HIGHER CLOSE READINGANALYSIS QUESTIONS

Strategies with examples

Analysis questions

ImageryWord choiceSentence structureToneOther techniques, e.g. hyperbole, alliteration

Imagery (A)

SimilesMetaphorsPersonification

Involves a comparisonIs not meant to be taken literally

Strategy – Imagery questions (A)

Identify the type of image.

Quote it.

Say what is being compared to what.

Use “just as... so too…”.

Say what the comparison adds to the reader’s understanding of the passage.

Strategy – Word choice questions (A)

Identify word

Meaning

Connotation

Impact

Sentence Structure:

You may be asked to comment on:

PunctuationSentence lengthSentence typesSentence patterns

You will never be given marks for simply identifying a feature (e.g. “the writer uses semi-colons”).

You must always say what effect or purpose it has.

SENTENCE TYPES

Statement The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

Command Stand up. Get your things. Stand outside. Move!

Question Are you feeling under the weather?

Rhetorical Question Do I look like I was born yesterday?

Exclamation What a fantastic present! How cool! I love it!

Minor Sentence (sentences without a verb) aka ‘note-form’ What time? Three o’clock. Where? At the station. Happy days.

SENTENCE PATTERNS

Repetition To emphasise the word/phrase being repeated. I have the same problem year after year after year after year. (This emphasises that things never change from one year to the next. The

problem has gone on for ever.)

List To emphasise the quantity, volume or variety of something. She loved most subjects at school: English, Maths, French, Biology, PE, Art,

Music, Drama…

Climax To show a progression or sequence. To build up to a dramatic or important finish. Susan’s behaviour annoyed her friends, angered her teachers, and utterly

enraged her father.

PUNCTUATION

Comma , Used to break up clauses/phrases in a sentence.Several commas can be used to create a simple list.At the shops I bought eggs, milk, soup, bread and

cheese.

Exclamation mark !Shows emotions such as surprise, excitement,

enthusiasm, anger or shock.I can’t believe I’ve won! I’ve won! I’m a millionaire!

Question mark ?Indicates a question.

Rhetorical Questions don’t require an answer because it is already known or not needed.

Questions are often used to involve the reader or grab their attention.

Are you tired? Are you stressed? Do you wish you could just forget about your daily troubles?

 Then why not come to the Clarkston Spa Resort?

Ellipsis …To show a sentence trailing off.To show a sentence being interrupted.To show pauses or uncertainty.To show words have been missed out.She was worried. “I just…I mean… it was

right there…can’t believe…I can’t have l…”

Colon : Introduces a list, quotation or example. My favourite books: Jane Eyre, Perfume, Mrs Dalloway, Twilight and War

and Peace.

Semi-colon ; Separates items in a complex list (where each item is several words long) The company has shops in London which is in the UK; Seville which is in

the south of Spain; Houston which is the capital of Texas in America, and Rome the capital of Italy.

Dash - Introduces extra information, an elaboration, an explanation or an example. The most terrifying dinosaur was the Tyrannosaurus Rex – a massive,

carnivorous and aggressive beast.

Two Dashes or Two Brackets - -( )Called parenthesis.

Used to insert one of two kinds of extra information:an explanation or more detail.A comment or aside from the writer (often humourous).The age in which the T-Rex lived (the Jurassic Period) was

about 200 million years ago.My sister had only come into my room (rude enough in

itself) to ask if she could borrow my jeans (as if!).

Strategy – Sentence structure (A)

Identify the feature of structure being used.

Comment on the effect of the structure on the reader’s understanding of the passage.

Tone Bank

Informal; Humorous; Light Hearted; Whimsical; Gently Mocking

Sarcastic; Mocking; Ironic

Formal; Questioning; Outraged; Angry; Critical; Sinister

Nostalgic; Reverential; Reflective; Awed

Disappointed; Uncertain; Doubtful

Strategy – Tone (A)

Identify the tone.

Quote words or phrases that create this tone.

Analyse how those words/phrases create the tone.

10. Read lines 10–21.(c) Show how the writer’s use of language in

lines 10–21 emphasises his feelings about drug cheats.

