Higher English RUAe Skills Booklet PDF

Higher English RUAE Skills Booklet **OWN WORDS** **Own Words --** refers to questions that ask you to find information/answers in the passage and then say the same thing, but using your own words as much as possible. ***[Wording Of Own Words Questions]*** ***[Specific]*** *Using your own words...

Higher English RUAE Skills Booklet **OWN WORDS** **Own Words --** refers to questions that ask you to find information/answers in the passage and then say the same thing, but using your own words as much as possible. ***[Wording Of Own Words Questions]*** ***[Specific]*** *Using your own words...* *In your own words...* *Using your own words as far as possible...* ***[General ]*** *Explain...* *Summarise...* *Identify...* **Things To Remember/How to Answer:** - Find anything you can use in the passage and **underline** it. - Then, from what you have underlined, select JUST enough to answer the question (paying careful attention to the marks available), and translate what is written into your own words, without losing the original meaning. - Many of these questions will ask you to summarise points made in the passage. It is essential your answers are concise (to the point), as you don't have enough time to write huge paragraphs. Bullet points work well. **[OWN WORDS: EXAMPLE ANSWERS]** ***[Question]*** ***Using your own words, what two reasons does the author give for claiming that 'Culloden Moor is one of the bleakest places on the planet'? (2)*** **[Bad Answer]** *Two reasons for the author claiming that 'Culloden Moor is one of the bleakest places on the planet' are that it is wind blasted and looks like a desert* **[Good Answer]** *Two reasons are:* - *It constantly has strong winds and has a very bland landscape with no notable features.* - *It was the scene of a great defeat by the English of the Scottish army led by Bonnie Prince Charlie.* **[PRACTICE QUESTIONS]** **1. Teachers are giving up teaching, and youth organizations are dying because they cannot find adults prepared to run them. Everywhere good, inspirational people are turning their backs on children because they are terrified of the children and their parents turning on them, accusing them of all manner of wrongdoing. They can no longer operate, they say, in a climate of suspicion and fear.** ***Q. Why, according to the writer, are teachers and youth workers "turning their backs on children?** **2*** 2\. The discover that a comet impact triggered the disappearance of the dinosaurs as well as more than half the species that lived 65 million years ago may have been the most significant scientific breakthrough of the twentieth century. Brilliant detective work on the part of the hundreds of scientists in analyzing clues extracted from the study of fossils, and by counting the objects in near-earth space, has allowed dinosaur mass-extinction to be solved. As a result we have new insight into the nature of life on Earth. ***Q. According to the first sentence, what important discovery has been made about comet impact? 2*** 3\. Once we appreciate that impact catastrophes have shaped life as we know it, and that such events will happen again in the future, how will this awareness alter the way we see ourselves in the cosmic context? Will we let nature take its course and trust to luck that our species will survive the next violent collision? Or will we confront the forces that may yet influence the destiny of all life on Earth? ***Q. According to the writer, what two possible courses of action are open to us with regard to future "impact catastrophes"? 2*** 4\. Evolution is mostly to blame. It has designed mankind to cope with deprivation, not plenty. People are perfectly tuned to store energy in good years to seem them through lean ones. But when bad times never come, they are stuck with that energy, stored around their expanding bellies. ***Q. What, according to the writer, is the fundamental difference in approach between Transport for London and the Government? 2*** 5\. It's the most famous painting in the world and a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. But most people fight through the crowds in the Louvre Museum to spend a mere 15 seconds in front of it - just long enough to grab a snapshot. At least at the Eiffel Tower, the other highlight of travel-brochure Paris, you get the excitement of the lift and an incredible view. Here you get one small, dark picture surrounded by a jostling crowd of hundreds. This year the crowds lining up to see the Mona Lisa have grown thicker than ever. So why do people still come in their thousands to pay homage to the painting? ***Q. What two reasons does the writer give for the popularity of the Eiffel Tower? 2*** 6\. I could, of course, start talking about the values of community spirit, of the enterprising can-do attitude of many Highland villagers, and the sense of belonging that small towns in the middle of nowhere can bring. About what a great place to bring up kids. But to do that would make me sound soft, sentimental and southern, and if there's one thing that distinguishes the Highlander, it's hardiness. ***Q. Using your own words as far as possible, outline four important points that are made to develop the writer's argument about the advantages of Highland living. 4*** 7\. Why should we bother? Let me count the ways. Language reflects our cultural experiences and offers layers of particularly evocative meanings to our lives. (It is no accident that Scots has so many terms for rain and general climactic driechness.) To understand and value this is not to enter into some kind of sterile argument about the linguistic hierarchy. This is not about Scots versus English, or Scots versus Gaelic; it is a celebration of our rich diversity which brings us vivid, though not interchangeable, versions of Scots from rural Aberdeenshire to Galloway and its many variations in our cities. But it doesn't just weave colour into the national tapestry; according to the conclusions of the recent audit, an increased status for Scots also brings important economic consequences. ***Q. "Let me count the ways." In your own words, briefly summarise the "ways" that the writer sets out in the rest of the paragraph. 3*** **CONTEXT** **Context -- *this basically refers to what is round about a word or phrase in the passage*. *Context questions ask you for the definition of a word or phrase. You then have to quote from round about the word/phrase and explain how the words you have quoted helped you understand what it meant.*** ***[Wording Of Context Questions] -* Specific** *Supply a definition for [ ] and explain how the context helped you arrive at its meaning.* *Explain how the context helped you arrive at the meaning of*... *How do lines 1-3 help you arrive at the meaning of...* **Things to Remember/How to Answer:** - Underline or highlight the word/phrase in the passage to help you focus on the words immediately before and after it. - Give the meaning of the word - Quote a word or a phrase from the context - Explain how this word/ phrase helps you understand the meaning of the original word. - *The word "insubordination" means not following the orders given to you by someone in a position of authority or command over you.* - *The words "loved to display his rebellion" helped me arrive at this meaning because it suggests that the soldier likes to rebel against his commanding officers and, therefore, it suggests that "insubordination" involves not doing what they told him.* ***LINKING*** **Linking *-- this type of question directs you towards a sentence, almost always at the start of a paragraph. You normally have to quote (AT LEAST) [twice] from this sentence.*** - ***One quotation should be connected to the* previous *paragraph/section of the passage.*** - ***The other* quotation *should introduce what comes next in the paragraph/section following on from the linking sentence.*** - Look for CONJUNCTIONS (and, but, however, yet, also...) to quote and comment on whether they mark a continuation (for and, also...) or turn (for but, however, yet...) in the line of discussion. Your answer should have two sentences, each with a quotation. One sentence has a quotation and explanation of how it connects to what came **[before]** the linking sentence. The other sentence should have a quotation and an explanation of how it connects to what comes next. ***[Wording of Linking Questions]*** *Explain how the sentence performs a linking function in the passage.* *Comment on the function performed by the sentence* **Things to Remember/How to Answer:** - You should always quote from the linking sentence, the one you are directed to in the question. - Quote the words that link back to ideas in the previous paragraph. - Explain how this connects with the argument or ideas in the previous paragraph. - Quote the words which link to the following paragraph or move the argument forward. - Explain what the author goes on to write about in the following paragraph. **[LINKING: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES]** Comment on the function performed by the sentence *"These social problems did not prevent Smith having a successful career in the music industry" (3).* ***Good Response*** - *The sentence performs a linking function in the passage.* - *The words "These social problems" connect to the previous paragraph which described how Smith struggled to make friends and never attended parties during his time as a student.* - *The words "successful career in the music industry" introduce the rest of the paragraph which is about the awards he won with his band, including the Brit for best newcomer and it also tells the reader about the money he made through huge record sales.* ***Bad Response*** *The sentence describes how Smith was not very good socially but he was also a success in the music industry so it lets us know what the passage is about.* ***Bad Response*** *The sentence is a linking one as it tells us about how he had social problems and then it also lets us know about his success as a musician so it is basically telling the reader what the passage has been about and how it is going to change.* **[PRACTICE QUESTIONS]** 1. My mother was born near Gloucester, in the early 1880s. Through her father, John Light, she had some mysterious connection with the Castle, half-forgotten, but implying a blood-link somewhere. Indeed it was said that an ancestor led the murder of Edward II. 2. The popular press found copy in Einstein. Newspaper photographers discovered a highly photogenic subject: his was a face of character: drooping, kindly eyes and wrinkles of humour surrounded by a leonine mane of hair. The habits of the man were a little irregular; already some of the characteristics expected of the absent-minded professor were beginning to show: he lived a simple life uncluttered by possessions and any of the outward trappings of success; when there was no need to be careful he was careless about his dress: sometimes he wore no socks. 3. To us the sheer profusion of servants on the nineteenth century scene is striking. In 1851 between seven and eight per cent of the entire population of the country were servants, if we ignore children under ten. For women and girls the figure was over thirteen per cent and for them \"service\" was so much the commonest job that it accounted for nearly twice the number employed in the whole textile industry- by far the most important group of manufactures and one in which the majority of workers were female. It can almost be said that every family able to feed and clothe some sort of servant kept one. Within this [vast and heterogeneous army] conditions varied from the miserable child-of-all-work, sleeping on a sack under the stairs, in bondage for a few coppers a week and her wretched keep, to the great magnate\'s house steward, a prosperous member of the middle class. 4. At school, Alastair had shown exceptional promise. He had excelled as a scholar, as a musician and on the games field; his popularity and talent had made him an obvious choice for head boy in his last year. 5. Mary Stuart was certainly rated a beauty by the standards of her own time: even John Knox described her as \"pleasing\". In her height, her small neat head, and her grace she resembled the contemporary ideal. It was the type of beauty which her contemporaries were already learning to admire in art, and could now appreciate in life, all the more satisfyingly because it was in the person of a princess. ***WORD-CHOICE*** **Word-Choice *-- refers to when an author chooses to use certain words or phrases to create a particular effect, e.g. to suggest mood or create an impression of someone. Questions usually identify an effect created and ask you to quote words and help explain how they create this effect.*** **[Wording Of Word-Choice Questions]** *How does the writer's word-choice...* *Comment on the effect created by the writer's word-choice in lines...* *Explain how the word-choice in lines [ ] help create an impression of...* ***How does the writer's use of language.../Analyse how the language...*** **Things To Remember/How to Answer** In your answer you should: - Have ***single word quotations*** wherever possible. - Have an ***individual explanation*** for ***each quotation*** used. - Quote a word/ phrase - Give the connotations of the word or phrase (what it makes you think of/ what you associate with the word). - Explain what this suggests about the writer's argument or what they are describing. **[WORD-CHOICE: GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES]** **[Example Question]** ***How does the writer's word-choice in lines 1-3 help the reader understand that the event suffered from a lack of organization?*** ***Good response*** - *The word-choice of "shambles" emphasizes how much of a disaster the event was as we associate this word with chaos and lack of organisation.* - *The use of the word "mayhem" also suggests how badly organized the event was as it has connotations of lack of order and chaotic scenes.* ***Bad Response*** *The writer tells us that the event was badly organized because there was mayhem and it seemed a bit of a shambles.* ***Bad Response*** *The writer uses "shambles", "chaos" and "mayhem" to emphasise that the event was badly organized.* ***Bad Response*** *The words "shambles" and "mayhem" show it was badly organized because we associate these words with being badly organized.* ***Bad Response*** *The use of "little" suggests that the event was badly organized because it suggests there was not much happening.* **[PRACTICE QUESTIONS]** 1\. We had a power cut on Tuesday evening. I sat in the dark, oddly relaxed. No e-mail. No telly. Not enough torchlight to read by. Meanwhile, my younger son thrashed from room to room, between Wii console, computer and TV, fretting that the shows he had Sky-plussed wouldn't record, scrabbling to see how much charge was left in his brother's laptop so that he might, at very least, watch a movie. When I laughed at his techno-junkie despair he exclaimed in white-hot fury: "It's all right for you. To me it's...it's like living in poverty." ***Q. Show how the writer's word choice in the second paragraph conveys how much the loss of electricity affected the writer's son. 2*** **2.** When I was a teenager, I spent almost three years straight in psychiatric hospitals being treated for severe anorexia nervosa. Unlike some newspaper columnists, I do not feel compelled to talk about my personal experiences with the mental health profession in every article I write. In fact, I try to avoid talking about them altogether, mainly because I hope that I have something more to offer than my history. However, the nonsense that has been spouted of late in the media about eating disorders is too ubiquitous and too stupid, even by the low standards of the media's usual coverage of the illness. And while I would never claim that my personal experience makes me an expert on the subject, maybe it gives me a different perspective than, say, a lazy news reporter churning out clichés under a deadline or a columnist in search of easy outrage. ***Q. Show how the writer's word choice in the second paragraph makes clear her contempt for sections of the media. 