NATIONAL 5 ENGLISH– UNDERSTANDING
FOR ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
Question types and
examples
A&E OUTCOME 1: READING
To understand, analyse and evaluate detailed written
texts by:
1.1 Identifying and explaining the purpose and audience,
as appropriate to genre
1.2
Identifying and explaining the main ideas and
supporting details
1.3 Applying knowledge and understanding of language
to explain meaning and effect, using appropriate critical
terminology
A&E OUTCOME 1: READING
Identify the purpose
Identify means pick out
This means you have to decide/ pick out the main reason why this article was written
Identify the genre
“genre” means type of text
Common genres are fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, newspaper article……get the
idea?
Know what these are – AND – what they look like.
Identify the audience
To answer this you need to try to work out who this piece of writing was aimed at/ who
you think would enjoy reading it.
You might also want to/ need to give a reason for your answer.
When you are approaching a text for the first time, whether as a reader
or as a writer, the two most important questions you need to ask yourself
are:
What is it for? (Purpose)
and
Who is it aimed at? (Audience)
The text’s purpose and audience should be reflected in almost every
aspect of its appearance and language from its layout and use of
pictures to the complexity of its sentences and the formality of its style.
In order to help you decide on a text’s audience and purpose
you should look for any available clues as to the type of text
you have been given and its context.
In your exam paper you will probably be told when and
where the text you have been given to study first appeared.
Use this information together with any recognizable
conventions of presentation, layout and language to help you
decide on the text’s purpose and audience.
The purpose of ay text will always fall under one of the 3 umbrella
headings:
Some common and more specific purposes are listed below:
To present a point of view
To present a balanced view of two sides of an argument
To analyse / comment on a topic
To promote a product or service
To explain something
To complain / disagree with something
To express feelings
To record / share experiences
To entertain
To give information
TASK
Complete the ‘For practice’ task on p3
of “Reading for Understanding,
Analysis and Evaluation”
Read and make a note of what is
meant by the terms “Register” and
“Tone”
Closely tied in with the writer’s aims is the readership or
audience that they have in mind.
Most of the pieces you will be given to analyse will have been
written for the non-specialist, general adult reader. But writing
might also be directed at:
Small children
Teenagers
Members of a profession or people with expert knowledge
People with a specialist interest in a topic.
TASK
Complete the ‘For practice’ task on
pages 4&5 of the textbook.
What is the writer saying?
How is the writer saying it?
How effectively is he/she saying it?
1.2 Identifying and explaining the main ideas and supporting
details




Own words question.
The linking question.
Summarising
Quote a word/expression
Own words question:
The most common task is to be asked to pick out a fact
and explain it in your own words. A question might ask
you to select a number of points the writer makes and
repeat them in your own words. Such a question
frequently includes the word summarise – Summarise the
main points the writer makes about…
Example 1
People think that the written language seen on mobile phone screens is
new and alien, but all the popular beliefs about texting are wrong. Its
distinctiveness is not a new phenomenon, nor is its use restricted to the
young. There is increasing evidence that it helps rather than hinders
literacy. Texting has added a new dimension to language use, but its longterm impact is negligible. It is not a disaster.
Question
The writer tells us that “all the popular beliefs about texting are
wrong”.
Look at the remainder of the paragraph, and then explain in your own
words what two of these popular beliefs are.
•
Gloss of “phones help rather than hinders literacy”
I.E the use of mobile phones may actually improve people’s knowledge
of language rather than affect it negatively.
• Gloss of “Its distinctiveness is not a new phenomenon, nor is its use
restricted to the young.”
I.E the use of mobile phones is not a new craze that is only confined to
young people. (or similar)
Example 2
The BBC is a massive sponsor, uniquely independent through its licence fee
– and the guardian of public service broadcasting. But, as the fight for
the control of communications hots up, friends of the BBC – both inside
and out – are alarmed that all this is in jeopardy: the BBC has become too
much of a self-seeking institution, too preoccupied with its ratings at the
expense of good broadcasting, and unwisely over-extended financially.
Question
What are the three reasons for causing alarm to friends of the BBC? Use
your own words as far as possible.
Gloss of:
“the BBC has become too much of a self-seeking institution”
“too preoccupied with its ratings at the expense of good broadcasting”
and
“and unwisely over-extended financially.”
I.E:
- The BBC is too concerned with its own personal interests
- Is jeopardising the quality of broadcasting in order to increase ratings
- Is at risk of serious overspending
Or similar
1. Stories about haunted places are always fascinating. What goes on
there, and how, and why? Some hauntings can be explained as the results
of ordinary trickery. In others some natural cause is at work, though it has
not yet been traced.
