Cambridge IGCSE First Language English

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Cambridge IGCSE®

FiErsnt lagnlgiusaghe

Fourth edition

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Cambridge IGCSE®

FiErstnlagnlgiusaghe

Fourth edition

John Reynolds

iii

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Please note: the example responses and teacher commentaries contained in this book are written by the author.
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© John Reynolds 2018

First published in 2001
Second edition published in 2005
Third edition published in 2013
This edition published in 2018 by
Hodder Education
An Hachette UK Company
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ

This fourth edition published 2018

Impression number 5 4 3 2 1

Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced
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obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, www.cla.co.uk.

Cover photo by Shutterstock/Ziablik

Fourth edition typeset in ITC Officina by Ian Foulis Design

Printed and bound in Slovenia

A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978 1 5104 2131 8

Contents

Introduction vi

How to use this book vii

CHAPTER 1 Travel and exploration 1

Unit 1 Active reading 2
Unit 2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions 16
Unit 3 Summary questions 33
Unit 4 Becoming a better writer 46

CHAPTER 2 Environment 65

Unit 5 More complex questions/how writers achieve effects 66
Unit 6 More complex summary questions 75
Unit 7 Directed writing 81

CHAPTER 3 People and community 99

Unit 8 Further summary practice 100
Unit 9 Improving your writing 114
Unit 10 Directed writing 128

CHAPTER 4 Writing compositions 148

Unit 11 Practical guidelines 149
Unit 12 Written coursework 165

CHAPTER 5 Speaking and listening skills 188

Unit 13 Speaking and listening skills 189

Key terms 201

Index 204

Acknowledgements 207

v

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

For the teacher

This book is intended for use by students studying the Cambridge IGCSE First
Language English 0500 course.

The aim of the book is to present comprehensive coverage of the syllabus in
a readable and interesting style that will appeal to the full range of abilities. It
provides advice and practice exercises to help students develop skills in:
• Reading
• Writing
• Coursework
• Speaking and Listening.
While the book’s overall focus is on the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English
course, it also aims to provide comprehensive coverage in key aspects of reading and
writing English for all students at this level.

So, although this book contains many exercises which will allow students to
practise the types of questions that they are likely to meet in a Cambridge IGCSE
First Language English examination, it also contains other material which is
intended to develop their close reading skills to the full. For example, some reading
passages in this book are longer than those that are likely to be used as stimulus
material in an examination paper and, similarly, some are taken from texts written
in a period of time earlier than that from which examination reading passages are
likely to be taken. It is hoped that this will allow teachers to help their students
to develop their skills in English language fully, as well as help to prepare them for
examination success through close consideration of the content of the passages and
the precise requirements of a full answer to the questions.

Teachers are encouraged to engage with their students through discussing the
requirements of all questions and giving guidance as to how to approach them in
the classroom before asking the students to write their own answers.

Teachers are also reminded that they are at liberty to amend and modify the
material in this book to best suit the ability and aptitude of their students and also
to produce their own specimen answers for the tasks in order to ensure that the
questions are best suited to the focus of specific lessons.

Format and content of the examination

Cambridge IGCSE First Language English 0500 is an untiered examination available
to students throughout the world. The examination comprises the following
components: Paper 1 which tests Reading (an externally marked examination, 2 hour
duration) and Paper 2 which tests Writing (an externally marked examination, 2 hour
duration). There is the option for centres to enter their students for Component 3,
Coursework, as an alternative to Paper 2. This is internally assessed and externally
moderated by Cambridge Assessment International Education. There is also the
option for students to take Component 4, the Speaking and Listening Test. This is
also internally assessed and externally moderated. It is separately endorsed and does
not contribute to a student’s final grade for Cambridge IGCSE First Language English.

vi

How to use this book

How to use this book

To make your study of English as rewarding and successful as possible, this
Cambridge endorsed textbook offers the following important features:

Learning objectives

Each chapter starts with an outline of the subject material to be covered and ends
with a checklist to confirm what you should have learned and understood.

Organisation

Content is broken down into reading, writing and speaking and listening skills,
and is explored through the themes of travel and exploration, the environment and
people and community.

Approach

The subject material is written in an informative yet lively way that allows for
complete understanding of each skill.

For the student

Each chapter includes a variety of exercises aimed at reinforcing and testing your
learning and, in particular, your ability to read for understanding in written English.
Your teachers may specify which elements they want you to do, but you may also
want to tackle others as additional practice.
Please note: the example responses and teacher commentaries contained in this
book are written by the author.

vii

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Study tips Exercises Definitions to learn

Tips to help you make key points Exercises throughout each chapter Definitions of the key words you
when answering questions. provide the opportunity to practice need to know are given, with terms
the skills you’ve learned highlighted in the text.

4.5 Planning your writing 3 Summary queStionS
Key terms
TTTphhhaeeereranedigduncarepaauraateprmiotahnaybbinoeon1grruu1pttm3hasberpetaprsocouofebifnjaeetcpxtsptospoaitlwnsrooeattrugasgadrriyteaavimbope2aonhdtuheiitsnepmpyeroorausbnoranwocbhaorlydlymdeltogiprhfw;oioeneigesnh(siaalgttciviineodhtyktno?one.dkbu7eemebpbdyeibsrceluadserwpdepelneodiwdhdnoihiann.neyvg'sttsewlte)latiiwekm.ospeteiibnbelewlget?ciptibmaoh1eul2eiptseeeaowp1el1e 4.2 Writing to argue or persuade
Exe3r.c5isSet5yle mattersfmaodsiauonrReopainmftdnapscIeeyaponemwlifpoeiOrgeaaaemlabuuocp‘sbecnuhiinolsnEbprleCtsnottsaolaojdeeslirbcohhegjeecxiaocmotfipbrnekryenaainohneojrehopaouacrnhTtnggoWoueeaciclnngc,aifrsptnrrwrottaghiicacsulcttrloiemthniiaelcrv:oruwtrgvyiasniuisoyntrnefadeeveaolesfssoenTeioieeesisgnlaoitvglensaxshlbinrfrsfaahauntseebmeoletreetftiiufin:eleseyercileodesownxcmleylten’eom:–sAudiinfcdnenhtnepceywgnm.–l:nrfieeHutasniaiooetdnorreaignternirdtairleanithuawrvvakvsle.xgbaismtwaesoseseble.ropihstysrllolye.arnrvy.ropayenidlneeontovdyaisdssetoiennnysofgd3otin2so,u1tlCnbyohC»oo:sIe»foeoM»fudmih»mtmtanmNea»tfwhinahpAicwchgmnkLiopfunavtcmoheatIcOloieeitcehtaeCpoetatsnnpeferiTinraeaIelsncetrueaolfmxnpoholyteernuiuuyhdmtewrmnpsntyotrreotachmmnnieithautwrihcgreatbsouftmsgeadnneadhfbieameri,hmxneeraointoesnsdeet(asltnharnweytyttlesmhaitoremcdioramtlhaaoeotseciloyoreecrsosrconaaahlvstenaydnsiprt;s.wuhrctounfrdqegserdtcasilhymwoe–aihpoiimemugvgioeoiydaeonuencfmnooixdhouisfnvmroovgocmcngonnawgypuitaiestmieareeeronctpadalinaeeglurrhetpd.nxnhnwohfdtrlyeseev,rgnhemepyosgeefiyirfnoeswhbtyaot,inybrosir)tmus.mrtrtqhnaeoytatthntogehrsdshiseuewoessGtulmaoeuu.pioyisemiexssocrweoosrusrhrc.oobndaitfyhensifedaohiysqroiruedit.ldtnnidhatkslobnuocaleoietoyiaaaediinoohhuytnetnnwtqnfinnsiwe.dnuiaunosdpstuegnctntt‘ntwsvlirntItBxhhheedcif,imsshtretskoaratytweraouioahoiui–heaansimbanlntudsnmyosladsrwssekkte.oiuoneitrpeteeneeeiwinardohtcfdsntlmsftnigtytodelsnthohuitaesthmiht.osodosepsueelymirahhiwaluFlrsrtiraonryironsoetyatelmttspehtrgoisiwftohvdehtgforafoyepaabftreeaoeieraahwntonobrahrkeiotntyddnvsyatubetrmhjchainttt’ea?welesheattiveoi(cfgnctcnphdepuhaetoigtayhhrtcnomhefenivashraocaoriroaeyrereegetuavepotauaitstrsuegyetcsmechdroynconwswpktfid,axoonwyero4cnralsisiitorhiyoipudltsft0laergu.mew–inhabmyile,fifmrbanthb’taiuenertsptepfntreooayymiglaetulyhveanlgiettvmyhlniyonretehrascngeset;nhswunctsohrethbtqhoyaeleeraitnaohhueynewiuhegvcnrwnfrisrdewacaeeeoecirattigategtldimlsrhrynhnylpuetierhyaisi.tldeelatxandadracanehytyeebetnseraohrtdasarkstdyegiytdolnehduvshaishsoit.fsdtooetafigestheoofamorhoyewntetreruibsrmotoeesphediansuhtegisrurlwoteyenlsem)ee;tishsiriannrohvninwnbonetwimmnwoaateathtemoaiielntssadtrpeptntyieeratrhrlgtrsygiblyevoiieteionneavavscuuigliet.estolse,aieTwoadbahsn.lsiesof
» The two preceding forests regularly endure the destructive effect of The impact of tourism on the environment is In conclusion the T3he.6folloPwirngaecxetrciissees caynobue ursedstko iplralcstise your summary writing skills.
» paragraphs widen tourism as deforestation is created by land clearing attributed to thoughtless visitors who blatantly writer sums up his
» the scope of the as well as by wood being required for fuel. ignore environmental rules. And closing down overall argument; 42
Study tip argument but also islands is the first step in ensuring that the world’s referring back to a
1 Adctoronths’tissbtsehtiaangfgresa,iodutto. introduce more One of the most essential natural resources is water. environment is not damaged beyond repair. point he made at
2 Iocfscflhyooyoomsouueubllfrdyiinnilpdedinretotkahhbeseaadmtab,rtly.weyoou facts and examples It is very evident that the tourism industry overuses the very beginning
3 Ricfto–omeaaifrmssntatwheshndeeaweooemrpfteadnborpjrueeoeigunsednrutttdt.esmtiahntsbeoagiedntbietneg to emphasise the water resources for the development of golf courses, With climate change still posing great damage is a very effective
writer’s viewpoint. swimming pools, hotels, and even the personal to natural resources around the world, proactive way of ensuring
use of water by some tourists which results in the approaches like what Thailand did, despite its huge that the readers
ddoonin’tgwtahnintgtsowdeo 6 AdlootinogIfsuotsuherilselisftesruitseh?sinpgesn.t watching television 10 degradation of water supplies and water shortages. blow on their tourism and economy, might be the think carefully
beianrgoausnkdetdhteohdoousjoebs8 looking smart 9 lleaawterenihinnagovuehrochwaelctauodlascatwolchruse-n4 It is important that we all conserve water both in our best way to protect the Earth. about what he has
own homes and when we are on holiday as water said.
learning history 3 scarcity is major issue in some parts of the world Source: www.triplepundit.com/podium/negative-impact-
spa–cweheoxpclaorreast?ion taking exams 5 now. tourism-environment

Stage 3 the composition now looks like this: Exercise 4
The order
of 1 From paragraphs 1 and 2, using your own words, give one example of the ways
tourism can benefit a country and one way that it can harm the environment.
APPPPaPaPaarPalrParWaoraaraaraatr1ar2ha345aoa67fGt8HbWGBimooeWowsWnWteeuCwhhaienieeynoemrhedhrdenvwrgayreadloepcalattirntpoolocltfsourew’–aceetsslttslhxneaaettsoilaiaeatn’ouiowtrsretmktnkeetbmnealdse.sjmeiinseoevnnTt(pitcmmwntoteoiphLtaIeWsnsles»ttrnid»kesntaiiiWtrsiotoiisfhosaoatrhwetonetnthedteaomtDbrhaDn?cdeeptseyboowwdopaotiisawWautoogssithnlishnnodhuunrhcocisthe’ereion’huityartetvtoinenstwtanomrmlcelrodbfsadaantonmougrtweuoupwto/aaptioaimtiitimeaebtroshdntkeoaveueossrtjrpowenefe.eugpstchpbotmsrocswayatsaminoalettt)esdotaannnhi.isdiihildeydecthbnmstce(’,teitiwoerytieeot1ncshotticuupto.h3twadtooosisgnaouohd(’nlifio)smusr.lpbac7ircyytygmtenhesgiihhwo)aidhcmegktreacwanuaieuDeahhotwrapnnrrhtmpcoodmieited?ogetnafiipogoan,clsergoftkhenliathsifoganoyw–aaon’tryn.aottnmnhvntjaoaycsbouaIeewto.aswbsubeotbit(tlasahmoitrfoolveco1mtoneniuae.ruufyah).noditsrt(olplylfr(ioagdeao1sout9pwsutnrttpr1oo)iellnotedh)raomkotlidaresddnrdaofsndofceeeuv!nok.ety.oacatneh(ir(oe(reoins4e6e’y?2?nusstgdfoha))i)er(u.mhtouor5cWpe.leaurol)pro(yvsnmtol1hieeyhdnaw0yswtettt)ontsooelhtbW.ewfdhpaoepaoeclresuuanosntgstnwt:’nphte?hthtcetwhtiehnoYssinia.elmodtnetnocugretkatlysiicsnmstt?oldothdeu.eo(era3l(iopwwddg8i)uniena)gttWaighhiBhnsn?eh.petbn(ieyaHhneo1geopf2lgioolws)leriteeos.vtnyeaort,nuo6d3
2 Why do you think that the writer believes that ‘It will never be a great idea to
exceed limits when it comes to tourism’? (paragraph 3)

3 Give three ways in which tourists can damage coral reefs.
4 In what ways does tourism increase air pollution? What are some countries

doing to reduce this?
5 Explain, using your own words, what the writer means by ‘The expanded

construction of recreational facilities’. (paragraph 9)
6 What are the two main reasons for the cutting down of forests mentioned by

the writer in paragraph 9?
7 Explain fully, using your own words, why the writer considers the action of

Thailand’s government is ‘proactive’. (paragraph 12)
8 Identify a word or phrase from paragraphs 10–11 (‘One of the most essential

… damaged beyond repair.’) which suggests the same idea as the words
underlined:
(a) The stonework of the old castle showed increasing signs of deterioration as

the centuries passed.
(b) We had to make a long journey across the desert, so it was necessary to

safeguard our supply of bottled water.
(c) Despite being seen by several witnesses, the suspect shamelessly denied

that he has been involved in the crime.
9 Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words

underlined:
One of the most essential natural resources is water. It is very evident that the
tourism industry overuses water resources for the development of golf courses,
swimming pools, hotels, and even the personal use of water by some tourists which
results in the degradation of water supplies and water shortages. It is important
that we all conserve water both in our own homes and when we are on holiday as
water scarcity is major issue in some parts of the world now.