4*** 3\. A new sight puzzles winter ramblers in East Suffolk: a bold hand-lettered sign declaring "Say no to sea eagles here". Baffling, at first: not much point in saying "no" to that flying fortress of the bird world, the white-tailed sea eagle. It wouldn't listen. That, however, is not what the "no" suggests. It is a cry raised by farmers, landowners and level-headed bird-lovers horrified at a plan hatched by the quango Natural England and the RSPB. They want to spend more than £600,000 to introduce the birds to Suffolk. They claim "vast" popular support -- though you could doubt the validity of a sample of 500 people asked some saccharine question about whether they fancy seeing one. ***Q How does the writer's word choice in the second paragraph make clear her low opinion of the plan? 2*** 4\. Last week it was proposed that parents should be exhorted to adhere to the following five-a-day childcare check-list: read to your kids for 15 minutes; play on the floor with them for 10; talk to them for 10 minutes; praise them regularly; and give them a nutritious diet. The problem isn't the checklist itself, but the "nudge" principle behind the campaign. This politically trendy word litters the report. Governments are becoming overly fond of nudging, manipulation, beguiling and frog-marching us towards the kinds of personal change they say would lead to better health, reduced crime and other grand objectives. ***Q Show how the writer's word choice in the second paragraph shows her disapproval of the campaign. 4*** 5\. Homework has a lot to answer for. It doesn't mess up every child. But the mental oppression of leaving school for the day, and then facing hours of slog, alientates many. Piling mountains of homework on children is the surest way to turn education into drudgery. In the 40 years since I last wore a blazer, the culture of excessive homework has become far worse, denying children the time to discover the infinite richness and possibilities of life. The narrowing of the curriculum over the past 30 years -- pushing art, music, sport and drama to the margins -- is shocking. ***Q. Show how the writer's word choice in these paragraphs makes clear his disapproval of homework.*** 6\. Research by the RSPCA has found that a quarter of schools own pets, ranging from a hermit crab to a horse. Hurrah! A small piece of chaos, of life, amid the regimented drilling that we call school. But not for much longer, for the RSPCA believes there is a danger that the kids might be too noisy, or the lighting conditions could be wrong, and that the classroom pet may receive variable care from different families at evenings or weekends. If the RSPCA has its way, no more generations of kids will be taught to care for the school guinea pig or rabbit, or hermit crab; no more learning responsibility and respect for animals, no feeling the joy of holding a live thing in their hands. Laughably, the charity suggests that schools should get a soft toy instead to teach children about animal welfare. ***Q. Show how the writer's word choice emphasises the positive side of having pets in schools.*** **IMAGERY** ***[Imagery --]*** these questions ask you to identify an image in the passage. Then you have to comment on the ideas associated with the image and explain how these ideas are connected to the main idea in the question. Imagery encompasses three different techniques: simile, metaphor and personification. **Wording Of Imagery Questions** Any question with the words "image" or "imagery" in it. OR How does the writer's use of language... **Things To Remember/How to Answer:** - **STRUCTURE YOUR ANSWER** - State the type of imagery (Simile, Metaphor, Personification) - Identify the image (what is being compared to what?) - Give the literal meaning of the image (Just as...) - Explain the connection between the two (so too...) - Explain the effect of the image **[IMAGERY: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES]** ***Many schools today are terrifying. Adults who are unfortunate enough to wander by one when the bell goes for lunch, find themselves forced to cower against a wall, as hordes of savage barbarians charge into the streets, claiming new territory in their endless campaign to turn the world into a less pleasant place.*** **[Example Question ]** ***How does the writer use imagery to make his displeasure with schoolchildren clear to the reader? (4)*** **[Good Answer]** - *"hordes of savage barbarians" -- metaphor* - *Just as an army consist of many soldiers and is destructive, so too are there a lot of children and they are violent and dangerous. This implies the writer's disapproval of school children.* - *"claiming new territory" - metaphor.* - *Just as an army takes a territory over and destroys the peace that used to exist there, so too are the pupils destructive, frightening and invasive of space other people once felt was theirs. This implies the writer's displeasure.* **[Bad Answer]** *The writer makes the reader think that the children are really nasty and horrible because they are running out into the streets and taking them over. The writer obviously feels scared of the children if he is caught up in the middle of them during lunch-time.* **[Bad Answer]** *The writer tells us that the children are like "barbarians". It is obvious that this makes him afraid of them and he doesn't like it when they rush out of school like barbarians.* **[Bad Answer]** *An image is created of the children being like "hordes of savage barbarians". Because he describes them like this, it is clear that he is using an image to make them seem unpleasant.* **[PRACTICE QUESTIONS]** **1. Many details referred to in our story are still controversial. Debate is particular heated as regard the roles of impacts \[of asteroids\] in directing the course of human history. The whole topic is in a state of ferment, a symptom that something significant is brewing** ***Q. Show how effective you find the writer's use of imagery in conveying the excitement of the "debate" 2*** **2. Thanks to rising agricultural productivity, lean years are rarer all over the globe. Pessimistic economists, who used to draw graphs proving that the world was shortly going to run out of food, have gone rather quiet lately. According to the UN, the number of people short of food fell from 920m in 1980 to 799m twenty years later, even the world's population increased by 1.6 billion over the period. This is mostly a cause for celebration. Mankind has won what was, for most of his time on the planet, his biggest battle; to ensure he and his offspring had enough to eat. But every silver lining has a cloud, and the consequence of prosperity is a new plague that brings with it a host of interesting policy dilemmas.