beyond naplan: how to read challenging texts · displayed on a screen ... reflect on questions on...

Beyond NAPLANHow to read challenging texts

February 2015

ContentsPart 1: Introduction ____________________________________ 1

Unit sequencing ................................................................................................. 1

What are challenging fiction texts? .................................................................... 2

How can thinking be made visible?.................................................................... 2

Further information about metacognition ............................................................................. 2

Part 2: Metacognitive conversation_______________________ 3

Building a culture of inquiry in the classroom .................................................... 3

Part 3: Cognitive tools _________________________________ 4

Hypothesise ....................................................................................................... 4

Use the language of literature ............................................................................ 4

Use a reading guide ........................................................................................... 5

Annotate............................................................................................................. 5

Analyse .............................................................................................................. 6

Student Handout 1: Reading guide .................................................................... 7

Student handout 2: Bookmarks.......................................................................... 9

Part 4: Teacher in-service _____________________________ 10

Short-response questions ................................................................................ 14

Part 5: Whole class work ______________________________ 15

Short-response questions ................................................................................ 19

Part 6: Student group work ____________________________ 20

Plot summary ................................................................................................... 20

Extract 1: Pip describes his life as an orphan .................................................. 21

Extract 2: Pip meets Miss Havisham at Satis House ....................................... 22

Extract 3: Pip describes the mouth of the river ................................................ 23

Extract 4: Years later, Pip finds Estella at Satis House.................................... 24

Student record sheet........................................................................................ 25

Appendix 1: Nantucket ________________________________ 28

Appendix 2: Mark Antony’s Eulogy _____________________ 30

Answers to the multiple-choice questions ........................................................ 33

iQueensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority |

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| How to read challenging texts

Part 1: Introduction

Part 1 examines the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Reading test, which includes narratives of varying difficulty as well as a range of other genres. In each of the last three years in the Year 9 NAPLAN Reading test, there has been a narrative text that could be described as ‘challenging’. This is because the motivation of the characters is unstated and their responses to the unusual events that are occurring are also unclear. This can be seen in the 2012 Reading test Between the bridges (written by Charles Dickens); the 2013 test Going somewhere and the 2014 test Chan and the waterfall.

The reading tests include a range of items, increasing in complexity from literal to lower-order inferential questions, and moving to higher-order inferential questions of an analytical and evaluative form. By analysing the facility rates for these different types of questions, it is possible to identify trends in student performance in particular types of items.

The data provided in each of the three years for questions involving higher-order thinking, which typically involved the identification of purpose and main idea, shows that student facility rates were consistently lower than other items in the tests. A contributing factor to these low facility rates is the very significant number of omits where a student provides no response. The omission rates were typically 25% higher for these types of questions.

In addition to intentional questions about purpose or main idea, other analytical questions are:

• Thematic: What is the main idea/message/theme or underlying assumption?

• Countering: Which statement most directly undermines the main argument?

• Contrasting: What contrast is made in the text?

• Substantiating: The text is supported by the idea that ...

A central thread within this range of cognitive demands, is that the reader is asked to make some global or comprehensive inference or judgment, which is often based on an understanding of the whole text. Three common pitfalls for students when answering these types of questions include:

• an inability to relate a specified element of the text to a whole-of-text understanding

• not following lexical clues in a text relating to a central idea or purpose and

• not recognising contrasting elements when determining a central idea or purpose.

Unit sequencing This document was created to improve performance on the comprehension of more difficult texts as well as on higher-order inferential questions. It is made up of six parts.

• Part 1: Introduction explains the link between this unit and data from the Reading test.

• Part 2: Metacognitive conversation illustrates how a culture of inquiry can be created.

• Part 3: Cognitive tools provides students with practical strategies.

• Part 4: Teacher in-service, based on an extract from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, is designed to help teachers experience how students feel when presented with challenging texts.

• Part 5: Whole-class work can be used to familiarise the class with the reading guide using an extract from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Mark Antony’s eulogy).

• Part 6: Student group work gives students practice in annotating and discussing extracts from Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’. They can use the Student record sheet on page 25.

Handouts to help students stay focused on higher-order thinking skills as they read include the:

• reading guide on page 7

• bookmark on page 9.

1Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority |

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Now, let’s look at what challenging texts involve.

What are challenging fiction texts?Some fiction texts are written to be easily read and understood. For this reason, they have uncomplicated or formulaic plots, familiar characters and settings, and simple language and text structures.

Other imaginative texts, however, are complex in subject matter, structure or language. This is to make readers reflect more deeply about the characters, their situations and the problems they face. These texts may use unusual perspectives or explore daunting issues. They may deal with complicated ideas or unfamiliar situations and subjects.

They may also use language that is highly crafted and embellished as evident in some literary styles used in the past. Students might also have to cope with archaic expressions and unfamiliar vocabulary often found in narratives written in the past. If students have the cognitive tools and strategies that allow them to read and talk about challenging literary texts, they will become heirs to the artistic and intellectual treasure left to us by the world’s great writers.

How can thinking be made visible?Part 2 investigates metacognition, which could be described as the act of consciously thinking about thinking. Even though we all think constantly, the classroom is where thinking itself is cultivated in a conscious, disciplined way. Because reading enables learning, teachers and students need to talk to each other about the thinking that occurs as they read. Students need to practise thinking aloud with simple texts until they are familiar with the steps outlined in the unit. This practice will introduce them to the idea of thinking more deeply about a text’s purpose and meaning. Then they can move on to more challenging literary texts.

How do we, as adults, read challenging literary texts? Do we consciously or unconsciously draw on a range of strategies? For skilled readers (and this includes teachers), the thought processes that make comprehension possible are usually automatic. It is easy to forget that the processes once needed to be learnt. In this respect, reading is a bit like driving. A good driver might be a poor teacher of driving if the steps can’t be recalled. Learner drivers need help to think consciously about the steps of ignition, moving the gear stick, easing off the brake, accelerating, steering and so on while also considering road rules and other traffic. They also need lots of practice so that the steps occur seamlessly and unconsciously. Since teachers are skilled readers, they may need to remind themselves of what they went through as beginners. Then they are better able to help students think consciously about how meaning is constructed in more challenging texts.

Thinking about thinking occurs as students:

• think aloud

• talk it through.

This document is a teachers’ guide to how metacognitive conversation might occur in the classroom. It shows how skilled teachers can model thinking processes for students. The advice given here is drawn from both practical experience and books about teaching reading. It has one main focus: to empower students to read, understand and appreciate extracts from challenging literary texts using a step-by-step process.

Further information about metacognition

Harvey, S & Goudvis, A 2000, Strategies that Work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding, Pembroke Publishers, Ontario, Canada.

Robb, L 2013, Unlocking Complex Texts: A systematic framework for building adolescents’ comprehension, Scholastic, New York.

Schoenbach, R, Greenleaf, C & Murphy, L 2012, READING for understanding, 2nd edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. (See Chapter 4, ‘Metacognitive conversation’.)


Part 2: Metacognitive conversation

Metacognitive conversation facilitates a number of functions which:

• demystify the reading process as students hear and observe how the teacher and other students think through aspects of challenging and unfamiliar texts

• enable students to take on (and progress through) different roles, e.g. observer, collaborator, independent operator and finally mentor

• foster a positive atmosphere in the classroom as students actively engage with texts and the world of ideas rather than being passive receptors. Students learn to express ‘disagree’ statements in a way that focuses on the text, rather than on the person expressing an opinion.

If students regularly use the cognitive tools explained in the next section, metacognitive conversation is enabled and a culture of transmission subsequently changes into a culture of inquiry. A culture of inquiry in the classroom is one where everyone is a learner and has the right to express an opinion as long as it is respectful to the text and to others in the classroom.

Building a culture of inquiry in the classroom

Behaviours that support a culture of inquiry in the classroom include:

• respecting the integrity of the text, i.e. don’t force it to say something it doesn’t say

• discussing the text and the author in a respectful way

• accepting that some texts have multiple (even contradictory) messages, e.g. while a text might work hard to criticise a character, a harsh tone might have the opposite effect

• reserving judgment — some opinions may be unusual or tangential, but they might lead to something worthwhile

• listening to each other respectfully, i.e. asking questions to clarify things in the text rather than saying unsubstantiated or negative things such as ‘I think that is rubbish’.

Looks like Sounds like

Flexible groupings are occurring as:

• student groups access a dictionary or a tablet and planning paper to make notes

• each student has reading equipment (pencils, eraser and highlighters)

• each student has their reading guide and a bookmark to facilitate thinking

• text annotation examples are displayed around the room or on a screen

• students write annotations on paper or on a text displayed on a screen

– student annotate their extracts by: - identifying sections within the text - using arrows to show connections between ideas in the text- highlighting literary features and the main ideas- writing notes in the margins.

Purposeful conversations are occurring as:

• students pose questions rather than simply respond to teacher questions

• students listen actively and are willing to revise their opinions about what is happening

• individuals and groups share ideas with the class and students ask clarifying questions

• quiet time is used effectively when students reflect on questions on the reading guide and record their answers

• longer wait times are used to encourage more thoughtful answers

• students use appropriate ways to show their appreciation of a good spoken or written responses.


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Part 3: Cognitive tools

Part 3 outlines some cognitive tools that will help students analyse challenging narrative texts in a more effective way. It also outlines the knowledge and skills that they need to develop.

HypothesiseIt is important for students to think about why the extract has been chosen. Extracts from narratives are often chosen because they focus on:

• an unresolved mystery, i.e. the answer is not disclosed in the extract

• an unusual atmosphere or tone

• a stylistic feature, e.g. sustained figurative language

• a character/s and their motivation

• a relationship between characters.

Some extracts may combine elements of several of the above, e.g. by describing the setting in a particular way and revealing something about the character’s state of mind. Once this has been decided, the students knows what to focus on in the text.

Use the language of literatureIt is important to use the language of literature when talking about a text, e.g.

It is particularly important that students are aware that the ‘people’ in the text are characters, i.e. artificial constructions of the author’s imagination and that the author is using grammar, language and images to make the reader ‘see’ them in a particular way.

• author

• style

• narrator

• themes

• flashback

• protagonist

• setting

• irony

• atmosphere

• repetition

• imagery

• figures of speech.


Use a reading guideIn the classroom, students benefit from visual prompts about how they should be looking at a text. Sometimes it is useful to use an animal analogy to give students a visual reference to help them understand why a particular approach is being used at a particular point, e.g. consider the

• eagle, with its keen eyesight, can see small prey on the ground but also the big picture

• wolf with a keen sense of smell doggedly follows the scent of its prey. It can travel by night and locate hidden things. It can recall past hunting experiences and good places to find prey, and can even draw on the resources of other wolves in the pack.

This approach of using the eagle’s and the wolf’s way of looking for prey in the ‘terrain’ of the text helps students avoid a superficial reading of the text so they can arrive at a whole-of-text meaning.

AnnotateThe skills of both an eagle and a wolf are necessary for students annotating texts. The eagle identifies the big picture in the margins, then the wolf hunts through the text looking for clues that support the big picture. It is important for students to use highlighters and arrows to annotate texts. When students share annotations, metacognition occurs. Motto: To annotate texts, make it dirty to make it clear.

How to look What the reader does

Fly over the text • Read all the information around the extract, e.g. vocabulary, headings, illustrations.

• Think about why the extract may have been chosen. This will direct attention to what is important, not what is obvious or first mentioned.

• Look for any patterns in the terrain of the extract.

• Visualise the extract as if looking at a film.

Hunt through the text • Talk about strategies that help the reader to decode meaning, e.g.

– follow pronoun referencing or semantic threads

– think about how certain words are chosen to convey a meaning

– recognise the effect of figures of speech and imagery, commands, rhetorical questions, and strong or soft modality in verbs and adverbs

– be alert to tonal changes, how the ideas develop, and how a character’s motivation is revealed.

• Reflect on and appropriate the ideas of others after discussion has made other people’s thinking visible.

All this will help you deduce the writer’s purpose or intention.

Look deeper into the text

• Look for hidden information that might be accessed through empathising, interrogating figures of speech or the title, or detecting a seeming contradiction or problem in the text.

Look beyond the text • Look for connections to your prior knowledge.

• Think about the information you don’t know that is relevant to the text, what you need to know and how you might find that information out.


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Note: Teachers could use this as an example when they come to Part 5 of this unit.

Hints to help students annotate:

• Use margins to show progression of what is happening to the character on the left side and identify literary techniques and patterns or connections in the text on the right side.

• Highlight in different colours, e.g. identify the main ideas in one colour and then prominent text features in different colours.

Analyse Analysing involves two steps. First, students must explore different aspects of the topic by referring to evidence in the text. Second, they must arrive at a judgment in response to a question. For example, the student’s oral or written response to the following question: ‘What is the character of Pip feeling?’ might be:

Pip is very critical of this ‘flat’, ‘monotonous’ landscape. One might expect him to feel

nostalgic or at home because of the similarities to ‘his own marsh country’. But he

focuses on negatives such as everything being ‘stranded and still’, e.g. ‘the great

floating buoys’ are tethered and unable to escape. He uses personification to describe

the lighthouse as a decaying wreck, ‘crippled in the mud’ like a patient on ‘crutches’

rather than as something picturesque. Finally, he sees only ‘mud’ swallowing all the

decaying objects along the river. The repetition of mud and the building of decaying

detail such as ‘slimy stakes’ show he feels pessimistic.

It was like my own marsh country, flat and

monotonous, and with a dim horizon; while the

winding river turned and turned, and the great

floating buoys upon it turned and turned, and

everything else seemed stranded and still. For,

now, the last of the fleet of ships was round the last

low point we had headed; and the last green barge,

straw-laden, with a brown sail, had followed; and

some ballast-lighters, shaped like a child’s first rude

imitation of a boat, lay low in the mud; and a little

squat shoal-lighthouse on open piles, stood crippled

in the mud on stilts and crutches; and slimy stakes

stuck out of the mud, and red land marks and tide

marks stuck out of the mud, and an old landing

stage and an old roofless building slipped into the

mud, and all about us was stagnation and mud.

landscape ananalogy for Pip

increasingisolation

increasingsadness

— sets scene— repetition— contrast of

— childhood references— repetitionof mud— increasing detail

movement and being still

summarystatement —he feels stuck too

Character Techniques


Student Handout 1: Reading guideFly over the text and Hunt through the text will help you annotate the text to arrive at a clearer understanding of the subject matter. Use the bookmark on the left-hand side of page 9 to help you formulate questions during the group discussion.

Continues over the page

Fly over the text

Preparing Prepare carefully by reading/considering any other information besides the text on the page, e.g. the introduction, words explained in the glossary, illustrations or layout.

Hypothesising Hypothesise why the text was selected. Is it mainly concerned with developing:

• a mystery or contradiction

• an atmosphere or tone

• a stylistic feature

• a character’s motivation

• a relationship between two characters?

Identifying patterns Identify an underlying pattern in how the information is presented in the extract, e.g.

• compare/contrast

• cause/effect

• problem/solution

• outside/inside

• statement/restatement

• cumulative listing of detail.

Identifying sections Identify two or three distinct sections in the text. Look for change of subject matter, change of tone or change of place or time.

Visualising Visualise or film the scene.

Summarising Summarise the subject matter to explain what the text is about in a couple of sentences.


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Hunt through the text

Analysing

• the ideas

• the tone

• relationships

• figures of speech

Analyse:

• how the argument/ideas connect and develop

• the tone or atmosphere

• a character’s motivation or how a relationship develops

• the effect that figures of speech or other references (e.g. repetition, exaggeration, listing, metaphors, an anecdote) have on atmosphere or characterisation.

Comparing or contrasting

Did the author use comparison or contrast? Was it effective?

Deducing purpose As a result of a close study of word choices, what can you deduce about the author’s purpose?


Identifying a problem

Identify and explore the effect of any inconsistencies, problems or gaps in the text.

Evaluating Evaluate the effectiveness of the text either as a whole or of some aspect of it.

Look beyond the text

Making connections Does something in the text ‘speak to you’ on a personal level, or can you see connections to another text?

Conducting research

Do you need to research something (e.g. the time, the place, objects or cultural practices) to better understand the text)?


Student handout 2: BookmarksCut out and use the bookmark (below left) to help you analyse texts. It contains examples of prompts to help you discuss the text. The bookmark below right is a shortened version that you may use once you are more familiar with the questions.

Fly over the text Fly over the text

Preparing

Where can we look to get help?

Preparing

Hypothesising

This text seems to be focusing on …

Hypothesising

Identifying patterns

Things are small and insignificant and then become …


Identifying sections

There is a clear break from past to present in this line.


Visualising

It starts with a close-up, then …

Visualising

Summarising

What the author is really trying to say is …

Summarising

Hunt through the text Hunt through the text

Analysing the ideas/argument

What effect do the many short/long sentences have?

Analysing the ideas/argument

Analysing tone or atmosphere

There is a change in tone here because …

Analysing tone or atmosphere

Analysing relationships

They are suspicious of each other because …


Analysing figures of speech/other references

Is the metaphor of the ... being used to show …?

Analysing figures of speech and/or other references


The characters of ... and ... respond in a similar way.


Deducing the author’s purpose from words used

Why has the author used many words associated with …?

Deducing the author’s purpose from words used

Look deeper into the text Look deeper into the text


Isn’t this contradictory to …?


Evaluating

Do you think this ironic style is effective?

Evaluating

Look beyond the text Look beyond the text

Making connections

This reminds me of other stories that …

Making connections

Conducting research

We need to find more information about ...

Conducting research


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Part 4: Teacher in-service

The excerpt and practice analysis in Part 4 can be used as an in-service package. The teachers being in-serviced are referred to as the ‘students’. This allows them to experience the power of metacognitive conversation as they explore the difficult terrain of a challenging text. The ‘students’ and the presenter will work through the reading guide.

To check the effectiveness of the students’ ‘flying over’ and ‘hunting skills’, they will complete the short-response questions based on the visual text on page 14 and the multiple-choice questions in Appendix 1: Nantucket (page 28).

��Extract from the novel by Herman Melville, published in 1851.Moby Dick,

Nantucket! Take out your map and look at it. See what a real corner of the world it occupies;how it stands there, away off shore, more lonely than the Eddystone lighthouse. Look at it –a mere hillock, and elbow of sand; all beach, without a background. There is more sand therethan you would use in twenty years as a substitute for blotting paper. Some gamesomewights will tell you that they have to plant weeds there, they don’t grow naturally; that they

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import Canada thistles; that they have to send beyond seas for a spile to stop a leak in an oil2

cask; that pieces of wood in Nantucket are carried about like bits of the true cross in Rome;that people there plant toadstools near their houses, to get under the shade in summer time;that one blade of grass makes an oasis, three blades in a day’s walk a prairie; that they wearquicksand shoes, something like Laplander snowshoes; that they are so shut up, belted about,every way inclosed, surrounded, and made an utter island of by the ocean, that to their verychairs and tables small clams will sometimes be found adhering, as to the backs of sea turtles.But these extravaganzas only show that Nantucket is no Illinois.…

What wonder, then, that these Nantucketers, born on a beach, should take to the sea for alivelihood! They first caught crabs and quahogs in the sand; grown bolder, they waded out

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with nets for mackerel; more experienced, they pushed off in boats and captured cod; and atlast, launching a navy of great ships on the sea, explored this watery world; put an incessantbelt of circumnavigations round it; peeped in at Behring’s Straits ; and in all seasons and all

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oceans declared everlasting war with the mightiest animated mass that has survived theflood ; most monstrous and most mountainous! That Himmalehan , salt-sea Mastodon ,

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clothed with such portentousness of unconscious power, that his very panics are more to bedreaded than his most fearless and malicious assaults!

1. humorous peoplegamesome wights:

2. : wooden plugspile

3. : edible North American shellfishquahogs

4. : between Alaska and Russia; nearly impossible to sail toBehring’s Straits

5. : a reference to the Bible story of Noah’s Arkthe flood

6. : Himalayan; i.e. like the mountainsHimmalehan

7. woolly mammoth; i.e. an example of a large animalMastodon:

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10

15

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Fly over the text: Nantucket

Preparing The style of writing in the Moby Dick extract is unusual and is quite difficult to understand. Where can you look to get help?

The style is very old-fashioned. There are also many unusual words and names. The introduction explains this was written a long time ago. The glossary explains lots of words. The illustration helps the reader see their harsh, treeless environment.

Hypothesising What do you think the extract is focusing on?

It explores an unusual relationship that the tough Nantucketers developed with the sea and the mysterious animal that they are hunting. (Note to teachers: it doesn’t matter if there isn’t a consensus about why the extract was chosen. The conversation is what’s important.)


Can you see a pattern in the way the information is presented?

It moves from early days to later days OR small to big OR poor to rich OR collectors to hunters. Melville uses contrast well. He starts with how small and cramped Nantucket is (just a ‘corner of the world’) and how simple the people are and then moves to the wide expanse of the sea where the Nantucketers’ build ‘great ships’ and hunt whales.


Can you identify three distinct sections that show the development of the author’s ideas?

Section 1: Lines 1 to 13 explain that Nantucket had so few resources that the people had to look elsewhere to survive.

Section 2: Lines 15 to 19 up to ‘Behring’s Straits’ describe the process of change in the Nantucketers. They began like hunter–gatherers on the beach, and then they became fishermen who worked the tidal zone before venturing offshore in wooden boats. Finally, they evolved into global hunters and explorers.

Section 3: Lines 19 from ‘and in all seasons’ to line 23 provide new information about a Mastodon, or extinct mammoth, which breaks the surface of the sea like the Himalayas. This makes you guess that he is describing the largest creature that was hunted in the oceans: the whale.

So in summary, by looking at all three sections you can see how the author controls our ideas about Nantucketers by showing how they were capable of hunting whales despite their unpromising beginnings.

Visualising What images would you use if you were to film the extract?

I would start by filming Nantucket humorously, showing it to be a crazy place, with people who are a bit crazy too. Then I would show a globe marked with their expeditions and trade routes as the people became increasingly more daring and prosperous. Finally, I would show scenes of them engaged in a bloodthirsty war with the whales. The sea would be red with blood.

Summarising Using one or two sentences, describe the subject matter.

People are influenced by the place where they live. Tough places breed tough people.


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Hunt through the text: Nantucket

Analysing ideas/ argument

Choose a significant quote/feature from each section that was identified earlier in the Moby Dick extract that influences the way the reader sees Nantucketers and explain why you chose it.

The first sentence ‘Nantucket!’ is very effective because the exclamation mark plus the very short sentence make the reader curious and want to find out more about this place and what makes it so surprising.

I’d choose the first sentence of the second paragraph starting with ‘What wonder, then,’. The strong exclamation starting with ‘What’ draws attention to the fact that it is obvious that such ‘inclosed’ people would turn to the sea for a livelihood. This sentence makes the reader realise that they had no choice.

An interesting feature in lines 19 to 23 is the emphasis on the whale’s size. So, its ‘unconscious power’ is its ability to smash their boats as it panics and tries to escape.

Analysing textual features and figures of speech

Find some textual or literary features that help Melville describe effectively.

He uses listing (‘shut up, belted about, every way inclosed, surrounded …’), which emphasises that the Nantucketers had no choice but to turn to the sea.

Melville uses hyperbole effectively both in the first paragraph to describe Nantucket in a humorous way and at the end of the extract to communicate the whale’s immense size (by comparing it to the Himalayas and a Mastodon).

Analysing the tone

How would you describe the tone of the extract?

The first paragraph is quite mocking and humorous, e.g. ‘one blade of grass makes an oasis’ to show that vegetation is scarcer in Nantucket than in the desert. The second paragraph is more serious and solemn as the author shows his admiration for their achievements.

Analysing the relationships

How would you describe the relationship between the Nantucketers and the whale?

It is an equal relationship between two powerful forces. The Nantucketers’ determination to hunt whales is matched to the whale’s ‘unconscious power’ and aggression.


Can you find any interesting similarities or contrasts?

Yes. Contrasts are used effectively. It is like the David and Goliath story:The unlikely person/s wins the battle or overcomes the insurmountable odds.

Two states are contrasted. The author says ‘Nantucket is no Illinois’ because Illinois is landlocked and boring in contrast with Nantucket, which does not do things by halves.

Deducing the author’s purpose

What is the author trying to emphasise about the Nantucketers. Refer to specific words used in association with them?

The verb ‘peeped’ might suggest timidity, but in fact these sailors were incredibly courageous as very few ships had entered the Behring Straits before. ‘The word ‘peeped’ suggests caution as the people from Nantucket were entering an unexplored area. The author also uses strong verbs such as ‘launched’, ‘explored’ and ‘declared war’. These verbs imply that Nantucketers are both fearless and fierce.


Complete the short-response questions on page 14 and the multiple-choice questions in Appendix 1: Nantucket (page 28). This will help you check the effectiveness of your ‘flying over’ and ‘hunting skills’ learned in the in-service.

Look deeper into the text: Nantucket

Identifying a problem Now we are going to look at more hidden aspects in the text. Can you identify any inconsistencies or gaps in the text?

Our changed cultural attitudes to whaling mean that we may not respond in the same way as Melville’s original readers to the description of the whale as ‘malicious’ (suggesting that it is evil).

Evaluating What do you think worked in this text and what didn’t?

Worked: It was very interesting to read about the people and the place of Nantucket as today we have no idea how difficult those times were. The author also used a very enthusiastic tone to describe them.

Didn’t work: Nineteenth century novelists used too much description and difficult words. The style and language made it difficult to read.

Look beyond the text: Nantucket

Making connections Does anyone in the class know something about the story of Moby Dick by Herman Melville?

No, but I thought Moby Dick was an albino whale. In Australia, we would never kill such a rare whale or any whale. Today we would consider the Nantucketers's actions to be cruel and unnecessary. In Melville’s time, they might have considered an albino whale to be evil because it was different.

Conducting research What additional information would help readers understand this extract?

Additional information that would help readers understand this extract would include information on how global trade made America a rich country. There were fishing fleets for cod as well as whales.

What were the whale products of bone, blubber and ambergris used for at that time?

Whale bone was used in corsets, oil was used for fuel for lamps and ambergris was used in perfume.


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Short-response questionsThe text and painting below explain the process whalers used to catch a whale. Look at them both carefully, then answer the questions below.

Having spotted a whale from their ship, whalers launched a small boat to chase it. A harpooner in the boat embedded a spearhead attached to a rope in the whale’s body. When the whale became exhausted from dragging the boat, it could then be killed.

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1. The painting shows what was called a ‘Nantucket sleigh ride’. Suggest why it was called this.

2. Choose a statement out of the extract on page 10 and show how this statement helps explain why the Nantucketers would describe catching a whale as a ‘Nantucket sleigh ride’.

The questions are based on the following higher-order thinking skills:

• interrelating ideas

• analysing

• visualising

• interpreting the meaning of pictures.

Statement:

Explanation:


Part 5: Whole class work

Part 5 introduces the reading process to the class. Students work in pairs with each pair given the opportunity to answer one question on paper before it is open to general classroom discussion.

Students read the speech silently, then listen to the teacher read the speech with expression, which will help them determine the tone of the extract. Students discuss the extract in pairs, then together work through the questions on Handout 1:Reading guide (pages 7 and 8). This will allow them to prepare a considered response in classroom discussion.

In this scene from Shakespeare’s , a group of knife-wielding senators have assassinated Caesar.Julius CaesarTheir leader, Brutus, takes the body to the market place and tells the crowd that ‘ambitious’ Caesar had to diebefore he re-imposed monarchy on democratic Rome. The plotters then allow Caesar's famous ally, MarkAntony, to give a funeral speech over the corpse, but Antony has to promise not to criticise the plotters.

Come I to speak in Caesar s funeral.’He was my friend, faithful and just to me:But Brutus says he was ambitious ;1

And Brutus is an honourable man.He hath brought many captives home to Rome2

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:3

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;And Brutus is an honourable man ...

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,But here I am to speak what I do know.You all did love him once, not without cause:What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him? ...O masters, if I were disposed to stir4

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,Who, you all know, are honourable men ...What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,5

That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you ...

I am no orator, as Brutus is;But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,That love my friend; and that they know full well6 7

That gave me public leave to speak of him ...8

For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir men s blood: I only speak right on ;’ 9

I tell you that which you yourselves do know;Show you sweet Caesar s wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,’And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,And Brutus Antony, there were an AntonyWould ruffle up your spirits and put a tongueIn every wound of Caesar that should moveThe stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1. : i.e. he wanted to become a dictatorambitious2. : i.e. CaesarHe3. : public treasurygeneral coffers4. : inclined, of a minddisposed5. : complaints, grievancesgriefs6. : who lovesThat love7. : that is, ‘the plotters know I am no orator’that they know8. whoThat:9. : directly, plainlyright on


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Fly over the text: Mark Antony’s Eulogy

Preparing What things on the page help you before you even read the text?

The introduction explains the history of the event and why Caesar was murdered.

The glossary explains the important word ‘ambitious’ as Caesar wanting to be a dictator and not be answerable to other powerful men. The glossary also explains old-fashioned language.

The illustration is very helpful, as it shows the dramatic moment when Mark Antony exposes Caesar’s wounds to the crowd at the funeral of Caesar.

Hypothesising Why do you think the extract was chosen?

The extract has been chosen because of the clever way it reveals both Mark Antony’s and Brutus’ characters and their hidden motivation. It also looks at the relationship between the characters of Mark Antony and Brutus, which is built on distrust and dislike. Mark Antony tricks Brutus so that he can address the crowd.


Can you see a pattern across the whole text involving the tone?

There is a shift in tone from polite and quiet to angry and passionate.

Can you see a pattern across the whole text involving the subject matter?

There is a shift in emphasis in subject matter from Caesar’s reputation and achievements to Brutus’ reputation and crime.


What are the logical sections of the text, which show the development of the author’s ideas?

Section 1: In lines 1 to 11, Mark Antony states that Caesar’s achievements were for Rome not himself, but that he has no intention of criticising the conspirators.

Section 2: In lines 12 to 22, Mark Antony suggests that the people of Rome should grieve for this great man and that Brutus and Cassius will explain their actions.

Section 3: In lines 23 to 36, Mark Antony reveals Caesar’s multiple wounds and the full horror of the crime to motivate the people to overthrow the conspirators.

Visualising Imagine you are a Roman citizen in the crowded forum. What do you hear and see?

In the forum, I see Mark Antony as being restrained. Then, in the third paragraph, I see him becoming more animated and using his voice and gestures to convince the crowd that Brutus, not Caesar, is the ambitious man. I can hear the shouts of the crowd becoming louder as the audience responds to his speech.

Summarising The surface meaning is: I am sure that Brutus had good reason to murder Caesar and he will tell you why in good time.

The intended meaning is: Brutus was wrong to assassinate the leader of our country and the people have a duty to rise up against him and the others in the plot.


Hunt through the text: Mark Antony’s Eulogy


Choose a significant quote from each paragraph or stanza to show the progression of ideas. List them and then explain why you chose them.

In lines 3 and 4, Mark Antony reports that Brutus thinks that Caesar was ambitious, and then Mark Antony contradicts this with the words ‘Ambition should be made of sterner stuff’. This sows seeds of doubt about Brutus and suggests that Mark Antony might be a more reliable source of information.

In lines 16 and 17, Mark Antony says that ‘if I were disposed’ he could stir their ‘hearts and minds to mutiny and rage’, thus revealing Mark Antony’s real intentions, while not appearing to criticise the plotters.

Line 36 is important because Mark Antony returns to what he really wants, which is to shame the people of Rome into rebelling against the plotters. Even ‘the stones of Rome’ would rise up as the plotters’ crime is so terrible.


Which techniques does Mark Antony use to sway the people’s minds?

By repeating ‘But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man’ in the first paragraph, Mark Antony is actually suggesting that he means the reverse. The repetition makes the statement sarcastic.

Rhetorical questions are used to appeal to reason: ‘Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?’ and ‘What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?’ Mark Antony is trying to make the people question the authority of Brutus.

Personification is used to appeal to pathos (people’s emotions): This is shown when Mark Antony describes ‘sweet Caesar’s wounds’ as ‘mouths’ that ‘speak’ the truth.

Analysing the tone What is the tone used in the extract?

Mark Antony’s sarcastic tone makes it clear that he thinks the opposite of his statement that ‘Brutus is an honourable man’. He uses a deceptively calm tone, which suddenly becomes angry and outraged when he bids the wounds speak for him. The tone results in two layers of meaning: surface and intended.


How would you describe the relationship between Mark Antony and Brutus?

It seems to be based on mutal mistrust. Brutus has forced Mark Antony to promise not to criticise them in the funeral oration. Mark Antony believes that Brutus and fellow conspirators are ambitious and wish to rule Rome so he breaks his promise.


Can you see similarities and differences between characters?

Similarities: There is a connection between Brutus and Mark Antony, as they are both orators and are both engaged in a struggle for power.

Differences: Mark Antony goes to great pains to show that the characters of Brutus and Caesar are very different in both morals and achievements.


What is the author trying to show us about this political situation involving Mark Antony? Refer to key words used to describe them.

At first, Mark Antony appears to agree that Brutus is ‘honourable’ and Caesar is ‘ambitious’. By the end, Mark Antony shows the reverse is true. By doing this, the author shows that an orator controls the political situation.


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Now complete the short-response questions on page 19 and the multiple-choice questions in Appendix 2: Mark Antony’s Eulogy (page 30). These will help you check the effectiveness of your flying over and hunting skills.

Look deeper into the text: Mark Antony’s Eulogy

Identifying a problem Do you detect any inconsistencies or gaps in the text?

One could see this character as being very interested in establishing his own credentials (a good friend, plain, blunt). Because the author has provided lots of evidence that Mark Antony is a very skilled orator, a cynical reader could see him as being dangerous to Brutus.

Evaluating Does this speech have relevance to us today? Explain your answer.

Yes. It shows the power of rhetoric. Mark Antony has successfully manipulated the mob.

Look beyond the text: Mark Antony’s Eulogy

Making connections What does speech reminds you of in Australian politics?

It reminds me that people have very short memories and are very open to manipulation. Politicians make promises and then break them, but most people forget that and don’t hold them accountable. This is not a good thing for a democracy.

Conducting research To understand this situation better, what could you research?

I’d like to know why the Roman people were so afraid of ambitious men. I’d like to research some other skills of oratory (public speaking) that the Greeks and Romans used.


Short-response questionsComplete the questions below.

Tension is the force that drives the drama in plays. Three types of dramatic tension can be seen in the eulogy. These are the tensions of:

i. the task

ii. relationships

iii. surprise.

1. Identify where one of these three tensions is evident in the eulogy. Explain how it contributes to the power of the speech.

2. Mark Antony’s speech is much longer than this excerpt. In the play, his famous speech begins:

List two separate extracts from the passage that contradict his introductory announcement of why he has come to speak.

3. Identify three strategic steps Mark Antony used to challenge Brutus’ version of events and his right to rule Rome (one from each section of the speech).

The questions are based on the following higher-order thinking skills:

• analysing

• visualising

• contrasting

• deducing.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

Extract 1:

Extract 2:

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:


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Part 6: Student group work

Part six is based on four extracts from Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations.

Students form groups of five and read the plot summary of the novel below. Give each group a different extract and the Student record sheet (pages 25, 26 and 27). Ask the students to read the extract silently and then have one member of the group to read it aloud with expression.

The students will need 10 – 15 minutes to individually annotate the text. Then as a group, they will work through the questions on the Student record sheet and record their answers for the group. Each group will present their findings to the class and lead a class discussion about the meaning of the text.

Plot summary Pip, the narrator, is an orphan who is being raised by his older sister (Mrs Joe Gargery) and her husband (Joe Gargery), the blacksmith. They all live in a village near the marshes where the Thames River flows into the sea.

Pip meets a series of mysterious people: two escaped convicts he encounters in the marshes and later an eccentric old woman (Miss Havisham) who lives at Satis House. The house is attached to a brewery, which made her family wealthy. Here Pip plays card games with the disdainful and beautiful young girl (Estella) who despises him for his lower-class speech and dress. He, on the other hand, admires and loves her. Pip is informed by a criminal lawyer (Mr Jaggers) that an unnamed benefactor has arranged for him to become a gentleman in London and that he has great expectations of coming into a considerable fortune.

As Pip grows up, he is unsure which events are merely accidental and which people he can trust. Many mysteries are revealed as he learns of strange connections between the people in his life.

His most important lesson is that a true gentleman is not a product of wealth or class but is instead a person who is generous, kind and forgiving.


Extract 1: Pip describes his life as an orphanMy sister, Mrs Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I, and had

established a great reputation with herself and the neighbours because she had

brought me up ‘by hand’. Having at that time to find out for myself what the expression

meant, and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit

of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me, I suppose that Joe Gargery and I

were both brought up by hand.

She was a good-looking woman, my sister; and I had the general impression that she

must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand … She was tall and bony, and

almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops,

and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles.

She made it a powerful merit in herself, and a strong reproach against Joe, that she

wore this apron so much.

Teacher information

Below are examples of typical responses for the Fly over the text questions.

• Preparing: The word ‘orphan’ in the introduction reminds me of the hard life Pip would have had. Orphan books are very popular.

• Hypothesising: The extract was selected because it effectively uses a humorous tone by playing with double meanings of the expression ‘by hand’. It also shows something about an unusual relationship.

• Identifying patterns: The structural pattern starts with the three characters, then focuses on Mrs Joe Gargery to clearly show that she held the power.

• Identifying sections: The two sections are marked by the two paragraphs: a description of what Mrs Joe Gargery believes in (emphasising ‘the hand’) and then what she looks like (emphasising the apron).

• Visualising: I’d start with a close-up of a woman putting on an apron and tying it tightly, and then show her in action hitting a cowering Pip and Joe.

• Summarising: The author focuses on a marriage that is based on a very unequal relationship. By doing so, he indirectly shows how difficult and painful Pip’s early life must have been.


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Extract 2: Pip meets Miss Havisham at Satis HouseShe was dressed in rich materials — satins, and lace, and silks — all of white. Her

shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she

had some bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels

sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the

table …

But I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long

ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the

bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness

left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put on the

rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose,

had shrunk to skin and bone. Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at

the Fair … Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton

in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church

pavement. Now waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and

looked at me.

Teacher information


• Hypothesising: The extract was selected because it poses a mystery: Why is she wearing a decaying wedding dress? It might also have been selected because of the ghastly atmosphere.

• Identifying patterns: There is movement from the present moment of Miss Havisham’s living death to two past memories of lifeless things; then the two ideas are linked in the present.

• Identifying sections: Paragraph one describes what she is wearing. Paragraph two up to ‘skin and bone’ describes her deteriorating body. After ‘skin and bone’ in the same paragraph, Pip compares her to a skeleton and a waxwork figure that he once saw.

• Visualising: I’d do a long shot of her in soft light so that she did look like a bride and then move closer to show the horrible truth. She would then turn and look at the little boy with a death-like stare.

• Summarising: The author uses strong contrasts of light and dullness and life and death to build a picture of the mad or eccentric old woman. She has been arrested in time.


Extract 3: Pip describes the mouth of the riverIt was like my own marsh country, flat and monotonous, and with a dim horizon; while

the winding river turned and turned, and the great floating buoys upon it turned and

turned, and everything else seemed stranded and still. For, now, the last of the fleet of

ships was round the last low point we had headed; and the last green barge, straw-

laden, with a brown sail, had followed; and some ballast-lighters, shaped like a child’s

first rude imitation of a boat, lay low in the mud; and a little squat shoal-lighthouse on

open piles, stood crippled in the mud on stilts and crutches; and slimy stakes stuck out

of the mud, and red landmarks and tidemarks stuck out of the mud, and an old landing

stage and an old roofless building slipped into the mud, and all about us was

stagnation and mud.

Teacher information


• Preparing: We know that the mouths of rivers are often very flat areas.

• Hypothesising: The extract was selected because it uses repetition to build a lonely, hopeless atmosphere. The author focuses on building a visual picture of the landscape.

• Identifying patterns: The author uses contrast by starting with movement (the buoy ‘turned’) and the ships sailed in what seems a fairly empty landscape. He then fills it with objects along the river that were ‘stranded and still’ in the mud.

• Contrasting: There is contrast between the ships leaving and the things left behind in the mud.

• Identifying sections: The first sentence sets the scene. From there on to the end is just a play on preposition phrases (e.g. ‘in’, ‘out’, ‘into the mud’), which builds more and more descriptive detail about the objects stuck in the mud. This enables us to visualise the desolate landscape.

• Visualising: It starts with a wide-angle shot of the landscape, then the narrator fills in the detail of things he can see stuck in the mud.

• Summarising: Pip feels ‘low’ and helpless in this place, as everywhere is ‘stagnation and mud’.


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Extract 4: Years later, Pip finds Estella at Satis HouseThere was no house now, no brewery, no building whatever left, but the wall of an old

garden. The cleared space had been inclosed with a rough fence, and, looking over it,

I saw that some of the old ivy had struck root anew and was growing green on low

quiet mounds of ruin. A gate in the fence standing ajar, I pushed it open, and went in.

A cold silvery mist had veiled the afternoon, and the moon was not yet up to scatter it.

But, the stars were shining beyond the mist, and the moon was coming, and the

evening was not dark. I could trace out where every part of the old house had been,

and where the brewery had been, and where the gates, and where the casks. I had

done so, and was looking along the desolate garden-walk, when I beheld a solitary

figure in it.

The figure showed itself aware of me, as I advanced. It had been moving towards me,

but it stood still. As I drew nearer, I saw it to be the figure of a woman. As I drew

nearer yet, it was about to turn away, when it stopped, and let me come up with it.

Then it faltered as if much surprised, and uttered my name, and I cried out —

‘Estella!’

Teacher information


• Preparing: It is important to know that Pip is searching for Estella.

• Hypothesising: The extract was selected because it describes a place effectively (the ruins of Satis House). The author creates a ghostly atmosphere. Is the figure a ghost or a woman?

• Identifying a pattern: The author starts with comparing what was once there with what is there now (very little or nothing). This makes the appearance of the figure even more dramatic.

• Identifying sections: The first paragraph shows the physical changes at Satis House. The next two paragraphs build the atmosphere as the figure advances. The third section is the climax, when Pip calls out the name ‘Estella’.

