English Literature

1. 1.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' Explain the contrast between books and borrowers' names.

   [2 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Sima chooses a record of readers rather than texts. This can make community memory the object of preservation, though it leaves the son's desire for stories unmet.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • Books usually preserve written stories.
   • Names shift preservation toward the people who used the library.

   Examiner tip: Explain the choice; do not assume books were forbidden.

2. 2.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' What does returning to the first name suggest about structure?

   [2 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The last action restarts the sequence. That repetition can be sustaining ritual or blockage; its significance depends on how it is related to the son's question.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • It makes the ending circular rather than progressive.
   • Repetition suggests persistence or inability to move beyond the list.

   Examiner tip: A circular ending permits more than one emotional effect.

3. 3.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' Construct a two-sentence thesis supporting the view that Sima protects a community, with close evidence.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. For example: Sima replaces a lost institution with a portable roll of its community. Copying names onto cloth and voicing them at home gives former readers a continuing presence.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • Makes a contestable claim about preservation of people rather than mere plot summary.
   • Uses copying names or reading them aloud as specific evidence.
   • Explains how a material record and oral repetition sustain collective memory.

   Examiner tip: A thesis should explain significance, not just announce a theme.

4. 4.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' Develop a counterreading that Sima's preservation is incomplete.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The names retain identity but not the stories the child seeks. Repetition may protect a record while revealing that richer narrative transmission remains unfinished.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • The son asks for stories, signalling that names are not enough for him.
   • 'Tomorrow' defers fulfilment rather than supplying a narrative.
   • Explains the distinction between identifying people and preserving their experiences.

   Examiner tip: An incomplete act can still have value; avoid a false all-or-nothing judgement.

5. 5.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' Evaluate the claim that 'Tomorrow' expresses hope rather than evasion.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. 'Tomorrow' has forward momentum, but the next action turns backwards. The tension supports a qualified reading: hope is possible, yet the structure withholds evidence of progress.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • The future word permits a promise of later storytelling.
   • Immediate repetition of names suggests delay or avoidance.
   • No later event confirms whether the promise is kept.
   • Weighs hopeful persistence and evasion with a supported conclusion.

   Examiner tip: Use the action after the dialogue to test the spoken promise.

6. 6.

   Original invented extract: 'When the library closed, Sima took no books. She copied the borrowers' names onto a scrap of cloth. At home she read them aloud to her son. He asked for the stories. Tomorrow, she said, and began with the first name again.' Write a short conclusion weighing 'preservation is an act of resistance' against 'preservation cannot replace living stories'.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. A defensible conclusion is that Sima resists erasure by preserving the community's outline, but the son exposes the distance between a list and lived narrative. Resistance matters without being sufficient.
   2. Award each point once. Accept other well-supported interpretations addressing the task.

   Marking points

   • Recognises the deliberate survival of names beyond the library closure.
   • Recognises the child's unmet demand as a limit of the act.
   • Connects the cloth and oral repetition to both endurance and incompleteness.
   • Reaches a synthesised judgement rather than restating two opposing claims.

   Examiner tip: A conclusion should settle the degree of your claim, not introduce an invented sequel.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions.