section a: 40 marks...section a: 40 marks answer all of the following questions the separate...

Section A: 40 MARKS

Answer all of the following questions

The separate Resource Material for use with Section A is an online newspaper article, ‘A balloon ride with Bill Deedes was 'the most terrifying trip of my life'' written by David Hempleman-Adams in 2007.

The extract opposite is an extract from a book, ‘The Great World of London’, written by Henry Mayhew in 1857.

Read the newspaper article ‘A balloon ride with Bill Deedes was 'the most terrifying trip of my life’' in the separate Resource Material.

A1. (a) How old was Bill Deedes when Hempleman-Adams took him up in a hot-air balloon? [1]

(b) What was Bill Deedes wearing for the hot-air balloon ride? [1]

(c) List one other ‘scary thing’ that Hempleman-Adams has done in his life other than the balloon ride? [1]

A2. How does David Hempleman-Adams show that the balloon ride with Bill Deedes was “the most terrifying trip” of his life?

You should comment on:

• what he says

• his use of language, tone and structure [10]

To answer the following questions you will need to read the extract opposite by Henry Mayhew. A3. (a) What part of the day was it when Henry Mayhew took off in the hot air balloon? [1] (b) List two buildings Mayhew saw during his flight. [2] A4. How successful do you think Henry Mayhew is in describing what it is like to fly in a hot-air balloon

over London?


• what he tells the readers about the experience of flying in a hot-air balloon

• how he explains the experience. [10] You must refer to the text to support your comments To answer the following questions you will need to use both texts. A5. Using information from both texts, explain how the weather conditions can affect your experience

in a hot air balloon. [4]

A6. Both of these texts are about flying in a hot air balloon. Compare:

(a) how the writers feel about their experience (b) how the writers get across their experience to the reader. [10]

You must refer to the text to support your comments and make it clear which text you are referring to.

Hot-air ballooning was very popular during the middle of the nineteenth century, especially in

London. In this extract from his book, ‘The Great World of London’, Henry Mayhew describes

his experience of flying in a hot-air balloon over the city.

It was late in the evening (a fine autumn one; clear skies and a light westerly that would

guide us across London) when the gun was fired that was the signal for the great gas-bag to

be loosened from the ropes that held it down to the soil; and immediately the buoyant

machine bounded, like a big ball, into the air. Or, rather let us say, the earth seemed to sink

suddenly down and the people, who had been grouped about the basket, appeared to fall

from a level from the eye; and instantaneously, there was seen a multitude of flat, upturned

faces in the gardens below.

The moment after this, the balloon vaulted over the trees, and we saw the roadway outside

the gardens stuck all over with mobs of tiny people, while the hubbub of the voices below,

and the cries of “Ah bal-loon!” from the boys, rose to the ear like the sound of a distant school

let loose to play.

Then, as we floated gently along below the still cloudless skies, and above the fields in a line

with the Thames towards Richmond, and looked over the edge of the basket in which we

were standing, the sight was the most exquisite visual delight ever experienced. The houses

directly underneath us looked like tiny wooden things out of a child’s box of toys, and the

streets were ruts in the ground; and we could hear the hum of voices rising from every spot

we passed over, faint as the buzzing of bees.

Indeed, it was the most wonderful sight to behold that vast mass of churches and hospitals,

banks and prisons, palaces and workhouses, parks and squares, and courts and alleys,

which make up London – all blended into one immense black spot. To look down upon the

whole as the birds of the air look upon it, and see it dwindled into a mere rubbish heap. To

feel yourself floating through the endless realms of space, drinking in the pure air of the

skies, as you go sailing along among the stars, free as “the lark at heaven’s gate”.

Such is the scene we behold, and such are the thoughts that stir the brain whilst looking over

London from the car of a balloon.

A balloon ride with Bill Deedes was 'the most terrifying trip of my life'

Thrill seekers: Bill Deedes and David Hempleman-Adams high over the Somerset countryside.

