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Comprehension, Interpretation and Language Activities

Mary M Firth Andrew G Ralston

Hodder Gibson

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Contents

Getting Started 2 Writing in Focus 1 7 At Last! Vindication for Working Mums Passages for Close Reading Practice 1 There’s S-no Xscape 11 Showing ‘Understanding’ 2 Solved: Why Women Obsess about their Food more than Men 17 Punctuation: colons, semi-colons and dashes 3 Teenagers 23 Formal and informal language 4 Right out of the Blue 29 Effective word choice 5 ‘I’m Not Scared!’ 33 Context questions 6 Flying Without Fear 37 Opening paragraphs 7 Taking the Train to Windsor 43 Summary 8 Doctor, Doctor, I Keep Catching New Medical Shows 49 Structuring an argument 9 God Save the Queen 55 Link questions 10 On the Orient Express 61 Sentence structure 11 A Grand Day for Gromit 67 Tone 12 A Child Star Grows Up 73 Anecdotes and illustrations 13 A Life Lived on the Edge 79 Emotive language 14 Germany’s Grown Up 85 Using your own words 15 London: a Timeless City 91 Imagery 16 Eat Up and Pay Up 97 Evaluation (1): evaluating the whole passage 17 Chav-Air 103 Evaluation (2): evaluating the conclusion Writing in Focus 2 109 Nothing, and I Mean Nothing, is Better Value than This Answers (in With Answers version only) 111 1 00-Reading-Prelims-cpp 19/3/07 09:51 Page 2

Getting Started

What on earth can I do to prepare for the Close Reading paper …?

Well, let’s deal with Close Reading papers first, which you get in Intermediate 2 and Higher exams. For the Reading Exams you get at Standard Grade, look at Page 6!

Everyone says the Close Reading paper is the worst part of the exam. Is it more difficult than the Critical Essay paper?

Students are often nervous because they know they will have to answer questions on a piece of writing they have not seen before. However, there are ways to prepare that will make this part of the exam less daunting. For example, you can work through the questions in past papers.

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Getting Started What is the point of doing past papers since we will get different passages and different questions? Practising past papers is useful in many ways; for example, in learning how to manage your time. It will also help you recognise certain types of questions that are often asked. You can learn how to approach the different types, and the most likely ways of gaining marks. And you will see that the passages do have a lot in common, too.

What kind of passage are we likely to get?

Firstly, it will be non-fiction. Unlike Secondly, the passage will have been the prose passages in Textual chosen to be entertaining. Many of Analysis, the Close Reading passage the passages are taken from will be factual. It may present ideas popular newspapers. Journalists and arguments on a current topic of must attract and capture the interest. A recent paper looked at interest of their readers. Most often how to make science more popular. they do so by being funny, or by Alternatively, it may be an account using an informal, witty, chatty of a writer’s personal experience. For style. However, they may aim to example, in another paper the writer captivate the audience in more was describing a boat journey he had serious ways, for example by being taken down the Mississippi. dramatic or emotional. As well as grasping the meaning, you must aim to pick up on the writer’s tone. 3 00-Reading-Prelims-cpp 19/3/07 09:51 Page 4

Close Reading 14–16

What kinds of questions will we be asked?

Most importantly, you should look essential to use quotations to at the code letter after each illustrate your comments. The letter question. ‘U’ stands for ‘E’ is for ‘Evaluation’: explaining how ‘Understanding’. These questions effective the writer is in putting test if you know what the writer is across his message. There will be saying. The important thing in these only one or two Evaluation questions is to use your own words. questions, usually at the end, asking The key ‘A’ stands for ‘Analysis’. You you to sum up the effect of the will be asked to comment on how the piece of writing. In these you must writer has expressed the ideas. As also use quotations to illustrate you will have to explain how the your comments. writer has used language, it will be

So how do you make sure you get good marks?

To begin with, here are some things As long as your answers can be that don’t affect the marks! Firstly, understood, you won’t lose marks there is no need to repeat the words for language errors. In many of the questions in your answers. It questions you don’t even need to just wastes time. Secondly, don’t write in sentences – note form or repeat yourself or write too much in bullet points will do. Of course, if you questions worth only 1 or 2 marks. are explaining something, which is Thirdly, don’t spend time worrying the case in Analysis and Evaluation over your own spelling and questions, you will make yourself expression. clearer if you write in sentences. 4 00-Reading-Prelims-cpp 19/3/07 09:51 Page 5

Getting Started

Are there any other tips for getting marks?

Yes. There are recommended methods – almost like formulae – for answering certain types of question. These include the so- called ‘context’ questions, where you must explain what a word means from its placing in the passage, or questions on linkage. Questions on imagery, word choice and sentence structure should also be approached in a particular way. Each of the practice papers in this book will be followed by advice on how to answer a particular type of question.

So, if we learn the formulae, will we pass?

It should certainly help! However, Always provide some sort of answer English is not like a science, and you – guess if necessary. A blank space must think about each question will never gain any marks. individually. There are also two more Watch your time! It’s important to tips which you should always keep in get down an answer to every mind. question, even if it means writing in note form. Any question left unanswered will always score zero! 5 00-Reading-Prelims-cpp 19/3/07 09:51 Page 6

Close Reading 14–16

A lot of the advice that’s just been given applies to Standard Grade Reading Exams as well, but please remember that in Standard Grade the passages can be from fiction (or any genre) as well as non-fiction. Also, in Standard Grade the questions do not have code letters ‘U’, ‘A’ and ‘E’ after them. The rest of this book uses these terms and continues to provide non-fiction passages for practice so that you will be better prepared for the future at either Intermediate 2 or Higher – but you should also be extremely well-prepared for Standard Grade as well!

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Writing in Focus 1

Sitting reading a newspaper might not seem like working!

In fact, it is one of the best ways to improve your understanding of written English.

Remember that most Close Reading passages in Intermediate and Higher English exams are written by journalists.

You should train yourself to be able to identify these language features:

• Different registers (i.e. formal and informal language; dialect; jargon) • Different kinds of sentence structures (lists; build-up to climax; use of colons, semi-colons and dashes) • Paragraph construction (e.g. the use of topic sentences and linking methods) • Imagery (particularly similes and metaphors) • Other special effects (alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.) • Rhetorical questions • Tone (humorous, serious, ironic, etc.) • Exaggeration (hyperbole) • Effective word choice.

For practice Working in pairs or groups, discuss how effectively these techniques are used in the newspaper article that follows.

To help you, some examples of language techniques have been underlined and explanations of some of the words are given in the footnotes. 7 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 8

Close Reading 14–16

• First of all, identify which technique is being used in each of the underlined examples. • Then discuss what you think the writer achieves by using these methods. For example, a writer may use a particular technique for one or more of these reasons: – to involve the reader – to create humour – to convey information – to create a descriptive effect – to make a link from one point to another – to stress the importance of something.

In the following article, journalist Carol Midgley comments on a report which claims that women who combine a full-time job with bringing up children may actually be improving their chances of a healthy life.

Extract At Last! Vindication1 for Working Mums

1 Well knock me down with an anti-static feather duster. Working mothers, also known as multi-tasking whirling dervishes2 who daily burn off more (nervous) energy than a NASA rocket launcher, tend to become less fat and less ill than those who stay at home. 5 Could anything be more obvious? When does someone who leaves the house at a run every day while scratching chocolate spread from her skirt, who spends her lunch breaks speed-shopping at Tesco and doing furtive3 internet research for her children’s homework projects, all the while trying to earn a living, ever get the chance to pile on pounds? 10 As for getting ill, well it’s not really an option. It’s tempting to cite research here showing that being at home all day can make women feel lonely and depressed while paid employment boosts self-esteem and thus the immune system. But the truth is probably that working mothers are too turbo-charged with adrenalin to notice the symptoms of even the Ebola virus. 15 I’m not suggesting that stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs) sit watching TV all day with a pack of Chocolate Hobnobs (though that would be my goal). Holding down a job is undoubtedly less knackering than chasing children around for 14 hours a day. But SAHMs do have permanent access to a fridge, something that I found challenging during my maternity leave as it drew me towards it like a wasp to a dollop of jam. 20 ➢

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Writing in Focus 1

Extract continued

If SAHMs are feeling poorly they visit the doctor. Working mothers exist in a state of denial, believing that anything can be nuked by industrial amounts of Nurofen Plus. Secretly, they think that unless they are firing on all cylinders civilisation will fall apart. 25 If this sounds faintly smug that’s probably because it is. Not only because it confounds all those deeply irritating surveys that claim that ‘housework burns off more calories than a workout at the gym!’, usually accompanied by a picture of an 18-inch waisted 1950s housewife, but also because working mothers are more pilloried4 than at any time in history. Piling on our guilt has become a 30 national sport. You can’t blame us for gloating on the rare occasions that we score a goal.

1 Vindication: justification; proving someone was right 2 Whirling dervish: a Muslim holy man who performs a whirling dance to reach a state of religious ecstasy 3 Furtive: sly, guilty, secretive 4 Pillory: wooden frame with holes for the head and hands of a guilty person who is then exposed to public ridicule ❏

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Chapter 1 There’s S-no Xscape

In this article, Edd McCracken describes how Glasgow’s Sno Zone offers young people the chance to improve their snowboarding skills all year round.

Extract

1 It’s the hottest day of the year. Like over-excited footballers, the good people of Glasgow are celebrating by shedding their clothes. Builders work on their lobster-red tans, while young men walk down Buchanan Street dazzling passers-by with their porcelain torsos. The Clyde looks almost swimmable – it’s 5 that hot. Considering these extraordinary circumstances, spending today inside a giant fridge where the temperature never creeps above -5∞ is rather perverse. But that’s where I find myself, snowboarding inside Xscape’s Sno Zone in Braehead. On real snow. 10 My guide through this faux-winter wonderland is ten-year-old championship skier and snowboarder Nicole Ritchie. Nicole is already a regular at Sno Zone. Within five minutes of meeting, she’s throwing snowballs at me while we are on the lift. ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

‘The snow is really good here – it tastes exactly the same as real snow too, 15 very nice,’ she says, this time sucking on a snowball, as opposed to throwing it. Nicole should know: she’s trained at the British Ski Team camp in the Alps and has a room full of trophies and awards. In some ways, the Sno Zone is better than the mountains, she says. ‘The snow here is like real snow, but if the snow wears away, there’s 20 artificial surface underneath, so you can still keep going whereas, on the mountain, if the snow wears away, you can’t keep going. It’s just rocks. The Austrians can’t train at the moment because there’s no snow there, but we’ve got an indoor place.’ It snows every night at Braehead. A total of sixteen snow guns fire cooled 25 water into air chilled to –2∞ making 1700 tonnes of real snow to cover the 200m slope and the 50m nursery slope, the biggest in the UK. Sadly, you can’t just launch yourself onto the piste. For safety reasons you need to be able to control your speed, link a turn and use the Poma lift before the staff will let you run riot. But fret not, lessons are available on the smaller 30 50m slope to bring you up to scratch. Nicole doesn’t need any lessons. She whizzes up and down the slope, over the rails and table tops, doing jumps and putting people three times her age to shame. Pete Kelly has nothing to fear from Nicole yet. He grinds down one of the 35 rails, creating enough heat in this ice box to send sparks flying, before doing a 360 over a jump. He is in awe of the younger kids whizzing about the slope. ‘It’s the same with any sport – start young, grow up to be a genius,’ he says. ‘Some of the kids can bounce and flex, unlike older people. Young people bounce, old people break.’ 40 As ever, the continuous sound track to the frosty festivities is rib-shuddering hip-hop, its relaxed bass thud the perfect accompaniment to a sport that is devilishly hard to make look laid-back and easy. There’s a healthy mix of dare- devils busting extreme moves, with plenty of people taking baby steps (more like stumbles) off the table tops. 45 Families look in from behind the glass, their faces a mixture of wonder and bemusement as they gaze at a mini-Narnia scene, hidden in the corner of a retail park just outside Glasgow. From the slopes, it’s like being a performing dolphin on the inside of an aquarium. The session draws to a close. The boarders make their way outside into the 50 balmy air. Snowboard boots are swapped for sandals and baggy trousers for baggy shorts. Amongst them all the excited chatter is the same – it’s going to be a long, cold summer. ❏

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There’s S-no Xscape

Questions

1 The writer creates various contrasts between paragraphs one and two. In your own words, explain one example of these contrasts. 2 A

2 In paragraph one (lines 1–5) the author uses imagery (similes and metaphors) to suggest that Glasgow people are not used to hot weather. Choose any two of these images and explain how effective you find them. 4 A/E

3 ‘On real snow’ (line 9). How appropriate do you find this sentence as a conclusion to paragraph two? 2 A

4 Quote the word from paragraph two (lines 6–9) which describes the writer’s feelings about the idea of snowboarding on a hot day. 1 U

5 In your own words, explain two pieces of evidence from paragraph 4 (lines 14–18) which show that ten-year-old Nicole Ritchie is an expert skier and snowboarder. 2 U

6 In your own words, explain why Nicole Ritchie believes that ‘In some ways, the Sno Zone is better than the mountains’ (lines 17–18). 2 U

7 ‘It snows every night at Braehead’ (line 24). Show how the sentence that follows (lines 24–26) expands on this statement. 2 A

8 ‘Nicole doesn’t need any lessons’ (line 31). Show how this sentence forms a link between the previous paragraph and the one that follows. 2 A

9 In your own words, explain one way in which Pete Kelly considers young people to have an advantage when it comes to ski-ing and snowboarding. 2 U

10 a) In paragraph 11 (lines 40–44) the writer describes the different types of people who take part in snowboarding at the Sno Zone. Show how his word choice is effective in conveying (i) the risks taken by the more experienced (ii) the beginners’ lack of skill. 4 A

b) Quote the expression that conveys the writer’s attitude to the fact that both skilled and unskilled snowboarders are taking part. 1 U

11 Read paragraph 12 (lines 45–48). Comment on any aspects of the word choice and imagery that you find helpful in conveying to the reader (a) what the scene looks like to the spectators behind the glass and (b) how those on the slopes feel about the spectators. 4 A

12 In what ways might the last sentence be considered an appropriate conclusion to this article? 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30 13 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 14

Close Reading 14–16

Taking a closer look . . . Showing ‘Understanding’ Questions marked ‘U’ for Understanding are simply testing whether you know what a writer means. Sometimes these questions will test your knowledge of single words or expressions, as in the case of question 10b, where the answer was ‘a healthy mix’.

For practice (1) Quote a word or expression from the passage which corresponds to each of the following definitions. The lines where the answer is to be found are given in brackets.

1 pale, like fine china (lines 1–5) 2 contrary (lines 6–9) 3 fake (lines 10–13) 4 specially prepared slope (lines 27–30) 5 worry (lines 27–30) 6 respect (lines 34–36) 7 bend (lines 37–39) 8 puzzlement (lines 45–48) 9 shopping centre (lines 45–48) 10 warm and still (lines 49–52)

Finding evidence Other questions test your understanding by asking for ‘evidence’. You will almost always be told which lines of the passage contain the ‘evidence’. What you must do is find the information in these lines which shows that you understand what the writer means. You should then express this, using your own words as far as possible.

Remember to look carefully at the number of marks in the question. Sometimes the questions will tell you how many pieces of ‘evidence’ you must give. If not, try to write down one piece of evidence for each available mark.

Question 5 above was an example of this type of question. You were asked to explain two pieces of evidence from lines 14–18 which showed that Nicole Ritchie was an expert skier and snowboarder. The words that contained this evidence were ‘championship’; ‘trained at the British Ski Team camp’ and ‘room full of trophies and awards’.

Tip: Use your own words! If you were to copy these words straight from the passage without further explanation you would be unlikely to get any marks.

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There’s S-no Xscape

A good answer might have read like this:

One piece of evidence that she is an expert is that she is a ‘championship’ skier, which means she competes at the top level. This is confirmed by the information that she trains with the British Ski Team, who are the best in the country. A second piece of evidence is the large number of prizes in her room showing she has won many competitions.

For practice (2) Answer the following additional ‘Understanding’ questions, making sure that you present the ‘evidence’ in your own words.

1 Explain two pieces of evidence from lines 10–23 which show that Nicole Ritchie was confident and relaxed with the writer. 2 Explain two pieces of evidence from the first half of the passage (lines 1–26) that tell the reader Sno Zone is extremely large. 3 Explain two pieces of evidence from lines 27–30 that tell the reader the staff at Sno Zone are very safety-conscious. 4 Explain two pieces of evidence from lines 34–36 that tell the reader Pete Kelly is a top-class snowboarder. 5 Explain two pieces of evidence from lines 40–44 that tell the reader the background music at Sno Zone is very loud.

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Chapter 2 Solved: Why Women Obsess about their Food more than Men

Jo Macfarlane describes new research which sheds some light on why men and women react to food in different ways.

Extract

1 If a woman is tempted into having an extra slice of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain. Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently – and much more strongly – than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting 5 pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to go into stimulation when faced with any kind of food. Chocolate is a guilty pleasure and counting calories a feature of daily life for many women. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat. 10 Women may even be biologically conditioned to react differently to food. The research also explains why they are more likely to diet – because they are constantly trying to justify whatever they eat. Dr Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic 15 resonance imaging (fMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women. ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

Some of the people in the sample had eaten normally and others had been asked to fast for the previous twenty-four hours. The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were monitored by the scientists. 20 They found that the occipitotemporal cortex – the area of the brain that monitors and reflects how other parts of the brain react to the food – registered the strongest activity. And the female brains reacted much more strongly than their male counterparts. The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. 25 The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to do. They also make more decisions about whether they should eat it. Dr Uher told New Scientist magazine: ‘This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.’ 30 Dr Uher’s research group is now extending its study to look at patients with eating disorders and obesity. Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said: ‘I think they’re really on to something with this. For centuries women have had a providing role – preparing and cooking food for their families. And it’s part of that role to make sure the food 35 is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food is a neurological stimulant for women, and a comfort.’ 40 But other experts have warned that more research must be done before the results can be confirmed. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said: ‘Looking at an fMRI alone cannot confirm whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate differences or a learned process.’ ❏

Questions

1 Explain clearly one way in which the title of the article is appropriate. 2 A

2 Quote the words from paragraph one which best sum up the main point the writer is making in this article. 1 U

3 Comment on the effectiveness of the expression ‘decades of dieting pressure’ (lines 4–5). 2 A 18 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 19

Solved: Why Women Obsess about their Food more than Men

4 Look again at lines 6–9. In your own words, explain the main difference between men’s and women’s attitudes to food. 2 U

5 Explain the function of the dash in line 11. 2 A

6 In your own words, state the main findings of the experiments carried out by Dr Rudolf Uher using brain scanning technology. 2 U

7 a) The writer employs technical jargon at some points in the passage. Quote two examples of this kind of language. 1 A

b) Comment on the effectiveness of the author’s use of such expressions. 2 A

8 Look again at lines 27–29.

a) In your own words, state the two alternative explanations of why men and women react to food differently. 2 U

b) Which of these explanations does Dr Uher find more convincing? 1 U

c) Quote an expression that tells you this. 1 A

9 a) Quote an expression from lines 30–39 that shows Professor Carey Cooper’s view of the research findings. 1 U

b) Explain how the author establishes a conversational tone here. 1 A

10 Show how the sentence ‘But other experts . . . can be confirmed’ (lines 40–41) provides a link between the previous paragraph and the one that follows. 2 A

11 To what extent does American scientist Angelo del Parigi support the research findings of Dr Uher? 2 U

12 Give the meaning of the word ‘innate’ (line 43) and explain how the rest of the sentence helps you to work this out. 2 A

13 By referring to any two techniques used in the passage, comment on how convincing you find the author’s argument. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Punctuation: colons, semi-colons and dashes Students often confuse the colon and semi-colon. A colon is made up of two dots (:) and a semi-colon combines a dot and a comma (;).

They each have different functions. 19 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 20

Close Reading 14–16

• A colon introduces a quotation. For example, line 27 of the passage says: Dr Uher told New Scientist magazine: ‘This could be related to biological differences between men and women.’

A colon can also be used to introduce a list or an explanation: There can only be one explanation of his behaviour: he is completely mad. • A semi-colon marks the end of a sentence, but less firmly than a full stop does. It is most often used where a sentence is closely related to the one that follows it. For example, the second one might provide a contrast or balance to the previous one. My parents like to get up early at the weekend; I would rather have a long lie.

Remember: when a semi-colon is used it would often be quite acceptable to put a full stop instead, but it would be wrong to put a comma.

A dash can be used in a similar way to a colon – to introduce an explanation. The writer does this in lines 33–34: For centuries women have had a providing role – preparing and cooking food for their families.

Two dashes can be used to mark off an extra piece of information in the middle of a sentence, a technique known as parenthesis. The writer uses this technique in lines 20–22. They found that the occipitotemporal cortex – the area of the brain that monitors and reflects how other parts of the brain react to food – registered the strongest activity.

A definition of the technical medical term is given between the dashes.

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Solved: Why Women Obsess about their Food more than Men

For practice Read the following extracts.

Identify examples of dashes, colons and semi-colons and discuss the purposes for which these are used.

a) 1 Every computer games player has dreamt of working in the electronic games industry. If you are one of those, now might be your chance to shine: the market is booming and companies need all the gifted people they can get. But creating fantastic games takes more than just programming; platforms 5 are becoming more powerful by the day and consumers’ expectations have grown – increasing the demand for cutting-edge artwork, graphics and sound. If you are passionate about games and would rather be saving – or destroying! – the world on your computer than anything else, that’s a good start to your career. Ken Levine, CEO and creative director of US developer 10 Irrational Games, says: ‘If you are going to come home from your job or school at night and spend your spare time preparing game mods – customised modifications – it’s because you are passionate about games.’

b) 1 Futuroscope is France’s second largest attraction after – you guessed it – Disneyland. There’s plenty to see and do but it’s most famous for its five vast cinemas and gut-churning simulator rides that use Imax technology. The 450- seater Kinema cinema has a shimmering, spiky outside; inside, it houses one of 5 the world’s largest flat movie screens – 30 metres high! The Magic Carpet Cinema was designed to look like a bunch of optical fibres – but it looks more like a huge church organ. Inside, things get even more weird: sitting in one of the 250 luxurious armchair seats I found myself staring at a giant 672 m2 screen. As the film started rolling, I was glad of one thing: that 10 I hadn’t stuffed myself at lunchtime. The IMAX Magic Carpet system uses Double IMAX technology: two films are projected simultaneously from two separate projection rooms, one above and one below – a very clever way of totally immersing you in a 2D film.

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Chapter 3 Teenagers

What is it like to be a teenager? Journalist Penny Wark contacted 500 young people to find out. The results of her experiment surprised her . . .

Extract

1 It occurred to us one day that we didn’t know what teenagers are like. We know what we think they are like, we know all the clichés, and we know what we were like at that age. But however amusing it is to propagate the notion that teenagers grunt and slouch and get cross and go red and qualify as little more than a sub- 5 species that might one day grow into humans, we suspected that there was more to them than that, and that we ought to try to understand them better. So we invited teenagers to write to us, explaining what it feels like to be them. We received more than 500 responses, some angry, some sad, many raw and all fiercely articulate about the complex condition of being stuck in the 10 hinterland between childhood and fully fledged adulthood. At the same time I travelled around Britain, talking to dozens of teenagers I had never met before. Not one was remotely like Harry Enfield’s Kevin the teenager and – shock, horror – many were pleasant, well-adjusted young people feeling their way sensibly, and sometimes a little stupidly, through adolescence. 15 As one should. ➢ 23 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 24

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

But there were others who were clearly troubled. Some I found myself mentoring, telling them that things would get better. Some moved me profoundly, making me want to protect them even though I knew that I couldn’t, and that it would be dishonest to pretend that I could. It struck me that 20 their most immediate need was a good hug, and that was the problem: there was no one in their family who cared for them enough to notice. What did I discover? That a teenager who has loving, caring, supportive and unselfish parents will, eventually in some cases, cope. That a teenager who has one loving, caring, supportive and unselfish parent will also cope. And that 25 there are a significant number of teenagers whose parents are either physically or emotionally absent from their children, or both, and these teenagers will struggle and may fail. So while it is obvious that parenting matters, it’s clear that just as there are some disadvantaged mothers who have children with little thought for their 30 welfare, and who neglect their children from the day they are born, there are also plenty of middle-class parents who are too self-absorbed to put in place the barriers that make children feel safe. Asian families tend not to be among them: six of the 36 teenagers I interviewed are Asian and each was remarkably calm – sorted, they would say. Their families are strong and structured, they live in a 35 defined community and their religious faith means that many of the complications teenagers feel they need to address – sex, drinking, drug taking – are not options, so they don’t have to worry about them. And they don’t. Looking at the written and verbal accounts of teenagerdom together, one more thing emerged. Teenagers hate being stereotyped. They hate adults who 40 tell them what they are like and how they feel: they want to have their say without adult filtering or analysis. ❏

Questions

1 In paragraph one the author describes what many people think of teenagers.

a) In your own words, state what this opinion is. 1 U

b) Justify your answer by giving two close references to the passage. 2 A

2 Quote an expression that shows the writer does not share this view. 1 A

3 Look at lines 7–10. The writer talks of teenagers as ‘being stuck in the hinterland between childhood and fully fledged adulthood.’ 24 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 25

Teenagers

a) Explain what she means by this. 1 U

b) Choose one example of the author’s word choice in this sentence and explain how it helps you to understand the point she is making. 2 A

4 Find a word from paragraph two (lines 7–10) that means ‘able to express your opinion in a fluent way.’ 1 U

5 a) What conclusion did the author come to after travelling round Britain talking to teenagers? (lines 11–15). 2 U

b) How does her use of punctuation show that she was surprised by what she found? 2 A

6 Read lines 16–21.

a) What does the writer identify as the main thing lacking in many teenagers’ lives? 1 U

b) Explain the function of the colon in line 20. 2 A

7 ‘What did I discover?’ (Line 22). Comment on the importance of this sentence in the development of the argument of the whole passage. 2 A

8 The phrase ‘physically or emotionally absent’ (lines 25–26) means:

a) the parents are never at home

b) the parents are at home but do not show much affection to their son or daughter

c) both of the above. 1 U

9 Read lines 28–37.

In your own words, explain the ways in which the author considers (a) ‘some disadvantaged mothers’ and (b) ‘plenty of middle-class parents’ contribute to the problems experienced by their children. 4 U

10 In your own words, explain two reasons why the author thinks that teenagers from Asian families feel more secure. 2 U

11 How effective is the author’s use of the word ‘sorted’ (line 34)? 2 A

12 ‘Teenagers hate being stereotyped’ (line 39). Give the meaning of ‘stereotyped’ and explain how the rest of the sentence helps you to work it out. 2 A

13 The author states that her aim in this passage was ‘to try to understand [teenagers] better’. Comment on how successful you feel she has been in achieving this purpose. 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30 25 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 26

Close Reading 14–16

Taking a closer look . . . Formal and informal language The spoken English used in everyday conversation can be described as informal language. We use • Shortened forms of words (abbreviations) like don’t, can’t, isn’t, etc. • Slang expressions • Personal pronouns like I and you. I think he’s really cool, don’t you?

