NATIONAL 5
Reading for Understanding, Analysis
and Evaluation Exam
Saint Roch’s Secondary School
CONTENTS
 A) Introduction to Close Reading (slides 3 – 6)
 B) Introduction to purpose and audience (slides 7 – 16)
Section A - Understanding Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In your own words questions (slides 19 – 31)
Context questions (slides 32 – 40)
Contrast questions (slides 41– 44 )
Summary question (slidesn 45 – 53)
Linking questions (slides 54 – 61)
Section B - Analysis Questions
Writer’s Language (slides 65 – 67)
Word choice questions (slides 68 – 81)
Imagery - Figures of speech (slides 82 – 96)
A) General Sentence structure questions (slides 97 – 113)
B) Punctuation and punctuation questions (slides 114 – 124)
10. Tone Questions (slides 125 – 135)
6.
7.
8.
9.
A) Introduction
CONTENTS
Introduction
 This PowerPoint is designed to help you improve your
ability to understand the writer’s ideas, and to analyse and
evaluate the language he/she uses to put those ideas
across (Also known as ‘Close Reading’).
 You will be given a non-fiction passage, perhaps a piece of
journalism or an extract from a book.
 It will be written in the ‘detailed’ language you have come to
expect at National 5
 The exam lasts for 1hr. You will be given a passage to read
and a set of questions to answer on the passage.
To begin:
 You should read through the passage twice carefully. If you
are not a fast reader then you could read through the
passage once thoroughly and then when a question asks
you to look at a certain paragraph make sure that you read
that paragraph again.
 You should then have a quick skim through the questions
before you begin. If you feel that you do not have time to do
this then you should at least skim through the questions
page by page as you come to them.
 Study any accompanying photographs. If there is one,
remember to read the introduction to the passage, as it
will give you a general idea of what theme / topic the
passage deals with.
When tackling the questions:
 Read the questions very carefully and ensure that you know what you are
being asked to do before you begin.
 Check for bold type in the question. This is very important as information /
instructions in bold type highlight important sections of the question.
 The passage will direct you to look at certain paragraphs – in bold type.
Only take your answer from that paragraph. If you take from any other you
will lose marks.
 Identify key words in the question – eg. quote, write down, one word etc.
 Check whether answers are worth (2,3,4) or even (5) marks.
 Quote from the passage if asked to, otherwise, use your own words. This is
very important! Easy marks are often lost because candidates do not follow
instructions. ALWAYS QUOTE when directed to do so and ALWAYS USE
YOUR OWN WORDS if instructed.
B) Purpose
&
Audience
CONTENTS
Indeed…
 To pass the unit assessments in National 4 and 5 Reading and Listening,
you need to be able to identify the purpose and audience of texts produced
by someone else.
 To pass the unit assessments in National 5 Writing and Talking, what you
write or what you say must fit your given purpose and be right for your
target audience.
 So basically:
 Purpose means WHAT a text is for — why somebody said it, or wrote it.
 Audience means WHO a text is for — who is supposed to read it or listen to
it.
Purpose & Audience
 Before we look at particular questions we are going to look at
two linked ideas that are highly important in the National 5
course:
 purpose and audience.
 Although you are only asked explicitly about purpose and
audience in the internal reading assessment and not the
reading exam it makes sense to work on these now.
 The easiest way to understand them is by seeing how they
come up in what we read or listen to. Note too that these ideas
also apply to what we write or say.
Audience
Who is the writer aiming at with this
passage? (who has it been written for?)
Most of the texts you will read will be
written for a general adult reader but you
should consider the following:
 Various age groups, e.g. children,
teenagers, senior citizens
 Profession, e.g. doctors
 People who have a specialist
interest(experts) or hobby involving
the topic, e.g. birdwatchers
When you answer you should
use the formula below:
 You should show you can identify and explain the audience of the article with
clear justification, for example: Use this structure for your analysis:
 1) Name the audience
 2) give evidence of the factual detail (a quote
and/or a piece of info from the text) to
support your choice
 3) Explain how your choice of evidence
supports you choice of audience.
For example…
 Here are some model questions:


1) Who would be likely to read this article?
Explain how you reached this conclusion. You could consider age, interests, gender,
background and so on.

2) Most authors want to do more than simply tell a story. They also want to appeal to a
particular audience.

a Identify readers who you think would enjoy this text, suggesting a key theme that they would
be interested in.

3) With close reference to the text, give evidence for your view.

(a) Who would be likely to read this poem? Think about:




Age and/or
Interests and/or
Nationality and/or
Another audience you can identify

(b) Explain how you reached this conclusion.
Purpose
A writer sets out with a purpose for
his piece of writing. He could be
trying to just encourage us to read
or his purpose could be more
specific:





To give information about a topic
To entertain
To explain
To persuade
To express feelings/ a viewpoint
about something
 To share and experience
 To disagree with something
 To comment on a topic
When you answer you should
use the formula below:
 You should show you can identify and explain the purpose of the article with
clear justification, for example: Use this structure for your analysis:
 1) Name the purpose
 2) Give evidence of the features typical of that type of writing (a
quote and/or a piece of info from the text ) to support your
choice. For example:
 Inform – statistics/facts…
 persuade – emotive/conversational language…
 entertain - humour, irony…
 3) Explain how your choice of evidence
supports you choice of purpose
For example…
 Here is a model question:
 1) What is the purpose of the
article and explain how you
reached this conclusion.
 Support your answer with
evidence from the text
Now, Lets look at the types
of questions you may get!
Section A:
UNDERSTANDING
CONTENTS
Section A:
UNDERSTANDING
QUESTIONS
1. In your own words questions
2. Context questions
3. Contrast questions
4. Summary question
CONTENTS
5. Linking questions
In your own words
questions.
CONTENTS
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
QUESTIONS.
 Unless you are sure you
are being asked to quote,
you should always
answer in your own
words.
 This is the only way to
show that you really
understand what the
writer is saying.
Some advice on tackling
these questions:
 When you read this you know that the answer is right
there in the paragraph you are told to look at.
 You can take confidence from this.
 You only have to look carefully at the lines or
paragraphs you are told to look at, find the
answer/line/idea and put it into your own words
 These questions are testing your vocabulary.
 You must say the same thing, but use other words to
do so.
OWN WORDS QUESTION
BREAKDOWN
 Before you write your answer, you must
take note of the number of marks
available. For two marks, it is likely you
will need to supply two pieces of
information, but alternatively you might
be required to give one detailed piece or
four brief pieces.
 It will be necessary for you to consider
the wording of the question carefully
for guidance. Occasionally, direct
guidance may not be given and in this
case you must use your common sense.