In your answer you should refer to such features as tone, sentence structure, imagery, word choice . . .

4A

Lines 10–21

If you think that is too bleak a view, that people who care about sport as a metaphor for some of the most inspiring qualities in life have a duty to believe in the Olympics, where have you been for the last 30 years – or, for that matter, the last 30 hours? Here, a few days before the Olympic flame shoots up towards the ancient gods, is the latest smorgasbord of drug cheats: an Irish distance runner who was suddenly carving vast chunks out of his personal best times, an American sprinter, a Swiss cyclist, a Spanish canoeist, a Kenyan boxer. It is the Spanish canoeist who perhaps shocks the most. We know about the impurities of athletics. We know about cycling and its serial drug scandals. But a canoeist! Why, Jovano Gonzalez, why? Not for the big money that follows an athletics or cycling medal, we know that.

Marking instructions

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. Insightful comment on one feature could be worth up to 3 marks. For full marks, there must be reference to more than one feature.

Reference alone: 0. Mere identification of a tone, of a feature of sentence structure or of an image: 0.

When dealing with imagery, answers must show recognition of the literal root of the image and then explore how the writer is extending it figuratively.

Tone?Sentence structure?Imagery?Word choice?

Tone Bank

Informal; Humorous; Light Hearted; Whimsical; Gently Mocking

Sarcastic; Mocking; Ironic

Formal; Questioning; Outraged; Angry; Critical; Sinister

Nostalgic; Reverential; Reflective; Awed

Disappointed; Uncertain; Doubtful

Strategy – Tone (A)

Identify the tone.

Quote words or phrases that create this tone.

Analyse how those words/phrases create the tone.

Tone

Tone: angry, cynical, hectoring, confrontational, dismissive, contemptuous, incredulous, dispirited, world weary, supported by sensible comment e.g.:

1 “where have you been…?” - an angry direct challenge to Olympic idealists

2 “– or, for that matter, the last 30 hours?” - a contemptuous punchline, a scathing reminder that the cheating is ongoing

3 “smorgasbord” - darkly humorous allusion to the wide variety of cheats

4 juxtaposition of “Olympic flame” and “ancient gods” with “smorgasbord of drug cheats” - darkly humorous effect created by counterpointing the divine with the venal

5 the naming of nationalities and sports “Irish runner … American sprinter …Swiss cyclist … Spanish canoeist … Kenyan boxer” - sense of the writer becoming more and more angry, disbelieving, dispirited, incredulous as the list of sports and nationalities involved goes on and on

Strategy – Tone (A)

Identify the tone. Disbelief / incredulous / shock / humour.

Quote words or phrases that create this tone. “But a canoeist!”

Analyse how those words/phrases create the tone. The exclamation mark, along with the use of a

minor sentence, suggests a moment of sheer disbelief, a cry of exasperation and despair, an outburst which mixes anger, frustration and incredulity. The result is comical, but the writer is making a serious point.

Strategy – Sentence structure (A)

Identify the feature of structure being used.

Comment on the effect of the structure on the reader’s understanding of the passage.

Sentence Structure:

Punctuation: comma, exclamation mark, question mark,

ellipsis, colon, semi colon, dash, parenthesisSentence length:

long, short, one word sentence (or paragraph)Sentence types:

statement, command, question, rhetorical question, exclamation, minor sentence

Sentence patterns: repetition, list, climax

Sentence structure

9 overall structure of “If you think…30 hours?” sentence - uses first two clauses to build up the idealistic view of the Olympics, then uses the questions as a crushing rebutta

10 use of questions in opening sentence - to give Olympic idealists a reality check, a sharp reminder that drug-cheating has been a factor for a long time and cannot just be ignored, overlooked

11 juxtaposition of “30 years/ 30 hours” - stresses drug-cheating is a problem of the past and the present

12 conclusion, punchline, telling afterthought of “– or, for that matter, the last 30 hours?” - serves as a dramatic

reminder that drug-cheating is an ongoing, immediate problem13 list (“an Irish…Kenyan boxer”) - stresses the scale of the

abuse, the variety of countries and sports involved 14 repeated ‘We know…We know” - suggests world-weary

acceptance of the inevitability of drug-cheating

Strategy – Sentence structure (A)

Identify the feature of structure being used. A list is used (“an Irish…Kenyan boxer”).