Question: What 2 explanations does the writer suggest to account for the
belief that some place are haunted?
2. I’m nocturnal. I love the moonlight, the shadows, the dark places, the
dappled murk. I’m not 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?’
Formula:
1. Quote which part of the sentence links back
2. Explain what previous ideas it links back to
3. Quote which part of the sentence that links forward
4. Explain what subsequent ideas it links forward to
Example
The 7.15 dance class is full, as was the six o’clock, as is the 8.30. In the reception area
of Edinburgh Dancebase, learners, ranging from the middle-aged, fresh from work, to
students, mill around waiting to dance.
Unlikely as it may at first seem, this is occurring across the country. Against similar winter
backdrops people are queuing up to learn to dance. National inhibition is being shed as
salsa, meringue, and cumbia beats force hips to sway rhythmically and partners to twist
complicatedly. French ceroc classes are filling up, street dancing to hip hop is being used
as an exercise class. Even ballroom dancing is enjoying something of a renaissance.
Question
By referring to specific words or phrases, show how the first sentence in the second
paragraph performs a linking function in the line of thought.
2
Answer:
The word ‘this’ links back to what was discussed in the previous
paragraph which was the idea of the dance classes in
Edinburgh being full
The words ‘is occurring across the country’ link to what is
coming up in the next paragraph, which is the idea of different
styles of dance becoming more popular throughout the nation
Example 6
William Shakespeare is easily the best-known of our English writers.
Virtually every man in the street can name some of his plays and his
characters, and many people can also recite lines of his poetry by heart.
However, despite our familiarity with his work, we know relatively little of
the man himself. We do not know when or why he became an actor, we
know nothing of his life in London, and almost nothing of his personal
concerns.
Question
By referring to specific words or phrases, show how the third sentence acts
as a link in the argument.
2
Example 7
Mary Stuart was certainly rated a beauty by the standards of her own time: even John
Knox described her as ‘pleasing’. In her height, her small neat head, and her grace she
resembled the contemporary ideal. It was the type of beauty which her contemporaries
were already learning to admire in art, and could now appreciate in life, all the more
satisfyingly because it was in the person of a princess.
Not only the appearance, but also the character of Mary Stuart made her admirably
suited to be a princess of France in the age in which she lived. Mary was exactly the sort
of beautiful woman, not precisely brilliant, but well-educated and charming, who inspired
and stimulated poets by her presence to feats of homage.
Question
Show how the first sentence of the second paragraph acts as a link in the argument. 2
Example 8
The problem here is political rather than financial capacity. The pinch will come in other
resource areas, such as health spending. People over 65 consume three times as many
prescription items as other age groups. Nearly half of those with some measure of
disability are over 70.
But the resource question, meeting the material needs of the old and elderly, is only half
the story. The real problem lies elsewhere – in the imagination. What are the old for?
Who are they, and do traditional divisions of human life into childhood, youth, middleage and old-age still fit our experience?
Question
What is the function of the first sentence in the second paragraph in this passage? By
referring closely to specific words and phrases, show how it fulfils this function.
You will often be asked to summarise a writer’s main points in order to
show the following:
 that you have grasped the overall meaning of the text and
followed the writer’s line of thought.
 That you are able to pick out key information and put it into your
own voice ( a degree of paraphrasing is acceptable)
It is recommended that you use bullet points to
summarise main points unless you are asked
specifically to write in prose.
Therein lie the polar points of Scottish tourism. On the one hand, there is the attitude
of those who couldn’t care less, who regard service as a synonym for servility, who
treat customers as if they are something smelly stuck to their shoe. Meanwhile, there
are those who take satisfaction from other people’s pleasure, who embrace the
“Welcome to Scotland” slogan, who are enthusiastic ambassadors for their country
and will attempt to kill you with kindness
Question: In your own words, summarise he two opposite attitudes that are shown
towards tourists visiting Scotland (4)
Answer:
• Some people are disinterested and think that good service is a form of
‘brownnosing’
• Other people take pride and pleasure in making the Scottish tourists’ experience a
positive one.
…Another health risk comes from the salt, sodium nitrate and
potassium nitrate which are added to bacon. These last two chemicals
stop bacteria and keep the meat bright red so it looks fresh. However,
nitrites and nitrates have also been show to increase the risk of cancer
in animals. Amid such health fears, the British pig industry says it cut
down the level of potentially harmful additives. But there is a limit to
how much can be reduced. If you go too far it stops becoming a cured
meat” said a spokesman for the British Pig Association. Instead it’s
fresh meat and it doesn’t keep so long.
