Reading for Understanding, Analysis

and Evaluation

National 5 English

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Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation

Question Types – the basics:

Understanding Questions These test your understanding of the writer’s key ideas and the vocabulary used to

present his/her ideas. You will be asked to answer in your own words or paraphrase what the writer says in

order to show that you have understood the key points. Summarising questions ask you to take a chunk of text and extract from it only the key

points. Again you will express these points using your own words.

Analysis Questions These are more demanding and focus not so much on what has been said but rather

how the writer has created a certain effect, by identifying how certain words/ phrases /techniques are used to create that effect.

You may be asked to quote key words/phrases from the text, identify the techniques used and suggest what its effect on the reader is.

Evaluation Questions These ask for your opinion of how well you think something has been said.

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Understanding Q uestions

1. Using your own words

Key words must be expressed in your own words Change slang or dialect to show your general understanding Do not try to give a word-for-word translation - try to explain the writer’s idea.

Question 1:It’s sad that so many parents don’t even think about nursery rhymes. Our goal is to encourage children to have a love of books but, before that, it’s about living in a language-rich environment - and rhymes are part of that. They’re also tremendously valuable as a confidence-builder. What you find out about yourself when you learn a rhyme and then get a round of applause is really important.

Explain in your own words two reasons why “It’s sad that so many parents don’t even think about nursery rhymes”. (2)

Question 2:The singalongs usually consist of half traditional nursery rhymes and half original compositions, where the appeal lies in repetitive melody and strong rhythmic element. Rhymes with actions, such as Incey Wincey Spider, are especially good for early learning. Some kids can’t sit still for long, so these rhymes help them to focus.

The group start with Ring a Ring o’ Roses, with its much-loved cue to “all fall down”. The children love it. Next, The Grand Old Duke of York. Afterwards, the class discusses the words. The teacher asks, “Where does the Grand Old Duke march up to?” Blank expressions. It’s clear that they just sing along with the sounds.

Next, it’s Baa Baa Black Sheep. Out of 12 children, ten claim that this is their favourite. Ask them what it’s about and once again they haven’t a clue. “Who does the sheep give some wool to?” asks the teacher. Silence. She gives them a hint: “He gives some to the master, and some to . . .Explain in your own words why Incey Wincey Spider is “especially good for early learning”. (2)

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Strategy: 1. Highlight or underline the words or phrase in the text which you wish to explain.2. Rephrase what you have underlined - focus on explaining the writer’s key idea(s) rather than giving a word for word translation.

Question 3:My father returned home in unusually high spirits, and revealed his startling plans to take us away on a trip over Christmas to some mysterious place. “You wait. You’ll like it. You’ll see,” was all he would say, to whoever asked. The whole idea of it was unspeakably exciting - we weren’t the type of people to do something so rash, so sudden, so unseasonal - but unnerving too, for exactly the same reasons. So on the afternoon of 16 December, Greenwood, my elementary school, dispatched its happy hordes into the snowy streets to begin three glorious weeks of yuletide relaxation.

The writer tells us that the trip was “unspeakably exciting”.In your own words, give two reasons why the family found the prospect of the trip “exciting”. (2)

Question 4:Having beaten two hundred applicants to the job, she believes she has proved herself to be the nest candidate. “Sometimes I feel people think I should be grateful that I have a job but I’m performing a useful task and doing it well, so they should be grateful to me,” she said. “After all, they wanted me badly enough to employ me for a month before I had finished my degree.”

Using your own words as far as possible, explain how Penny Andrews “believes she has proved herself to be the best candidate.” (2)

Question 5:Think of long-distance lorry driving and the images that spring to mind are of burger stands in lay-bys, Yorkie bars and hairy male drivers. But next time you are on the motorway, take a second look at who is behind the wheel of that juggernaut in the slow lane. You may be surprised.

Once a rare sight on British roads, women lorry drivers are increasing in number. Better technology has made the driving easier and, along with female-friendly policies from companies, is helping to erode what was once the sole preserve of men.