53

13 Speaking and liStening SkillS 12.10 Writing checklist

The 10 Lesson»»»»»I»pfCnPEePtoeyGMiioMoDicnteorcspahkoaTsdukpo»nloeihku»eldom»ytrwoe»aep,»euo»HcuenyweIotaratWsietsoHhrpwfsnoaWoiwysetWlwhekmrtoyttrybioheuhhheh,isyttwhovuioybtphteeaoerelyyeuioseduaanaltortmcooesupsorperitdsumarfuewletdrluiodpipnsia,ycsaIadaiaicnnmisllekcgodnanlaqhsaehpgvgellIhuyincgucfnyol.Igssmettttaeedsseo.juthhhhiYsnos,ttsosmbhullToaetitathtydstneertathhvuyreiamhtIophogtreeeiofbtlfettgaldsnaimuoute?a?mIlhpfevytoschulsorcoaloootokcacpioyevflkhIicsuuuiyaebloonoeswenoernlnslrhrhdtuedmtirewitptemr.tno;tnhato?eaeirdobhtgbayonyanydbnoiseekboptu?dgtutodqheyulgtncatyutuaolp?aeoth’obiwotectbmolikanlkuoesibeietaylcatt,nniodyomhahhikytht.wo.ubeeaoshiyonmhYnhrovaw/abmosaihtiueevne:ctbeuvhotiehxtrvyegtaebeeamtoihtlnbwhsrsibmlrseti.ityheaegottisi?mvheteehnnhutheledngietlponaldl.irlpndtttfkemtoohi:oidtioanreetpnigbrwtatiliehsanpsiiaid?enkctenbseretoootioelssnpeymudrua:lettuceethcsyhchtahtaoieheinetanupitrndgyli/hwamgitoese.cwauaxcyeyBatauyohoyym–stuh.apshwivatiiAenaochevantge?neeyjrah.to?ihbaonyeetf,ereapedynnro.edauprfeainradtion, 4 Becoming a Better writer 12.10 Writing checklistWpwwohhiielenlnntbsyeyowomuiulrolcwrahelrelistcbuiknecgcatenaisdsksefcrnuehlve!iincskteoedycoobunyrsawidoteerrkaactbihoeenfro.roIerfsryueoabudmaibtlystointhtgaeykaeouutdrhieepnmocrteifn,ottloihoec,ofyonolsuliodrwewrinaritgtiionng
s to Learn From Travelling192 –ealvdBin1ferweyeiin)unvsitninshtTnelwuetyalvgisIfhpownmaltfaa’CeevAeemWgirmatoBeaopybimprine–scrnnilefyladleeqhoahegtiaicfcnaurocruCtrllayaefermeihieaonowctor,avt,azcoeddaryunoviyaunolntataae.r.ittlnasnhlhoaetwrTatpddbbgoaeganecril,phttyepmoeydlaeo.raxpepfoeRenFpsesTfbpoesun,rdaoussieeoptoortggrsraltrhhlpoamaourgceuiimeelareoreeoerlrwrinmabieaslm’oWnensisct,nehsrebt,aiftdttllotdn;oibejih,roegoeggrsoeAmeliffbotisrcnis,nu1n,roezaisluteet0mnodsoinryytttsaakrniov,ohenIolvWnfert’in.oowevnoeteho,W.arletmslertwoiaoTlhn:tuolartafhlrneeglnneaiNifadieoatlssdtvf“’cinrsathntmimretea-ncosehmgirpTlnenheesnoiseanfdtigaeitstloblpcrragesnieoaeeraatnaeshi–aodcrcDdscv,aplkmahheybtywaaro,eoyicYrotiuwoukinroarui,lgindnlbuPlg”2.e,aech)PUpoaiitrTappnmlrbcwntcrlidoteuiupeimaehiaan,mswicvtdnetytdliactaiomiteeochoassvshskpnhenrettaegaewiidwrealsae’zltroaoitvoin’iesetmsatttttsuetiecwrehnsisyttcoguntsei,oerteosrouhjsusayyommtosouemtsthonlmoamnfyyxtiaemtaudcdsfgopIuocnottyako,oertghehotrwrbhaott,vsaerawttorevbeariiahitnvaacter.eyuabybadleovtnnbYoylg,luceniecedc,ulyonttemaolaertpioistufggghlavmnohaaduerlaveibfdreantt’tsvefnoeriieimdtaemle,eewycldhicrdingnwsohyonaeservbtthuoator–guhm,meautwo’runasizrniciacc,oguete’sgnhokltchkwersnlheduiopetttn’tliawnIherrtsne.aninaemprefeaacics.sibpttlstwrkneealIthheoenafaei,anmoeendmngtklbnctrulghrsaaoriaeseellinaiikdutdiolntrstlsgml’ehesanxepntgw,taichd’uoystntheayvekherrogabevcoiatilelunoeptcx,eeutihgruohy.rciirtatsyToaeush’tpsuru.enhlpiostokesekeunagsyh 12I»»s»3Dy4»5»t»ooi»e»henIeubnIasenHtss»use»tuer»emcjoigecstoirsttaqiwteeorsiaehygcnupntwpsnkaaueraa:eutnraeeatebclieinnceiaslnmnrhllgnlacltcaenctiigiyigemcenunnt?etsslcu:grtgvgteafteauraeeaeoruxtrtarceapcitopetoatthesfpnieunper,srdairp?oeuietpa?rdnphsdospeerce?spraieeoarosIwsiptsfaasearrntmisiinetatfdpideotneetneerolgoatxltv?ispphanoyoirHuegnbcetd,oijasopoeiwbspeuncfuunwrtosglpincalhvoolecreoaotsyswtauednafioiaosdtsifnrotctdthcnohhoodneeanuo:tntgepeidhxinsettugci,otrefau?memslotmwvaaernirtds?ieningms,aibpglriyonvefirdnogmthat
The passage begins The eastward cliff was at first merely a starless selvedge to the starry dome. No rosy flush, The sudden arrival UIAn••n•s•t••si•hd•dt•aiAsiesg•eas•nos•uus•emnu•mrmarupussltmsagoelouipineouayermcmgarcnseoinstksugannttriserneaseeclamemiyattra,tktsuanrogranrafteee1aeleiuaraiecndrasvs:tnogatcaagrteaetheeumtiuneceneylssxasuacurdurgtepveoaun2nteaneaexsheftrddrtidappetreeonavrereanipseeftofeuurtapretodrrvecvsnsrcsnoiprioaxteuu3tectedmpraucbatnesc:wornoarnduteacipaefedubaedletronadsiirutviioniaenefrddpaeltngynagseethltieoerddpoalafoeoxylopeesnftiecfpfrnoaladefooxarilgasnsmixenclpnnsc,lpdposartodepgtpeeesnlnswsnl,iuocxstic,dewtpciientpsiienfnitudoxihcitngwcntmnetptaemcuiaphcoitoneneatsubeanicuaitsstajroseaienatopnntinrctsifshnoinsuoidtntoostigrrcafvhgnueouotsnedsoupsgrcadseurihatnd.nleuggtnidei,bsrhrodlefeagtniae,bsarmrsplfaetata,eptmtrmaiuplerattnopsuamteapdierrdnf.noarefiegiepdmrsaf.craftiaietmepagcpttaiteorngoetcipondorencidaotetnextet xt
Tasks with a detailed no creeping pallor, announced the commencing day. Only the Corona, the Zodiacal light, of the lunar day is
imaginative a huge cone-shaped, luminous haze, pointing up towards the splendour of the morning reinforced by this
Numerous tasks support your description of a new star, warned us of the imminent nearness of the sun. short, sharp one-
learning and check your progress day dawning on sentence paragraph.
at each important stage of every the moon. The Whatever light was about us was reflected by the westward cliffs. It showed a huge
chapter. description undulating plain, cold and grey, a grey that deepened eastward into the absolute raven As the day becomes
emphasises both darkness of the cliff shadow. Innumerable rounded grey summits, ghostly hummocks, clearer, the writer’s
the silent emptiness billows of snowy substance, stretching crest beyond crest into the remote obscurity, gave language becomes
of the scenery us our first inkling of the distance of the crater wall. These hummocks looked like snow. more animated,
and the clarity of At the time I thought they were snow. But they were not – they were mounds and masses particularly through
the atmosphere. of frozen air. the choice of verbs
The writer skilfully – ‘quiet’ words like
presents the coming So it was at first; and then, sudden, swift, and amazing, came the lunar day. ‘crept’ and ‘touched’
of day, showing each give way to ‘striding’,
different detail as The sunlight had crept down the cliff, it touched the drifted masses at its base and came ‘quiver’, ‘steaming’.
it is brought to our striding with seven-leagued boots towards us. The distant cliff seemed to shift and quiver,
eyes as the sun picks and at the touch of the dawn a reek of grey vapour poured upward from the crater floor,
it out. whirls and puffs and drifting wraiths of grey, thicker and broader and denser, until at last
the whole westward plain was steaming like a wet handkerchief held before the fire, and
Notice how the the westward cliffs were no more than refracted glare beyond.
skilfully controlled
use of direct speech, ‘It is air,’ said Cavor. ‘It must be air – or it would not rise like this – at the mere touch of a
following on from sun-beam. And at this pace …’
a lengthy passage
of description, adds He peered upwards. ‘Look!’ he said.
immediacy to the
story and engages ‘What?’ I asked.
the reader.
‘In the sky. Already. On the blackness – a little touch of blue. See! The stars seem larger.
And the little ones we saw in empty space – they are hidden!’ 187

Swiftly, steadily, the day approached us. Grey summit after grey summit was overtaken
by the blaze, and turned to a smoking white intensity. At last there was nothing to the
west of us but a bank of surging fog, the tumultuous advance and ascent of cloudy haze.
The distant cliff had receded farther and farther, had loomed and changed through the
whirl, and foundered and vanished at last in its confusion.

