1. Higher English – RUAE
Analysis Questions

2. Two passages- Non-fiction 30 marks (25+5)
The exam
Paper 1 Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation – One and a half hours
Two passages- Non-fiction
30 marks (25+5)

3. What is analysis
Understanding is thinking carefully about making sense of the text and the writer's ideas. In other words, you focus on what the writer is saying.
Analysis is thinking carefully about the language choices the writer has made when writing the text, such as the vocabulary they choose and how they structure their ideas. In other words, you focus on how the writer has expressed her or his ideas.
Evaluation is thinking carefully about the effectiveness of both ideas and language, making up your own mind about whether the writing convinces us about an opinion or an argument, gets information across well, or succeeds in entertaining us. In other words, you focus on how well the writing achieves its purpose.

4. More difficult questions Pupils gain fewer marks
Why focus on analysis?
More difficult questions
Pupils gain fewer marks
More complex than National 5- no marks for quotation selection at Higher
/25 marks were analysis
/25 marks were analysis

5. What the questions look like
2015
By referring to both word choice and sentence structure, analyse how the writer makes clear her disapproval of dairy farming methods used in Central Valley.
Analyse- Higher papers are very clear!
Two techniques identified. Both must be covered. Use headings.
The question directs us to the idea and therefore we have to make sure that we answer on this aspect only – the idea of disapproval. Be aware that a paragraph can have several ideas.

6. What the questions look like
Look at lines 42–47, and then analyse fully how the writer’s word choice make her views clear.
Identified technique “word choice” highlights that this is analysis and that only this technique should be considered
The question does not specify the writer’s ideas. We need to define them.

7. What the questions look like
Look at lines 62–69, by referring to two examples, analyse fully how the writer makes effective use of contrast in these paragraphs. You could refer to sentence structure, tone or word choice.
Identified techniques highlights that this is analysis and that only these techniques should be considered
The question simply asks for contrast. This must mean that we deal with two completely contrasting ideas

8. Analysis – How the Writer Uses language to make her or his points
The techniques
Analysis – How the Writer Uses language to make her or his points
Word Choice
Imagery
Sentence Structure
Tone

9. THEY RARELY ARE! How to answer IDENTIFY TECHNIQUE (0)
SELECT QUOTATION OR REFERENCE (0)
PROVIDE ANALYTICAL COMMENT WHICH ADDRESSES THE QUESTION (1) 2 marks can be awarded for “insightful” comment.
THEY RARELY ARE!

10. Explain how the statistics help support the writer’s argument. (2)
Explain (not analyse)
Fake News
Adapted from an article by Rory Cellan-Jones – BBC Technology correspondent
What is the most important source of news and therefore the most powerful media organisation in the world today? Well there is a good argument that the answer is not a newspaper or broadcasting organisation but a social network, Facebook. After all, it has 1.6 billion users and is becoming an ever more important place for them to share news. More than 40% of the population of the United States say they get news on Facebook - and for many it is where they go to share and comment on stories.
Explain how the statistics help support the writer’s argument. (2)

11. Explain (not analyse)
What is the most important source of news and therefore the most powerful media organisation in the world today? Well there is a good argument that the answer is not a newspaper or broadcasting organisation but a social network, Facebook. After all, it has 1.6 billion users and is becoming an ever more important place for them to share news. More than 40% of the population of the United States say they get news on Facebook - and for many it is where they go to share and comment on stories.
Explain how the statistics help support the writer’s argument. (2)
It tells you that 1.6 billion people use Facebook and this is a lot. It shows Facebook is popular.

12. Explain (not analyse)
What is the most important source of news and therefore the most powerful media organisation in the world today? Well there is a good argument that the answer is not a newspaper or broadcasting organisation but a social network, Facebook. After all, it has 1.6 billion users and is becoming an ever more important place for them to share news. More than 40% of the population of the United States say they get news on Facebook - and for many it is where they go to share and comment on stories.
Explain how the statistics help support the writer’s argument. (2)
It tells you that 1.6 billion people use Facebook and this is a lot. It shows Facebook is popular.
0 marks. There is no explanation- merely restatement.