By David Hempleman-Adams

12:03AM BST 23 Aug 2007

David Hempleman-Adams has made dangerous journeys all over the world, but a gentle balloon flight with the late Bill Deedes turned out to be just as memorable.

Many people have asked me over the years to name the scariest thing I have ever done. Well, it wasn't climbing Everest, trekking to the North and South Poles, or even freezing in a balloon over the Atlantic. It was taking a frail Bill Deedes, aged 90, up in a hot-air balloon.

I had met Bill many times when, in 2002, he asked to interview me about a balloon trip across the Atlantic that I was planning. I suggested we meet for lunch to discuss it but he said: "No need for lunch, I just want to fly in the balloon to feel the adventure. Young man, I'll be with you at 6pm on Thursday for the flight."

I took a big gulp. Naturally I wasn't going to turn down Bill Deedes, but this was a tall order. Ballooning depends entirely on the weather - I could not promise a trouble-free flight. I explained this to Bill, who said: "Don't worry, it will be OK." I knew I'd met my match.

When he arrived at the launch in Bath wearing a tweed suit, I could see immediately that he was the most dapper passenger I had ever flown. He was also the oldest. I was nervous.

As I had feared, the weather wasn't conducive for transporting anyone with strong gusts and the threat of rain. While the ground crew struggled in the wind to inflate the balloon, Bill appeared excited, if a little apprehensive.

When I lifted him into the basket I realised there was nothing of him. At that point I questioned the risk I was taking - I probably should have abandoned the flight but didn't want to disappoint him.

Fortified by prayers, I decided to continue. He wanted to go up in a balloon more than anyone I had ever taken. I prayed: "Please don't let me kill him. Please give me a stand-up landing."

At take-off my back was wet with sweat as I did my best to ensure a smooth launch. Bill, the consummate professional, got out his notepad and pencil as we flew over the countryside. I was frantically navigating the balloon, dodging in and out of the way of the photographer.

Bill asked: "Now, David, what will be the dangers of crossing the Atlantic?" I said: "Bill, can we talk when we are on the ground?" It wasn't the best time to do an interview. He replied: "Yes, of course. And what height will you be flying at?" Leave it out, Bill! He had a ready chuckle and a grin like the Cheshire Cat.

We were zipping across the tree tops at 25 knots. I warned him that our landing might be difficult but he didn't seem worried. I prayed to the wind gods. Luckily, we managed a stand-up landing and he survived to tell the tale.

Within minutes of landing, somebody thrust a glass of champagne into his hand. I said: "They've got Scotch if you prefer, Bill."

"Now you're talking," he replied.

With each gulp the colour returned to his face - it was like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon. As for me, my knees didn't stop shaking until I'd had a few drinks.

Taking him up in the balloon may have been a risk, but it was an honour and privilege. And I'll never forget the delight on his face when we landed. A smile, a chuckle - I salute you, old soldier.

GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Specimen Assessment Materials 10

© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

SECTION A: 40 MARKS


The separate Resource Material for use with Section A is a newspaper article, ‘Waste not, Want not’, by John Humphrys. The extract opposite is from a housekeeping book, ‘The American Frugal Housewife’, written in 1832 by Lydia M. Child. Read the newspaper article by John Humphrys in the separate Resource Material. A1. (a) How much food is wasted by the British every year? [1] (b) How much does it cost to get rid of wasted food? [1] (c) How much food is thrown away by an average supermarket every year? [1] A2. John Humphrys is trying to persuade us to be less wasteful. How does he try to do

this? [10] You should comment on:

what he says to influence readers; his use of language and tone; the way he presents his argument.

To answer the following questions you will need to read the extract opposite by Lydia M. Child. A3. (a) What does the writer mean by “Time is money” in line 2? [1] (b) What does the writer suggest family members should do to help in the

house? [2] A4. What do you think and feel about Lydia M. Child’s views about running a household? [10] You should comment on:

what is said; how it is said.

You must refer to the text to support your comments To answer the following questions you will need to use both texts. A5. According to these two writers, why should Americans change their attitudes to

leftover food? [4] A6. Both of these texts are about waste. Compare the following:

the writers’ attitudes to waste; how they get across their arguments.