Nearer came that steaming advance, nearer and nearer, coming as fast as the shadow of a
cloud before the south-west wind. About us rose a thin anticipatory haze.

Cavor gripped my arm. ‘What?’ I said.

‘Look! The sunrise! The sun!’

He turned me about and pointed to the brow of the eastward cliff, looming above the
haze about us, scarce lighter than the darkness of the sky. But now its line was marked
by strange reddish shapes, tongues of vermilion flame that writhed and danced. I saw a
crown of fire about the sun that is forever hidden from earthly eyes by our atmospheric
veil.

And then – the sun!

Steadily, inevitably came a brilliant line, came a thin edge of intolerable effulgence that
took a circular shape, became a bow, became a blazing sceptre, and hurled a shaft of heat
at us as though it was a spear.

It seemed to stab my eyes! I cried aloud and turned about blinded, groping for my blanket
beneath the bale.

And with that incandescence came a sound, the first sound that had reached us from
without since we left the earth, a hissing and rustling, the stormy trailing of the aerial

56

Extracts Revision checklist

Extracts from a range of sources are This checklist lists the key concepts
provided to help you practice your and topics you have covered in the
skills. Teacher’s comments explain chapter and the key points you’ll
the key features of the extract. need to know for an exam.

viii

CHAPTER 1
Travel and
exploration

Units

1 Active reading
2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions
3 Summary questions
4 Becoming a better writer

1

1 Active reading

In this unit you will:
H demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
H demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
H select and use information for specific purposes
H organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
H use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
H make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
This unit will focus on the following skills:

Reading

H demonstrate understanding of written texts, and of the words and phrases
within them

H summarise and use material for a specific context
H select appropriate information for specific purposes.

Writing

H organise and convey facts, ideas and opinions effectively
H demonstrate a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context
H demonstrate accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

2

1.1  Whydoyouread?

1.1  Why do you read?

The written word is all around us. It is almost impossible to spend a day without
reading something. Here are a few examples:
» If you catch a train, you will probably read the timetable to make sure you know

when your train arrives/departs.
» If you’re planning to see the latest block-buster movie, then you will need to read

details of performance times in a newspaper or on a website.

» Whenever you use a computer,
you need to read the different
messages that appear on the
screen.

» When you settle down to
relax after a hard day’s study,
you might decide to watch
television. How do you find
out which programmes are on?
Most probably you will look at
a television guide. How do you
know when the programme you
intend to watch is about to
start? Almost certainly because
you will read the title as it
flashes up on the screen in front
of you.

Of course, you may decide that the
most enjoyable way to relax is not
by watching television at all, but
by reading. But what will you read?
Will you choose your favourite
sports magazine or will you return
to the novel that you left by your
bed last night?

3

1 Active reading

Key terms 1.2 Passive and active reading

Passive reading: So, reading is something we spend our lives doing, often without being conscious
The process by of the fact that we are doing it. In fact, you might think that the printed word is so
which we register much a part of our lives that we take very little notice of it; it is just there.
what we read on
road signs, etc. We take the printed word for granted and, as a result, we frequently recognise
without consciously familiar (and less familiar) words without really thinking about what they mean – we
having to think just accept what we see. This is what we mean by passive reading – the words are
about the meaning like wallpaper; we see them but don’t really bother to think about them!
of the words used.
Active reading: The Reading, however, is also an active process, in which you really think about
process involved in what you are reading and try to get as much out of the text as you can. On many
making sense of occasions (such as reading a legal document before you sign it or making sure that
more complicated you understand fully the information contained in a school textbook) you need
pieces of writing, to concentrate carefully on the sense of the words that you are reading. This is
in which we have to called active reading and it is important that you develop this skill of reading for
engage more closely understanding.
with what is written
and think carefully An English Language course is unlike most other subjects in that there are very
about the meaning few facts and details which you need to learn. However, it is still important to
of the words used by spend time developing the skills you need. For Cambridge IGCSE® First Language
the writers. English you need to be able to:
» demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
Key terms » demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
» analyse, evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions, using appropriate
Non-fiction: A
piece of writing in support from the text
which the content » demonstrate understanding of how writers achieve effects and influence readers
is factual and not » select and use information for specific purposes.
imaginative. If you improve your skills in active reading, this will help you in many other school
Convey: subjects as well, such as history or economics.
Communicate;
writers convey While studying English Language, you will need to read different types of
meaning when they materials. You might be presented with:
make their ideas » a piece of non-fiction (possibly taken from a newspaper)
understandable for » an extract from a novel or short story
their readers. » a piece of personal writing such as an autobiography, to give just three examples.
Remember that words alone are not the only way by which writers convey meaning:
pictures, diagrams, sub-headings (which draw a reader’s attention to a specific point
in an article), changes of font and typeface (such as the use of italics or bold print)
are all means by which writers will try to influence your responses as a reader.

1.3  How do you develop the skill of active
reading?

Throughout your course, it is a good idea to practise active reading, as this will help
you fully understand the texts you are reading. Here are some suggestions of ways in
which you can do this:
» Read a wide range of texts, not just novels and magazines but also newspaper

articles, in particular editorials and opinion columns, and any leaflets or
pamphlets you can find.

4

1.3  How do you develop the skill of active reading?

» Remember, work in other subjects, such as history or sociology, also requires
you to read non-fiction books which contain complicated and well-structured
arguments. Other types of non-fiction writing include journals, travel books,
blueprints, diagrams, letters and web and magazine articles.

» With everything that you read make sure that you think carefully about what the
words, sentences and paragraphs actually mean. It may help to:
» ask yourself questions as you go along, or think of comprehension questions
that might be set to test understanding of what you are reading
» imagine what you would ask someone else if they had read the article and you
hadn’t.

» It is a good idea to have a pencil and notepad close to hand whenever you are
reading in order to underline or highlight key words and phrases as you read.

» Make annotations in the margin to summarise points.
» Read critically by asking yourself questions as you read the text. Who wrote it?

When? Who is the intended audience?
» Look for ‘signposts’ that help you understand the text – phrases like most

importantly, in contrast, on the other hand.
When you are working on comprehension passages in class, it is almost certain that
your teacher will keep asking you questions. This is to help you gain a complete
understanding of what you have read, and you should ensure that your answers are
as precise and specific as possible.

So, when you are reading on your own, try to think about what questions your
teacher would ask if he/she were there with you. This should help to ensure that
you have thought about the main concerns of the passages and understood them to
the best of your ability.

Once you have mastered this approach, you will find that you are reading with a
much clearer and more focused understanding – this will allow you to maximise the
use of your skills in any situation and when answering a comprehension question.

Test your active reading skills

Exercise 1

• Read through the following paragraphs, in which the writer describes a journey
on the luxurious Simplon-Orient-Express train.

• As you read, make notes of any words or phrases about whose meaning you are
not clear and then check their meaning by using a dictionary.

• Write down a one-sentence summary of each paragraph.
• Make up five questions (with answers) to test your understanding of the passage

and then give them to a partner to answer.

