Comprehension, Interpretation and Language Activities Mary M Firth Andrew G Ralston Illustrations by Miranda Ralston and Moira Munro Hodder Gibson A MEMBER OF THE HODDER HEADLINE GROUP Acknowledgements Close Reading 11–14 (both editions) The Kingdom by the Sea © Robert Westall 1990; Thimble Summer © Elizabeth Enright 1966; Extracts from The Cay © Theodore Taylor 1969 published by Bodley Head. Used with permission of The Random House Group Limited; A Dog So Small © Philippa Pearce, 1962, 1964; When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit © Judith Kerr 1971 reprinted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; A Series of Unfortunate Events © Lemony Snicket. Published by Egmont Books Limited, London and used with permission; Shoes Were for Sunday © Molly Weir by permission of the author; On the Island © Iain Crichton Smith by permission of Birlinn Ltd; Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha © Roddy Doyle. Published by Secker and Warburg. Used with permission of The Random House Group; The Wind Singer © 2000 William Nicholson. Published by Egmont Books Limited and used with permission; Ash Road © Ivan Southall by permission of Ivan Southall; War of the Worlds © H G Wells reprinted with the permission of A P Watt Ltd on behalf of the Literary Executors of the estate of H G Wells; The Lost Continent © 2000 Extracted from The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, published by Black Swan, a division of Transworld Publishers. All rights reserved; Bee Season © Myla Goldberg, 2000 reprinted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Illustrations © Miranda Ralston, pages 6–112. Illustrations © Moira Munro, pages 2–6. Photos: Corbis (page 42, Australian Picture Library page 86, Ira Nowinski page 43, James Lauritz page 83, Lester Lefkowitz page 99), Egmont Books Ltd. page 77, Hulton Archives (Haywood Magee page 52), Popperfoto page 56, Random House page 71, Rex Features (Charles Sykes page 56), Ronald Grant Archives page 90, Team Sputnik for Graphic Classics, 2000 page 94. Papers used in this book are natural, renewable and recyclable products. They are made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Orders: please contact Bookpoint Ltd, 130 Milton Park Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4SB. Telephone: (44) 01235 827720. Fax: (44) 01235 400454. Lines are open from 9.00–5.00, Monday to Saturday, with a 24 hour message answering services. You can also order through our website www.hodderheadline.co.uk. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library ISBN - 13: 978-0-340-81309-6 First Published 2003 Impression number 10 9 8 7 Year 2009 2008 2007 ISBN - 13: 978-0-340-81674-5 First Published 2003 Impression number 10 9 8 7 Year 2009 2008 2007 Published by Hodder Gibson, an imprint of Hodder Education, a member of the Hodder Headline Group, an Hachette Livre UK Company, 2a Christie Street, Paisley PA1 1NB. Tel: 0141 848 1609; Fax: 0141 889 6315; Email: [email protected] Copyright © 2003 Mary M Firth, Andrew G Ralston All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, of Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Typeset by Fakenham Photosetting Limited, Fakenham, Norfolk Printed in the UK for Hodder Gibson, 2a Christie Street, Paisley, PA1 1NB, Scotland, UK ii IMPORTANT This is an accessible digital version of a printed book. The original digital copy has been kindly provided by the publisher. All rights to this accessible digital copy are retained by the rightsholders of the printed book. This accessible digital copy is provided to you under the terms of the Copyright Licensing Agency VIP Licence (www.cla.co.uk). It is for the personal use of an “Authorised Person” who is defined as “a pupil who is visually impaired or otherwise disabled and by reason of such visual impairment or disability is unable to read or access the original printed book”. 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Contents PASSAGE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK 1 The Kingdom by the Sea Similes and Metaphors 6 2 Thimble Summer Describing Words 12 Alliteration Tone 3 The Cay Nouns 21 4 A Dog so Small Verbs 29 5 When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit Point of View 37 Symbolism 6 A Series of Unfortunate Events Writing in Sentences (1) 46 7 Shoes were for Sunday (1) Genre 52 8 Shoes were for Sunday (2) Writing in Sentences (2) 57 9 On the Island Direct Speech 62 10 Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Colloquial Language 71 11 The Wind Singer Onomatopoeia 77 12 Ash Road Personification 83 Fact or Fiction? 13 The War of the Worlds Words and their Meanings 90 14 The Lost Continent Hyperbole 96 15 Bee Season Spelling 101 APPENDIX: Further Revision and Practice 106 Answers (With Answers edition only) 113 iii Introduction This book consists of fifteen extracts, mostly from modern novels, designed for pupils in the 11 to 14 age range. The passages are roughly graded in order of difficulty, with the last few selections coming from books aimed at adult readers. A synopsis is given to place the extract in context, and to stimulate interest in the text as a whole. Each extract is followed by: • A series of comprehension/interpretation questions. • A section headed ‘Taking a Closer Look’ focusing on one or more language features from the passage, with further explanations and practice exercises. The topics vary in difficulty, and teachers can use their own judgment in deciding whether a section is appropriate for a particular pupil group. Additional material for revision is provided at the end of the book in an Appendix, the aim of which is to provide an extended glossary of technical terms with exercises to assist in acquiring understanding of these. Throughout this book there are also occasional cross-references to the authors’ earlier textbook ‘Knowledge about Language’ to allow for more detailed exploration of aspects of language, particularly in topics specified in the 5–14 National Guidelines (Scotland) and Key Stage 3 (England). MMF/AGR 1 GETTING STARTED What is Close Reading? Close Reading aims to test your understanding of language. You will be given a page or two of a story to read. Your teacher may read it aloud to you, or you may be asked to read it silently. Then you will be asked questions which will make you think about what you have read. In the questions, the story may be called ‘the passage’ or ‘the text’. Sometimes you will work alone; other times you may discuss the questions with a partner or a group. You will then have to write down answers to the questions. What a shame! You should think about what the writer is saying in the story and how you feel about it. The ideas might make you feel angry with someone, for example. Or you might find a story funny or sad. 2 Getting Started What are the numbers down the side of the story? 10 15 These are line numbers. They are numbered in 5s. They help you find 5 20 something in the story more easily. For example, if you are asked to look at line 17, you should find line 15 and then count down two more lines. Often a question will direct you to certain lines. Look at lines 1–14 How does the writer present the situation effectively? . Is there a right way to answer the questions? Yes. The first and most important rule is to use your own words. Do not just copy out part of the text. The only exception to this rule is if you are asked to ‘find a word in the passage’ or if you are asked to ‘quote’. 3 Close Reading 11-14 Do I need to answer in sentences or will one word do? Sometimes a question will simply ask you to pick out a word or expression and a sentence is not required. If the question asks you to explain or discuss something, you should write in sentences, taking care with expression. Avoid beginning your answer with the word ‘because’. Will the questions be in any special order? Usually, the answers will come in the order they are in the story. The first questions will deal with the opening paragraph, and so on. Often you will be directed to certain lines in the story to find the answer. Why are the numbers of marks given after each question? This is to help you. If a question is worth just 1 mark, one simple answer is needed. If the question is worth 2 marks, you will need to make two points, or answer in more detail. For a four mark question, you will need to write four times as much as for a 1-mark question.