[10]

You must use the text to support your comments and make it clear which text you are referring to.


© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

The American Frugal Housewife

The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments of time, as well as materials. 'Time is money.' For this reason, cheap as stockings are, it is good economy to knit them. Cotton and woollen yarn are both cheap; stockings that are knit wear twice as long as woven ones; and they can be done at odd minutes of time, which would not be otherwise employed. Where there are children, or aged people, it is sufficient to recommend knitting, that it is an employment. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money. Buy merely enough to get along with at first. It is only by experience that you can tell what will be the wants of your family. If you spend all your money, you will find you have purchased many things you do not want, and have no means left to get many things which you do want. Have all the good bits of vegetables and meat collected after dinner, and minced before they are set away; that they may be in readiness to make a little savoury mince meat for supper or breakfast. Take the skins off your potatoes before they grow cold. Economy is generally despised as a low virtue, tending to make people ungenerous and selfish. This is true of avarice; but it is not so of economy. The man who is economical, is laying up for himself the permanent power of being useful and generous. He who thoughtlessly gives away ten dollars, when he owes a hundred more than he can pay, deserves no praise,— he obeys a sudden impulse, more like instinct than reason: it would be real charity to check this feeling; because the good he does maybe doubtful, while the injury he does his family and creditors is certain. It would be better to ensure that no opportunity for economy is overlooked. Use the shopping list for a family for a week to make sure nothing – food nor money – is wasted.

Weekly shopping list Cost

Meat for Sunday, etc. (3 lbs of salt beef at 2½ cents per lb.) 7½ cents Tea, sugar and milk 15 cents Vegetables 6 cents Oil 6 cents Coals 2 cents Bread 22 cents Meat, vegetables, etc. for a stew (six persons) 9½ cents Soap, soda, and other sundries 6 cents Potatoes and lard (a "baked dinner") 4 cents Total expenditure for the week 78 cents

The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia M. Child 1832


© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

‘WASTE NOT, WANT NOT’ The Proverb We All Forgot

In the wilds of Texas I once went to a restaurant called the Big Texan. Its name derives partly from the size of the waiters – you have to be at least 6ft 6in to work there – and partly from the size of the portions. The speciality of the house is a steak that weighs 72oz. That is approximately the size of the average Sunday joint, with enough left over for at least another family meal.

Most people give up and what they leave is, of course, thrown away. The whole place is one great temple dedicated to the worship of waste and if you ever feel the need for a swift dose of British moral superiority, I strongly recommend a visit to the Big Texan. When it comes to waste, the Americans are the unquestioned champions of the world.

But the British are beginning to challenge them. An official report has revealed that we waste 500,000 tons of food every year. Now that is not food that has grown mould in the back of the fridge and lurks there threatening to take over the world; it is edible food that has merely passed its sell by date on the supermarket shelves.

It is worth about £400 million and it costs another £50 million just to get rid of it. Here is what happens to most of it.

When we buy our food in the supermarket we rummage around the shelves to find the product with the latest sell by date. The stuff with the earliest dates is left on the shelf and, because the barmy rules and regulations would have us believe that we shall die in agony if we eat a spoonful of yoghurt 30 seconds after the date on the carton, it ends up in the landfill site. It is shameful nonsense. Every year a typical supermarket chucks out 50 tons of perfectly good food. Still feel so smug about the wasteful Americans?

That food could be used by any number of needy people, but we throw it out. Only a fraction is handed over to charities, who are constantly begging for more. Some of us might cluck a little over the wickedness of a world in which we waste food while Ethiopian children starve, but we get over it. We smile at memories of our mothers telling us it’s wrong not to eat all your dinner when children are starving in Africa. The truth is, we only care about waste in the context of money. Our attitude seems to be, if we can afford to waste things, then why the hell shouldn’t we?

I know a woman who is reasonably well off and a keen cook, who will not use a recipe calling for egg whites unless she can find use for the yolks at the same time. She would rather slit her wrists than throw out perfectly good egg yolks.

But then, she is 70 and, as she says, she came to hate waste during the war years and rationing. She thinks it is plain wrong to waste. She is right.

I am still smarting from an interview I did last year. I confessed to the interviewer that I turned off lights when I left the room and boiled only a mug-full of water if that was all I needed. Could this really be true? I’m afraid so, I said. Such ridicule was heaped on me in her article that I bought all the papers in my local shop, dumped them in the recycling bin (naturally) and went into hiding. If only I had admitted to being a serial murderer instead.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to pop outside because a police horse has just deposited a great pile of manure in the road in front of my house. It will do wonders for my vegetables and it would be such a waste to leave it there to be squashed by a passing car. However, I shall cover my head with a balaclava just in case anybody sees me with my shovel. They would think I was crazy.

John Humphrys

The Sunday Times, 9th April 2000

SECTION A: 40 MARKS


The separate Resource Material for use with Section A is a newspaper article, 'Antarctic Adventure'.

The extract opposite is from the diary kept by Robert Scott on his expedition to the South Pole.

Read the newspaper article, 'Antarctic Adventure' in the separate Resource Material.

A1. (a) Why did Ben Fogle think he was going to die on his journey to the South Pole? [1]

(b) How much time did the men spend skiing each day? [1]

(c) How did James Cracknell cope with the long days on the expedition? [1]

A2. How does the writer of the newspaper article try to show that Ben Fogle’s expedition to the

South Pole was full of danger and difficulty?


• what he says

• his use of language, tone and structure [10]

To answer the following question you will need to read the extract from Robert Scott’s diary

on the opposite page.

A3. (a) What animals did Scott have on the expedition with him? [1]

(b) Write out the sentence that shows Scott is surprised by the weather he faced. [1]

(c) Why does Scott describe the situation in his Thursday diary entry as being

'now serious'? [1]

A4. How well do you think Scott’s diary captures his feelings about his journey to the South

Pole?


• what his feelings are about the expedition over the three diary entries

• how well you think his diary makes his feelings clear [10]

To answer the following questions you will need to use both texts.

A5. Explain what we learn about the food Scott and Fogle took with them on their expeditions to

the South Pole. [4]

A6. Both of these texts are about expeditions to the South Pole.

Compare:

• the hardships Scott and Fogle endured on their expeditions;

• how Scott and Fogle get their feelings about the hardships across to the readers. [10]

4

Robert Scott’s Diary

Robert Scott attempted to be the first man to reach the South Pole. These extracts are from the diary he kept.

Tuesday, December 5. We awoke this morning to a raging, howling blizzard. After a minute or two

in the open, one is covered from head to foot in fine powdery snow. The ponies are covered with

ice and standing deep in snow, the sledges are almost covered, and there are huge drifts above

the tents. We have had a thin breakfast, four biscuits with butter and some strong cocoa with

sugar, and are now again in our sleeping bags. One cannot see the next tent, let alone the land.

What on earth does such weather mean at this time of year? It is more than our share of ill-fortune,

I think, and I doubt if any party could travel in such weather. It has blown hard all day with quite

the greatest snowfall I remember. The drifts around the tents are simply huge. And yet the

temperature was only just below freezing and, as a consequence, there are pools of water on

everything, the tents are wet through, also the wind clothes, night boots, etc; water drips from the

tent poles and door, lies on the floor-cloth, soaks the sleeping-bags, and makes everything pretty

wretched. We are all very, very wet. If a cold snap follows before we have had time to dry our

things, we shall be mighty uncomfortable. To raise our spirits tonight we had a supper with

horsemeat and biscuits, though this was the last of the horsemeat. We now have only pemmican

to eat, a mixture of dried beef and fat, but we know we must ration that too.

Wednesday, December 6. Noon. Miserable, utterly miserable. The tempest continues to rage

violently. The temperature is now above freezing and everything in the tent is soaking. People

returning from the outside look exactly as though they had been in a heavy shower of rain. They

drip pools on the floor of the tents. The snow is steadily climbing higher about walls, ponies, tents,

and sledges. The ponies look utterly desolate. A hopeless feeling descends and is hard to fight

off. What immense patience is needed for such occasions! At 5pm there came signs of a break at

last, and now one can see the land, but the sky is still overcast and there is a lot of snow about.