5

1 Active reading

Aboard the Orient Express

Appropriately enough for a train steeped in Passengers slumber through eastern France
romance, the principal routes of the Venice and northern Switzerland, usually waking
Simplon-Orient-Express link three of Europe’s somewhere east of Zürich. Raising the blind to
most beguiling cities, London, Paris and reveal the waters of Zürichsee or the majestic
Venice. The chocolate-and-cream British peaks lining the northern shore of Walensee
Pullman train departs from London Victoria and is part of the pleasure of overnight train travel
glides through Kent on the way to the Channel. – that sense of being somewhere so different
In France the royal-blue train with brass from the landscapes and architecture of the
insignia, lined by uniformed and white-gloved previous evening.
attendants, is waiting to take you to the capital,
while a four-course dinner is served. The The snow-capped peaks of tiny Liechtenstein
dinner is made unforgettable by the sumptuous are a prelude to the Austrian Alps, as a
surroundings of the Lalique glass and wood- continental breakfast is delivered to your
panelled dining cars as well as the quality of compartment. A pause at the Tyrolean capital
the food, a miracle of skill conjured up in the of Innsbruck is an opportunity to stretch one’s
tiny galley kitchen. legs before the train reverses to head south
through the Brenner Pass, its crags periodically
In Paris the train uses the same station, Gare topped by stone fortresses controlling valleys
de l’Est, from which the first Orient Express through the Dolomites. Lunch is served as
departed on October 4 1883. The sense of the train drops down from the summit on the
dinner-jacketed style is enhanced by the border with Italy, conifer-clad slopes giving way
contrast with passengers milling about on the to huddled villages surrounded by vineyards
platforms, the bar car’s piano and period tunes and orchards.
a world away from the iPods of today’s Parisian
commuters. The architectural style of the pale stone castle
and palaces forming Buonconsiglio Castle in
It is likely to be dark by the time the train Trento emphasises the transition from central
weaves through the hills growing the grapes European to Mediterranean culture. With the
that produce the Champagne served on board. Adige River for company, the train makes for
Verona, forever associated with the doomed
love of Romeo and Juliet.

Afternoon tea is served as the train crosses
the fertile landscape of the countryside around
Vicenza. The last major city before journey’s
end is Padua, where Galileo once taught
mathematics at the university, founded in 1222.
The causeway linking Venice Mestre and the
island is the perfect approach to the city and its
towers and domes rising above the tiled roofs.
Then, when the train arrives and you walk out
of Santa Lucia terminus, you find yourself on
the bank of the Grand Canal.

Source: Adapted from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/
rail-journeys/The-Orient-Express-Great-Train-Journeys/

6

1.4  Skimming and scanning – getting the gist

Key terms 1.4  Skimming and scanning – getting
the gist
Skimming: Reading
quickly through Sometimes you need to be able to read as much as you can and understand it as
a passage or fully as you can, in a limited period of time. This is why developing your active
article in order reading skills is so important. You must read through the whole question paper
to gain an overall carefully, but if you are skilled at reading actively, then you can save some time by
understanding employing the techniques known as skimming and scanning.
of its content, » Skimming means reading quickly through a passage in order to gain a clear,
in particular by
using clues from overall view of what it is about. This is what we mean by ‘getting the gist’.
headlines, sub- » Scanning is a refinement of this approach, as it means you are reading in order to
headings, etc.
Scanning: Reading extract specific details which are relevant to the questions that you are required
sections of the to answer. Before we look a little more closely at how to apply these techniques,
passage or article there is one other very important point to consider, and it is also one that is easy
more closely to overlook.
once you have
established the Identifying key words in a question
overall meaning
by skimming, in At the beginning of this section we mentioned the importance of reading through
order to ensure the whole question paper. This means, of course, not only reading through the
understanding of passages but also reading through the questions on those passages.
the most important
points relating to A clear understanding of exactly what the question requires will help you to focus
the overall meaning. on those parts of the passage in which the relevant points can be found.
Gist: The substance
or general meaning When you are reading a question, you may find it useful to underline the key
of a piece of writing. words. For example, look at this summary question based on the passage ‘A Whale of
Key words: These a Time in Oz!’ (page 9).
are words in a
question that Read carefully the passage ‘A Whale of a Time in Oz!’ and then summarise what it
either give clear tells us about the behaviour of Southern Right Whales and why they were considered
instructions as to to be so suitable for hunting.
what you should
do to answer the From your skimming of this question, you will pick up that the passage is about
question (e.g. Southern Right Whales. The key words to underline as part of your scanning process
explain, describe) are the instruction summarise and then the specific details on which you are to
or which make focus: behaviour and why they were so suitable for hunting.
clear what should
be the focus of Read carefully the passage ‘A Whale of a Time in Oz!’ and then summarise what it
your answer (e.g. tells us about the behaviour of Southern Right Whales and why they were considered
a character’s to be so suitable for hunting.
behaviour, details of
a place, etc.). Exercise 2

Here are the stems of instructions to a typical question you might be asked. Some
key words have been underlined for you.
a) From paragraphs 1 and 2, give two facts that the writer gives …
b) What made …
c) By referring closely to paragraph 9, explain, using your own words, …
d) Using your own words, explain what you learn about …
e) Which word in paragraph 11 tells you …
f) By referring to paragraphs 3 and 11 explain, using your own words …

7

1 Active reading

g) Re-read the passage and then, referring closely to the words and phrases used
by …

h) Explain how the writer conveys to the reader …
i) Remember to use quotations from the passage in your answer.
j) Select four powerful words or phrases from each paragraph. Your choices should

include imagery. Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in
the context.
1 With a partner, discuss whether there are any other words that should also be
considered as key words, either in the list above or in any other questions that
you have seen.
2 Once you have decided on the key words, try to decide exactly what they mean
and why they are important to answering the questions correctly.

Skim, scan and select

Now we can look at how the process of skimming and scanning works when reading
the passage ‘A Whale of a Time in Oz!’

Here is the question again, with the key words underlined:
Read carefully the passage ‘A Whale of a Time in Oz!’ and then summarise what it
tells us about the behaviour of Southern Right Whales and why they were considered
to be so suitable for hunting.
1 Skim the text.
You will notice that there is a title, followed by a smaller title (sub-heading). There
is also a photograph with a caption, and an extracted quote two-thirds of the way
through the article.
These all contain details which can be easily taken in when you first skim/scan
the page. They give you a quick, overall view of the subject of the text and the
writer’s attitude towards the subject. It is important that you make use of clues of
this sort when you set out to read the passage.
2 Scan the text.
Pick out details relevant to the question which you now have firmly fixed in your
mind.
3 Select the points you intend to use.
By scanning, you weed out those details which are not relevant to your purpose.
For this question you are being asked to identify facts about the whales and about
why they were hunted. It is important that you understand the distinction between
facts and opinions.
» Facts are objective details which can be supported by evidence.
» Opinions are subjective views held by the writer and cannot, therefore, be proved
as being either right or wrong.
Sometimes you may need to separate facts from opinions to show that you can
distinguish between them. Or you may simply have to identify one or the other.
Look again at the question. It asks only for factual details. You should, therefore,
include only those in your answer. Having a clear understanding of this difference
will make it easier to eliminate irrelevant opinions from your summary.
With these guidelines in mind, we will now look at the passage.

8

1.4  Skimming and scanning – getting the gist

A Whale of a Time in Oz!