Obviously, one brief piece of
information will be inadequate for a four
mark question; conversely, providing a
ten line answer for a one mark question
is unwise as you will waste valuable
time.
Using your own words
means you may have to:
 A) Explain what a word or expression in the passage
means
 B) Explain the main point the writer is making
 C) Give the reason for something that happens in the
passage
 D) Show that you understand a piece of information
the passage gives
Worked Example….
 The topic of this text was ‘a notorious species of spider’, the
tarantula, and the narrator was the spider itself.
 ‘I’m nocturnal. I love the moonlight, the shadows, the dark
places, the dappled murk. I’m not being poetic. I’m simply being
true to my nature, my nocturnal nature. Like all tarantulas.’
 Question: In your own words, in what way is the speaker ‘like
all tarantulas’ according to the first paragraph? (1 Mark)
There are two steps to
answering a question of this
type.
 Step One:
 Look in the text for the information which will answer the
question. In this case, it is provided by the word ‘nocturnal’.
 Step Two:
 Express the information in your own words in a simple
sentence which fits the way the question is worded. In this
example you had to change from 1st person (‘I’) into 3rd person
(‘the speaker’).
 An acceptable answer to gain the mark would be:
 ‘The speaker is active by night.’
 Remember, if you were simply to say ‘The speaker is nocturnal’
or ‘He is nocturnal’ you would get no marks since you would
have failed to do step two, namely to use your own words.
Answer the following questions, using
your own words as far as possible, to
show your understanding.
The number of marks available for each
question suggests how many details or
ideas you need in each answer.
Model Example 1
 Having beaten 200 applicants to the job, she believes she has proved
herself to be the best candidate. ‘Sometimes I feel people think I should
be grateful that I have a job but I’m performing a useful task and doing it
well, so they should be grateful to me,’ she said. ‘After ail, they wanted me
badly enough to employ me a month before I had finished my degree.’
 Question - Penny Andrews ‘believes she has proved herself to be the
best candidate’. In your own words, explain how paragraph 9 illustrates
this idea. 2
 Answer – Candidates should demonstrate an understanding of
Penny Andrews’ qualities and/her employers desire to hire her.
 She beat 200 other candidates/She performs a useful task/She does this
task well/She was employed a month before finishing her degree.
 Any two.
Model Example 2
 10 Far from feeling that her diagnosis of Asperger ‘s is something to be ‘got
over’, Andrews maintains it gave her a lead over the other candidates. ‘I’m more
focused, intense and honest than a neuro-typical person,’ she said. ‘I do things
thoroughly and pay proper attention to detail. I’m always switched on: even
when I’m not at work, I’ll go to events that are relevant. Libraries are one of my
autistic specialities and I harness that at work.’
 Question - What are some of the advantages for companies who hire members
of staff with autism? Refer to paragraph 10 in your answer, using your own
words. 4
 Answer - Candidates should demonstrate an understanding of hiring staff
with autism. Any four ideas for 1 mark each.
 At least some attempt at own words gloss of:
 ‘focused’/‘intense’/‘honest’/‘do things thoroughly’/‘pay proper attention to
detail’/‘always switched on’.
Model Example 3

11 Employers’ attitudes might be changing but there is a lot 15% of those with autism
have full-time jobs, according to research by the National Autistic Society (NAS),
while 9% work part-time. More than a quarter of graduates with autism are
unemployed, the highest rate of any disability group. Nevertheless, employers are
increasingly coming round to the arguments that employing those on the spectrum is
not about charity or social responsibility but about the empirical benefit of taking on
people with unique skills.

Question - In your own words, explain in what ways ‘there is a lot of ground to
make up’ for people with autism in the workplace. Give evidence from paragraph 11
to support your answer. 3

Answer - Candidates should demonstrate an understanding of the extent to which
people with autism are still under-represented or disadvantaged in the workplace. Any
three ideas for 1 mark each. At least some attempt at own words gloss of:

‘Just 15% of those with autism have full-time jobs’/‘9% work part time’/‘More than a quarter of
graduates with autism are unemployed’/Unemployment among graduates with autism is at ‘the
highest rate of any disability group’.
For practice…
Task
Look at these words and phrases you might find in
questions.
Which expressions tell you that you ought to quote in
your answer and which ones suggest you write in
your own words?








Why do you think…?
Which word…?
Explain fully…?
Find an expression…?
How does the writer…?
Write down the word…?
Which expression…?
By close reference to the text….?
ANSWERS…
 The phrases that tell you that you must
quote in your answers are:





Which word…?
Find an expression…?
How does the writer…?
Write down the word…?
Which expression…?
 The phrases that suggest that you write in
your own words are:
 By close reference to the text….?
 Why do you think…?
 Explain fully…?
Context questions
CONTENTS
CONTEXT QUESTIONS
 You may be asked to show how the context, that is the
words or phrases around an unusual word, that give
us an idea of what an unfamiliar word may mean.
 For Example:
 Show how the first sentence provides a context which enables
you to understand the meaning of the word’...
 Explain in your own words what is meant by ‘______ in this
context
 How does the context of lines xx-xx help you work out what is
meant by ‘_____’?
 Work out from the context what is meant by ‘_____’ in line xx.
CONTEXT QUESTION
BREAKDOWN
 If the context question is worth 2 marks, you will
generally be awarded if follow the formula below:
 A) 1 mark for getting the meaning right and
 B) 1 mark for the quoted piece of evidence with a
brief explanation.
 It is usually possible and advisable to quote two
pieces of evidence and it is essential if the question
is worth a total of 3 marks.
For example….
 Look at this example: “He lay there XXX , blood
seeping from a head wound and
his jaw cracked like a walnut.”
 You can guess that XXX will
mean “injured” or “damaged”
or something like this.
 You have guessed by using
the context to help you reach
an understanding.
WORKED EXAMPLE
 Here is a worked example:
 The rumour that Douglas was a prisoner was
still unsubstantiated. There had been no
witnesses to his bailing out of the plane, and no
solid information could be expected from
beyond enemy lines for weeks, perhaps even
months.
 Question:
 ‘Show how the context helped you arrive at the
meaning of the word unsubstantiated.’
 2 marks
Answer
 A) The word “unsubstantiated” clearly means
unconfirmed. (1 mark)
 B i) The context makes this clear as it says
there were “no witnesses” who could say for
sure the news was true ( ½ mark),
 B ii) and the phrase “no solid information”
also repeats the idea of there being no firm
proof. ( ½ mark)
Model Example 1

At Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London, an initiative was set up two years ago
to help people aged 18 to 30 with autism gain work experience.

Staynton Brown, associate director of equality and diversity at the hospital, dismisses
any suggestion of the initiative being a philanthropic one. ‘This is not a charitable
gesture,’ he said. ‘We want to make sure we have the most talented workforce
possible. It’s in our interests in multiple ways. We’ve all benefited from the changes
we’ve incorporated to accommodate those with autism. By clarifying the way we give
information to and help introduce the interns into the hospital, we’ve made
communication clearer for everyone, which leads to better patient care.’

Question - 1. How does the context of the second paragraph help you to work out
what is meant by ‘philanthropic’?

Answer - Candidates should demonstrate understanding of the meaning of the
word and provide contextual evidence of how they arrived at this for 1 + 1
marks.
Answer - Meaning: The word ‘philanthropic’ as used here means done out of
feelings of charity or soIely for the good of others.
Context: I can work this out from the context because the expression is followed with
the idea that employing people with autism is not ‘charitable’.


Model Example 2

At Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London, an initiative was set up two years ago
to help people aged 18 to 30 with autism gain work experience.

Staynton Brown, associate director of equality and diversity at the hospital, dismisses
any suggestion of the initiative being a philanthropic one. ‘This is not a charitable
gesture,’ he said. ‘We want to make sure we have the most talented workforce
possible. It’s in our interests in multiple ways. We’ve all benefited from the changes
we’ve incorporated to accommodate those with autism. By clarifying the way we give
information to and help introduce the interns into the hospital, we’ve made
communication clearer for everyone, which leads to better patient care.’

Question - Show the context helps you to understand the meaning of the word
‘accommodate’ as it is used here. 2

Answer - Meaning: to make allowances/adjustments for someone/to make it easier
for someone to settle in etc.
Context: reference to idea of, or explanation of details of, changes made to
accommodate staff with autism.

Model Example 3
 At Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London, an initiative was set up two years
ago to help people aged 18 to 30 with autism gain work experience.
 Staynton Brown, associate director of equality and diversity at the hospital,
dismisses any suggestion of the initiative being a philanthropic one. ‘This is not a
charitable gesture,’ he said. ‘We want to make sure we have the most talented
workforce possible. It’s in our interests in multiple ways. We’ve all benefited from
the changes we’ve incorporated to accommodate those with autism. By clarifying
the way we give information to and help introduce the interns into the hospital,
we’ve made communication clearer for everyone, which leads to better patient
care.’
 Question - How does the context of these paragraphs help you to understand
the word ‘intern’ as it is used there? 2
 Answer - Meaning: person working to get experience (rather than for a wage).
 Context: reference to or quotation of ‘work experience’ in paragraph 1.
Contrast questions
CONTENTS
Contrast questions
 Contrast is the pairing of opposing ideas
 A contrast is a comparison which shows
up the differences between subjects.
 The writer is deliberately pairing two ideas
together to show up the difference which will
be important in some way.
For Example…
 In “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare continually
compares Juliet to the sun or to a star.
The idea he is conveying is that
she is above everyone around
her.
Everyone else is dark by
comparison and she brings light
into Romeo’s life.
Example 1993 General
paper
“On the 24th of June 1914 William
Maitland walked into a house and
never came out again. One summer
afternoon in Millhall, Lancashire, he
vanished from the face of the earth.
It was as simple, and as
complicated, as that.”
•Question: Explain the contrast the writer conveys in these lines.
HINT: The answer lies in the contrast presented in the last sentence
where we are told it was “SIMPLE” and also” COMPLICATED”.
- So the contrast is in these two opposing ideas. Answer: The contrast is in how easy it is to understand what
happened but also how difficult it is to explain what happened.
Summary Question
CONTENTS
Summary Question
 One key skill the examiners want
you to have is the ability to follow,
and summarise, a key idea or line
of thought running throughout an
article or passage.
 You can expect that the final
question in the exam paper will test
your ability to do this.
Look at this newspaper article
 READ THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE BELOW:

‘In praise of ... Elizabeth, the Bond girl

Miranda Frost, Vesper Lynd and now ... Elizabeth
Windsor. ‘No, it can’t be,’ cried a nation in unison, after
a screen in the Olympic stadium revealed an elderly
lady interrupt her letter- writing to greet Daniel Craig’s
James Bond with a very familiar face. It couldn’t be her
since we all know that becoming a Bond girl is simply
not the sort of thing Her Majesty does. Yet Elizabeth
Windsor it was — and she was wearing the same
costume she had worn on the film set for the big night
out. That enabled stuntman, smoke and mirrors to
suggest she was being hoisted into Stratford by
helicopter. This was the moment which — ahem —
crowned Danny Boyle’s triumph, since even republican
Olympophobes had to admit this was something they’d
not seen before. It also enabled a Diamond Queen to
reveal a sense of humour hitherto hidden during her 60year reign. Secure in her jubilee popularity, let’s hope
she dares to share it again’. Source: The Guardian, 29
July 2012
You Tube Link - James Bond
escorts The Queen to the
opening ceremony - London
2012 Olympic Games - BBC
What are the writer’s main ideas?
 Let’s look at what the article contains and
try to strip it down to main ideas,
summarising as we go:
 1) A list of Bond girls; the Queen is added to
that list.
 2) A description and explanation of the
section in the Olympic opening ceremony
that featured the Queen and Daniel Craig (as
James Bond).
 3) A statement that this unexpected and
funny segment was perhaps the highlight of
the show.
 4) An observation that the fact that the
Queen showed a sense of humour is a good
thing.
So, roughly, there are four
areas of content in the article.
 What are the main ideas?
 Looking at the previous slide, you will see that:
 1) bullet point 1 is a list,
 2) number 2 is a description and explanation.
 3) That leaves points 3 and 4, which make up the main points of
the article.
 Often a way of finding the main points of a piece of writing is to take
out the descriptions, explanations and examples.
 Having done this you are left with the main points.
 Strip away the non-essentials and you are left with the essentials.
For Example…
 Question - Referring to the whole article, both the
main section and the later, short extract list in your
own words the key advantages for employers in
hiring staff who have autism. 4
 HINT: None of the details in your answer should be specific to just one
employer or one employee.
 All the given details should be general advantages that any employers might
find in hiring a person who has autism.
 As the question asks you to list the advantages, it is a good idea to
present your answer as a series of bullet points.
 This will help you to keep track of ideas and to make sure you have given
four answers.
Answer…

Candidates should summarise the advantages of hiring people with autism, according to
the article. Any four points from the Additional guidance column (may be in bullet point
form or in continuous prose).















Key points:
They are very focused on their work/they concentrate well.
They are honest.
They work thoroughly.
They pay attention to detail.
They think about the job even when they are not at work.
They have unique skills.
Their skills bring a measurable benefit to their employers.
They have good analytical skills.
They will work even better if their job coincides with an area of specialist interest.
They are good timekeepers.
They are rarely off work.
They are loyal
They will enjoy jobs which others find boring.
They are ideally suited for work in the service industry/work which is repetitive and structured.
Linking questions
CONTENTS
Linking questions
 A linking sentence is one which links
two paragraphs together.
 Usually this sentence will appear at the
start of the second of the two
paragraphs which are being linked.
 Look carefully at the sentence which is
the link.
 There will be two parts to this sentence:

One part will refer to the content of the
paragraph before.
 The other part of the sentence will
introduce the subject of the new
paragraph.
When you answer you should
use the formula below:

There is a simple, four-step formula
to tackling these types of questions:
1.
Quote briefly from the linking
sentence or paragraph.
2.
Show how that quotation makes
a link back to earlier in the
passage.
3.
Quote briefly again from the
linking sentence.
4.
Show how this second quotation
makes a link forward to what is to
come in the passage.
Worked Example….
 For example, a link question based on the news article about a
teenage computer curfew might be worded like this:
 How does the sentence ‘Needless to say, my efforts to explain
this to my daughter were pretty hapless.’ form a link between
paragraphs 8 and 9?
 To answer this, you need to reread this section of the passage:
Passage
 ‘Especially for girls, with their intimate, gossipy, social the drive
to remain as connected as possible with friends is
overwhelming. Yet perversely, floating in an electronic sea has
the deeper effect of depriving them of the habit of being alone,
developing their own thoughts.
 Needless to say, my efforts to explain this to my daughter were
pretty hapless. I dredged up the example of the hostage Terry
Waite who got through years chained to a radiator in Beirut by
the sheer strength of his interior life. My daughter listened
politely, but her expression was incredulous. When was she
ever going to be chained to a radiator in Beirut?’
A good answer to this
question would be:
 1) The expression ‘to explain this’
 2) links back to the harmful effects of always being
connected as discussed in paragraph 8.
 3) The expression ‘my efforts’
 4) introduces the writer’s attempt to explain the value
of having an interior life, which is discussed in
paragraph 8.
Example: 2002 Credit
Paper
 The three witches in Macbeth, prancing cackling round their
cauldron, provide the accepted clichés of witch behaviour and taste.
Alas the Macbeth witches have merely served to reinforce
prejudice, rather than cast illumination.
So does the witch deserve her poor image?
It is probable that the Wiccan creed goes back to the dawn of
religious belief, when cave dwellers peered out and saw wonder in
the rhythm of the changing seasons. Early witchcraft was probably
no more than a primitive attempt to make sense of the unknown.
Question: In what way can the single
sentence be regarded as a link of the ideas within the
article?
Answer: 'Her poor image' refers back to the prejudiced ideas about witches
mentioned already, such as those found in Macbeth. The question, 'Does the
witch deserve . . . ?' introduces the next part of the passage, which is going to
present a truer history of witchcraft.
Model Example 2
 His father looked at the sweating horse, and after a pause he said
that he would be alright. Howard could see he knew the berries
weren't ready yet, like the ones behind the steading that they
always picked; and he understood that this was a lesson being set
up for him when he came home without brambles: not to tell lies.
And there'd be another lesson behind this one, the real lesson:
that his father had been right about that sort of newfangled
nonsense coming to grief.
In spite of this, he forgot it all and slipped through the racecourse
fence.
Question: Explain how the one-sentence paragraph is an effective link
between the paragraphs before and after.
Answer: 'In spite of this' refers to the lessons of the first paragraph.'. . . through
the Racecourse fence 'takes Howard in to the setting of the third paragraph.
1 mark for each quote + reference.
Section B:
ANALYSIS
CONTENTS
Introduction…
 The most important thing to
remember when tackling analysis
questions is to make sure you are
absolutely clear on what you are
being asked to do.
 Remember that in an Analysis
question it is unlikely that you will
be being asked merely to explain
meaning.
Section B:
Analysis Questions
 6) Writer’s Language
 7) Word Choice
CONTENTS
 8) Imagery
 9) Structure
 10) Tone, Mood and Atmosphere
Writer’s Language
CONTENTS
Writer’s Language
 The Writer’s Language Question The instruction to
look at the writer’s language and ‘Show how...’, for
example:
 ‘Show how the writer’s language in lines x—y
highlights the importance of...
 In this last case there is no named technique or
feature to guide you.
 You must go through your own mental list of
techniques and see which you can identify as being
important, before you can start your answer.
You would probably consider
the features below.
 For example:
 7) Word Choice
 8) Imagery
 9) Structure
 10) Tone
CONTENTS
Word choice questions
CONTENTS
Denotation and Connotation
 Of course, all words that a writer uses are chosen in some way,
but when we talk about word choice as a technique, we mean
that certain words are deliberately chosen to obtain particular
effects or to suggest particular meanings.
 Most words have two levels of meaning, a denotation and a
more complex connotation
 A). The denotation is the basic, simple, straightforward
meaning.
 B) The connotations of a word are the ideas that a word
suggests to us.
For Example
Words are chosen for effect – words can make you think
of more than just their literal meaning.
 Words have
connotations. These
are the associations
we give to words, the
ideas we are made to
think of when we
hear or read any
given word.
Lisbon 67
Rangers
Ireland
Seville 03
CELTIC FC
Henrik
Scotland
When a question asks you to comment on word choice
think of the associations the identified word(s) will
conjure up in a reader’s mind.
Another example…
 Think of the ideas we associate with
the word “butterfly”.
 We think of delicate things, light,
beauty, erratic flight, unpredictability,
etc.
 If the word is then used to describe a
person then these qualities are
associated with that person.
Some advice on tackling
these questions:
 These questions are asking you to do
two things:
1. First identify and write down the
word/s which are being used for effect.
2. Then, explain what their effect is. The
effect is what the word makes you
think.
•This phrase (“This suggests”) should appear in your answer.
•When a question asks you to comment on word choice think of the associations the
identified word(s) will conjure up in a reader’s mind.
When you answer you should
use the formula below:
 The word "..........X............" suggests that
............................................
 OR
 "......X......." makes us think about
...............................................
Worked Example….
 The topic of this text was how Paraguayan landfill workers
(gancheros) use the rubbish they recycle to make
instruments for their children to play in a youth orchestra
 They race towards a rubbish truck as it empties its load at a vast
landfill on the edge of the city; hauling away bin liners that
overflow with household waste. Their hands are black with dirt
and their faces are hidden by headscarves that protect them from
the high sun.
 Q Explain how the writer’s word choice in paragraph 1 helps
to show that the gancheros’ job is tiring. 2
Answer…
 A The writer uses the word ‘hauling’ to
describe them moving the bags of
rubbish.
 This suggests the bags are heavy or
awkward to move, which would make this
job exhausting.
Model Example 1
 Among the mounds of refuse, however,
are used oven trays and paint pots. Cast
aside by the 2 million residents of the
capital of Paraguay, they are nonetheless
highly valued by Nicolás Gómez, who
picks them out to make violins, guitars
and cellos. Gómez, 48, was a carpenter
and ganchero but now works for Favio
Chávez, the conductor of Paraguay’s one
and only landfill orchestra.
Question: 1 How does the word choice in paragraph 3 suggest that there is a
lot of rubbish? 2
Answer: Candidates should quote an example of word choice for 1 mark and for
a second mark explain how this creates the given effect.
‘mounds’ + explanation
Model Example 2
 The Cateura Orchestra of Recycled
Instruments is made up of 30
schoolchildren — the sons and daughters
of recyclers — whose instruments are
forged from the city’s rubbish. And while
its members learned to play amid the flies
and stench of Cateura, they are now
receiving worldwide acclaim, culminating
earlier this month with a concert in
Amsterdam.
Question: 2 What does the word choice of paragraph 4 imply about the
environment of the rubbish dump? 2
Answer: Candidates should quote an example of word choice for 1 mark
and for a second mark explain how this creates the given effect.
‘flies’ and/or ‘stench’ and explanation
Model Example 3
 Gómez travels three times a week to
Cateura to dig out material. He shapes
the metal oven trays with an electric
saw to form the body of a violin and
engineers cellos from oil barrels. The
necks of his string instruments are
sculpted from old strips of wood, called
palé.
Question: 3 How does the word choice in paragraph 8 give the impression that
Gómez is a skilled maker of musical instruments? 2
Answer: Candidates should quote an example of word choice for 1 mark and for a
second mark explain how this creates the given effect.
Any of ‘shapes’, ‘form’, ‘engineers’, ‘sculpted’ and explanation
Example 4: 2002 Credit
Paper
 The transaction seemed to
fluster her, as if she might not
have enough money to pay
for the few things she'd
bought. A tin of lentil soup. An
individual chicken pie. One
solitary tomato. Maybe she
did need the avocados - or
something else.
Question: How does the writer
emphasise that the woman had
bought 'few things' through the use of
word choice?
Answer: Use of a / an / one / individual / solitary (any two)
Example 5: 2001 Credit
Paper
The driver opened the back door of the taxi and my 'aunt', as we referred to
her - really my mother's aunt's daughter divested herself of the travelling
rugs. She hazarded a foot out on to the gravel - in a pointy crocodile shoe as if she were testing the atmosphere. She emerged dressed in a waisted
black cashmere overcoat with a fur collar and strange scalloped black kidskin gloves like hawking gauntlets.
Question: What impression of the aunt do you get
from the writer's choice of the words 'divested',
'hazarded', and 'emerged' to describe her
movements?
Answer: She is controlled/ precise/
deliberate/calculating/ elegant/ contrived/graceful/
attention-seeking/ self conscious/a show off/ a poser
Anyone for 2 marks
Example 6: 2004 Credit
paper
 He was breathing heavily and the
smell was inconceivably foul; it was
the reek of rotting flesh, of festering
wounds, of ancient perspiration, and
of fear.
 Question: Explain fully how the
writer emphasises the smell through
word choice.
 Answer: Inconceivably foul/reek of
rotting flesh/festering
wounds/ancient perspiration (1)
+ explanation (1) 2/1/0
- Imagery Figures of speech
CONTENTS
Figures of speech
These are simply the various
names given to the different
ways in which a writer can
make his or her work more
interesting.
Click on this link for a detailed guide to the different figures of
speech you may be asked about.
http//www.buzzin.net/english/figures.htm
Imagery Questions
 Writers use images to strengthen what
they say by putting all sorts of pictures in
the reader’s mind.
 Imagery is not the same thing as
description. A description tells us what
something is like.
 An image shows that one thing is
somehow like another. The
comparison tells us more about the thing
that is being compared.
 Similes, metaphors and personification
are all different sorts of image,
IMAGERY
A SIMILE tells you that one thing is like another; it compares
two different objects using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
e.g. His hair was as black as coal.
His heart beat like a drum.
A METAPHOR tells you that one thing is something else. It is not
meant literally, but is just a way of creating a vivid picture in your mind.
e.g. The cold breeze was a slap in the face.
She stared with eyes of stone.
PERSONIFICATION describes a thing or object as if it is a
person, or as having human qualities.
e.g. The wind whistled through the sails.
The sun treads a path through the woods.
When you answer you should
use the formula below:
 There is a method for analysing images.
 You begin with what the image literally is like, or literally means. Then you go
on to the metaphorical meaning, showing how that image applies to and
adds meaning to the subject under discussion.
 Use this structure for your analysis:
 1) Explain the comparison
 2) Just as ... (explain the literal meaning),
 3) So ... (explain the metaphorical meaning).
For Example…
 1) He compares his work load to a
mountain.
 We could analyse the image like this:
 2) Just as a mountain is large and is
challenging to climb,
 3) so the amount of work he has to do is
enormous and will be really difficult.
Worked Example….
 ‘Jonathan Young has big plans for his career. The business
analyst at Goldman Sachs is on the autistic spectrum. But this,
he says, is not something he allows to hold him back.
 ‘I’m the company’s global go-to guy for all the information used
in every single one of our presentations; he says. ‘I’m moving up
the ladder every year in terms of responsibility or promotion. My
ambition is to maintain this momentum. In 10 years, I want to be
someone fairly big.’
 Here’s an imagery question about this extract:
 Look at the following image: ‘I’m moving up the ladder every
single year ...‘.
 Explain what this image means and its effect. 3
Answer
 ‘Jonathan Young compares his progress at work to climbing a
ladder Just as climbing a ladder takes you higher, so Young is
moving up and being promoted within the company. This shows
how much progress he is making.’
 The question is worth 3 marks, so the student did three things to
answer it:
 A She stated the comparison: ‘Jonathan Young compares his progress at
work to climbing a ladder.’
 B She analysed the image: ‘Just as climbing a ladder takes you higher, so
Young is moving up and being promoted within the company
 C She said what the image shows: ‘This shows how much progress Young
is making:
Expected response
 Full analysis of the image — 3 marks.
 Clear analysis of the image — 2 marks.
 Weak analysis of the image — 1 mark.
 Misunderstanding of the image — 0 marks.
 For 3 marks, candidates should state the comparison and show
how it is linked to the example used in the passage.
 This would be considered a full analysis.
Model Example 1