Written language tends to be more formal. • Shortened forms are written in full (do not, cannot, is not). • The word choice will be more precise, correct and perhaps more complicated. • The tone will not be chatty or personal. • There will be more emphasis on information and ideas rather than on feelings.

For practice (1) The passage on Teenagers makes use of both formal and informal language (sometimes referred to as register). • Draw up two columns. • Head one ‘formal’ and the other ‘informal’. • Then write out the following phrases under the heading you think describes each one best.

Even though I knew that I couldn’t

What did I discover?

Propagate the notion

Physically or emotionally absent

They don’t have to worry about them

They live in a defined community

Sorted

Adult filtering or analysis

Their families are strong and structured

Shock, horror

And they don’t 26 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 27

Teenagers

For practice (2) In pairs or groups, discuss the style of the following extracts. Decide which ones are formal and which ones are informal, and identify the language features that help you to decide. (Note that an extract is not necessarily completely formal or completely informal. Writers often use a combination of registers.)

a) Picture this: you’re aboard a luxurious cruise ship somewhere in the north Atlantic, it’s New Year’s Eve, you’re happy and the vibe is good. Then a huge wave crashes into the ship. It jolts, turns upside down and you’re thrown from the floor to the ceiling! That’s what happens to the tonnes of rich folk and crew aboard the Poseidon. We’re talking total disaster as bodies are flung out to sea, crushed and burned. The captain wants the survivors to stay put and wait to be rescued but a small group think that’s nuts and the only way to survive is to find a way off the ship before it sinks.

b) Tetrodotoxin is one of the strongest poisons on the planet – 10,000 times more deadly than cyanide. It’s found in poison arrow frogs, puffer fish, and the beautiful but deadly blue ringed octopus. It kills by stopping the lungs working. Consequently, victims suffocate and their lips and tongue turn blue. Weight for weight it is 100 times more lethal than black widow spider venom. The amount of poison in one puffer fish alone could kill thirty people and there is no antidote.

c) So, just how personal is your personal computer? Does the background pic show your fave celeb, or just the big green field that Microsoft put there?

Personalising your PC is easy. You can ditch the bland background and get a proper pic in place.

In fact, it’s so easy on Windows XP, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it before. The hard part is actually choosing a pic in the first place. Some sites have tons of pics you can use. There are plenty of fan sites for celebs and bands where you can download screen-sized pics. And for all-round personalisation, why not download a wallpaper to your phone while you’re at it?

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Close Reading 14–16

d) People only bother to learn to calculate stuff like forces, impact speeds and momentum to pass their science exams at school, right? Wrong. If you’re strapped into a Formula One car hurtling round a circuit at over 200 mph, you’ll want to know the engineers and designers have worked out exactly how it will respond if it suddenly comes off the track or smashes into one of its competitors.

However, motor racing isn’t the only sport in which collisions of one sort or another are likely. Some of these impacts are accidental, while others are essential to the sport. After all, it would be a boring game of football if there was no tackling.

For practice (3) Cut out an article from a newspaper or magazine that you read. Decide whether it is written in a formal or informal style, or a mixture of both. Underline some examples of these different styles.

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Chapter 4 Right out of the Blue

Awash with talent, young Scots swimmers are lengths ahead of the rest of the UK.

Extract

1 Think of Scottish sporting success and you’ll be thinking for a long time. There’s been the occasional, glorious spark in football, such as Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967, Archie Gemmill’s goal in 1978, or Aberdeen winning the Cup Winner’s Cup in 1983, but this is ancient history. Likewise, 5 Alan Wells, our Olympic champion in the ultimate athletic discipline, the 100m, won that title over a quarter of a century ago. Rugby grand slams have been absent from these parts since 1990. All of which makes what happened in Melbourne in March 2006 even more startling. Put simply, Scotland ruled the pool at the Commonwealth Games. 10 Australia may have won the most medals as expected, but the big story was Scotland walking away with twelve medals, six of which were gold. ‘The Australians’ reaction was of immediate shock, and then disbelief,’ says Gary Peterson, one of the assistant coaches with the Scottish team. ‘They knew Scotland existed, but only as a beautiful country. So there was shock at the huge 15 impact the Scots had in the pool.’ ➢ 29 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 30

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

Gary and I are talking at the Scottish National Open Age Group Championships in Glasgow’s Tollcross Park Leisure Centre. It’s the first major under-18 competition since the Commonwealth Games, and Gary has come back to Scotland with a splash. He hasn’t even been home to Aberdeen yet from 20 Melbourne, but he’s here coaching South Aberdeenshire swimming. Screaming, laughing and cheers echo around the packed arena. ‘Go Rachel! Go!’ yells one parent in the stands, waving like a punter at the horse races. Coaches, trainers and judges, dressed in surgical white, stalk the poolside, clipboards and stopwatches attached. Team mates stand at the top of each lane, 25 encouraging their friends towards their personal best and away from a humiliating last place. Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust bellows from the speakers every time a Scottish age record is broken. It is played a lot today. Trying to make out what someone is saying in conversation amid the hubbub is tough – like an aural kaleidoscope. But the smiles on faces, and 30 enthusiastic gestures tell their own story about the state of Scottish swimming. But what does it cost to become a member of this new generation of swimmers? Speaking to aspiring Olympian Adrian O’Neill, quite a lot. ‘It’s a really hard sport,’ says the fifteen-year old. ‘You have to be really focused on it if you want to achieve anything. All your friends are having 35 parties and you just have to say “No, I’ve got to train”. That’s hard. But it’s worthwhile, and it’s fun.’ Like most swimmers Adrian gets up at 5 am to train for two hours in the pool before heading to school. Then it’s a few more hours of swimming before hitting the sack. Staying up until 9 pm is seen as extravagant. 40 As if on cue, the commentator starts bellowing. Swimmers from Manchester and Middlesbrough who had been leading throughout the 400m individual medley start to tire. ‘And it’s Blaine Small from Glenrothes out in front!’ screams the announcer. Seconds later Scotland has another victor in the pool. We could get used to this. ❏

Questions

1 How does the author’s word choice in the headline and sub-heading entertain the reader? 2 A

2 Explain how the examples given in paragraph one reinforce the points made in the opening sentence of the passage. 2 U/A 30 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 31

Right out of the Blue

3 Comment on the effectiveness of any aspect of the structure of the first sentence in paragraph one. 2 A

4 How suitable do you find the author’s choice of the word ‘spark’ in line 2? 2 A

5 Comment on the tone of ‘but this is ancient history’ (line 4). 2 A

6 Explain how the first sentence in paragraph two (lines 8–11) forms an effective link. 2 A

7 What is the effect of ‘walking away with’ rather than, say, ‘winning’ in line 11? 2 A

8 Explain how the Australians reacted to the success of Scotland’s swimmers. 2 U

9 Comment on the effectiveness of ‘Gary has come back to Scotland with a splash’ (lines 18–19). 2 A

10 Re-read lines 21–22. Explain how the author uses word choice and imagery here to convey the atmosphere inside the leisure centre. 3 A

11 a) What impression does the writer give of the ‘coaches, trainers and judges’ (lines 23–24)? 1 U

b) By referring to two examples, show how he uses word choice to create this effect. 2 A

12 What evidence is given to support the comment that swimming is ‘a really hard sport’ (line 33)? 2 U

13 The writer’s main purpose in this passage is to convince the reader of the success of Scottish swimmers.

Identify any two techniques he uses and comment on how well you believe he has achieved his purpose. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Effective word choice Often you will be asked to comment on why a particular choice of word or phrase is effective, as in question 7 above.

To answer this type of question, you should consider: • why the writer has chosen that word and not another one with a similar meaning • what extra associations the chosen word brings to mind, over and above its basic ‘dictionary’ meaning – i.e. what are the connotations of the word? 31 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 32

Close Reading 14–16

For example

If we say ‘I hammered at the door’ rather than ‘I knocked at the door’, the choice of the word ‘hammered’ suggests that the knocking was done in a forceful, angry, impatient manner.

On the other hand, the connotations of ‘knocking’ are more neutral. The word doesn’t reveal anything of the manner in which the action was carried out.

For practice For written work or group discussion

Comment on the effectiveness of the underlined words in each of the following examples:

1 There’s been the occasional, glorious spark in football, such as Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967. (The writer might have chosen to say ‘bright’.)

2 100m Olympic champion Alan Wells won that title over a quarter of a century ago. (The writer might have chosen to say ‘25 years ago’.)

3 Scotland ruled the pool at the Commonwealth Games.

4 Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust bellows from the speakers every time a Scottish age record is broken.

5 Staying up until 9 pm is seen as extravagant.

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Chapter 5 ‘I’m Not Scared!’

In this passage, the novelist Julie Myerson thinks about why she enjoys horror films, while other people hate them.

Extract

1 Sunday lunch at my sister-in-law’s. We’re discussing a new horror film in which our 13-year-old, acting-mad, nephew Caspar landed a small role. Though everyone wants to see him in his first feature film, his mum won’t see the film (too scary) and neither will his granny nor his uncle (my scaredy-cat husband). 5 Caspar’s dad has seen it and says it’s pretty frightening but ‘not in a disturbing way’. My children and I are keen to see it – especially my 14-year-old, who is magnetically attracted to any 15 certificate. In his defence, he points out that this hasn’t stopped Caspar himself seeing it. For years now, my husband and I have slugged it out on whether or not it’s 10 good to be scared by art. I’m still cross that I never got to see The Blair Witch Project because he wouldn’t come and I didn’t (quite) dare go alone. So it’s interesting to discover that, despite being the mother of a horror movie star, my husband’s sister feels exactly the same. ‘These things just stay with me,’ she says, with a shudder. ‘They haunt me.’ ➢ 33 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 34

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

15 My husband’s angle is that he gets nothing whatsoever from it, so why put himself through it? But that’s the whole point, I say, to put yourself through it! I don’t like watching violence, but I find it both fun and useful to be frightened – spooked, terrified, scared witless! – by movies. And the reason they don’t haunt me afterwards (not for long anyway) is that nothing that I 20 encounter is ever much worse than the dark material that already exists in my own head. But then what does this say about me and my head? Do my husband and his sister have much sunnier minds than I do? Or is their dark stuff just as dark, except they won’t go there? As a novelist, I know I write about the things that 25 frighten me – loss, fear, the raw black edges of life. Being allowed to do this makes me feel safe. Writing lets me peer over into that dark abyss of fear while knowing I can pull back at any time. Speaking of fear, I remember a rare time when I was truly frightened and not in a harmless way. Researching a novel a few years ago, I thought I should 30 visit a Victorian prison. It did not look especially worrying when I arrived there one sunny weekday morning – even though I seemed to be the only visitor. I paid my money and went in, obediently following the yellow-arrowed trail that led into a maze of dark tunnels and dungeons. After two minutes, I realised that a) I was utterly alone, b) it was abysmally dark, c) I could hear someone 35 crying, and d) I had no idea how much more there was. Yet e) if I turned back now, I could easily lose my way and no one would hear me screaming down there. There was literally no going back. My heart was thumping and I could hear the pounding of my own blood as I made my way deeper and deeper into the 40 dank stone maze. When I finally emerged into the sunlight, I was shaking and sweaty. I haven’t thought about it in a long time, but, while writing this, I just googled it, only to discover that it’s one of the most haunted sites in Britain. Now they tell me! ❏

Questions

1 According to the writer, what was the main topic of conversation at Sunday lunch? 1 U

2 The author uses a chatty, informal style in the first paragraph. Pick out two expressions which are examples of this. 2 A 34 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 35

‘I’m Not Scared!’

3 ‘Pretty frightening, but not in a disturbing way’ (lines 5–6). In your own words, explain exactly what you think Caspar’s father meant by this. 2 U

4 The writer says her 14-year-old is ‘magnetically attracted’ to any 15-certificate film (line 7). Explain how the writer’s use of metaphor helps make her meaning clear in this statement. 2 A

5 a) Explain what the writer means by ‘art’ in line 10. 1 U

b) Explain how the context helps you arrive at this meaning. 1 U

6 Read lines 11–14 ‘So it’s interesting . . . haunt me.’ In your own words, explain exactly why the writer’s sister-in-law does not enjoy horror films. 2 U

7 Read lines 15–16 ‘My husband’s angle . . . through it!’ Explain in your own words why the writer’s husband does not go to horror films. 2 U

8 Explain what you think the writer means in line 16 when she says ‘the whole point [is] to put yourself through it’. 2 U

9 Read lines 17–21 ‘I don’t like . . . own head.’

a) Using quotation to support your answer, show how the writer uses word choice, sentence structure and punctuation to develop her idea of being frightened in the cinema. 3 A

b) How does the phrase in parenthesis ‘not for long anyway’ (line 19) affect both the meaning and tone of the sentence in which it is used? 2 U/A

10 ‘Speaking of fear, I remember a rare time when I was truly frightened and not in a harmless way.’ (lines 28–29)

Show how this sentence acts as a link in the argument. 2 A

11 Read lines 38–41 ‘There was . . . sweaty’. Explain how the writer’s word choice effectively conveys her feelings of fear in the Victorian prison. 3 A

12 When the writer looks up the Victorian prison on the Internet she discovers it is ‘one of the most haunted sites in Britain’ (line 43). Is there any evidence in the passage that she might agree with this view? 1 U

13 Explain how the writer’s style effectively captures the reader’s interest in the passage as a whole. Refer to at least two of: word choice; tone; use of parenthesis; colloquial language; sentence structure. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

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Close Reading 14–16

Taking a closer look . . . Context questions Look again at question 5. You were asked to explain the meaning of the word ‘art’, by thinking about the context – how it is used in the passage.

‘Art’ usually means painting. But that would not make sense here. The meaning must have the wider sense of ‘work of imagination’ or ‘visual creation’. Suggesting an appropriate meaning will gain 1 mark.

We know this because the writer refers to a film, The Blair Witch Project, as an example of ‘art’ which may frighten the viewer. Such an explanation will gain 1 mark.

For practice Try the following examples. Even if you already know the meaning, think about how the context helps make it clear.

If you have no idea of the meaning, refer to a dictionary, and then attempt the second part of the question.

1 a) Explain what the writer means by ‘sunnier’ in line 23. (1) b) Explain how the context helps you arrive at this meaning. (1)

2 a) Explain what the writer means by ‘abyss’ in line 26. (1) b) Explain how the context helps you arrive at this meaning. (1)

3 a) Explain what the writer means by ‘researching’ in line 29. (1) b) Explain how the context helps you arrive at this meaning. (1)

4 a) Explain what the writer means by ‘maze’ in line 33. (1) b) Explain how the context helps you arrive at this meaning. (1) 36 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 37

Chapter 6 Flying Without Fear

In this passage Mark Stratton describes how he benefited from going on a course designed to help people overcome their fear of flying.

Extract

1 If you were offered a free first-class air-ticket to anywhere, with a five-star hotel on arrival and £50,000 spending money, chances are you’d be delighted. Yet psychologist David Landau’s generous offer was being flatly refused. ‘How about £500,000?’ he persisted, increasing his offer in front of an assembled 5 audience of nervous flyers. ‘Still no,’ replied Dawn. Bribery, it seemed, wasn’t going to get her airborne. It’s estimated that ten million people in Britain suffer from fear of flying. For some, this represents a phobia that will ground sufferers; for most, it simply means flying with heightened anxiety. Yet it can easily ruin a trip if you’re 10 fretting about your return flights as soon as you arrive. Despite flying over twenty times each year, I’ve never liked it. My big problem is take-off. Palms sweat as soon as we taxi onto the runway and by lift- off I’m gripping the armrests so tightly they could snap. As we ascend, I’m acutely aware of the slightest variation in engine pitch as a nagging little voice 15 in my head whispers: ‘Engine failure is imminent; we’re all about to die.’ ➢ 37 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 38

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

Fortunately, my wanderlust always overcomes my anxiety. And once we’re cruising I really quite enjoy flying. Well, at least until the meals arrive. But, like many nervous flyers, I’ve also developed a rather irrational ritual as a coping strategy for take-off. I clutch a pendant (a carved leatherback turtle from Costa 20 Rica) in one hand and cross myself three times with the other – particularly illogical as I’m a self-professed atheist. Nevertheless, I subconsciously believe that this ritual will help keep us airborne. It was time to seek some professional help. Virgin Atlantic has been running Flying Without Fear courses since 1997, 25 helping over 10,000 people to jettison their fears. The day-long seminars lift-off from airports around the country. What makes these confidence-building courses unique is that, after time in the classroom, participants put the theory to test on a short flight. Proceedings started with us dividing into small groups for a brainstorming session. We listed 30 what we disliked about flying: strange noises, turbulence, cabin claustrophobia, and so on. The course-trainers were truly up against it. Enter current Virgin Airbus 340 pilots David Kistruck and Dom Riley. With a humorous repertoire of science and technical information, they explained just how safe modern jets are. They started with some physics, explaining how the 35 concept of ‘lift’ ensures aeroplanes can actually fly without engines just in case one or two drop off mid-flight. And they offered well-honed responses to floods of questions unleashed from the hall’s nervy gathering. Yes, pilots undergo regular and rigorous training. Yes, aeroplanes are maintained thoroughly. Yes, there are multiple hydraulic systems in case one fails. No, the intercom ‘bing 40 bongs’ are not coded messages of doom. And wings wobble because if they were rigid ‘it would be like driving a Reliant Robin down a cobbled street with no suspension.’ I found their presentation on the mechanical noises experienced during take- off particularly helpful. ‘The first clunk is good,’ said Captain Riley, ‘as it 45 means eight tonnes of undercarriage have safely retracted.’ Then, at 450m, a sudden throttling back of power (which always sends my pulse racing) is actually allowing the wing-flaps to straighten to increase aerodynamic efficiency. The captains then headed straight into turbulence – the bête noire of all 50 nervous flyers. No commercial flight has ever been brought down by turbulence, they reassured. In fact, your main threat during turbulence, quipped Captain Kistruck, ‘is somebody standing above you with a hot coffee.’ As departure time beckoned it fell upon psychoanalyst and Einstein- lookalike David Landau to relax our minds for take-off. ‘Fear has two enemies,’ ➢ 38 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 39

Flying Without Fear

Extract continued

55 he began, ‘knowledge and laughter.’ Landau encouraged us to reduce pre-flight tension by laughing at the doom-laden negativity surrounding airports (words like ‘terminal’, ‘departure lounge’ and ‘final destination’ aren’t too jolly, are they?). We were told we suffer from fear, not phobias, which can be overcome. A phobic wouldn’t have made it to Heathrow, he claimed. Finally, we were 60 lulled into a session of meditative deep breathing to banish the ‘ball of fear’ from the pit of our stomachs. Eventually the coaches arrive to take us to Terminal (ha-ha-ha!) One. For one lady, it was all too much – she ejected before we even began to taxi. Captain Kistruck provided a running commentary as we set off for a half-hour spin 65 around north London. There were no screams on take-off, although some of my fellow flyers exhibited less colour than an in-flight salad. After circling in cloudless skies, we returned to earth. Applause broke out on touchdown – like landing in Latin America after a transatlantic flight. I’ll wait for my next ‘solo’ flight before deciding if I’ve truly benefited. But 70 the omens look good – behind me I heard an excited voice comment: ‘Shame there wasn’t a little more turbulence.’ It was Dawn. ❏

Questions

1 Quote the sentence from lines 1–6 that best sums up the point the author is making in paragraph one. 1 U

2 Basing your answer on paragraph two (lines 7–10), explain in your own words two possible effects that fear of flying can have on passengers. 2 U

3 a) Why is it surprising that the writer suffers from a fear of flying? 1 U

b) Explain two ways in which he conveys the effects of this fear in paragraph three (lines 11–15). 2 A

4 What does the author mean when he says ‘my wanderlust always overcomes my anxiety’ (line 16)? 2 U

5 Explain how the author makes fun of his fear in the rest of paragraph four (lines 16–22). 2 A

6 Show how the sentence ‘It was time to seek some professional help’ (line 23) provides a link between the previous paragraph and the one that follows. 2 A 39 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 40

Close Reading 14–16

7 a) ‘The day-long seminars lift-off from airports around the country’ (lines 25–26). Why is ‘lift-off’ an effective choice of word here? 2 A/E

b) From elsewhere in the passage, quote another phrase or sentence which is used to achieve a similar effect. 1 A

8 ‘With a humorous repertoire of science and technical information, [the pilots] explained just how safe modern jets are’ (lines 32–34).

a) In your own words, give one example of how a technical explanation was given to reassure the audience. 2 U

b) Quote one example of humour used by the pilots and explain why you found this effective. 3 U/A

9 Explain how successful you find the image or metaphor ‘floods of questions’ (lines 36–37). 2 A

10 Comment on any aspect of the sentence structure used in paragraph eight (lines 36–42) which you consider to be particularly effective. 2 A

11 Suggest one reason why the passengers applauded when the plane touched down. 2 U

12 Look again at paragraph 11 (lines 53–61). Explain the difference between ‘fear’ and ‘phobia’. 2 U

13 How successful do you find the last paragraph as a conclusion to the passage as a whole? 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Opening paragraphs Newspaper and magazine articles such as ‘Flying Without Fear’ need an opening that will arouse the reader’s interest .

Here are a few of the methods that writers use to achieve these aims: • a humorous comment • an anecdote (a story to illustrate a point) • a personal experience • a surprising fact or statistics • a question to make the reader think • a summary of the main ideas to be examined in detail in the rest of the passage. 40 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 41

Flying Without Fear

For practice ‘Flying Without Fear’ originally appeared as an article in the travel magazine Wanderlust. Here are some more extracts from the magazine, taken from the opening paragraphs of other articles.

In pairs or groups, discuss how effective each paragraph is as an introduction. What methods does the writer use to grab the reader’s attention? Are there any clues about what the rest of the article is going to discuss?

How to be a flight attendant Until someone invents a ‘beam me up’ type transporter, you’re unlikely to knock off work and find yourself in a different country to the one you started in. Unless, that is, your day’s work happens to involve manning a commercial airline. The idea that life as a flight attendant is one long glamorous jetset might explain the job’s appeal – but, of course, the image only portrays a tiny part of the reality.

The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China, a fortified line stretching 4,000km across deserts, mountains and grasslands, is a true Wonder – and a costly military mistake. But no matter that it never worked; today it’s irresistibly romantic, and deservedly China’s top sight.

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Close Reading 14–16

Just truckin’: a five week overland trip in Africa Apart from a bout of malaria, a box-jellyfish attack, several baboon raids, a lost passport and a mauling by a lion, the trip went off with surprisingly few mishaps. Fair enough, our departure from Nairobi had hardly been the death-or-glory stuff of the 1887 Count Teleki expedition. Far from heading into uncharted territory in a land of potentially murderous tribes, we were following the well-trodden overland trail through many of the most famous sights in East Africa. We were almost as well equipped as the Count – minus the boxes of ammunition and cases of ‘medicinal’ Scotch – but in place of a team of 450 native porters we had loaded all our provisions into a huge, wallowing yellow truck known affectionately as ‘The Whale’.

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Chapter 7 Taking the Train to Windsor

In his best-selling book Notes From a Small Island, the American writer Bill Bryson describes a round-Britain tour. In this passage he encounters a crowd of rugby fans on a train.

Extract

1 When I revealed that I was planning to travel around Britain by public transport, everyone I saw said, ‘Gosh, you’re brave!’ but it never occurred to me to go any other way. Driving in Britain is such a dreary experience these days. There are far too many cars on the road, nearly double what there were when I first came 5 here, and in those days people didn’t actually drive their cars. They just parked them in the driveway and buffed them up once every week, or so. About twice a year they would ‘get the car out’ – those were the words they used, like that in itself was a big operation – and pootle off to visit relatives or have a trip to someplace like Eastbourne, and that was about it, apart from the buffing. 10 Now everyone drives everywhere for everything, which I don’t understand because there isn’t a single feature of driving in Britain that has even the tiniest measure of enjoyment in it. Just consider the average multi-storey car park. You drive around for ages, and then spend a small eternity shunting into a space that ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

is exactly two inches wider than the average car. Then, because you are parked 15 next to a pillar, you have to climb over the seats and end up squeezing out of the passenger door, in the process transferring all the dirt from the side of your car to the back of your smart new jacket from Marks & Spencer. Then you go hunting for some distant pay-and-display machine, which doesn’t give change, and wait on an old guy who likes to read all the instructions on the machine 20 before committing himself and then tries to insert his money through the ticket slot and maintenance keyhole. Eventually you acquire a ticket and trek back to your car where your wife greets you with a ‘Where have you been?’ Ignoring her, you squeeze past the pillar, collecting a matching set of dust for the front of your jacket, discover that you can’t reach the windscreen as the 25 door only opens three inches, so you just sort of throw the ticket at the dashboard (it flutters to the floor) and squeeze back out where your wife sees what a scruff you’ve turned into after she spent all that time dressing you and beats the dust from you with paddled hands while saying, ‘Honestly, I can’t take you anywhere.’ 30 And that’s just the beginning. Arguing quietly, you have to find your way out of this dank hellhole via an unmarked door leading to a curious chamber that seems to be a composite of dungeon and urinal, or else wait two hours for the world’s most abused and unreliable looking lift, which will only take two people and already has two people in it – a man whose wife is beating dust from 35 his new Marks & Spencer jacket and berating him in clucking tones. And the remarkable thing is that everything about this process is intentionally – mark this, intentionally – designed to flood your life with unhappiness. From the tiny parking bays that can only be got into by manoeuvring your car through a forty-six point turn (why can’t the spaces be 40 angled, for crying out loud?) to the careful placing of pillars where they will cause maximum obstruction, to the ramps that are so dark and narrow and badly angled that you always bump the kerb, to the remote, wilfully unhelpful ticket machines (you can’t tell me that a machine that can recognize and reject any foreign coin ever produced couldn’t make change if it wanted to) – all of this is 45 designed to make this the most dispiriting experience of your adult life. And that’s just one tiny part of the driving experience. There are all the other manifold annoyances of motoring, like white van drivers who pull out in front of you on motorways, 8-mile-long contraflow systems erected so that some guys on a crane can change a light bulb, traffic lights on busy roundabouts 50 that never let you advance more than 20 feet at a time, motorway service areas where you have to pay £9.80 for a mini-pot of coffee and a jacket potato with a sneeze of cheddar in it, morons with caravans who pull out of side-roads just ➢ 44 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 45

Taking the Train to Windsor

Extract continued

as you approach, and other challenges to your patience and sanity nearly beyond endurance. Motorized vehicles are ugly and dirty and they bring out the 55 worst in people. They clutter every kerbside, turn ancient market squares into disorderly jumbles of metal, spawn petrol stations, Kwik-fit centres and other dispiriting blights. They are horrible and awful and I wanted nothing to do with them on this trip. And besides, my wife wouldn’t let me have the car. Thus it was that I found myself late on a grey Saturday afternoon, on an 60 exceptionally long and empty train bound for Windsor. I sat high on the seat in an empty carriage, and in fading daylight watched as the train slid past office blocks and out into the forests of council flats and snaking terrace houses of Vauxhall and Clapham. At Twickenham, I discovered why the train was so long and was so empty. The platform was jammed solid with men and boys in warm 65 clothes and scarves carrying glossy programmes and little bags with tea flasks peeping out: obviously a rugby crowd from the Twickenham grounds. They boarded with patience and without pushing, and said sorry when they bumped or inadvertently impinged on someone else’s space. I admired this instinctive consideration for others, and was struck by what a regular thing that 70 is in Britain and how little it is noticed. Nearly everyone rode all the way to Windsor – I presume there must be some sort of parking arrangement there; Windsor can’t provide that many rugby fans – and formed a patient crush at the ticket barrier. An Asian man collected tickets in fast motion and said thank you to every person who passed. He didn’t have time to examine the tickets – you 75 could have handed him a cornflakes box top – but he did manage to find a vigorous salute for all, and they in turn thanked him for relieving them of their tickets and letting them pass. It was a little miracle of orderliness and goodwill. Anywhere else there’d have been someone on a box barking at people to form a line and not to push.

