Remember, keywords are highlighted in orange. They may be technical vocabulary that I want you to try to use in your own writing, or they may link directly to the novella, highlighting key themes.
Exam Focus - English Language
For most exam boards, we focus on AQA, question one deals with Assessment Objective 1, AO1.
AO1 - Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas.
This is an important question to answer correctly. Many students lose marks on question one simply because they think it is so easy. They rush it, opting to move on to the more difficult questions, and then make mistakes. However, there are four points up for grabs, and if you take your time, every student can get full marks on question one.
Question one simply asks you to identify ideas and information that are there in front of you. It is a basic reading comprehension question.
The type of questions you may be asked are:
List four things that show the narrator is happy.
List four things that show Sammy was angry.
Identify four words that show Sarah was in a hurry.
List four things that tell you it was too hot.
You will be expected to give four answers, each worth one point. And you will be expected to write each of the four things in a sentence.
In question one, you are asked to identify explicit information; you will not need to look for hidden meaning.
Here, we need to make sure you understand the difference between explicit and implicit information.
Watch GCSE English Language by Minerva's Virtual Academy.
In your journal, write Paper One Question 1 as your heading. Then, underneath, write the AO1 objective.
Draw two text boxes, one green and one red. Inside the green box, write the heading Explicit Information. Underneath, write a definition for explicit, an example and some synonyms. In the red box, do the same for implicit. Put a red cross somewhere on the red box to remind you not to look for implicit information in question 1.
To answer this question, you will need to:
Identify the section of text referred to in the question. Do not answer using any other text; your answer will be marked wrong.
Read the section of the text and highlight any facts. Do not include any implicit information. The question is looking for explicit facts.
Look at the text you have highlighted and check that it directly refers to the question. For example, you will not get a point if you say it was raining and the question asks you to list four things about the park. The rain is a fact about the weather.
Write each point down in a full sentence.
Practice
Read the following extract.
The following extract is from “Of Mice and Men”, chapter 1.
A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of 'coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.
There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.
Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray sculptured stones. And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, and wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. The small man stepped nervously beside him.
"Lennie!" he said sharply. "Lennie, for God' sakes don't drink so much." Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. "Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night."
Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all, and then he sat up on the bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back. "That's good," he said. "You drink some, George. You take a good big drink." He smiled happily.
Answer the following questions in your journal.
Read again the first part of the Source from lines 1 - 7.
List four things from this part of the text about the Salinas River.
Read again the first part of the Source from lines 7-11.
List four things from this part of the text about the wildlife near the river.
Read again the first part of the Source from lines 12 -16.
List four things from this part of the text about the path.
Read again the first part of the Source from lines 20 - 25
List four things from this part of the text about the two men.
Read again the first part of the Source from lines 25 - 30
List four things from this part of the text about the huge man.
Key Vocabulary
Write these words into your journal with a definition, and example and a drawing.
penance
social responsibility
remorse
catalyst
Reading Comprehension
Complete the reading activity below.
Read Stave 1 from "The same face:..." to "...and fell asleep upon an instant.".
This is a key event in the novella. Marley's ghost appears wearing a heavy chain of "cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses." This chain symbolises how Marley was obsessed with money, and this obsession led to his lack of compassion and care for others. The result is that he is "doomed to wander through the world" forever, and he describes this as " incessant torture."
Marley makes it clear that Scrooge's chain is heavier than his, and Dickens implies that Scrooge's fate will be worse than his. The imagery of Purgatory is used to tell the readers that Scrooge's behaviour is unchristian and not desirable.
This event is also the catalyst for Scrooge's transformation. When Marley's face appears on the door knocker, he experiences a "terrible sensation," one he has not felt since "infancy." He is afraid and has not been since childhood. Scrooge then tries to make jokes to "keep down his terror." This is not normal behaviour for Scrooge as he is "not much in the habit " of being funny, emphasising how terrified he is. Scrooge begs Marley for some explanation or comfort and speaks with "humility" and "deference", starkly contrasting his behaviour at the start of Stave 1. Finally, Scrooge tries to say "humbug" about Marley's warning but is unable to say the whole word. This implies that he is changing and losing his negative view of life.
Watch Mr Bruff's Jacob Marley video.
Read about juxtaposition here.
Write a definition for juxtapose in your journal. Here are some examples in A Christmas Carol:-
The juxtaposition of Christmas Eve, typically a time of warmth and joy, with the cold, bleak weather and Scrooge's miserly behaviour creates a stark contrast that sets the tone for the story.
The characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and his nephew, Fred, are juxtaposed, bringing out their contrast even more fully.
The character of Fred, who brings a "glow", is juxtaposed with the bleak, miserable weather.
Copy the three examples into your journal.
Thinking about the second half of Stave 1, complete the questions below in your journal.
For each question, identify if you are being asked for explicit or implicit information before answering each question.
What do you know about Marley from the first half of the stave?
Scrooge turns away some charity collectors. What does this tell you about
his character at this point in the story?
How does Scrooge react when he first sees Marley’s ghost? Give a quote to
support your answer.
How does Scrooge try to keep himself calm when he talks to Marley’s
ghosts? Give a quote.
What are Marley’s ghost regrets?
What does Marley’s ghost tell Scrooge about why he must be haunted by
spirits? Give a quote.
At the end of the stave, Scrooge tries to say “humbug” but stops. What
Does this tell you how his character is changing?
Identifying Themes
Work through the whole of this BBC Bitesize unit.
Marley's ghost represents the idea of Christian penance. Visiting Scrooge is repentance for how he behaved in life and for his sins. Dickens uses Marley's ghost to deliver a warning to the reader: We must make choices not based on our interests but on the interests of others. His message is that of social responsibility and charity.
Use a double page in your journal and write the title Social Responsibility.
As you read the novella, keep returning to this page to add extra details.
Go through Stave 1 and write down any quotes, events or literature techniques that Dickens uses that address the theme of social responsibility.
Writing
Write a journal entry for Scrooge on Christmas Eve. Remember to:
Structure your writing as a journal entry.
Include details from the Stave.
To write in first person.
Use the rubric below to mark your work.
コメント