Contents Introduction
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- Task
- I dentifying and Summarising Key Points Always use your own words
- Use bullet-points and/or numbering Sample Questions
- Identify
- Explain
- Following a Line of Thought - Linking Questions
- Formula
- ‘look forward’
- Step 3
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Clarkson uses plenty of humour, so it could be argue that one of his purposes is to entertain; this is evident, for example, in the use of exaggeration - the idea of the milkman or cleaning lady being eaten by a dog, the government official as a “hopeless little twerp” and the “dog-spotting spy-in-the-sky drones”. However, his main purpose is to criticize and ridicule the Government’s knee-jerk reaction to an incident in which a child was mauled by a dog. This is evident in the opening line of paragraph one when he stresses that these incidents are rare by repeating the singular “one dog” and “once”, which makes the Government’s proposal to fit “all dogs” with a microchip seem draconian (extreme). In the final paragraph he offers his opinion, which is that the Government’s proposals would not only be detrimental to dogs and dog owners, but also ineffective: “make no difference”, “result in thousands of abandoned dogs” and “ruin the enjoyment of dog ownership for millions”. The article is probably intended for a general readership; Clarkson is well known for his acerbic wit and for being outspoken and provocative. The tone is mocking, the ideas accessible, expressed boldly in very informal language with plenty of black humour, colloquialism and slang: “twerp”, “pooches” and so on. Given that safety of the young children is at question, a case might also be made for arguing that the article is aimed in particular at anxious parents/carers. Task: As a group or in pairs work through the following extracts. Identify each writer’s purpose/s and intended readership. Use the Aspects of Style box as a guide. (Remember to take into account the genre - text type) Extract 1: (from a newspaper article by Dani Gavarelli about Scotland’s relationship with alcohol) Our conception of ourselves as always on the bevvy is not misplaced, although, with its associated crime and mortality figures, it is scarcely something to be proud of. While alcohol sales have dipped slightly in the past few years as a result of the recession and, arguably, a crackdown on supermarket promotions, Scotland continues to outstrip the rest of the UK in its consumption. Last year, 10.9 litres of alcohol per adult (the equivalent of 21 units per adult per week) was sold here. That’s 19 per cent more than south of the Border, with sales of vodka in Scotland more than double those in England and Wales. We continue to have one of the highest alcohol mortality rates in Western Europe and alcohol misuse costs us £3.6 billion a year. The impact in terms of crime and antisocial behaviour is also huge, with recent figures showing 50 per cent of prisoners were drunk at the time of offending. Alcohol-related illnesses are linked to poverty and yet studies have shown that our higher rates of liver disease are not merely the product of our higher rates of deprivation. When the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) compared Glasgow with Liverpool and Manchester, cities with similar levels of need, it found Glasgow not only had a lower life expectancy, but a higher proportion of alcohol-related deaths (three times higher in the 1980s). The number of alcohol-related deaths increased in all three cities over the next three decades, but a sharp rise in deaths in the 1990s was unique to Glasgow. Why Glasgow/Scotland should be particularly prone to excessive drinking is something of a mystery. In an attempt to understand the city’s lower life expectancy, the GCPH, examined, among other things, social capital and found that, compared to the other cities, people in Glasgow were less likely to go to church, join clubs or volunteer. They speculated this diminished sense of connectedness could have been caused by a greater fragmentation of communities when tenement dwellers were decanted to the new towns, but their research did not address the city’s alcohol problems per se or look beyond Glasgow itself. Academics may not yet be able to explain it, but we all know from personal experience that alcohol is now central to Scottish culture. For many, “having a good time” has become synonymous with drinking so much you can’t remember what happened the following day. The pressure to join in is summed up by the Chewin’ The Fat sketch in which a man who turns down the offer of a beer is greeted by one, then two, then a whole chorus of voices, urging him to “take a drink”. “I think it is tied up with our image of ourselves as a hospitable people,” says Dr Carol Emslie, leader of the Substance Use and Misuse Research Group and senior lecturer at the Institute for Applied Health Research at Glasgow Caledonian University. “Some of the people I have spoken to talked of how, if they are out with friends or colleagues and they want to stop drinking, it’s always ‘aw, just one more,’ or ‘leave the car,’ or other phrases aimed at keeping everyone in the same boat. Some of them had lived in different parts of the UK and different countries and they felt under pressure; they said ‘it’s not socially accepted to drink, it’s socially expected’.” For his part, Salmond has suggested it might be down to a “lack of self-confidence as a nation”, implying a destructive relationship with alcohol is deeply embedded in the Scottish psyche, an integral part of our identity, almost. __________________________________________________________________________________Extract 2: (from an article about young people staying longer in the family home) Time was, if you were 18, in possession of sound mind and enough motor function to transfer food into your mouth, there was unquestionably something wrong with you if you were still living at home. Living with your parents was a crushing label of failure and only very sad young people did so. Those were the days, so accurately defined by Ruby Wax in her