are you?’ (1) The pause suggests she was worried
about asking. (1)
Practice passage 1: The scourge of the beautiful game
(pages 85–86)
Question
Possible answers include:
1
‘There is nothing more vile’ (1) – a dramatic way to start, showing a strong emotion
that is a good hook. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
Word choice: ‘disgusting display’ (alliteration)/‘bigotry and discrimination’/
‘abhorrent’ (1) – conveys the strength of feeling the writer has about the topic. (1)
‘blight of racism’/the use of imagery (1) – compares racism to a disease, showing
that the writer believes it is destructive and can spread if nothing is done about it. (1)
Repetition of ‘nothing more’ (1) – highlights how the writer thinks racism in football
is the absolute worst thing. (1)
‘Must stamp it out’ (1) – shows strongly that the writer is going to go on and discuss
how important it is to get rid of racism. (1)
2
‘appalling’ (1) shows that the writer believes racism in football is horrific. (1)
(Any two
(both
parts))
‘a thing of the past’/‘a bygone era’ (1) – the writer believes others think that racism
is no longer an issue. (1)
‘bad old days’ (1) – shows the writer thinks that the racism of the past was also
terrible. (1)
‘torrent’ (1) – suggests that the writer believes that abuse floods the terraces; that it
is overwhelming. (1)
‘blistering’ (1) – causes physical damage and pain. The writer believes that racist
abuse is painful too. (1)
‘Hurled’ (1) – a word usually applied to an object. This shows that racism is used like
a weapon. (1)
23
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
3
‘disheartened, but not surprised’ (1) – quotation from a charity which fights against
racism strengthens the writer’s argument by showing that it is not just him that
thinks this way. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
The colon after ‘punished’ (1) is used to offer further punishments the writer
believes should be imposed. (1)
The dash after ‘tournaments’ (1) expands upon the previous point, showing what the
writer believes the effect of these stricter sanctions would be. (1)
Repeated use of exclamations (1) shows the writer’s strong feelings about the topic
– that he believes current punishments are useless. (1)
Parenthesis of (Football Against Racism in Europe) (1) gives further information,
saying who FARE are. (1)
4
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘Weak as these sanctions are’ – links back (1) to the discussion of what sanctions
were issued in the previous paragraph. (1)
‘UEFA has issued sanctions 16 times in 2019 for the “racist behaviour” of the
supporters of European teams’ – links forward (1) to the information given about
which countries have been punished and how they were punished. (1)
Correct quotation linking back (1) plus correct quotation linking forward (1). Quotes
without direction score 0.
5
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘racist abuse of their players’ – links back (1) to the examples given of racism shown
to different players. (1)
‘Walking away from the game is a serious thought every time some teams step out
on that field’ – links back (1) to the possible stronger sanctions that were referred to
earlier. (1)
‘We ought to be better than this by now and it has to stop’ – links back (1) to the
introduction where we were told we needed to ‘stamp it out’. (1)
Total: 12 marks
Practice passage 2: The need to read (pages 87–88)
Question
Possible answers include:
1
‘a misty-eyed memory’ – the nasal sound/alliteration/image (1) used here creates
a sense of nostalgia for the past, where people look back to faint memories or have
tears in their eyes from fond memories. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘a world vanishing into the past’ (1) – suggests this will all soon be a memory. (1)
‘cherubic children’/alliteration (1) – suggests reading makes children behave like
angels. (1)
‘engrossed in stories of other worlds, other places and other people’ (1) – suggests
reading is an amazing escape. (1)
‘idyllic aspiration’ (1) – suggests it is bliss and that we should all want to do it. (1)
‘most important’/’a massive factor’(1) – shows the huge impact reading has on
future life. (1)
‘so many more ways’ (1) – shows there are more reasons for reading than can be
stated. (1)
24
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
2
In students’ own words:
(Any four)
‘Reading for pleasure is more important to the learning development of a child than
the level of education of their parents.’ (1)
‘How much and how well a child reads has a powerful impact on their lives – even
more so than the socio-economic background they grew up in.’ (1)
‘Studies show that those who read for pleasure are more likely to be involved in
managerial or professional jobs.’ (1)
‘Children who are readers by the age of ten also achieve higher results in maths
than those who read less than once a week.’ (1)
‘those with reading difficulties are at a higher risk of developing mental health
problems when they’re older’ (1)
‘Readers are much more likely to be tolerant, compassionate and to feel like they
belong in society.’ (1)
3a)
In students‘ own words:
(Any three)
‘mental stimulation’ (1)
‘slow the progress of dementia’ (1)
‘Keeping your brain fit, healthy and engaged … decreases mental decline in the
elderly by 32 per cent’ (1)
‘supports stronger memory and retention’ (1)
‘Every new memory you make creates new neural pathways and makes existing
ones stronger’ (1)
‘helps with short-term memory and also your mood’ (1)
‘longer, healthier lives’ (1)
‘more likely to eat more healthily’ (1)
‘take more exercise’ (1)
‘the positive mental effects are wide ranging.’ (1)
3b)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘Keeping your brain fit, healthy and engaged’/rule of three (1) – used to emphasise
the positive effects reading has on your brain. (1)
‘power – reading decreases mental decline’/dash (1) – used to introduce another
positive impact. (1)
‘Reading novels … your brain has to keep track of plot lines which are often complex
in structure, with sub-plots and plot arcs that weave their way through the novel’/
complex sentence structure (1) – imitates the complexity of reading a novel. (1)
