English A: Language & Literature HL
Literary devices and close textual analysis (HL) — Readers, Writers and Texts (HL)
- 1.
Read the following original stanza: 'The river does not ask permission / to leave its banks. / Neither did she.' (a) Explain how the enjambment (the line break after 'permission') affects the pacing and emphasis of the stanza. (b) Explain how the extended comparison between the river and 'she' develops across the three lines, rather than simply stating the comparison outright.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 2.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original stanza: 'The river does not ask permission / to leave its banks. / Neither did she.' (a) Explain how the enjambment (the line break after 'permission') affects the pacing and emphasis of the stanza. (b) Explain how the extended comparison between the river and 'she' develops across the three lines, rather than simply stating the comparison outright.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that the enjambment after 'permission' creates a brief suspension, delaying the object of the verb and mimicking the river's own unstoppable, uninterrupted motion.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 3.
Read the following original passage: 'He apologized the way men like him always did: thoroughly, publicly, and about three years too late.' Explain how the writer uses understatement and precise diction ('thoroughly, publicly') to construct an implicit critique, and explain why this indirect approach may be more rhetorically effective than a direct statement of criticism.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 4.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original passage: 'He apologized the way men like him always did: thoroughly, publicly, and about three years too late.' Explain how the writer uses understatement and precise diction ('thoroughly, publicly') to construct an implicit critique, and explain why this indirect approach may be more rhetorically effective than a direct statement of criticism.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that 'thoroughly, publicly' initially sounds like genuine praise for a sincere apology, lulling the reader into a positive reading.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 5.
Read the following original extract, narrated in third person: 'Maya told herself she was simply being practical. Practical people did not cry over spilled coffee. Practical people certainly did not cry over spilled coffee that had, admittedly, nothing to do with the coffee at all.' Explain how the narrative voice creates dramatic irony here, and explain the effect of the structural repetition of 'Practical people'.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 6.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original extract, narrated in third person: 'Maya told herself she was simply being practical. Practical people did not cry over spilled coffee. Practical people certainly did not cry over spilled coffee that had, admittedly, nothing to do with the coffee at all.' Explain how the narrative voice creates dramatic irony here, and explain the effect of the structural repetition of 'Practical people'.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that the third-person narrator reports Maya's internal self-justification while simultaneously, through the final clause, revealing to the reader that her stated reasoning is false.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 7.
Read the following original extract: 'Grandfather's hands, cracked like the dry earth he had farmed for sixty years, folded the letter once, twice, then set it down as though it weighed more than its single page could possibly hold.' Analyse how the writer layers multiple techniques (simile, repetition, and hyperbole) within a single sentence to convey the emotional weight of this moment, and evaluate which technique contributes most to the sentence's effect.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 8.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original extract: 'Grandfather's hands, cracked like the dry earth he had farmed for sixty years, folded the letter once, twice, then set it down as though it weighed more than its single page could possibly hold.' Analyse how the writer layers multiple techniques (simile, repetition, and hyperbole) within a single sentence to convey the emotional weight of this moment, and evaluate which technique contributes most to the sentence's effect.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies and explains the simile ('cracked like the dry earth'), linking the grandfather's physical body to a lifetime of agricultural labour, grounding his identity in his work.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 9.
Read the original passage: 'Surely she could not have forgotten. Of course she had not — she had simply chosen, again, not to remember.' Analyse how free indirect discourse shapes the reader's access to the character's mind.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 10.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original passage: 'Surely she could not have forgotten. Of course she had not — she had simply chosen, again, not to remember.' Analyse how free indirect discourse shapes the reader's access to the character's mind.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies free indirect discourse: the narrator blends third-person narration with the character's own thoughts, without quotation marks or 'she thought'.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 11.