autobiography when you felt your parents were sprinkled with ‘weirdness dust’; and you didn’t risk staying around to get coated, too. Time was. Time is, and nearly a quarter of young Britons in their twenties are still living at home with their parents, the majority of them extremely happy. To the amazement of anyone born prior to 1970, staying with your mother and father is now socially acceptable, even chic. This new trend is called ‘lifelong parenting’, and many of today’s children hold an open return ticket back to the parental home. Today it’s perfectly cool to be in your twenties and still living with mum and dad. There is no other conclusion to come to, when 54% of young adults said they were happy to be at home and did not want to move out. A significant proportion had returned home three times or more, after flying the nest, and were content to stay. Even when children do leave, it seems to be on exceptionally good terms: two-thirds of young adults up to the age of 30 admit they continue to receive money from their parents even after they have left home. In a world beset with social-trends surveys which are almost invariably gloomy – mental ill-health, cancer rates, pensions, divorce, school standards; you name it, things are getting worse – this is one of the sunniest things I’ve read in months. Quite simply, we are getting kinder to each other. This is a clear sign that contained within the bedrock of human life, the family unit, is warmth and social cohesion. Extract 3, (from Andrew Greig’s book “Summit Fever”) The scale of it all and the sheer desolation were a shock to the mind and body. It scooped us out of ourselves like the stars do. It left us feeling tiny and liberated, finally jolted us free from the shell of our supposed importance. Then we came on small villages, like miracles of fertility in the wilderness. I’d look up and see a straight green line slashed as if by a razor, slanting down across the cliffs, and now that it bled water and round the next bend would be human habitation, made possible by that lifeline of water channelled off a melting snowfield. The village grew more grubby and more lovely as we drove hour after hour deeper into the mountains. The path loped along by the irrigation channels. Some were clear, some were muddy, some had no water in, only damp silt. I began to appreciate the extreme simplicity and complexity of the system that allowed the villagers to flood, moisten, and to let dry out, according to daily need, what was probably over a hundred fields spread out over an area of hillside roughly a mile and a half wide and the same in length. It was a network as complex and organic as the circulation of the blood, divided similarly into main arteries, veins, capillaries. I saw the sun flash on the spade of a villager half a mile up the hill; three minutes later the channel at my feet filled with muddy, silt-laden water. I stood and watched the life force of the village snake its way downhill, branching out, flooding out across some fields and passing others by. An aged man below who seemed to be passing by chance bent down and removed a small stone from the junction of two channels, and the water took off on an entirely new tack across the fields. It was as subtle and simple as water itself. The next morning was pure joy. I set off early on the rising track that snaked across the hillside. It was clear and cold, the rising sun levelled mile-long shadows across the valley, the great peaks stood frozen to attention against the high-altitude dark-blue sky. I was out in front, the only living being in sight. I was an arrow, moving further and further away from the tension that set me going, getting nearer and nearer my destination. After the uncertainties and setbacks of the last weeks, nothing could stop me getting there now. Extract 4: (from Antonio Fraser’s book about ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’) The winter of 1542 was marked by tempestuous weather throughout the British Isles: in the north, on the borders of Scotland and England, there were heavy snow-falls in December and frost so savage that by January the ships were frozen into the harbour at Newcastle. These stark conditions found a bleak parallel in the political climate which then prevailed between the two countries. Scotland as a nation groaned under the humiliation of a recent defeat at the English hands at the Battle of Solaway Moss. As a result of the battle, the Scottish nobility which had barely recovered from the defeat of Flodden a generation before were stricken yet again by the deaths of many of their leaders in their prime; of those who survived, many prominent members were prisoners in English hands, while the rest met the experience of defeat by quarrelling among themselves, showing their strongest loyalty to the principle of self-aggrandisement, rather than to the troubled monarchy. The Scottish Church, although still officially Catholic for the next seventeen years, was already torn between those who wished to reform its manifold abuses from within, and those who wished to follow England’s example, by breaking away root and branch from the tree of Rome. The king of this divided country, James V, lay dying with his face to the wall. Identifying and Summarising Key Points Always use your own words as far as possible when you answer understanding questions. Moreover, when you are asked to ‘summarise’, ‘outline’, and ‘briefly summarise’, you should do exactly that – keep it simple enough to answer the question and no more. Use bullet-points and/or numbering Sample Questions: 