❏

45 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 46

Close Reading 14–16

Questions

1 Read the first two sentences ‘When I revealed . . . these days.’ In your own words, explain

a) how people reacted when the writer said he was travelling round Britain by public transport 1 U

b) why he chose to go by public transport. 1 U

2 Read lines 5–9. In your own words explain how, according to the writer, people in the past used their cars. 2 U

3 ‘There isn’t a single feature of driving in Britain that has even the tiniest measure of enjoyment in it.’ (lines 11–12) Identify one technique the writer uses in this sentence, and explain its effect. 2 A

4 Look again at lines 12–22 where Bryson describes the difficulties of using a multi-storey car park. Show how he uses word choice and sentence structure effectively to express these difficulties. 4 A

5 Comment on the writer’s use of the phrase ‘arguing quietly’ in line 30. 2 A

6 Show how the context helps you arrive at the meaning of ‘berating’ (line 35). 2 U

7 Show how the sentence ‘And that’s just one tiny part of the driving experience’ (line 46) acts as a link in the argument. 2 A

8 Read again the list of ‘annoyances’ in lines 46–54. In your own words, explain why any two of these could be an ‘annoyance’ to the motorist. 2 U

9 ‘And besides, my wife wouldn’t let me have the car.’ (line 58) Explain how the meaning of this sentence and its position in the paragraph has a humorous effect. 2 A

10 Read again lines 60–63 ‘I sat high on the seat . . . Clapham.’ Referring to any one example, show how the writer has used imagery effectively to describe what he sees from the train. 2 A

11 Look again at lines 67–79. In your own words, list four of the ways in which people impressed the writer with their good manners. 4 U

12 The writer, Bill Bryson, always uses a highly personal style in his travel writing. With close discussion of at least two examples, explain how he puts over a sense of his own personality effectively in this passage. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

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Taking the Train to Windsor

Taking a closer look . . . Summary A type of ‘Understanding’ question which you will frequently meet in Close Reading tests is the summary. A summary question may be worth quite a lot of marks and so it is important to tackle it correctly.

Points to remember in summary questions: • Always use your own words as far as possible. • Be as brief as possible in expressing the ideas. • Use bullet points rather than a paragraph format to show you have given the required number of ideas in your answer. • There is no need to write in sentences – note form will do. (Your writing skills are not tested in Close Reading.)

And finally, • Make sure you complete the question! Summary questions worth several marks may appear near the end of a question paper. They generally offer an easy way to pick up marks, but you will only gain this advantage if you manage your time properly and get the question finished.

Question 11 on the previous page is a typical summary question. You are asked to express four ideas from the passage in the form of a list:

Look again at lines 67–79. In your own words, list four of the ways in which people impressed the writer with their good manners. 4 U

Possible answers might have included the following: • The rugby fans waited patiently to get on the train. • They did not push one another as they got on. • They apologised if they knocked into someone or got too close. • They waited patiently in line at Windsor to show their tickets. • The ticket collector thanked each one of the fans politely. • The rugby fans thanked the ticket collector for checking their tickets. • The ticket collector did not treat the fans disrespectfully by shouting or giving orders.

Any four of the above points given in this form would have gained full marks for the question.

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Close Reading 14–16

Would it be a good idea to give more than four points to make sure of gaining full marks? There is really no need to do this, as the marker can only give you a maximum of 4 marks! However, if you are unsure that you have made two separate points (for example, in the case of the first two points about how the fans boarded the train) it would do no harm to add a fifth. But only do this if you know you have plenty of time to complete the rest of the test.

For practice Try the following additional summary questions, both of which are based on part of the Bill Bryson passage. Provide answers in the form of bullet points.

Read lines 12–45 ‘Just consider . . . adult life.’

1 In your own words, list five separate design faults which the writer sees in the typical multi-storey car park.

2 In your own words, list three drawbacks which the writer mentions concerning the system of payment in the multi-storey car parks.

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Chapter 8 Doctor, Doctor, I Keep Catching New Medical Shows

There are fourteen doctor dramas on TV right now. So why aren’t we sick of them yet, asks Stephen Armstrong?

Extract

1 Let’s play spot the plot. Which of the following actually happened? A nurse enjoys the intensity and drama of the casualty unit, so deliberately poisons patients for a thrill. A doctor has a political point to make, so allows certain patients to die in the operating theatre. A manual worker is bored with life on 5 the railways, so gives it up to become a doctor. Okay, it’s a cheat. They’re all true. One of them, however, became the basis for Vital Signs, Tamzin Outhwaite’s ITV drama. Outhwaite plays Rhoda Bradley, a supermarket assistant with three children who decides to secure some personal growth by, you know, becoming a doctor. It’s just that her family wishes she’d 10 spend less time saving lives and more time microwaving the oven chips. There have, of course, been medical dramas pretty much from the birth of commercial television. In this country, Emergency Ward 10 debuted on ITV in 1957, although in those innocent days, actual medical nitty-gritty was considered too ghastly to feature prominently (Ward 10 was allowed a maximum of five 15 patient deaths per year). ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

Since then, there has been a steady trickle: Angels, St Elsewhere, Casualty, Quincy, Chicago Hope . . . you know the score. In television, they are called precinct drama, shorthand for series based around a particular work-related location and so named because US cop shows kicked off the genre. Over time, 20 we have watched the comings and goings of policemen, lawyers, city dealers, forensic teams and journalists, but for today’s viewers there’s only one precinct that counts: medicine. It’s currently possible to absorb almost 24 hours of doctor-related telly in your average viewing week. Why? In dramatic terms, the advantage of a medical setting is clear. ‘It’s far easier 25 for people to relate to the human-interest element in a medical drama than in a legal drama simply because they come across them every day,’ says John Forte, the creator of Vital Signs. It also helps that you can crowbar almost any event into a hospital room. ‘There’s almost nowhere other than a hospital where you can find all human life 30 under just one roof. You’ve got ordinary members of the public, office staff, medics, car-park attendants – we knew you could take a camera down the corridor of a hospital and find anything going on behind any of the doors,’ explains Victoria Pile, the show’s producer. Perhaps that is why these shows proliferate: they can absorb and exude the 35 attributes of almost every other genre. With the new breed of shows, however, there are additional symptoms. For one thing, doctors misdiagnose – sometimes fatally. The idea that medical staff are in some way heroic – which was true even of the layabout crew of M*A*S*H – is gradually slipping away. Sonia Livingstone, professor of social 40 psychology at the London School of Economics, says that ‘there has always been a fascination with what goes on behind doctors’ doors. That goes back as far as Dr Finlay’s Casebook. The recent crop of shows, however, sees medical experts challenged. A few years ago, doctors and nurses were TV shorthand for trustworthy, well-intentioned people.’ 45 Today, it seems, we’re seeing the collapse of the doctor as saintly saviour. ❏

Questions

1 Comment on the effectiveness of the headline used at the top of this article. 2 A 50 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 51

Doctor, Doctor, I Keep Catching New Medical Shows

2 Look again at lines 6–10.

a) What is the tone of ‘Okay, it’s a cheat’? 1 A

b) Quote another expression from this paragraph which helps to establish a similar tone. 1 A

3 ‘It’s just that her family wishes she’d spend less time saving lives and more time microwaving the oven chips.’ (lines 9–10)

a) In your own words, explain the attitude of the character’s family to her desire to become a doctor. 2 U

b) Comment on how the structure of the above sentence helps to make this attitude clear. 2 A

4 In your own words, explain how the 1950s TV series Emergency Ward 10 was different from more recent hospital dramas. 2 U

5 Look again at lines 16–17. Comment on any two techniques used in this sentence which help to convey the author’s opinion of the large number of hospital dramas that have been made for television. 3 A

6 In your own words, explain what is meant by the expression ‘precinct drama’ (line 18). 2 U

7 Look again at lines 24–33. Explain in your own words the two advantages of using a hospital setting for a drama series. 4 U

8 Comment on the effectiveness of the choice of the word ‘crowbar’ in line 28. 2 A

9 Explain how the sentence ‘With the new breed of shows, however, there are additional symptoms’ (line 36) performs a linking function. 2 A

10 Look again at lines 36–44.

a) What view of medical staff did older TV programmes present? 1 U

b) Quote two adjectives that describe how doctors and nurses were viewed in these programmes. 1 A

c) Give one example of how medical staff are portrayed differently today. 1 U

11 How far do you consider the final sentence to be an effective conclusion to this passage? 2 E

12 What do you think the writer’s main purpose is in this article? By referring to points made or techniques used, comment on how successful you think he has been in achieving his purpose. 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30 51 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 52

Close Reading 14–16

Taking a closer look . . . Structuring an argument An article like this needs to have a structure. The writer doesn’t simply list points – he links them together.

Here are some of the methods he uses to make his sentences and paragraphs flow: • In paragraph one (line 1) there is a question: Which of the following actually happened?

This leads to three choices being stated, followed by an answer. • Many paragraphs begin with a topic sentence – that is, a sentence that states the main point which is developed in more detail in the rest of the paragraph.

Paragraph five (line 24) begins:

In dramatic terms, the advantage of a medical setting is clear.

This is a general statement which is backed up in the rest of the paragraph by evidence, in this case a quotation from someone involved in the production of medical dramas for television. • Linking words and phrases are used to lead from one point into the next, particularly at the start of paragraphs:

Since then (paragraph four) – uses a time link It also helps (paragraph six) – ‘also’ gives a sense of progression However (paragraph eight) – creates a contrast or objection

For practice Read the following short passages and discuss how the writers have given them a structure by using a variety of linking methods.

a) 1 Slang and social identity How do social groups create their own identity? The main way is by developing their own style of language. When people learn to use the slang words that are in fashion then they are accepted as part of the group. But slang is something 5 that keeps evolving: words that were popular one year might be out-of-date the next, and anybody who doesn’t keep up with the latest trends won’t be accepted as part of the group. 52 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 53

Doctor, Doctor, I Keep Catching New Medical Shows

However, one of the biggest influences on the way that language develops today is the media. Young people in particular are quick to pick up and use 10 words they hear in television programmes. As a result, teenagers on both sides of the Atlantic, while they may speak with different accents, will recognise and use many similar slang expressions.

b) 1 Who are you looking at? All people, whatever their age, are attracted by looks. That’s why celebs like David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Brad Pitt are so widely admired. If you’re not gorgeous, though, don’t 5 despair. People don’t always go for the best lookers. Beyond the initial attraction, personality is more important. Some people act like a magnet whatever their looks. They’ve got what’s called charisma – a 10 peculiar mixture of charm and personality. Take Sir Bob Geldof – he’s no oil painting but he’s got charisma, which means that people will always pay him attention. Furthermore, charismatic people attract others with their 15 enthusiasm and energy, not the size of their eyes or the shape of their chin. Body language says a great deal about your behaviour. Body language is all about the look on your face, the way you speak, and the signals you send by how you 20 stand and move. Take eye contact, for example. If you don’t look at someone when you are introduced, it looks as if you are shy, aloof or have something to hide. But if you stare, that seems threatening and hostile. The importance of body language is confirmed by the experts. ‘If someone 25 likes you, you will notice an increase in eye contact,’ says body language and Big Brother expert Judi James. ‘They will hold your gaze for a second or two longer than usual. Then they will keep glancing back to check your expression to see how you are reacting to them.’

53 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 54 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 55

Chapter 9 God Save the Queen

In this article, Charles Moore reflects on what it must be like to be the Queen.

Extract

1 Have you noticed that modern Britain is the most matriarchal society in the history of the world? The four most famous figures in the public service since the war have been women – the Queen Mother; the Queen; Diana, Princess of Wales; and Margaret Thatcher. Since the death of Winston Churchill more than 5 40 years ago, no British man has come near any of these four in the attention he can command. I cannot say what the effect of this curious fact has been on women, but, as a man, I feel very grateful. It has added interest, surprise and mystery to what would otherwise have been a flat landscape of men in suits. 10 Of the four, the Queen is the hardest to understand. This is partly because most of her subjects, including me, have nothing to compare her with. She came to the throne before I was born. You have to be 60 to remember anything else. As a result, the Queen has been less considered, less examined than the other three above. Questions such as ‘What does she feel?’ or ‘How good is she at her 15 job?’ seem somehow beside the point. She just is. She reigns. ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

In thinking about the Queen, I am conscious that I am probably doing something that would displease her. Can there ever have been anyone in public life with less desire to show off, bare her soul, win people’s hearts or explain herself in any way? She no more wants to do such things than to be 20 photographed in the bath. It is said that when the Queen sits for a portrait, she has never been known to pass comment on its portrayal of herself. She appears not to be interested in herself and she makes no assumption that anyone else will be. To some people, such behaviour is almost inhuman. The Queen must be 25 terribly dull, they say, not to want to engage with her endlessly ready audience, or terribly cold, or terribly unhappy. And one does occasionally get the impression from the set of her jaw that the Queen is not particularly enjoying the latest display of mime in the rain or exhibition of old photographs of the Biggleswade Rotary Club that she is being subjected to. 30 But it seems much more likely that the Queen’s methods are the result of a choice, carefully considered, early made and faithfully adhered to. In her famous broadcast from Cape Town, 59 years ago, Princess Elizabeth made a promise that ‘the whole of my life, whether it be long or short’ would be dedicated to the service of her country. Surely the Queen’s life is an example, 35 perhaps the most astonishing in our history, of what it means to make a promise, and to keep it. The promise directs everything. What is mere boredom beside it? I read or heard that the Queen has met, individually, three million people in her life. The very thought of boredom must be excluded from the mind to endure such a 40 thing. So must exaggeration, over-demonstrativeness. At the time of her Golden Jubilee, a courtier told the story of how once, faced with the draft of a speech which said, ‘I am very glad to be in Birmingham’, the Queen crossed out the word ‘very’. This is the exact opposite of the politician’s instinct which would 45 be to wow Birmingham. Her promise forbids the Queen to have views (one reason, no doubt, why she seems to find Prince Charles’ interventions so irritating), since views detract from equal service to all. She must not have favourites, she must not abdicate, she must not show strong feelings. She must not get drunk or wear old clothes 50 or take a weekend break on a whim or do anything, ever, just because she feels like it. She must even put her duties as mother behind those as a sovereign. She must be like the face on the postage stamp and the coin – always there, always the same, always royal.

❏

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God Save the Queen

Questions

1 Explain one way in which the writer captures the attention of the reader in the opening sentence of the passage. 1 A

2 a) Explain how the ideas of the second sentence (lines 2–4) help you arrive at the meaning of ‘matriarchal’ in line 1. 2 U

b) Show how the author’s use of punctuation in the second sentence of the passage helps put over his ideas clearly. 2 A

3 Show how the first sentence in paragraph two (‘I cannot say . . . grateful’) acts as a link in the argument at this point. 2 U/A

4 ‘It has added interest, surprise and mystery to what would otherwise have been a flat landscape of men in suits.’ (lines 8–9)

a) In your own words, explain clearly how the ‘flat landscape’ image used by the writer helps you appreciate his meaning. 2 A

b) In your own words, explain clearly what the writer means by ‘interest, surprise and mystery’. 3 U

5 ‘She just is. She reigns’. (line 15) Explain how the sentence structure here is effective as a conclusion to paragraph three. 2 A/E

6 ‘She no more wants to do such things than to be photographed in the bath.’ (lines 19–20) Explain how the author uses comparison effectively in this sentence. 2A/E

7 a) Explain in your own words what the author means when he says that you can tell ‘from the set of her jaw’ (line 27) that the Queen is not enjoying herself. 1 U

b) ‘mime in the rain or exhibition of old photographs of the Biggleswade Rotary Club.’ (lines 28–29) Referring to tone and/or word choice, comment on the author’s choice of examples of the Queen’s engagements. 2 A

8 ‘The very thought of boredom must be excluded from the mind to endure such a thing’. (lines 38–40) Explain in your own words what the author means by this. 2 U

9 a) Read the last two paragraphs (lines 41–53). Suggest two reasons why the Queen may have asked for the word ‘very’ to be crossed out, according to the courtier’s story in lines 41–44. 2 U

b) In lines 48–51, the writer lists things which the Queen must not do. In your own words, summarise four of the points the writer makes. 4 U 57 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 58

Close Reading 14–16

c) Which single word in the last paragraph suggests that the most difficult thing for the Queen may be to put her duties as a mother behind her duties to the state? 1 U

d) Comment on the sentence structure and ideas the writer uses in the last sentence of the passage, showing how it provides an effective conclusion to the article as a whole. 2 A/E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Link questions In question 3, you were asked to ‘show how the first sentence in paragraph two acts as a link in the argument at this point’.

The sentence was:

I cannot say what the effect of this curious fact has been on women, but, as a man, I feel very grateful.

Good writers make their arguments flow by leading the reader gently from one idea to the next. They do this by using linking sentences which refer both to the idea they have just been discussing, and also to the next idea to be dealt with.

Usually, the sentence will come at the start of a paragraph, but occasionally it will come at the end, or even in the middle of a paragraph which deals with more than one topic.

In a question like the one above, your task is to analyse exactly how this process works in the selected sentence. Your answer should quote the word or words which refer to the previous topic, explaining in your own words what that topic was, and it should then quote the word (or words) referring to the new topic, saying in your own words what it is.

A good answer to question 3 would read:

The phrase ‘this curious fact’ refers back to his point in the previous paragraph that, surprisingly, the four most world-famous British people recently have all been women. The idea ‘I feel very grateful’ is expanded in the next part of the paragraph where he explains why he is happy about this ‘curious fact’.

The answer would gain 1 mark for the first quotation and correct summing up of the topic and 1 mark for the second quotation and summary. Remember that your answer to a link question should always contain four elements. 58 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 59

God Save the Queen

For practice This writer uses link sentences throughout his article to lead his reader easily from one topic to the next. Using the method that has just been explained, and including four elements in each answer, show how each of the following sentences acts as a link in the argument.

1 ‘Of the four, the Queen is the hardest to understand.’ (line 10)

2 ‘In thinking about the Queen, I am conscious that I am probably doing something that would displease her.’ (lines 16–17)

3 ‘To some people, such behaviour is almost inhuman.’ (line 24)

4 ‘But it seems much more likely that the Queen’s methods are the result of a choice, carefully considered, early made and faithfully adhered to.’ (lines 30–31)

5 ‘The promise directs everything.’ (line 37)

59 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 60 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 61

Chapter 10 On the Orient Express

Crime writer Agatha Christie set one of her murder mysteries on the Orient Express, a train which people associate with the glamour and romance of the 1930s when the book was written. In this article, Victoria Coren describes her experience on the Orient Express of today.

Extract

1 Bedtime on the Orient Express. We stood in the corridor while a hatchet-faced Austrian woman yanked our bunk-beds into place – there wasn’t room in the carriage for all three of us. Barking the news that she would be waking us at 7 a.m. with a cup of instant coffee and a piece of cheese, the woman departed 5 and we retired for the night. ‘Bunk-beds?’ you may be thinking. Small carriage? Instant coffee? This can’t be the real Orient Express! Oh, but it is. This is a very real Orient Express indeed. And it’s a lot cheaper than the famous one. In search of a long weekend in Vienna, there seemed no more enchanting way for my friend and me to get 10 there. The original Orient Express service was launched in 1863. Luxury carriages ran the route from Paris to Giugiu (on the Danube in Romania) via Strasbourg, ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest. In 1921, the route was extended to Istanbul, and the trains carried socialites, aristocrats, flappers1, artists and spies on 15 glamorous journeys across Europe. They dined in the restaurant car, guzzled fine wines, and crept between each other’s lavishly-appointed compartments. In 1934, Agatha Christie sent Hercule Poirot on just such a journey in her novel Murder On The Orient Express. World War II brought an end to all this glorious rattling around. There was 20 a rise in air travel which was quicker and cheaper and eventually the whole operation ground to a halt in 1977. The name was relaunched in 1982, when the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express took its maiden voyage between London and Venice. This is the luxury train that most people think of when they hear the name. But the original ‘Orient Express’ was a line, not a train. In fact, if you 25 take an ordinary train today between Paris and Vienna, you are still, officially, ‘taking the Orient Express’. Which is what we did. Admittedly I would have loved to take the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, with its on-board boutique and baby grand piano in the bar, but at around £1,700 per person for a four-night one-way journey, we couldn’t afford it. So 30 we chose this excellent way of buying into the romance for a fraction of the cost. When we arrived at the Gare de l’Est in Paris (easily accessible nowadays, of course, with the clean and efficient Eurostar whistling directly into Paris from Kent), we found the words ‘Orient Express’ pinned up in the window of 35 the relevant SNCF2 train. In other respects, the train wasn’t impressive. It needed a clean on the outside. There was no restaurant car, only ‘Helga’ with a platter of cold meats and cheeses, plus the picnic we had picked up in Paris. There was no first class section, only a choice between a private sleeping car (which we took: two chairs and a small table, with bunk-beds which folded 40 down when we were ready for bed); sharing a six bed compartment; or reclining seats in an ordinary carriage. But we loved it. Ours was no luxury bedroom, but it had its own rough charm – not to mention the magic of rattling across international borders overnight, following the same route that all those spies and socialites had taken 45 before us. I haven’t slept in a bunk-bed since I was seven, and clambering up into it took 25 years off me. For one night only, it was cosily appealing. Naturally, I took a copy of Murder On The Orient Express to read on the train. I smiled wryly at the descriptions of airy dining-cars and fresh coffee.

1 flappers: fashionable young women of the 1920s and 1930s 2 SNCF: French national railways (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer) ➢ 62 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 63

On the Orient Express

Extract continued

We left Paris around 5 p.m. and (having been woken by Helga with the 50 promised cheese, and a chance to see sunrise over Austria) slid into Vienna at 8.30 a.m. The weekend in Vienna included a day trip to Baden, a beautiful little cobbled spa town. The air smelt of sulphur and spicy fruit punch, but I neatly avoided both by ducking into the glittering casino for which Baden is also famous. It went terribly well - in fact, I won nearly enough for a trip on the 55 expensive Orient Express. But reunited with the cut-price Orient Express at the end of the holiday, we were rather delighted to see our little compartment again. Good old bunk-beds. Terrifying old Helga. Homeward, we trundled: carriages shook, cheese was consumed, and (best of all) nobody got murdered. ❏

Questions

1 a) Quote two words or expressions from paragraph one which illustrate the manner of the woman attendant on the train. 2 A

b) Explain clearly what each of your examples conveys about the woman’s manner. 4 U/A

2 Read again lines 1–5. In your own words, describe any one aspect of the accommodation or catering on the Orient Express and how it contrasts with the pampering and luxury which travellers might expect. 2 U

3 Explain how the writer produces an ironic tone in lines 6–10 to express disbelief at aspects of the new Orient Express. (You might mention sentence structure, punctuation, use of italics etc.) 2 A

4 In lines 11–13, the author lists many places on the route of the first Orient Express. Suggest a reason why she mentions these particular places. 1 A

5 a) In lines 14–18 the author describes the glamorous travellers on the earliest version of the Orient Express. Identify one word which seems inappropriate in describing them. 1 A

b) Explain why this word seems inappropriate in this context. 2 A

6 Explain in your own words the main reason why the Orient Express ceased to run in 1977. 1 U

7 Comment on any one of the images used by the author in lines 19–23 and explain why it is effective. 2 A 63 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 64

Close Reading 14–16

8 Explain how, according to lines 24–26, the writer and her friend were ‘officially’ taking the Orient Express. 2 U

9 Read lines 27–48.

a) Explain two ways in which the sentence ‘But we loved it’ is effective at this point in the passage. 2 A/E

b) Explain in your own words why the author and her friend ‘loved’ the journey, despite the lack of luxury on the train. 2 U

10 a) Suggest a reason why the writer took Murder On The Orient Express with her to read on the train. 1 U

b) Explain how the context helps you understand the meaning of the word ‘wryly’ in line 48. 2 U

11 Using examples to illustrate your answer, explain how the writer creates an effective conclusion in the final paragraph. In your answer, you should refer to at least two of the following: ideas; word choice; tone; sentence structure. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Sentence structure Some questions in Close Reading tests will ask you to talk about sentence structure. It is essential that you are able to recognise the different techniques and patterns used by writers so that you can describe them and comment on their effect.

In the passage on the Orient Express, Victoria Coren uses a wide variety of structures. 64 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 65

On the Orient Express

Here are three techniques she has used more than once: • Minor sentences – sentences without verbs or without a principal clause, e.g. ‘Bedtime on the Orient Express’ (line 1). • Rhetorical questions – questions that create a particular tone, but do not expect an answer, e.g. ‘Bunk-beds?’ (line 6). • Parenthesis – words added in brackets which either give more detail or provide a comment, e.g. ‘(on the Danube in Romania)’ (line 12).

For practice (1) In each of the following examples, (a) identify which of these three techniques has been used and (b) try to explain the effect of the technique. In the case of parenthesis, decide whether the writer is adding detail or making a comment in the additional words. (Occasionally you may find more than one technique in a single example.)

a) ‘Small carriage? Instant coffee?’ (line 6)

b) ‘Which is what we did.’ (line 26)

c) ‘When we arrived at the Gare de l’Est in Paris (easily accessible nowadays, of course, with the clean and efficient Eurostar whistling directly into Paris from Kent), we found the words “Orient Express” pinned up in the window of the relevant SNCF train.’ (lines 32–35)

d) ‘We left Paris around 5 p.m. and (having been woken by Helga with the promised cheese, and a chance to see sunrise over Austria) slid into Vienna at 8.30 a.m.’ (lines 49–51)

e) ‘Terrifying old Helga.’ (line 58)

f) ‘. . . and (best of all) nobody got murdered.’ (line 59)

Listing and climax Another technique of sentence structure used frequently by Victoria Coren in the Orient Express article is listing. Listing may be used in one of two ways.

A list may be simply three or more items of equal importance, or it may consist of three or more items gradually rising in significance to a climax if the last one is the most important, or descending to an anticlimax, if the last item is less important than the others. If you notice a list, always think about whether it may form a climax or anticlimax.