As you read In search of the Southern Right Whale ‘down under’ The first few paragraphs
through the set the scene. Although
third and fourth Helen Highwater you will be taking the
paragraphs, it is details in as useful
likely that you will Southern Right Whale, background information,
be asking yourself Nullarbor Plain South you will also be aware
questions such as Australia that the Southern Right
‘What do these Whale does not receive
details tell us Getting there wasn’t easy. First a mention until the third
about the whales’ there was a 500 kilometre paragraph. If you are
behaviour?’, ‘What flight from Adelaide on a tiny reading actively, you will
was it about their plane shaped like a toothpaste immediately notice this
behaviour which tube. Then once we’d landed and be alert for further
made them so easy we met up with Gary White, information which is
to hunt?’, and so our expedition leader, and his going to follow.
on. jeep. 200 kilometres along the
Eyre Highway we entered the treeless Nullarbor Plain, a semi-desert populated mainly by As you move on through
Aboriginal people. the passage, you will
find that it alternates
Our destination was the head of the Great Australian Bight, where we were to spend two between giving facts
days watching whales. On the way Gary told us what we wanted to know: about the whales’
behaviour and details
‘Sadly, over 25 000 whales had been killed before whaling ceased in 1930. By this time about the scenery, and
Southern Right Whales were virtually extinct. They were known as “Right” whales because the writer’s personal
they were right for hunting in small land-based boats. They came close inshore, floated response to seeing the
when killed, and had thick blubber, which produced the valuable whale oil when it was whales as they frolic in
boiled down. This meant that the poor whales were hunted down in vast numbers by the water. The details
money-making shipowners.’ of the scenery and
the writer’s opinions
‘Right Whales feed on small creatures at or near the surface, gently swimming along with may make the passage
their mouths half open, allowing the sea water to flow in. The water is pushed back out interesting but you
with their tongues, leaving the food behind. Thankfully, they are now a protected species should be skimming
and numbers have risen to nearly 800.’ over them as they are
not details specifically
This was a dismal tale but it had a happy ending – the whales were now safe from connected to the
murderous whale hunters. questions which you are
asking yourself.
Two hours before sunset we arrived at our destination. The crumbling limestone cliffs
dropped sheer into the deep blue of the bay. It was August, the height of the whales’
breeding season. Every three years the whales come from their home waters in the Antarctic
to their Australian breeding grounds. Mature females weigh 80 tonnes. The females do not
eat at all until they return to the Antarctic. By this time they will have lost 20 tonnes in
weight.

As the sun began to set behind us we looked out, but saw . . . nothing. Then boom! Right in
front of us the sea erupted as a huge whale burst from the surface, thrusting its body out of
the water and smashing down with a noise like a cannon firing. Again and again it surged
from the sea, a majestic and thrilling sight.

After a meal under the stars we talked some more. Gary told us that large numbers of
female whales and their calves had been in the bay the previous week. The calves are six
metres long at birth and they grow to three times that length.

9

1 Active reading

‘This was Nature at its finest, awesome and strangely moving.’

Our final day began early. We packed up our camp, walked to the cliff edge and were
amazed! I counted 24 whales. Swimming parallel to the shore, very close in, was a long
procession of mothers and their calves. They floated past on the surface. Some swam side
by side, others lazily rolled over each other as they moved slowly along. They were
enormous. As they expelled the air from their blow-holes, great spouts of misty waters shot
upwards. This was Nature at its finest, awesome and strangely moving. We were silent
watchers of a primeval, wonderful sight. How can people hunt such beautiful and truly
amazing creatures?

All too soon we had to go. In October the whales would return home too, home to the
Antarctic. We said little. We’d been stunned by the size of Australia, climbed Ayers Rock
and followed the tourist trail. These would become distant memories, but our two days
whale-watching would remain alive in our hearts for ever.

In general, the language in which the passage is written is not difficult to understand and can be read quite easily by
an average student. The vocabulary, for the most part, does not consist of long and complicated words. However, in
the last-but-one paragraph the writer uses some more complicated sentences.

Here, both the sentence structures and the vocabulary are more complicated. It is a good idea to slow down your
skim reading at this point and stop to consider exactly what the words mean. Do these sentences contain information
relevant to the question? If they do, then you need to think about how best to put the information into your own
words to show a reader that you have understood. (Lifting the sentences as they stand and transferring them directly
into your answer will be a sure sign that you do not understand them!)

Even if your understanding of the vocabulary used in these sentences is not entirely secure, your awareness of what
the question is actually requiring you to look for should convince you that these are references to the writer’s feelings
or opinions. They do not have a great deal to do with the whales themselves, apart from telling us how impressive
they are, which is a point made elsewhere in the passage anyway. You can safely pass over them and continue to read
the passage. It will not then take you long to finish, as the remaining sentences may be of general interest in helping
us to understand the writer’s feelings but are not relevant to the material for which you are searching.

Exercise 3

1 Once you have read through the passage carefully, make numbered notes under
the following headings: ‘The behaviour of Southern Right Whales’ and ‘Why
Southern Right Whales were suitable for hunting’. Try to use your own words as
much as possible.

2 Now make a further list of points under the heading of ‘What the writer felt
about her experience of visiting Australia and of watching the whales’.

Key term As you can see from this example, selection of relevant details in your reading of a
passage is vitally important to working under examination conditions. You must
Distractors: have a clear idea of what you are looking for and then focus on finding it and
Information ignoring irrelevant comment or detail (which teachers refer to as distractors).
and details in a
comprehension The more swiftly you can select the facts and opinions that you actually need to
passage which, answer the questions, the more time you will have for expressing your understanding
although interesting of them as clearly as you can. Writing your answer will be dealt with in more detail
in themselves, in Units 2 and 3.
are not relevant
to answering any The reading you will be required to do in an examination will not always consist
of the questions of non-fiction, factual material. Sometimes it will involve an extract from a short
and should not be story or novel.
included in your
answers.

10

1.5  Practise your active reading skills

Remember

Concentration and alertness help to make you a good reader. The more you practise your reading
skills, the better your understanding of the passages is likely to be.

Key terms 1.5  Practise your active reading skills

Informative writing: Here are two examples of the different types of reading passages you may be given
A type of non-fiction in an examination. Practise reading through them and see how easily you can grasp
writing that gives their meaning.
factual information
about something. Informative writing
Examples of
informational The extract on page 12 is a straightforward piece of informative writing.
writing can be found
in newspapers and » Its intention is to explain something to you, and when you are reading it you are
reference books. likely to be scanning it for useful facts and details.
Topic sentence:
The sentence » Unlike the passage about spotting whales in Australia, it does not contain any
in a paragraph photographs or sub-headings which may help to convey the writer’s meaning. You
that sums up the will, therefore, need to think carefully about the meaning as you read through it.
main idea of the Try to identify the main points of the writer’s argument and separate them from
paragraph. It is the examples he gives to illustrate them.
often, but not
always, the opening Study tip
sentence of that A useful tip when reading this type of writing is to assume that each new paragraph deals with an
paragraph. important new point. If you can identify the topic sentence in each paragraph, you will have found
a good ‘hook’ on which to hang your understanding.
Remember For example, in the third paragraph of this passage the opening sentence is clearly the topic
sentence as it states the main point of the paragraph, and then the following sentences develop
When skimming this point. Spotting the topic sentences helps you to keep a tight control of your understanding of
and scanning the a writer’s argument.
passages, try to
identify the main Points to consider:
points of their
content and to » Skim through the passage and make a note of the opening words of each
keep these clearly paragraph – do these give a clear pointer to what each paragraph is about? Is the
in mind when opening sentence of a paragraph in this article always the topic sentence?
answering the
questions. » Have you noticed any words that the writer uses whose meaning you are not sure
of? Make a note of these words, but don’t worry about them.

» Now look at the closing sentences of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4; in what way do these
relate to and clarify the introductory point being made in the first paragraph?

» Now that you’ve thought about the overall structure of the writer’s argument, read
through the whole passage carefully and, while doing so, try to make sense of any
words whose meaning you are not sure of by using clues from their context.

11

1 Active reading

Voice Across the Sea

Man is, pre-eminently,
the animal who
communicates, but
until little more than a
5 hundred years ago his
thoughts could travel
abroad no more swiftly
than the sailing ship or
the running horse.

10 The great change
began when lightning
itself became a
messenger for
mankind. At first, the

15 electric telegraph was
regarded as a
superfluous novelty, but within a single lifetime engineers had spun a cocoon of copper
wires around the world. In 1886 was laid the first successful Atlantic cable. From that
moment, Europe and America were only seconds, and no longer days, apart. However, even

20 when the telephone was invented in 1876 it was not possible to speak across the Atlantic;
the early submarine cables could carry only telegraph messages. They were too sluggish to
respond to the hundredfold-more-rapid vibrations of the human voice. Although a
transatlantic telephone service was opened in 1927, it depended entirely on radio, which
meant that even at the best of times conversations were liable to fadings and cracklings, and

25 to eerie, Outer Space whistles and wails.