** ***Q. How effective do you find the imagery in these lines in illustrating the writer's line of thought? You should refer to two examples in your answer 4*** **3. I have spent a substantial portion of my life in libraries, and I still enter them with a mixture of excitement and awe. I am not alone in this. Veneration for libraries is as old as writing itself, for a library is more to our culture than a collection of books; it is a temple, a symbol of power, the hushed core of civilization, the citadel of memory, with its own mystique, social and sensual as well as intellectual.** ***Q. By referring to one example, show how the writer's imagery in these lines conveys the importance of libraries 2*** **4. London is different for all of its people. They make the most of the elements in it that have meaning for them and ignore the rest. A city is an a la carte menu. That is what makes it different from a village, which has little room for tolerance and difference. And a great city is one in which as many people as possible can make the widest of choices from its menu.** ***Q. Show how the image of the "a la carte menu" illustrates the point the writer is making in these lines. 2*** **SENTENCE STRUCTURE** **Sentence Structure --** refers to when a writer tries to emphasise certain words or ideas through the way that sentences are set out, e.g. short sentences, use of colons, lists, etc. The question will usually ask you to: \- identify unusual sentence structure features; \- explain which words or ideas are emphasized because of them; \- connect what is emphasized with the question. ***[Wording of Sentence Structure Questions]*** ***[Specific]*** Any question with the words "*sentence structure"* in it. Look out for specific questions on the use of *italics, repetition, word order, brackets/dashes/parenthesis, questions.* *[**General Questions that include sentence** **structure**]* *Show how the writer...* *How does the writer's use of language...* **Things To Remember/How to Answer** - The words *"to emphasise"* should be present in your response to sentence structure questions, in the first sentence of your answer. - Identify a sentence structure technique and where it occurs in the passage (you may put the line number or quote the words) - Explain the impact of using the sentence structure technique/ how it adds to the writer's argument. [SENTENCE STRUCTURE: FEATURES] Almost all sentence structure features are designed to create emphasis. In other words, to make words or ideas stand out more. ***[Short sentences]** draw our attention to and emphasise the words/ideas in them. Suggest something is sudden, abrupt, final.* ***[Long sentences]** often build up to a **climax**, drawing our attention to and emphasizing what is at the end of them, which is therefore emphasized. Sometimes used to suggest an idea/process is drawn out or complicated.* ***[Varied sentence length]** is used to add emphasis to ideas, usually in the short sentences, e.g. if you have a few long sentences then all of a sudden there is a short snappy sentence, you pay attention to the words/ideas in the shorter sentence.* ***[Lists]** often draw our attention to what is actually listed, often to emphasise how much of something there is.* ***[Colons]** often create a **pause for emphasis**, drawing our attention to what follows immediately after the colon. They are also used to **separate** sentences into two equal parts, allowing us to **compare** or **contrast** different ideas or qualities mentioned in each half. They sometimes introduce a list.* ***[Brackets]** or **[dashes]** are used to separate something from the rest of the sentence, thus emphasising what is in **parenthesis**, e.g. example, additional information, change of tone, important ideas.* *The use of **[exclamation marks]*** *emphasises how passionately a writer feels about something.* ***[Questions] -** Using a series of **[questions]** might emphasise confusion. The use of questions that **directly involve the reader** can help emphasise the ideas in the question, as we pay more attention to them due to an increased sense of involvement. Look out for **rhetorical questions**, which are used to make a point and do not need an answer.* ***[Repetition] --** any word or phrases which are repeated, automatically stand out, emphasising certain ideas.* ***Word Order --** Another name for word order is **syntax**. Look out, in particular for a technique called **inversion**, which takes what would usually be at the end of a sentence and places it at the start, e.g. "Horrified I was." or "Being two-faced was the thing she was best at". We pay attention to the word "Horrified" in the first example and "being two-faced" in the second. This is mainly due to the fact that they are so clearly placed in a strange position within the sentence.* **[SENTENCE STRUCTURE: GOOD AND BAD RESPONSES]** **[Example Question]** How does the writer use sentence structure to reveal his concerns about the attitudes displayed towards immigrants? (4) **[Good Answer]** - *":an unnecessary level of paperwork" -- sentence structure, colon -- used to introduce his judgment about the level of paperwork demanded so highlights the bureaucracy facing new arrivals into this country, he feels the paperwork is not needed.