For practice (2) In the following examples, decide whether the writer is using a simple list (with items of similar importance) or whether there is a progression in importance towards a climax or anticlimax. Justify your answer each time. 65 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 66

Close Reading 14–16

a) ‘via Strasbourg, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest.’ (lines 12–13)

b) ‘the trains carried socialites, aristocrats, flappers, artists and spies’ (line 14)

c) ‘They dined in the restaurant car, guzzled fine wines, and crept between each other’s lavishly-appointed compartments.’ (lines 15–16)

d) ‘two chairs and a small table, with bunk-beds which folded down’ (lines 39–40)

e) ‘carriages shook, cheese was consumed, and (best of all) nobody got murdered.’ (lines 58–59)

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Chapter 11 A Grand Day for Gromit

Wallace and Gromit are cartoon characters whose films include A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave, The Wrong Trousers and Cracking Contraptions. Many of the original clay models and film sets were destroyed in a fire at the Aardman animation studios in 2005. In this article, Catherine Shoard wonders who the real fans of the cartoon pair might be.

Extract

1 There was no cheese. There were no cracking contraptions. No giant killer- bunnies showed up, and no one appeared to have put on the wrong trousers. But it was still a grand day out at the Animation Gallery in London last week, when fans travelled from far and wide (well, Yorkshire, mostly) to buy Wallace & 5 Gromit goodies and get them signed by the creator, Nick Park, fresh from bagging his fourth Oscar,1 with Steve Box, director of the latest W&G movie: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. But these weren’t just any old goodies – the stuff on sale was artwork, with price tags to match. None of the limited-edition prints available was priced at 10 less than £95; most were close to £300. More Alluring Gromit, a framed print

1 Oscar: award from American film industry ➢ 67 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 68

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

of Gromit doing his best to add some sex-appeal to the huge fake female were- rabbit he’s operating, could have been yours for just £225. Framed pics of Lady Tottington, Wallace’s posh love interest, of dastardly Victor Quartermaine, of Gromit’s first birthday, of Wallace drinking tea, were also available. 15 They were big and bright and funny. They’d look fab on your bedroom wall, above the box of Meccano, maybe, or the My Little Ponies. But children were barely in evidence last Thursday. Of the 300 or so people crammed into the gallery, only about 15 were of school age, the rest were well advanced into adulthood. James, a smartly suited thirty-something from London, spoke with 20 pride about his collection of stills from previous W&G films, as well as from Roobarb and Custard and Dangermouse. He’d snapped up a More Alluring Gromit and another of Gromit in his greenhouse measuring his prize marrow – it reminded him, he said, of his father. No, he wasn’t a collector, ‘but if the pictures appreciate in value, that’s a bonus.’ 25 Paul, a jolly gent who’d travelled down from Lancashire, was also a multiple buyer, and highly savvy on the price of W&G wallpaper on eBay. Vince from Kent had brought along his children, Abby, eight, and Teddy, four, but they seemed rather less enthusiastic than Daddy. Vince’s most prized collectable was actually a model of Mr Tweedy’s dog from another Nick Park 30 feature, Chicken Run. Rare, eh, considering the fire at Aardman HQ in 2005? Yeah, well, he got it from a contact. Others were lower-key fans. Elizabeth and John, a middle-aged couple from Crawley, were getting out their cheque book for a More Alluring Gromit. As was Paul from Huddersfield, Maureen from Leeds, Bung from Stevenage, John 35 from Bournemouth and his brother, Mark, from Heathrow. It was startling just how much more popular Gromit was than Wallace. No one seemed to prefer the dairy-loving inventor to his mute pooch. A picture of Gromit finding some bunnies in the fridge was highly sought after. Liz and Abby from Eastbourne were buying one. Kim from London was buying two – 40 one for herself and one for her brother, to hang in his new kitchen. But the immense appeal of More Alluring Gromit was most revealing. Many of the fans were keen to claim that Wallace & Gromit has much adult content, that it works on levels only grown-ups can appreciate. But this seems like wishful thinking. Could it be that forking out hundreds of pounds on a picture 45 of a cartoon character is easier to justify if you insist it’s a subtle piece of art, not just a giggle for kids? The few children that were present offered rather more frank comments on the appeal of W&G. ‘It’s funny,’ said Catherine, eight, from Stoke Newington, there with her mum, Trudi. As did Charlotte, 11, whose mother, Carolyn, had ➢

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A Grand Day for Gromit

Extract continued

50 won a competition to meet Nick Park on BBC Radio Essex. (Question: What’s Wallace’s favourite cheese?) Most heartfelt was the response of Zoe, six, from Skipton, clutching a ball of sweaty-looking Plasticine. ‘Gromit is loyal. I’d like a dog like that. He’d be the best friend you’d ever have.’ ❏

Questions

1 Read lines 1–2 ‘There was no cheese . . . wrong trousers.’ Explain clearly two ways in which the writer captures the reader’s attention in these opening sentences of the passage, and explain how they are effective. 4 A/E

2 From details given in the first paragraph (lines 1–7), explain in your own words what sort of event was being held at the Animation Gallery in London. 2 U

3 Look at the first two sentences in the second paragraph: ‘But these weren’t . . . close to £300.’

a) In your own words explain what the writer found surprising about the merchandise on offer. 1 U

b) Show how the word choice and tone in this extract emphasises the contrast between what the writer expected to be on sale and what was actually on offer. 4 A

4 a) What do the references to Meccano and My Little Ponies suggest about the kind of people the writer expected to be interested in Wallace and Gromit? 1 U

b) Show how the sentence ‘But children were barely in evidence last Thursday’ (lines 16–17) acts as a link in the argument at this point. 2 U/A

5 a) The collector called James is described as ‘a smartly suited thirty-something from London’. Suggest a reason why the writer included any of these details about him. 2 A

b) With close reference to lines 19–24, explain how far making money was important to James in collecting the Wallace and Gromit artwork. 2 U 69 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 70

Close Reading 14–16

6 Read again the story of Vince in lines 27–31. Quote two words or phrases which suggest an actual conversation taking place. 2 A

7 In lines 32–35, the writer lists many of the buyers, calling them by their first names. What attitude to the buyers do you think this suggests? 1 A

8 In line 32 he describes some fans as ‘lower-key’. Explain how the image used here helps you understand what the writer means. 2 A

9 Read lines 41–46: ‘But the immense appeal . . . a giggle for kids?’ Explain how the context helps you arrive at the meaning of the phrase ‘wishful thinking’ (line 44). 3 U

10 Read lines 47–54. Explain what the writer’s word choice and use of quotation reveal about her attitude to the children and their views. 4 A

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Tone What is meant by the tone is the way the writer’s feelings or attitude to a topic are put across.

In the passage you have just read, the writer describes a sale of artwork from Wallace and Gromit cartoon films which attracted many more adults than children. The adults were taking it very seriously and paying a lot of money for the items on sale. Because the writer found this surprising and funny, the tone of much of the article is humorous.

In question 1, where you were asked how the writer captured the reader’s attention, you could have suggested a humorous tone as one possible answer. 70 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 71

A Grand Day for Gromit

One way in which the writer achieves this is with references to ridiculous things from the Wallace and Gromit films, such as ‘giant killer bunnies’.

What other attitudes might a writer express? The following box contains a checklist. In the examples that follow, try to decide which of these is the most appropriate in describing the writer’s tone.

Tone

admiring emotive (emotional respectful and arousing emotion)

affectionate humorous/joking sarcastic

angry ironic (saying the serious opposite of what you really mean)

chatty mocking thoughtful

disrespectful reflective tongue-in cheek (pretending to take something seriously while slyly making fun of it)

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Close Reading 14–16

For practice Identify what you think the writer’s tone is in each of the following extracts from the passage. Try to explain how the tone is achieved, for example through the use of techniques such as word choice, formal/informal expression, sentence structure, ideas etc. In each case you should quote the word(s) that contribute to the tone you have identified.

1 ‘fans travelled from far and wide (well, Yorkshire, mostly) to buy Wallace & Gromit goodies’ (lines 4–5)

2 ‘a framed print of Gromit . . . could have been yours for just £225.’ (lines 10–12)

3 ‘They’d look fab on your bedroom wall, above the box of Meccano, maybe, or the My Little Ponies.’ (lines 15–16)

4 ‘Paul, a jolly gent who’d travelled down from Lancashire, was also a multiple buyer, and highly savvy on the price of W&G wallpaper on eBay.’ (lines 25–26)

5 ‘Vince from Kent had brought along his children . . . but they seemed rather less enthusiastic than Daddy.’ (lines 27–28)

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Chapter 12 A Child Star Grows Up

In this article, David Amsden describes his interview with Macaulay Culkin, who became a millionaire at the age of 10 when he starred in the film Home Alone.

Extract

1 To be a child star is to be a permanent spectacle, a freak show, an eternal curiosity. Macaulay Culkin has been in only two films in the past 12 years and yet, as we walk to our restaurant table for lunch, people whisper, gawk, and forget to eat. 5 It doesn’t help that, at 25, he still looks startlingly like he did 16 years ago in Home Alone, when he slapped aftershave on his pale cheeks, gave a bug-eyed shriek and became a star. ‘To a lot of people I still am that kid,’ he says. ‘It’s a blessing and a curse. I can go to any restaurant without a reservation, but while I’m there, everyone’s gonna be staring.’ 10 He’s quick-witted and chatty, affable but also distant. He tells me repeatedly that he leads a ‘simple, simple life,’ spending his free time walking the dog, feeding the fish, cleaning the house, and cooking for his girlfriend. As for his career, he hasn’t retired. But he refers to himself as ‘not exactly the hardest- working actor’. ➢ 73 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 74

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

15 An understandable position, given his past. Raised with six siblings in a one-bedroom apartment, he started getting good roles at age eight and was a millionaire by 10, but his rapid ascent seemed less adorable the more people learned about his home life. His father, Kit, ruled the family – ‘his kingdom’, says Culkin – by 20 humiliation and physical abuse, eventually leaving the household. His mother filed a custody suit for him, which began a bitter public battle with Kit, and then Culkin had both his parents legally blocked from controlling his 17 million dollar fortune, a move that estranged him from his father, who Culkin ‘thinks’ lives in Arizona now. At 17, Culkin married the actress Rachel Miner; by 20 he 25 was divorced. When he was arrested just over a year ago for possession of marijuana, he was annoyed at being perceived as conforming to a type. ‘You know, I’m a former child actor,’ he says with a sarcastic chuckle. ‘I’m supposed to be a lot more mixed up than I am.’ Child actors are supposed to play two roles. As children, they portray an 30 artificially sweet version of childhood; as adults, they are expected to crack up. ‘Yeah, it’s funny,’ says Culkin. ‘A lot of people meet me and they’re like, ‘Why aren’t you crazy?’ He has now produced a book called Junior, a semi-fictional story of a former child star. ‘Yes, it’s me,’ says Culkin, ‘but no, it isn’t, you know?’ 35 If Junior has a clear theme, it’s coping with fame. The book continually returns to the subject of Junior’s relationship with his father, a figure who has much in common with Kit Culkin. There’s not a flicker of emotion as Culkin speaks of his father; it’s as if he’s describing a character in a film. ‘He would black out all the terrible things that 40 he did, and that hurt me more, because he’d go to bed at night thinking he was a good person. I knew from a very early age that I had better take notes on him,’ he says. ‘Notes on how not to be, notes on how I don’t want to be when I grow up.’ In a sense, Culkin has aged in reverse. ‘I have a lot of growing up to do . . . 45 or a lot of growing down. I think that’s probably more appropriate.’ His childhood – work, pressure, fame, wealth, marriage, divorce – reads like a checklist of adult milestones. Now, he is enjoying a belated adolescence, not worrying about money, work or the future. The following night Culkin invites me to play pool with him. Of course, 50 being in the real world isn’t always easy. As we play pool, a woman approaches, staring at him unapologetically. ‘Um, I think you’re staring at me,’ Culkin finally says, causing the woman to snap out of her trance. ‘Oh, uh, is that Macaulay?’ ➢ 74 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 75

A Child Star Grows Up

Extract continued

‘No, only on my good days.’ As she vanishes, Culkin laughs. Usually when 55 he points out their gawking, people apologise and go on their way. Not in this case. A few minutes later the woman is back. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you,’ she snipes. ‘And don’t worry, you’re not that cute.’ Culkin shrugs. ❏

Questions

1 Read lines 1–4. ‘To be . . . forget to eat.’ Explain why the reaction of the people in the restaurant to Macaulay Culkin was surprising to the writer. 2 U

2 In lines 7–8, Culkin calls his celebrity status ‘a blessing and a curse’. How do the examples he gives in lines 8–9 help make this clear? 4 U/A

3 Culkin describes himself as ‘not exactly the hardest-working actor’ (lines 13–14). Explain his meaning and comment on the tone of Culkin’s words. 2 U/A

4 Show how the last words in paragraph four: ‘his rapid ascent seemed less adorable the more people learned about his home life’ (lines 17–18) act as a link in the structure of the argument. 2 U/A

5 Using quotation to illustrate your answer, show how the word choice and imagery in lines 19–24 (‘His father, Kit . . . lives in Arizona now’) help you understand the strained relationships within Culkin’s family. 4 A

6 Show how the context helps you understand the word ‘estranged’ in line 23. 2 U

7 ‘Child actors are supposed to play two roles.’ (line 29)

a) What function does this sentence have in the paragraph in which it appears? (lines 29–34) 1 A

b) In your own words, explain the ‘two roles’ which child actors are expected to play. 2 U

8 Read lines 32–37 ‘He has now . . . Kit Culkin.’ Explain, with close reference to the text, how far the character of the child star in the book Junior seems to be based on Culkin himself. 4 U 75 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 76

Close Reading 14–16

9 ‘As if he’s describing a character in a film’ (lines 38–39) Explain how this comparison helps you understand how Culkin manages to deal with the difficult relationship with his father. 2 A

10 ‘His childhood – work, pressure, fame, wealth, marriage, divorce – reads like a checklist of adult milestones’. (lines 45–47)

a) What is the function of the dashes in this sentence? 1 A

b) Explain the effect of the writer’s use of imagery in either ‘checklist’ or ‘milestones’. 2 E/A

11 ‘If Junior has a clear theme, it’s coping with fame.‘ (line 35) The story of Culkin’s encounter with the woman during his game of pool ends with the words ‘Culkin shrugs’. How effective is this sentence in illustrating how Culkin ‘copes’ with the down side of his own fame? 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Anecdotes and illustrations In Close Reading, the word illustration has nothing to do with pictures. It means an example that helps make something clear.

In question 2, you were asked to explain how the examples in lines 8–9 clearly showed that Culkin’s celebrity status was both ‘a blessing and a curse’ to him.

The examples were from his experience at restaurants. Being famous is ‘a blessing’ because he can get a table, even when a restaurant is officially ‘full’ and ordinary people would be turned away. However, it is also ‘a curse’ since, although he can always get into any restaurant, people will stare at him while 76 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 77

A Child Star Grows Up

he is there. We can imagine how embarrassing and annoying this must be, and how it must spoil his enjoyment.

An anecdote is a small story which acts as an illustration. Macaulay Culkin’s encounter with the woman in the pool room is an example of an ‘anecdote’. The story is there to illustrate how rudely some members of the public treat celebrities. It also reveals something about Macaulay Culkin himself, in the way he handled a difficult situation.

Writers will often use an anecdote to begin or end an article, since such stories are interesting and entertaining to the reader as well as having the function of making a point in the argument clear.

For practice In each of the following examples you will be asked to explain how the illustrations/anecdotes help make a point clear. You might write down the answers or discuss them with a partner or group.

1 In the first sentence, the writer says that being a child star is to be ‘a permanent spectacle, a freak show, an eternal curiosity’.

a) Explain what each of these phrases means.

b) Explain how the writer’s personal experience of walking through a restaurant with Macaulay Culkin (lines 2–4) acts as a helpful illustration.

2 Macaulay Culkin was keen to convince the interviewer that he was just a normal person who leads a ‘simple, simple life’ (line 11). How far do the examples he gives in lines 11–12 help convince us this is true?

3 Read again the anecdote about the woman who interrupts the game of pool (lines 50–59).

a) Comment on the woman’s behaviour and her words. (Think about ‘staring at him unapologetically’; ‘a few minutes later the woman is back’; ‘she snipes’; ‘‘Don’t worry, you’re not that cute.’’)

b) What does her behaviour illustrate about the way some members of the public behave towards celebrities?

c) Comment on the way Macaulay Culkin speaks and acts in reaction to the woman. Try to identify the tone of his words. (In your answer you might refer to the following: ‘‘Um, I think you’re staring at me’’; ‘Culkin finally says’; ‘‘No, only on my good days.’’; ‘Culkin shrugs’.)

d) What do you think his reactions reveal about him as a person?

77 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 78 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 79

Chapter 13 A Life Lived on the Edge

In his reflections on a television documentary about the life of mountaineer Dougal Haston, journalist Jeremy Hodges considers the nature of men like Haston who risk their lives.

Extract

1 For those not bitten by the bug, it is hard to understand the appeal of going out in appalling weather, clinging to a rock face in sub-zero temperatures, courting death at every invisible foothold for the dubious distinction of standing on a peak where few or none have set foot before. However carefully one follows 5 safety procedures, mountaineering must be infinitely more hazardous to health than smoking and it is a wonder the Scottish Executive hasn’t banned it as a politically incorrect activity. Dougal Haston, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, was killed by an avalanche while skiing near his Swiss home in 1977 at the age of 36. All boys 10 like to climb but few engage in it with such skill and determination as Haston and his friends Jim Stenhouse and Eley Moriarty did while still at school in the 1950s in Currie, Midlothian. ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

In those days, the village was a grim, working-class community whose redeeming feature, in the eyes of the ‘Currie boys’, was a stone bridge carrying 15 a disused railway track by the Water of Leith, which cushioned their falls when they came unstuck from this impromptu artificial rock face. From there they graduated to the Pentlands and Glen Coe, where their early mentor, Jimmy Marshall, recalled the 17-year-olds steaming effortlessly up a gully with their old Army ice-axes and baggy anoraks. 20 It was with Robin Smith that Haston achieved his first really impressive feat, scaling the tough rock face on Ben Nevis known as the Bat. And it was with Smith that Haston first came spectacularly unstuck, plunging through the air before being brought up safely on the end of a rope. Smith himself would come unstuck permanently in a climbing accident that killed him at 23 – the first 25 of many mountaineering chums who preceded Haston to an icy Valhalla.1 Film footage of Haston in action seems remarkably plentiful and we were treated to many shots of him caked in snow, performing superhuman feats en route to near-impossible summits. But only the memory of his friends at Edinburgh University, where he nominally studied Philosophy, brought back to 30 life Haston’s wildness when not on the mountains. There was no escaping the fact that his fanatical devotion to climbing was matched only by his love of drinking and getting into punch-ups – presumably the best way he could find to live close to the edge in the refined surroundings of Edinburgh. 35 Likewise, he could be trouble in the Highlands. Dissatisfied with the green ‘public lavatory’ décor of the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s hut in Glen Coe, he decided to redecorate it a tasteful custard yellow with curious red psychedelic designs, thus inciting the wrath of club custodian Malcolm Slesser, who banned him. 40 Having left university without sitting his degree, Haston set up a climbing school in Glen Coe, where the drinking continued unabated. After a long session one night at the Clachaig Inn, he insisted on driving his van back and hit a group of hikers in the dark. Instead of helping the injured, Haston fled the scene. When one hiker later died, he was sentenced to six months in Barlinnie, 45 plus a £15 fine, for manslaughter. Even his friends found it hard to justify his drunken folly and lack of outward remorse. But in the programme, his fellow climber Hamish MacInnes revealed the incident had left Haston with a terrible burden of guilt ‘that bothered him till the day he died’. This was not a documentary that dwelt on the troubled private life of the 50 taciturn Scot, which in a way robbed it of emotional impact. His climbing 1 Valhalla: place where Vikings believed their heroes went after death ➢

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A Life Lived on the Edge

Extract continued

triumphs – the Eiger, Annapurna in the Himalayas and Everest with Chris Bonington – impressed me with a sense of his astonishing determination and powers of mental and physical endurance, but brought me no closer to him as a human being. 55 Many of his friends could not be interviewed, having dropped like flies from the rock faces around him, yet some of the survivors – including Doug Scott and Bonington, who was almost in tears when interviewed, clearly loved Haston for something more than his technical ability. After an hour I had seen a lot of the mountains – but I had barely glimpsed 60 the man. ❏

Questions

1 Read lines 1–7. In your own words, explain what the writer thinks is the main aim of mountaineers. 1 U

2 Explain how the metaphor ‘bitten by the bug’ (line 1) helps you understand the enthusiasm of keen mountaineers. 2 A

3 a) Why does the writer suggest that mountaineering might reasonably be banned? 1 U

b) In lines 5–6 the writer compares the effects of mountaineering to smoking. Explain how this helps the reader appreciate the dangers of the sport. 2 A 81 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 82

Close Reading 14–16

4 a) Explain what is meant by a ‘redeeming feature’ (line 14). 2 U

b) In what way was the bridge a ‘redeeming feature’ of Currie to Dougal Haston and his friends? 2 U

5 a) Identify a word from lines 13–19 which tells the reader that the railway bridge was not specially adapted for rock climbing. 1 U

b) Identify a word from lines 13–19 which tells us that climbing in the Pentlands and Glen Coe was more difficult than climbing the railway bridge. 1 U

6 ‘Jimmy Marshall recalled the 17-year-olds steaming effortlessly up a gully with their old Army ice-axes and baggy anoraks.’ (lines 17–19) How does the writer’s word choice create an effective contrast between the mountaineers’ skill and their equipment? 2 A

7 Look again at the first sentence in paragraph five (lines 26–28): ‘Film footage . . . summits.’ Quoting two examples in your answer, explain how the writer’s word choice in this sentence effectively expresses his admiration of Haston’s talent. 2 A

8 In your own words, explain the reason the writer suggests in the sixth paragraph (lines 31–34) for Haston’s love of drinking and ‘getting into punch-ups’. 2 U

9 Explain the meaning and tone of the word ‘tasteful’ as the writer uses it in line 37. 2 U/A

10 Read again the account of the fatal accident in lines 40–48. Making detailed reference to the evidence given by the writer in these lines, explain in your own words what you think the incident reveals about Haston as a man. 3 A

11 Explain the function of the dashes in lines 51–52. 1 A

12 ‘Many of his friends could not be interviewed, having dropped like flies from the rock faces around him . . .’ (lines 55–56) Suggest two reasons why the simile ‘like flies’ is particularly effective in this context. 2 A

13 The writer sums up his view of the TV programme by saying, ‘After an hour I had seen a lot of the mountains – but I had barely glimpsed the man.’ With close reference to the passage, explain how far you agree with the author that you have learned little about the personality of Dougal Haston. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

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A Life Lived on the Edge

Taking a closer look . . . Emotive language Emotive language is language that aims to arouse emotions in the reader. It expresses extremes of feeling. You may be asked to describe and analyse this technique.

For example, in the phrase ‘appalling weather’, the word ‘appalling’ is used to mean very bad. The verb to ‘appal’ means to shock and horrify. The idea is that the weather is so bad it shocks and horrifies you.

Using the word ‘appalling’ is more vivid and effective than the emotionally neutral expression ‘very bad’ as it is emotive: it arouses feeling in the reader.

In question 7, you were asked to explain the effectiveness of the writer’s word choice in expressing the feeling of admiration. A good answer would recognise that words such as ‘superhuman’ and ‘near-impossible’ are emotive, as they both express and arouse feelings of awe and admiration.

For practice Fill in the gaps in a copy of the table below. Firstly, analyse and comment on the effect of the original expression. You should mention features you notice such as metaphor or hyperbole (exaggeration) which contribute to the emotive effect.

Secondly, suggest an emotionally neutral alternative to the word or expression used in the passage.

Word or Analysis of original Emotionally expression from expression and neutral the passage comment on effect alternative

appalling (line 2) Word suggests extreme feeling of very bad shock or horror: weather is seen to be especially bad to arouse these feelings.

courting death (lines 2–3)

superhuman (line 27)

fanatical devotion (line 31)

inciting the wrath (line 38)

terrible burden of guilt (lines 47–48) 83 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 84 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 85

Chapter 14 Germany’s Grown Up

In this article, German journalist Thomas Kielinger suggests it is time to put aside the stereotypes of the past when we look at modern Germany.

Basil Fawlty from the television series ‘Fawlty Towers’

Extract

1 Don’t ask me to ditch my beloved stereotypes, please. What would jokes about national characteristics be without the topsoil of cliché, the milk of human unkindness? Let me share with you my favourite joke in this league. It is about Heaven and Hell, and how Europeans are allocated certain tasks according to 5 the national characteristics they are best known for. Predictably, in Heaven, the chef is French, the policeman British, the mechanic German, the organiser Swiss and the lover Italian. In Hell, of course, the order is somewhat different. The chef is British, the policeman German, the mechanic French, the organiser Italian and the lover Swiss. 10 Quite apart from the intriguing question of why it’s agreed that the Swiss are such bad lovers, the rest of the baddies’ list hardly bears deep scrutiny, either. If I were a would-be mayhem plotter, I should not want to cross the path of a British anti-terrorist cop – who easily knocks the proverbial German policeman off his plinth as the most unforgiving guardian of the law. And as for ➢ 85 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 86

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

15 the chef in Hell being British – why, the United Kingdom now has one of the most cosmopolitan cuisines anywhere. And yet I would never advocate laying to rest such jokes – or even those about the Germans and the Second World War. Don’t let anyone tell you that we get upset about that. We actually enjoy Basil Fawlty’s ‘Don’t mention the 20 war’ rant just as much as you do. Why? Because we can’t get the last war out of our system either. German television is awash with renditions of that horrid chapter in our national history. In fact, Basil Fawlty allows us, for once, the pleasure of actually laughing about it all, something we still can’t quite muster of our own accord. Humour 25 is a vital tool in confronting evil. But wait a minute, Germans do get upset about stereotypical jokes about the W word. The funny side escapes us if the Germany of the Nazis is confused with the Germany of today. There lies the rub. There is a distinct fire-break in our mind about then and now; between the swastika’d pariahs and the country 30 we have rebuilt ‘with liberty and justice for all’ – including the liberty to mock ourselves for the past descent into hell. By contrast, for too many Britons the old adversary has become frozen in time, encapsulated in 1945 like an insect in amber. This is where our paths diverge. Germany has moved on, with a vengeance. The constant harping on a 35 happily extinct Germany – can it come from your post-war role as ‘re-educator’ to a vanquished society? Is there, perhaps, still something of the schoolmaster in you, wanting to occasionally rap the Germans’ knuckles? Well, don’t worry. With stereotypical thoroughness we have imbibed the past and all its lessons. But there is no need to stand guard over Germany as if she were on probation. 40 Fortunately, people will see in the future a different Germany, the modern version, so relaxed, in fact, that its inhabitants have all but forgotten the work ethic they were once famous for. The fun society we call it. Chill out, and let the social net take care of you. Well, I’d better stop here lest I indulge in some negative stereotyping of my 45 own. ❏

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Germany’s Grown Up

Questions

1 Identify one technique used by the author to establish a conversational tone in the opening paragraph. 1 A

2 Read paragraph three (lines 10–16). Explain how the author’s view of British chefs and German policemen differs from the stereotyped views. 4 U

3 Show how the rest of the sentence helps you understand the meaning of ‘would-be mayhem plotter’ (line 12). 2 A

4 In your own words, explain why the Germans enjoy Basil Fawlty’s jokes about the war. 2 U

5 a) Explain what the author means by the phrase ‘the W word’ (lines 26–27). 1 U

b) Why is the phrase appropriate? 1 A

6 Which sentence in paragraph six (lines 26–33) helps the reader understand the kind of joke that Germans object to? 1 U

7 The dictionary defines ‘fire-break’ (line 28) as a strip of open land near a forest designed to prevent a forest fire from spreading. How effective is this word as an image or metaphor to describe the attitude of modern-day Germans to the Nazi period? 2 A

8 Read lines 28–31. In your own words, explain how the writer considers modern Germany to be different from Nazi Germany. 2 U

9 Read paragraph six again (lines 26–33).

a) What criticism does the writer make of the British attitude to Germany? 1 U

b) Comment on any aspect of the word choice or imagery which helps to make this clear. 2 A 87 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:52 Page 88

Close Reading 14–16

10 Quote an expression from paragraph seven (lines 34–39) which shows the author is pleased that ‘Germany has moved on’ from its past. 1 A

11 How effective is the expression ‘something of the schoolmaster’ (line 36) in describing the British attitude to Germany? 2 A

12 Read paragraph eight (lines 40–43).

a) What does the writer consider the main characteristic of Germany is likely to be in the future? 2 U

b) What danger does he see in this? 1 U

c) How does the tone of ‘Chill out, and let the social net take care of you’ (lines 42–43) reveal the writer’s attitude to this way of thinking? 2 A

13 Explain, with close reference to the ideas and style of the passage, how effective the writer is in showing the Germans in a positive light. 3 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Using your own words Question 4 begins, ‘In your own words, explain . . .’