13. Explain (not analyse)
What is the most important source of news and therefore the most powerful media organisation in the world today? Well there is a good argument that the answer is not a newspaper or broadcasting organisation but a social network, Facebook. After all, it has 1.6 billion users and is becoming an ever more important place for them to share news. More than 40% of the population of the United States say they get news on Facebook - and for many it is where they go to share and comment on stories.
Explain how the statistics help support the writer’s argument. (2)
Candidates should be able to infer that 1.6 billion must mean global coverage or at least coverage across several nations (1)
They should also make something of an argument around 40% (almost half) of the US have access to Facebook and explain the influence that this will have. (1)
NO MARKS for simply restating the statistics. There has to be an attempt to explain how they contribute to the argument.

14. Analyse how the writer creates tone.
What is the subject being discussed?
What is the writer’s attitude?
Explanation of how language helps create that attitude

15. Tone

16. Tone
Stories like this - "Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President", "Barack Obama Admits He Was Born in Kenya", or "Trump said in 1998 'If I were to run, I'd run as a Republican. They're the dumbest group of voters in the country'." What all of those stories had in common was that they were completely made up. That did not stop them being shared by millions of Facebook users.
Describe the tone of one of the headlines and explain how one feature of language creates the tone. (2)

17. Tone
Stories like this - "Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President", "Barack Obama Admits He Was Born in Kenya", or "Trump said in 1998 'If I were to run, I'd run as a Republican. They're the dumbest group of voters in the country'." What all of those stories had in common was that they were completely made up. That did not stop them being shared by millions of Facebook users.
Describe the tone of one of the headlines and explain how one feature of language creates the tone. (2)
The tone of the second headline is triumphant. The word “admits” suggests that he has been pressured or forced into confessing that he was born abroad and that there is a sense of shame behind the confession.

18. Imagery
 Imagery questions test your ability to understand, analyse and - often - evaluate a piece of figurative language.
Questions on imagery with generally be for 2 marks, although sometimes a third mark may be available for stating what the meaning of the image (ie. what two things are being compared). The formula below may have helped you to answer these types of questions at National 5.
________________ is being compared to ___________________
This is effective because just as ‘________’ suggests _______________
So too __________________________________
Higher
Identify the image
 literal root of the image
relate it to idea

19. Imagery
Whoever created this torrent of untruth probably had two motives - to cause mischief and to make a large amount of cash through the adverts that are the lifeblood of Facebook and the businesses which live off what it describes as its ecosystem. But they also succeeded in unleashing a debate about fake news and whether the internet, far from spreading enlightenment as its creators once hoped, was leaving us worse informed.
Analyse how any one example of imagery in paragraph three supports the writer’s argument. (2)

20. Imagery
Whoever created this torrent of untruth probably had two motives - to cause mischief and to make a large amount of cash through the adverts that are the lifeblood of Facebook and the businesses which live off what it describes as its ecosystem. But they also succeeded in unleashing a debate about fake news and whether the internet, far from spreading enlightenment as its creators once hoped, was leaving us worse informed.
Analyse how any one example of imagery in paragraph three supports the writer’s argument. (2)
Identify images and relate to an idea

21. Imagery
Whoever created this torrent of untruth probably had two motives - to cause mischief and to make a large amount of cash through the adverts that are the lifeblood of Facebook and the businesses which live off what it describes as its ecosystem. But they also succeeded in unleashing a debate about fake news and whether the internet, far from spreading enlightenment as its creators once hoped, was leaving us worse informed.
Analyse how any one example of imagery in paragraph three supports the writer’s argument. (2)
Identify images and relate to an idea
Image
Literal root
Idea
Torrent of untruth
Lies are out of control and vast in number
Lifeblood
Facebook need advertising revenue
Ecosystem
There is a financial relationship between Facebook and other companies

