Standard Grade Close Reading Support Sheet
Exam Question Types:
Figurative Language
A writer uses figurative language or imagery when he or she
wants to create a powerful or dramatic picture (image) in the
reader’s mind.
In order to create this vivid picture the writer tries to appeal to one
of our five senses: touch, sight, smell, taste or sound and this
often involves comparing one object to another.
Exam questions concerning figurative language will ask you to look
at the writer’s use of figures of speech such as:
 Alliteration
 Metaphors
 Onomatopoeia
 Personification
 Similes.
These questions will ask you to focus on the images or pictures
that the writer uses and to say how effective they are at involving
the reader in the description.
The best way to answer these questions is to take it in steps. The
following pages will explain what these techniques mean, they will
help you to identify them in a text and they will then show you how
to explain why the writer has used the image in his/her work.
Sounds and Movement
“slipping impossibly in,
flattening my fur at the hush and touch of the sudden
warm air,
avoiding the tiled gutter of the slow green water,
skirting the potted nests of tetchy cactuses…”
These lines are from a poem and they describe a cat which has
slipped out of a house and into a warm greenhouse.
 Circle any letters that are repeated at the beginning of words
and that are close to each other.
 Compare your findings to your partner’s.
You should have found that on line 2 the letter “f” is repeated in the
words, “flattening” and “fur” and that in line 4 the letter “g” is
repeated in the words, “gutter” and “green.”
This is a SOUND effect called ALLITERATION where consonants
(the letters in the alphabet that are not A, E, I, O and U) are
repeated at the beginning of two or more words near each other.
This repetition of letters and sounds help to create pictures, or
images, in our mind’s eye.
Now that you can identify
ALLITERATION in a sentence you
need to start thinking about why the
writer has used it.
What effect has been created?
The slimy snake slithered slowly over the hot sand.
Here the letter “s” is repeated to imitate the sound that the snake
makes and it helps to create a picture of the snake’s careful
movements. The repetition of the “s” can sound threatening and
helps to give us an idea of his, possibly untrustworthy, nature.
The fields were always fresh and the grass was always green.
In this example the letters “f” and “g” are repeated in the same line.
This image appeals to the reader’s sense of sight as it describes a
summer scene full of light and growth. It emphasises how lush
and rich the meadows are and helps to create a very vivid picture
of the scene in our minds.
Now have a look at the following example that has been modified
from an actual past paper. This example has been done for you.
Foundation 2002:
This passage deals with the increase in the popularity of indoor
pets.
Question 3:
Look at the title of the passage that is printed in bold, “The House
Bunny Bug.”
(a) What sound technique is used in the title?
(b) What is the effect created by the writer’s use of this technique?
To answer this question you must:
(1) Firstly, read the title carefully and slowly to yourself.
(2) Then circle the consonants (letters that are not a,e,i,o and u)
that are repeated at the beginning of words close to each other.
Answer
(a) The sound techniques is called alliteration.
(b) The alliteration draws the reader’s attention to the Newspaper
headline and the humorous reference to Bugs Bunny lets us know
that the piece may have a comical tone.
It is also important that the writer continues to use alliteration on
the letter “b” later in the passage in order to show a continuing
theme (see paragraph 8.)
Now have a go yourself using the following example from the
same 2002 Foundation paper.
Question 4:
The expression “furry friend” is an example of a technique the
writer uses in Paragraph 1.
Write down another example of this technique.
Paragraph 1:
“Cats – pah, old hat. Dogs – ha, they’ve had their day. Roll
over Rover and pack that catnip, Cuddles – cats and dogs
are yesterday’s pets. There’s a hot new furry friend on the
block – the house rabbit.”
Remember to follow the steps!
This sound technique
means words which
sound like the noise
they describe – it’s a
long word for a simple
process.
Some examples taken from the glossary are: snap, crackle, pop,
hiss, whizz, creak and cuckoo.
Can you identify the words that use onomatopoeia in the cartoon
above?