Read the original line: 'I have never once lied to this committee,' he wrote, in the third notebook of corrected testimony. Explain how the writer undermines the narrator's reliability.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 12.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original line: 'I have never once lied to this committee,' he wrote, in the third notebook of corrected testimony. Explain how the writer undermines the narrator's reliability.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the contradiction between the absolute claim ('never once') and the context detail 'corrected testimony'.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 13.
Read the original sentence: 'The rain hammered the windows as the family argued; by morning the storm had cleared, and no one spoke of what had been said.' Analyse the use of pathetic fallacy.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 14.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original sentence: 'The rain hammered the windows as the family argued; by morning the storm had cleared, and no one spoke of what had been said.' Analyse the use of pathetic fallacy.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies pathetic fallacy: the weather mirrors the emotional state of the characters.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 15.
Read the original sentence: 'She had climbed the long, cold stairs of the tower, past the shuttered rooms and the portraits of men who had never looked at her, past every reason to turn back — and stopped.' Analyse the effect of the syntax.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 16.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original sentence: 'She had climbed the long, cold stairs of the tower, past the shuttered rooms and the portraits of men who had never looked at her, past every reason to turn back — and stopped.' Analyse the effect of the syntax.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the long cumulative (periodic) sentence built from accumulating prepositional phrases.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 17.
A short story repeatedly mentions a brass key: first on a hook, later in the heroine's pocket, finally dropped into a river. Analyse how a recurring motif can develop meaning across a text.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 18.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “A short story repeatedly mentions a brass key: first on a hook, later in the heroine's pocket, finally dropped into a river. Analyse how a recurring motif can develop meaning across a text.” Their response addresses only this point: “Defines a motif as a recurring element whose meaning accumulates through repetition.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 19.
In an original story, a fire station burns down while the crew are away at a safety demonstration. Explain what type of irony this is and analyse its effect.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 20.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “In an original story, a fire station burns down while the crew are away at a safety demonstration. Explain what type of irony this is and analyse its effect.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies situational irony: the outcome contradicts what would be expected of the setting.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 21.
Read the original lines: 'I waited. Years. Then — nothing.' Analyse how punctuation and fragmentation create meaning.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 22.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original lines: 'I waited. Years. Then — nothing.' Analyse how punctuation and fragmentation create meaning.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies short sentence fragments separated by full stops.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 23.
Read the original sentence: 'He met his Rubicon in the form of an email, and hovered over 'send'.' Explain the effect of the allusion and evaluate its tone.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 24.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original sentence: 'He met his Rubicon in the form of an email, and hovered over 'send'.' Explain the effect of the allusion and evaluate its tone.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the allusion to Caesar crossing the Rubicon, a point of no return.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 25.
Read the original description: 'The house leaned over the street like a tired parent, its shutters half-lidded, its gutters muttering to themselves.' Analyse how setting is characterised.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 26.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original description: 'The house leaned over the street like a tired parent, its shutters half-lidded, its gutters muttering to themselves.' Analyse how setting is characterised.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the simile and sustained personification of the house.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 27.
Read the original dialogue: '"Are you coming to dinner?" "I have a lot to do." "There is always a lot to do." "Yes."' Analyse how subtext is created.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 28.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original dialogue: '"Are you coming to dinner?" "I have a lot to do." "There is always a lot to do." "Yes."' Analyse how subtext is created.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies that the characters never state the real issue; the dialogue is oblique.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 29.
Read the original extract: 'The lighthouse keeper polished the lamp every night for a sea that had long since emptied of ships. The beam swept the water, finding nothing, and he found this sufficient.' Evaluate which technique contributes most to the extract's meaning.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 30.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original extract: 'The lighthouse keeper polished the lamp every night for a sea that had long since emptied of ships. The beam swept the water, finding nothing, and he found this sufficient.' Evaluate which technique contributes most to the extract's meaning.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies relevant techniques, such as irony in 'for a sea... emptied of ships', the symbol of the lighthouse and the repetitive, ritual structure.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[4 marks] · no calculator