Explain in your own words as far as possible why we “may be surprised” nowadays when on a motorway. (2)

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2. Summary questions

Question 1:Of course, the likelihood of young people starting to enjoy their education any time soon is minimal. The lack of encouragement from parents is not only concerning, but nigh on negligent and the lack of encouragement to better yourself in our society means that young people have no will or desire to ‘reach for the stars’. Another problem that young people face is peer pressure; if your friends don’t like, it why should you? And while there are expectations placed upon them that seem to suggest they are not capable of having any desires in terms of achievement, they desire plenty of other things that distract them from their education. What would you rather do; play the Xbox or complete your algebra homework?

In your own words, summarise the reasons the writer thinks young people do not enjoy their education. (4)

Question 2:Florida is a state that is multitudinous in its qualities. In Orlando, you find the much famed theme parks and amusements that could entertain even the dourest of holiday maker. Not only does Orlando offer entertainment by way of sugar-coated fun but there is plenty of shopping, dining and sightseeing that will keep you amused for hours. If you like big food, big fun and cheap prices then Orlando is the Floridian destination for you.

By contrast Miami is much more relaxed and offers the beach holiday that many sun worshippers seek. The miles of crisp Golden sand allow for the kind of holiday where doing nothing is the main agenda. Miami also offers the opportunity to become better acquainted with the amazing wild life and terrain that Florida has to offer. If you so wish, you can take a tour on the swamp because, unlike Orlando, this amazing place has not been swallowed by multi-national entertainment companies. In your own words, summarise the differences between the Floridian cities. (4)

Question 3:

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Strategy:

Using your own words state the writer’s key ideas Avoid using examples, lists or comparisons Reduce the ideas to the essentials only.

They were not literally orphans. They were often cast out, or they ran themselves out, from families too big or too small to support them. In the prevailing conditions of extreme poverty, children might be carried along by the family only through the nursing stage, and then they would be expected to provide their own sustenance. Frequently enough, there was not room for them so they willy-nilly had to find other accommodation, often at an age when children in our time are not yet allowed to cross the street. Historians have noted that childhood was not recognised as a particular state until recent times, and point to paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in which children are depicted as miniature adults. In New York this idea was still operative among large sections of the poor in the nineteenth century. Children in the nineteenth-century slums were not only accorded all the responsibilities and attendant hardships of adulthood without the advantages of strength and experience; they were expected to cope with the single item of particular status conferred upon them: invisibility.

Summarise what the difficulties of childhood were in the past. (2)

Question 4:Imagine a caveman going to pick some berries from some bushes near his rocky abode. He hears some rustling in the bushes and wrongly infers that there is a lion lurking in there and scarpers. He even gets a little superstitious about those bushes and gives them a wide berth in future. Is this superstition a problem to our caveman? Well, not if there are plenty of other berry-bearing bushes from which to get his five-a-day.

But suppose that there really is a lion living in those bushes. The caveman’s behaviour now looks not only sensible but life-saving. So, a tendency to perceive connections that do not actually exist can confer huge evolutionary benefits, providing a cocoon of safety in a turbulent and dangerous world. The only proviso (according to some devilishly complicated mathematics known as game theory) is this: your superstitions must not impose too much of a burden on those occasions when they are without foundation.

Summarise the “huge evolutionary benefits” mentioned here. (2)

3. Context questions 6

You may be asked to explain a word or phrase used in the text. Sometimes you will be asked to pick out a clue near to the word or phrase in the text

which makes this meaning clear. This is the context.

Example Extract:

I’m nocturnal. I love the moonlight, the shadows, the dark places, the dappled murk. I’m not being poetic. I’m simply being true to my nature, my nocturnal nature. Like all tarantulas.

Example Question:

Explain how the context helps you to understand the meaning of “nocturnal”. (2)

Exemplar Answer:

Nocturnal means being active and awake at night. (1) The writer refers to his preference for “moonlight” and “shadows…dark places” which

suggest night time. (1)

Question 1: When the London dodo died, the animal was stuffed and sold to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Taxidermy not being what it is today, over the next few decades the dodo slowly rotted until it was thrown out in 1755. All, that is, except the moth-eaten head and one leg.Question 2:

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Strategy:

Explain what you think the meaning of the word is. Quote words or phrases from the surrounding text (the context) and explain how

they helped you arrive at the meaning of the word.

Use the above strategy to complete all the questions below. Use the same question for all of these:

Explain how the context helps you to understand the meaning of the underlined word. (2)

1968 was, I suppose, the most traumatic year of my life. After my parents’ separation we moved in to a smaller house, but for a time we were homeless and had to stay with our neighbours; I became seriously ill with jaundice; and I started at the local grammar school.