Use a pen to highlight or underline key words / information Identify five benefits……….. Outline briefly the main effects……….. Briefly summarise the main points…….. Summarise the main reasons…………. What do you think are the key reasons…….. Explain what is meant by……………….. Point 1: The area is a wilderness and unattractive anyway. Example: Moreover, planners reckon that as much as a quarter of the green belt around London is wasteland, largely devoid of landscape beauty. So why not use it to relieve the intolerable pressure of affordable housing in the capital? Because that would contravene the long-held myth that green belts are vital “lungs” for cities. Well lungs they might be. But they benefit chiefly those who live in the nice houses inside the green belts (not least by keeping their property values sky-high); and then those who live in nice houses on the leafy outer suburbs; and not all the people who need the fresh air the most: those on inner-city estates. Q: According to lines 1 – 3, why does the writer believe “a quarter of the green belt around London” should be used for housing? (2) Point 2: It could be used for people desperately in need of housing. Check mark allocation One mark for each point written in own words The area is a wilderness and unattractive anyway (1). It could be used for people desperately in need of housing (1). Use bullet points to summarise Task: Using the above example as a guide read the extracts before going on to answer the questions that follow. Extract 1: (from an article about Paris) It’s the most famous painting in the world and a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. But most people fight through the crowds in the Louvre Museum to spend a mere 15 seconds in front of it - just long enough to grab a snapshot. At least at the Eiffel Tower, the other highlight of travel-brochure Paris, you get the excitement of the lift and an incredible view. Here you get one small, dark picture surrounded by a jostling crowd of hundreds. This year the crowds lining up to see the Mona Lisa have grown thicker than ever. So why do people still come in their thousands to pay homage to the painting? Q: What two reasons does the writer give for the popularity of the Eiffel Tower? (2) Extract 2: (from an article about Highland culture) I could, of course, start talking about the values of community spirit, of the enterprising can-do attitude of many Highland villagers, and the sense of belonging that small towns in the middle of nowhere can bring. About what a great place to bring up kids. But to do that would make me sound soft, sentimental and southern, and if there’s one thing that distinguishes the Highlander, it’s hardiness. Q: Using your own words as far as possible, outline four important points that are made to develop the writer’s argument about the advantages of Highland living. (4) Extract 3: (autobiographical) My childhood was not altogether a happy one. Circumstances conspired to make me shy and solitary. My father and mother died before I was capable of remembering them. I was an only child, entrusted to the care of an unmarried aunt who lived quietly in the country. My aunt was no longer young when I began to live in her comfortable old-fashioned house with its large, untidy garden. She had settled down to her local interests, seldom had anyone to stay with her and rarely left home. She was fond of her two Persian cats, busied herself with the garden and was charitably interested in the old inhabitants of the village. Beyond this, the radius of her activities extended no further than eight or ten miles. Q: Identify the key points for his childhood being “not altogether a happy one.” (3) Extract 4: (from an article about Scots language by Ruth Wishart in ‘The Herald’) Welsh fell victim to the same brand of ingrained snobbery that afflicted Scots: the imported notion, eagerly parroted by the gentry, that local languages and dialects denoted inferior social status. We are hopefully beyond that brand of cringe today, and the owner of the “pan-loaf” accent is more likely to face ridicule than anyone conversing in the hybrid mix of Scots and English which is the stuff of common conversation. But we are not beyond the continuing fear that the richness of our language will disappear because of a failure to knit it more comprehensively through everyday transactions. Q: What, according to the writer, caused the decline in the Scots language? (2) Extract 5: (from the above mentioned article) Why should we bother? Let me count the ways. Language reflects our cultural experiences and offers layers of particularly evocative meanings to our lives. (It is no accident that Scots has so many terms for rain and general climactic driechness.) To understand and value this is not to enter into some kind of sterile argument about the linguistic hierarchy. This is not about Scots versus English, or Scots versus Gaelic; it is a celebration of our rich diversity which brings us vivid, though not interchangeable, versions of Scots from rural Aberdeenshire to Galloway and its many variations in our cities. But it doesn’t just weave colour into the national tapestry; according to the conclusions of the recent audit, an increased status for Scots also brings important economic consequences. Q: “Let me count the ways.” In your own words, briefly summarise the “ways” that the writer sets out in the rest of the paragraph. (3) Extract 6: (from an article by Melanie Reid about children’s TV) New research tells us that the amount of children’s programming has tripled since 1997, and there are now more children’s programmes on TV that at any time over the past 11 years. But there is another purpose, of course. The real reason behind the explosion in children’s TV is the fact that it makes a lot of people very, very rich. In 1984 the US deregulated children’s TV, which meant that characters such as the Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could be advertised in the commercial breaks of the show. By the end of the 1980s, children’s TV had become a huge global money-spinner, firmly in the grip of the marketing men. Powerful organisations such as Disney, Viacom, Fox and Nickelodeon moved in to create cartoon channels, guaranteed to provide the world’s children with that easy choice: a relentless, omnipresent diet of pap disguised as entertainment. Q: In your own words, summarise what the writer offers as the real reason behind the explosion in children’s TV. (3) Using context to Determine Meaning  For this type of question you are usually asked to use the context to explain the meaning of a particular word. In other words, how do the words round about help you to understand what the highlighted word means?