Question: Using your own words as far as possible summarise the key
points that have been made in this extract. (4)
The equation of risk for the Arctic convoys was grim. During the winter
the ice, extending southward, obliged them to pass within two or three
hundred miles of German-held territory. The summer route was further
north and therefore further away from the German airfields, but the
daylight was perpetual. The winter convoys had to pass dangerously
close to German bases. The summer ones were exposed twenty-four
hours a day to German air attack for at least one third of the voyage
Question: Using your own words as far as possible summarise the various
risks the Arctic convoys faced.
The cold was now intense. To keep a watch, especially a watch on the
bridge, was torture: the first shock of bitter wind that seared the lungs,
left a man fighting for breath: if he had forgotten to don gloves – first
the silk gloves, then the woollen mittens, then the sheepskin gauntlets –
and touched a handrail, the palms of his hands seared off, the skin
burnt as by white-hot metal. On the bridge, the deadly chill crept
upwards from feet to calves to thighs, nose and chin turned white with
frostbite and demanded immediate attention, and then, by far the
worst of all, the end of the watch, the return below deck, the
excruciating agony of returning circulation.
Question: Using your own words as far as possible to summarise the
various problems faced by many men aboard the Arctic convoy.
Opposite to me the fire burned bright and clear, and on the hearthrug, seemingly asleep, lay the dog. In about twenty minutes I felt
exceedingly cold air pass by my cheek, like a sudden draught. I
thought the door to my right onto the landing must’ve got open; but
no, it was closed. I then turned my glance to my left and saw the
flame of the candles violently swayed as if by the wind. At the same
moment the watch slid from the table – softly, softly – no visible hand
– it was gone. I sprang up and looked around the floor – no sign of
the watch. Three slow, loud, distinct knocks were now heard at the
bed-head; my servant called out, “is that you, sir?”
Question: Using your own words as far as possible to summarise the
different things that alarmed and frightened the writer
1.3 Applying knowledge and understanding of language to explain
meaning and effect, using appropriate critical terminology




Word Choice
Imagery
Sentence Structure
Punctuation
Long and complex/short simple
sentences
Complex sentences may mimic complex
ideas; short sentences have impact
Repetition of words or
phrases
Repeated ideas will be emphasised or
spotlighted
List
Provides detail, complexity, etc.
Climax / anticlimax following a list Creates suspense/shows easing of
tension
Parenthesis
Adds extra information, comment or
clarification
Questions / exclamations /
commands
Achieve a particular tone, e.g.
emotive (arousing strong feelings)
Sentences without verbs (minor Create a colloquial (informal)
sentences)
style or build tension
Unusual word order, e.g.
inversion
Alters emphasis; may build tension
Sentences with symmetrical
pattern of structure but with
contrasting (opposite) ideas
Provide contrast
Commas
Separate items in a list or clauses in a
sentence
Pairs of brackets, dashes or commas Create parenthesis (see above)
Colon (or dash)
Introduces a list, example, explanation or
quotation
Semi-colon
Separate complex items in a list (usually a
very long list); separate two distinct, but
connected, sentences
Inverted commas
Indicate quotation or speech; sometimes
used to indicate irony
Example 1
From whence comes this compulsion to climb mountains? Why do I
have this compulsion to get to the top of every insignificant bump
on the landscape? Why, no matter how breathless, bruised, battered
and bedraggled I become while hillwalking, do I return with a grin
on my face and a desire to go out and do it again?
Question
Here the author reflects on his need to climb mountains. Comment
on how two aspects of sentence structure are used to explore his
feelings.
4
Example 1: Answer
The writer’s use of questions shows that he is conflicted in himself
and is questioning his innate desire for mountain climbing (2)
The use of a list “breathless” “bruised” “battered and
“bedraggled” emphasises the extent of hardships that he endures
as a result of hill climbing, yet surprising to him and the reader, he
chooses to continue to climb mountains. (2)
(The alliteration of the letter ‘b’ is certainly significant but as this is a sentence
structure question we will overlook it in this instance.)
Example 2
But as that new way of living arrives—as we retreat from the wild places, and
the fences of national parks go up; as we cease the exploitation of animals,
and the cow, the camel, the sheep, the chicken and the pig become items in
modern exhibition farms, where schoolchildren see how mankind used to live; as
our direct contact with our fellow creatures is restricted to zoos, pets and fish
tanks; and as every area of natural beauty is set about with preservation orders
and rules to keep human interference to a minimum—will we not be separating
ourselves from our planet in order, as we suppose, to look after it better?
Question
Identify an aspect of sentence structure being used here and explain how it
supports or clarifies the author’s argument.
2
Example 2: Answer
The writer has used a variety of colons and semi colons to create a list of
all the ways that humans are (ironically) separating themselves from the
natural beauty of the planet in order to preserve it and look after it. The
use of the list is extremely effective as it gives the impression that the
reader is not convinced that the measures we are going to are effective or
correct but instead feels that we have gone too far. (2)
Example 3:
We stepped out of the bar, but the noise continued because we were now standing
under the railway on stilts that circles Chicago – which is itself quite coaster-like.
Richard said something about ‘romantic adventure in the modern world’, and told me he
had ‘a thing’ coming up in Holiday Park, an amusement park near Frankfurt, Germany:
he intended to spend the entire summer, day after day, week after week, on one of the
new breed of metal megacoasters that have done so much to revive the fortunes of
amusement parks.
Explain the reason for:
(a) the inverted commas round the words ‘romantic adventure in the ‘modern world’ (2)
(b) the colon after the words ‘an amusement park near Frankfurt, Germany’. (2)
Example 3 answer:
We stepped out of the bar, but the noise continued because we were now standing
under the railway on stilts that circles Chicago – which is itself quite coaster-like.
Richard said something about ‘romantic adventure in the modern world’, and told me he
had ‘a thing’ coming up in Holiday Park, an amusement park near Frankfurt, Germany:
he intended to spend the entire summer, day after day, week after week, on one of the
new breed of metal megacoasters that have done so much to revive the fortunes of
amusement parks.
Answer:
(a) the writer has used inverted commas to show that she is quoting Richard word for word and
that the reader doesn’t fully appreciate or understand what Richard meant by this.
(b) The use of colon is to introduce the explanation of what the ‘romantic adventure’ and ‘thing
coming up’ was: it meant the entire summer in a German amusement park.
1. I was beginning to regret having lied – because of love, I suppose.
In what way does the sentence structure reveal the feelings of the writer? (be specific – look at the
punctuation which has been used)
2. He’s got this very loud laugh – laughing at nothing, if you know what I mean – and he stands
there, slurring his words because he’s had too much to drink.
How does the sentence structure used here reveal the feelings of the writer?
3. In the 1930s only the “superior” classes could travel in style.
What does the use of inverted commas suggest about the writer’s attitude towards the 1930’s class
system?
4. He lurked close by. Shadows. Footsteps echoed. I clenched my teeth. Held my breath.
Comment on the effectiveness of the sentence structure used above.
What does it reveal about the writer’s feelings at this point?
Word Choice is exactly as it says – a CHOICE. The writer has
CHOSEN to use a particular word over another in order to
achieve a desired effect on the reader.
The boy sauntered/ strut/ swaggered/ moped/ marched into
the room.
What do each of these different words reveal about the boy?
The meaning of the sentence changes entirely when a different
word is used.
How to answer a word choice question:
Step 1: State the denotation of the word (this is it’s definition)
Step 2: explain the connotations of the word (These are the
associations we give to words, the ideas we are made to think
of when we hear or read any given word. )
Step 3: Link it back to the question being asked
“new mother (pigs) are routinely confined in farrowing crates. The crates are
designed to stop sows crushing their young”
Explain how the writer’s word choice helps you to better understand his opinion of the
treatment of cows in the UK.
1. The word crushing comes from the word crush which means to
squash/mash
2. This suggests that the pigs are being packed so tightly that they are at
risk of being crushed to death if they are not confined to these crates.
This is quite a disturbing way to die.
3. This helps us to understand the negativity felt by the writer who
evidently believes that such conditions are appalling and inhumane.
1. “new mother (pigs) are routinely confined in
farrowing crates. The crates are designed to stop sows
crushing their young”
Explain how the writer’s word choice helps you to better understand his
opinion of the treatment of cows in the UK.
2. My guest was lying sprawled on his back. There was a
long knife through his heart which skewered him to the
floor.
Explain how the writer’s word choice adds to the horror of the scene
3. Tom cringed as Mr Connor leaned towards him.
Explain what the writer’s word choice ‘cringed’ tells us about the
relationship between the characters in this extract.
4. The figure was shrouded in a garment of deepest
black which concealed its head, its face, its form and
left nothing of it visible except outstretched hands
(a) What associations does the choice of ‘shrouded’ add to this scene?
(b) Compare the alternatives ‘covered’ or ‘cloaked’ instead.
5. A street urchin gnawed on the remains of a
hamburger he had retrieved from a bin
Explain how the writer’s word choice ‘gnawed’ helps you to understand
how the boy ate.
6. A lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire
Comment on the effectiveness of the word choice ‘feeble’ and explain how
it adds to the scene.
5. A street urchin gnawed on the remains of a
hamburger he had retrieved from a bin
Explain how the writer’s word choice ‘gnawed’ helps you to understand
how the boy ate.
6. A lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire
Comment on the effectiveness of the word choice ‘feeble’ and explain how
it adds to the scene.