Tea was a little pemmican with biscuits and butter and cocoa which we drank with plenty of sugar.

Outside, the wind also remains fairly strong. It is not pleasant, but if no worse in the morning we

can get on at last. Tonight we went to bed still hungry but with a cup of strong tea and pemmican.

Thursday, December 7. The storm continues and the situation is now serious. One small feed

remains for the ponies after today, so that we must either march tomorrow or sacrifice the animals.

The storm shows no sign of dying down and it is as unpleasant as ever. I can find no sign of an

end, and all of us agree that it is utterly impossible to move.

5

IT W

AS

the

mom

ent w

hen

Ben

Fog

le th

ough

t he

was

goi

ng to

die

. The

tele

visi

on p

rese

nter

and

his

fe

llow

adv

entu

rers

, Jam

es C

rack

nell

and

Ed

Coa

ts,

wer

e de

ep in

to th

eir

grue

lling

exp

editi

on to

the

Sou

th

Pol

e w

hen

they

rea

lised

they

had

str

ayed

on

to a

gia

nt

crev

asse

. Thi

s w

as a

hug

e cr

ack

in th

e ic

e, h

idde

n fr

om

view

by

a th

in c

over

of s

now

and

ice.

“We

wer

e w

alki

ng,”

Fog

le s

aid,

“w

hen

sudd

enly

I he

ard

a lo

ud b

oom

, the

n an

othe

r on

e. I

real

ised

it w

as

the

soun

d of

sno

w fa

lling

into

a c

reva

sse.

”“W

e ha

d be

en to

ld th

at th

ere

wer

e no

cre

vass

es o

n ou

r ro

ute

but I

cou

ld fe

el th

e sn

ow s

hifti

ng b

enea

th m

e.“C

reva

sses

can

be

a m

ile d

eep

and

I was

terr

ified

that

I w

ould

be

drag

ged

dow

n. I

thou

ght,

‘I co

uld

die

here

’. M

y m

outh

wen

t dry

and

I st

arte

d to

pan

ic.”

For

tuna

tely

, Fog

le, 3

5, a

nd h

is c

olle

ague

s m

anag

ed

to c

alm

them

selv

es e

noug

h to

nav

igat

e ou

t of d

ange

r.T

he te

am w

as o

ne o

f a n

umbe

r co

mpe

ting

in a

rac

e to

th

e S

outh

Pol

e. T

hey

even

tual

ly fi

nish

ed s

econ

d be

hind

tw

o N

orw

egia

ns.

The

Brit

ish

adve

ntur

ers

skie

d, a

nd p

ulle

d th

eir

sled

ges,

acr

oss

481

mile

s of

sno

w a

nd ic

e in

18

days

, fiv

e ho

urs

and

30 m

inut

es.

Fog

le s

aid

he w

as “

not d

isap

poin

ted”

at l

osin

g to

the

Nor

weg

ians

.“I

’m ju

st d

elig

hted

to h

ave

finis

hed,

” he

sai

d. “

I kne

w

it w

ould

be

toug

h bu

t I h

ad n

o id

ea it

wou

ld ta

ke s

uch

a to

ll on

our

bod

ies.

”H

e ad

ded:

“It’

s th

e ha

rdes

t thi

ng I’

ve e

ver

done

. It

star

ted

with

fros

tbite

, the

n I b

urnt

my

lips,

got

blis

ters

on

my

feet

and

had

a b

it of

hyp

othe

rmia

. It a

ll ju

st s

tart

s to

ge

t on

top

of y

ou. T

here

wer

e m

any

days

whe

n I t

houg

ht

we

wer

e no

t goi

ng to

fini

sh th

e ra

ce.”