The first transatlantic telephone cable went into service in 1956. As a result of the vastly
improved service, there was an immediate jump in the number of calls between Europe and
America. More cables had to be laid – first across the Atlantic and later across the still wider
expanses of the Pacific.

30 By the dawn of the Space Age, therefore, the problem of inter-continental telephone calls
had been solved – but it had been solved so successfully that it had raised yet more
problems. The cables could carry only a limited number of conversations, and it seemed
unlikely that they could keep up with the rising demand. Moreover, just as the Victorian
cables could not cope with the telephone, so the submarine cables of the 1950s were

35 unable to deal with the latest miracle, television – and for very similar reasons. The electric
signals involved in the transmission of TV pictures were a thousand times too complex to be
handled by a cable. A new breakthrough was needed and the satellites provided it in the nick
of time.

Source: from Voice Across the Sea by Arthur C. Clarke, Harper and Row, 1958

12

1.5  Practise your active reading skills

Exercise 4

1 Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
• ‘Man is, pre-eminently, the animal who communicates’ (lines 1–3)
• ‘the electric telegraph was regarded as a superfluous novelty’ (lines 15–17)
• ‘a cocoon of copper wires around the world’ (lines 17–18)

2 From paragraph 2, using your own words explain why it was not possible to use
the early ‘submarine cables’ for telephone calls across the Atlantic.

3 Using your own words explain what the ‘yet more problems’ mentioned in
paragraph 4 were and say what solved them.

Key terms Newspaper article

Graphics/graphical The passage below is taken from a newspaper article. It contains some graphical
features: Graphics and layout features which are typical of this type of writing. When you practise
are diagrams and reading this article, focus on trying to get a clear picture of what actually happened
other visual images to Tony Bullimore. In order to make the article more immediate and dramatic, the
which help to clarify writer has not described the events in a strictly logical sequence.
the meaning of what
has been written in Exercise 5
an article.
Layout: The layout 1 Look at the article ‘Thank God … it’s a miracle’. What can you infer from the
of an article means headline, the sub-headings and the graphics?
the way writing and/
or pictures are set 2 Now skim each section of the article and its sub-heading: what do you learn
out on a page. about what happened to Tony Bullimore and about the man himself?

Before you start to read the passage carefully, think about any details which seem
to be unclear and try to make sense of these as you read in order to understand the
sequence of events as well as you can.

‘THANK GOD … IT’S A MIRACLE’

The thud of a fist and Briton is saved from cruel seas

Report by Ian Burrell

The rescue

It was the thud of a fist on
the hull of Tony Bullimore’s
overturned yacht that told him he
was not going to die.
5 The British yachtsman had
spent four days and four nights in
an air-pocket inside his capsized
yacht, praying that he would be
saved. ‘I started shouting, “I’m
10 coming, I’m coming”,’ he said. ‘It
took a few seconds to get from

13

1 Active reading

one end of the boat to the other. ‘Two-thirds of the hull filled 80 ‘This chap is not an ordinary

Then I took a few deep breaths with water. There was a hole in person, like you or me,’ said

and I dived out.’ the bottom of the hull, in fact a clinical psychologist, Eileen

15 It was the culmination of one 50 really at the top, where one of Kennedy.

of the most dramatic sea rescues the windows had come out. This ‘The kind of person who

of all time. Mr Bullimore had caused water to be sucked in and 85 takes part in a solo yacht race

been stranded more than 2,400 out at a colossal rate, causing a welcomes challenge and risk.’

km from the Australian coast kind of Niagara Falls, but upside The survivor

20 and 1,500 km from Antarctica. 55 down.

The key to Tony Bullimore’s ‘This chap is not an The yachtsman said that
incredible feat of endurance ordinary person like you during the ‘horrific, traumatic
was an ability to remain calm experience’ he was ‘hanging on

and methodical in his thinking or me.’ 90 in there and believing something

25 despite the most appalling 60 ‘I had to find myself a spot as would happen and just fighting.’
circumstances. 65 high up as possible and put nets Through four days of darkness
70 around it so that I could crawl in
The ordeal 75 there and lash myself in to get out and solitude, he depended on
of the water and to get away from ‘sheer determination, a little
Trapped in darkness, with everything.’ 95 water, a little chocolate’ to
freezing waters lapping at his sustain him.
feet and buffeted by 20m waves, Dr Howard Oakley, of the
30 he will have known only too well Institute of Naval Medicine, said ‘It was just
that he was more than 1,600 km keeping a clear head and a sense determination, a little
from the nearest land. of order were vital. Once he had water, a little chocolate
decided to stay with the yacht, … hanging on in there.’
Faced with the danger of being Mr Bullimore’s priorities were
dragged down with the boat, to activate the distress beacon But even Mr Bullimore was at
35 most people would have been transmitter and to ensure he his endurance limit.
tempted to try and jump clear. was getting enough air. Perched
in a makeshift hammock, Mr ‘I only just made it. Because
Mr Bullimore’s sense of calm, Bullimore was alone with his 100 of weather conditions, I was
developed from years of solo thoughts, with nothing visible
yachting, taught him otherwise. to focus on. This is the kind deteriorating at a reasonable
40 He stayed with the yacht and of situation that makes people rate,’ he said. ‘When I knew that
quickly took stock of the few motion sick. the rescue was actually going to
straws available for him to cling happen, I felt ecstatic.’
on to. Yet the discomfort of sea-
sickness could not break Mr   Source: adapted from 
Yesterday he described the Bullimore’s remarkable spirit.   The Independent, 1998 
45 horrific conditions that he had

endured.

14

1.5  Practise your active reading skills

Exercise 6

Answer the following questions about the text:
1 Give two facts about the ordeal undergone by Tony Bullimore.
2 Using your own words, explain what the text means by:

a) ‘the culmination of one of the most dramatic sea rescues of all time’ (lines
15–17)

b) ‘incredible feat of endurance’ (line 22)
c) ’quickly took stock of the few straws available for him to cling on to’ (lines

41–43)
3 Re-read lines 56–79 (‘I had to find … remarkable spirit.’). State three things

Tony Bullimore did to keep himself alive.
4 Re-read the section with the sub-heading ‘The survivor’. Identify two phrases

that indicate Tony Bullimore’s state of mind at the end of his ordeal.
5 Using your own words, explain how the article shows that Tony Bullimore was

‘not an ordinary person like you or me’.

Unit summary

In this unit you have reviewed the objectives:
• demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
• demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
• select and use information for specific purposes.
• organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
• use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
• make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

15

2 Reading comprehension:
short-answer questions

In this unit you will:
H demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
H demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
H select and use information for specific purposes
H organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
H use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
H make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
This unit will focus on the following skills:

Reading

H demonstrate understanding of written texts, and of the words and phrases
within them

H summarise and use material for a specific context
H select appropriate information for specific purposes.

Writing

H organise and convey facts, ideas and opinions effectively
H demonstrate a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context
H demonstrate accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

16

Introduction

Introduction

What are short-answer questions?

Short-answer questions are straightforward and test your understanding of a passage
that you have read. They require brief, factual answers to show that you have
understood a particular piece of information in the text. You should try to express
your answers in your own words.

Remember 2.1 Applying your skills

You may have to You might be asked to show an understanding of the passages printed for you to
refer to more than read. Although different papers use different types of questions to do this, success
one part of the depends very much on the care and concentration with which you read.
passage to provide a
complete answer. It is a good idea to keep the following points in mind when you set about
preparing to answer questions:

» You have plenty of time to read the passages carefully; don’t rush into writing
your answers until you have gained a clear understanding of what you have been
asked to read.

» Remember that a clear understanding of the questions is as important as reading
the passages. This will help to ensure that you are in the best position to select
the details that are relevant to the question you are answering.