Question 3:Saturday afternoon is a festive day with the natives. The girls put on all the finery they can on Saturday afternoon- silk robes, hats trimmed with fresh flowers and home-made necklaces of rose tinted blossoms.

Question 4: But I came in near the bottom and left near the bottom, and it was rotten. Something to be endured at best. I’d run away twice. I had absolutely no memory of this, but it seemed like a very good idea. When my dad retired and moved, he accepted it when I said I wanted to go to the local school. It couldn’t possibly be any worse.

Question 5:The other boys were all moving around the field in that deliberately languorous way they have when they are warming up, but Tommy, in his excitement, seemed already to be going full pelt. I said, louder this time: “He’s going to be so sick if he ruins that shirt.” This time Ruth heard me, but she may have thought I’d meant it as some kind of joke, because she laughed half-heartedly, then made some quip of her own.

Question 6:Over time he had acquired the ability to blend into the background of wherever he was- into bookshelves, gardens, curtains, doorways, streets- to appear inanimate, almost invisible to the untrained eye.

4. Linking questions 8

Writers often use linking words to help you follow the argument. Some common linking words and expressions are and, but, yet, however, also, later, alternatively, on the other hand, first, secondly, next, finally, on the contrary or later. These linking words have different jobs to do. For example:

And, in addition, also allow the reader to add more information to a previous statement.

But, however, alternatively, on the other hand suggest that the argument or line of thought is going to change direction

First, secondly, next, later, finally can all suggest things happening in a specific order.

Example Extract:

The 7.15 dance class is full, as was the six o’clock, as is the 8.30. In the reception area of Edinburgh Dancebase, learners, ranging from the middle-aged, fresh from work, to students, mill around waiting to dance.

Unlikely as it may at first seem, this is occurring across the country. Against similar winter backdrops people are queuing up to learn to dance. National inhibition is being shed as salsa, meringue, and cumbia beats force hips to sway rhythmically and partners to twist complicatedly. French ceroc classes are filling up, street dancing to hip hop is being used as an exercise class. Even ballroom dancing is enjoying something of a renaissance.

Example Question:

By referring to specific words or phrases, show how the first sentence in the second paragraph performs a linking function in the line of thought. (2)

Example Answer:

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Strategy:

1. You need to identify in the linking sentence, two words or phrases, one pointing backwards and one pointing forwards.

2. Quote the part of the link sentence which refers back to the earlier topic, saying what this topic is.

3. Quote the part of the link sentence which looks forward to the next topic, explaining what this is.

The word ‘this’ links back to the idea of the dance classes in Edinburgh being full which was discussed in the previous paragraph. The phrase ‘is occurring across the country’ links forward to the idea of different styles of dance becoming more popular throughout the nation, which is going to be discussed in the new paragraph.

Question 1:In Britain, visitors to Westminister Abbey have to pay an entrance fee to the main nave, a measure introduced recently in order to deter the hordes of visitors who were damaging the building.

But the problems associated with mass tourism are not unique to Britain. The mayor of Venice, a city which attracts about 10 million visitors annually, is calling for a limit to the numbers allowed to celebrate New Year there, amid fears of further damage to historic buildings.

Show how the first sentence of the second paragraph acts as a link. (2)

Question 2:A car is an enormous convenience. But it is also a lethal weapon. At 35mph, a family saloon is 90 times more dangerous than a shotgun blast. At 40mph, a car that hits a pedestrian will almost always kill.

But most drivers who kill are prosecuted for minor offences such as careless driving. Earlier this year, at Paisley Sheriff Court, a driver was convicted of careless driving. He had killed two people in a crash on the M8. He was fined £500, with £250 costs and given 6 penalty points.

Show how the first sentence of the second paragraph acts as a link. (2)

Question 3:We may still call it pocket money, conjuring the enduring image of coins rattling around with escaped toffees, prised marbles, and bits of chewed pencil. But the reality is children are the custodians of serious money. In the UK children between the ages of 5 and 15 are estimated to have direct control of well over £1 billion. In commercial terms, they are a distinct, lucrative and growing market.