At 13, 1 would spend long vigils beside the home
telephone every evening, calling the friends who I
had seen all day at school to resume our
conversation. Everyone did. It’s normal for
teenagers to require constant interaction with their
peer group, while other figures, like parents,
vanish to the margins, and I saw nothing strange
about spending hours crouched in our hall,
discussing embarrassing teachers and hilarious
friends in exhausting detail. Sometimes, an
exasperated parent would wrench the phone out
of my hand, forcing me to skulk back to my room.
Question:1 Look at the following image: ‘vanish to the margins’ (paragraph 1)
Explain what the image means and analyse its effect.
Answer: The writer compares the declining importance of parents to something being
pushed to the margins. Just as the margins are at the edges, so parents are no longer central
to their children’s lives. This shows that parents are less important to teenagers than friends
are.
Model Example 2
 Our children, like most of their friends, are
accessorised with both laptop and mobile phone. As a
result, the potential for constant communication with
their friends is ever present. Texting begins early
morning and lets up last thing at night. Friends wake
them up, friends say goodnight and Facebook fills all
the gaps in between. The sweet, individualised ring
tones that signify when a particular friend is texting
beep from 6.30am to 11pm, chirruping their insistent
way through supper, homework, bath time and sleep.
Technology embraces our children, like ourselves, in a
warm electronic sea, and the tide of it comes ever
higher.
Question: 2 Look at the following image: ‘Technology embraces our
children’ (paragraph 3)
Explain what the image means and analyse its effect.
Answer: The writer compares technology’s influence over children to an embrace. Just
as an embrace is a close, enfolding hug, so technology has a tight hold of teenagers.
This shows that technology is very important to teenagers.
Model Example 3
 Our children, like most of their friends, are
accessorised with both laptop and mobile phone.
As a result, the potential for constant
communication with their friends is ever present.
Texting begins early morning and lets up last thing
at night. Friends wake them up, friends say
goodnight and Facebook fills all the gaps in
between. The sweet, individualised ring tones that
signify when a particular friend is texting beep
from 6.30am to 11pm, chirruping their insistent
way through supper, homework, bath time and
sleep. Technology embraces our children, like
ourselves, in a warm electronic sea, and the tide
of it comes ever higher.
Question: 3 Look at the following image: ‘a warm electronic sea’
(paragraph 3)
Explain what the ¡mage means and analyse its effect.
Answer: The writer compares electronic communication to the sea. Just as a swimmer has
the sea all around them, so teenagers are surrounded on every side by technology. This
shows that they are in danger of being overwhelmed by the technology in their lives.
Model Example 4

Our children, like most of their friends, are
accessorised with both laptop and mobile phone. As a
result, the potential for constant communication with
their friends is ever present. Texting begins early
morning and lets up last thing at night. Friends wake
them up, friends say goodnight and Facebook fills all
the gaps in between. The sweet, individualised ring
tones that signify when a particular friend is texting
beep from 6.30am to 11pm, chirruping their insistent
way through supper, homework, bath time and sleep.
Technology embraces our children, like ourselves, in a
warm electronic sea, and the tide of it comes ever
higher.
Question: 4 Look at the following image: ‘the tide of it comes ever higher’
(paragraph 3)
Explain what the image means and analyse its effect
Answer: The writer compares technology to a rising tide. Just as a rising tide
cannot be stopped, so the amount of technology in life keeps increasing. This
shows we cannot stop technology coming into teenage lives.
Model Example 5
 Sue Palmer, in her new book, 21st Century
Girls, goes all out for total technological cold
turkey ‘Allowing electronic strangers into a
girl’s bedroom before her mid—teens is an
extremely bad idea. If parents want their
daughters to establish healthy sleeping habits
they have to bite the bullet and insist that their
bedroom remains a technology-free zone
Question: 5 Look at the following image: ‘Allowing electronic strangers
into a girl’s bedroom ...‘ (paragraph 7)
Explain what the image means and analyse its effect.
Answer: The writer compares using technology in your bedroom to letting
strangers in. Just as letting strangers into a girl’s bedroom would be dangerous
and stupid, so letting her use technology in there is unwise and risky. This
shows the risks of technology.
Model Example 6

