STANDARD GRADE CLOSE READING

In Your Own Words You have to show that you understand what you have read by explaining it. Do not copy or repeat any words in the passage. Passage: The ornate gate swung open to real a spectacular grand old mansion. Own Words: The fancy gate opened quickly to show a large house that was impressive to look at because it was so big and ancient.

You Try Passage: The pockmarked face of the scrawny man peered down at me.

Quote a Word Quote an Expression When a question asks you to quote a word, you must write down ONLY ONE WORD from the passage. When it asks you to quote a phrase or expression you MUST NOT copy the whole sentence – just the relevant word or words.

For example Passage: George’s lame foot dragged behind him as he made the arduous journey home. Write down the phrase that shows George had an injury. Answer: “Lame foot” Write down a word to show the difficulty George faced. Answer: “Arduous”

You Try … Passage: Jane felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia as she flicked through the photographs. A solitary tear trickled down her rouged cheeks. Write down an expression which shows Jane has a longing for the past. Write down an expression which suggests Jane is sad.

Word Choice A word choice question will ask you to pick out a word and comment on its connotations (i.e. what that word means to you) Passage: The headmaster marched along the corridor What does this word suggest about the headmaster? (HINT: “Quote” the word + Comment about it) The word “marched” suggests the headmaster was soldier-like: smart, powerful, on the attack and taking big strides.

You Try Passage: Jeremy’s menacing eyes scanned the playground. What does this word suggest about Jeremy?

Another Word Choice … You may have to find the word that describes or explains something important. Passage: Ali was a diligent boy who could always be relied upon to turn up to training. Despite all his medals for winning, he still thought he was uncoordinated. Give an example of the writer’s word choice which describes: a)Ali’s character b)How Ali imagines he is. “Uncoordinated” which means he thinks he falls over a lot. a)‘diligent’ =means reliable and regular

Another Word Choice Quote two examples of the writer’s word choice which help to convey that the noise from fireworks was sudden and dramatic. Loud boom noises punctuated the night as fireworks were propelled into the smokey dark sky. “Punctuated” means an interruption “Propelled” means to be shot or thrown quickly

Link Questions (Mainly Credit Papers) Many students find this type of question quite tricky. Basically, a link question asks you to explain how a sentence links BACK to what has been written before and how it then links FORWARD to what is coming next. There are 5 steps that you must follow to answer a link question properly.

Link Questions 1.“Quote” the word/phrase from the link sentence that links/refers BACK to the previous topic 2.Explain what the previous topic was about. 3.“Quote” the word/phrase from the link sentence that links/refers to the next topic 4.Explain what the next topic is is about.

Example The teacher was nervously awaiting her interview with the headmaster: biting her fingernails in an attempt to stop her hands from shaking so much; wiping the sweat from her brow intermittently. Anxiety was building. Despite her obvious fear, she knew deep down inside that she had nothing to worry about. She had read every document she was supposed to and had taken up the offers of mock interviews on several occasions.

Answer 1“Obvious fear” links back to (2) the teacher’s nerves and anxiety about the interview discussed in the previous paragraph. 3.“Nothing to worry about” links forward to the idea that she should be confident because she had done lots of preparation as explained in the next paragraph.

You try David and Ben both like to ride skateboards and can flip, turn, twist and fall off their boards with the ease of boys born with wheels on their feet. Natural talent is obvious in board riding but skateboarding can be dangerous. Hours and hours of time is spent rehearsing the tricks to ensure that there is no risk of injury….

Answer 1.“Natural talent” refers back (2) to the skills described in the previous paragraph 3. “can be dangerous” links forward (4) to the idea that training is needed to prevent injuries explained in the next paragraph