In addition to their direct impact on the marketplace, youths exert secondary influence on many of their parents’ product and brand choices. Research reveals three out of four teens actually influence their parents’ purchasing decisions although their influence was strongest for

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style, colour and make or model of the product and weakest for the crucial decisions, such as where and when to purchase and how much money to spend.

Show how the first sentence of the second paragraph acts as a link. (2)

Question 4:Is your journey really necessary? Who would have thought that, in the absence of world war and in the midst of unprecedented prosperity, politicians would be telling us not to travel? Just as working people have begun to enjoy the freedoms that the better off have known for generations - the experience of other cultures, other cuisines, other climates - they are threatened with having those liberating possibilities priced out of their reach.

And when I hear politicians - most of them comfortably off-trying to deny enlightenment and pleasure to “working class” people, I reach for my megaphone. Maybe Tommy Tattoo and his mates do use cheap flights to the sunshine as an extension of their binge-drinking opportunities but for thousands of people whose parents would never have ventured beyond Blackpool or Rothesay, air travel has been a social revelation.

So, before we all give the eco-lobby’s anti-flying agenda the unconditional benefit of the doubt, can we just review their strategy as a whole?

Remember, it’s not just air travel that the green tax lobby is trying to control: it is a restriction on any mobility. Clamping down on one form of movement, as the glib reformers have discovered, simply creates intolerable pressure on the others. Londoners, for example, had just become accustomed to the idea that they would have to pay an £8 congestion charge to drive into their own city when they discovered that the fares on commuter rail and underground services had been hiked up with the intention of driving customers away from the public transport system- now grossly overcrowded as a result of people being forced off the road by the congestion charge.

Referring to specific words and phrases show how the sentence “So, before … as a whole?” performs a linking function in the writer’s argument. (2)

Analysis Q uestions

In order to analyse a piece of writing successfully, you must consider four key questions. 11

You must think about: What is the writer meaning How is it being written How effective is the writing Why the writer has written it.

The main purposes of writing are below:

TaskDecide into which of the above purposes the ten examples below can fit into and why.

1. An article debating the value of a university education compared with the advantages of going straight into work.

2. A newspaper report from a war zone.3. An article detailing personal experience of treatment for cancer.4. A newspaper article advocating reducing the voting age to sixteen.5. A comic strip.6. A letter to a newspaper objecting to cuts in social services for the elderly.7. A magazine article on the star of a film that is about to be released.8. A personal diary.9. A leaflet accompanying a smartphone.10.An article looking at the effect of texting on children’s writing.1. Imagery

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to analyse / comment on a topic

WRITING PURPOSES

to explain something

to express feelings

to present a balanced view of two sides of an argument

to present a point of view

to entertain

to complain / disagree with something

to promote a product or service

to give information

to record / share experiences

1. A simile is a similar figure of speech involving comparison, but it includes the words ‘like’ or ‘as’

2. A metaphor is a comparison by saying one thing is another thing3. Personification is a comparison of something to a person - giving something not

human, human characteristics.

When analysing an image:

You must show that you understand the literal “origin” of the image. Literal meaning – the actual meaning (also known as denotation)

You must show that you can see how the writer is extending this metaphorically to help make a point.Metaphorical meaning – the meaning in the passage (also known as connotation)

Example Extract:

[The cop was] “Built like a gorilla but less timid...” (from “Brooklyn Cop” by Norman MacCaig)

Example Question:

Explain the use of the image in this line (2)

Exemplar Answer:

Just as a gorilla is a fierce, powerful and dangerous wild animal (1) so the cop must be extremely tough and intimidating if he is less timid than such an

aggressive animal. (1)

Working the answer out:

What is being compared? The cop and a gorilla.

What is the root image? Gorilla (to understand what the cop is like we must visualise a gorilla)

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Strategy:

1. Identify what is being compared2. Identify and explain the root image 3. Show how the root image explanation applies to what is being compared.

Explain the root image: Just as a gorilla is a fierce, powerful and dangerous wild animal... the cop must be extremely tough and intimidating if he is less timid than such an aggressive animal.

Question 1:Jonathan Young has big plans for his career. The business analyst at Goldman Sachs is on the autistic spectrum. But this, he says, is not something he allows to hold him back.“I’m the company’s global go-to guy for all the information used in every single one of our presentations,” he says. “I’m moving up the ladder every year in terms of responsibility or promotion. My ambition is to maintain this momentum. In 10 years, I want to be someone fairly big.