* - *"racism" -- repetition - by emphasizing this word, it is clear that he is concerned about the prejudice being displayed against immigrants which he feels are based on our intolerant attitude towards other cultures.* **[Bad Answer]** *The writer uses repetition to emphasise that he feels that the people who are protesting against the arrival of immigrants are racist. He is concerned about this.* *The writer also uses brackets to show that the people coming into the country are not really welcomed.* **[Bad Answer]** *The writer uses brackets round "waiting with clenched fists rather than open arms" to show he is concerned about the way we treat immigrants upon their arrival in this country.* *He also tells us that he is concerned about the "racism" because he repeats this word.* **1. One faction has cried constantly that the countryside is in mortal danger from greedy developer whose only motive is profit; another has kept roaring that farmers are killing every wild thing in sight and threatening the very soil on which we stand through overuse of machinery and chemicals; still another has been continually heard ululating over a decline in the bird population, or the loss of hedgerows, or the disappearance of marshland, or the appearance of coniferous forest.** ***Q. Show how the sentence here emphasis the strong feelings of those who feel the countryside is under threat 2*** **2. The green-belt protectionists claim to be saving unspoilt countryside from the rampant advance of bulldozers. Exactly what unspoilt countryside do they imagine they are saving? Primordial forest, unchanged since Boudicca thrashed the Romans? Hogwash. The English have been making and remaking their landscape for millennia to suit the needs of each passing generation** ***Q. How effective do you find the writer's use of sentence structure in conveying his attitude to this argument from the "green-belt protectionists"? 2*** **3. Everywhere you turn there is an army of professionals -- ably abetted by the media -- hard at work encouraging parents to fear the worst. Don't let your children out in the sun -- not unless they're wearing special UV-resistant T-shirts. Don't buy your children a Wendy house, they might crush their fingers in the hinges. Don't buy a baby walker, your toddlers might brain themselves. Don't buy plastic baby teethers, your baby might suck in harmful chemicals. Don't let them use mobile phones, they'll sizzle their brains. Don't buy a second-hand car seat, it will not protect them. And on and on it goes.** ***Q. How does the sentence structure of these lines emphasise the writer's feelings about the "army of professionals"? 2*** **4. There is no doubt that obesity is the world's biggest public-health issue today -- the main cause of heart disease, which kills more people these days than AIDS, malaria, war; the principal risk factor in diabetes; heavily implicated in cancer and other diseases. Since the World Health Organisation labeled obesity an epidemic in 2000, reports on its fearful consequences have come thick and fast.** ***Q. How does the writer's sentence structure stress the seriousness of the health problems? 2*** **TONE** **Tone -- *is the mood or attitude of the writer towards the subject matter. A question on tone involves you writing a sentence in which you clearly identify the tone.*** ***Then, depending on the marks available, you should have one or two quotations with a clear explanation of how the tone is created through the words you have quoted.*** **Wording Of Tone Questions** ***[Specific]*** *Comment on the writer's tone in...* *What is the tone of the writer in... and how is it created?* *How does the writer's tone...* *Identify the writer's tone...* ***[General Questions that include tone]*** *Show how the writer...* *How does the writer...* *How does the writer's language...* **[Examples of Tone]** Formal/Informal Sarcastic Ironic Depressed Cynical Pessimistic Optimistic Angry Disappointed Humorous Gloomy Concerned Apologetic Disbelieving Doubtful Negative Bitter Irritated Mocking Scathing Serious Enthusiastic Hopeful Critical Confused Hostile Lighthearted **Things to Remember/How to Answer:** - Identify the tone (try to select from the above list) - Quote a word/expression as evidence - Explain how the word/expression creates the tone **[TONE: GOOD AND BAD ANSWERS]** [Example Question] Comment on the writer's tone in lines 10-12 and how it helps develop his argument. (2). **[Good Response]** - *"catalogue of let-downs"- disappointed tone.* - *The idea of a catalogue suggests that there have been a series of things that have disappointed or "let down" the writer.* - *This helps develop his argument because he has already explained how he had high hopes that the government would take some action to cut harmful emissions but the disappointed tone helps emphasise how little has been done to deal with the issue.* **[Bad Response]** *The writer's tone is clearly fed up and this helps develop his argument as he has not been impressed by the lack of action taken to stop polluting the atmosphere.* **[Bad Response]** *The writer creates an angry tone. He is obviously angry because he tells us about the fact the government has done nothing to stop the atmosphere being destroyed.* **1. Then there is the proliferation of action groups dedicated to stopping construction of roads, airports, railway lines, factories, shopping centres and houses in rural areas, while multifarious organizations have become accustomed to expended their time and energies in monitoring and reporting on the state of grassland, waters, trees, moorlands, uplands, lowlands, bird's eggs, wildflowers, badgers, historical sites and countless other aspects of the landscape and its inhabitants.