3.1.5

Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 3

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Section A: Creative Reading - Question 3

In Section A of Paper 1, you will be given a 40-50 line extract from a modern piece of fiction. Unless you are very lucky and have already read the text, this extract will be unseen.

Question 3

Question 3

  • Question 3 is worth eight marks. You should spend around two minutes reading and around 8 minutes writing.
  • In this question, you will be asked to read the whole source and answer: How has the writer structured the text to create [an effect]?
    • The effect could be suspense, tension, or comedy, for example.
  • You MUST talk about the STRUCTURE in this question – answers about language will not get any marks.
Use varied information from the text

Use varied information from the text

  • You must carefully select quotations because they are important to the point you have made. They should prove your ideas really well.
  • It should be clear that your point and evidence work perfectly together. You should not just choose any quotation at random and try to make a point around it – you should choose an excellent quotation to match your point perfectly.
  • You should explain how your quotation links to your point.
Analyse language focusing on structure

Analyse language focusing on structure

  • You should explain how the writer has STRUCTURED their writing to create the effect asked about in the question.
  • You should select a quotation which links perfectly to the question, and you should explain why the writer has chosen to use this particular quotation/idea.
  • You should explain the effect of the structural technique you have highlighted – so NOT just label the techniques, but explain their effect.
Analyse language (cont.)

Analyse language (cont.)

  • To get the top marks, your ideas must be original, showing that you are thinking outside the box and picking up on small details in the text.

Section A, Question 3 - Tips for Dealing with Structure

Looking at structure is about looking at how the text is put together and considering why the writer chose to say/do something at that particular point in the text. Some aspects of the structure you could explore are:

Changing depth

Changing depth

  • Zooming in on small details.
    • E.g. Moving from describing New York City, to the items in the protagonist's New York apartment.
  • Zooming out to look at the whole picture.
    • E.g. Moving from looking at different characters' perspectives on an event to the omniscient narrator's overview of the scene.
  • Changing from a small focus to a big focus.
    • E.g. Changing from how one character feels to the actions of a whole group of characters or the description of a place.
Narrative shifts

Narrative shifts

  • Shifts of perspective.
    • E.g. Shifting from the point of view of one character to another.
  • Shifts in time.
    • E.g. A flashback or flashforward.
  • Shifts in place.
    • E.g. Switching between characters in different locations.
  • Shifts in topic.
    • E.g. The narrator moves from discussing a couple's relationship to describing the action.
  • Shifts from internal to external.
    • E.g. Moving from a character’s internal thoughts to external actions.
Repetition and cycles

Repetition and cycles

  • Repetition.
    • E.g. Jane Eyre repeatedly fleeing from men (Rochester and St John).
  • Cyclical structures (events happening in cycles).
    • E.g. The opening setting of Of Mice and Men also featuring as the closing setting.
  • Foreshadowing.
    • E.g. A writer using lots of gun imagery to warn about an upcoming murder.
Developments

Developments

  • How characters/events develop throughout the text.
    • E.g. How Harry Potter develops from being the boy under the stairs to a hero at Hogwarts.
Jump to other topics
1

Key Terms

1.1

Key Terms

1.1.1Nouns1.1.2Verbs1.1.3Sentence Types1.1.4Words1.1.5Sound1.1.6Language1.1.7Images & Symbols1.1.8Phrases1.1.9Mood1.1.10Key Terms - Other Techniques1.1.11End of Topic Test - Key Terms
2

Language Techniques

2.1

Language Devices

2.1.1Metaphors2.1.2Similes2.1.3Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning2.1.4Personification2.1.5Pathetic Fallacy2.1.6Pun2.1.7Oxymoron2.1.8Hyperbole2.1.9Alliteration2.1.10Sibilance2.1.11Onomatopoeia2.1.12Emotive Language2.1.13All Language Devices2.1.14End of Topic Test - Language Devices
2.2

Writing Structure

2.2.1Narrators2.2.2Paragraphs2.2.3Present Tense2.2.4Past Tense2.2.5Future Tense2.2.6Present vs Past vs Future2.2.7Foreshadowing2.2.8Structure2.2.9End of Topic Test - Writing Structure
3

Paper 1: Reading

3.1

Paper 1: Reading - Section A

3.1.1Paper 1: Reading - Overview - Section A3.1.2Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 13.1.3Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 23.1.4Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading3.1.5Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 33.1.6Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 43.1.7End of Topic Test - Section A3.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading3.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q13.1.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q23.1.11Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q33.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q4 13.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q4 2
4

Paper 1: Writing

4.1

Paper 1: Writing - Structuring Your Answer

4.1.1Paper 1: Writing - Overview - Section B4.1.2Paper 1: Writing - Descriptive Writing4.1.3Paper 1: Writing - Narrative Writing4.1.4Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B (option 1)4.1.5Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B (option 2)4.1.6Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B - Checklist4.1.7End of Topic Test - Writing Section4.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Writing4.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q5 14.1.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P1 Q5 2
5

Paper 2: Reading

5.1

Paper 2: Reading - DAFORESTER

5.1.1Paper 2: Reading - Direct Address5.1.2Paper 2: Reading - Alliteration5.1.3Paper 2: Reading - Facts5.1.4Paper 2: Reading - Opinions5.1.5Paper 2: Reading - Repetition5.1.6Paper 2: Reading - Exaggeration (Hyperbole)5.1.7Paper 2: Reading - Statistics5.1.8Paper 2: Reading - Triples (Rule of 3)5.1.9Paper 2: Reading - Emotive Language5.1.10Paper 2: Reading - Rhetorical Questions5.1.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER
5.2

Paper 2: Reading - Structuring Your Answer

5.2.1Paper 2: Reading - Overview - Section A5.2.2Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 15.2.3Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 25.2.4Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 35.2.5Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading5.2.6Paper 2: Reading - Answering Question 45.2.7End of Topic Test - Section A5.2.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading5.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q15.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q2 15.2.11Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q2 25.2.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q4
6

Paper 2: Writing

6.1

Paper 2: Writing - Structuring Your Answer

6.1.1Paper 2: Writing - Overview - Section B6.1.2Paper 2: Writing - Answering Section B6.1.3Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 16.1.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 26.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - P2 Q5 3
6.2

Types of Writing

6.2.1Paper 2: Writing - Article6.2.2Paper 2: Writing - Essay6.2.3Paper 2: Writing - Leaflet6.2.4Paper 2: Writing - Letter6.2.5Paper 2: Writing - Speech6.2.6Paper 2: Writing - Review6.2.7Paper 2: Writing - Travel Writing6.2.8Paper 2: Writing - Diaries & Journals6.2.9End of Topic Test - Types of Writing
6.3

Writing to...

6.3.1Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Inform6.3.2Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Inform - Example6.3.3Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Explain6.3.4Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Explain - Example6.3.5Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade6.3.6Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade - Example6.3.7Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Argue6.3.8Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Argue - Example6.3.9Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Persuade vs Writing6.3.10Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Advise6.3.11Paper 2: Writing - Writing to Advise - Example6.3.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...6.3.13Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Writing

Practice questions on Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 3

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Features of Question 3 from Section A:True / false
  2. 2
    What do you need to do when answering Question 3?Fill in the list
  3. 3
    You are making the point that the writer has used foreshadowing to hint that a character will die later on in the extract. Which quotation would back up your point?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    What does Question 3 ask you to focus on?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What types of narrative shift could you comment on when answering Section A, Question 3?Fill in the list
Answer all questions on Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 3

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Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

Paper 1: Reading - Answering Question 4