“I’m moving up the ladder every single year...” Comment on the effectiveness of this image (2)

Question 2:She points out that we don’t force children to read textbooks at bedtime so it’s all right to let them have some playtime based around an app. The best apps, she says, don’t dictate how children play but let them use their imaginations. She understands parents worry that a tidal wave of media is washing over their children.

How effective do you find the words “tidal wave” as an image to illustrate parents’ fear of the media? (3)

Questions 3:Our children, like most of their friends, are accessorised with both laptop and mobile phone. As a result, the potential for constant communication with their friends is ever present. Technology embraces our children, like ourselves, in a warm electronic sea, and the tide of it comes even higher.

Explain the use of the two images used here. (4)

Question 4:Sue Palmer, in her new book, ‘21st Century Girls’, goes all out for total technological cold turkey. “Allowing electronic strangers into a girl’s bedroom before her mid-teens is an extremely bad idea.”

Explain the use of the image “electronic stranger”. (2)Sentence Structure – Punctuation

Learn these for your exam and for use in your writing. You can add more to the chart.

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Full stop . Indicates the completion of a sentence.Comma , Separates items in a list.

Signifies a pause.Semi-colon ; Separates phrases in a list.

E.g. Their aunt owned a beach house in Bermuda; a chalet in the Alps; a castle with forty rooms in Scotland and a flat in Paris.

Joins two sentences which are closely connected, or which balance or contrast one another. E.g. The groom wore black; the bride wore white.

Colon : To introduce: a quotation, an explanation, a list or to expand a point. E.g. It was now night: stars twinkled overhead and the moon was rising. They may also balance a point.

Single dash

Parenthesis

-

- -

( )

, ,

Single dash introduces a pause or can introduce an explanation. E.g. He had taken great trouble over the meal-prawns, roast venison and a delicious apple tart.

Single dash adds emphasis or importance to a word or phrase.E.g. It lay before them, glittering in the blue sea- Hydra.

Double dashes and brackets and commas create parenthesis which adds extra information or reveals the writer’s tone or point of view.E.g. Sydney Devine - the world’s greatest singer - is appearing at Falkirk Town Hall on Friday.E.g. The Greek island of Cephalonia (try saying that with a mouthful of moussaka)will welcome you with open arms.E.g. Knox spent £800, around £80,000 in today’s money, on around 1000 bodies.

Ellipsis … In mid-sentence, these three dots can be used to suggest an interruption, hesitation or indecision.

Used at the end of a sentence they can suggest anticipation or suspense or drama.E.g. The door opened and a hand appeared...

Ellipsis can be used to suggest that a list is never ending.Exclamation mark

! Usually used to indicate a strong emotion on the part of the writer: often surprise, excitement, anger or horror. Creates tone.

Question mark

? To indicate a question- the writer may ask a question then answer it. A series of questions may signal the writer’s confusion or frustration.

A rhetorical question invites the reader to consider an issue but ultimately agree with or share the writer’s opinion E.g. what kind of society turns its back on those in need? Rhetorical questions are used to win the readers support for his argument (you should make it clear what the writer’s argument is).

Inverted Commas(quotation marks)

“ “ Around an individual word or phrase, inverted commas suggest that the writer

is casting doubt on the meaning of the word.E.g. I had no faith in the “help” being offered by the bank. Here the writer is indicating that the help is so-called help rather than real assistance and is really of little use.

Quotation marks indicate the title of a book, film, play, television programme etc, and the words spoken by someone.

Sentence Structure

Focus Technique Uses EffectSentence length Long sentences Suggests the sheer length of

something or the complexity Slows the pace.

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of a process.Short sentences Intensifies impact/drama of

what is being said particularly after a long sentence.

Quickens the pace.Creates tension.

Sentence type Statements Factual writingNarrative writing

Can show a formal tone/informative.

Questions

Rhetorical questions

Often used in reflective/personal writing.

No direct answer is expected, rather the writer expects support for his argument E.g. Who wants to see a child suffer this way?

Often stimulates thought or emotion.Allows writer to provide information.Reader expected to agree with the writer - provokes thought.

Exclamations Used to indicate a strong emotion on the part of the writer.