** ***Q. Show how the writer's use of tone in these lines conveys his disapproval of the "action groups" 2*** **2. I am fed up listening to scaremongers about the E. coli virus, telling me my child should never visit a farm or come into contact with animals. I am weary of organizations that are dedicated to promulgating the idea that threats and dangers to children lurk everywhere. I am sick of charities who on the one had attack overprotective parents and at the same time say children should never be left unsupervised in public places.** ***Q. Identify the writer's tone and explain how it is conveyed. 2*** **3. Survivors of essentially random impact catastrophes -- cosmic accidents -- were those creatures who just happened to be 'lucky' enough to find themselves alive after the dust settled. It doesn't matter how well a creature may have been able to survive in a particular environment before an event -- being thumped on the head by a large object from space during the event is not conductive to a long and happy existence** ***Q. Explain how the writer creates a slightly humorous tone 2*** **4. The only solution -- and I am just waiting for the politicians to recommend it explicitly -- is for none of us to go anywhere. Stay at home and save the planet. But that would be a craven retreat from all the social, professional and cultural interactions that unrestricted mobility makes possible -- and which, since the Renaissance, have made great cities the centres of intellectual progress** ***Q. Show how, in this paragraph, the writer creates a tone which conveys her disapproval of the 'solution' 2*** **5 MARK COMPARISON QUESTION** This is the final question in a Higher RUAE paper. It asks you to compare the ideas looked at in Passage 1 and Passage 2. **Things to Remember/How to Answer:** - You should already be familiar with the ideas of Passage 1 - When reading Passage 2, make notes and summarise ideas down the margin, this will make this question easier - Highlight quotations that back up the ideas you have summarised - Follow the layout below: **[Layout for the final comparison question]** 1. Both passages agree/disagree that \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. - Passage 1 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ - Passage 2 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 2. Both passages agree/disagree that \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. - Passage 1 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ - Passage 2 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 3. Both passages agree/disagree that \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. - Passage 1 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ - Passage 2 states "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" this shows \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **Passage 1: TV matters: celebrity talent shows** 1. The revelation of the guests for the latest runs of two celebrity talent contests suggest a definite shift in personnel. Rory Bremner becomes the first practising satirist to sign up for [Strictly Come Dancing](http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/strictly-come-dancing), while Kirsty Wark is the first serving current affairs heavyweight to tackle Celebrity MasterChef. 2. When the star challenge genre took off (with Celebrity Big Brother and I\'m a [Celebrity](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/celebrity)...), it was generally regarded as a sort of welfare state or pension scheme for the neglected or semi-retired. This impression continued as the wannabe formats expanded: for example, Jan Leeming, Michael Buerk and Jennie Bond all put on the MasterChef oven gloves after leaving the newsdesk, the latter also munching slugs in the Australian jungle. 3. The perception was that failing at trivial challenges might damage the credibility of a serious journalist or actor. Being exposed as the [worst public dancer since David Brent](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Qy0U5RpCc) turned [John Sergeant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlIasHFUrVM) into a light entertainment celebrity (The One Show, ITV documentaries), but would have finished him if he had still been a political editor. 4. Now, though, a class system of talent franchises has become established. While the London house-share and the Aussie jungle are still considered below the top tier of celebrity society, Strictly Come Dancing and MasterChef are viewed as toff slots, with the possession of a hot trot or knock-out risotto suggesting breadth of character. 5. Regardless of how far they get in the contests, Bremner and Wark should still be able to go back to lampooning and interviewing government ministers, although there must be a slight risk of a cheeky politician saying: \"Kirsty, that question is as thick and tasteless as your peach pavlova.