• Visualising: I would film Pip emerging from the shadows, then slowly close the long distance between himself and the mysterious figure.

• Summarising: The author is showing that even in desolation and ruin, there can be hope.


Student record sheet

Fly over the text

Preparing How does the plot summary and the introduction to the text help the reader?

Hypothesising Why do you think the extract was chosen?


Is there an underlying structural pattern?


What are the logical sections of the text that show the development of the author’s ideas?

Section 1:

Section 2:

Section 3:

Visualising How would you film this text if you were a director?

Summarising Can you summarise the extract in one or two sentences?


26

Hunt through the text


Can you choose a significant quote from each section to show the progression of ideas?

Section 1:

Section 2:

Section 3:


Can you find interesting figures of speech or other references that help the writer achieve their purpose?

Analysing the tone Investigate the tone or atmosphere in the text by drawing on specific examples of language the author uses.


Investigate one important relationship referred to in the text by drawing on specific examples of language the author uses.


Can you detect important similarities and/or differences in the text?

Similarities:

Differences:


What is the author trying to show us in this extract? Refer to specific words used in the extract.



Identifying a problem Do you detect any inconsistencies or gaps in the text?

Evaluating How effective is this text in showing the reader a place, a character or a relationship?

Look beyond the text

Making connections Is there anything in your life experience or in your reading that this text reminds you of?

Conducting research To understand this text better, what could you research?


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Appendix 1: Nantucket

1 The humour in the first paragraph is based on

b exaggeration

b sarcasm

b ridicule

b satire.

2 all beach without a background (line 3)

In this description, Melville imagines Nantucket as if it were a

b report lacking details.

b nation lacking history.

b character lacking depth.

b picture lacking features.

3 What does the story about toadstools (line 8) suggest about Nantucket?

4 shut up, belted about, every way inclosed, surrounded, and made an utter island of (lines 10 to 11)

These words form an example of

b unintentionally and unnecessarily repeating information.

b unintentionally using too many words to express an idea.

b deliberately listing words with similar meaning for effect.

b deliberately using familiar terms to explain unfamiliar ones.

5 The words, these extravaganzas (line 13), refer to the

b ‘gamesome wights’.

b ‘backs of sea turtles’.

b things the ‘wights’ will tell you.

b furniture with ‘clams … adhering’.


6 Nantucket is no Illinois (line 13)

Which of these statements highlights how Illinois differs from Nantucket?

b Illinois has a few mountainous regions.

b Illinois is situated in the middle of the USA.

b The population of Illinois has always been diverse.

b The slogan of Illinois is: Land of Abraham Lincoln.

7 Which of the following jokes are similar to Melville’s?

b Get your facts first, then you can distort them.

b It’s so hot here that our hens lay hard-boiled eggs.

b Except for sinking into the lagoon, Venice has no problems.

b Egotists are people more interested in themselves than in me.

8 What wonder (line 15)

What does this phrase mean?

b What is well known

b It is hard to believe

b A wonderful thing

b It is not surprising

9 The reference to visiting Behring’s Straits (line 19) helps to show that the Nantucketers

b made dangerous trips with ease.

b had a special interest in Alaska.

b navigated by trial and error.

b sailed at great speeds.

10 Nantucket had the world’s most successful whaling industry from 1740 to 1840. Melville describes Nantucket whaling in lines 19 to 23 as being

b environmentally destructive.

b like an adventure holiday.

b unlikely and astonishing.

b cruel and inhumane.


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Appendix 2: Mark Antony’s Eulogy

1 In lines 5 and 6, Mark Antony appeals to the crowd’s

b sense of economic responsibility.

b greed for the wealth won in war.

b sympathy for foreign captives.

b willingness to fight for Rome.

2 By sterner (line 9), Mark Antony means more

b rigid.

b angry.

b hard-hearted.

b serious-minded.

3 In lines 12 and 13, Mark Antony means that the crowd should

b realise he has limited knowledge.

b see Brutus’ point of view.

b believe him, not Brutus.

b ignore political issues.

4 In lines 16 to 18, Mark Antony

b draws a comparison to make his point clearer.

b rejects an idea to make the crowd accept it.

b expresses an idea to make it seem stupid.

b commands the crowd to rise up in revolt.

5 What private griefs they have, alas, I know not (line 20)

Antony says this to suggest that the plotters

b secretly regret their assassination of Caesar.

b mistakenly believed they had good reasons.

b allowed grief to cloud their judgment.

b were motivated by personal grudges.


6 In lines 23 to 29, Mark Antony expands on the idea that I am no orator as Brutus is.

Antony does this because he wants the crowd to think that

b Brutus is a better public speaker.

b Brutus has tried to trick them.

b fame hasn’t gone to his head.

b he is just being modest.

7 In line 31 and again in lines 34 to 35, Mark Antony compares Caesar’s stab wounds to mouths that should speak.

Why does he say that the wounds should speak instead of him?

b He is finding it hard to speak because of his grief.

b He knows the crowd does not need to be convinced.

b He thinks people can make up their minds in silence.

b He wants the crowd to act on emotion without thinking.

8 ... there were an Antony … (line 33)

In this sentence, the word were means

b would be.

b will be.

b was.

b is.

9 In lines 34 to 36, Mark Antony suggests that the crowd should

b stop being so low-spirited.

b see the danger of over-reaction.

b realise how angry they should be.

b move the paving stones and bricks.

10 In his speech, Mark Antony

b implies meanings that are the opposite of his actual words.

b reveals things that the conspirators in the play do not know.

b shows that actual results are the opposite of what was intended.

b pretends ignorance to make his opponents show their ignorance.


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11 From the plotters’ perspective, as explained in the introduction, Mark Antony’s speech is best described as

b a conspiracy.

b hypocritical.

b unpatriotic.

b a betrayal.


Answers to the multiple-choice questions

Answers

Nantucket 1 A; 2 D; 3*; 4 C; 5 C; 6 B; 7 B; 8 D; 9 A; 10 C

3* It suggests that trees won’t grow in Nantucket because of the poor, sandy soil, and that only fungus thrives there.

Mark Antony’s eulogy

1 B; 2 C; 3 C; 4 B; 5 D; 6 B; 7 D; 8 A; 9 C; 10 A; 11 D


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