Comment on the effect of the structure on the reader’s understanding of the passage. This stresses the scale of the abuse, and the

variety of countries and sports involved.

15 short, explosive outburst of “But a canoeist!” - suggests he can no longer contain his feelings, rational argument gives way to an outburst of despair, frustration and incomprehension

16 direct address of “Why, Jovano Gonzalez, why?” - suggests the writer feels personally betrayed and would like some answers

17 further question “For what then?” - suggests his growing distaste, contempt, bewilderment as he struggles to find any rationale for Gonzalez’s drug-cheating

18 parenthetical “and their children” - suggests a deceit that goes on through time and generations

19 positioning of “false” at the conclusion of the paragraph stresses definitively the pointlessness of Gonzalez’s actions

20 Some candidates may attempt to comment on some of the structural features Lawton uses to create the impression of an ongoing dialogue with Gonzalez (points 16–18, for example). This dramatic device creates the impression of Lawton challenging Gonzalez directly, showing the illogicality of Gonzalez’s actions. A candidate who pursues this line is likely to find it profitable.

Imagery (A)

SimilesMetaphorsPersonification

Involves a comparisonIs not meant to be taken literally

Strategy – Imagery questions (A)

Identify the type of image.

Quote it.

Say what is being compared to what.

Use “just as... so too…”.

Say what the comparison adds to the reader’s understanding of the passage.

Imagery

Candidates may well choose to deal with the points listed here under “Imagery” as word choice.

21 “smorgasbord” - just as a smorgasbord is a varied selection of food, Lawton believes there is a wide and varied selection of sports and nationalities involved in drugs cheating

22 “carving vast chunks” - just as “carving vast chunks’ involves butchery on a grand but rather imprecise scale, so Lawton suggests that drug-cheating allows athletes to improve performance on a huge and dramatic scale (so great that precise measurement is almost irrelevant)

23 “impurities” - just as an impurity is a substance that taints something, so Lawton is suggesting that athletics has been diminished, tarnished by drugs cheating

Strategy – Imagery questions (A)

Identify the type of image - MetaphorQuote it.

“carving vast chunks”Say what is being compared to what.

The way a distance runner was able to slash his fastest time was like the way a butcher (roughly) cuts up meat.

Use “just as... so too…”. Just as “carving vast chunks’ involves butchery on

a grand but rather imprecise scale, so Lawton suggests that drug-cheating allows athletes to improve performance on a huge and dramatic scale (so great that precise measurement is almost irrelevant).

Word choice (A)

Words used in different contexts can have different connotations. When you answer a question about word choice you are not only being asked what that word means but to consider how that meaning is affected by the context of the passage. You will be able to infer a great deal about writers' opinions from the words they use.

Word choice questions ask you to focus on the connotation rather than the denotation of a word.

Considering word choice is all about thinking beyond the obvious meaning of a word in order to explore what it suggests. Often words meaning almost the same thing imply quite different things. You need to be alert to recognise these when they occur.

Strategy – Word choice questions (A)

Identify word

Meaning

Connotation

Impact

Word choice

24 “bleak” - suggests his dark, hopeless, pessimistic view 25 “latest” - suggests these are just part of a long line of such

cases 26 “carving” - suggests the drug-cheating allows athletes to

make deep, aggressive cuts into records 27 “chunks” - suggests that drug-cheating allows athletes to

break records by incredibly large amounts28 “shocks” - suggests a huge and traumatic blow 29 “serial” suggests an ongoing succession of drug-related

incidents, both inevitable and endless 30 “scandals” - suggests these are deeply shocking, outrageous

events 31 “false” - suggests any gains from drugs cheating are

fundamentally wrong and pointless

Strategy – Word choice questions (A)

Identify word “scandals”

Meaning This word means a person or event that

offends people (usually on moral grounds).Connotation

The connotations are: very negative, offensive behaviour, immoral.

Impact This suggests that these are deeply

shocking, outrageous events.