Read the following poem and pick out all of the different noises
that appeal to you:
“A stranger called this morning
Dressed all in black and grey
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away
The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock
The purring of the kitten
The ticking of the clock
The popping of the toaster
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade
The scraping noise it makes”
In an exam a question may ask you to pick out onomatopoeic
words and then to explain the effect.
The effect is usually connected with the type of noise created by
the words i.e. loud, harsh, scary, frightening or soft, low, eerie,
hushed, sad etc. Firstly, try to think about how loudly you can say
the words, this should give you an indication of the atmosphere the
writer intended to create.
Now have a look at the following example from an actual past
paper which has been done for you.
Foundation 2000. This passage is taken from a newspaper article
about a very intelligent cockatoo called Charlie who becomes a
family pet.
Question 3
Write down two separate words from paragraph 2 which the
writer uses to describe the noises Charlie makes when the children
teased him.
Paragraph 2
The children laughed when the half-crazed creature snapped
back at them with his hooked beak, flared his yellow crest
and shrieked in Chinese. I was overcome with admiration.
This little creature was a fighter.
(1) First of all you have to read the paragraph carefully and
slowly to yourself.
(2) Look for all the words that use onomatopoeia and that you
can identify as sound words.
(3) Pick out the two most appropriate options.
Answer
The words are “snapped” and “shrieked.”
Now have a go yourself using the following examples.
1. Foundation 2001. This passage is adapted from the David
Almond novel, Skellig. It describes how Michael first found the
stranger that lived in his garage.
Question 8:
Write down two separate words the writer uses to describe the
sounds he hears in paragraphs 5.
Paragraph 5
I heard something scratching in one of the corners, and
something scuttling about, then it all stopped and it was just
dead quiet in there.
2. Foundation 1996. This passage is about a group
of children whose little home is invaded by a wild
bear and their struggle to reach safety before the
bear finds them.
Question 17:
Which three words in paragraph 11 tell us that the
bear makes a great deal of noise because it cannot
see properly?
Paragraph 11
He knocked about, searching for the way out, but when he
found the open door, managed to push it shut. Battering the
door with his pot-covered head, he tore it off its leather
hinges and loped out into the dark. For a long time they
could hear him crashing through the bush until, at last, the
quiet November night gathered about them once more.
Remember to pick out the sound words and to think about how
loudly they can be said when you are asked to think about the
effect.
Figurative Language: Dealing with Comparisons
There are three different figurative language
techniques that deal with comparing one thing to
another in order to create an effective picture in the
reader’s mind.
The first is a Metaphor which is a direct comparison of one thing
and another without using the words like or as:
 The soldier was a lion in battle
 The wrestler’s legs were rods of steel
 The queue of traffic was a serpent of cars
The second is a Simile which is a comparison between two things
using the words like or as:
 A face like a road map
 A smile as bright as the sun
 The daffodils dancing like ballerinas in the breeze
The third is Personification which is when two things are
compared and human characteristics or emotions are given to
something non-human (animals, inanimate objects) or concepts
(peace, war, love, hate etc.)
 Death’s breath is short
 The leaves sighed in the wind
 The flowers danced in the sun
When answering questions on Metaphors, Similes and
Personification you should do three things:
1. Ask yourself what is being compared to what?
2. Try to explain how the two things are similar
3. Write down how the comparison helps to create a better picture
of the scene in your head.
Here is a worked example of how to answer a Metaphor question:
This is from a General paper.
It is about a girl whose fiancé has mysteriously disappeared and
she is running to a nearby farm to ask for help in finding him.
Question 6:
Explain why the writer has described the rain as a “downpour of
stinging spears?
Paragraph:
Hampered by her narrow skirt and slender, pointed shoes,
she could not move quickly, and meantime the storm which
had begun as a small, unheeded smudge on the horizon
erupted across the sky, wiping out the sun and bringing rain,
first in splashes, then in a downpour of stinging spears.
Step1
First of all look at what is being compared to what. In this case,
the heavy rain falling on the woman is being compared to many
spears being thrown and hitting their target with force.