So here am I with my heavy-handed computer curfew.
Luckily, our daughter has taken to it. She reads and loves
poetry, but I know I’m just Canute trying to hold back the
tide. I can’t help envying previous generations of parents
who didn’t have to face this addictive electronic onslaught
in their efforts to give their children a bit of time on their
own. The fact remains that, for children, the chance to be
alone and read, write, or simply think is vanishing in our
connected world. We should do everything we can to help
them reclaim a small desert island of their own in the
electronic sea.
Question: 6 Look at the following image: ‘a small desert island of their
own’ (paragraph 14)
Explain what the image means and analyse its effect.
Answer: The writer compares being cut off from technology to being on a desert island.
Just as a desert island is cut off and peaceful, so being disconnected from technology would
give teenagers time alone. This shows that time away from electronic devices allows people
to have some peace.
Sentence structure
questions
CONTENTS
Learning Intention
To learn how to answer
sentence structure questions in
the exam
 Success Criteria
 I will be able to recognise different types of
sentence structure and comment on their effect
 I will be able to use different types of sentence
structure in my writing in order to convey
meaning and create an effect on the reader.
Sentence structure
questions
 Sentence structure is how a
sentence is made and built up.
 Very often, students get
structure questions wrong
because they do not actually
answer the Question.
 Many students end up
rehashing the content of a
sentence when they should
be examining its structure.
Sentence structure
questions
 Structure is not the same as content.
 The structure of a house might be bricks
and mortar placed on a strong, deep
foundation; its contents will include furniture
and people.
 The structure of the bag you take to school
might be canvas, stitched together and then
attached with leather straps and metal
buckles; its content would probably include
books, pens and your iPod.
Sentence structure
questions:

Questions on the structure of
sentences are asking you
about how the sentence is
put together.

The writer has done
something important or
unusual in putting this
particular sentence together.
Some advice on tackling
these questions:

There are two things for you to do here.
FOLLOW THIS FORMULA!!!
A) You must note what the structure of the sentence is.
AND…
B) You must explain what effect this has on a reader, what
it makes the reader think.
Begin to describe the effect by stating “This suggests…”
A number of smaller techniques contribute to
sentence structure:

Length: look at whether a sentence is noticeably long, or noticeably short,
especially if its length contrasts with the length of other sentences nearby

Listing: what is being listed and what does this list suggest?

Repetition: what is being repeated, and what does this repetition suggest?

Parenthesis: what is the extra information inside the parenthesis about and what is
the effect of this?

Word order: have any words been put in a position in the sentence that particularly
creates emphasis?

Colons or semicolons: what do these divide the sentence into? What do colons
introduce?

Minor sentence: these ungrammatical (usually short) sentences are used to create
some kind of impact, so what impact is it?

Rhetorical Questions: what is the effect of these on the reader?
Types of structure at work.
Some Structures
“Failure!”
“Who ? Me ? Why ? How ? “
Effect They Achieve
Short, dramatic, attention - grabbing.
Questions show either doubt or mystery
He failed his exam.
A simple statement of an idea.
He failed English, maths, science, art
and history
A list suggests quantity, a lot of items.
He failed everything; he never paid
attention.
He failed English, his maths just didn’t
add up science was a bad experiment
for him, art was surreal and he could
never remember dates.
He is now worrying about the future; he is
now regretting his laziness; he is now
looking for job sweeping the streets; he is
now a sorry boy.
An explanation usually what comes after
the semi-colon qualifies what came
before.
A series of sentences join to make
one long sentence to suggest quantity.
A list of sentences joined together as one
contain verbs in the present tense. This
suggests a lot of action / lots of things going
on.
Model Example 1

Look at this extract about life in 2033:

Your apartment is an electronic orchestra and you are the
conductor. With simple flicks of the wrist and spoken
instructions, you can control temperature, humidity, ambient
music and lighting. You are able to skim through the day’s
news on translucent screens while a freshly cleaned suit is
retrieved from your automated closet. You head to the kitchen
for breakfast and the translucent news display follows, as a
projected hologram hovering just in front of you. You grab a
mug of coffee and a fresh pastry, cooked to perfection in your
oven, and skim new emails on a ‘holographic tablet projected
in front of you. Your central computer system suggests a host
of chores your housekeeping robots should tackle today, all of
which you approve.
Question:1 How does the sentence structure of this paragraph
contribute to conversational tone throughout? 2
Answer: The writers repeatedly use ‘you’ or ‘your’ at the start of
sentences.
This creates the impression that they are talking directly to the reader
Model Example 2

Look at this extract about life in 2033 on pages 196—98:

Your apartment is an electronic orchestra and you are the
conductor. With simple flicks of the wrist and spoken
instructions, you can control temperature, humidity, ambient
music and lighting. You are able to skim through the day’s
news on translucent screens while a freshly cleaned suit is
retrieved from your automated closet. You head to the
kitchen for breakfast and the translucent news display
follows, as a projected hologram hovering just in front of you.
You grab a mug of coffee and a fresh pastry, cooked to
perfection in your oven, and skim new emails on a
‘holographic tablet projected in front of you. Your central
computer system suggests a host of chores your
housekeeping robots should tackle today, all of which you
approve.
Question: 2 Show how the structure of the second sentence suggests
that technology will make future life straightforward. 2
Answer: The writers list a number of things we will be able to control:
‘temperature, humidity; ambient music and lighting’.
This suggests that everything in life will be easily controlled, and that life
will therefore be straightforward.
Model Example 3
 The accessibility of affordable smart devices,
including phones and tablets, will be
transformative in developing countries.
Consider the impact of basic mobile phones for
a group of African fisherwomen today. Whereas
they used to bring their daily catch to the
market and watch it slowly spoil as the day
progressed, now they keep it on the line, in the
river, and wait for calls from customers. Once
an order is placed, a fish is brought out of the
water and prepared for the buyer. There is no
need for an expensive refrigerator, no need for
someone to guard it at night, no danger of
spoiled fish losing their value (or poisoning
customers) and no unnecessary overfishing.
Question:3 How does the sentence structure of the first paragraph suggest that
change is inevitable? 2
Answer: Candidates should identify a feature of sentence structure for 1 mark
and explain, for a further mark, how it suggests the inevitability of change.
Feature: repetition of ‘no’ + suitable explanation, e.g. very definite.
Model Example 4
 The accessibility of affordable smart devices,
including phones and tablets, will be transformative
in developing countries. Consider the impact of
basic mobile phones for a group of African
fisherwomen today. Whereas they used to bring
their daily catch to the market and watch it slowly
spoil as the day progressed, now they keep it on
the line, in the river, and wait for calls from
customers. Once an order is placed, a fish is
brought out of the water and prepared for the buyer.
There is no need for an expensive refrigerator, no
need for someone to guard it at night, no danger of
spoiled fish losing their value (or poisoning
customers) and no unnecessary overfishing.
Question:4 ‘Whereas they used to bring their daily catch to the market and watch it
slowly spoil as the day progressed, now they keep it on the line, in the river, and wait for
calls from customers’ (paragraph 1). How does the structure of this sentence emphasise
the idea that life has already improved for African fisherwomen?
Answer: Candidates should identify a feature of sentence structure for 1 mark and
explain, for a further mark, how it suggests that the fisherwomen’s lives have already
improved.
Feature: ‘Whereas ...‘ vs ‘now’ + suitable explanation, e.g. divides sentence into past and
present.
Model Example 5
 Mobile phones are transforming how people in
the developing world access and use
information, and adoption rates are soaring.
There are already more than 650m mobile
phone users in Africa, and close to 3bn across
Asia. The majority of these people are using
basic-feature phones — voice calls and text
messages only — because the cost of data
service in their countries is often prohibitively
expensive. This will change and, when it does,
the smartphone revolution will profoundly
benefit these populations.
Question:5 How does sentence structure in the second paragraph make clear
what the writers mean by ‘basic-feature phones’? 2
Answer: Feature: parenthesis/use of dashes + suitable explanation, e.g. gives
extra information/ explanation of what these basic features are.
Model Example 6
 Without question, the increased access to
people’s lives that the data revolution brings will
give some repressive governments a
dangerous advantage in targeting their citizens.
Yet demand for tools and software to help
safeguard citizens living under such digital
repression will give rise to a growing and
aggressive industry. And that is the power of
this new information revolution: for every
negative, there will be a counter-response that
has the potential to be a positive. More people
will fight for privacy and security than look to
restrict it, even in the most repressive parts of
the world.
Question: 6 How does the sentence structure of the final paragraph show that
the writers are reaching their conclusion? 2
Answer: Candidates should identify a feature of sentence structure for 1 mark
and explain, for a further mark, how it implies the writers are reaching a
conclusion.
Feature: ‘Without question’ at start of paragraph + suitable explanation, e.g.
shows they are summing up.
Example 7: 2002 Credit
Paper
 The transaction seemed to fluster her,
as if she might not have enough
money to pay for the few things she'd
bought. A tin of lentil soup. An
individual chicken pie. One solitary
tomato. Maybe she did need the
avocados - or something else.
Question: How does the
writer emphasise that the
woman had bought 'few
things' through the use of
sentence structure?
Answer: Each item (1) is
given a sentence on its own
(1)
Example 8: 2003 General
Paper
 Gingerly, he tried to reopen
the envelope but it was
stuck fast and the flap
ripped jaggedly.
Question: How does the
structure of this sentence
emphasise the man's care
in opening the envelope?
Answer: (The word) gingerly
is placed (1) at the start of the
sentence (1)
Example: 2007
General paper
Ken is lucky that Julie can drive one of
the trucks, change the 2 feet high tyres,
make sure Alex does his school lessons
on his laptop, cook, make sandwiches
and dish out the £2 tickets.
 Question: How does the structure of the whole
sentence help to reinforce the idea of how busy Julie
is between Easter and October ?
2/1/0
 Answer: the sentence is a long list (1) to show the
many things she has to do (1).
Punctuation and
punctuation questions.
CONTENTS
Punctuation and
punctuation questions.
 There is rather an overlap
here with questions about
sentence structure since
punctuation is used to
shape sentences and to
organise the words within
them.
 However, you may also get
more specific questions
about the use of punctuation
marks.
 It is therefore important
that you know your
punctuation!!!
Punctuation you need to
know!!!
When do we use
commas ?
,
When do we use
dashes ?
When do we use
Inverted commas ?
“”
1.
2.
3.
4.
to separate items in a list.
to introduce a quote.
to introduce direct speech.
to make the reader pause at certain
times in a sentence.
1. to give extra information in a
sentence.
2. to make the reader take a pause.
3. to mark out a word or phrase from the
rest of the sentence (Maths is great –
not.)
1. to show the words actually spoken
2. to show that we are talking about the
title of a book or film or poem, etc.
3. to show that we are quoting someone
else and these are not the writer’s own
words.
More punctuation….
When do we use
semi colons ?
;
When do we use
colons ?
:
When do we use
ellipsis ?
1. to join two (or more) related ideas.
2. to separate items in a list when there are
commas in the sentence already.
3. to join several sentences into one very
long one.
1.
2.
3.
4.
to introduce a list.
to introduce a quote.
to give more information about an idea
.to punctuate a play.
1. Dots used to tail of a sentence.
2. To show gaps in a piece of writing.
….
When do we use capital letters ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
at the beginning of a sentence.
for names.
for initials.
for the beginning of a section of direct speech.
for titles of books, newspapers, films, etc.for
acronyms (like BBC or STV or CSI)
National 5 Model Example
 By relying on these integrated
systems, we’ll be able to use our time
more effectively each day — whether
that means having a ‘deep think’,
spending more time preparing for an
important presentation or
guaranteeing that a parent can attend
his or her child’s football match
without distraction.
Question: What is the function
of the dash in paragraph 7?
Answer: Candidates should give a clear explanation of the
function of the dash.
Introduces list/explanation/examples of how we will make more
effective use of our time.
Example: 2001 General
Paper
 After all there's a little collection of
pressed glass over there that is so
irresistible, and the old handknitted Shetland shawl that
nobody seems to have spotted,
and isn't that a genuine stone hotwater bottle lurking among the
rubbish. . .?
Question: Why does the
writer use ellipsis at the end of
the final sentence?
Answer: To show that the list
could continue / be endless
OR that there could be more
examples.
2 marks for either
Example: 2002 General
Paper
 It was now well into the rush
hour: traffic gushed by or
fretted at red lights and urgent
pedestrians commanded the
pavements and crossings.
Question: Why does the writer
use a colon? Is it to introduce a
quotation, to elaborate on an
idea, or to introduce an
explanation?
Answer: To elaborate on an idea (2)
Example: 2002 General
Paper
 At the last corner before the
school's street they both halted
in an accustomed way and he
squatted down to give her a
kiss. She didn't mind the ritual
but not outside the gates: her
pals might see and that would
be too embarrassing.
Question: Why does the writer use a
colon? Is it to introduce a quotation, to
elaborate on an idea, or to introduce an
explanation?
Answer: To introduce an explanation (2)
Example: 2003 General
Paper
 We were in Dracula's castle sited on the remote Tihuta
mountain pass where the
Victorian Gothic novelist Bram
Stoker based the home of his
fictitious vampire - two days'
carriage ride from Bistrita in
northern Transylvania.
Question: Why does the writer use dashes in this paragraph?
Answer: To provide additional information /detail /parenthesis (2)
Example: 2003 General
Paper
It wasn't the real Dracula's castle but Hotel Castel
Dracula, a three-star hotel built in the mountains to
service some of the nearby, ski slopes. The
architecture (1980s mock castle) reflected the Dracula
movies but the setting amid the dramatic scenery of
the Tihuta pass is stunning. The 'castle' is circled by
bats every night and the surrounding forests have
more wild bears and wolves than anywhere else in
Europe.
Question: Why does the writer put the word 'castle'
in inverted commas?
Answer: Being ironic / to show
it's not really a castle / to show
it's really a hotel (2)
Example: 2001 Credit
Paper
 The driver opened the back
door of the taxi and my 'aunt',
as we referred to her - really
my mother's aunt's daughter
divested herself of the
travelling rugs.
Question: What is the function of the dashes?
Answer: Giving additional information
/ parenthesis (2)
Tone Questions
CONTENTS
Tone Questions
 Some people find tone questions very
difficult to answer.
 There is a way to make them just a bit
easier.
 Think of HOW the writer would SAY this
if he or she were talking directly to you
in person.
 In speech, the tone of voice used helps
to make the speaker’s feelings clear.
 In writing, however, you must look at the
word choice to find clues to the
feelings or attitude of the author.
Examples of tone…
 It’s impossible to list every variance of
tone that a writer may use, as there are
so many.
 But they can be broadly grouped
together.
 Firstly, however, consider whether the
writer is being serious or light-hearted
about his subject.
A lighthearted tone may be
more informal and
conversational, whereas a
serious, respectful tone will
use more formal words.
Irony is the name given to the figure of
speech where an author says the opposite
of what he really means. This could be
for humorous effect, but there is often a
more serious point to be made.
The word conversational can
describe a tone, particularly a
chatty, friendly tone, as if the
writer is confiding in the reader
or directly addressing them.
A flippant tone is
where the writer is
showing a mocking
attitude to his topic
and isn’t taking it too
seriously.
An enthusiastic effusive
tone might be used in
advertising to persuade
someone to buy a product.
The tone may be humorous in
a straightforward way, where
the writer finds the subject
funny and hopes that you will
too!
A satirical tone is an extreme form of
irony. Here a writer is funny in a more
savage way: he holds a subject to
ridicule in order to attack it.
A serious tone is obviously used for a serious
purpose, on solemn occasions: a funeral speech
for example. Words such as formal,
ponderous or even pompous might be applied.
A tongue-in-cheek tone is a form of irony:
the writer will sound serious but there will be
a sense of ridicule behind this. Euphemism
is a common feature of this tone. An
example of this may be the expression, “tired
and emotional” to mean “drunk”!
When you answer you should
use the formula below:
 There is a method for analysing images.
 The wording of tone questions can vary. Depending how the question is
expressed, you will probably have to do a mixture of the following:
 Use this structure for your analysis:
 1) Identify a tone.
 2) Quote words which create that tone.
 3) Explain how the words you have quoted
create the tone.
A WORD OF ADVICE…
 Just before we leave behind the idea of tone and
try some questions, a word of advice.
 If you are asked to identify or name a tone, do
not ever just say that it is positive or negative.
 That is far too vague.
 You need to say something much more exact.
 What kind of positive tone is it? Praising?
Happy? Encouraging?
 What kind of negative tone is it? Critical?
Despairing? Angry?
Model Example 1