‘You have to remember characters: their back stories, ambitions, relationships,
motivations, hopes, dreams and desires’/colon/list (1) – emphasises the many
things you have to remember when reading a book. (1)
‘No wonder reading helps keep it fit and flexible!’/short sentence/exclamation (1) –
creates a contrast to the previous long sentence and creates an enthusiastic tone. (1)
‘eat more healthily and take more exercise – the positive mental effects are wide
ranging’/dash (1) – used to introduce more benefits than the writer has listed. (1)
25
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
4
‘Reading helps you feel less stressed – that’s a mood improver we could all do with!’/
dash/exclamation (1) – introduces an enthusiastic personal comment that makes it
clear how reading reduces stress. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘In the space of five minutes, it is very easy to split your time between work, email,
talking to someone, looking at your social media accounts and checking for text
messages and WhatsApp messages’/a list (1) is used to emphasise the range of
activities that we can fill our time with. (1)
‘Reading stops this. It is just you and the book’/short sentences (1) – create a
contrast to the long sentence before; create a pause and a slowing effect, imitating
the effect reading has on a busy life. (1)
5a)
In students’ own words:
(Any three)
‘you also add new knowledge to your brain every time you read’ (1)
‘new vocabulary’ (1)
‘more articulate’ (1)
‘find employment’ (1)
‘gain new friends and widen your social circles’ (1)
‘You are also much more likely to do things you have read about in books’ (1)
‘improve your quality of life’ (1)
‘better writing’ (1)
‘stronger analytical skills’ (1)
5b)
(Any one
(both parts))
‘try things you have read about in books – so reading can improve your quality
of life’/dash (1) – introduces an expansion, explaining how reading can provide
lifestyle benefits. (1)
‘Better reading also leads to better writing: your exposure to the good writing
of others improves your own style’/colon (1) – introduces an explanation of how
reading improves your writing. (1)
‘And all of this need not cost you a penny: join a library and all these benefits are
at your fingertips!’/colon (1) – introduces an explanation of how these benefits can
come at no cost/the exclamation (1) shows the writer is excited that libraries can
offer these benefits. (1)
‘Literally!’/short sentence/exclamation (1) – shows excitement that you can actually
physically touch the books that can bring you so many benefits. (1)
26
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
6
‘the many, many other benefits it has for you’ (1) – refers back to the benefits
explored earlier in the extract. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘Readers have better mental health’/’They sleep better’/‘eat more healthily’/‘helps
the brain recover and regenerate’ – reference to any one (1) plus a reference to
where it appears earlier in the passage. (1)
‘All these combined create a healthier, happier, more knowledgeable, more
compassionate and more well-rounded person’ – links back (1) to the many
benefits mentioned in lines 1–7/the positive mental health benefits of reading from
lines 8–17 and/or lines 33–39/the benefits to your brain discussed in lines 18–32/
the wide range of social and work-related benefits discussed in lines 40–48. (1)
‘Pick up a book – it could save your life!’/final command/exclamation – links back
(1) to the benefits reading has for mental health in lines 8–17/the impact of reading
on brain function in lines 18–32. (1)
Total: 20 marks
Practice passage 3: A nanny state? Maybe that’s not
a bad thing! (pages 89–91)
Question
Possible answers include:
1
‘ask yourself this question’/direct address to the reader (1) – makes it seem like a
conversation. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘Is it ok’/colloquial expressions/rhetorical questions (1) – engage the reader and
make us agree that it is not ok. (1)
‘no-brainer’/colloquial expression (1) – makes it clear that this should not be a
controversial issue – we should agree with the writer. (1)
2a)
In students’ own words:
(Any two)
‘approved in the Scottish Parliament by 84 votes to 29’ (1)
‘children in Scotland are given the same safety and protection that adults enjoy’ (1)
‘parents and carers were able to use “reasonable” force to punish their child’ (1)
‘is that not everyone knows when it is “reasonable” to stop’ (1)
‘physical attacks on adults can be prosecuted as assault’ (1)
‘A person accused of assaulting a child has been able to defend themselves by
claiming it was “reasonable chastisement” or “justifiable assault”.’ (1)
27
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
2b)
‘innovative’ (1) – suggests this is groundbreaking, a wonderful new development. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘overwhelmingly approved’ (1) – the positive word ‘approved’ is paired with a strong
intensifier to show massive support. (1)
‘safety and protection that adults enjoy’/three positive words (1) – used to show how
adults are treated, makes it seem unreasonable that children don’t have those same
things. (1)
‘battered’/‘beating’ (1) – connotations of these words are extremely violent,
intentionally so. (1)
‘reasonable’/‘reasonable chastisement’/‘justifiable assault’/inverted commas (1) –
show the writer does not think hitting a child can be any of these things. (1)
‘How can any physical assault on a child be “justifiable” or “reasonable”?’/rhetorical
question (1) – stresses that the writer believes violence towards children is very
wrong. (1)
3a)
In students’ own words:
(Any two)
‘they consider the nature of the punishment’ (1)
‘how long it lasted’ (1)
‘how often it was applied’ (1)
‘how old the child was’ (1)
‘the long-term effect it has had’ (1)
3b)
‘On the body (not their head, though – that would be too far!)’/parenthesis (1) –
creates an ironic/sarcastic/mocking tone, showing that the writer believes any hitting
is too far. (1)
4
In students’ own words:
(Any two)
‘Many people believe that it is absolutely fine!’ (1)
‘the state trying to nanny us’ (1)
‘physical punishment was a more common punishment in the UK than in countries
with similar cultures’ (1)
‘70–80 per cent of UK parents have punished their children physically’ (1)
‘children aged between three and seven were the most likely group of children to
be hit’ (1)
‘many parents felt that hitting their child would be the “only thing that will work”’ (1)
5
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘(more than 50)’/parenthesis (1) – used to illustrate that a very large number of
countries are way ahead of the UK on this topic. (1)
“smacking”/inverted commas (1) – shows the writer does not approve of that softer
term. (1)
‘Funny that’/very short sentence – an ironic comment (1) to show that it is not
surprising that attitudes have changed and rates of violence towards children have
decreased in countries with a ban already in place. (1)
28
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
6
Parenthesis/‘as a former police officer’ (1) – this extra information gives credibility to
the politician who introduced the bill. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘plenty of experience’ (1) – ‘plenty’ again adds credibility to his opinion as he has seen
the impact in real life. (1)
“might is right”/the use of inverted commas/rhyme (1) – a memorable way to
highlight the inequality of violence against children. (1)
‘would not accept violence in any setting’/emphatic words ‘would not … any’ (1) –
shows how strongly the politician believes Scotland views the issue. (1)
‘(groundbreaking idea!)’/the use of parenthesis – introduces an ironic exclamation (1)
suggesting this is not, in fact, ‘groundbreaking’ but it is a common-sense notion. (1)
‘it hurts them. It upsets them. It damages trust’/short, repetitive sentence structure
(1) – shows the bleak reality of the damage hitting does. (1)
‘And, importantly, does not always prevent bad behaviour’/parenthesis of ‘importantly’
(1) – highlights an important point about the ineffectiveness of smacking. (1)
‘educational psychologists agree with’/short final sentence of the paragraph (1) –
adds extra weight by bringing in an expert opinion. (1)
7a
In students’ own words
(Any six)
‘Opponents of the ban, including the Conservative party, believe the new law risks
criminalising “good parents” for using “reasonable chastisement”’ (1)
‘Maree Todd, the Scottish government’s children’s minister disagreed, insisting that
“loving parents” would not be criminalised.’ (1)
‘Loving parents presumably talk to their children’ (1)
‘support their emotional and behavioural needs’ (1)
‘set them a positive example of rational and caring behaviour’ (1)
‘“Loving parents” are unlikely to need to hit their children to get them to do what
they want’ (1)
‘In England and Wales, parents will only be prosecuted if they hit a child so hard that
it leaves a mark.’ (1)
‘This can no longer happen in Scotland.’ (1)
‘parents could face prosecution for any use of physical punishment on their children’ (1)
29
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
7b
‘loving parents’ – repeated (1) to emphasise the fact that if you love someone, you
don’t hit them. (1)
(Any two
(both
parts))
‘Loving parents presumably talk to their children, support their emotional and
behavioural needs and set them a positive example of rational and caring behaviour’ –
rule of three (1) used to show the positive ways parents should work with their
children. (1)
‘they hit a child so hard that it leaves a mark: bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or
scratches’ – the colon (1) introduces an explanation of what constitutes ‘a mark’ (1)
OR the list that follows (1) shows a range of things you wouldn’t want to see on your
child. (1)
‘Surely “loving parents” don’t want to do that to their child?’ – rhetorical question (1)
assumes a logical answer – that we don’t want to hurt our children. (1)
‘This can no longer happen in Scotland’ – short, blunt sentence (1) is a contrast to
previous sentences – it is clear that those days are gone now. (1)
‘Scotland’s ban will mean that parents could face prosecution for any use of physical
punishment on their children: smacking and slapping; hitting with a hand or an
object; kicking, shaking or throwing children; scratching them, pinching them,
biting them; pulling their hair or punching their ears; making children sit or stand
uncomfortable positions; burning or scalding them or forcing them to eat or drink
something’ – a very long sentence/list (separated with semi-colons) (1) shows all
the different ways punishment may be given to a child, building up to a climax of
dangerous punishments, showing how many awful things happen to children under
the current law. (1)
‘And it’s about time’ – blunt sentence (1) again contrasts to previous long one
and shows that there is no debate – it is a good thing that it is now illegal to hit
children. (1)
8
(Any two
(both
parts))
‘A nanny’s job description’/‘If Scotland was to be a nanny state, surely that would be
a positive!’ – links back (1) to the title and to references about the nanny state in the
passage (in the introduction and line 27). (1)
‘communicating, being positive, building bonds with the children under your care; to
be child-centred and keeping that child safe’ – links back (1) to the ideas about how
good parents work with their children. (1)
‘Scotland prides itself on its (similar) core values: wisdom, justice, integrity and
compassion. This ban is very much in keeping with all of these’ – links back (1) to the
idea that we want to improve the health and wellbeing of our nation. (1)
‘No one can harm me unpunished. Now that this applies to the most vulnerable in our
society’ – links (1) to the idea throughout the passage that children will now get the
same rights as adults not to be assaulted. (1)
Total: 30 marks
30
Answers
6 Her mother. ‘she’ll sniff it and stroke it like it
Section 4:
was her favourite son himself’
They’re in prison. ‘before every visit’, ‘That’s
The Critical Reading 7 all
she’s allowed to give them’
paper
8 Marie looks on the bright side – about her
relationship, going away for a break. She
is sympathetic towards her friend. Cassie
is more aggressive. She feels trapped and
steals.
Activity 2 (page 95)
Possible answers include:
Explicit
●
We know his height and physical build which
suggest he is intimidating.
●
His facial expressions are not friendly
looking.
9
Telling Marie bad news. She gives short
answers. She starts to tell Marie something
then doesn’t, getting angry instead.
Extract 2
1
Implicit
He does not like them. He calls Calum ‘a
halfman, a freak, an imbecile’, ‘crouchbacked cone-gatherer’. He thinks ‘they
did not wash … They did not change their
clothes’, ‘they seldom spoke. All evening
they would be dumb’.
A wooden squirrel.
●
People are perhaps scared of him.
●
He is gentle.
●
He is possibly the child’s father.
2
●
He finds it hard to tell the child the bad news.
3
As if he can feel the bond between the
maker and the animal he is carving. It will
feel like it is a living thing once complete.
4
They prepare things in advance. This shows
they are organised. They burned pinecones,
suggesting they are poor. They had very
simple routines and living conditions. They
had little conversation. They didn’t have lots
of furniture. This suggests poverty and being
content with their lot.
Extract 1 (implicit information)
5
4
Unfaithful to Cassie. ‘You were the martyr
there, Cassie.’, ‘I couldn’t have stood that, just
the lying to you, the lying to you.’, ‘If you go with
someone else it’ll tear the heart out of me’.
That someone he saw as a ‘freak’ could do
something so talented.
6
5
He is dead. Use of the past tense: ‘Do you
know he was like my best friend’, ‘we could
tell each other anything’, ‘He never did
though. So I never worried’. She talks about
missing him: ‘That’s what I miss most’, so
he isn’t around any more. Case can also be
made for him having left her.
He stalks the men, watching them,
breaking into their house: ‘he could not
see inside; but he had been in their hut so
often’. He hates disability and imperfections:
‘a halfman, a freak, an imbecile’, ‘putting
idiots and cripples to death in gas
chambers’. He sympathises with the Nazis:
‘he had profoundly approved’. He is an
angry person at heart: ‘frenzied thrust of
his being’.
Activity 3 (pages 95–96)
Extract 1 (explicit information)
1
Marie – Michael; Cassie – Joe
2
Friends
3
Taking money from when she goes shopping
for fruit.
31
Answers
Activity 5: Setting (pages 97–98)
Extract
Possible answers include:
1
Any two of:
‘It was a dreary road’ (1) – creates a depressing tone. (1)
‘blocked in at both sides’/‘The path narrowed and narrowed’ (1) – makes it feel as if
you are trapped. (1)
‘bedraggled pine trees’ (1) – shows that this is not a well-maintained place, it is
neglected. (1)
‘pointed like accusing fingers at the last of the day’s light’ – imagery (1) suggests a
negative mood, as if light is not wanted. (1)
‘The little light left had to struggle to creep through’ – personification (1) makes it
seem like the light is weak and ineffective. (1)
‘And then night fell’ (1) – starting with ‘and’ creates a change in tone, a surprise. (1)
‘All light was gone. The trees seemed to close around them. It was the loneliest
place in the world.’ – three short sentences (1) develop tension/darkness/a sense of
threat. (1)
2
Any two of:
‘She had never imagined’ (1) – makes the room seem fantastical. (1)
‘splendid, yet strange, place’ – contrasting words/parenthesis (1) create the idea of
mystery or a pleasant surprise. (1)
‘It was lit by candles: in every corner and shelf and on top of every surface there were
tall candles, fat candles, coloured candles, skinny candles, tiny candles, candles
shaped like animals and people and fairies and unicorns.’ – the long list (1) of types of
candles shows just how many there were/how varied they were. (1)
‘The dinner table stretched down the middle of this glorious illumination, laid with
dainty floral china, odd, mismatched glasses, old-fashioned silver cutlery’ – the list (1)
again shows how many items were on the table, making it sound quite charming (1)
‘glorious illumination’ (1) makes the candles sound like artwork. (1)
‘the night sky seemed like velvet dotted with diamonds’ – imagery (1) makes it sound
rich and warm; it is a positive image. (1)
32
Answers
Extract
Possible answers include:
3
Any two of:
‘His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t in a hurry to open them’ (1) – this shows how
relaxed he was; he felt able to stay slumbering without a need to look around. (1)
‘His body was rested and comfortable, lying on the blanket/The sand beneath him was
fine, soft and perfectly moulded to his shape’ (1) – his body was supported, he felt
extremely relaxed. (1)
‘His skin felt warm and the light sea breeze prevented him from feeling too hot’/’The
vibrant Greek sun prevented him from feeling too cold’ (1) – there was no sense of
discomfort in the heat or from the wind. (1)
‘He could hear the gentle call of a gull; the waves whooshed gently against the shore, a
soft shushing noise that kept him sleepy’ (1) – the use of ‘gentle’ (1) makes it clear the
bird is not harsh sounding. (1) OR The ‘w’ and ‘s’ alliterative sounds (1) create a soft,
calm feeling. (1) OR The waves are almost personified as a force (1) trying to soothe
him to sleep. (1)
‘He could smell the tang of salt air and the occasional fragrant scent of jasmine
carried over to him on the breeze’ (1) – all of his senses are engaged, and the odours
of the beach are pleasant. (1)
‘He knew that if he opened his eyes the sky would be impossibly blue; the sand,
impossibly golden and the sea impossibly still’ (1) – the repetition of ‘impossibly’ (1)
shows how perfect the setting was. (1) OR Blue skies/golden sands/still waters (1) are
all idyllic descriptions which makes the setting seem perfect. (1)
‘The white buildings around the island were garlanded with pink and red blossoms
and were silhouetted against the blue above and the blue below’ (1) – the houses are
made to sound as if they are wearing decorations like people, and the soft, contrasting
colours create a bright visual palette. (1)
Activity 9: Theme (pages 99–101)
Extract 1
Theme
Evidence
Trust/
truth and
lies
‘Why have you kept this from me for such a long time?’
