STANDARD GRADE
– CLOSE READING -
Saint Roch’s Secondary School
Introduction
 This PowerPoint is designed to help you improve your
Close Reading skills.
 Your Close Reading Exam grade, along with your Reading
Folio pieces make up your final Standard Grade level for
Reading, so it is very important that you try your hardest in
the exam.
 The exam lasts for 50 minutes whether you are sitting the
Foundation, General or Credit papers. You will be given a
passage to read and a set of questions to answer on the
passage.
 In the Close Reading papers you are trying to show the
examiner that you have understood the text.
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.
 Ensure that you know whether the passage is fiction or nonfiction and 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 (2,0) or (2,1,0) 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.
Now, Lets look at the types
of questions you may get!
Write down an
expression/word/quote
questions
Write down an
expression/word/quote
questions
This type of question is asking you to find an
expression/word/quote (or group of words) in the paragraph
that you are directed to which tells us something important.
Usually this piece of information is so important that it is
worth two marks. So normally you will see 2 / 0 against the
question.
This means you write down one thing, but get two marks
for it.
For example…
 If a question said “Write down an
expression which tells us Jo is angry”
 then you know to go looking in the
paragraph for words which carry the idea
of “angry”.
 It could be “I was fuming” or “I almost lost
the head”, etc.
 You just have to find it and write it down.
 Do not write down the whole sentence.
 Remember, an expression is not a
complete sentence.
Example: 2004 Credit paper
 There was a stranger seated at
the kitchen table, a most
horrible and wild stranger who
looked worse than the brigands
of childhood tales.
 Question: Quote the
expression that sums up
Pelagia's impression of the
stranger.
 Answer: most horrible and wild.
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Example: 2001 General
Paper
 Behind them, all kinds of people
are perched on the tailgates of a
variety of vehicles. Is this some
bizarre store for recycled rubbish?
Well, in a way it is. In other words,
you have found yourself in A the
middle of your first car boot sale.
Question: Write down an
expression which shows
that the writer thinks this
'junk' makes a strange
collection.
Answer: bizarre store
Example: 2002 General
Paper
He waited at their corner, hands deep in pockets, his
shoulder to the dirty, grey sandstone wall. The bell
was ringing and he could hear the children streaming
out into the playground. When she spotted him she
broke into a trot and he retreated round the' corner a
little to swoop suddenly with a mock roar, bearing her
laughing wildly up into his arms. As he set her down
he asked quite formally what kind of morning she'd
had. She began to speak, and her enthusiasm
breathed upwards into his smiling face and beyond in
the chill air.


Question: The man is shown to be thoughtful and caring
towards his daughter. What evidence is there of this in the
passage?
Answer: He makes her laugh, and he asks her about her
morning at school.
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: Give two pieces of evidence
which suggest that Bram Stoker wrote the
novel Dracula more than one hundred
years ago. 2 1 0
Answer: (i) reference to carriage (1)
(ii) reference to Victorian (novelist) (1)
In your own words
questions.
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.
LINK TO EXAMPLES!!!
Example: 2003 General
Paper
Downstairs was Count Dracula's coffin in a
narrow vault, the walls painted with the dramatic
scenes of human victims, wolves, skulls,
skeletons and the black-cloaked monster
himself, red blood dripping from his pointed
fangs. So far on our Romanian holiday the only
blood-sucking had been from the mosquitoes in
Bucharest. Luckily we had decided to send their
father down first as a guinea pig to test out how
scary this experience was likely to be for our
seven-, five- and two-year-olds.
Question: In your own words explain fully
why their father was sent down first. 2 1 0
Answer: to find out/see (1)
if it was too scary/frightening/if it was
suitable for the boys (1)
Example: 2003 Credit
Paper
 Round in shape with a plume of tall
feathers, the bird stood about three feet
high, the size of an overstuffed turkey or
swan. Its wings were small and useless,
its head surrounded by a hood of fine
feathers giving it the appearance of a
monk's cowl. Yet most distinctive of all
was its unfeasible looking bill. It was
huge and bulbous, possessing a
business like hook at the end.
Question: In your own words, what
does the writer's use of the expression
'unfeasible-Iooking' tell you about the
dodo's bill?
Answer: It appeared / seemed
/looked (1) as if it would not work/as
if it would not be any use (1)
Example: 2008 General paper
‘Professional competitive surfing has two
tours: the WQS and the World Championship
Tour (WCT). The WCT is the premier division,
with the WQS being used as a platform for
professionals to move up into the big time.
Around 160 upand-coming wave riders are
expected to take part in the Thurso event. Prize
money of $100,000 (£57,000) is up for grabs,
along with vital tour points.’
Question: In your own words, explain the
difference between the two professional surfing
tours, WCT & WQS ? 2 1 0
Answer: WCT gloss of “premier division” eg best competitors/higher status (1)
WQS gloss of “platform ... to move up into the big time” eg step towards
the better competition (1) accept reference to lower status (1)
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
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…?
The writer's attitude
The writer's attitude
 Note that this
question - type asks
about the writer's
attitude.
 Not a character within
the text, but the writer
himself.
 “Attitude” simply
means what the writer
is thinking about a
subject.
Some advice on tackling
these questions:
The easiest way for any writer to convey his
attitude is through word choice.
For example, read these two sentences and think of
the attitude of the person who wrote them towards
the subject.