Use a pen to highlight or underline key words / information Give the meaning of the word Quote word/s or phrase/s from the context Explain how this word/phrase led you to understand the meaning Formula Example: Step 2: ‘excessively protective’ and ‘always worrying’…… Step 3: ……suggest that parents are going over-board, paying an unhealthy amount of attention to their children Example It seems the childcare pendulum has swung: the principal threat to children is no longer neglectful parents, but excessively protective ones who are always worrying about germs. Frank Furedi, reader in sociology at the University of Kent, has written a book, Paranoid Parenting, in which he explores the causes and far-reaching consequences of too much cosseting: “It is always important to recall that our obsession with our children’s safety is likely to be more damaging to them than any risks that they are likely to meet with in their daily encounter with the world,” Furedi writes. So, far from fretting, like paranoid parents, about the risks of physical injury, Furedi seems almost nostalgic about them: “Playground areas are now covered with rubber to limit the damage when a child does fall.” Q: How does the context in which it is used help you to understand the meaning of the word ‘cosseting’? Step 1: ‘cosseting’ means over-protective Task: Work through the extracts and questions that follow. Use the formula provided. Extract 1: He was astute in his application of the law. He thought about cases thoroughly and based his ruling on the facts of the case and years of experience and accrued wisdom. The judge was articulate in informing the jury, clearly and confidently outlining the procedure of the case. The lawyer looked askance at the judge, unable to comprehend his decision. He was incredulous at the result and questioned the judge critically. Q: Explain how the context helps you to understand the meaning of the following words. (6 - 2 marks for each) astute articulate askance Extract 2: The climb to the top of the mountain was arduous. Some stragglers were exhausted and unable to reach the summit. Even the experienced climbers were tired out due to the difficulty of the terrain. Undaunted some of the group pressed on in their desire to reach the top, determined to succeed. Their unrelenting drive was a shining example to the others as they forced themselves to endure the feelings of pain and exhaustion. Q: Explain how words/phrases within the context help you to understand the meaning of the following words: (6 – 2 marks for each) arduous undaunted unrelenting Extract 3: If you hail from Glasgow you will have friends or relatives whose roots lie in the Irish Republic. You will have Jewish friends or colleagues whose grandparents, a good number of them Polish or Russian, may have fled persecution in Europe. You will eat in premises run by Italian or French proprietors. It is a diverse cultural heritage enriched by a large and vibrant Asian population. Q 2: What is the meaning of ‘diverse cultural heritage’? Explain how certain words within the context of the extract helped you to arrive at this meaning. (2) Extract 4: (from a book about the highlands of Scotland) This time the policy of repression was inexorable. It began immediately with an order for the extermination of the wounded who still lay upon the field. It was continued by the harsh imposition of martial law, the shooting and hanging of fugitives, the driving of stock, the burning of house and cottage. Lowland and English graziers came to Fort Augustus to buy the cattle driven in from the glens, and the Navy and the Army co-operated in a ruthless search for the fugitive prince, brutalizing those who were thought to have information about him, and hanging a few who would not give it. In this sustained terrorization, Lowland regiments were as active as men from the English shires, and three officers long remembered for their bitter cruelty were all Scots. The only government forces to show compassion for the homeless and the hunted were the Campbell militia form Argyll. The prisoners taken were tried in England, lest the Scots juries be too faint-hearted. The axe was nobly busy on Tower Hill, and the gallows rope sang at Carlisle, York, and Kennington Common. One hundred and twenty common men were executed, a third of them deserters from the British Army, but nearly seven hundred men, women and children died in gaol or in the abominable holds of Tilbury hulks, from wounds, fever, starvation or neglect, Two hundred were banished, and almost a thousand were sold to the American plantations. Q: What is meant by “the policy of repression”? (1) Q: Explain how the writer’s comments help you to understand the expression “the policy of repression [was inexorable].” (4) Extract 5: (from an article about asteroid impact) Others are, however, convinced that it is only a matter of time before we face Armageddon. Liberal Democrat MP and sky-watcher, Lembit Opik, says: “I have said for years that the chance of an asteroid impact which could wipe out most of the human race is 100 percent.” He has raised his worries in the Commons, successfully campaigned for an all-party task force to assess the potential risk and helped set up the Spaceguard UK facility to track near-earth objects. He admits: “It does sound like a science fiction story and I may sound like one of those guys who walk up and down with a sandwich-board saying the end of the world is nigh. But the end is nigh.” Q: Identify and explain how certain words/phrases in the paragraph help you to understand the meaning of the word “Armageddon”. (2) Following a Line of Thought - Linking Questions This question is designed to assess your understanding of how writers link similar or opposing points together in a way that helps the flow of their argument. The question might ask you to show how a sentence provides an effective link between two paragraphs or ideas. 