Fog

le h

as fr

ostb

ite o

n hi

s no

se. “

I was

wor

ried

I mig

ht

lose

my

nose

,” h

e sa

id. “

For

the

last

43

mile

s I p

ut a

ha

nd-w

arm

er o

n it

and

wra

pped

it in

a b

anda

ge to

try

and

keep

it w

arm

.” D

octo

rs a

t the

Ant

arct

ic b

ase

have

to

ld h

im th

e fr

ostb

ite w

ill c

lear

up

in a

cou

ple

of m

onth

s.

The

Brit

ish

team

all

suffe

red

from

blis

ters

. Cra

ckne

ll,

36, t

he fo

rmer

Oly

mpi

c ro

win

g ch

ampi

on, h

ad fr

ostb

ite

on h

is fi

nger

s an

d pn

eum

onia

, and

bot

h he

and

Coa

ts,

28, a

Bris

tol d

octo

r, s

uffe

red

ches

t inf

ectio

ns.

Bitt

erly

col

d w

inds

pus

hed

the

tem

pera

ture

as

low

as

–50

°C a

t tim

es a

nd w

hipp

ed th

e sn

ow u

p to

cre

ate

a “w

hite

-out

”. S

ome

days

bro

ught

brig

ht b

lue

skie

s an

d lif

ted

the

tem

pera

ture

s to

–15

°C. T

hrou

ghou

t the

ir ex

pedi

tion

acro

ss th

e va

st, h

ostil

e la

ndsc

ape

they

saw

no

sig

n of

wild

life.

“Not

eve

n a

sing

le b

ird,”

sai

d F

ogle

. “T

hat t

ells

you

ho

w h

ostil

e th

e la

ndsc

ape

was

.” T

he tr

io s

kied

for

arou

nd 1

6 ho

urs

a da

y, s

lept

for

just

four

hou

rs, a

nd

spen

t the

res

t of t

he d

ay e

atin

g an

d pr

epar

ing

for

the

next

sta

ge o

f the

rac

e.

The

y bu

rnt u

p to

9,0

00 c

alor

ies

a da

y bu

t con

sum

ed

only

3,5

00, c

ausi

ng th

em a

ll to

lose

the

wei

ght t

hey

had

delib

erat

ely

put o

n be

fore

the

trip

. The

y en

joye

d br

eakf

ast –

por

ridge

“w

ith lo

ts o

f sug

ar”

– an

d th

ey

cons

tant

ly s

nack

ed o

n sa

lam

i, ch

ocol

ate,

che

ese

and

jelly

bab

ies.

Din

ner

was

pow

dere

d fo

od w

ith a

dded

wat

er. “

If yo

u at

e it

in E

ngla

nd y

ou w

ould

thin

k it

was

dis

gust

ing,

” sa

id

Fog

le. “

But

to u

s it

was

food

from

hea

ven.

” T

he fi

sh p

ie

was

the

favo

urite

, but

the

team

als

o lik

ed th

e sw

eet a

nd

sour

chi

cken

, spa

ghet

ti bo

logn

ese,

and

spi

cy m

ince

with

ric

e. The

adv

entu

rers

dra

nk m

elte

d sn

ow, a

nd b

oile

d w

ater

on

a s

mal

l sto

ve to

mak

e te

a an

d co

ffee.

Fog

le to

ok E

arl

Gre

y te

a ba

gs “

as a

trea

t”.

The

y sl

ept i

n a

smal

l thr

ee-m

an te

nt th

at w

as

light

wei

ght b

ut a

ble

to w

ithst

and

the

bitte

r A

ntar

ctic

st

orm

s.F

ogle

sai

d th

e te

am g

ot o

n w

ell w

ith e

ach

othe

r, a

nd

“had

a la

ugh”

in th

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ADDITIONAL MATERIALSResource Material for use with Section A.A WJEC pink 16-page answer booklet.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Do not use pencil or gel pen. Do not use correction fluid. Answer all questions in Sections A and B.Write your answers in the separate answer booklet provided, following the instructions on the front of the answer booklet.Use both sides of the paper. Write only within the white areas of the booklet.Write the question number in the two boxes in the left hand margin at the start of each answer,

e.g. 1 1 .

