Intermediate Close Reading

Bazinga

Think of a show that you love

• Now think of the people who don’t like it

• Are you a bit lost as to why they don’t like it?

• Can you think of any shows that you don’t like?

• What are they?

Question 1

• Write down one word the writer uses in paragraph 1 to suggest that people claim they don’t like certain shows to intentionally bother him. 1U

• Deliberately (1)

Question 2a

• Why didn’t the writer continue to work on E4’s Facebook page? 1U

• He was simply editing messages people left rather than creating something interesting (1)

Question 2b

• What is implied about his opinion of the people who followed the Facebook page from the writer’s use of parenthesis?1U

• He thinks they are stupid as they cannot write in proper sentences (1)

Question 3

• What does the word “omnipresent” suggest about The Big Bang Theory? 2A

• “omnipresent” means it’s everywhere. (1)

• It suggests that it’s all E4 show and it’s on their channel all the time. (1)

• Suggests the writer cannot escape from it.

Question 4

• Why is E4 so keen to show Big Bang Theory so often?2U

• It is watched by a record number of people (1)

• They can make lots of money with sponsors during the breaks. (1)

Question 5

• How does the writer use language in paragraph 3 to show that The Big Bang Theory is such a success? You should refer to word choice and imagery. 4A

• WORD CHOICE• “sensation” (1) – implies it is a huge hit and people get

extremely excited over it. (1)

• IMAGERY• “a ratings steamroller” (1) – Just as a steamroller knocks

over and destroys all in its path and nothing can stand up against it, so too is the Big Bang Theory when it comes to the viewing figures of other shows. (1)

Question 6

• Why didn’t the writer like Two and a Half Men? Paragraph 4 4U

• Bad jokes (1)

• Selfish cast (1)

• Stupid audience (1)

• Filled with desperate guest stars (1)

Question 7

• Why did the writer feel that it was okay not to like this show? 1E

• It was not considered a good show (1)

Question 8

• How does the writer create a link between paragraphs 4 and 5? 2U

• “But”• Shows that he is moving away from the bad

points he was making about Two and a Half Men (1)

• “better than that”• Goes on to discuss what was supposed to be

good about Big Bang Theory. (1)

Question 9

• In what ways is The Big Bang Theory supposed to be better than Two and a Half Men?2U

• It should be filled with intelligent humour (1)

• Should reference popular geek culture (1)

Question 10

• How does the writer use Sentence Structure to highlight a show that does suit geeks? Paragraph 5. 2A

• Parenthesis• “Futurama – which would delight in dropping in

unexplained references to…figure it out – The Big…” (1)

• Used to give examples of how the show Futurama manages to do what The Big Bang Theory should be doing (1)

Question 11a• Identify the tone in this section and how the writer created it. 4A

• Angry/Irritated/Irate/Furious – Tone must be stated to get full marks– “Chuck Lorre's vanity cards make me want to kill things”– Over-the-top reference to violence – emotive language – shows how

much he hates the jokes at the end of the show. (2)– “an audience that occasionally likes to think it's geeky because it went to

see Thor 2”– Writer is implying that going to see a mainstream movie about a geeky

subject does not make the person who went to see it a geek. Thor 2 was made in order to make lots of money, not to entertain geeks. (2)

– If you got the wrong tone, you may still be rewarded some marks (not full) if you fully justify your tone.

Question 11b• What does the writer’s use of imagery tell you about his

attitude towards the show? 3A/E

• “To my mind, it's hard to get past the idea that The Big Bang Theory is the televisual equivalent of those NERD T-shirts you can buy in Primark.” (1)

• Metaphor – comparing show to a top from a high street store.

• Just as the t-shirt with “NERD” on it is not made so that geeks or nerds can identify themselves, so too is the Big Bang Theory not intended for the people it is claiming to be about. (1)

• This shows that the writer thinks that the show is simply cashing in on Nerd/Geek popularity at the moment. Also, there is no way a geek/nerd would go about with a big sign on them stating that they are that way inclined. Also, they would not want to watch a show claiming to be about other nerds. (1)

Question 12

• Why does the writer say “I’m obviously wrong here” in the final paragraph? 1E

• So many people like the show and he is trying to be humorous. (1)

• He is not wrong as he is entitled to his opinion but he knows that since the majority of people like it then some people reading the article must like it, too.