Formula Remember, there are four stages to linking questions: Quote the relevant words from the link sentence State that they ‘look back’ to the previous point about…….. Quote the relevant words from the context sentence State that they ‘look forward’ to the point about to be made about…….. Example Not being forgotten was particularly crucial. The apartheid regime had tried to “vanish” black people. Feeling abandoned and isolated, people turned to Dickens as someone who understood their plight. But there were not enough books to go round. Few of the crate loads of Shakespeare, Hardy and Dickens shipped from Britain reached the townships. Instead, they came to Soweto in parcels from charities. They were read by candlelight, often out loud, shared in a circle, or passed from hand to hand. Q: Explain how the sentence “But there were not enough books to go round.” provides a link between paragraphs at this point. (2) Step 3: ‘not enough’…… Step 4: …looks forward to the discussion about books being scarce. Step 1: ‘books’…… Step 2: …looks back to the point made about the importance of that books in Soweto. 
Linking Sentence NB: ‘But’ marks a turning point in the direction of the writer’s argument = 1 mark Task: Use the formula outlined above, and work through these extracts and questions. Extract 1: (from a book about China) The First Emperor’s imprint on the lives of the inhabitants of his far-flung kingdoms was seen further. He unified the script, demanding that all states write the pictographs of ancient Chinese in the same way. So, although the words might be pronounced differently in different parts of the empire, once they were written down everyone who could read could understand each other, a particular advantage for traders. Some of the pictographs are recognisable in the language today, and the principle of a single written language that can be spoken in different ways remains. But for the First Emperor, establishing complete control over his empire was not enough. He wanted to rule forever. If he couldn’t have immortality in this world, the next best thing would be to rule in the nether world. We knew about his tomb mound because the ancient sources referred to it, and it has always been there. Q: Explain how the sentence “But for the First Emperor, establishing complete control over his empire was not enough.” works as a link between paragraphs at this point. (3) Extract 2: (from an article about superstitions) But the superstitions and rituals so beloved by the world’s top players are not confined to the court. They take even more bizarre twists when the poor dears get home after their matches. Goran Ivanisevic got it into his head that if he won a match he had to repeat everything he did the previous day, such as eating the same food at the same restaurant, talking to the same people and watching the same TV programmes. One year this meant that he had to watch Teletubbies every morning during his Wimbledon campaign. “Sometimes it got very boring,” he said. Could it be that these multifarious superstitions tell us something of deeper importance not only about humanity but about other species on the planet? The answer, I think, is to be found in the world of pigeons. Yes, really. These feathered fellows, you see, are the tennis players of the bird world. Don’t take my word for it: that was the opinion of B. F. Skinner, the man widely regarded as the father of modern psychology. Q: Explain why certain words/phrases in paragraph 3 work well at this point as a link of the ideas in the passage. (2) Extract 3: (from an article about talent shows) It’s no coincidence that our love affair with The X Factor is so potent right now, more than ever before, as Britain endures a period of relative austerity. In a time of economic hardship, we are seeking out the simple and cheap—family entertainment that makes us feel part of something bigger. But the popularity of such shows may be traced back even further—to the emergence of 19th-century periodicals which relied on reader contributions. Reality TV is merely a manifestation of a very, very old craving. We 40 love sentimental stories, such as Dickens’ Little Nell; we love a tear jerker, and shows like The X Factor are no more crass or exploitative than cheap sensational 19th-century fiction. Yet it seems that 21st-century viewers are looking for more than just simple entertainment. Directory: 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> The Global Warming that Wasn’t 2014 -> Assembly, No. 3901 state of new jersey 216th legislature 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Unit: Automotive and Auto Body 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Walnut creek, ca branch executive committee meeting minutes Download 1.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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