When answering questions in a Close Reading test, it is important that you try to use your own words as far as possible in all the questions, except for those that ask you to quote from the passage. (In the exercise ‘Germany’s Grown Up’, only questions 6 and 10 ask you to quote directly.)

Copying your answers directly from the passage is called ‘lifting’, and you are likely to get no marks if you do this.

Certain questions, such as question 4, remind you of this rule. Examiners include the reminder in questions where they feel you may be tempted just to copy an answer.

Tip: Be especially careful of the questions marked ‘U’ for ‘Understanding’. These are the questions where you are most likely to make this error.

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Germany’s Grown Up

‘But I can’t always think of different words!’

It is not necessary to find an alternative for every single word. However, there are certain simple rules to follow: • Do not lift phrases of three or more words – you may re-use single words. • Never repeat a simile or metaphor – always express it simply. • Never use slang or very informal language from the passage – always make your expression fairly formal. • Avoid emotive language – try to use neutral expressions. For practice (1) In the passage, ‘Germany’s Grown Up’, the writer uses a humorous, very individual style, full of informal expressions and figures of speech. Express the following extracts from the passage in your own words (some extracts are slightly adapted).

1 ‘Don’t ask me to ditch my beloved stereotypes’ (line 1)

2 Europeans are allocated certain tasks according to their national characteristics. (lines 4–5)

3 ‘the baddies’ list hardly bears deep scrutiny’ (line 11)

4 ‘one of the most cosmopolitan cuisines anywhere’ (lines 15–16)

5 ‘that horrid chapter in our national history’ (lines 21–22)

6 ‘Humour is a vital tool in confronting evil.’ (lines 24–25)

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Close Reading 14–16

8 ‘This is where our paths diverge.’ (line 33)

9 ‘constant harping on a happily extinct Germany’ (lines 34–35)

10 Wanting to rap the Germans’ knuckles (line 37)

For practice (2) You might discuss these more difficult examples in pairs or groups. Your teacher or tutor may need to give you a clue in some examples. (Notice that most of these examples contain metaphors.)

1 Jokes about national characteristics have the topsoil of cliché, the milk of human unkindness. (lines 2–3)

2 The British cop easily knocks the German policeman off his plinth as the most unforgiving guardian of the law (lines 13–14)

3 ‘swastika’d pariahs’ (line 29)

4 ‘we have imbibed the past and all its lessons’ (line 38)

5 ‘Chill out, and let the social net take care of you.’ (lines 42–43)

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Chapter 15 London: a Timeless City

In this passage Catherine Nixey looks at how the city of London has developed over the centuries and analyses why the city has such an appeal.

Extract

1 The air is filled with sitar music, with the clucking of the birds being sold in cages, and with the smell of spices. Most of the signs, including the station sign, are in the curling Gurmukhi script of the Punjabi language. You are, of course, in Southall. But take the train half an hour east and you would be in Piccadilly, one of 5 London’s grandest and busiest areas. Massive stone buildings remind you that London was once the capital of an empire that covered a third of the globe. The beautiful and expensive shops remind you that it is still one of the richest cities in the world. St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, the Ritz, the Tate and the Houses of Parliament are all just a stone’s throw away. 10 But were you to get back on the Tube and travel a little further, you would emerge in Epping Forest, a forest of beautiful oak trees and blackberry bushes. It is difficult to come to terms with the scale or with the diversity of the area in and around the M25. Twelve million people live here. That’s more than the populations of Norway and Denmark combined! And at the core is, of course, 15 the city of London. ➢ 91 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 92

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

London is a city of superlatives. It is not only Europe’s largest city, but also its richest and its most ethnically diverse. What’s more, Greater London, perhaps surprisingly, has more green spaces than any other city of its size in the world. 20 And to transport you around this massive metropolis are the famous red London buses and the infamous London Underground. When it was first built in 1863, the Tube was the world’s first underground railway. The spaghetti of confusion is recognised and navigated by most through the much simplified and now iconic London Tube map, designed by Harry Beck in 1931. 25 London is currently booming. It has money, and it likes to spend. Shops, cafés, restaurants and bars across the city are permanently filled with Londoners having fun. And the prices are an indication of its prosperity. The average rent is, shockingly, 56 per cent more in the Greater London area than elsewhere in Britain. But rather than curb people’s desire for the bright lights, the demand for 30 city revelry continues to rise, and Greater London’s boundaries push further into the suburbs to cater for it. Greater London has most of the country’s wealth – and it needs it. It is extraordinarily rich in culture and history too. Here was where Guy Fawkes plotted, Isaac Newton did sums, The Beatles made records, the anti- 35 slavery lobby was founded, Oscar Wilde partied . . . And there were bigger events: Roman invasions, plagues, fires, Zeppelin bombings, air raids. However, the culture and history don’t stop at the city gates. Dotted around London are countless beautiful villages, and exquisite country houses. Like a well-aged face, Greater London’s history shows in its lines. Some roads are 40 straight, echoing old Roman roads; others follow the contours of the old city wall. Hyde Park is only there because Henry VIII wanted somewhere to go hunting. St. Paul’s Cathedral was built because the Great Fire of London had created the space, as well as the need for non-flammable buildings. Its history as capital of the British Empire still moulds London today. After 45 the Second World War, there was a huge influx of Indian, Pakistani and Afro- Caribbean workers to the area from the colonies. It is a place that has shaped the world, and that the world has shaped. Massive and intimate, traditional but ever-changing, hugely multicultural but ineffably British, Greater London is almost impossible to define – and almost 50 impossible to resist. The world is coming to London. You could do worse than follow it. ❏

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London: a Timeless City

Questions

1 Explain how the author uses a variety of sense impressions in the description in the opening paragraph. 2 A

2 Comment on the importance of the sentence ‘You are, of course, in Southall’ (line 3) to the effectiveness of the whole paragraph. 2 A

3 State one contrast between the different areas of London described in paragraph two and paragraph three. 2 U

4 Quote the word in paragraph four (lines 12–15) that sums up how much variety there is in London life. 1 U

5 How does the writer help the reader to understand how large the population of London is? 2 A

6 Explain the meaning of ‘superlatives’ (line 16) and show how the rest of the paragraph helps you to arrive at this meaning. 2 A

7 a) Comment on how effective ‘spaghetti of confusion’ (lines 22–23) is as an image or metaphor. 2 A

b) Quote another word from this paragraph which continues the idea that the London Underground system can be difficult to use. 1 U

8 ‘London is currently booming’ (line 25). By referring to two examples, show how the author expands on this statement in the rest of paragraph seven (lines 25–32). 2 U/A

9 Look at the sentence in lines 33–36. How does the structure of this sentence reinforce the idea that London is ‘extraordinarily rich in culture’? 2 A

10 ‘However, the culture and history don’t stop at the city gates’. (line 37) Explain how this sentence is an appropriate link between the paragraph it begins and the previous one. 2 A

11 a) ‘Like a well-aged face, Greater London’s history shows in its lines.’ (lines 38–39) Explain the effectiveness of this comparison. 2 A

b) Give two examples of how London’s history has affected the position of buildings or the layout of streets. 2 U

12 In your own words, explain two of the contrasts mentioned in the last paragraph to be found in present-day London life. 2 U

13 How successful is the writer in persuading you that London is ‘almost impossible to resist’? Identify at least two literary techniques that help to convince the reader of London’s appeal. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

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Close Reading 14–16

Taking a closer look . . . Imagery Almost every Intermediate and Higher Close Reading paper contains a question like number 7a above:

Comment on how effective ‘spaghetti of confusion’ (lines 22–23) is as an image or metaphor.

The term ‘image’ is used to refer to a descriptive word or phrase that involves some kind of comparison. It is likely to involve one of three figures of speech:

Simile Metaphor Personification

a comparison between a comparison where a specific type of two different things instead of saying that metaphor comparing using the word ‘as’ or ‘A is like B’ the writer an inanimate object ‘like’. (‘A is like B’) says ‘A is B’. to a living thing.

To explain why an image is a good one, you should try to think how the comparison sheds light on the subject under discussion.

One class, when asked what they associated with ‘spaghetti’, came up with the following suggestions: • Something Italian • A tangled mess • Long thin strips of pasta • Stuff mixed together Which of these connotations of the word ‘spaghetti’ do you think the writer had in mind when she used the metaphor ‘spaghetti of confusion’ to describe the London Underground map?

For practice 1 The following extract describes the attractions of Morocco as a tourist destination. Examples of imagery are underlined. • Identify each image as a simile, metaphor or personification. • Work out what is compared to what. • Discuss how the two are similar.

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London: a Timeless City

1 From urban breaks and seaside escapes to week-long treks, Morocco is an exciting and varied destination. Adrenalin junkies have various options: the Atlantic seaboard offers fantastic surfing opportunities; east of Marrakesh, the Todra Gorge presents word-class rock-climbing; and the desert is perfect for 5 off-piste driving over sugar-soft sand dunes. Arrange a camel safari and head out for a night under crystal-clear skies.

(Source: Wanderlust, Issue 73, August 2005) ❏

2 This extract describes a trip to the Grand Canyon in the USA. Again, identify the underlined images as similes, metaphors or personification and comment on how effective these comparisons are.

1 The heat in Arizona is legendary. The land is so parched that each step throws up clouds of orange dust. When a chain of tethered pack-horses passed us coming the other way we were temporarily lost in an orange fog. As we descend, the Canyon walls grew evermore imposing and I felt that 5 we were in the middle of a battleground fought over by armies of cacti. Rocks and boulders hemmed us in like giant towers. Sun and shade gave them definition and shape: here a grizzly bear of granite; there a troupe of acrobatic sandstone dolphins. ➢ 95 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 96

Close Reading 14–16

Eventually we reached the first of the falls. Havasu is a classic, symmetrical, 10 25 metre plume: poised, refined and self-consciously beautiful. I walked down the path beside her and looked back up. If you blink quickly enough the water appears to stop: giant drops suspended, like a theatre-curtain of water, reluctant to fall until the thunderous applause dies down. It never does, of course. Havasu Falls is sourced by an underground spring, its volume and temperature 15 consistent year round. The waterfall is its own everlasting and thunderous ovation.

(Source: Wanderlust, Issue 75, November 2005) ❏

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Chapter 16 Eat Up and Pay Up

Journalist Giles Coren recently made a TV programme on obesity which came up with the controversial idea of taxing people in proportion to how overweight they are. Here, he reflects on some aspects of obesity which came to him while researching the programme.

Eddie Murphy starred as the overweight Professor Sherman Klump in ‘The Nutty Professor’

Extract

1 How many fat people have you seen today? Did the milkman waddle down your garden path on legs like giant kebabs? Did the chap in the newsagent where you bought your paper puff and sweat as he put your money in the till with his podgy hand? Perhaps you yourself are – how can I put this politely? – ‘fuller- 5 figured’? In which case, you may want to stop reading now. As for the rest of you, stop looking so smug. Because has it ever occurred to you that porkers aren’t just putting pressure on their elasticated waistbands – they’re costing the whole country money as well? And the bill is not just a few pounds here and there to repair a broken park 10 bench or the odd public loo seat. I should stress at this point that there is a tiny percentage of people with genuine metabolic problems that cause them to pile on the pounds. They, of course, deserve sympathy rather than contempt. But the ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

vast majority of chubbies in Britain are big because they lack the willpower or incentive to maintain a healthier lifestyle. We’re paying for their self-indulgence. 15 Last year, treatment of obesity-related illnesses cost the National Health Service – wait for it – £1 billion. Another £2.5 billion was lost to the economy on account of premature death, sick pay and incapacity benefits related to obesity. There are 900 people in Britain so fat that they can do, almost literally, nothing at all. These super-whoppers cost the country £8 million just on their 20 own. And where does this money – almost £4 billion – come from? From the taxes paid by thin, healthy people like me. And I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it’s fair. Smokers are expected to pay vast amounts in tax to fund their habit. Boozers are taxed in the same way; gamblers, too. And I think it’s high time the 25 obese were made to stump up as well. The time has come to tax the fat. An individual’s tax bill would be tailored to reflect their girth. I’ve just finished filming a TV documentary in which I travelled the land talking to health experts, politicians and economists about the fat crisis. I spent time listening to the overweight justify their size. I even wore a fat suit in public 30 for two days to gauge other people’s reactions (never again – the stigma was unbearable). Fat people tell me that I am prejudiced and that the overweight are a ‘minority group’ as deserving of respect as any other. I beg to differ. Being fat is a choice. A choice to consume dwindling resources, to use more energy, to 35 take up more space. The fat people I interviewed for the film were always telling me they couldn’t change their size. A moment’s research soon proved this was tosh. People said: ‘I’m not fat. I’m just big-boned.’ Nonsense. Have you ever seen a fat skeleton? They said, ‘I’ve got a slow metabolism.’ Piffle. Fat people, if anything, have higher metabolisms than the rest of us because of 40 the amount of effort it takes to haul their bulk around. They told me, ‘It’s genetic’. Poppycock. What fat children inherit from fat parents is bad eating habits, not fat bellies. They said, ‘Obesity is a disease of the poor. They cannot afford to eat healthily’. How patronising. I debunked this myth by taking £20 (the bottom end of what a person on the 45 minimum wage or standard benefits spends on food in a week) and buying more than enough healthy food to last seven days. I bought pounds of fresh vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beans), two pounds of organic beef, two salmon steaks, four pounds of whole wheat pasta, two pounds of porridge, two pints of semi-skimmed organic milk, bags of pulses, four tins of tomatoes, two sacks of 50 oranges and a sack of apples. Why do people instead prefer to spend £20 on two giant takeaway pizzas and a lethal torpedo of fizzy pop? ➢

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Eat Up and Pay Up

Extract continued

The obesity crisis in Britain is a product of the terrible clash between the victim mentality and the ‘Oprah culture’ that says we must be proud of what we are whatever we are. Dawn French, the actress, is a classic example. She 55 recently claimed she was a better role model than skinny supermodels who, she said, encourage girls to be anorexic. But she is wrong. Massive deviation from the normal body shape is unhealthy and dangerous whichever direction you go in. They are simply two sides of the same coin. Her insistence that a woman 60 can be fat and beautiful is fair enough. And she was a good example of this for many years. But she is now huge, in imminent danger of terrible health breakdown, and to encourage young women to think that this is acceptable is irresponsible in the extreme. We must make people aware of the damage they are doing to their health by 65 being grossly overweight. And by far the most effective way to do this is to hit them where it hurts – in their wallets. It worked with smoking. And I firmly believe it would work with obesity. Britain is dying of fat. And while tax may be a bitter pill for tubbies to swallow (nothing like as yummy as an extra helping of treacle pud) I believe 70 it’s the only cure that will work. ❏

Questions

1 From the first two sentences (lines 1–2), identify two techniques the writer has used to capture the interest of the reader. 2 A

2 Suggest a reason why the writer uses the expression ‘fuller-figured’ rather than ‘fat’ in lines 4–5. 1 A

3 Whom does the writer mean by ‘the rest of you’ in lines 5–6? 1 U

4 Look again at the second sentence of paragraph two, ‘I should stress . . . pounds.’

a) How does the tone of this sentence differ from that used in the passage up to this point? 1 A

b) Explain clearly, using examples, how the writer’s word choice in this sentence creates this tone. 2 A

5 From what the writer says in the second paragraph (lines 9–14), explain in your own words what he believes are the main reasons for people to be overweight. 2 U 99 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 100

Close Reading 14–16

6 Suggest a reason why the writer uses the word ‘we’ rather than ‘tax-payers’, for example, in the expression ‘We’re paying for their self-indulgence.’ (line 14) 2 A

7 Show how the writer uses sentence structure effectively in lines 15–16: ‘Last year . . . billion.’ 2 A

8 Explain two ways in which the writer conveys his attitude to the ‘900 people . . . so fat they can do, almost literally, nothing at all’ (lines 18–19). 2 A

9 In lines 21–26, ‘And where . . . girth’ the writer compares obese people to three other groups of people. Suggest a reason why obese people might be compared to any one of these other groups. 2 U

10 In your own words explain the meaning of the last sentence of paragraph four: ‘An individual’s . . . girth’ (lines 25–26). 2 U

11 In paragraph six the writer sets out to dismiss the arguments that claim fat people cannot change their size. Show how he uses both sentence structure and word choice effectively to do this in lines 37–43. 4 A

12 Read lines 44–51. Explain briefly how the writer ‘debunked the myth’ that poor people cannot eat healthily. 1 U

13 Explain in your own words why the writer feels Dawn French was wrong to say she is a better role model than the ‘skinny supermodels’. 2 U

14 The writer’s message in this article is that fat people deserve to be taxed more than thin people. Looking at the article as a whole, explain how effective you found the writer’s style and arguments in putting across this message. 4 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

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Eat Up and Pay Up

Taking a closer look . . . Evaluation (1): evaluating the whole passage The final question in this exercise asks you how effective Giles Coren has been in persuading you that fat people deserve to pay more tax than thin people.

The code letter ‘E’ for ‘Evaluation’ after a question tells you that you will be asked for an appreciation of how effective the writer has been in achieving his purpose, whatever it may be. Some evaluation questions may ask you to focus on a particular part of the passage, such as the conclusion, while others will require you to look at the passage as a whole. • In Evaluation questions, you may include material that has already been discussed in the Understanding and Analysis questions. • Look carefully at the number of marks available. It is a good idea to include one quotation / close reference followed by a comment on it for each mark available. • Think about the writer’s purpose. Is it to persuade, or to provoke thought, or to be humorous, for example? The point of Evaluation questions is to consider how well the writer has achieved it.

Hint: The pieces of writing in the Close Reading tests will have been chosen by examiners because they believe they are effective. It is always advisable to respond positively. Candidates who try to argue that the writers are not effective give themselves a harder task!

Plan your answer: The best way to approach an evaluation question is to write brief notes first, perhaps in the form of quotations. Getting into the habit of planning your answer in this way will also stand you in good stead when you come to the more complex evaluation questions in Higher English.

In the passage you have just read, the writer’s purpose was to persuade.

Question 14 was worth four marks. It asked for comments on both style and arguments. To make sure you answered the whole question, you might have made notes in the form of a table like this:

Style Arguments • ‘legs like giant kebabs’ • High cost of treatment of (humour/ridicule) obesity-linked illnesses: £1 billion; other related problems. • Use of first person ‘we’ • £2.5 billion (precise statistics, very (involves reader) large sums). • Other groups with self-inflicted problems – drinkers, gamblers, etc. – have to pay (which is unfair).

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Close Reading 14–16

Your answer might then have read like this:

Arguments: The writer’s arguments are effective. Using statistics such as ‘£1 billion’ and ‘£2.5 billion’ impresses on the reader the enormous amounts of money fat people cost the country. Another effective argument is that other groups such as drinkers and gamblers must pay for their addictions, which persuades the reader that it would be fair for fat people to pay also.

Style: The writer uses humour effectively, e.g. ‘legs like giant kebabs’, to mock fat people for the state they have got themselves into. He uses ‘we’ rather than a more impersonal word like ‘tax- payers’ to arouse the reader’s indignation that they, too, must pay.

Using sub-headings like those underlined above makes it easy for the marker to see what you have done. In this case, there are clearly two points made (with quotations or direct references) for each heading, and so the answer would definitely be awarded 4/4 marks.

For practice Extend your table of notes above to include a further four to six points under each heading.

Style Arguments ••

••

••

••

In addition to entering a quotation or reference, try to include a brief comment also, as in the examples above.

Remember that the examiner will not look at your plan. In the test, there is no need to draw tables carefully or write neatly – your plan and notes need only to be understood by you! Do them as quickly and briefly as possible – you will still reap the benefit as your answer will be clear and well supported. 102 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 103

Chapter 17 Chav-Air

In this article, writer Andrew O’Hagan argues that making travel by air cheaper may also cheapen the experience of flying in the negative sense.

Extract

1 The worst place in Britain used to be well known: it was the 11.15 overnight coach from Glasgow Buchanan Street to London St Pancras. The journey would start with quiet men in duffle coats and students with knapsacks, all engaged in private thoughts or puzzles, but by the time the coach 5 was passing the lights of Carlisle – and a symphony of Special Brew cans had gone kss, kss, kss – the bus would resemble Bruegel’s triumph of Death and you’d promise yourself that if necessary you’d steal the money for the plane next time. Not any more. 10 The days when taking a British domestic flight was considered quite a posh thing to do are gone, and a journey with any of those cheap providers (collective name Chav-Air) is an experience best left to people who find themselves immune to extremely obnoxious environments. The other day I was flying to Inverness to attend a wedding. I knew it would be a drinking affair (it was), and 15 I knew I would be unafraid of the bottle (sadly true), but even that didn’t help ➢

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Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

me cope with the fact that there were people drinking pints of lager in the departure lounge at 7.30 in the morning. The breakfast plates were piled with radioactive scrambled egg and heaps of carcinogenic sausages, but that didn’t stop people lining up with their 20 buggies to buy them. Then you go downstairs and are kept waiting in some nylon-carpeted hell-hole while a woman with a squeaky voice tells you she’s sorry for the inconvenience caused. The plane comes in an hour late from Prague and nobody’s got a guaranteed seat so you end up sitting miles from your girlfriend who doesn’t like flying, but who ends up sitting between two 25 Kit-Kat chomping nutcases who wonder if there are any scratchcards on board. (Of course, there are.) Then come the dodgy perfume and the Cup-a-Soup. Then come the ‘partnerships’ with rubbishy hotels and car-hire firms. By this time you’re wondering whatever happened to the great Edwardian ideal of luxurious and 30 thoughtful travel. ‘Pack them in and sell them cheap’ might be a rather democratising principle, but only if you’re not thinking about what you’re losing for your great saving. There are some things – books, and seats on aeroplanes – which can’t be sold like cans of beans without the purchaser’s experience of them becoming narrowed and limited and finally destroyed. This 35 is a difficult truth, and one that the degradation of air travel in this country attests to like nothing else. Nowadays, the best way to travel is in the nice bit of the train (and Weekend First is a brilliant deal, where you get to upgrade for £15). The staff seem happy at their work, the tea comes in crockery and the drinks in glasses, a newspaper 40 is available, and you get the general impression that the idea is not to squeeze money out of you but to give you value for the money you’ve already spent. That is an older (and more genuinely democratising) spirit than the cheap airlines have adopted, where the airline sees itself as a kind of fast-food joint with propellers. 45 I also wonder what the ghastly cheap flights are really doing for their many destinations. If you talk to publicans in Dublin, you’ll find they bemoan the ‘Ryanair generation’, guys hopping over the sea for stag nights, and many hotels have put a ban on crowds of young men coming in from the airport. If you flood those cities with people just looking for a change of pub, what then is 50 the difference between Bratislava and Bilboa, Turin and Edinburgh? It used to be thought that the journey towards a place became part of your experience of it, and that travelling itself was an art, something that could enhance a sense of personal growth, or contribute to it. Now one might shudder at the idea of Easyjetting it to Venice, or Krakow, or Valencia. I’d also hazard ➢ 104 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 105

Chav-Air

Extract continued

55 that those cities are busy shuddering themselves: it’s hard to imagine that increased numbers of cut-price tourists do much to enrich the coffers of the Academia.1 It’s a side issue in the new, thoroughly and cheaply accessible Europe: the way these destinations are increasingly less like themselves and more like one 60 another. You don’t have to walk far in Berlin to find an ‘English-style’ breakfast; you can’t avoid a Novotel or ‘Paris-look’ brasserie in Gdansk; and everywhere you go in any city you’ll see fake Irish pubs. Cheapness and familiarity have become the new watchwords of travel, and gone – or going – are the notions of peace, and exploring and adaptation. I hate 65 cheap flights because they actually cheapen the experience of going away. I am reliably informed that more and more people now choose to holiday within Britain, travelling in the comfort of their own cars. One must imagine they are running away from queues and scratchcards and apologies for the inconvenience caused. I can’t say I blame them. And the next time I go to 70 Inverness, I’ll let the train take the strain.

1 Academia: famous art gallery in Venice ❏

Questions

1 Using evidence from lines 3–8, explain how the behaviour of the passengers changed in the course of the journey. 2 U

2 ‘. . . a symphony of Special Brew cans had gone kss, kss, kss . . .’ (lines 5–6) Comment on the effectiveness of any aspect of the writer’s word choice here. 2 A

3 Explain clearly the effect the writer achieves with the use of brackets in paragraph four (lines 10–17). 2 A

4 Re-read paragraph five (lines 18–26). How does the writer’s word choice help the reader to understand his opinion of the food available at breakfast? 2 A

5 In your own words, explain two other ways in which the flight was an unpleasant experience. 2 U

6 What is the effect of the repetition of the words ‘then come’ in line 27? 2 A 105 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 106

Close Reading 14–16

7 ‘“Pack them in and sell them cheap” might be a rather democratising principle’ (lines 30–31).

What contrast do you notice in the author’s style of expression in this sentence? 2 A

8 How effective do you find the simile in line 33 in conveying the author’s dislike of cheap air travel? 2 A

9 In your own words, give two reasons why the writer feels that the train is ‘the best way to travel’ (line 37). 2 U

10 What aspect of rail travel does the writer feel is more genuinely democratic than travelling with budget airlines? 2 U

11 ‘I also wonder what the ghastly cheap flights are really doing for their many destinations.’ (lines 45–46)

Show how the rest of paragraph eight expands on the point made in this sentence. 2 A

12 Comment on the effectiveness of the choice of the word ‘flood’ (line 49) in strengthening the author’s argument against cheap flights. 2 A

13 Comment on the effectiveness of any aspect of the author’s punctuation in paragraph ten (lines 58–62). 2 A

14 How appropriate do you find the last three sentences ‘One must imagine . . .’ (lines 67–70) as a conclusion to the article? 2 A

15 How far has the author succeeded in convincing you of the disadvantages of cheap flights? 2 E

TOTAL MARKS: 30

Taking a closer look . . . Evaluation (2): evaluating the conclusion Evaluation questions, which are marked by the letter ‘E’, ask you to consider how effective you think the writer has been.

Some Evaluation questions will require you to look at the passage as a whole, but others may ask you to focus on a particular part of the passage. The conclusion of a passage is frequently chosen as a focus, as in the example of question 14 above.

In Chapter 16, which looked at evaluation of the whole passage, you were advised to answer evaluation questions positively, since the passages will have been chosen because they are effective. The same advice applies when answering questions on evaluating parts of a passage. 106 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 107

Chav-Air

Look at an example:

How appropriate do you find the last three sentences as a conclusion to the article?

To evaluate a conclusion successfully, you must show clear links between the conclusion and the rest of the article. As in the case of an evaluation of a whole passage, it is advisable to begin with a brief plan.

A good way to do this is in the form of a diagram, showing how the ideas and style of the conclusion relate back to the rest of the passage.

Feature Conclusion Rest of passage

• List of irritating aspects • ‘queues and • kept waiting in scratchcards and ‘nylon-carpeted apologies for hell-hole’ (line 21); inconvenience’ ‘Kit-Kat chomping nutcases’ (line 25)

• Blunt comments • ‘I can’t say I blame • ‘ghastly’ (line 45) them.’

• Expresses opinion: that • ‘let the train take the • Train is best way to trains are better than strain’ (humorous tone) travel (line 37) planes

The plan shows three bullet points making comparison between the conclusion and the whole passage. Since the question is worth 2 marks, this is more than sufficient to ensure you will get full marks for the question.

Remember to use words like ‘reinforces’, ‘effective’ and ‘appropriate’ throughout your answer. A suitable final version appears on the following page.

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Close Reading 14–16

The list of irritating aspects: ‘queues and scratchcards and apologies for inconvenience’ uses a serious tone to refer back to his earlier more jocular complaints of the delay he endured in the ‘nylon-carpeted hell-hole’, sitting next to the ‘nutcases’ with scratchcards. This reinforces his list of dislikes.

‘I can’t say I blame them’ is simple and blunt, as were expressions like ‘ghastly’ which he used earlier to convey his feelings effectively.

The final sentence, saying he will ‘let the train take the strain’ is appropriate as it returns to the humorous tone used throughout the passage by adapting an advertising jingle. He repeats his opinion that the train is better than flying, thus providing an appropriate conclusion to the article.

This is a very full answer in order to illustrate the method, and you would have gained the 2 marks by covering only two of the linked bullet points in the plan.

For practice Answer the following question, using the guidelines above. Compile a plan using a simple grid form, and then write out your answer in sentences. Notice that this question is worth 4 marks, and so you should find at least four pairs of linked points to ensure that you get full marks.

Comment on the effectiveness of the last paragraph (lines 63–70) as a conclusion to the whole passage. 4 E

Conclusion Rest of passage ••

••

••

••

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Writing in Focus (2)

On page 7 of this book is a checklist of the kind of language features often asked about in Close Reading questions.

Now that you have worked through the practice papers you should be much more familiar with these features.

To test your progress, in this final exercise (which can be done in pairs or groups) you should try to identify as many examples of interesting language techniques as you can, and discuss the effects the writer is aiming for.

You can look back to the checklist on page 7 to remind you of what to look for, but no further hints are given here!

Extract Nothing, and I Mean Nothing, is Better Value than This Jeremy Clarkson drives the Daihatsu Charade

1 The best value thing I can think of at the moment is Daihatsu’s new Charade. At £5,995 this is a car you can buy with your Switch card, on a whim, because the bus was late and there weren’t any taxis and you couldn’t be bothered to wait any longer. Don’t think, however, that because the new Charade is cheap it’s equipped 5 like a Turkish prison. You get antilock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, two airbags, speed-sensitive power steering, electric front windows, electric door mirrors, central locking and a CD player. ➢ 109 01-Reading-Text-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 110

Close Reading 14–16

Extract continued

You also get a fair bit of oomph. Daihatsu, the first Japanese car maker to set up a shop in Britain back in 1965, has built a reputation for squeezing 10 amazing power from very small spaces. I believe its old Charade GTti was in 1987 the world’s most powerful one litre car. Well, it has switched emphasis now with astonishing results. The three- cylinder one litre engine found in the new Charade has 12 valves, dynamic variable valve timing and twin overhead camshafts, all of which is very dull. 15 The results aren’t, though. Official figures suggest it will do 68.9 mpg out of town, making this the most economical and the cleanest petrol-engined four- seater money can buy. I was expecting it to move with the zest of a Saturday shop girl but no: 0 to 62 was dispensed within 12.2 sec and at one point on our test track I hit the ton. 20 For a city car the Charade is amazingly lively. I’m going to stick my neck out here. We often talk about which car has the best engine. The BMW M3’s is very good but the Ferrari 360’s V8 cannot be ignored. Nor can the VTEC motor in a Honda S2000. Honestly, though, all things considered, as a technical tour de force you’re hard pressed to do better than the 25 low-friction twin-cam in this Charade. It even makes a growly grrrrrrr sound. So, good engine and good value for money, where’s the drawback? Well, it’s not what you’d call a large car. I’ve seen bigger handbags, in fact. But that’s okay. Nobody dreams of buying a smaller television set in the same way that none of you will dream of swapping whatever you’ve got now for a smaller car, no 30 matter how clever it is at maths and stuff. Old people, however, are different. Old people do think about getting a smaller house and a smaller garden. And they may very well want a smaller car because they only ever need to get from the beetle drive to the bridge club. So, Enid and Gilbert, this one’s for you. 35 It’s as easy to get into and out of as an easy chair. There’s enough space in the back for a game of whist. So far as reliability’s concerned the Charade will be exemplary. You’re more likely to be let down by your kitchen table. The best bit, though, I’ve saved till last. It’s a remarkably comfortable car, soaking up speed humps and potholes with a disdain that belies the shortness of 40 its wheelbase. Sure, on a racetrack it handles about as badly as any car I’ve ever driven, but who cares? My dog can’t do the ironing – that’s not what it’s for. When you turn it on, a readout on the dash says ‘Hello, happy’. And when you turn it off, it says: ‘See you – goodbye’. Obviously I’d smash that with a hammer, and then I’d be left with an easy-to-drive, super-comfortable, super- 45 value, spacious, practical, economical city car that does motorways too. Most of all, though, I’d be left with something unusual these days: something that costs less than you’d imagine. ❏

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Answers

Writing in Focus 1: At Last! • More formal tone of ‘paid Vindication for Working Mums employment boosts self-esteem and thus the immune system’ (lines 12–13) Main techniques used in this passage: as a serious point is being made. 1 Conversational style • ‘Well knock me down with an 1 There’s S-no Xscape anti-static feather duster’ (line 1): 1 Contrast either between outdoors / variation on a well-known expression indoors or between heat / cold. (2 marks) used to express surprise; ‘feather’ is changed to ‘feather duster’ – something 2 Any two of the following (1 mark for that would be used in household quotation and 1 for comment): cleaning – to draw attention to the role • ‘Like over-excited footballers’: this of the busy woman doing domestic simile compares the way footballers, chores as well as working. ecstatic at their victory, take off their • Rhetorical question (line 5): to football strips and suggests that the persuade the reader to agree with the public are just as excited when hot author’s opinion. weather comes. • Expression of personal feelings (e.g. • ‘lobster-red tans’: metaphor, stressing line 16) and use of emotive language how over-exposure to the sun produces (‘deeply irritating’, ‘pilloried’). an unnatural and uncomfortable sunburn. • Use of clichés like ‘firing on all cylinders’ and ‘score a goal’ reinforce • ‘porcelain torsos’: metaphor; the colloquial tone. porcelain is a very light-coloured material; the comparison stresses how 2 Use of hyperbole the men are not used to exposure to the • The writer frequently exaggerates in sun. order to achieve a comic effect. 3 Short ‘sentence’, lacking a verb, is a ‘Multi-tasking whirling dervishes’ contrast to the longer ones that precede suggests these women are hyperactive; it, thus throwing emphasis on the ‘more energy than a NASA rocket statement (1 mark). In particular, these launcher’ stresses the amount of energy words stress how surprising it is that they have; ‘nuked by industrial the snow is real, in view of the hot amounts of Nurofen’ suggests they weather (1 mark). bombard their bodies with pain-killers to keep going. 4 Perverse (1 mark). 3 Other techniques 5 Any two of the following for 1 mark each: • Simile ‘like a wasp to a dollop of jam’ (line 20) stresses how hard it is for the • ‘championship’ woman to resist the easy availability of • ‘she’s trained at the British Ski Team snacks in the fridge. camp in the Alps’ 111 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 112

Close Reading 14–16

• ‘a room full of trophies and awards’. b) A simile ‘like a performing dolphin (2 marks) on the inside of an aquarium’ shows how keenly participants feel they are 6 When real snow becomes worn, it being watched; they feel they are a reveals a stony surface underneath source of entertainment to the (1 mark) whereas the man-made surface spectators (2 marks). underneath the snow in the Sno Zone means that the skier can continue 12 Passage began with a reference to the (1 mark). contrast between the hot summer weather and the cold of the Sno Zone; 7 The next sentence gives details of how last sentence picks up on this contrast the artificial snow is created (1 mark); again (1 mark): provides a surprising this is conveyed by the use of numerous and effective twist on the common statistics (1 mark). phrase ‘long, hot summer’ (1 mark). 8 ‘Lessons’ refers back to the reference to TOTAL MARKS: 30 lessons in the previous paragraph (1 mark); ‘Nicole doesn’t need’ is expanded For practice (1) by the description of her expertise (1 1 porcelain mark). 2 perverse 9 Younger people are more supple / 3 faux flexible (‘some of the kids can bounce 4 piste and flex’) whereas older people are less agile (2 marks). 5 fret 6 awe 10 a) (i) ‘dare-devils’ suggests that the more experienced are not frightened of 7 flex taking risks; ‘extreme’ similarly shows 8 bemusement they will tackle adventurous and 9 retail park demanding moves; ‘busting’ suggests 10 balmy the ease with which they perform these actions (2 marks). For practice (2) (ii) ‘baby steps’ suggests timidity, lack 1 she acts as a guide and chats of experience and skill; ‘more like comfortably to him; she is very friendly stumbles’ shows how the beginners can and playful just after meeting him; she barely perform even these simple moves throws snowballs at him (2 marks). 2 the words ‘giant fridge’ suggest it is b) ‘a healthy mix’ (1 mark) huge; there is a huge quantity of snow 11 a) Any two of the following for 1 mark (1700 tonnes); it contains long slopes each: (200 metres); it is said to be the ‘biggest’ • ‘mini-Narnia’ scene suggests a in the whole country picturesque view which seems more like 3 the staff won’t let complete beginners an unreal fantasy world on to the ski-slope; they provide • juxtaposition / contrast with ‘hidden lessons; skiers must learn to use the lifts in the corner of a retail park just 4 he is much better than Nicole, although outside Glasgow’ further stresses the she is very good; he goes so fast he unexpectedness of the scene seems to create sparks; he can do stunts • ‘wonder and bemusement’ reveals such as somersaults the spectators’ state of amazement and disbelief. 112 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 113

Answers

5 it vibrates, as it is said to be ‘rib- b) The use of such expressions suggests shuddering’; hip-hop is a loud type of that experts in this field have been music; the word ‘thud’ is used which consulted, and thus makes the author’s suggests it is very loud. argument more convincing (2 marks). 8 a) Paraphrase of ‘biological differences’ and ‘social pressure’, e.g. women react 2 Solved: Why Women Obsess differently to food either because they are genetically different from males or about their Food more than Men because they are subjected to more 1 Brief answers for 1 mark: e.g. powerful social influences (2 marks). Sums up content of the article b) the second of these (social pressure) (1 mark) Fuller answers for 2 marks: e.g. c) ‘the more likely explanation’ (1 mark) Suggests that passage is going to provide an explanation of this issue and 9 a) ‘I think they’re really on to makes reader want to read on (2 marks) something with this.’ (1 mark). ‘Solved’ followed by colon suggests that b) Reference to such features as: use of there has been a mystery and that the the first person; use of abbreviation; use mystery has now been explained of colloquial ‘really’ (1 mark). (2 marks) 10 Any two of the following points: ‘But’ 2 ‘Blame it on her brain’ (1 mark) signals a change in the direction of the 3 Use of alliteration (1 mark) stresses the argument (1 mark); ‘results’ refers back length of time that women have been to the studies of the experts previously told that they must diet (1 mark). mentioned (1 mark); ‘more research’ points forward to the comments of or Angelo del Parigi (1 mark). Word choice: ‘pressure’ suggests how 11 He accepts that the findings are valid to intense and constant the attempt has some extent (1 mark) but feels that been to make them diet (2 marks). other methods in addition to brain 4 Women are very conscious that eating scans (fMRI) should be used to prove certain foods will increase their weight the validity of Dr Uher’s conclusions (1 mark); men do not generally show as (1 mark). much concern about their diet (1 mark). 12 ‘Innate’ means instinctive, inborn, 5 The dash introduces an explanation of inherent (1 mark). The sentence the previous statement (1 mark), i.e. the structure makes it clear that innate must sentence goes on to explain that the mean the opposite of ‘learned process’, reason why women diet is that they feel i.e. something a person is born with a need to give reasons / excuses for rather than taught later on (1 mark). what they are eating (1 mark). 13 Possibilities include: 6 The females showed a stronger response than males to images of food than to • Use of quotations from expert other images (1 mark). This suggests witnesses gives weight to the that the female brain is programmed to conclusions. focus on food to a greater extent than • Detailed account of experiments the male brain (1 mark). shows that the issue has been 7 a) occipitotemporal cortex / functional thoroughly investigated. magnetic resonance imaging / • Author takes a balanced approach, neurological stimulant / neural giving consideration to experts who do 1 pathways, etc. ( 2⁄ mark for each) not entirely agree with the findings. 113 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 114

Close Reading 14–16

• Use of a conversational tone in the 3 Teenagers opening paragraph makes the point of 1 a) Answer should be based on ideas in the article easier to grasp. lines 1–6: many people think that Quotation as well as comment required teenagers are rude / inarticulate / for the full 4 marks. Marks may be gained slovenly / bad-tempered / moody / are by four brief points or by two developed less than human (1 mark). more fully (with back-up evidence). b) Any two of the following for 1 mark TOTAL MARKS: 30 each: grunt, slouch, get cross, go red, qualify as little more than a sub-species For practice (2 marks). a) Colon (line 2): words that follow the 2 ‘we suspected that there was more to colon explain why ‘now might be your them than that’ or ‘we ought to try to chance to shine’. understand them better’ (1 mark). Semi-colon (line 5): creates a pause 3 a) Teenagers are at an in-between stage before the second half of the sentence – neither children nor grown-ups expands on ‘. . . takes more than just (1 mark). programming’. b) ‘Hinterland’ is appropriate as it Dash (line 7): adds on an extra suggests metaphorically that consequence of ‘consumers’ teenagers are not part of mainstream expectations have grown’. life; that they are isolated / not fully Dashes (lines 9–10): parenthesis allows involved / distant, etc. This stresses writer to interject. the gulf between teenagers and Colon (line 12): introduces quotation. adults. Dashes (line 14): parenthesis containing ‘Fully fledged’ is appropriate as it refers definition of ‘game mods’. to a stage in life when the person has matured. Teenagers have progressed b) Dashes (lines 1–2): parenthesis allows beyond the stage of childhood but are author to make a personal comment, not yet fully developed and establishing a conversational tone. independent. (1 or 2 marks, depending on Semi-colon (line 4): creates a balanced how well expressed) sentence, contrasting the outside and inside of the cinema. 4 articulate (1 mark) Dash (line 5): stresses how high the 5 a) Gloss on ‘pleasant, well-adjusted screen is; creates an effect of surprise. young people’, e.g. many youngsters are Dash (line 7): in conjunction with ‘but’, in fact likeable / agreeable / friendly the dash creates a contrast with the and normal / stable (1 mark); gloss on previous point. ‘feeling their way, sensibly, and sometimes a little stupidly, through Colon (line 8): introduces an adolescence’, e.g. they are finding their explanation of why he finds that way through their teenage years in a ‘things get even more weird’. level-headed, reasonable manner / Colon (line 10): introduces a definition inevitably making mistakes sometimes of the ‘one thing’. (1 mark). Colon (line 11): introduces an b) Reference to parenthesis – use of explanation of ‘Double IMAX dashes before and after ‘shock, horror’ technology’. (1 mark); explanation of how this allows Dash (line 13): allows writer to express the author to insert a comment his opinion of the previous point. stressing her surprise (1 mark). 114 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 115

Answers

6 a) Someone who loves them / is • Author bases her conclusions on concerned for them / takes an interest responses from teenagers themselves. in them (1 mark). This shows her desire to see the b) The colon introduces an explanation problems from the teenagers’ point of (1 mark) of what the problem is (that view. no-one in their families cares for them) • She challenges the usual stereotypes (1 mark). of teenage behaviour. 7 The sentence provides a link as it refers • Statements like ‘many were pleasant, back to the author’s conversations with well-adjusted young people’ show her teenagers (1 mark) and points forward willingness to take a positive attitude to to the next paragraph which teenagers. summarises what she found out in the • She is critical of parents: ‘There are course of her investigations (1 mark). plenty of middle-class parents who are 8 c) both of the above (1 mark). too self-absorbed’. This again shows her attempt to identify with younger 9 a) Some less well-off mothers have people. children but have no interest in their wellbeing and pay little attention to • She draws out general points from them from birth onwards (2 marks). her investigations: ‘teenagers hate being stereotyped’. b) Many better-off parents are too interested in themselves to take time to (2 marks) lay down ground rules for their TOTAL MARKS: 30 children / set standards for their behaviour (2 marks). For practice (1) 10 Paraphrase of two of the following: Formal: Propagate the notion; Physically or ‘their families are strongly structured’; emotionally absent; They live in a defined ‘they live in a defined community’; community; Adult filtering or analysis; Their ‘religious faith’ (2 marks). families are strong and structured Example of a 2 mark answer: Informal: Even though I knew that I They feel more secure as they are couldn’t; What did I discover?; They don’t brought up with strong moral values have to worry about them; Sorted; Shock, based on their religious beliefs and they horror; And they don’t receive support and encouragement from their relatives. For practice (2) 11 Recognition of ‘sorted’ as being an a) Informal. Use of second person ‘you’; informal / colloquial / slang expression expressions like ‘picture this’, ‘you’re that teenagers would use (1 mark). happy’, etc. establish a conversational Author’s use of this word shows her tone. Slang is used (‘that’s nuts’). desire to identify with teenagers (1 mark). b) Formal tone. Emphasis is on factual 12 ‘Stereotyped’ means being labelled as information. Use of statistics and having certain characteristics, rather jargon. Other than perhaps ‘beautiful than being treated as an individual but deadly’, there is little in the way of (1 mark). The sentence, ‘They hate personal opinion. adults who tell them what they are like c) Very informal, conversational style; and how they feel’ develops the idea of frequent use of the question form, slang stereotyping (1 mark). and abbreviations. 13 Various possibilities. For 2 marks, specific references are required. 115 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 116

Close Reading 14–16

d) Predominantly informal: use of second 8 ‘Immediate shock’ – initially stunned / person and question form. However, very surprised (1 mark); ‘disbelief’ – there are some more formal, technical could hardly believe the Scottish references (‘forces, impact speeds and swimmers were so good (1 mark) momentum’) and the use of linking 9 ‘Splash’ is an appropriate word to use in words like ‘however’ is characteristic of an article about swimming as it suggests discursive writing. jumping into the water suddenly (1 mark); in the same way, Gary did not 4 Right out of the Blue even stop to visit his family but immediately started coaching swimmers 1 Use of puns: ‘out of the blue’, ‘awash’ (1 mark). and ‘lengths ahead’ are all terms that can be applied literally to swimming 10 1 mark for each of the following points: but are used here metaphorically, e.g. • ‘Screaming, laughing and cheers’ – ‘out of the blue’ refers to the sounds denote excitement, enthusiasm, unexpected success of the Scottish joy. swimmers (2 marks). • ‘Echo’ – stresses how the noises filled 2 First sentence suggests that Scottish the building. sporting successes are rare and that they • Simile ‘like a punter at the horse took place some time ago (1 mark); races’ – families are desperate to cheer examples given confirm this, as they are on their children, like a gambler all drawn from the past, e.g. Archie desperate to win. Gemmill’s goal, etc. (1 mark). (3 marks) 3 Possible answers: 11 a) Very serious / official / officious / • Command structure: ‘Think of . . .’ precise / methodical / impersonal, etc. • Alliteration: ‘Scottish sporting (1 mark) success’ b) Two of the following for 1 mark (2 marks). each: 4 ‘Spark’ is a brief flaring-up of light • ‘stalk’ suggests they are prowling as if (1 mark); similarly, there have been to show how closely they are observing occasional, one-off successes in football • ‘surgical white’ stresses their clinical, rather than any sustained improvement impersonal manner (1 mark). • ‘stopwatches, clipboards’ emphasises 5 Sarcastic tone (1 mark); suggests it how carefully and precisely they are happened a long time ago and is no recording results. longer relevant (1 mark). (2 marks) 6 ‘All of which’ points back to the previous discussion of Scotland’s poor 12 Possibilities include: sporting record (1 mark); ‘What • swimmers need to be able to resist happened in Melbourne’ points forward peer pressure to surprise success of swimmers in 2006 • many hours of training are involved (1 mark). • it is necessary to go to bed early. 7 ‘Winning’ is more factual / neutral. (2 marks) ‘Walking away with’ suggests confidence / effortless success / 13 Possibilities include: superiority etc. • paragraph one puts the subject in (2 marks). historical context – few sporting successes in the past 116 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 117

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• quotations from parents (paragraph 4 A magnet automatically moves towards 5) and swimmers (paragraph 9) metal and attaches itself firmly demonstrate commitment and (1 mark). In the same inevitable way, enthusiastic support the boy always wants to see a film with • word choice: bellowing / screams a 15 certificate which is too old for him (paragraph 11) shows excitement of (1 mark). commentator 5 a) work of imagination / piece of • sentence structure: short sentence ‘it culture (1 mark). is played a lot today’ (line 26) b) The writer refers to a horror film as emphasises success; use of rhetorical an example, showing it is used in a question (lines 30–31); final short wide sense, not just painting (1 mark). sentence ‘we could get used to this’ 6 She finds it impossible to get them out (line 43) sums up the writer’s feeing of of her mind (1 mark) and they continue satisfaction with the swimmers’ to upset her (1 mark). achievements. 7 He does not enjoy them or feel he gets (4 marks) any benefit (1 mark) and so he does not TOTAL MARKS: 30 feel the strain of being scared is worth it (1 mark). For practice 8 The value of horror films is to test 1 glorious: connotations of something yourself / prove something to yourself splendid, prestigious, honourable, (1 mark) by being able to cope with the praiseworthy, etc. fear / learning to cope with the fear 2 quarter of a century ago: reference to (1 mark). (Mark on merit: answers century makes the period of time seem should show sense of deriving strength longer and more remote. through suffering.) 3 ruled the pool: ‘ruled’ suggests the team’s 9 a) Word choice: the expressions dominance, invincibility, etc. ‘spooked’, ‘terrified’ and ‘scared witless’ 4 bellows: loud, dominating sound, explore precisely degrees of ‘being suggesting the announcer’s excitement, frightened’ – ‘spooked’ being mildly confidence, pride, etc. afraid; ‘terrified’, extremely afraid; and ‘scared witless’ meaning absolutely 5 extravagant: suggests unreasonable petrified. (1 mark) excess; the fact that it is applied to such an early bedtime as 9 pm stresses the Sentence structure: the words are put in discipline and commitment demanded parenthesis to develop clearly her of the swimmers. previous idea of ‘being frightened’ / the list of words describing degrees of fear are in increasing order of intensity, 5 ‘I’m Not Scared!’ which creates a climax. (1 mark) 1 A horror film in which the writer’s Punctuation: the dashes mark out the young nephew had a part (1 mark). parenthesis; the exclamation mark 2 Any two from: we’re; acting-mad; mum; emphasises the climax, and creates a won’t; scary; granny; scaredy-cat; dad; humorous tone. (1 mark) (One point for it’s; pretty frightening; hasn’t (2 marks). each topic to be made reasonably clearly with a quotation, for 3 marks.) 3 It is quite shocking (1 mark) but it does not upset the audience in any deep or b) Meaning: it contradicts (to some lasting way (1 mark). extent) her previous statement that she isn’t permanently affected. (1 mark)

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Close Reading 14–16

Tone : it has a humorous tone ( as she For practice mocks herself gently for being afraid). 1 a) ‘sunnier’ means happier / more (1 mark) cheerful. 10 The words ‘speaking of fear’ refer back b) The author describes her own mind to her discussion of how far horror as ‘dark’ since she enjoys confronting films arouse fear in people (1 mark); ‘a fear and horror; they are the opposite of (rare) time when I was truly frightened this as they avoid or deny the dark side (and not in a harmless way)’ links on to of life. the next topic of her terrifying experience in the Victorian prison 2 a) ‘abyss’ means a deep, dark pit. (1 mark). b) ‘peer over into’ suggests the author 11 Possible answers include: ‘thumping’ looking down into a hole, but being and ‘pounding’ are effective examples unable to see clearly as it is dark and of onomatopoeia which express her deep; ‘pull back’ suggests the danger of physical sensations; the repetition of the ‘abyss’ which she shrinks away ‘deeper and deeper’ has an ominous from. effect; ‘dank’ appeals to sense of touch, 3 a) ‘researching’ means investigating suggesting damp and cold; ‘maze’ has something in depth. connotations of getting lost and being b) In the rest of the paragraph she trapped; ‘shaking and sweaty’ are describes actually visiting a Victorian extreme physical sensations; ‘finally prison to discover what it is like. emerged into the sunlight’ emphasises 4 a) ‘maze’ is a confusing labyrinth of her fear by the sense of contrast and paths or a puzzle made up like this. relief when she leaves. (Three quotations with brief explanation for 3 marks) b) The dark tunnels of the prison are confusing, and she feels she could ‘lose 12 She might agree since she referred to her way’ in them. The use of the plural ‘hearing someone crying’ (lines 34–35) in ‘tunnels and dungeons’ suggests a when she entered the prison, which layout like a labyrinth. suggests a ghost since she was the only visitor. (1 mark) 13 Mark on merit; material used in earlier 6 Flying Without Fear answers is acceptable. Comments must 1 ‘Bribery, it seemed, wasn’t going to get be accompanied by a quotation or her airborne.’ (1 mark) direct reference by way of illustration. 2 Paraphrase of ‘ground sufferers’ (e.g. Example: the author’s personal tone they will be unable to fly at all) and captures the reader’s interest. She ‘flying with heightened anxiety’ (e.g. frequently mentions members of her when they fly they will be worried / family – her nephew, husband, their stress levels will increase) children, sister-in-law – and their (2 marks) thoughts and actions (1 mark) which gives the impression of bringing the 3 a) As he flies regularly throughout the reader into the family circle and raises year, he would appear to be used to it. interest (1 mark). (Two clearly developed (1 mark) comments + quotations must be made for 4 b) Any two of: marks) • He stresses the physical effects (e.g. TOTAL MARKS: 30 ‘palms sweat’). • He uses exaggeration to emphasise how tense he feels (e.g. ‘gripping the armrests so tightly they could snap’). 118 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 119

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• He explains how his thinking 9 ‘Floods’ implies an endless series of becomes irrational (‘Engine failure is questions; stresses how one follows imminent; we’re all about to die.’). another without a break. (1 mark for basic idea; 2 marks for fuller explanation) (2 marks) 4 His strong desire to travel (1 mark) 10 Use of repetition: in three cases the outweighs his apprehension about sentence starts with ‘Yes’, followed by flying (1 mark). an explanation. This reflects how the pilots had heard all these questions 5 He admits his ‘coping strategy’ does not often before, and how easily they were make sense (‘irrational’). He able to explain away the most common acknowledges that his superstitious worries. It suggests that to the pilots the actions are absurd as he does not have questions are all predictable and, in any beliefs. their view, give no grounds for fear. (2 marks) (2 marks) 6 The sentence acknowledges that the 11 Passengers were relieved the flight was problem outlined in the previous over or they admired the pilots’ skill paragraph has reached the stage where and courage. (2 marks) he is finding it hard to cope. (1 mark) 12 There are methods of defeating fears ‘Professional help’ points forward to the (1 mark) but a phobia may lead the second half of the passage which sufferer to avoid a situation altogether describes the Flying Without Fear (in this case, not flying at all) (1 mark). course. (1 mark) 13 Sums up the writer’s feeling that he has 7 a) Reference to pun (1 mark); ‘lift-off’ is made some progress on the course a flying term used here to denote the (1 mark) and / or reference to Dawn beginning of the course (1 mark). links back to the opening paragraph b) ‘The captains then headed straight where this person was first mentioned. into turbulence’ (line 49) or ‘She ejected Contrast between her attitude then and before we even began to taxi’ (line 63). now stresses how helpful the course has (1 mark) been (1 or 2 marks depending on amount 8 a) Various possibilities: of detail). • ‘lift’ means that an aircraft can TOTAL MARKS: 30 continue to fly without engines For practice why the wings are flexible • How to be a flight attendant back-up hydraulic systems • • Reference to ‘beam me up’ suggests (2 marks) something hi-tech and futuristic, far b) Turbulence / coffee reference in removed from the daily routine. lines 51–52 helps reader understand • ‘Finding yourself in a different country’ that the aircraft is not in any danger. points to the main appeal of the job. Explanation of simile ‘like driving a • Last sentence highlights difference Reliant Robin down a cobbled street between the image and the reality, a with no suspension’ (lines 41–42): theme that is likely to be expanded uncomfortable experience is upon in the rest of the article. humorously emphasised by comparison with a three-wheeled car driving over a The Great Wall of China rough surface. (1 mark for reference; 1 or • First sentence emphasises the length of 2 marks for explanation, depending on the wall and the variety of different amount of detail) landscapes it crosses.

