English Literature
Prose: unreliable memory
- 1.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' Explain the contradiction in the opening sentence.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 2.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' What does the photograph contribute to the account?
[2 marks] · no calculator - 3.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' Analyse the correction 'at least, someone raised a glove'.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 4.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' How do the short final sentences change the rhythm and tone?
[3 marks] · no calculator - 5.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' Evaluate whether the narrator is deliberately deceptive rather than merely mistaken.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 6.
Original invented prose extract: 'I remember the station perfectly, except for its name. My sister waved from the carriage; at least, someone raised a glove. For years I told the story with snow. The photograph shows sunlight on snow-free ground. I keep the snow. It explains why I did not run.' Assess the interpretation that the passage is chiefly about guilt. Test it against a reading about memory's instability.
[4 marks] · no calculator
Marking points are indicative, not an official mark scheme. Accept equivalent valid methods and supported interpretations that address the task; award each mark once without requiring the model wording.