The use of a question shows that Peter has not trusted Anna with the full story of his life.
‘I don’t even know you any more – who are you?’
The use of questions here shows that Anna feels confused and upset because she
feels she has built their relationship on a lie.
The
Holocaust
‘Peter, you were a Nazi! … so, did you kill Jews, Peter? Did you? Did you kill people
like me?’
The reference to killing Jews is connected to the theme of the Holocaust as Anna was
a Jew who survived the Holocaust.
‘This tattoo on my arm? That numbers me as one of your victims! You ran errands?
You sent letters? Who to? What were they saying? They were probably ordering
deaths and gassings and the murder of my people!’
The reference to a tattoo is linked to the Holocaust, as prisoners in death camps
were tattooed with a number to identify them.
33
Answers
Theme
Evidence
Guilt
‘“Would you want to tell someone that?” His head dropped again. “I was ashamed,
so, so ashamed, Anna! I feel what was done – I do – and I hate it! I hate what they did
– I can’t imagine, I can’t think, I can’t – I just can’t! Anna! I need you. I feel the guilt of
my country and I feel it so badly it feels like I’m bleeding. Anna!”’
Peter repeats the word ‘ashamed’ to show he feels incredibly bad about his role in
the war. ‘The guilt of my country’ – is clearly linked to the theme of guilt. After the
war, many Germans who had not been part of inflicting the Holocaust on Jews felt
they should have known and should have done something.
The
abuse of
power
‘Peter held his head in his hands. ‘I don’t think what they think, Anna. I never believed
it! We had to – we were only following –”’
‘Only following orders?! If I have to hear that again I’ll –’
‘– but it’s true! Do you think we would have been safe if we’d denied them? If we’d
stood up against them? No! I was a child, Anna! It was hammered into us from the
minute we were born! And still, I never believed them! … I love you. I love you. Can’t
you see that?’
Abuse of power is clearly shown here as it shows Peter’s experience of being
indoctrinated by Nazism – it was ‘hammered’ into him, suggesting it was done
forcefully and brutally.
Extract 2
Theme
Evidence
Appearance vs
reality
‘An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil
face, smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent.’
The woman’s appearance suggests wealth and the references to silver and
ivory have connotations of high quality. In reality, though, she was a hypocrite
and had an evil face.
Duality
‘A flash of odious joy.’
‘Odious’ is a negative word, suggesting disgust, and is not often connected
to ‘joy’, which is a very pleasant feeling. This shows the contrast in the
character’s feelings, the two sides of Hyde.
The lives of the
rich
‘Furnished with luxury and good taste. A closet was filled with wine; the plate
was of silver, the napery elegant; a good picture hung upon the walls, a gift (as
Utterson supposed) from Henry Jekyll, who was much of a connoisseur; and
the carpets were of many plies and agreeable in colour’.
The items described here are expensive and pleasant to look at. The carpets
were luxurious and the art on the walls was considered ‘good’. Therefore we
see how beautiful the room was as a result of the investments made, even
though it was in a horrible area.
34
Answers
Theme
Evidence
Crime
‘the rooms bore every mark of having been recently and hurriedly ransacked;
clothes lay about the floor, with their pockets inside out; lock-fast drawers
stood open; and on the hearth there lay a pile of grey ashes, as though many
papers had been burned.’
‘the other half of the stick’
‘the murderer’s credit’
The destruction of paperwork suggests that the person who did this was trying
to hide something that could be incriminating. References to ‘the other half of
the stick’ and ‘the murderer’ are linked to the murder of Sir Danvers Carew,
showing the untamed violence of Hyde.
Activity 15: Writing an
introduction (page 113)
2
Possible answers include:
1
Missing title and name of author not given.
Very simple construction and vocabulary
would benefit from improvement. Very basic.
First sentence is not grammatically correct.
The poet’s name is not included but it should
be. Very simple sentence structure and
vocabulary. Clearer reference to the question
would be useful.
Activity 17 (page 114)
Example link sentences Possible answers include:
Although she previously
felt he was very proud,
Elizabeth’s opinion of
Darcy starts to change.
‘Although’ indicates a change of direction (1): from Elizabeth’s negative
opinion of Darcy to being more positive. (1)
‘previously felt he was very proud’ – links back (1) to the section before
showing her poor opinion of him. (1)
‘Opinion of Darcy starts to change’ – introduces (1) a new point, as
Elizabeth’s point of view develops. (1)
Quote and direction gets 1 mark, both directions gets 2 marks.
This unpleasant image
‘Unpleasant image of war’ – links back (1) to the previous paragraph
of war is continued into where this was described. (1)
the second stanza of the
‘continued into the second stanza’ – links forward (1) to how this image
poem.
is continued in the next stanza. (1)
Quote and direction gets 1 mark, both directions gets 2 marks.
Later, in the middle of
the play, Lady Macbeth
begins to lose her
dominance and Macbeth
begins to isolate her.
‘Later’ indicates a change in direction (1) from earlier in the play to later
in the play. (1)
‘her dominance’ – links back (1) to how she was at the start of the play. (1)
‘in the middle of the play’/‘lose her dominance’/‘Macbeth begins to
isolate her’ – links forward (1) to how things change in the middle of
the play. (1)
Quote and direction gets 1 mark, both directions gets 2 marks.
35
Answers
Section 5: Writing
portfolio
Activity 7: Using senses
to describe the scene
(pages 123–124)
Activity 12 (page 127)
Note that the examples shown are just
some of the possibilities, many of which are
interchangeable.
Word
Possible connotations
resentful
sulky, huffy
bitter
spiteful, nasty, feeling slighted
displeased
not happy but not particularly
angry
cross
mildly irritated but not too angry,
a bit ticked off
irate
extremely angry and difficult to
reason with
incensed
angry but in control, a righteous
anger
infuriated
frustrated and angry
outraged
shocked and angry
furious
extremely angry, red in the face,
aggressive
frenzied
out of control, extremely violent
Possible answers include:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Activity 13 (page 127)
1
Possible answers include:
•
‘my legs ached with the exertion’
•
‘raced home’
•
‘gasped for air’
Activity 8 (page 124)
•
‘the wind tried to hold Roxy and me back’
•
‘nothing could slow my steed’
Possible answers include:
•
‘She was a steam train, out of control,
hurtling towards the neat livery yard’
•
‘we were just a blur’
●
●
●
●
36
‘The carpet was threadbare’ – feeling/sight
‘eager to escape’ – feelings
‘confines of the dim, stuffy room’ – sight,
physical feelings
‘A sticky, slightly sour odour emanated from
the corner of the room’ – smell
‘the used milk cartons lay crushed and
discarded’ – sight
‘The discoloured blinds, long broken at the
bottom’ – sight
‘tapped against the window’ – sound
‘thin draught of wind’ – physical feeling
‘a crack in the windowpane’ – sight
‘observed the room, looking down her
narrow nose, through her glasses’ – sight
‘She ran her fingers across the window
ledge’ – touch
‘spotting the tell-tale signs of dust’ – sight
‘A dismal, grey day awaited Susan’ – she was
not very excited to go outdoors.
‘looked up at the steel-grey sky’ – suggests
Susan would prefer to see better weather
when she looks up.
●
‘emerged into the dreary day’ – suggests
Susan feels bored and unwilling to come out.
●
‘smothered in damp coats’/‘mushroomed
under umbrellas’ – suggests people are being
sheltered but it is still unpleasant outside.
●
‘huddled’ – suggests people felt cold and damp.
●
‘the graffiti-scarred bus shelter’ – suggests
pedestrians felt uncomfortable, unwelcome.
●
‘Awaiting a bus which, it seemed, would
never arrive’ – suggests it felt like a long
wait, even if it wasn’t.
2
Possible answers include:
•
‘gagged’
•
‘I imagined its fat body churning in my
stomach’
•
‘I retched, gagged and spat’
•
‘I felt a wave of nausea’
•
‘I could only think of the horror of what
had happened’
•
‘I wanted to cry, to vomit out whatever
I had just swallowed’
Answers
Activity 15 (pages 128–129)
How the writer felt about
each of the places described
Details that helped you understand how the writer felt
Extract 1
‘It was darker than any place I can remember’
Afraid, nervous, on edge,
concerned
‘part of my reptilian brain clicked awake’
‘I seemed to sense everything like some sort of animal’
‘I heard acutely’
‘The sound of a twig snapping far enough away to make me stop
like a rabbit – frozen, wide eyed’
‘the dark canopy of trees above’
‘In the distance, dimly, there was a light’
Extract 2
‘My favourite tree felt strong and cool at my back’
Calm, grounded, relaxed,
protected, sleepy, amazed,
inspired
‘arching up above me like a protective hand’
‘The branches swayed gently’
‘like an ocean of relaxing smells’
‘I could sleep here’
‘The sky was a work of art’
‘the amber and golden glow of the sun’
‘faint clouds that wisped across the sky’
Practice passage 4: Imaginative writing (page 130)
Question
Possible answers include:
1
‘The night was so late that morning was approaching’ (1) – this is a good hook as it
immediately makes you wonder why the story is starting in the middle of the night. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘The sky was still black – but it would be, it was Scotland in November. Outside, the
only lights were streetlights. There were no cars moving, no people stirring. The only
noise was the insistent chirp of a bird proclaiming it was now dawn, even though there
was no light to be seen’/‘His kids slept soundly. Even the dogs were curled up, sound
asleep’ (1) – the description of setting creates a sense of quiet and isolation. (1)
‘He hadn’t slept through the night for quite some time now’ (1) – the reader now
wonders what has happened and why he doesn’t sleep. (1)
37
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
2
‘The night was so late that morning was approaching’ (1) – the middle of the night is
dark and lonely. (1)
(Any two
(both
parts))
‘The sky was still black – but it would be, it was Scotland in November’ (1) – this
creates a sense of time and place, making it seem cold. (1)
‘Outside, the only lights were streetlights. There were no cars moving, no people
stirring’ (1) – this shows how very quiet things were and how isolated Duncan was. (1)
‘The only noise was the insistent chirp of a bird proclaiming it was now dawn, even
though there was no light to be seen’ (1) – this is symbolic of his mood – he still sees
things in a dark light himself. (1)
‘Outside, the wind began to pick up. It buzzed through an ill-fitting window seal’ (1) –
the coldness continues, and the wind creates a harsh, unpleasant sound. This is not a
comfortable setting. (1)
‘A chill began to fall as the dew misted the grass and the windows’ (1) – as morning
approaches, it gets even colder and the steamy windows hide the daylight. (1)
3
(Any two
(both
parts))
‘Oddly, though, he liked the quiet of the night’ (1) – shows he enjoys having time to
himself. (1)
‘They would cope without him. Not well, but they would’ (1) – suggests he is good at
his job. (1)
‘when he found out his father was ill, he had to be the bigger person’/‘He had to take
on the role of the son, even if his father had long ago disowned him’ (1) – shows there
has been conflict in his family/that he is flexible and forgiving. (1)
‘He couldn’t, though, watch an old man suffer, even if everyone else felt he deserved
it’ (1) – he is compassionate. (1)
‘It was only Duncan’s optimism that kept him going’ (1) – he is a positive and
encouraging person. (1)
‘It had been difficult to watch but Duncan sat with him, holding his hand, stroking his
face. “I’m here, Dad. It’s ok, you’re not alone”’ (1) – he is gentle, kind and considerate.