Leave at least two line spaces between each answer.You are advised to spend your time as follows:Section A - about 10 minutes reading - about 50 minutes answering the questionsSection B - spend 30 minutes on each question - about 5 minutes planning - about 25 minutes writing

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Section A (Reading): 40 marksSection B (Writing): 40 marksThe number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question or part-question.

JD*(S17-C700U20-1)© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

GCSE – NEW

C700U20-1

ENGLISH LANGUAGE – Component 219th and 21st Century Non-Fiction Readingand Transactional/Persuasive Writing

MONDAY, 12 JUNE 2017 – MORNING

2 hours

S17-C700U20-1

(C700U20-1)

2

© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

SECTION A: 40 marks

Answer all the following questions.

The separate Resource Material for use with Section A is a newspaper article, ‘Inside America’s Toughest Prison’, by Mark Binelli.

The extract on the opposite page is from a book written by Charles Dickens when he visited America in 1842.

Read the newspaper article ‘Inside America’s Toughest Prison’ by Mark Binelli in the separate Resource Material.

(a) Give one example from the article of how the worst prisoners were punished in the past. [1]

(b) At the time the article was written, how many prisoners were in Florence Prison? [1](c) Give one example of the privileges that prisoners may earn for good behaviour. [1]

How does Mark Binelli’s article try to show that prisoners in Florence live in extremely ‘harsh conditions’?


• what he says• his use of language, tone and structure [10]

To answer the following questions you will need to read the extract on the opposite page by Charles Dickens.

(a) When Charles Dickens visited the Eastern Penitentiary prison, what did he describe as ‘awful’? [1]

(b) Give two details from the text that suggest prisoners are in the Eastern Penitentiary prison for a long time. [2]

What do you think and feel about Dickens’ views about solitary confinement as a punishment and the way he expresses these views?


• what he says• how he says it [10]

You must refer to the text to support your comments.

To answer the following questions you must use both texts.

According to these two writers, how do the cells in these prisons add to the prisoners’ sense of isolation? [4]

Both of these texts are about solitary confinement in prisons.

Compare:

• what the writers say about the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners

• how the writers get across the effects of solitary confinement in prisons [10]

You must use the text to support your comments and make it clear which text you are referring to.

1 1

1 2

1 3

1 4

1 5

1 6

(C700U20-1)

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© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

When Charles Dickens toured the United States in 1842, he visited a prison and wrote about it in his book, ‘American Notes for General Circulation.’

On the outskirts of Philadelphia stands a great prison, called the Eastern Penitentiary. The system here is rigid, strict, and hopeless solitary confinement. I believe it to be cruel and wrong.

I believe that very few men are capable of estimating the immense amount of torture and agony which this dreadful punishment, prolonged for years, inflicts upon the sufferers; I am convinced that there is a depth of terrible endurance in it which none but the sufferers themselves can understand, and which no man has a right to inflict upon his fellow-creature. I believe this slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body. Its ghastly signs are not so obvious to the eye and its wounds are not upon the surface, but I condemn it the more, as a secret punishment which humanity should not allow.

Entering the prison we passed into a large chamber, from which seven long passages radiate. On either side of each passage, is a long, long row of low cell doors. Standing and looking down these dreary passages, the quiet that prevails, is awful. When a prisoner comes into this melancholy place, he is led to the cell from which he never again emerges, until his whole term of imprisonment has finished. He never hears of wife and children; home or friends; the life or death of any single creature. He sees the prison-officers, but with that exception he never looks upon another human, or hears a human voice. He is a man buried alive and dead to everything but torturing anxieties and horrible despair.

His name, and crime, and term of suffering, are unknown, even to the officer who delivers him his daily food. Though he lives in the same cell for ten weary years, he has no means of knowing, down to the very last hour, in which part of the building it is situated; what kind of men there are about him; whether in the long winter nights there are living people near, or he is in some lonely corner of the great jail, with many walls, and passages, and iron doors between him and the nearest prisoner in its solitary horrors.