22. Imagery Image Literal root Idea Torrent of untruth
A torrent is a fast flowing river and has great force
Lies are out of control and vast in number
Lifeblood
Lifeblood is the essential fluid that keeps us alive
Facebook need advertising revenue
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is an inter-dependency between species and suggests that they need each other to survive
There is a financial relationship between Facebook and other companies

23. Word Choice
At first Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared unwilling to engage with that debate, dismissing the idea that fake news could have swung the presidential election as "crazy". But it soon became clear that this position was untenable and that even inside Facebook there was plenty of agonising going on over its role in fakery. Some days later Mr Zuckerberg took to - you've guessed it - Facebook to share some good news. "We've been working on this problem a long time and take this responsibility seriously," he wrote.
Analyse how one example of word choice helps the writer make his point about Facebook being troubled.

24. connotations, nuance, shade of meaning
Word Choice
At first Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared unwilling to engage with that debate, dismissing the idea that fake news could have swung the presidential election as "crazy". But it soon became clear that this position was untenable and that even inside Facebook there was plenty of agonising going on over its role in fakery. Some days later Mr Zuckerberg took to - you've guessed it - Facebook to share some good news. "We've been working on this problem a long time and take this responsibility seriously," he wrote.
Analyse how one example of word choice helps the writer make his point about Facebook being troubled.
connotations, nuance, shade of meaning
“Agonising”- connotations of pain or upset thus suggests that those in charge of Facebook were deeply troubled and thought for a long time about their role in the spread of Fake news.

25. Use of language
Of course, Facebook is trying to apply a new technology solution to an age-old problem, hoping it can come up with an algorithm which will sift truth from falsehood. We used to think that was a job for editors and traditional journalism has hardly been free of its own fabrication scandals, so maybe journalists need to take a long hard look at their own profession before being too sniffy about the ethics of social media firms.
Analyse how the writer’s use of language suggests that the world of journalism is complex. (2)

26. Use of language
Of course, Facebook is trying to apply a new technology solution to an age-old problem, hoping it can come up with an algorithm which will sift truth from falsehood. We used to think that was a job for editors and traditional journalism has hardly been free of its own fabrication scandals, so maybe journalists need to take a long hard look at their own profession before being too sniffy about the ethics of social media firms.
Analyse how the writer’s use of language suggests that the world of journalism is complex. (2)
IMAGERY
WORD CHOICE

27. Use of language
Of course, Facebook is trying to apply a new technology solution to an age-old problem, hoping it can come up with an algorithm which will sift truth from falsehood. We used to think that was a job for editors and traditional journalism has hardly been free of its own fabrication scandals, so maybe journalists need to take a long hard look at their own profession before being too sniffy about the ethics of social media firms.
Analyse how the writer’s use of language suggests that the world of journalism is complex. (2)
IMAGERY
WORD CHOICE
“solution” suggesting some kind of equation or working out of answer
“algorithm”- a complex procedure, needs scientific accuracy therefore….
“sift” – image of careful analysis through lots of information, looking for a small amount of information from a larger amount
“ethics” – suggests ideas of philosophical depth with reasoning, logic, moral dilemma.

28. Sentence Construction
You should be aware of the different types of sentence structure. There is generally no need to quote directly when discussing sentence structure - a clear explanation of the structural device being used will do fine.
Long and complex/short simple sentences
Complex sentences may mimic complex ideas; short sentences have impact
Repetition of words or phrases
Repeated ideas will be emphasised or spotlighted
List
Provides detail, complexity, etc.
Climax / anticlimax following a list
Creates suspense/shows easing of tension
Questions / exclamations / commands
Achieve a particular tone, e.g. emotive (arousing strong feelings)
Sentences without verbs (minor sentences)
Create a colloquial (informal) style or build tension
Unusual word order, e.g. inversion
Alters emphasis; may build tension
Sentences with symmetrical pattern of structure but with contrasting (opposite) ideas
Provide contrast
Parenthesis
Adds extra information, comment or clarification