(1)
‘It had been after 4 am when he died, and Duncan had seen every 4 am every day ever
since’ (1) – suggests he is still very upset by his father’s death. (1)
‘Duncan usually read when he awoke or listened to music on his headphones.
Sometimes he watched sports on TV that he didn’t get peace to watch during the
day’ (1) – he had a range of interests. (1)
‘He flicked through old photographs, sepia toned, coloured images and digital
snaps’ (1) – he enjoyed remembering his dad. (1)
38
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
4
‘A chill began to fall as the dew misted the grass and the windows’ (1) – we see the
night progressing more towards morning. (1)
(Any one
(both
parts))
‘Duncan found a blanket to cover his legs and pulled out his laptop’ (1) – he is settling
in to do a task that will probably take a while/he is prepared. (1)
‘How could he sleep when there was a story to tell?’ (1) – he valued his father’s life. (1)
‘He was no writer, but he knew that he would only sleep again when he had laid his
ghosts to rest’ (1) – he understood it was important to capture the story and to work
through his own issues. (1)
‘He smiled with grim determination and started to type’ (1) – he is not exactly happy
about it but he is glad he is doing something. (1)
Total: 12 marks
Practice passage 5: Personal and/or reflective writing
(pages 131–132)
Question
Possible answers include:
1a)
• She was bored. (1)
(Any two)
• She didn’t enjoy the journey. (1)
• She expected to get stuck in traffic every day. (1)
• She felt depressed at the lack of daylight. (1)
• She disliked traffic. (1)
1b)
‘usual’ (1) – suggests this is a repeated pattern. (1)
(Any two
(both parts))
‘dreary’ (1) – shows she felt it was very dull. (1)
‘took the pleasure away’ (1) – shows that she did not feel any enjoyment from
driving this route. (1)
‘inevitably got snared in every single day’ (1) – there seemed to be no way to avoid
the trap of the traffic. (1)
‘It was dark when I left home. It was dark when I returned. The only daylight
I saw was through my office window’ (1) – her existence seems very dark and
very bleak. (1)
39
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
2
‘picturesque little town of South Queensferry’ (1) – suggests a beauty that should
be painted/a work of art. (1)
(Any two
(both parts))
‘intensely soothing’ (1) – suggests it is an extremely peaceful place. (1)
‘soothed by driving over the cobbles’/‘ancient buildings’ (1) – gives a sense of the
history of the place. (1)
‘You could imagine quite clearly the people of the past, bringing in the fish, trading
and trafficking their goods every day’ (1) – the visualisation of the past makes the
town seem like a very old, very genuine place. (1)
‘The sight of the three bridges gave such a clear indication of the history of our
country: the imposing feat of engineering that was the Forth Rail Bridge; the
Forth Road Bridge, the spartan product of Scotland in the 60s; and the elegant
sails of the Queensferry Crossing, showing a touch more design class than its
predecessor’ (1) – the colon introduces a description of each bridge, showing its
individual qualities (1)
‘imposing’ (1) – shows the huge scale of the railway bridge. (1)
‘feat of engineering’ (1) – shows how massively complex and impressive the build
is. (1)
‘spartan’ (1) – shows how different in style the road bridge is from the others – it
is basic. (1)
‘elegant sails’/‘a touch more design class’ (1) – shows how well designed the
Queensferry Crossing was; how impressive it is to look at. (1)
‘A particularly beautiful sunrise or sunset across the still waters of the Forth.’ (1)
– the calmness of the water creates a peaceful mood. (1)
‘The golden hues of an autumn morning reflected in the deep, cool waters of
the river’ (1) – ‘golden’, ‘deep’ and ‘cool’ all have very positive connotations of
peacefulness and rest. (1)
‘I made a mental snapshot of those colours and that stillness’ (1) – shows how
appealing the view was that she felt her brain had to record what she saw. (1)
3
‘And on I went’ (1) – simple sentence makes the journey seem simple. (1)
(Any one
(both parts))
‘Radio playing;’ (1) – minor sentence makes it seem like there was no added
detail needed as it was all very simple (1) OR the semi-colon (1) links two minor
sentences (1)
‘nothing unusual about the road’ (1) – shows how there was little action/detail. (1)
4
(Any one
(both parts))
‘Then something flew towards me over the back of the white car in front’ (1) –
‘then’ shows a change in mood/action. (1)
‘Landed on the road’ (1) incomplete sentence – no subject because it was unclear
what had been hit/quick sentence to create the sense of speed. (1)
‘It was a stag’ (1) – short, simple sentence used to reveal what the ‘something’
was suddenly. (1)
40
Answers
Question
Possible answers include:
5
‘such a sad sight’ (1) – shows that it was difficult to see such a beautiful animal in
distress. (1)
(Any one
(both parts))
‘majestic animals but, truly, he was’ (1) – shows it was an animal in the prime of
