Close Reading Strategies for Higher English

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To pass the course you will need to pass an:
Internally assessed Close Reading NAB – You are
given 1 hour to read and answer questions on an
unseen non-fiction passage. You need to score over
15/30 to pass.
Externally assessed Close Reading Paper – You are
given 1 hour 45 mins to answer questions on two
non-fiction passages.

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The questions in a Close Reading paper test your
ability to understand, analyse and evaluate texts
two thematically linked passages of unseen prose.
You will also need to be able to compare and
contrast the two texts.

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Each question in the paper is allocated a code.
These include U, A, E or sometimes a combined
code such as U/E and A/E
You will have to become very familiar with these
codes and what each question expects you to do.

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U questions test you understanding of the writer’s
ideas.
A questions test your skills of analysis. You will be
asked to identify the techniques and language used by
the writer and comment on how these help the writer
to convey his or her message.
E questions ask you to evaluate how well the writer is
in using a particular technique or how effective they are
at achieving the purpose of their writing.

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Each question is allocated a number of marks. The
amount a question is worth is a good guide as to
how much the marker expects you to write.
A (1 mark) question will require a concise
response.
A (4 mark) question is likely to expect at least two
well explained examples. We recommend 4 to play
it safe.

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To do well in close reading you need to have practise in reading
unfamiliar and complex texts.
Passages for Close Reading are always non-fiction.
They may be taken from:
•A newspaper article
•A biography
•A piece of travel writing
•A report
You should seek out and read this kind of writing on a regular
basis. Look for feature articles in the Times, Herald, Guardian,
Telegraph, Scotsman or the Independent.

EExxaammpplleess ooff UU QQuueessttiioonn
1. Referring to lines 7 – 14, explain two ways in
which ‘That version of London would seem to be a
village now’ (lines 10 – 11). (from 2010)
2. Explain in detail why the writer thinks the city is
‘mankind’s greatest single invention’ (line 31).
(from 2010)
3. Read lines 42 – 53. Give … any three reasons
why it is difficult to define the ‘traditional’ British
landscape. (from 2008)

HHooww ttoo AAnnsswweerr
Step 1: Locate the part of the passage you have
been directed to and underline any of the ideas
or words you feel relate to the question.
Step 2: RReepphhrraassee//ppaarraapphhrraassee this information
into your own words.
(don’t translate word for word – it has to make sense and show you have genuinely
understood how to answer)

According to the writer, what is the difference
between the ways in which language and
literature develop? 2 U
Step 1: locate
Step 2: rephrase / paraphrase

Rephrase / paraphrase
Look at this passage from the start of a Higher exam about the future of cities:
In a world changing faster now than ever before,
the dispossessed and the ambitious are flooding
into cities swollen out of all recognition.
Could you put this into your own words by paraphrasing it?
Here is what a student did:

The pace of change in the world is faster than it
has ever been. Cities are growing so fast that
they can hardly be recognised as those who
have lost their homes, and those who are highly
determined, pour into them.

Notice what expressions she changed:
What did she change each one into?

Notice what expressions she changed:
Notice: number of sentences changed from 1 to 2. Ideas put in a slightly different order.

NNooww ttrryy tthheessee……
1. Referring to lines 7 – 14, explain two ways in
which ‘That version of London would seem to be a
village now’ (lines 10 – 11). (from 2010)
2. Explain in detail why the writer thinks the city is
‘mankind’s greatest single invention’ (line 31).
(from 2010)
3. Read lines 42 – 53. Give … any three reasons
why it is difficult to define the ‘traditional’ British
landscape. (from 2008)

MEANING AND CONTEXT
QUESTIONS

Meaning and Context Question
These question usually have phrases such as
‘How do lines… help you understand the meaning of …?’ or
‘Show how the context helps the reader to arrive at the
meaning of...’
To answer a Meaning and Context question:
1.State the meaning of the word or expression first
2.Quote and comment on the words around it to
show how they help you to arrive at the meaning.

By the official definition, London is getting on for eight
million people, but in practical terms it’s a city of 18
million, straggling most of the way from Ipswich to
Bournemouth in an unforgiving rush of business parks
and designer outlets, gated housing and logistics
depots.
Show how the context helps the reader to arrive at the
meaning of the word ‘straggling’ in line 3.

depots.
‘............................’ means .......................... .
This can be understood from the context which refers
to ......................... as this ......................................................

Meaning and Context Question - Answer
depots.
‘Straggling’ means spreading out over some distance .
This can be understood from the context which refers to London
spreading ‘from Ipswich to Bournemouth’ as this is a wide area
extending to the east of England and to its south coast.

It will help if you learn this script for
answering these questions!
‘......................’ means ......................
This can be understood from the
context which refers to ....................
as this ..............................................

If you read a wonderful new book by sociologist Frank
Furedi – Paranoid Parenting – you will see the story of
a teacher who quit the profession after a school trip
was cancelled. Some parents were worried the trip
would involve their children in a 45 minute journey in
a private car. Would the cars be roadworthy? Were
the drivers experienced? Were these non-smoking
cars?
How does the story told in the paragraph help you to
understand the meaning of the word ‘paranoid’?

How does the story told in the paragraph help you to
understand the meaning of the word ‘paranoid’?
cars?
One mark for giving the meaning of paranoid (unnecessarily fearful /
too anxious / suspicious of everyone)
Remember you must give the meaning or you cannot earn the second
mark!
One mark for appropriate reference to parents’ questions / worries /
concerns.

Meaning and Context Question - Answer
cars?
‘Paranoid’ means always fearing the worst.
This can be understood from the context which refers to the many
and varied worries that the parents had, such as ‘Would the cars be
roadworthy’, as this shows how the parents were fearful of every
possibility, and anticipating the worst things that might happen.

LLiinnkk QQuueessttiioonn
You might get a question about how a certain
sentence or a specific paragraph acts as a link in
the passage.
The examiners have already decided that it is a
link; now they want you to explain how it carries
out that function.
There is a method for answering these questions.

The basic formula is:
Quote + link back; quote + link forward
1.begin with a short quotation from the linking sentence
2.explain what idea this links back to
3.use a different short quotation from the link sentence
4.explain what ideas this introduces and links forward to

The basic formula is:
Quote + link back; quote + link forward
The words [quote from link sentence]refer back to
the idea of [give the idea]which was mentioned
[say where].
The words [quote from link sentence] introduce
the idea of [give the idea] which comes up in [say
where]...

Now look at this from the 2008 Close Reading paper:
Then there is the proliferation of action groups dedicated to stopping construction of
roads ... while multifarious organisations ... expending their energies in monitoring and
reporting on the state of ... the landscape and its inhabitants.
It might be thought – indeed it is widely assumed – that it must be good for the
countryside to be returned to the central position it enjoyed in British life long ago. Yet
there is a particularly worrying aspect of the new rural mania that suggests it might
finally do the countryside more harm than good.
This is the identification of the countryside in general and the landscape in particular
with the past ... to protect ... our heritage. This wildly overused term is seriously
misleading, not least because nobody ever seems to have asked what it means.
By referring to specific words and phrases, show how the middle
paragraph above performs a linking function at this stage in the
writer’s argument.

LLiinnkk QQuueessttiioonn -- AAnnsswweerr
It might be thought – indeed it is widely assumed – that it must be good for the
countryside to be returned to the central position it enjoyed in British life long ago. Yet
there is a particularly worrying aspect of the new rural mania that suggests it might
finally do the countryside more harm than good.
The words ‘returned to the central position’ refer back to the idea
of the aims of the action group which was mentioned in the first
paragraph.
The words ‘worrying aspect’ introduce the idea of the writer’s
concerns which comes up in the last paragraph.

Now read the extract beginning “Is your journey really necessary?”
The try answering the question below, using the basic formula for link questions.
Referring to specific words and phrases, show how the sentence ‘So,
before ... as a whole?’ performs a linking function in the writer’s
argument. (2 marks)
The words [quote from link sentence]refer back to
the idea of [give the idea]which was mentioned
[say where].
The words [quote from link sentence] introduce
the idea of [give the idea] which comes up in [say
where]...

Is your journey really necessary? Who would have thought that, in the absence of world
war and in the midst of unprecedented prosperity, politicians would be telling us not to
travel? Just as working people have begun to enjoy the freedoms that the better-off
have known for generations – the experience of other cultures, other cuisines, other
climates – they are threatened with having those liberating possibilities priced out of
their reach.
And when I hear politicians – most of them comfortably off – trying to deny
enlightenment and pleasure to ‘working class’ people, I reach for my megaphone.
Maybe Tommy Tattoo and his mates do use cheap flights to the sunshine as an
extension of their binge-drinking opportunities, but for thousands of people whose
parents would never have ventured beyond Blackpool or Rothesay, air travel has been a
social revelation.
So, before we all give the eco-lobby’s anti-flying agenda the unconditional benefit of the
doubt, can we just review their strategy as a whole?
Remember, it is not just air travel that the green tax lobby is trying to control: it is a
restriction on any mobility. Clamping down on one form of movement, as the glib
reformers have discovered, simply creates intolerable pressure on the others.
Londoners, for example, had just become accustomed to the idea that they would have
to pay an £8 congestion charge to drive into their own city when they discovered that
the fares on commuter rail and underground services had been hiked up with the
intention of driving away customers from the public transport system – now grossly
overcrowded as a result of people having been forced off the roads by the congestion
charge.

LLiinnkk QQuueessttiioonn -- AAnnsswweerr
Now read the extract beginning “Is your journey really necessary?”
The try answering the question below, using the basic formula for link questions.
Referring to specific words and phrases, show how the sentence ‘So,
before ... as a whole?’ performs a linking function in the writer’s
argument. (2 A)
The words ‘eco-lobby’s anti-flying agenda’ refer back
to the idea of restrictions on travel, which was
mentioned in in the first two paragraphs.
The words ‘their strategy as a whole’* introduce the
idea of discussing and examining these proposed
restrictions, which comes up in the final paragraph.
* (OR ‘can we just review’)

A for Analysis Questions
ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

Analysis Questions
Analysis questions tend to be generally more challenging than understanding
questions.
Most of the marks come from A for Analysis questions. Individual questions
can be worth a lot of marks – often 4 marks.
Show how the sentence structure of the paragraph as a whole emphasises the
idea of change. (2010)
Show how the writer uses imagery and word choice in lines 15-24 to convey the
‘wonder of the library as a physical space’. (2007)
Show how the writer’s use of language in lines 4 – 10 creates a self-mocking
tone. (2008)

Analysis Questions
A word of warning ....
When the word ‘language’ is used in a question they
do not just mean word choice.
It might include word choice, but should include an
analysis of the use of other language techniques –
such as sentence structure, imagery, tone, alliteration
and so on – as well.
Show how the
writer’s use of
language ...
How does the
writer’s
language ...?
• You should have noticed that these questions often take the form
‘Show how…’
• They also ask you to focus on specific literary techniques.

Formula
Step One: Using a quotation, refer to the
technique(s) being used by the writer.
Step Two: Comment on how the particular
technique is used.
Marks are awarded for your comment and not
your identification of the technique.

Word Choice Questions
When you are really being asked about
word choice – what is going on?

Word choice questions are about words that
have been chosen very carefully.
Most words have two levels of meaning,
a simple denotation, and
a more complex connotation.

For example,
stormed, sauntered and swaggered all have the
same denotation. They all tell us that a person
walked, moving along by putting one foot in front
of the other.
However, they all have different connotations.
•stormed suggests anger
•sauntered tells us the person was relaxed
•swaggered implies that the walker is perhaps
rather arrogant.

Word Choice Questions: Now try this
You will see pairs or trios of words. In each group the words have the
same denotation but different connotations. For each group, work out
the denotation they share, and the different connotations of the
different words.
plump obese fat
elderly mature ancient
drunk inebriated tipsy
complex intricate
question enquiry
fanatic believer fundamentalist
partner lover beloved
announced stated broadcast

When you answer a word choice
question, you need to
-quote the words you think are
significant,
-then go into their connotations,
all the time making sure you
answer what the question has
actually asked you.

In this passage the writer’s son’s primary school has just
banned sweets, crisps and chocolate.
After school and in the playground, away from the teachers’
eyes, sweets and chocolates were traded. They became the
marks of rebellion and the statements of independence. Eating
foods they suspected the grown-ups would rather they didn’t
made those foods ever so much more enticing. They weren’t
just good but food plus attitude.
Show how the writer’s word choice makes clear the
children’s attitude to the school ban. (2 A)

Word Choice Questions - Answer
After school and in the playground, away from the teachers’
eyes, sweets and chocolates were traded. They became the
marks of rebellion and the statements of independence. Eating
foods they suspected the grown-ups would rather they didn’t
made those foods ever so much more enticing. They weren’t
just good but food plus attitude.
The word ‘enticing’ suggests that the children found the
forbidden food tempting and exciting. The phrase ‘not
just food but’ implies the sweets became a symbol of their
fight against the school’s authority.

Word Choice Question: Now try this
One faction has cried constantly that the countryside is in mortal danger
from greedy developers 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.
Show how the word choice emphasises the strong feelings
of those who believe the countryside is under threat. (2A)
The words ‘cried constantly’ suggest that ...
The words ‘mortal danger’ suggest ...
The word ‘greedy’ suggests ...

Word Choice Question - Answer
One faction has cried constantly that the countryside is in mortal danger from greedy
developers 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.
A The words ‘cried constantly’ suggest a state of
permanent outrage.
B The words ‘mortal danger’ suggest extreme peril,
something life-threatening.
C The word ‘greedy’ suggests they are too eager for
monetary gain.

Word Choice: Now try this
Work with a partner or small group. For each language type, explain in your own words
what it means, then give at least 3 examples. This first is done for you.
Language type Definition Examples
Emotive language Language designed to
shock, or to get an
emotional response
from the reader
Formal register
Informal register
Hyperbole
Slang
Dialect
jargon

Word Choice: Now try this
Language type Definition Examples
Emotive language Language designed to shock, or to
get an emotional response from the
reader
catastrophic
Formal register form of language used in a formal
setting – complete se, concise,
precise word choice
consult
Informal register form of language used in informal
setting – more casual se str and
language choice
chat
Hyperbole Exaggeration used for a particular
effect
I’ve told you a million times
Slang Casual speech, often of a smaller
group of people
Gonnae no dae that! Soz
babez.
Dialect Regional variety of language –
features of vocab, grammar, pronun
Gudgie. Scunnered.
Bouroch.
jargon Specialist language of a particular
profession, trade, culture.
deleverage

Word Choice Questions - Register
Register means a type of language used in a particular setting, or
by a particular group of people. Register can be formal or
informal. Questions sometimes test if you can tell the difference.
Register means a type of language used in a particular setting, or
by a particular group of people. Register can be formal or
informal. Questions sometimes test if you can tell the difference.
Formal Informal
Complete form of verbs “I did not” Abbreviations “I didn’t”
Complex, more intellectual words
“inevitable compromise”
Simple, everyday words “give in”
Longer, more complex sentences; all
sentences complete.
Short, simple sentences; without verbs;
start with ‘and’ or ‘but’
‘Literary’ punctuation marks such as semi-colons
/ colons
Simple punctuation marks – commas,
question marks, full stops, exclamation
marks.
Standard English ‘beautiful’ ‘very
important’
Dialect or slang forms e.g. ‘bonnie’, ‘big
deal’
A distant, more impersonal tone A chatty, friendly tone

Word Choice
How many of the
terms below are you
familiar with?
word choice
denotation
connotation
juxtaposition
list
inverted commas
point of view
incongruity
balance
parallel
contrast
(extended) image
If you need to revise any terms
– see Higher English Close
Reading
– Word Choice - pages 3 to 1-10

TONE QUESTIONS

Tone Questions
It’s easy to understand what we mean by tone if we
think of a speaking tone. The tones in the speaking
voice are created by factors like the volume, speed,
and fluency of speech.
It’s harder to see how we can identify tone in
written English, as there are only words, not sounds,
but skilled writers can create a tone by word choice
alone.

Tone Questions: now try this
Draw a big speech bubble in your notebook.
On the bubble write the tones: angry confused
excited afraid.
Then add as many more you can think of.
After 5 mins – compare your answers with the rest
of the class.

Tone Questions: now try this
Draw a big speech bubble in your notebook.
On the bubble write the tones: angry confused excited afraid.
Then add as many more you can think of.
After 5 mins – compare your answers with the rest of the class.
You may have come up with a huge list of tones.
Some of the most common ones that crop up in exam questions
are: humorous, matter-of-fact, emphatic/definite, defeated
and angry.
Make sure you have those on your bubble. Now underline them
to remind yourself that these are ones to especially look out
for.

A Tone Vocabulary
• humorous
• tongue-in-cheek
• sarcastic
• ironic
• emotional -name the
emotion eg angry,
depressed,
elated,moody,
indignant,
• conversational
• sorrowful
• business-like
• curious
• chatty/friendly
• mocking
• disapproving
• critical
• contemptuous
• menacing
• dismissive
• approving

Tone Questions
When you answer a question about tone, you may have to:
1.Identify a tone – you have to do this if the examiners
don’t name a tone, but you usually don’t get marks for it.
2.Quote words which create that tone
3.Explain how the words you have quoted create the tone
(this is where you begin to earn marks!)
4.Answer any other aspect of the particular question you
are tackling.

TToonnee QQuueessttiioonnss
roads, airport, railway lines, factories, shopping centres and houses in rural areas,
while multifarious organisations have become accustomed to expending their energies
in monitoring and reporting on the state of grassland, water, trees, moorlands,
uplands, lowlands, birds’ eggs, wildflowers, badgers, historical sites and the countless
other aspects of the landscape and its inhabitants.
Show how the writer’s use of tone
in these lines conveys his
disapproval of the ‘action groups’.
(2 A)

TToonnee QQuueessttiioonnss
The writer creates a .......................... tone.
He does this by using the words ‘.............................’
which are (repeat the tone) .......................... because
they suggest ...................................

TToonnee QQuueessttiioonnss -- AAnnsswweerr
The writer creates a dismissive tone.
He does this by using the words ‘moorlands, uplands, lowlands’
which are dismissive because they suggest the groups are
interested in just any old lands, and they don’t have any specific love
for the countryside.

IMAGERY QUESTIONS

Imagery Questions
Writers use images to strengthen what they say by putting
all sorts of pictures in the reader’s mind. Imagery is not the
same thing as description.
A description tells us what something is like.
An image shows that one thing is somehow like another.
The comparison tells us more about the thing that is being
compared.
Similes, metaphors and personification are all different sorts
of image.

Imagery Questions
You need to be able to identify techniques such
as simile, metaphor, personification and
hyperbole so that you can respond effectively to
questions on imagery.
You might also be asked to identify sound
techniques such as alliteration and
onomatopoeia.

Imagery Questions - technique
Step 1: Identify the image and technique.
Step 2: Explain the root of the image and say
what is being compared with what.
Step 3: Comment on what the writer intends to
suggest by using this image.

Outside an anonymous building with blanked-out windows, a
discarded plastic bag swirls in the breeze, and in the distance the
arches of Wembley Stadium soar against the darkening sky.
At first glance it seems a doleful place. But in fact, this is
where dreams are made and broken. Inside the reinforced –
concrete building, men in black T-shirts and microphone headsets
are swarming around like worker bees, ushering a constant stream
of shrieking teenage girls to their seats, testing the sound levels and
the autocue, ensuring that the audience is primed to clap and
scream as loudly as possible once the lights go up. Because this is
where, every weekend, the X factor goes live.
At the theme music is pumped through studio speakers, it is
as though the entire crowd has been electrified by a giant cattle
prod. We leap out of our seats as one, arms waving maniacally in the
air as each contestant takes to the stage in a blaze of strobe lighting
and sequinned backing dancers. When the judges deliver their
verdicts, we boo as soon as Simon Cowell says anything remotely
negative and cheer wildly when Cheryl Cole gives a twinkling,
encouraging smile.
Question: How does the writer’s use of imagery in the second and third
paragraphs help to convey what it is like inside the ‘anonymous building’ ?
(2A)

Answer
The writer uses a simile to describe the men in black t-shirts
as ‘Swarming around like worker bees’. Worker bees all have
individual jobs to do as part of some bigger plan. This
comparison effectively suggests that there are many men
who are busy on a variety of tasks in preparation for the
show.
The writer uses the simile ‘as though the entire crowd has
been electrified by a cattle prod’. A cattle prod is used to
control animals and gives them a quick sharp shock. This
comparison suggests that the audience are treated very
much like animals and that there is a sudden change in their
behaviour when the music starts to play.

Imagery Questions – Method 2
There is a method for answering imagery questions.
There is a method for answering imagery questions.
1.You begin with what the image literally is like, or literally
means.
2.Then you go on to the metaphorical meaning, showing
how that image applies to and adds meaning to the subject
under discussion.
Just as [explain the literal meaning] so [explain the
metaphorical meaning].
1.You begin with what the image literally is like, or literally
means.
2.Then you go on to the metaphorical meaning, showing
how that image applies to and adds meaning to the subject
under discussion.

Growing up devoid of freedom, decision-making, and the
opportunity to learn from taking their own risks, our children
are becoming trapped, neurotic and as genetically weakened
as battery hens.
How effective do you find the image of ‘battery hens’ in
conveying the writer’s view of how children are currently being
brought up? (2A)

Growing up devoid of freedom, decision-making, and the
opportunity to learn from taking their own risks, our children
are becoming trapped, neurotic and as genetically weakened
as battery hens.
Just as a battery hen is kept cruelly shut up in a tiny
cage, so modern children are restricted and denied
freedom to take the risks the writer thinks they should
be able to learn from.

It seems the childcare pendulum has swung;: the principal
threat to children is no longer neglectful parents, but
excessively protective ones who are always worrying about
germs.
Explain how the image supports the writer’s viewpoint(2A)

It seems the childcare pendulum has swung;: the principal
threat to children is no longer neglectful parents, but
excessively protective ones who are always worrying about
germs.
Just as a clock pendulum swings from one side to the
other, so people’s opinions on the dangers to children
have gone from one extreme to the other.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS

Sentence Structure Questions
Sentence structure is how a sentence is made and built up.
Often students get structure questions wrong because the
end up looking at the content of a sentence when they
should be examining its structure.
Structure is not the same as content.
The structure of your school bag might be leather, stitched
together, with buckles.
The content would probably include books, pens, and your
mobile phone.

Sentence Structure Questions
A number of smaller techniques contribute to sentence structure:
• length: Look at whether a sentence is noticeably long, or short, or if its
length contrasts with the length of other sentences nearby
• listing: What is being listed and what does this list suggest?
• repetition: What is being repeated and what does this repetition
suggest?
• parenthesis: What is the extra information inside the parenthesis about
and what is the effect of this?
• word order: Have any words been put in a position in the sentence that
particularly creates emphasis?
• colons or semi-colons: What do these divide the sentence into? What do
colons introduce?
• minor sentence: These ungrammatical (usually short) sentences are used
to create some kind of impact, so what impact is it?
• questions: What is the effect of these on the reader?

Sentence Structure Question: Now try this
A lot has been learned about the nature of cosmic collisions and
this new knowledge has given a remarkable twist to the story of
our origins. We now recognise that comet and asteroid impacts
may be the most important driving force behind evolutionary
change on the planet. Originally, such objects smashed into one
another to build the Earth 4.5 billion years ago. After that,
further comet impacts brought the waters of our oceans and
the Show organic how the modules sentence needed structure for life. here Ever emphasises since then, the impacts
strong
have feelings continued of those to who punctuate feel the the countryside story of evolution. is under threat. On many
(2A)
occasions, comets slammed into Earth with such violence that
they nearly precipitated the extinction of all life. In the
aftermath of each catastrophe, new species emerged to take
the place of those that had been wiped out.

How does the sentence structure of these lines highlight
the writer’s ideas?
By beginning a number of the sentences with reference to
time periods such as ....................... and ......................,
the writer creates a sequence through time which
suggests that comet impacts were part of the process of
evolution.
By ending the last two sentences with the
phrases ............... and ................. the writer creates a
climax that emphasises his point about the
destructiveness of these impacts.
The fact that he uses the word ‘ ..................’ three times
shows how important ..........................................

Sentence Structure Question: Answer
How does the sentence structure of these lines highlight
the writer’s ideas?
By beginning a number of the sentences with reference to
time periods such as ‘originally’ and ‘after that’, the writer
creates a sequence through time which suggests that
comet impacts were part of the process of evolution.
By ending the last two sentences with the phrases ‘all life’
and ‘wiped out’ the writer creates a climax that emphasises
his point about the destructiveness of these impacts.
The fact that he uses the word ‘ impacts’ three times shows
how important these events have been.

Show how the sentence structure here emphasises the strong
feelings of those who feel the countryside is under threat. (2A)
The listing of ........... emphasises ...........
The repetition of ............... emphasises ......................

Show how the sentence structure here emphasises the strong
feelings of those who feel the countryside is under threat. (2A)
The listing of the different subjects that factions complain about
emphasises the wide range of causes of protest.
The repetition of ‘or’ emphasises a determination to find something to
complain about.

Show how the writer’s use of sentence structure in this
paragraph conveys his disapproval of the ‘action groups’.(2A)
The list of .......... suggests ............
The list of .......... suggests ..............

Show how the writer’s use of sentence structure in this
paragraph conveys his disapproval of the ‘action groups’.(2A)
The list of developments these groups wish to stop suggests that he feels
they protest excessively.
The list of projects they spend time and energy on suggests that they are
excessively concerned about a wide range of aspects of nature.

E for Evaluation Questions
EVALUATION QUESTIONS

Evaluation Questions
The number of marks for these varies, from 5 marks upwards.
U for Understanding questions are about what the writer
says.
A for Analysis questions are about how the writer says it.
E for Evaluation questions are about how well, how
convincingly, how suitably or how effectively the writer says
it.
Many evaluation questions will be marked with a mixture
of key letters.

Evaluation Questions
Many evaluation questions will be marked with a mixture
of key letters.
If you are asked how effective an image is, this would be
labelled A/E, as you have to be able to analyse the image
before you can show how effective it is.
Or you might be asked how effective an anecdote is in
supporting the writer’s point of view – this would be labelled
U/E as you need to understand the point of view before you
can evaluate how well the anecdote supports it.

Questions on both passages
At the end of the paper you find the above heading. Usually
there is just one question here, asking you to compare the
passages in some way. It’s usually worth 5 marks and is
always an E for Evaluation question, sometimes with an
element of Understanding or Analysis mixed in.
As the heading makes clear, you can’t answer this question
until you know both passages well and in full. Doing whole
past papers to practice this type of question will be hugely
helpful to you.

•There are 5 marks, 10% of the total for the exam.
•You’ll need ten to fifteen minutes
•Approach this question like a mini-essay
•You will usually be invited to state some preference for one
passage over the other, and asked to justify this preference
by referring closely to both passages.
•Small details in the wording of the question are crucial to
your answering the question correctly.

The style of your answer
•Start by setting up a line of thought that
gives your basic answer to the question
•Carry on by writing a number of brief, clear
paragraphs. Each should begin with a topic
sentence. There are two ways you can do
this:
-Compare or contrast the two passages in
every paragraph.
-have some paragraphs about why you find
one passage convincing, etc, and a smaller
number of paragraphs about why you feel
the other passage has shortcomings or is
less successful.
I am more inclined to
agree with Tommy
Atkins’ response to the
subject.
OR
I find the second
passage, by Joe Bloggs,
more effective in
capturing my interest.
OR
I found the first passage
by Jane Doe, more
effective in making me
think.

NOW IT’S
TIME TO
TACKLE
SOME ON
YOUR OWN.

Close Reading Strategies for Higher English

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