Every cell has double doors: the outer one of sturdy oak, the other of iron, wherein there is a trap through which his food is handed. He has a Bible, and a slate and pencil. His plate, and can, and basin, hang upon the wall or the little shelf. Fresh water is laid on in every cell, and there he sleeps and wakes, and counts the seasons as they change, and he grows old.

Turn over.

(C700U20-1A-CR)

2

© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

Inside America’s Toughest PrisonMark Binelli reports on the use of solitary confinement in Florence prison. Solitary confinement is a method of punishment where prisoners are kept in cells alone, deprived of all human contact.

Throughout history, there have been different ideas about what to do with the ‘worst of the worst’ of criminal offenders, ranging from the 19th-century chain gangs, who were forced to work in silence, to prisoners being sent to the isolation of the prison on Alcatraz Island. Solitary confinement was used in the United States as a substitute for corporal punishment that was popular at the end of the 18th century.

Florence prison was built in 1994 at a time of rising panic in the United States prison service after a number of breakouts and guard killings. It has 490 beds and was planned as a place from which no one would ever escape. It remains the most secure prison in the United States.

Florence was designed to house prisoners regarded as too dangerous or high-profile for regular prisons. It is home to some of America’s most violent and evil criminals, and is the number one prison for convicted terrorists. At present, the prison houses 439 violent criminals, including those involved in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.

It is known for its harsh conditions: prisoners are kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. They spend their days in incredibly small 12-by-7-foot cells with thick concrete walls and double sets of sliding metal doors (with solid exteriors, so prisoners can’t see one another). A tiny single window only four inches wide offers just a glimpse of sky and little else. Each cell has a sink, toilet and an automated shower, and prisoners sleep on concrete slabs topped with thin mattresses. The cell furniture is limited to a desk, stool and a bed, and each is constructed from concrete. The toilets are designed to shut off if misused and the showers are on timers. Rooms may have mirrors, radios, or in very rare cases televisions – but these are used as privileges based on good behaviour and are very rarely awarded.

The hour they are allowed out for exercise is into a bigger cell with a high ceiling called the ‘empty swimming pool’. This room has a 4-inch by 4-foot skylight as the only window. It is designed to prevent the prisoners from knowing where they are, and they still spend this time alone.

There is no food hall: all meals come through a small slot in the interior door, as does any face-to-face human interaction. Many prisoners routinely go days with only a few words spoken to them.

For at least the first three years, prisoners are never allowed to come into contact with other prisoners at any time – anywhere in the prison. Over time, good behaviour can earn inmates more time outside their cells and, for the most fortunate, a transfer back to a less-secure prison might eventually be possible.

The prison has many motion detectors and cameras, 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors, and 12 foot high razor wire fences. As an added level of security, laser beams, pressure pads, and attack dogs guard the area surrounding the prison’s outer fences.

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In their cells, prisoners are left to their own thoughts, which often leads to hallucinations and memory loss. Prison reformers have long objected to the prolonged use of solitary confinement at Florence, which in some cases has lasted for more than a decade. The director of the American Civil Liberties Union described the conditions as “extraordinarily harsh”. He said, “Solitary confinement, even for a few months, let alone for more than a decade, can be shattering, and can often lead to more violent behaviour.”

© WJEC CBAC Ltd.

Robert Hood, the warden of the prison from 2002 to 2005, said that when he first arrived at the prison, he was struck by “the very stark environment,” unlike any other prison in which he ever worked or visited — no noise, no mess, no prisoners walking the hallways. When prisoners complained to him, he would tell them, “This place is not designed for humanity.” Hood has memorably described Florence as “a clean version of hell.”

He also noted that earlier maximum security prisons, such as Alcatraz, had existed for roughly 30 years before being closed down. “Florence has been there for 20 years,” Hood said, “so it’s getting close to the last third of its life. I’d say those in charge of prisons are beginning to look in the mirror and say, ‘Guess what? The world has changed since 1994.’ ”

Mark Binelli

section a: 40 marks...section a: 40 marks answer all of the following questions the separate...

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