Step2
Now, look at how the two things could be similar. In this case the
heavy rain falling on the woman’s skin is similar to spears stabbing
into skin because as they both make contact with the body they
cause pain and discomfort, they start to “sting.”
Step3
This comparison creates a better picture in the reader’s mind as it
allows the reader to know that the woman is uncomfortable and
that the rain is so heavy that it is causing her pain when it makes
contact with her body.
Answer
The writer has described the rain as a “downpour of stinging
spears” because this metaphor helps to create a better picture of
the scene in the reader’s mind. It helps to show how heavily the
rain was falling and that the woman felt uncomfortable as it hit her,
in fact it seemed to cause her some pain because as the rain
made contact with her skin she felt as though she were being
jabbed and pierced.
Now have a go yourself. The following examples are taken from
past papers and they are all metaphor, simile and personification
questions.
2000 General Paper.
This passage is about a reporter who is sent to swim with sharks
at “Deep Sea World” at North Queensferry. The paragraph talks
about how many of the fish are swimming very close to his face
and are all around him.
Question 19:
In your own words, explain clearly why the writer felt “like jam in a
swiss roll at a kids’ tea party”. (Paragraph 25.)
Paragraph 25:
Ten or twelve of them mobbed round my mask, occasionally
touching the glass before fleeing. Then I remembered
sharks eat fish and suddenly felt like jam in a swiss roll at a
kids’ tea party. But they wouldn’t leave.
1999 General Paper.
This passage is about a woman who has missed her train and has
to wait at a train station until the next train arrives.
Question 12:
Write down the two similes/comparisons that reveal most clearly
the tension in the boy on the seat.
Paragraph:
There was a flurry of movement on the seat, a flash of white
shirt as the boy twisted to get a better grip of his girlfriend,
jerking her towards him. With his free hand he pushed a
blue-black lick of hair out of his eyes. His eyes batted from
side to side as if they were on elastic.
-Ah said, WHO FLUNG DUNG?
-Don’t know, said the boy. Sorry. Don’t know. His panicky
vowels rolled around the empty station like skittles.
2002 General.
The following questions are taken from a passage
about a man who is out of work and who has filled in
a job application. His day is taken up with taking his
child to school and then posting the application letter.
Question 15:
“...standing on the sidelines like a face in the crowd at a football
game.” (Paragraph 10)
Explain how effective you find this simile.
Paragraph 10:
But it was easy standing here to recall the bustle of business
life. It just came to him how much he wanted it, that activity.
It was more than just something you did to make money: it
was the only life he knew and he was missing out on it,
standing on the sidelines like a face in the crowd at a football
game.
Question 8:
“It was bitter cold.” (Paragraph 4)
Explain clearly how later in Paragraph 4 the writer makes the cold
air seem alive.
Paragraph 4:
It was bitter cold. He looked down at the girl to reassure
himself that that she was warmly enough dressed, but there
was no need; he was well used to getting her ready. Her
round reddened face was the only prey to the cold air and
she beamed up at him, quite content.
Foundation 2003.
The following questions are taken from a
passage about a boy and his friend who find
Roman coins in a small stream in West
Lancashire.
Question 7:
Why do you think the writer uses the simile “staring like fortunetellers into tea leaves”?
Paragraph 4:
Equipped with huge shovels and pans which we borrowed
from the local farm we began the spine-bending task of
hovelling silt from the bottom of the stream into a pan,
carefully carrying the pan to a place where the water flowed
more quickly, washing out the mud and then staring like
fortune-tellers into tea leaves at the remaining collection of
tiny pebbles for the dull coins we had been told about.
Question 11:
Look at Paragraph 7
What does the expression “his hand shot forward like the tongue of
a snake” tell you about how the boy moved when he discovered
the coin?
Paragraph 7:
He grunted, climbed from his bicycle and clambered down
the bank. “You’re digging in the wrong place,” he said. “You
should be more over here.” And taking my shovel from me
he quickly filled the pan full of silt, washed it out and began
to sift through the remains. Suddenly his hand shot forward
like the tongue of a snake. “There you are,” he said. “That’s
one!”
Remember to follow the three
steps!