close reading practice questions. some new words for you … language (the way we speak/write) can...
TRANSCRIPT
Close Reading
Practice Questions
Some New Words for you …
Language (the way we speak/write) can be
1) Formal
• Correct grammar, not abbreviations
2) Informal (conversational / colloquial)
• More personal in tone, looser sentence structure, abbreviations.
Hyperbole (hi-per-bol-ee)= means to exaggerate. Used to emphasise a
point. E.g. Look at the mess your room is in! It looks like a bomb’s been dropped on it!
ToneTone refers to how the writer feels about the topic. Someone’s tone can be sarcastic, angry, disbelieving, sad etc. (e.g. His marks were so low that I realised he had not studied at all. I had wasted my time, wasted my money and had run out of patience.)
Questions on Language Techniques
Remember, if a question asks you about Language Techniques, they are referring to:
• Similes, metaphors, personfication
• Onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance
State the techniques used in the following sentences …
Q. The storm clouds rolled like a wave across the sky.
R. Simile (The clouds are being compared to a wave.
Q. The old door groaned and complained as it was forced open.
R. Personification
Q. The dwarf had tiny twisted legs.
R. Alliteration of “T” sound
Q. The boom of the canon could be heard for miles.
R. Onomatopoeia
Q. The crowd growled at how loud the band’s music was.
A. Assonance.
Q. His head was a throbbing bomb reading to explode.
R. Metaphor.
Q. His time in prison was as boring as an English lesson on poetic techniques.
R. Simile
Q. Too soon the moon has risen
A. Assonance
Sentence Structure Questions
If you are asked to comment on the structure of a sentence, you need to be able to recognise:
• Long Sentences
• Short Sentences
• Fragmented (incomplete sentences)
• Rhetorical questions (?)
• Statements or Commands (!)
Comment on the structure of the following sentences:
Q. He loved going on holidays where he could swim, ride his bike, play with friends, laze in front of the television and eat huge amounts of food.
A. It is a long sentence. It contains a list of things that he likes doing. It builds up to a climax with his favourite thing listed last.
Q. It was hot. There were flies. There was no shade anywhere. I hated it.
R. Short sentences. Make you read faster. Statements reflect his anger at being there.
Q. What on earth should we do?
A. Rhetorical Question. Does not want a reply. Encourages the reader to think about the answer.
Q. Bad luck seemed to happen all the time for John. Only to him. Never his mates. He was just an unlucky person.
R. Fragmented (or incomplete) sentences. In this case they reflect John’s sad thoughts about himself.
Q. Get out now!A. This is a statement or a command. The
exclamation mark shows it is sudden or loud and gets the readers attention. Exclamation mark and short statement is used for emphasis.
PUNCTUATION QUESTIONS
If you are asked a question on punctuation, you need to be able to comment on the following:
Lots of commas (lists)
Question Marks (?), Exclamation Marks (!)
Dashes (-), Brackets (), Semi-colons (;),
Colons (:), Ellipses (…)
and Inverted Commas (“ “)
Comment on the punctuation in the following sentences
Q. Behind the door lay a large snake!
R. Exclamation mark = surprise.
Q. The school offered lots of subjects: English, Science, Sport, Maths, Languages and CDT.
A. Colon – followed by a list of subjects which supports the initial statement.
Q. Spain is beautiful in summer; however, it can rain a lot and there is always the risk of sunburn on hot days.
R. Semi-colon. Second part of the sentence provides information that does NOT necessarily support the first comment.
Q. Jim’s new car was so cool – it was bright red, had a spoiler, wide tyres and a loud sound system.
A. Dash. Acts like a colon in that it provides a list that supports the first comment. A dash is not as formal as colon.
Q. Mohammad Ali was an amazing boxer (who won so many fights that he became a legend in his sport) but suffered from severe injuries which affected him in later life.
R. Brackets. Provides additional information that could be left out of the sentence without affecting the meaning.
Q. The bride and groom walked down the aisle, waving to family and dreaming about their future together …
A. Ellipses. Suggests that the story continues. (We have to imagine what happens next)
Q. I love to spend my weekends “chillaxing” with my kids and “surfing the net” with my “peeps”.
A. Inverted Commas. The words are not the writers own. He/She is quoting someone else.
Write an Expression
Questions that ask you to write an expression,
or find an expression
want you to QUOTE a part of a sentence from the recommended passage. (i.e. 3-4 words or so) Do not write the whole sentence.
“Around the time that Theo turned 13, his life began to change. He was not exactly ill, but not exactly well. Because of this, his parents took him to the doctor.
Q. Write down an expression that shows that Theo was not feeling entirely healthy.
A. “not exactly ill, but not exactly well.”
The old building, whilst beautiful, was dilapidated and run-down and would require considerable amounts of investment to bring it back to its former glory.
Q. Find an expression that shows that the old building was dangerous.
R. “Dilapidated and run-down”
Q. Quote an expression that suggests that the building was once very grand.
A. “former glory”
His tortured muscles burned as he ran on – nearly 25miles into the marathon. He sucked air into his burning lungs proud of his efforts so far.
Q. Quote two expressions that show the runner was suffering.
R. “tortured muscles”
“burning lungs”
The flow of the river was choked and congested by the amount of detritus and waste washed in by the storm.
Q. Find an expression that shows that the river was not flowing smoothly.
R. “Choked and Congested”
Q. Quote an expression which describes what was blocking the flow of the river.
A. “detritus and waste”
Questions on WORD CHOICE
When a question asks you to comment on Word Choice, you are required to
QUOTE ONE WORD
From the recommended passage.
Excessive exercise has been shown to be detrimental to your health if you are not fit enough to undertake such activities and the thought of this makes me shudder.
Q. Quote of word that shows that too much sport can be dangerous.
R. “detrimental”
Q. Find a word that suggests that the writer does not like exercise.
A. “Shudder”
Dental treatment can be excruciating not only on your teeth but also on your pocket; however, it is an integral part of oral health and should not be avoided.
Q. Find a word that suggests the importance of visiting the dentist.
R. “integral”
Q. Quote a word that reflects the negative impact of dentistry on the patient.
A. “Excruciating”
In Your Own Words
When a question asks you to explain something “in your own words”,
DO NOT QUOTE ANY WORDS FROM THE PASSAGE.
Instead try to explain what you have read using similar words.
Neville Longbottom stumbled into the room and greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever met.
Q. In your own words, explain two characteristics of Neville Longbottom’s personality.
A. He was clumsy and had lots of mishaps. Happy natured. He was very forgetful.
The house had an ugly garden. It was small and sprinkled over with scattered eruptions of sickly plants. Cracked pathways ran haphazardly through the overgrown lawns.
Q. In your own words describe what the gardens in the house looked like.
A. Unattractive. Not large. Unhealthy looking plants were randomly spread about. The path needed repair and seemed to go nowhere. The grass was long and needed cutting.
As a racing car driver, I have experienced many a sudden and serious brush with mortality.
Q. In your own words, explain what you understand by “sudden and serious brush with mortality”.
A. Unexpected, major situation that nearly resulted in dealth.
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE …
1. READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY
2. PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORDS (PROMPTS) IN BOLD PRINT
3. FIND THE ANSWER IN THE RECOMMENDED PASSAGE
4. MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER ALL PARTS OF A QUESTION/