Bold Girls
Prelim Practice
Extract: P22-25
From “(turning back to Deirdre) That’s quite…”
to “…point where you liked.”
The simple questions
Look at the extract and answer…
1. How does the author develop tension
between Cassie and Deirdre in the first
few lines of the extract? (2)
2. Explain, with reference to the text, what
the audience learns about Marie and
Cassie’s differing personalities from the
way they act towards Deirdre. (4)
3. What does Deirdre’s monologue reveal
about her? (4)
Question 1
At the beginning of the extract Cassie tries
several times to force Deirdre to explain
herself by asking personal questions about
where she has come from and what she’s
doing there, and also lets her know that
she has seen her before.
 Deirdre refuses to answer Cassie’s
questions, instead asking Marie for another
cup of tea, which clearly annoys Cassie and
creates the initial tension.

Question 2
Cassie is aggressive and confrontational
 This becomes clear when Deirdre says that
she has seen Cassie before, which leads to
Cassie demanding answers from Deirdre
much more forcefully than she had done
previously – “It’s the Night of the Living
Dead here, Marie… So you know who I
am? You know my name?”

Question 2
Marie is a much kinder, gentler person
 This is obvious because not only has she
let Deirdre into her house and given her
tea, she responds to her request to use the
bathroom by saying “Sure you can love” –
where Cassie would almost certainly have
reacted negatively, Marie’s instinct is to be
as warm and welcoming as possible.

Question 2
This question could also have focussed on
just one character, for example:
 Explain with reference to the text what
the reader learns about Cassie’s character
through the dialogue and stage direction.

To be awarded four marks for this type of
question you should state what we learn
about her, and then provide (and explain) 3
pieces of evidence to support this
Question 3
Determined to find the truth
 Deirdre talks about wanting to have a “wee
bit of hard truth” to “point where you
liked”, which indicates that, for her, finding
out the truth about some aspect of her life
is what drives her on

One mark for correctly stating something
we learn about her; one mark for providing
evidence and an explanation
Question 3
Dangerous
 The fact that Deirdre is responsible for the
knife symbolising the truth (“Maybe it was
the knife…It was the truth.”) tells the
reader that her search is likely to be
destructive and dangerous to the other
characters as a knife, like the truth, can be
used to hurt people
One mark for correctly stating something
we learn about her; one mark for providing
evidence and an explanation

The final questions (8 marks)
Refer to the extract and the whole text
4. How is the theme of the importance or
destructiveness of the truth developed in
the extract and then in the play as a
whole?
5. Explain how well the extract introduces
two of the four characters in the play.
6. How is the relationship between Cassie
and Marie explored in the extract and in
the play as a whole?
Question 4
Theme in the extract:
 Reference
 Explanation
Theme in the rest of the play
 Reference
 Explanation
 Reference
 Explanation
 Reference
 Explanation
Question 5
Cassie:
 Reference from extract
 Explanation
 Reference from rest of the play
 Explanation
Deirdre
 Reference from extract
 Explanation
 Reference from rest of the play
 Explanation
Question 6
Relationship in the extract:
 Reference
 Explanation
Relationship in the rest of the play
 Reference
 Explanation
 Reference
 Explanation
 Reference
 Explanation