First Language English
Reading — Paper 1
- 1.
An original travel article describes a mountain village at dawn: ‘Shop shutters blinked open one by one, while the road, silver with frost, waited for the first bus.’ Explain two effects created by the writer's language.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 2.
A community garden report states that volunteers converted an unused lot, collected rainwater, offered weekend workshops, donated vegetables to a food bank and created shaded seating for older residents. Summarise the benefits of the project in your own words.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 3.
An original account of a storm describes the sea as ‘a grey animal, restless and hungry, clawing at the harbour wall.’ Explain the effect of this metaphor.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 4.
A film review states: ‘The acting was undeniably powerful, though the plot occasionally stretched credibility.’ Identify the writer's overall tone, and explain how the sentence structure supports it.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 5.
A newspaper article states: ‘The new bridge cost $4 million to build. It is clearly the finest piece of engineering the town has ever seen.’ Distinguish the factual statement from the opinion in this extract.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 6.
A charity leaflet opens: ‘Imagine walking five kilometres every day just to collect clean water.’ Explain the writer's likely purpose in opening with this sentence.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 7.
In context, a writer describes an exhausted hiker's legs as feeling like ‘lead weights’. Explain what this phrase suggests about the hiker's physical state.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 8.
A short story opens with a single short sentence: ‘The phone rang.’ followed by a long, detailed paragraph describing the character's hesitation before answering. Explain the effect of this contrast in sentence length.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 9.
A writer describes an old man's hands as ‘maps of a long life, every line a road once travelled.’ Explain the effect of this metaphor.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 10.
A tired traveller writes: ‘I had been walking for a thousand years, it seemed, when I finally saw the lights of the village.’ Explain the effect of this hyperbole.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 11.
A description of a storm includes the phrase ‘the wild wind whipped and whistled through the withered woods.’ Explain the effect of the writer's use of alliteration here.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 12.
A character who has just caused an accident through carelessness says, ‘Well, that went brilliantly.’ Explain how this is an example of irony.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 13.
A description of a bakery includes: ‘the air was thick with the warm, buttery scent of fresh bread, and the floor still carried a faint dusting of flour underfoot.’ Explain how the writer appeals to senses other than sight here.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 14.
A story is told entirely from inside one character's thoughts, using ‘I’ throughout. Explain one effect of this first-person narrative viewpoint, compared with a third-person narrator who could describe every character's thoughts.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 15.
A report could describe a politician as ‘stubborn’ or as ‘determined’ to describe the same behaviour. Explain the difference in effect between these two word choices.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 16.
An opinion article opens: ‘How much longer can we ignore the damage being done to our rivers?’ Explain the effect of opening with this rhetorical question.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 17.
A speech repeats the phrase ‘We will not give up’ three times at the start of three consecutive sentences. Explain the effect of this repetition.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 18.
A travel writer describes a city as offering ‘history, culture, and unforgettable food.’ Explain the effect of this list of three.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 19.
An advert for a charity asks directly: ‘You could change a child's life today.’ Explain the effect of addressing the reader directly as ‘you’.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 20.
A passage places a description of a cramped, grey office directly next to a description of the wide, colourful park outside its window. Explain the effect of this juxtaposition.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 21.
After witnessing a disaster, a character simply says, ‘It wasn't ideal.’ Explain the effect of this understatement.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 22.
Early in a story, a character notices a crack slowly spreading across a family photograph on the wall, but thinks nothing of it. Explain how this detail could be an example of foreshadowing.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 23.
A caged bird appears repeatedly throughout a novel. Explain how this recurring image could function as a symbol.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 24.
After several long, detailed paragraphs, a writer suddenly uses a single short paragraph: ‘Then, silence.’ Explain the effect of this structural choice.
[2 marks] · no calculator