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Close Reading 14–16

• Dash is used to introduce a surprising 5 Phrase is an oxymoron; ‘arguing’ contrast. suggests loud, raised angry voices, • Last sentence sums up the Wall’s appeal rather than quiet ones. The as a tourist attraction. juxtaposition is humorous, suggesting the couple are trying to avoid anyone Just Truckin’: a five week overland trip in noticing they are arguing. (Mark on Africa merit, with 2 marks for full answer. • List of disasters in first sentence leading ‘Oxymoron’ need not be mentioned by to humorous anticlimax at the end of name.) the sentence. 6 ‘Berating’ means reprimanding / telling • Contrast is used comparing the off (1 mark). Context is revealed by pioneering 1887 journey with the ‘beating the dust’ which suggests modern one. excessive force as a punishment, and • Description of the extent of the trip and ‘clucking tones’ which suggests the equipment carried. Passage is likely annoyance (either for additional 1 mark). to develop into a chronological account 7 ‘(That’s just) one tiny part’ links back to of the journey. the problems encountered just in multi- storey garages alone (1 mark); ‘the 7 Taking the Train to Windsor driving experience’ links forward to a list of the many other problems 1 a) People were shocked; they felt it encountered while driving (1 mark). would be a dreadful experience. 8 The van men would force you to brake (1 mark) suddenly; a contraflow would create b) He did not enjoy driving. (1 mark) queues of slow traffic and hold you up; 2 They kept the car standing in the traffic lights on roundabouts hold you driveway and rarely drove it; they up and make you impatient; service cleaned and polished it frequently; they areas charge a lot of money for used it for occasional short outings. poor-quality food; slow caravans can (Any two points for 2 marks) cause frustrating hold-ups to other 3 Hyperbole / use of superlative. (1 mark) motorists. (Any two clearly explained for 2 Techniques add humour / emphasis. marks) (1 mark) 9 The short sentence is positioned after a 4 Structure: long sentences composed of a long detailed list of reasons why he series of clauses and phrases separated does not wish to drive and then finally by commas give a sense of a long, provides the true reason which is totally difficult process; repetition of ‘then’ at different (1 mark) which is comic in the start of two consecutive sentences effect (1 mark). Or The idea of his wife gives a sense of a tedious long process. being in charge (1 mark) has a humorous effect (1 mark). Word choice: many possible answers include ‘hunting’, which suggests 10 ‘forest’ of council flats is effective as it difficulty in finding the pay machine; suggests many blocks which are high ‘trek’, which suggests a very long and close together like trees in a thick journey through the car park; wood; ‘snaking’ terraced houses ‘squeezing’, which suggests effectively suggests long winding inconvenience and discomfort getting streets, in the shape of a snake. (1 mark out of the car once parked. (Four points for identifying image, additional 1 mark for 4 marks; answer must include comment for explaining effect.) on both sentence structure and word choice for full marks.) 120 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 121

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11 Any four of the following, for 1 mark (Fully developed points might be worth 2 each: marks; more thinly developed ones 1 mark. • The rugby fans waited patiently to Maximum of 4 marks) get on the train. TOTAL MARKS: 30 • They did not push one another as For practice they got on. 1 • Spaces were too small • They apologised if they knocked into someone or got too close. • Pillars in awkward places • They waited patiently in line at • Spaces are not angled for easy access Windsor to show their tickets. • Ramps up and down were too narrow • The ticket collector thanked each one • Ramps had bends that were too tight of the fans politely. to drive round comfortably • The rugby fans thanked the ticket • Pedestrian exits not clearly marked collector for checking their tickets. • Ticket machines inconveniently • The ticket collector did not treat the placed fans disrespectfully by shouting or (Any five points) giving orders. 2 • Too few ticket machines so drivers 12 Mark on merit. Possible answers might had to walk a long way include: • Necessary to queue at ticket • Opening description of the response machines to his idea ‘Gosh, you’re brave’ suggests Ticket machines don’t give change a popular man who talks to many • people (‘everyone said’) and one who is • Difficult to insert ticket once car is able to laugh at himself. parked • His use of hyperbole all through the (Any three points) description of the problems of the car park suggests someone who is quite 8 Doctor, Doctor, I Keep Catching irascible and impatient, but comically so, as he describes it in a comical way. New Medical Shows • He presents himself humorously as 1 Two points such as the following, for quite an ordinary man, comically 1 mark for each: proud of his ‘new Marks & Spencer • Plays on the ‘doctor, doctor’ joke jacket’ which he is upset at getting format dirty. • Suggests how the popularity of • He is intolerant of others, but medical shows is like a contagious expresses it in a funny way; ‘morons disease with caravans’ is endearing to the • Establishes a humorous tone reader, since many people secretly agree (2 marks) with his views. 2 a) conversational / colloquial (1 mark) • He presents himself humorously as a hen-pecked husband whose wife dresses b) ‘you know’ (1 mark) him and decides who gets to have the 3 a) Attitude of disapproval. Family think car. she should have paid more attention to • He is open minded, and admires the domestic duties / looking after the behaviour of the rugby fans, even family rather than studying for her though they swamped the train in their medical career. (2 marks) large numbers. 121 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 122

Close Reading 14–16

b) Reference to use of contrast / 9 ‘However’ indicates a change in the line balance (antithesis): less time / more of thought compared with the previous time; saving lives / microwaving chips paragraph (1 mark). ‘Additional (1 mark) symptoms’ points forward to other For second mark there should be feature to be found in the latest TV recognition that something serious is dramas (1 mark). being contrasted with something 10 a) Gloss on the word ‘heroic’: routine and everyday. (2 marks) courageous, noble, gallant, 4 1950s show was less realistic / gory praiseworthy, etc. (1 mark) scenes of hospital life were played b) trustworthy; well-intentioned 1 down / fewer deaths. (2 marks) ( 2⁄ mark for each) 5 Valid points include: c) reference to ‘medical experts • Use of colon introduces a list. challenged’ or ‘doctors misdiagnose – sometimes fatally’ (1 mark) • List shows how many different dramas of this type have been screened. 11 Any two valid points, such as the following: • Row of dots (ellipsis) implies the list could go on and on. • Sums up the changes in the way the medical profession is portrayed in TV ‘you know the score’: tone suggests • programmes. that the writer considers these dramas to be predictable, with one show being • Word ‘collapse’ suggests how much the same as another. extensive the change has been. (A single point can score 1 or 2 marks • ‘saintly saviour’: alliteration depending on how fully developed it is. emphasises the almost religious awe Maximum 3 marks) with which doctors were previously regarded. 6 ‘Precinct drama’ refers to a television series set in a place where people work (2 marks) (1 mark). Second mark for expanding on 12 Purpose is to explain why so many TV this, e.g. workplace setting allows the dramas are set in hospitals / to trace script to deal with relationships that the evolution of hospital dramas occur on a daily basis (1 mark). (1 mark). 7 Advantages: everyday situation which Techniques: any valid comments for 1 most people are familiar with (1 mark); mark each. For example: hospital contains so many different • Use of quotations from those types of people that a storyline involved in producing these dramas involving any kind of human suggests that these people’s views are relationship can be set there authoritative. (1 mark). • Tone of passage conveys writer’s view 8 A crowbar is a tool used for prising that the dramas are stereotyped. something open (1 mark); Use of short paragraphs (e.g. lines metaphorically, the use of the word • 34–35 and 45) to sum up key implies that scriptwriters are artificially conclusions. forcing into the hospital setting the particular plot lines they want to use (2 marks) (1 mark). TOTAL MARKS: 30

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For practice 3 The phrase ‘this curious fact’ refers back a) Slang and social identity to his point in the previous paragraph that, surprisingly, the four most Opening sentence is a rhetorical • world-famous British people recently question which the rest of the have all been women (1 mark); the idea paragraph answers. ‘I feel very grateful’ is expanded in the • Colon introduces a point which next part of the paragraph where he expands on the idea that ‘Slang is explains why he is happy about this something that keeps evolving’. (1 mark). • ‘However’ indicates a change in the 4 a) A flat landscape would be boring to direction of the argument. look at since there would be no variety • ‘As a result’ introduces a point arising or points of interest (1 mark); this helps out of the previous one. you understand how dull the world b) Who are you looking at? would be dominated by men who all seem very similar (1 mark). • Opening sentence is a topic sentence. b) ‘interest’: able to engross the mind; Second sentence provides a list of • ‘surprise’: providing the unexpected; examples. ‘mystery’: keeping people guessing and • Use of ‘though’ in second paragraph wondering. (3 marks) indicates that a different point is being 5 The sentences here are very short and made. very simple. The writer believes that • Use of a single dash to introduce a monarchy is a simple given fact, definition of ‘charisma’ and to introduce requiring no discussion (1 mark). Each a comment on Sir Bob Geldof. begins with ‘she’ in the dominant • Linking word ‘Furthermore’ adds on position. The writer accepts without another point. question the superiority of the queen’s • ‘For example’ introduces an example position. (1 mark) of the previous point. 6 Since the reader can identify with the • First sentence of last paragraph is a sense of embarrassment / loss of topic sentence, followed by a back-up dignity / privacy in being photographed quotation. unclothed (1 mark), the writer’s comparison effectively reinforces his view of how much the Queen would 9 God Save the Queen hate revealing personal feelings 1 He opens with a question / he uses a (1 mark) dramatic expression ‘in the history of 7 a) The Queen’s grim / tight-lipped etc. the world’ (either for 1 mark). expression shows she is not happy 2 a) ‘matriarchal’ means dominated by (1 mark). women (1 mark); he says the four most b) 2 marks may be allocated for tone or famous people since the war have been word choice alone; or 1 mark for each. women / he lists four high-profile Tone: humorous; writer uses hyperbole; women (either for 1 mark). examples are extreme rather than b) He uses a dash to introduce the list realistic, suggesting very uncomfortable of famous women (1 mark); he uses viewing ‘in the rain’ or trivial items of semi-colons to separate the items in the very restricted interest. (Any two points list (since one item contains a comma) for 2 marks) (1 mark).

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Close Reading 14–16

Word choice: ‘mime in the rain’ sounds • After the dash, the three phrases all ridiculous because of the juxtaposition begin with ‘always’, which suggests the of the ideas; ‘Biggleswade’ is a idea of unchanging obligation and ridiculous-sounding name suggesting an permanence which was dealt with in obscure place; ‘Rotary Club’ sounds like the promise of 59 years ago. a small, middle-class group. (Any two • The final phrase ‘always royal’ sums points for 2 marks) up the almost mystical role of the 8 In order to cope with the trying Queen which the article has discussed, experience of meeting thousands of describing her as the ‘hardest to strange people (1 mark) you have to put understand’ of the four famous aside any negative thoughts of how women. boring it is (which would make you (1 mark for each clearly developed point wish to give up) (1 mark). which must relate back to the rest of the 9 a) She does not wish to express strong passage; maximum 2 marks) feelings or emotions / she does not wish TOTAL MARKS: 30 to seem unduly partial to any one city / she does not want to express insincere enthusiasm. (Any two for 2 marks) For practice b) Gloss of any four of the following 1 The phrase ‘the four’ refers back to the for 1 mark each: list of world-famous women (the Queen Mother; the Queen; Diana, Princess of She must not have views. • Wales; and Margaret Thatcher) • She must not have favourites. mentioned in paragraph one; ‘hardest • She must not abdicate. to understand’ introduces his next topic • She must not show strong feelings. of how difficult it is to assess the Queen’s feelings or performance. • She must not get drunk. 2 The words ‘thinking about the Queen’ She must not wear old clothes. • refer back to the previous paragraph • She must not take a weekend break where the writer asked questions about on a whim. the Queen’s role; ‘something that would • She must not do something just displease her’ leads on to his comments because she feels like it. that she is a very private person and • She must not let her duties as a would thus dislike being examined and mother come before her duties as a discussed. sovereign. 3 The phrase ‘such behaviour’ refers back (4 marks) to the Queen’s apparent lack of interest in herself, such as in her portraits. The c) even (1 mark) phrase ‘almost inhuman’ leads on to d) Mark on merit. Possible answers the listing of criticisms that are made of include: the Queen. • The sentence begins with a strong 4 The phrase ‘the Queen’s methods’ refers statement ‘she must be’ reinforcing the to the cool and reserved way the Queen idea of the Queen’s obligations which approaches her duties described in the the article has explored. previous paragraph; ‘a choice, carefully • The word ‘must’ is the last in a long considered, early made and faithfully list of ‘musts’ in the preceding adhered to’ leads on to an account of sentences and gives the impression of a the Queen’s promise to dedicate herself climax or never-ending progression of to the country and how she has kept it obligations. for many years. 124 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 125

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5 The words ‘The promise’ refer back to Use of italics: emphasis on ‘real’ the account of the promise of suggests lack of belief or irony (1 mark). dedication which was discussed in the (Any two for 2 marks). previous paragraph; the phrase ‘directs 4 Possible answers include: exotic place everything’ leads on to how the names sound glamorous; unusual promise has dominated the Queen’s names suggest how far the train travels; attitude to her duties which is the next list of foreign capitals sounds topic to be explored. sophisticated. (1 mark) 5 a) guzzled (1 mark) 10 On the Orient Express b) word sounds crude (1 mark), contrasting with polite sophisticated 1 a) hatchet-faced; yanked; barking. (Any picture created in rest of paragraph two for 1 mark each) (1 mark); or word is informal / slang b) ‘hatchet-faced’ suggests unsmiling, (1 mark), contrasting with more formal stern, making no attempt to welcome expression of rest of paragraph the travellers; ‘yanked’ suggests rough, (1 mark). careless handling of the equipment, linking her disrespect for the 6 Going by air became more popular than equipment with her disrespect for the the train. (1 mark) travellers; ‘barking’ suggests a loud, 7 ‘rattling’: image is of peas or similar harsh voice with a disrespectful, being shaken up in a tin – frequent hectoring tone. (2 marks for each clearly travellers are like the peas as they move explained example; 1 mark for a less back and forth so often; ‘ground to a accurate or less well explained answer; 4 halt’: image is of a steam train stopping marks maximum.) with a grinding noise of the metal 2 ‘bunk-beds’ suggests youth-hostel or wheels on the track – appropriate way children’s accommodation, where more of describing a train service coming to luxurious beds might be expected; an end; ‘relaunched’: image is of a ship ‘carriage so small it cannot hold three being put to sea again, suggesting people’ contrasts with expectation of something new embarking in the world spaciousness; ‘instant coffee’ sounds like the new train service; ‘maiden cheap and simple and contrasts with voyage’: term means the first voyage of expectation of high-quality coffee that a ship, here gives romantic tone to first would be expected of fine dining; ‘a journey of the new train service. (Any piece of cheese’ sounds sparse and one example for 2 marks. Image must be boring where a high-quality meal would literally identified + metaphorical be expected. (Any one example explained comparison) for 2 marks) 8 Although it was just an ordinary train 3 Sentence structure: rhetorical questions (1 mark) it took exactly the same route sound ironic (1 mark); minor sentences as the real ‘Orient Express’ (1 mark). (without verbs) suggest actual thought as 9 a) Possible answers include: ‘But’ if expressing shock and disbelief introduces dramatic contrast after the (1 mark); colloquial language ‘Oh, but it list of defects; simple language has is’ continues ironic tone, as if imitating impact and emphasises the writer’s a conversation (1 mark). uncomplicated enjoyment; shortness of Punctuation: question marks suggest an sentence emphasises simple, uncritical incredulous tone (1 mark); exclamation enjoyment; sentence creates effective mark suggests shock or disbelief link between lists of defects and (1 mark). pleasures. (Any two for 2 marks) 125 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 126

Close Reading 14–16

b) They found the simple room • Sentence structure: minor sentences – appealing; they liked the idea of ‘good old bunk-beds’ etc. – emphasise crossing country frontiers; they liked lack of sophistication mentioned earlier; the idea of following in the footsteps of list introduced by colon ends in glamorous people (spies and socialites); humorous anticlimax, signalled by climbing up to the bunk-bed was fun. jokey parenthesis ‘best of all’, suits (Any two points for 2 marks) humorous tone of passage; inversion 10 a) Possible answers include: the book ‘homeward we trundled’ appropriate for was set on the train route they were on; describing return journey. she might want to compare the account (2 marks for each well developed point of the train in the book with the real supported by quotation or direct reference – thing; she might want to imagine some must come from two different sections; excitement on the train. (Any reasonable maximum 4 marks). answer – 1 mark) TOTAL MARKS: 30 b) ‘wryly’ means ironically (1 mark). The fact that the book describes For practice (1) extensive dining facilities and real a) Rhetorical questions in the form of coffee is very different from her minor sentences create ironic, experience of cramped conditions and humorous, incredulous tone. instant coffee and little food. (1 mark) b) Minor sentence has informal, 11 Mark on merit. Answers must relate the humorous effect. conclusion to the rest of the passage. c) Parenthesis offers both more detail on Possible answers include: journey to Paris and comment on • Ideas: references to topics mentioned efficiency of Eurostar. earlier – cheapness, smallness, ‘Helga’, d) Parenthesis offers more detail with list the cheese – have rounding-off effect. of experiences. Ending: ‘nobody got murdered’ is a joking allusion to references in the e) Minor sentence has chatty and comic passage to the Agatha Christie novel. effect. • Word choice: juxtaposition of cut- f) Parenthesis offers comment leading to price and Orient Express has effect of anticlimax. humorous oxymoron, linking back to For practice (2) contrast between present train and earlier luxury; ‘trundled’ suggests a) Simple list comical slowness and lack of slickness b) Could be argued to be simple list or of modern train. climax leading to ‘spies’ as most • Tone: humour in joke ‘nobody got exciting passengers murdered’ appropriate for humorous c) Climax, leading from fairly ordinary account; irony in references to ‘eating’ to more racy ‘guzzling wine’ to downside of train: ‘good old bunk- most outrageous behaviour ‘creeping beds’, ‘terrifying old Helga’; enthusiastic between compartments’. tone in ‘rather delighted’ links back to d) Simple list of equipment. enjoyment; colloquial tone in ‘good old e) Anticlimax – climax is expected after Helga’ etc. appropriate to chatty style of ‘best of all’ but this leads to anticlimax rest of passage. of nothing happening: ‘nobody got murdered’.

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11 A Grand Day for Gromit (Answer should identify two contrasting tones for 2 marks; and provide two 1 Possible answers include: contrasting examples of word choice with • Indirect references to titles of W&G brief comment for each for a further films: ‘cracking contraptions’; ‘the 2 marks) wrong trousers’ which would appeal to 4 a) They are expected to be children. film fans. (1 mark) • Humorous references to things from b) The word ‘children’ refers back to films: ‘cheese’ and ‘giant killer bunnies’ the mention of toys and bedroom walls which fans would recognise. (and the childish word ‘fab’) at the start • Repetition of ‘no’, implying of the paragraph which suggested sarcastically the event had no attractions. children would be the main collectors • Short, punchy sentences with (1 mark); ‘were barely in evidence’ leads similar openings: ‘There was . . ., There on to the statistics giving the small were . . .’. proportion of children to adults (15 as compared to 300) that follows (1 mark). • Comic use of alliteration: ‘cracking contraptions’. 5 a) Possible answers include: ‘smartly-suited’ suggests someone with Fierce words ‘giant’ and ‘killer’ make • a serious, professional job who would ridiculous contrast with ‘bunnies’ not be interested in childish things; which sounds soft and gentle. ‘thirty-something’ suggests an adult (Two examples required, each with who would have more appropriate adult quotation and brief explanation for 4 interests; ‘from London’ suggests marks) someone with the more sophisticated 2 A sale of artwork from Wallace and tastes of the capital. (Two points, each Gromit films (1 mark); Nick Park, the with a reason, for 2 marks) creator of the cartoons, was signing b) It was not particularly important. He purchases (1 mark). collected for sentimental reasons 3 a) They were not the usual cheap (choosing one picture because it souvenirs but very expensive pieces of reminded him of his father) (1 mark); artwork (1 mark). he said he was not a serious collector, b) Tone: the expressions ‘any old and any increase in value was just ‘a goodies’ and ‘stuff’, suggesting things bonus’, i.e., something extra, not the which are cheap or worthless, have a main reason (1 mark). disrespectful or scornful tone (1 mark); 6 ‘Rare, eh’; ‘Yeah’; ‘Well’ ‘artwork with price tags to match’, (Any two for 2 marks) implying things which are valuable and 7 His attitude is rather mocking and expensive, has an admiring / respectful disrespectful, as if they are a group of tone (1 mark). silly, overgrown children. (1 mark) Word choice: the words ’any old’ and 8 The image is from music. A high key at ‘stuff’ suggest things which are not the extreme end of an instrument’s select or special / ‘goodies’ is slang, used range would be shriller and louder than here ironically to suggest things which a low key which would be quieter and people accept uncritically (1 mark). The less penetrating (1 mark). This suggests term ‘artwork’ suggests something the ‘lower-key’ fans were less extreme in skilled and professional; ‘price tags to their enthusiasm (1 mark). match’ means the artwork was very expensive, maintaining the tone of awe or respect (1 mark). 127 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 128

Close Reading 14–16

9 Meaning: ‘wishful thinking’ means 3 Tone imitates language of a child or convincing yourself something is true teenager with old fashioned slang ‘fab’. just because you would like it to be Colloquial language of abbreviation true. (1 mark) ‘they’d’ and ‘your’ continues the effect Context: ‘easier to justify’ suggests of simple, childish language. Overall trying to find a reason for the expense tone is mocking, suggesting the of ‘forking out’; ‘insisting’ something is collectors are like children, who would ‘a subtle piece of art’ suggests trying to play with toys. make out something is better than it is; 4 Tone is mocking with use of alliteration ‘just a giggle for kids’ suggests the and slang ‘jolly gent’. The colloquialism unacceptable truth. (Any two references of ‘highly savvy’ mocks the fact that for a further 2 marks) Paul’s expert knowledge is of something 10 The writer’s attitude is one of respect and rather ridiculous: ‘W&G wallpaper’. affection: answer must show awareness of Overall tone is humorous, with idea of this. Possible answers include: Paul’s’ ridiculous enthusiasm . Word choice: ‘frank’ and ‘heartfelt’ 5 Tone is sarcastic with use of suggest sincerity and honest response of understatement – ‘rather less children; ‘most heartfelt’ suggests enthusiastic’ seems to imply they were extreme honesty of feeling; ‘clutching a not at all interested. The use of the ball of sweaty-looking Plasticine’ child’s word ‘Daddy’ suggests the suggests strength of feeling for material children’s point of view, feeling puzzled cartoons are made from. Mention of at his enthusiasm for something they ages ‘11’ and ‘6’ show children are very don’t share. This and the idea of role young, which is endearing. (Any two for reversal, with the father more 2 marks) enthusiastic about the cartoons than his children, creates a humorous tone. Quotation: simplicity of children’s words – ’it’s funny’, ‘I’d like a dog like that’ – is appealing; Zoe’s thoughts on 12 A Child Star Grows Up Gromit as ‘loyal’ and ‘the best friend 1 Although Culkin had not appeared in you’d ever have’ are touching and many films since he was a child heart-warming. (Any two for further (1 mark) he aroused a great deal of 2 marks) attention when he entered the TOTAL MARKS: 30 restaurant (1 mark). For practice 2 The examples are of an advantage – 1 Tone is tongue-in-cheek. ‘Far and wide’ always being able to get a table in a sounds admiring, but this is contradicted restaurant – representing the blessing by the words in parenthesis, suggesting (1 mark); and a disadvantage – being most fans come from a very limited area. stared at while eating – representing the Colloquial ‘well’ has a comic effect after curse (1 mark). the apparently admiring tone of the start 3 He means he has had very few or no of the sentence. jobs as an adult actor (1 mark); his tone 2 Tone is ironic / sarcastic. The word ‘just’ is ironic / tongue-in-cheek / sarcastic / suggests a small amount, but £225 is humorous (1 mark). actually very expensive for a photograph. ‘Could have been yours’ has a mocking echo of the language of advertising which persuades you to buy things which may not be good value. 128 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 129

