1. PEE is always your friend on this exam. EVERYTHING you write should take this format. If you aren’t writing in PEE, you’re not doing it right.
2. Do not OVERTHINK this. This is a comprehension exercise. The examiner wants you to read a short extract and answer some pretty simple questions about it.
3. There are no RIGHT or WRONG answers. The examiner is testing your ability to read a piece of writing and then given your opinion on it based on what you have
JUST READ.
4. You should write about 3 paragraphs for each of these sub-questions. Leave space in case you have time to go back and write more.
5. Have confidence! You are all capable of answering this well.
Answering part (a):
In part (a), it should always ask you what we learn about a particular character in the extract. DO NOT refer to parts outside the extract as you will not be marked for them. You should spend just over a minute per mark.
Q. What do we learn about the characters of Stapleton in this extract?
One thing we learn about Stapleton is that he is very passionate about the moor. We know this because he says, ‘It’s a wonderful place the moor’. This is slightly unusual because the moor is a barren and unwelcoming place and it is unusual that somebody should be so enthusiastic about it. This suggests a slightly unusual and unpredictable quality about Stapleton.
The second thing which we learn about Stapleton in this extract is that he is very committed to any study or project that he is involved with. We know this because he says that he has ‘explored every part of the country round.’ This makes him sound very committed and tenacious. This part of the extract also makes him sound a bit big headed because he goes o n to say that ‘few people know the moor better than him’ which some people might see as being a bit big-headed.
Another thing which we learn about Stapleton is that he is very confident in his own ability. We know this because after describing how dangerous the moor is, he claims that he can ‘find his way to the very heart of it and return alive.’ This, again, comes across as a little arrogant, and also makes us question why he is so comfortable in a place where everyone else fears to tread.
Lastly, we learn that Stapleton is not very tolerant of the wildlife on the moor. He calls one of the moor ponies ‘miserable’, implying that he finds it annoying. This shows that he is perhaps not the most caring or tolerant man.

Part (b) should ask you a question about how the author has used LANGUAGE.
Q. How has language been used to create a sense of danger?
The first way in which language has been used to create a sense of danger is through the use of adjectives to describe it. Stapleton c alls the moor ‘barren and mysterious.’
These words are both very important in creating a sense of danger for different reasons.
‘Barren’ makes it sound like it is empty and exposed, like you could die if you got trapped out there. ‘Mysterious’ makes it sound unpredictable, like you don’t know what is going to happen to you next.
The second way in which language has been used is through the way parts of the landscape are described. The author describes ‘jagged crests of granite’. This adjective creates a sense of danger because it makes it sound like you would hurt yourself very easily if you weren’t looking where you were going. This makes us fear for the safety of the main characters.
Another way in which a sense of danger is created is by the image painted where it says
‘one step yonder means death to man or beast.’ The image ‘false step’ is important because it makes it sound like you could easily meet your doom simply from not concentrating. Secondly, the use of the noun ‘beast’ creates a sense of danger, because it makes it sound like even a strong animal could not escape the mire, so what chance would a human have?
Lastly, the sense of danger is completed by the description of ‘something brown’ rolling down the hills. The way the author has chosen to keep this image vague creates a sense of danger because it makes the reader feel like anything could happen, and that mysterious forces or objects are at play on the moor.
Just remember:
*ALWAYS use evidence.
*ALWAYS explain yourself
*ALWAYS answer the question directly. ‘One way in which language is used to create a sense of danger…’ etc and lastly…
*DON’T over think it! These are simple questions, just testing your ability to read and pass on your opinions. There is not big method to this, so relax and get your points on the paper

You should feel like you can skip fairly quickly to the right area of the book to find a particular incident. If not, do that as homework today. Set out maybe a few page markers to help you navigate the book.
Anyway, for the purposes of answering this question, we need to be familiar with about 4 or 5 parts of the book. This is not a definitive list. I am simply going to choose about 5 parts of the book, and explain a number of different themes which show up in these 5 parts. Hopefully, by revising these 5 parts, it should make your task in part (d) much easier.
So, here are the 5 part we are going to look at.
Part A – (Chapter 1) Holmes and Watson discuss the stick which has been left in their office.
Part B – (Chapter 6) The reader is introduced to the Grimpen Mire by way of narration
Part C
– (Chapter 7) Watson is introduced to the main antagonist, Stapleton.
Part D – (Chapter 9) Watson and Baskerville discover Barrymore making secret signals across the moor.
Part E – (Chapter 12) Watson discovers Holmes has been tracking and following the case from a distance.
Hopefully these scenes should cover a sufficient spectrum of THEMES so that at least one of them will be relevant no matter what question comes up.
The question will ask you the SIGNIFICANCE of something such as:
*Setting
*The relationship between characters
*Narrative
*A theme such as power/secrets/social status etc
*Imagery
All you have to do is flick to a part of the book that you think might be relevant and start to answer the question. It is actually not much different to EXTRACT questions, except that you are finding your own extract.

CHARACTER LIST - LIST OF CHARACTERS
Mr. Sherlock Holmes
The protagonist of the story. He is a detective and skeptic of the supernatural superstitions about the hound and determined to find the true evil behind the case. His powers of deductive reasoning and knowledge of human character allow him to get the most out of each clue, and eventually solve the case.
Dr. Watson
He serves as a secondary protagonist to Holmes and narrator of the story. Though not nearly as skilled in the art of detecting as Holmes, Watson is nonetheless invaluable; his reports allow further information to be relayed while Holmes remains in secrecy. These reports focus on how Watson has followed up on clues and kept an eye on Sir Henry’s safety.
Mr. Jack Stapleton
The antagonist of the story, Stapleton is the one who let the hound loose on Sir Charles, and attempted to likewise kill Sir Henry, in his pursuit of the Baskerville family inheritance (Stapleton is the son of Rodger Baskerville). While his interest in entomology is not fabricated, his name and situation are, such as the passing off of his wife as his sister, Miss Stapleton. His similar appearance to Hugo Baskerville reveals his motive in the crime, and, when he realizes Holmes has set a trap for him, he runs to his death.
The Baskerville family (Sir Henry, Sir Charles, and Sir Hugo)
Hugo Baskerville’s actions led to the legend of the hound of the Baskervilles, which prevents any member of the family from going out on the moor at night under threat of death. Sir Charles is a kindly old man whose death, which seems to coincide exactly with the legend, brings in Sherlock Holmes to investigate. Sir Henry is the heir to the fortune whose life is endangered when he goes to live in Baskerville Hall.
Miss Stapleton
She is a beautiful woman from South America, whom Sir Henry falls in love with, not knowing she is actually married to Stapleton. She tries to save the baronet several times, by sending him the warning note in London and in person in Devonshire.
Dr. Mortimer
He is the country doctor who brings the case to the attention of Holmes and Watson. In doing so, he forgets his walking stick at their apartment; this provides an opportunity to introduce the reader to detective techniques, as Holmes and Watson draw out a profile of him based on the stick. He is also the one to tell Watson that Laura Lyons is the woman whose initials are at the bottom of the burned letter.

The Barrymores (John and Eliza) and Selden
Barrymore falls under suspicion early on, with his black beard (like the man in the cab) and suspicious behavior, suspiciously regarding the telegram and nightly trips to the empty room with the candle. Mrs. Barrymore reveals the reason for the latter-her brother is the escaped convict Selden and they have been taking food to him. Selden dies when the hound mistakenly pursues him in some of Sir Henry’s old clothes.
Cartwright
He is the young boy who Holmes employs as an assistant. He is sent to look for the cutup copy of the Times in the hotel trash and is taken out to Devonshire to run errands for
Holmes.
Mr. Frankland and Laura Lyons
Frankland is a neighboring man who spends his time with lawsuits and astronomy, and whose major part in the story is pointing out to Watson the boy carrying food to what he believes to be the convict. Laura Lyons is his estranged daughter, who was manipulated by Stapleton into sending the letter to Sir Charles and then not keeping the appointment.
Lestrade
He is the Scotland Yard detective that normally works with Holmes and Watson. He comes out to Devonshire when Holmes sends him a telegram requesting him to do so.
The Hound
A fierce hound bought by Stapleton and kept locked up out on the moor, except when used to kill Sir Charles, Selden, and (almost) Sir Henry. Its cries and the sight of it covered in phosphorus help keep the family legend alive.