29. Sentence Construction
Punctuation is often a good signpost for sentence structure, so you should also remember the ‘jobs’ done by the different kinds of punctuation.
Commas
Separate items in a list or clauses in a sentence
Pairs of brackets, dashes or commas
Create parenthesis (see above)
Colon (or dash)
Introduces a list, example, explanation or quotation
Semi-colon
Separate complex items in a list (usually a very long list); separate two distinct, but connected, sentences
Inverted commas
Indicate quotation or speech; sometimes used to indicate irony

30. Sentence Construction
Earlier this week up popped a story in my Facebook feed. "Facebook worked on special software so it could potentially accommodate censorship demands in China," it said. Surely fake, I thought - would a company dedicated to truth really be developing a tool which would allow the Chinese authorities to suppress it? But then I saw the report was from the venerable New York Times and Facebook was not denying it, merely saying that it was "spending time understanding and learning more" about China. We know that Mr Zuckerberg does have a deep interest in China - he has been learning Mandarin after all.
And Facebook is not alone among Western technology firms in wrestling with the dilemma of wanting access to this lucrative market while holding on to some of their values of free expression. The same can be said of other media organisations: 20 years ago Rupert Murdoch opted not to publish a book critical of China at a time when his Sky TV empire was trying to expand there. I am not entirely sure that Mark Zuckerberg would like the comparison but, in many ways, he is shaping up to be the Murdoch of the next 20 years. A global media tycoon, with great sway over how we understand our world.
Analyse how two examples of sentence structure help contribute to the writer’s presentation of ideas. (4)

31. Sentence Construction
Earlier this week up popped a story in my Facebook feed. "Facebook worked on special software so it could potentially accommodate censorship demands in China," it said. Surely fake, I thought - would a company dedicated to truth really be developing a tool which would allow the Chinese authorities to suppress it? But then I saw the report was from the venerable New York Times and Facebook was not denying it, merely saying that it was "spending time understanding and learning more" about China. We know that Mr Zuckerberg does have a deep interest in China - he has been learning Mandarin after all.
And Facebook is not alone among Western technology firms in wrestling with the dilemma of wanting access to this lucrative market while holding on to some of their values of free expression. The same can be said of other media organisations: 20 years ago Rupert Murdoch opted not to publish a book critical of China at a time when his Sky TV empire was trying to expand there. I am not entirely sure that Mark Zuckerberg would like the comparison but, in many ways, he is shaping up to be the Murdoch of the next 20 years. A global media tycoon, with great sway over how we understand our world.
The dash explains in detail what is expected of an editor, some sense of public duty
Adverbial phrase “surely a fake” at the start of the sentence to create a chatty tone or express the obvious answer
Parenthesis of “I thought” to suggest the writer’s surprise
Rhetorical question to raise concern about an organisation being hypocritical in its values.
Dash in final sentence of the extract suggests a piece of supporting detail which suggests that the owner of Facebook has a plan to expand into China. …

32. Effective conclusion (Evaluation)
And people like him have commercial incentives to shape the news leaving truth as a casualty of 21st century media wars.
Explain two ways in which the final paragraph is an effective conclusion. (2)

33. Effective conclusion (Evaluation)
And people like him have commercial incentives to shape the news leaving truth as a casualty of 21st century media wars.
Explain two ways in which the final paragraph is an effective conclusion. (2)
Sums up the attitude of rich and powerful media figures
Concludes with the idea of wealth being important- more than truth
Looks to future 21st century
Imagery of “truth” as a “casualty” and “war”. Explanation of image.

34. Reading Practice

35. Thank you Next steps Scholar read Scholar notes Make your own notes
Read newspaper/ magazine articles and find techniques
Past papers