Can indicate shock, horror, excitement, surprise, anger...

Commands Used in instructions, advertisements and persuasive writing.

Can persuade or convince the reader of the writer’s point of view.

Minor sentences ( no verbs)

Verb omitted for dramatic effect.

Can create dramatic impact/suspense or urgency.Can create an informal tone.

Sentence patterns Repetition Repeated words, phrases or sentence structure.

Used to underline the intensity of something or to emphasise a point. Always explain what is being emphasised.

Inversion When the normal word order of a sentence (The cat sat on the mat) is changed in some way (On the mat sat the cat)

Changes the emphasis of the sentence usually to place important words first. E.g. Higher and higher rose the flames.

Climax Lists building up to a dramatic moment. E.g. She had played hostess to generals, dukes, princes and even the mighty King himself.

Adds to the impact /importance of the final item.Can create tension.

Anti-climax When the build up fails to end in a dramatic moment - a let down.E.g. His case contained a pair of Gucci loafers; a gold Rolex watch; perfume by Chanel and a pair of dirty socks.

Drops the tension.Often used for humorous effect.

Lists Used to underline/emphasise / highlight the sheer number of items, actions or people being

Always explain what the list reveals. Remember the list may build to a climax or drop in an anti-

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described. climax but equally the list might be neutral.

Antithesis Opposites balanced together to create a contrast.

Can be persuasive - often used in speeches.“My fellow countrymen, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

2. Sentence Structure

Question 1:(The narrator in this extract is a young boy who has lost his horse, Roby Roy.)It would take me years to live down the disgrace. In the meantime I must hurry home as fast as my dismounted legs could carry me. If only I could catch sight of that wretched Rob Roy eating some grass by the roadside! If only I hadn’t let him go! If only I could begin my ride all over again! How careful I would be!

Show how the author uses sentence structure to emphasise the narrator’s sense of shame and panic at losing his horse. (2)

Question 2:We went on the ghost train; we went on the chairoplanes and went on the waltzers; we went on the giant rollercoaster; we even – plucking up our courage! – went on the rocket launcher that actually turned upside down; finally, heads spinning and stomachs heaving, we tottered down to the low wall at the sea front for a welcome gulp of fresh air.

Show how the writer uses two features of sentence structure to emphasise the number of fairground rides the children went on, and how these get more and more daring. (2)

Question 3:Of all bad deeds that, under cover of the darkness, had been committed within wide London’s bounds since night hung over it, that was the worst. Of all the horrors that rose with an ill scent upon the morning air, that was the foulest and most cruel.

This comment is made about Bill Sykes’s murder of Nancy in ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens. How does Dickens use sentence structure to emphasise the dramatic nature of the deed. (2)

Question 4:17

And perhaps, in a world increasingly dominated by Facebook and Twitter, where friendships are made and broken at the click of the computer mouse, we feel more comfortable engaging with someone on the other side of the screen rather than chatting to them over the garden fence, as our grandparents might once have done. If we are already sharing the details of our private lives in Tweets and status updates, are we also becoming more accustomed to the notion of putting our intimate selves on display for the entertainment of others?

Identify an aspect of the structure of this paragraph which helps the writer get the content across. (2)

Question 5:And this is almost precisely what superstitions look like in the modern world. Some believe in horoscopes, but few allow them to dictate their behaviour; some like to wear the same lucky shoes to every job interview, but it is not as if wearing a different pair would improve their chances of success; some like to bounce the ball precisely seven times before serving at tennis, but although they are wrong to suppose that this ballbouncing is implicated in their success, it does not harm their prospects (even if it irritates those of us watching).

How does the sentence structure reinforce the ideas the writer is putting forward? (2)

Tone

Learn these for use in the exam. You can add more to the chart.

TONE MARKERS INTENDED EFFECT

Chatty/informal/colloquial Short sentences To get the reader on side. This tone gives the

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Conversational

Informal

Abbreviations Use of first/second person

pronouns - I, You Chatty or slang expressions -

Come on Minor sentences - No

change, there, then Exclamation marks Use of anecdotes

effect of someone chatting to friends. Makes the reader feel involved.

Humorous

Light hearted

Use of exaggeration (hyperbole)

Telling jokes/using puns Mixing formal and informal

styles - Please refrain from asking for credit as a smack in the gob often offends.