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4 The words ‘(his) rapid ascent’ refer back 9 Culkin stays emotionally detached from to the account in the first part of the his father (1 mark), thinking of him as if paragraph of his quick rise from poverty his father is not a real person (1 mark). to being a millionaire film star (1 mark); 10 a) The dashes enclose a parenthesis / the words ‘(the more people learned enclose a list of the ‘milestones’ about) his home life’ lead on to the (1 mark). account of his family problems in b) A checklist is a list of things to do paragraph five (bracketed words are (1 mark), and it is as if Macaulay had optional; 1 mark). ticked off all the things that a person 5 The words ‘ruled’ and ‘kingdom’ show does in adult life (1 mark); or milestones that his father was a tyrant who insisted are markers which let you see how far on having his own way; ‘a bitter public you have travelled (1 mark); work, battle’ suggests the family were at war pressure, fame etc. represent important with one another to the extent that stages in adult life (1 mark). outsiders took an interest; ‘filed a 11 It is effective as it is short and simple. (1 custody suit’ and ‘legally blocked’ are mark). legal jargon showing things were so cold and strained they had to involve It shows how Culkin responds to the lawyers; ‘controlling his 17 million intrusion in a dignified way by simply dollar fortune’ suggests a power struggle ignoring it and not making a fuss between Macaulay and his father and (1 mark). the huge sums of money suggests a TOTAL MARKS: 30 reason for the arguments. (Brief comment on any four for 1 mark each; 4 For practice marks) 1 a) a permanent spectacle: a sight which is always on show; a freak show: an 6 ‘Estranged’ means stopped being exhibition of oddities; an eternal friendly / became strangers to one curiosity: something which people are another (1 mark). This is made clear by always intrigued about. the references to his having his parents ‘legally blocked’ from controlling his b) The writer’s description of the money, and to the fact he doesn’t even diners’ reactions make these phrases know where his father is. (Any one clear: he is amazed at the degree of reference for 1 further mark) interest. ‘Gawk’ suggests he is being treated as an oddity; ‘whisper’ tells they 7 a) It is a topic sentence (1 mark). are talking about him; ‘forget to eat’ b) They are expected to be suggests their great curiosity as they unrealistically charming and perfect as stop everything to look at him. small children (1 mark); they are then 2 They convince to an extent. All the supposed to have nervous breakdowns activities are ordinary and low key; when they grow up (1 mark). looking after pets such as a dog and fish 8 The character in the book is also a child would be typical of any young man. star as he was; Culkin says it is partly However it might be seen as slightly himself; Culkin says it is partly not odd for a young man of Culkin’s age to himself: ‘but no it isn’t’; the book is be living such as secluded life, doing ‘semi-fictional’, i.e. not completely true; things like cleaning the house and the book shows the boy having a cooking for his girlfriend rather than difficult relationship with his father, studying or working. (A case could also like Culkin; the father in the book is be made for saying all the activities are very like Kit Culkin. (Any four points for normal.) 1 mark each; 4 marks) 129 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 130

Close Reading 14–16

3 a) The woman’s behaviour and words: 13 A Life Lived on the Edge the woman is rude and intrusive and thoughtless. She does not stop to think 1 To climb a mountain which no one (or her staring might be embarrassing. She hardly anyone) has climbed before does not apologise for intruding on the (1 mark) game of pool even when he draws her 2 ‘bitten by the bug’ makes it sound as attention to the fact that she is staring. though they have a disease, like After being aroused from her ‘trance’ of malaria, spread by an insect which excitement at seeing a celebrity, she infects them permanently (1 mark). It does not take the hint that her attention helps you understand how their is unwelcome but returns to pester him enthusiasm is something almost beyond a second time. ‘Snipes’ suggests she their control, which may seem strange speaks in an unfriendly, complaining to those who don’t have it (1 mark). tone – it is ironic she is complaining to 3 a) it is extremely dangerous (1 mark). him, since she is the one intruding. Her b) Everyone knows smoking is comment that he is ‘not that cute’ is dangerous because of warnings on offensive and also ironic, since she packets and bans in public places seems so obsessed with looking at him. (1 mark). Since mountaineering is b) What her behaviour illustrates in ‘infinitely more’ dangerous, it helps the general: it illustrates how members of reader understand the scale of the the public often intrude on the privacy danger (1 mark). of celebrities and may become 4 a) A good point or aspect of something aggressive and offensive when the or someone (1 mark) which makes up celebrity asks, however politely, to be for many bad ones (1 mark). left alone. b) The village was an unpleasant place c) Culkin’s words and actions: Culkin is with little of interest (1 mark), but the polite and restrained. ‘Um, I think bridge made up for this since it gave you’re staring at me’ is a humorous and them the chance to practise rock polite way of showing that he objects to climbing which they loved (1 mark). being stared at. The word ‘finally’ shows he puts up with the aggravation 5 a) ‘impromptu’ (1 mark) patiently for quite a while. The b) ‘graduated’ (1 mark) humorous tone of the response ‘only 6 ‘steaming’ suggests the force of steam on my good days’ shows he is trying trains, moving fast and powerfully; not to be unfriendly although the ‘effortlessly’ suggests they are so skilful woman is obviously annoying him. they seem to climb very easily; the ‘Culkin shrugs’ shows a very patient equipment is ‘old’ and ‘baggy’, which response to an offensive remark. sounds as if it is poor and cheap; ‘Army d) Culkin as a person: Culkin is ice-axes’ tell us the equipment is impressive in his self-control. He shows second-hand. (Any one example + a sense of humour from the tone of his comment on skill, and one on equipment, responses to the woman. The fact he for 1 mark each) does not lose his temper or respond with the same degree of offensiveness to the woman shows he is calm and mature. He is no doubt well aware that if he reacted more strongly he would gain the reputation of being a ‘difficult’ child star.

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7 The writer uses emotive language and • the large number of mountaineers hyperbole: ‘superhuman’ / ‘performing who lost their lives superhuman feats’ suggest Haston’s god- • the smallness of the humans in like ability; ‘near-impossible’ expresses context of mountains admiration more than ‘very difficult’ in films, climbers look like small dots would do. Other possibilities: ‘treated’ • on mountains suggests we are privileged to watch him in action; ‘caked in snow’ gives a clear • the vulnerability and mortality of visual idea of discomfort endured. (Any humans in these conditions. two, quoting words explained, for 2 marks) (Any two valid reasons for 1 mark each) 8 Edinburgh was such a safe and civilised 13 Mark on merit. Likely to be easier to place (1 mark) that his wildness took justify disagreement, but case could be that form since that was the only type made for agreement. Possible points of risk available (1 mark). include: 9 ‘tasteful’ is used with the opposite Disagreement: we learn about a poor, meaning, i.e. hideous and ugly (1 mark). dull home environment as a boy that The tone is ironic (1 mark). led him to seek adventure; lack of other 10 Possible answers include: excitement or interests in home area which led him to seek such elsewhere; Immature / irresponsible and • support of other ‘Currie boys’ which thoughtless: driving after a long encouraged him to success; details of drinking session at the inn. wildness of character which explains his • Cowardly / inclined to panic: ‘fled enjoyment of risk etc. the scene’. Agreement: not easy to know why he • Unable to express his feelings: ‘lack was ‘bitten by the bug’; why enjoyment of outward remorse’. can be gained from taking risks in • Inwardly sensitive / aware of his appalling weather; why Haston eclipsed culpability: disturbed by the ‘terrible all the others in skill and fame; why he burden of guilt’ all his life. behaved so irresponsibly after the (Any three clear points for 1 mark each; accident etc. total 3 marks) (Four clearly supported points should be 11 They enclose a parenthesis which made for 1 mark each; a single well expands on the word ‘triumphs’ by developed point might gain 2 marks; total listing them (1 mark). 4 marks) 12 Possible implications of ‘like flies’ TOTAL MARKS: 30 include:

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Close Reading 14–16

For practice Word or Analysis of original expression and Emotionally expression from comment on effect neutral the passage alternative

appalling (line 2) Word suggests extreme feeling of shock or horror: very bad weather is seen to be especially bad to arouse these feelings.

courting death ‘courting’ is a metaphor, meaning making love to, endangering life (lines 2–3) suggesting climber loved the idea of death, and wanted to come close to it. Adds touch of grim humour.

superhuman Godlike; beyond what a mere human could do; uses very difficult (line 27) hyperbole, since climbers are merely human, to emphasise difficulty of feats.

fanatical devotion ‘fanatical’ is highly emotive, denoting almost religious great enjoyment (line 31) fervour, to emphasise how unusual and obsessive Haston’s enthusiasm was.

inciting the wrath Language is formal, archaic and almost biblical in annoying / (line 38) tone, making it sound very solemn; here tone is used angering tongue-in-cheek following a ridiculous ‘crime’.

terrible burden of ‘burden’ is a metaphor, suggesting his guilty very bad guilt (lines 47–48) conscience was like a great weight pressing on him, conscience an image that effectively conveys the sense.

14 Germany’s Grown Up 3 Reference to ‘anti-terrorist cop’ (1 mark) suggests that a ‘would-be mayhem 1 Any of the following: plotter’ is a terrorist planning to cause • rhetorical question maximum disruption and chaos • use of personal pronoun (1 mark). • direct address to the reader. 4 Basil Fawlty allows the Germans to share in jokes about the Second World (1 mark) War although they are unable 2 Stereotyped view is that British chefs themselves to make jokes about this are poor cooks (1 mark); in fact, the UK period of their history (2 marks). has excellent restaurants offering dishes 5 a) the war (1 mark) from all round the world (‘cosmopolitan’) (1 mark). b) Referring to the war by its initial letter suggests that the Germans do not German policemen are seen as like to refer to the war directly; it is a domineering, officious, strict, etc. taboo subject, something (1 mark); author finds British policeman unmentionable and offensive, like a far more firm, authoritative, inflexible, swear word (1 mark). rigid in applying the letter of the law, etc. (1 mark). 132 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 133

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6 ‘The funny side escapes us if the 13 Many possibilities: Germany of the Nazis is confused with Positive: writer believes that Germans the Germany of today.’ (1 mark) have a sense of humour and can laugh 7 ‘Fire-break’ suggests the Germans create at themselves; they have learned lessons an artificial barrier between their past from the war and have created a more and their present as they want to keep just society. He believes it is time that these separate and do not want to be Britain accepted this. reminded of their past (2 marks). Negative: Germany has changed but has 8 Reference to ‘liberty and justice for all’: not entirely come to terms with its past. modern Germany places emphasis on Modern Germany may have changed so freedom, fairness, rule of law, etc. much that it is in danger of losing its (2 marks) drive and determination as people 9 a) The British still think Germany is prefer the option of an easy lifestyle. the same as it was in the Nazi era Full-mark answers should recognise that (1 mark). the passage does not show the Germans b) ‘frozen in time’: British view is in a completely positive light and caught in a time-warp; cannot move should make reference to stylistic on, etc. devices used, such as: and / or • rhetorical questions (lines 1–3, 20 and 35–36) encourage readers to think ‘insect in amber’: amber is a translucent of their own opinions on the subject fossil in which an insect may have become trapped, remaining inside • use of emotive language (‘swastika’d forever. pariahs’) shows his disdain for Germans of the Nazi era (1 or 2 marks depending on amount of detail) • expressions like ‘and yet’,’but wait a minute’, ‘there lies the rub’, ‘by 10 ‘happily extinct’ (1 mark) contrast’, etc. show that the writer is 11 ‘Schoolmaster’ has connotations of gradually developing an argument teacher lecturing / telling off pupil, (3 marks) trying to change his behaviour, etc. Implication that Britain sees itself as TOTAL MARKS: 30 being in a superior moral position to For practice (1) Germany (2 marks). 1 Don’t ask me to give up prejudices 12 a) The Germans will become too about people which I have held for a relaxed and will not be as hard-working long time. and efficient as they once were (2 marks). 2 Europeans are given certain jobs according to what they are supposed to b) Germans will become too reliant on be good / bad at. the welfare state (1 mark). 3 The list of bad characteristics is not c) Recognition of sarcastic / mocking correct when you look at it closely. tone (1 mark); writer thinks his compatriots are becoming lazy and 4 Cooking which is international in style dependent and are not taking and as good as anything in the world. responsibility for themselves (2 marks). 5 The worst period in German history when many atrocities took place. 6 Laughing at aspects of wickedness can help you to deal with it 7 Stayed the same; unchanging. 133 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 134

Close Reading 14–16

8 Our ideas on this are different. 6 ‘Superlatives’ refers to the highest 9 Always referring to aspects of Germany degree of comparison / highest quality which fortunately do not exist anymore. (1 mark). References to examples of superlatives (largest, richest, most 10 Wanting to keep blaming the Germans ethnically diverse) (1 mark). for their actions. 7 a) Spaghetti – strips of pasta mixed For practice (2) together / tangled / difficult to separate, 1 Jokes about nationality reflect long-held etc. (1 mark). In the same way, the views which are based on empty intersecting underground lines are hard prejudice and the wish to be cruel at to decipher (1 mark). the expense of others. b) navigated (1 mark) 2 British policemen are much more harsh 8 Possible references for 1 mark each: than German ones. • Cafés and restaurants are always 3 The Nazis, whom no one now wishes to busy. be associated with. • High prices charged reflect high 4 We have learned from the mistakes that incomes. we have made in the past. • Demand for housing increasing in 5 Don’t bother to work hard, but just rely spite of high rental charges. on social services to support you. • City constantly expanding. (2 marks) 15 London: a Timeless City 9 Any two of the following for 1 mark 1 One mark for each sense identified and each: backed up with an example, e.g. • use of lists of examples of famous • sounds (sitar music, clucking of people and events birds) • list of examples covers science, • smell (spices) music, social reform • sight (curling script). • list of historical references covers a wide expanse of time, from the Romans (2 marks) to the Second World War. 2 Effect aimed at is one of (2 marks) surprise / dramatic contrast (1 mark). Earlier part of the paragraph suggests an 10 ‘Culture and history’ refer back to exotic, Eastern location, whereas the examples covered in the previous scene is in fact in London (1 mark). paragraph (1 mark); ‘don’t stop at the city gates’ points forward to attractions 3 Contrast of urban versus rural setting; of Greater London covered in the rest paragraph two refers to buildings of the paragraph (1 mark). whereas paragraph three deals with natural features (2 marks). 11 a) Lines of roads on a map are compared to lines on an elderly 4 diversity (1 mark) person’s face. Identification of 5 Comparison with ‘populations of similarities, e.g. in both cases the lines Norway and Denmark combined’ go in many different directions; in both stresses the size (1 mark); effect is cases the lines have taken a long time reinforced by the exclamation mark (1 to develop, etc. (1 or 2 marks depending mark). on amount of explanation)

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b) Hyde Park exists because King Henry 2 Clouds: metaphor. Clouds fill the sky VIII wanted open ground for hunting; and obscure the light; similarly, the air St Paul’s Cathedral built because earlier is full of dust. buildings had burnt down in the Great An orange fog: metaphor. Similar effects Fire. (1 mark for each example – total 2 to cloud image. Orange stresses the marks) colour of the dust. 12 Any two of the following for 1 mark Middle of a battleground . . . cacti: each: metaphor. Suggests cacti are spread out • London’s population consists of across the landscape like soldiers in an people of many different racial origins, army. ‘Battleground’ suggests the whole yet it is unmistakably British. scene feels threatening or dangerous. • There is an emphasis on history yet Like giant towers: simile. Comparison things are always developing has further military connotations; (‘traditional but ever-changing’). feeling of being observed. • It is very large but it has its quieter Grizzly bear of granite: metaphor, areas too (massive and intimate). suggesting that the shape of one rock is (2 marks) like a bear. Alliteration gives an onomatopoeic effect and stresses the 13 Various possibilities: hardness of the rock. Use of personal pronouns to involve • A troupe of acrobatic sandstone the reader. dolphins: metaphor. ‘Troupe’ suggests a • Wide range of examples given: large number and, together with tourist attractions, lifestyle, locations, ‘acrobatic’, brings to mind circus history, culture, population balance are entertainment. all referred to. Plume: metaphor. A plume is a large • Emphasis on the city as a lively place feather: suggests the height of the water where people want to be (paragraph and how it spreads out finely. seven). Like a theatre-curtain of water / • Positive aspects of the city are thunderous applause / thunderous emphasised; many adjectives of praise; ovation. Linked metaphors drawing on city of superlatives: grandest / the idea of the audience appreciatively beautiful / extraordinarily rich, etc. clapping as the curtain comes down at (4 marks can be reached by point 1 + the end of the performance. evidence + point 2 + evidence) 16 Eat Up and Pay Up For practice 1 He asks a question (not a rhetorical 1 Adrenalin junkies: metaphor suggesting question). He uses a humorous tone, that people can be addicted to e.g. in ‘waddle’. He uses a striking excitement and adventure just as an simile: ‘legs like giant kebabs’. (Any two addict is dependent on drugs. techniques for 2 marks) Sugar-soft: metaphor. Sand compared to 2 So as not to offend the reader (1 mark). brown sugar. Similar colour and texture. 3 Readers who are not fat or overweight Softness reinforced by the use of (1 mark). alliteration. 4 a) It is serious / sympathetic rather Crystal-clear: crystal is a transparent than humorous or mocking (1 mark). mineral; metaphorical comparison stresses the clarity of the sky. 135 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 136

Close Reading 14–16

b) He uses technical language: 11 Sentence structure: effective use of ‘metabolic problems’ showing he repetition – he presents the fat people’s understands the medical condition; statement, followed by a single word ‘genuine’ shows he believes the dismissing it. This pattern is repeated. problem is real (2 marks). The single words sound decisive. He 5 They lack the self-control to stop backs up the single word each time eating. They don’t feel it is worthwhile with evidence, using techniques such trying to eat healthily. (2 marks) as rhetorical question ‘Have you ever seen a fat skeleton?’ and exclamation 6 To involve the reader (1 mark); to make ‘How patronising’ for more the reader angry / concerned / impact. aggrieved etc. (1 mark) Word choice: colloquial style of single 7 The inversion which places ‘last year’ at words ‘piffle’ etc. is effective in the beginning of the sentence throws undermining arguments through emphasis on the high figure which is in mockery; amusing alliteration of ‘p’ the stress position at the end of the sounds in ‘piffle’ and ‘poppycock’ has sentence (1 mark). The parenthesis same effect; comical sound of words builds suspense and makes the figure of like ‘poppycock’ helps ridicule opposing 1 billion even more dramatic (1 mark). arguments. 8 The word ‘super-whoppers’ makes them (Answer should include four points for 4 sound ridiculous / has a contemptuous marks; for full marks effect of both tone. sentence structure and word choice must be Mentioning the fact they cost £8 million mentioned) shows he is aggrieved at how much 12 He bought a large amount of healthy money is needed to sustain them. food for £20 (1 mark). ‘Just on their own’ suggests it is unfair 13 Dawn goes to the other extreme as far that a small number of people get a as weight is concerned (1 mark) which disproportionate amount of financial is equally unhealthy (1 mark). support. (Any two for 2 marks) 14 Possible comments include: 9 Smokers do something unhealthy which they know is not good for them, Style: as do people who overeat. • Mockery and humour in word choice ‘Boozers’ drink alcohol which is not like ‘waddle’, ‘giant kebabs’, ‘podgy necessary and harms their bodies just as hand’, ‘chubbies’ etc. excess food does. • Comparing fat people to pigs Gamblers become addicted to betting (‘porkers’) makes obese people sound which is expensive and may spoil their repellent. lives, just as fat people are addicted to • Use of first person ‘we’ to involve food which may spoil their enjoyment reader. of life. (Any two for 2 marks) • Aggrieved tone in question ‘And 10 The fatter the person, the more tax he / where does this money come from?’ or she would have to pay (2 marks). ‘And I’m sorry . . .’. • Rhetorical questions ‘Why do people . . .’, ‘Have you ever seen . . .’. • Repetition as he debunks arguments; humour in words like ‘piffle’ etc. • Personal style has impact, such as his comments on wearing the fat suit. 136 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 137

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• Personal comments about making 3 To interject personal comments on his the documentary add authority. previous statements (2 marks). • Simple, decisive language is forceful 4 ‘Radioactive’ and ‘carcinogenic’ suggest and effective, such as single words or he finds the food dangerously comments like ‘I beg to differ’. unhealthy (1 mark); ‘piled’ and ‘heaps’ Arguments: show how he considers the food was available in excessive quantities Treatment of obesity-linked illnesses • (2 marks). is very costly – £1 billion. 5 Any two of the following for 1 mark Related problems such as costs due to • each: early death cost a further £2.5 billion. • The plane arrives late. • Extremely obese people who can do nothing are also a big drain on • Passengers cannot sit together as they resources. do not have reserved seats. • Costs must be borne by non-obese • People are forced to sit with people people who are fitter and can work to they would rather avoid. pay tax. (2 marks) • Being fat causes you to be disliked, as 6 Repetition suggests a weary, the writer discovered when he wore a monotonous, repetitive sequence fat suit. (2 marks). • Fatness is preventable, and just 7 First part of the sentence is colloquial / caused by self-indulgence. informal (1 mark); second half is more • The writer proved it was possible to formal / uses jargon (‘democratising eat healthily on the minimum wage. principle’) (1 mark). • Other groups with self-inflicted 8 Cans of beans are a basic, no-frills type problems (drinkers etc.) have to pay but of food which are piled high in a not the obese, which is unfair. supermarket; comparison suggests these flights are similarly basic and that the (Mark on merit; four clear points should be airlines simply want to sell as many made for 4 marks, at least one of which seats as possible (1 mark). must be on style and one on argument) 9 Any two of the following for 1 mark TOTAL MARKS: 30 each: For practice • Staff are pleasant. See the answers to question 14, above • Refreshments are served tastefully. • Newspapers are provided. 17 Chav-Air • Passengers do not feel they are being ripped off. 1 At the start passengers were quiet / kept to themselves (1 mark); later they (2 marks) became noisy and drunken (1 mark). 10 Because the company tries to provide a 2 Metaphor: ‘symphony’ suggests cans service for its paying passengers, they were opened at the same time so that feel they have had their money’s worth sounds were ‘in tune’ (1 mark); (2 marks). onomatopoeia: ‘kss’ is a made-up word 11 The rest of the paragraph provides (neologism) which imitates the sound examples of how the flights are leading of air released when seal is broken to hordes of tourists going abroad (1 mark). simply to drink (1 mark); specific example of Dublin referred to (1 mark). 137 02-Reading-Answers-cpp 19/3/07 09:53 Page 138

Close Reading 14–16

12 ‘Flood’ is a metaphor suggesting an • He does this by using exaggeration irresistible, unending flow (1 mark); use and humour. of the word suggests that these tourists • He draws on his personal experience cannot now be stopped and that the of travelling by this method. character of the places they are visiting will change (1 mark). • He takes his argument further, dwelling not only on the discomfort of 13 Use of colon in line 58 to expand on the flights but on how the destinations previous statement (1 mark); use of are affected by mass-tourism. semi-colons in line 61 to create a list showing the sameness of all these • He does not convince as his locations (1 mark). argument is one-sided, dwelling only on the negative aspects. 14 Sums up writer’s argument (1 mark); refers back to many of the things • He overlooks the advantages of cheap mentioned earlier in the passage: flights, which allow people to travel queues, scratchcards, travel to Inverness, when they might otherwise have been superiority of rail travel, etc. (1 mark). unable to do so. 15 Personal opinion must be backed up • He does not fully recognise that with reference to text. Possible points many people might be prepared to put for 1 mark each: up with the shortcomings of this mode of travel. • Author convinces of disadvantages by piling on examples of the discomfort (2 marks) of these flights. For practice

Conclusion Rest of passage

• Cheapness and familiarity • Inexpensive carriers, (contemptuous tone of ‘Chav-Air’)

• Notions of peace and exploring gone • Considered a posh thing to do

• Cheapen the experience • People drinking pints of lager

• Comfort of cars • Alternatives to flying – train is best

• ‘running away from queues, scratchcards, • Kept waiting in ‘nylon-carpeted hell-hole’ apologies for inconvenience’ (line 21); ‘Kit-Kat chomping nutcases’ (line 25)

• ‘let the train take the strain’ (humorous tone) • Train is best way to travel (line 37)

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Specimen answer:

The conclusion is effective as it repeats points from the rest of the passage to drive them home. While acknowledging that the new airlines are cheap, he complains that flying, which used to be quite a ‘posh thing’, has lost its features of ‘peace and exploring’. His comment that the experience has been ‘cheapened’ links back to his description of the early morning lager drinkers in the departure lounge. His reference to the ‘comfort of cars’ reminds the reader of his earlier point about alternative forms of transport, such as trains, now being preferable to flying. His listing of his dislikes, such as ‘queues’, ‘scratchcards’ and insincere ‘apologies for inconvenience’ reinforces earlier points. Finally, the humorous tone of the final sentence, with its play on an old advertising jingle ‘let the train take the strain’, sums up his preference of train to plane in an appropriately humorous way.

Writing in Focus 2: Nothing, and I Lines 18–20: juxtaposition of a humorous simile (‘the zest of a Saturday shop girl’) with Mean Nothing, is Better Value statistics relating to the car’s performance. than This Line 25: onomatopoeia is used. Overall, the writer’s aims in this article are to Lines 26–27: rhetorical question creates a convey the merits of the car in a personal conversational tone, continued in ‘But that’s and humorous way, using a conversational okay’. There are numerous other examples of and at times sarcastic tone, combined with this tone. images that depend on exaggeration. Lines 31–37: references to older people create Lines 1–3: passage opens with a a humorous stereotype, referring to clichés straightforward topic sentence. The rest of such as ‘easy chair’, ‘bridge club’, etc. the paragraph expands on this, creating Lines 42–45: humorous effect of the contrast humour with an increasingly far-fetched between the violent image (‘smash that with series of examples (hyperbole). a hammer’) and the list of adjectives of Throughout the article, the reader is praise. addressed directly, in a conversational tone. Final paragraph: rounds off the article by Line 5: simile referring to ‘a Turkish prison’ referring back to the question of cost has connotations of discomfort and basic mentioned at the start, giving the passage a facilities. The next sentence presents a circular structure. straightforward, factual list of features of the car. Lines 13–14: technical jargon (’dynamic variable valve timing’, etc.), suggesting that the author is well-informed.

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