My teacher is an angel.
My teacher is a prince.
My teacher is a saint.
My teacher is a clown.
My teacher is a genius.

In four of the above the writer is complimentary
and positive.
LINK TO EXAMPLES!!!

In one however, she is negative and derogatory.
IMPORTANT: So when asked for the writer's attitude think of how words may
suggest this attitude.
Example: 2003 General
Paper
 As we walked up to the main lobby
there was 'Vampire' red wine for sale,
glass vials of red liquid, wooden stakes
and probably some garlic stashed
under the counter. As these tacky,
souvenirs revealed, it wasn't the real
Dracula's castle but Hotel Castel
Dracula, a threestar hotel built in the
mountains to service some of the
nearby, ski slopes.
Question: In your own words, what
is the writer's attitude to the various
goods for sale in the hotel lobby?
Answer: She thinks they are touristy rubbish.
Example: 2003 Credit
Paper
 Surely this ridiculous bird, fat, flightless and
vulnerable, had simply been caught and eaten
to extinction? Too weak or stupid to defend
itself, too trusting of humans, the dodo had met
its inevitable end. According to ornithologist
Julian Hume the fat, comical appearance of the
bird is grossly exaggerated. Julian has
travelled to Mauritius to investigate what the
bird was really like and how it lived. It is here
that the only two complete skeletons of the bird
exist which have proved just how
misrepresented the dodo has been.
Question: Which one word
sums up the writer's sympathetic
attitude to the dodo.
Answer: Misrepresented
Example: 2003 General
Paper
 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: In your own words
what is the writer’s opinion of the
setting of the Hotel Castel
Dracula? 2 0
Answer: magnificent/thinks it is
very beautiful/very attractive (2)
Intensity must be present
Sentence structure
questions
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.
Types of structure.
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.
Example: 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: 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).
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Punctuation and
punctuation questions.
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)
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)
Word choice questions
Word choice questions
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 (“makes us think”) 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
...............................................
Example: 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
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. 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: 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
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Questions about
effectiveness
Questions about
effectiveness
 You will sometimes find a question asking
how effective you find an aspect of the
writer’s style.

It’s almost a trick question, as the
examiners have pretty much decided
already that the writing IS effective.
 What they really want to do is to explain
why.
 (If you are feeling very sure, and very
skilled, you can argue that the extract is
not effective but you’ll have to use a lot of
good evidence to explain why you think
this.)
Example: 2002 General
Paper
 It was easy standing here to recall the
bustle of business life. It 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: Explain how effective you find the simile in this extract.
Answer: Answers should deal with the
idea that 'sideline' = left out / excluded etc
(1) AND that 'face in a crowd' = anonymity /
one of many / lost / unimportant etc (1)
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Example: 2002 Credit
Paper
He told her to take a seat while he called security, but when he turned
from her she let out a thin wail that made him recoil from the phone.
She had both her temples between her hands, as if afraid her head
might explode. She let out another shrill wail. It ripped out of her like
something wild kept prisoner for years. It seemed to make the room
shrink around them.
Question: Quote a comparison from this section
which shows how emotional or upset the woman
was, and explain how effective you find it.
Answer: ... 'as if her head might explode'. / 'It ripped out of her. . .
prisoner for years. '
Either of these for 1 mark + appropriate comment on the intensity
of the image for 1 more mark
Context questions
The context question.
 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.
This question is asking you to do two things
 A) Say what the meaning is
&
 B) Say how the words around the word
concerned help you to find this meaning.
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.
Example 2003 Credit paper.
 When the dodo died the animal
was stuffed and sold to a
museum. Taxidermy not being
what it is today the dodo slowly
rotted.
 Question: Explain how the
context helps you to understand
the meaning of "taxidermy" in
paragraph 9.
 Answer: If you follow the advice
above you will probably think the
word "stuffed" is the big clue. If
the animal "rotted" then it would
not have been stuffed properly.
So, the meaning is stuffed.
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Example: 2002 Credit
Paper
 It wasn't often you had this kind of
intuition about somebody, but as soon as
he saw her looking at the seeds, he was
certain she was going to steal them. He
moved closer to her, picked up a
watering can and weighed it in his hand,
as if this was somehow away of testing
it, then he saw her dropping packet after
packet into the bag.
Question: 'It wasn't often you had this kind of intuition. . .' How
does the rest of the paragraph help to explain the meaning of
'intuition'?
Answer: Intuition means that you sense or guess something. He guesses
that she will steal the seeds and then he watches her doing this.
Questions about how ideas
are carried
on/illustrated/developed
Questions about how ideas
are carried
on/illustrated/developed
 Questions which ask how the writer:
Continues this idea Or
Develops this idea Or
Illustrates this idea
These questions are suggesting that the idea which is stated
in the question itself (usually a quote from certain lines) is
then returned to by the writer in some way.
Continued…
 The writer might say the same thing again
but in different words,
 Or
 Might tell us more about the idea by giving
more details about it
 Or
 Might give an example of what he is talking
about
They all involve the same skill: you have to find
the words used to tell us more about the
thing mentioned in the question.
Example…

Think of this made-up example;

"I was scared" (paragraph X)

Question: How does the writer develop this
idea in the rest of the paragraph ?
2/1/0

Say we look at the rest of the paragraph and we
see:

"My knees began to shake, my throat began to
dry up and my knuckles were white.“

Which words tell us about him being scared ?

All three ideas highlighted above tell us the effect
his fear has on him.


LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
So you would get two marks for noting all three,
One mark for noting any two, but nothing for only
one.
Example: 2003 General
Paper
 Downstairs was Count Dracula's coffin in a narrow
vault, the walls painted with the dramatic scenes of
human victims, wolves, skulls, skeletons and the
black-cloaked monster himself, red blood dripping
from his pointed fangs. So far on our Romanian
holiday, the only blood-sucking had been from the
mosquitoes in Bucharest. Luckily we had decided to
send their father down first as a guinea pig to test
out how scary this experience was likely to be for
our seven-, five- and two-year-olds.
Question: 'Downstairs was Count Dracula's coffin in a narrow
vault, the walls painted with the dramatic scenes' In what ways
does the writer convey the 'dramatic scenes in the
vault?
Answer: The writer uses a list of horrific
images such as blood, fangs, wolves, skulls and skeletons.
Example: 2001 General
Paper
 All the junk in Scotland meets your befuddled gaze:
thousands of unwanted gifts, the 'wee something' for
Christmas and the 'I saw this and thought of you' for your
birthday (how you wish they hadn't); then there are the
holiday souvenirs. In short, all the stuff with which we
tend to clutter our lives and our cupboards has somehow
ended up in one place, awkwardly arranged on a vast
number of folding tables. Behind them, all kinds of
people are perched on the tailgates of a variety of
vehicles. Is this some bizarre store for recycled rubbish?
Well, in a way it is. In other words, you have found
yourself in the middle of your first car boot sale.
Question: 'All the junk in Scotland meets your befuddled
gaze' How does the writer continue the idea of 'junk'?
Answer: Reference to any TWO of - use of colon (to introduce) / (a list of)
examples / unwanted gifts / wee something for Christmas / birthday gift not
wanted / holiday souvenirs /stuff / (which) clutters our lives /recycled rubbish
Example: 2002 Credit
Paper
It was depressing to unlock the door of his cubby-hole, switch the
light on and see the table barely big enough to hold his kettle and his
tea things, the one upright chair, the barred window looking out on a
fire-escape and the wall-mounted telephone. He asked her to take
the packets of seeds out of her bag and put them on the table. She
did so, and the sight of the packets, with their gaudy coloured
photographs of flowers, made her clench her hand into a fist.
Question: The detective found the sight of his cubby-hole
'depressing'. Explain how the writer continues this idea in
the rest of the paragraph.
Answer: Reference to any TWO of very small table / only
one chair / which is an upright one / the window is barred
(like a cell - possibly dark) / the only outlook is the fire
escape / the wall-mounted phone
Linking questions
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.
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.
Example Paper
 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.
Figures of speech
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
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.
Contrast questions
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.
LINK TO MORE EXAMPLES!!!
Tone Questions
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”!
Final questions
Final questions
 Just above the last few questions on the Exam
paper you will find an instruction in bold telling
you to: ’Think about the passage as a whole’.

After the heading suggests, these questions
draw on your knowledge and understanding of
the whole passage.
 To be able to tackle on of these questions you
need to know the whole passage as well, and to
have worked through it using the step by step
questions.
 It is therefore, not possible to give you a chance
to practise these here.
 Of course, whenever you do a pass paper in
class, you will be able to have a go at this
question type.
Examples…
 These questions can cover many different topics. You may be
asked to look at the writer's style throughout the passage. For
example:
 From the passage write down an example of the writer's use
of humour. Explain why it is effective.
 Or:
 Why do you think the writer makes frequent use of brackets
throughout the passage?
 You may be asked about characters in the passage, whom you
will now know well, or about their feelings and reactions. For
example:
 Overall how do you think the writer feels about his experience
with the humming birds? Support your answer by referring to
the passage.
 Or:
 For whom do you feel more sympathy
 - Pelagia or Mandras? Justify your
 answer by close reference to the
 passage.
Final questions – the end!
 There are many other possible types of
question you may be asked in this final
section of the paper.
 You should have noticed from the
examples given earlier that one thing
many of them have in common is:
 an instruction to justify or support
your answer by referring to the text.
 By this stage in the Exam you should
know the text intimately, and be quickly
able to pick out short quotations or
references to back up what you say in
your answer.