his life that had been injured. (1)
‘His antler was broken off’ (1) – something stags are famous for has been
destroyed/we see he is injured. (1)
‘his front legs kicked furiously’/‘The whites of his eyes showed’/‘he thrashed his
head about’ (1) – shows how afraid/distressed the animal was. (1)
‘His back legs, though, lay worryingly still’ (1) – suggests the animal has been
paralysed (1) – the use of the word ‘worryingly’ (1) suggests this is likely to be life
threatening. (1)
6
Any one
(both parts))
‘What do you do in a situation like that?’ (1) – suggests an insecurity about how to
react. (1)
‘handily suggested’ (1) is ironic in tone – it was not at all helpful in the
circumstances. (1)
‘kicking, flailing, injured animal off the road so they could get past easily’ (1) –
critical tone created – the cyclists were too selfish to care about the animal. (1)
‘Not one offered to help out, of course’ (1) – irritated/ironic tone, showing a
criticism of the people who just passed on by. (1)
7
Any one
(both parts)
‘Eventually, a van came past from the nearby estate’ (1) – explains what happened
to the stag at the end. (1)
‘The workers smartly hoisted the stag onto the flatbed of the truck and off they
went’ (1) – suggests they didn’t care about the animal particularly, they just had a
job to do. (1)
‘I wouldn’t like to think what happened next’ (1) – shows the writer’s implied
opinion that she believes the animal was euthanised. (1)
‘My hands shook as I put them back on the steering wheel’ (1) – shows the
immediate shock she felt inwardly, even though she was a ‘coper’. (1)
‘Later, when I explained why I was late to work, my voice shook too’ (1) – shows
the emotional impact this had on the writer once she had processed it. (1)
‘We build roads through their land and they don’t understand. And we kill them
without intention or malice. But still we kill them. And it’s just not fair’ (1) – shows
that human beings do untold damage to the natural world. (1)
Total: 20 marks
41
Answers
Appendix 4:
Paragraphing
Activity 1 (page 141)
Their parents’ generation were told off for
watching too much TV, but British teens and
‘tweens’ these days watch half the amount of TV
that adults do. Now, when I say ‘TV’, I mean live
TV: as any adult who spends any time around
kids, you’ll know that YouTube and other digital
services (that I’m just not cool enough to know
about) now make up the rest of our young
people’s viewing time.
What we are seeing in studies, surveys and
viewing figures, is that the average 11–15-yearold is watching short video clips online for
33 minutes a day – a fifth of their total daily
viewing. This demonstrates a massive split
between the generations. Adults, on average,
spend around five minutes watching videos
online – no doubt watching generic ‘amusing’
cat videos and ‘life hacks’ – a mere two per cent
of the total time an adult spends in front of a
moving image on a screen.
While adults spend over four hours a day glued
to their shiny goggle boxes, 22 per cent of
teenagers didn’t watch any live TV in the course
of a week. This digital divide also applies to
their use of mobile phones. Just 25 per cent
of teenagers said that they talk on the phone
at least once a week, whereas 83 per cent of
adults actually spoke to someone on their
mobile devices. Young people prefer texts,
instant messaging and apps to communicate
and this new form of communication takes up
42
65 per cent of the time they spend on their
phones. They spend twice as much time on
social media sites and are much less likely
to email, preferring instead to use instant
messenger services.
On the plus side, it seems likely that teenagers
are actually communicating more than their
parents (who are still square-eyed watching
EastEnders) but the instant gratification that
comes with the online world could cause other
issues. This immediacy has issues, too, for
industries that were previously popular. Radio
stations are having to move with the times,
creating apps that mean they can be listened
to online; buddying up with Alexa and Google
so they can be streamed live. Album sales are
no longer what they used to be. Streaming
and download services mean that you can just
download that one song you like from an artist
and aren’t forced to listen to the other songs
on their album, just because you bought the
whole thing. This gives teenagers more control
over what they listen to but can narrow their
experiences too. Only 20 per cent of a teen’s
time listening to music is spent listening to live
radio compared to 71 per cent for adults.
So, far from ending up square-eyed in front of
the telly, our kids are square-eyed in front of
phones. Can we say we’re all that different?
Their vices are just ours on a smaller scale.
This generation of digital natives haven’t had
the same childhood experiences we did, and we
can’t impose our lived experiences on theirs.
Snapchat streaks or soulless soap operas, we’re
all addicted to screens.