Look at this extract from an article about childcare:

Long-term, or rather, for any period longer than
three hours, you would basically have to pen them
into a smaller space, otherwise you would go mad.
That’s fine, it’s not dangerous, but again, it’s not
very appropriate. You can’t keep kids in a single
room for a whole day with no fresh air. Those are
battery conditions.
Question: How does the writer
 Twins poo at the same time, who knew? But you
have to prioritise the toddlers who are using a loo, establish a tone of surprise in
as they seem to have some auto suggestion and the second paragraph? 2
need to go as soon as they smell anything that
reminds them of a loo. Building in some time to
lose track of what you were doing, I’d put this job
at an hour, from poo-alert to the second twin
getting a fresh nappy.

I want to put you through this in real time, but I’ve
got to pick peas out of the weave of my carpet.
This is, on mature consideration, and with no
offence meant, the worst idea a person in
government has ever had.
Answer: She does so by
stating a surprising fact:
‘Twins poo at the same time.’
She also adds a rhetorical
question: ‘who knew?” to
point out that the fact is
unexpected.
Model Example 2

Look at this extract from an article about childcare:

Long-term, or rather, for any period longer than
three hours, you would basically have to pen them
into a smaller space, otherwise you would go mad.
That’s fine, it’s not dangerous, but again, it’s not
very appropriate. You can’t keep kids in a single
room for a whole day with no fresh air. Those are
battery conditions.
Question: What is the tone of
 Twins poo at the same time, who knew? But you
have to prioritise the toddlers who are using a loo, the first sentence in the final
as they seem to have some auto suggestion and paragraph, and how is this
need to go as soon as they smell anything that
created? 2
reminds them of a loo. Building in some time to
lose track of what you were doing, I’d put this job
at an hour, from poo-alert to the second twin
Answer: The tone is one of
getting a fresh nappy.
exhaustion. It is created by
 I want to put you through this in real time, but I’ve the author describing a task
she still has to do: ‘pick peas
got to pick peas out of the weave of my carpet.
This is, on mature consideration, and with no
out of the weave of my
offence meant, the worst idea a person in
carpet.’
government has ever had.
Model Example 3

Look at this extract from an article about childcare:

Long-term, or rather, for any period longer than
three hours, you would basically have to pen them
into a smaller space, otherwise you would go mad.
That’s fine, it’s not dangerous, but again, it’s not
very appropriate. You can’t keep kids in a single
room for a whole day with no fresh air. Those are
battery conditions.
Question: What is the tone of
 Twins poo at the same time, who knew? But you
have to prioritise the toddlers who are using a loo, the final sentence and how is
as they seem to have some auto suggestion and this made clear? 2
need to go as soon as they smell anything that
reminds them of a loo. Building in some time to
Answer: Candidates should
lose track of what you were doing, I’d put this job correctly identify a tone for
at an hour, from poo-alert to the second twin
1 mark and provide
getting a fresh nappy.
evidence by reference or
 I want to put you through this in real time, but I’ve quotation to support this
got to pick peas out of the weave of my carpet.
tone for a second mark.
This is, on mature consideration, and with no
offence meant, the worst idea a person in
government has ever had.
Tone: critical/angry/definite
+ suitable explanation.
Model Example 4

Look at this extract from an article about technology
in 2033:

As you move about your kitchen, you stub your toe,
hard, on the edge of a cabinet — ouch! You grab
your mobile device and open the diagnostics app.
Inside your device there is a tiny microchip that uses
low—radiation submillimetre waves to scan your
body like an x-ray. A quick scan reveals that your
toe is just bruised, not broken. You decline the
invitation to get a second opinion at a nearby
doctor’s office.

There’s a bit of time left before you need to leave for
work — which you’ll get to by driverless car, of
course. Your commute will be as productive or
relaxing as you desire.
Question: What is the tone of the final paragraph, and how is this created? 2
Answer: Candidates should correctly identify a tone for 1 mark and provide
evidence by reference or quotation to support this tone for a second mark.
Tone: reassuring.
Evidence: of course / as productive or relaxing as you desire.
Model Example 5

Look at this extract from an article about
technology in 2033:

As you move about your kitchen, you stub your
toe, hard, on the edge of a cabinet — ouch! You
grab your mobile device and open the diagnostics
app. Inside your device there is a tiny microchip
that uses low—radiation submillimetre waves to
scan your body like an x-ray. A quick scan reveals
that your toe is just bruised, not broken. You
decline the invitation to get a second opinion at a
nearby doctor’s office.

There’s a bit of time left before you need to leave
for work — which you’ll get to by driverless car, of
course. Your commute will be as productive or
relaxing as you desire.
Question: How does the writer maintain a conversational tone throughout
paragraph 1. 2
Answer: Candidates should give evidence, by reference or quotation, of how the tone is
created, and should then explain the effect of this.
One item of evidence for 1 mark, explanation for a second mark.
Evidence: use of ‘you’ + suitable explanation, e.g. feels as they are talking to the reader.