Parenthesis

Sometimes used simply to amuse or entertain the reader but often its true purpose is to underline or mock the nature of the issue under discussion.

Emotive

Controversial

Use of words to stir emotions such as anger or pity – helpless, infant, heartless, thieves

To arouse extremes of feelings in the reader.

Ironic/tongue in cheek

Flippant

Mocking

Often saying the opposite of what you mean.

To criticise or mock something or someone in a humorous way to make a serious point.

(Note: sarcasm is intended to be harsh or hurt someone)

Persuasive Using comparatives or superlatives - A better way of banking, the best in its class, the newest sat-nav

Words highlighting excellence - quality, perfection

Words suggesting trustworthiness - for generations, the choice of generations

Rhetorical questions Use of repetition to stress a

key idea

To win over readers to the writer’s point of view.

Factual/matter of fact

Formal

Use of statements Formal language

To give information in a neutral, unemotional manner.

3. Tone

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The above tone bank details a few tones which may be used. When thinking about tone atmosphere or mood may also come into your mind. Keep a record of any other tones you can think of.

Question 1:(Here Dynamo talks about his rise to fame.)

It would have been easy, he says, with his celebrity contacts – Lewis Hamilton is a friend, but there are plenty of others, including Richard Branson, Will Smith, Tinie Tempah, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney – to come back with series two all glitzy and glam, but what we’ve done is allow people who have supported it from the very beginning to pick up where we left off and come along for the journey. You see it going from me still being relatively unknown to shutting down Westfield when I went shopping. I had to have eight security guards to get me out. You see the transition from being a normal guy to…”

He pauses. I can feel eyes on us through the window behind me as time runs out and the people around him start to worry about the next stop on his schedule. “It’s very weird. I don’t think I’ll ever fully feel this is normal. It’s crazy the way people have taken to me and my show. For the first time in years, I feel accepted.”

The sentence “He pauses” signals a change in tone in the writer’s telling of Dynamo’s story. Explain what the change of tone is and go on to explain how the writer uses word choice to make this clear. (3)

Question 2:Imagine you are an urban professional living in a western city a few decades from now. An average morning might look like this: there will be no alarm clock in your wake-up routine. You’ll be roused by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, by light entering your room as curtains open automatically and by a gentle back massage administered by your hi-tech bed.

How does the writer maintain a conversational tone throughout the paragraph? (2)

Question 3:

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Strategy:

1. State what the tone (or mood / atmosphere) is.2. Quote a word or phrase which shows this 3. Explain, in detail, how it does so.

(Here the writer tries to look after six toddlers for the day, as a MP suggests we should all be able to do.)

Long-term, or rather, for any period longer than three hours, you would basically have to pen them into a smaller space, otherwise you would go mad. That’s fine, it’s not dangerous, but again, it’s not very appropriate. You can’t keep kids in a single room for a whole day without fresh air. Those are battery conditions.

Twins poo at the same time, who knew? But you have to prioritise the toddlers who are using a loo, as they seem to have some automatic suggestion and need to go as soon as they smell anything that reminds of a loo. Building in some time to lose track of what you were doing, I’d put this job at an hour, from poo-alert to the second twin getting a nappy rash.

What is the tone of the first sentence of the second paragraph, and how is this created? (2)

Question 4:(This is a continuation of the passage from Question 3)

I want to put you through this in real time, but I’ve got to pick peas out of the weave of my carpet. This is, on mature consideration, and with no offence meant, the worst idea a person in the government has ever had.

What is the tone of the final sentence and how is it made clear? (2)

Question 5:An extraordinary number of doom-laden prophecies have been made about the supposed linguistic evils unleashed by texting. Sadly, its creative potential has been virtually ignored.

Identify and explain the tone the writer creates by using the expression “supposed linguistic evils.” (2)

Question 6:All we know is that The X Factor - whether it signifies the reinvigoration of weekend family viewing or the disintegration of civilised society - is a reality-television phenomenon.So why, after a decade of phone-in rows, vote-rigging accusations and celebrity-hungrywannabes with bloated egos, does the British public remain so in love with reality television?

Explain fully why any two components of the expression “celebrity-hungry wannabes with bloated egos” convey a tone of disapproval. (2)

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