\" 6. So the spirit of Comic Relief -- in which serious TV types show what sports they are by doing something silly or unexpected -- has now spread across the schedules.The judgments are delicate. There are still people whose broadcasting credibility could not easily survive showing Len and Bruno or Greg and John what they\'ve got -- Jeremy Paxman, Ian Hislop, David Dimbleby, Sir David Hare -- but, as Wark and Bremner have realised, there are now designated green zones for upmarket stars who want to sashay or saute competitively. **Passage Two: Michael Hogan** 1. It would surely be dream casting for the [BBC](http://www.theguardian.com/media/bbc) if Pippa Middleton were to slip on her dancing shoes and join the raggletaggle of celebrities taking part in Strictly Coming Dancing. And according to reports, producers of the Beeb\'s ballroom behemoth have approached the Duchess of Cambridge\'s sister to do just that. 2. Amid copious references to her posterior ( \'It\'s Strictly bum dancing\', \'pert Pippa\'s not-so-bum deal\' and the like), [the Sun has claimed](http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3660452/Pippa-Middleton-has-been-offered-Strictly-Come-Dancing.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=TV) the future queen-in-law has been offered \"a five-figure sum\" because clad in skimpy sequinned costumes, P-Middy would boost ratings -- not to mention send tabloid hacks scurrying for the \"buttock\" section of their thesauruses regardless of where she\'d finish on the leaderboard. (Bottom, obviously.) 3. This got us thinking -- who else would we like to see being insulted by Craig Revel Horwood under a glitterball in three months\' time? There\'s nothing Strictly likes more than a serious, suity type letting their hair down and it\'s proved a fertile career move for broadcast journalists, [notably \"dancing pig\" John Sergeant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umEShQ2SXK8). Who could step out from behind their desk next? Anna Ford\'s got the legs, Jon Snow\'s taste in ties might indicate latent Latin flair and Sir Trevor McDoughnut would go down well. 4. There\'s invariably some sportsmen and footballing Afghan hound Robbie Savage is rumoured to be ready to rumba. Manchester United\'s Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar are newly retired -- although we\'d rather see their team-mate Ryan Giggs struggling to stick to one partner. 5. But that\'s enough twinkle-toed speculation from us. Do you fancy watching Pippa\'s paso doble? Who would you like to see whirling, twirling and tolerating Brucie\'s dad-jokes come September? Let us know below. And, it almost goes without saying, keeeeeep dancing. ***Q. Each writer expresses their view on celebrity talent shows. Identify key areas on which they agree or disagree. In your answer, you should refer in detail to both passages.*** ***You may answer this question in continuous prose or in a series of developed bullet points*** ***5*** **[END OF BOOKLET]** **[NOW USE THE BOOKLET OF PASSAGES TO PRACTISE THESE SKILLS]** **[Higher Close Reading Formulae]** [The guidelines below will gain one mark each, if done correctly. If the question is worth 2 or more marks, you MUST work through the formula again for every extra mark available. It is suggested you write in concise bullet points rather than full sentences throughout the paper.] **[Understanding Questions ]** ALL understanding questions should be answered **[IN YOUR OWN WORDS]**! If you lift answers straight from the passage without changing them into **[YOUR OWN WORDS]** as far as possible, you will lose the mark. This includes general questions you can't assign to a formula below. Many of these questions will ask you to summarise points made in the passage. It is essential your answers are concise (to the point), as you don't have enough time to write huge paragraphs. Bullet points work well. **[Context Question]** 1. Give the meaning of the word 2. Quote a word or a phrase from the context 3. Explain how this word/ phrase helps you understand the meaning of the original word. **[Linking Question]** 1. Quote the words that link back to ideas in the previous paragraph. 2. Explain how this connects with the argument or ideas in the previous paragraph. 3. Quote the words which link to the following paragraph or move the argument forward. 4. Explain what the author goes on to write about in the following paragraph. **[Imagery Question]** 1. Identify the image (what is being compared to what?) 2. Give the literal meaning of the image (Just as...) 3. Explain the connection between the two (so too...) 4. Explain the effect of the image **[Word Choice Question]** 1. Quote a word/ phrase 2. Give the connotations of the word or phrase (what it makes you think of/ what you associate with the word). 3. Explain what this suggests about the writer's argument or what they are describing. **[Sentence Structure Question]** 1. Identify a sentence structure technique and where it occurs in the passage (you may put the line number or quote the words) 2. Explain the impact of using the sentence structure technique/ how it adds to the writer's argument. 3. Look out for: - Statement - Question/ rhetorical question - Exclamation - Command - Minor sentence - Punctuation - List - Parenthesis - Inversion - Climax or anti- climax - Antithesis - Etc **[Language Question]** 1. Identify the language feature you will be dealing with and follow the formula for that type of question. **[Final Question]** The final question asks you to compare the two passages. You will have answered detailed questions on passage one but MUST spend some time carefully reading passage two and looking for key ideas. The final question will ask you to identify similarities, **OR** differences, **OR** similarities and differences in the two articles. The question is worth 5 marks and is looking for at least [three] comparisons. Each comparison should have: - A subheading explaining what the comparison is. - A quote and explanation from passage one. - A quote and explanation from passage two. REMEMBER: the more you study and complete past papers, the more familiar you will become with the formulae.