» Read each passage through carefully from beginning to end in order to gain
a general, overall understanding of it: it is important that you gain a sound
overview of what it is about.

» Once you have achieved both an overview of the passage and a clear
understanding of what the questions require, then look closely at the relevant
sections of the passage on which the questions are based. It may help to
underline or highlight key points in the text so that you can easily find them
when writing your answers.

» The next step is to produce your written answers to the questions. Remember: it
is important that what you write makes clear that you have understood exactly
what the question requires. A reader can judge your understanding only by what
you have written: don’t leave out points which may seem obvious if they are
relevant; if you don’t include a point, you cannot be given credit for knowing it.

» Make sure that the details you include in your answers are relevant to the
question.

» Write your answers clearly, without irrelevant comments.
» Use your own words as far as possible to demonstrate your understanding. If you

are asked to explain the meaning of a word such as exciting remember that an
answer which says ‘something that makes you feel excited’ will not be sufficient,
as you need to use a word such as thrilling to show your understanding.

The paragraphs above give advice on how to approach answering comprehension
questions. In order to gain a further understanding of this process, here is a practice
task that you should do with a partner.

In pairs, read the passage on page 18 about the Batu Caves in Malaysia. When you
have done this, follow the instructions that are printed at the end of the passage.

17

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

The Batu Caves in Malaysia

A Beautiful Attraction Just Minutes from Kuala Lumpur

By Gregory Rodgers

The Batu Caves in Malaysia are one of the most
important Hindu religious sites outside of India
and are a must-see once you tire of shopping and
wandering round Kuala Lumpur.

Just 13 short kilometres north of the city, the Batu
Caves are just one of the many interesting things to
do around Kuala Lumpur. The caves attract around
5000 visitors a day who come to climb the gruelling
272 steps up to the caverns. The Batu Caves are a
focal point for Hindu Malaysians: they house a
113-year-old temple, along with an interesting
array of Hindu artwork and shrines.

Every year during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, Just across an attractive set of bridges, the Art Gallery
the Batu Caves attract more than a million devotees cave contains Hindu carvings and wall paintings
and spectators. The eight-hour procession of music that depict tales of Lord Murugan and other Hindu
and ceremony leaves offerings before a giant statue legends; expect to pay a small fee to enter.
of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War.
While most tourists come to visit only the caves, the
Approaching the caves, the first thing you notice is limestone hills and crags in the surrounding area
a towering golden statue of Lord Murugan. Erected offer some of the best rock climbing in Southeast
in 2006, this statue is the largest in the world Asia. Around 170 bolted routes present great climbing
dedicated to the deity and stands guard to the 272 challenges for sport climbers. The routes, rated from
leg-burning steps that lead up to the cave entrances. 5A to 8A+, have something to offer for climbers of
As you make your way up the steps, you will all skill levels. For less technical climbers, there are
undoubtedly be entertained by a tribe of monkeys many opportunities for hiking, scrambling, and
that feed off the steady stream of tourists. You may bouldering in the area.
take pictures, but pay attention to your belongings!
Expect to be entertained and possibly even harassed
Resting points along the stairs provide nice views of by a horde of Macaque monkeys that call the area
the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. home. The monkeys make great subjects for photos,
but inevitably end up stealing from and even biting
Batu Caves’ jagged limestone hillside is home to the occasional tourist. Monkey bites can be serious;
three main caverns. The largest and most popular immediately drop anything that they grab on to such
is known as Temple Cave, which has a ceiling over as a backpack or water bottle. The monkeys consider
90 m high. Inside the lit cave you will find various tug-of-war to be a challenge and may bite your hand
Hindu shrines and ornate depictions bringing before they let go!
legends to life.
The Batu Caves are located in the Gombak district, a
The entrance below Temple Cave is known as Dark northern suburb of Kuala Lumpur just 13 km from
Cave; this is the wildest of the three caves. The the city centre.
2000 m underground stretch harbours brilliant
limestone formations and is home to many species Source: www.tripsavvy.com/the-batu-caves-in-malaysia-1629532
of cave animals including the endangered Trapdoor
Spider.

The Dark Cave can only be explored by booking a
special caving tour in advance. The tours require a fair
level of physical fitness as some crawling is required;
it is advisable to bring a change of clothes.

18

2.3  How to approach short-answer comprehension questions

Key term Exercise 1

Interpret: This 1 With a partner, divide the passage into two sections (for example, paragraphs
means to look 1–6 and 7–12).
beyond the literal
meaning of a word 2 One member of the pair should then write five or six comprehension questions
or phrase and on the first section while the other writes a similar number of questions on the
attempt to explain second section. Do not discuss your questions while you are writing them.
what the writer is
implying by the use 3 When both sets of questions are written, swap them with each other and write
of these words. answers to the questions you have been given.

Note 4 When you have finished writing your answers, hand them to your partner for
marking.
You should
become familiar 5 Once the answers have been marked, discuss why they are right, wrong or not
with responding decided. When doing this, it is important not only to discuss the answers but
to a range of also the wording of the questions; in particular you should consider how clearly
questions of this the way the questions were phrased led to the answers that the question setter
type. was hoping to be given.

2.2  Types of questions

Texts which might be used to test your comprehension skills will be:
» factual (an article giving information, such as the one about the Batu Caves above)
» narrative (a passage telling a story or part of a story – this could be a true

account such as an account of a visit to somewhere taken from a travel book)
» descriptive (a piece of writing describing a person, place or object which may

include the writer’s feelings about what (s)he is describing)
» argumentative writing (an article in which the writer puts forward a point of view

or belief in an attempt to provoke her/his readers to agree – or disagree).
The types of questions you could be asked are likely to vary, depending on the type
of passage.

More straightforward questions often require only short, one- or two-sentence
answers. It is likely that the questions will follow the order of the original passage
– that is, the answers to the earlier questions will be found in the first part of the
passage, and so on.

You might also be required to find factual details from the passage. More
demanding questions may ask you to interpret some of the points included in the
passage to arrive at your answer.

Comprehension of a text often doesn’t have a right or wrong answer; what is
important is that you give evidence that you have understood the details of the
passage and can apply this to produce a consistent interpretation of the question.
This is particularly important if you are asked to write in character for a directed
writing response.

2.3  How to approach short-answer
comprehension questions

In this section we are going to look at some techniques that are specific to short-
answer comprehension questions.

The example that follows consists of a reading passage and a series of short-
answer questions to test your understanding of it.

19

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

Remember Short-answer questions require brief, factual answers to show that you have
understood a particular piece of information in the text. You should try to express
Reading tasks your answers in your own words.
require a careful
reading of the The way in which a question is worded will give you some indication of the
questions as well as approach you should take in your answer. For example:
of the passage. » Questions which contain instructions such as Give two reasons require

straightforward retrieval of details from the passage. Remember that you should
provide two distinct reasons and not just two aspects of the same reason!
» Questions which ask you to Explain something, such as the writer’s opinions,
require you not only to say what the opinions are, but also to make some
comment about them in your own words.
» Questions which begin Why do you think the writer uses certain words or
expressions (for example), require you to interpret and explain the writer’s
intentions in choosing these words. There are no specific right or wrong answers
to these questions – remember to justify your opinion.
» Questions which contain an instruction to use your own words require you not to
copy words or phrases directly from the original passage in your answer, but to
substitute other words to make clear that you have understood the words the
writer has used. It is particularly important if the question asks you to give the
meaning of words used in the original passage that you don’t use the same word
(or a derivative of it) in your definition!

Example – answering short-answer comprehension
questions

Look at the questions below before reading the text. The questions should help you
to understand the passage better when you read it more carefully.

Exercise 2

Remember that reading tasks require a careful reading of the questions as well as
of the passage. For example:
1 Scan the passage: where do you learn in what country the episode being

described takes place?
2 Why is the writer there and what activity is he engaged in? Where is he staying?
3 Are there any words, especially names of animals, with which you are unfamiliar?

Make a mental note of these but don’t worry about them. How do the
accompanying pictures help you to understand the passage more clearly?
4 Skim read the questions – make a mental note of those that require
straightforward retrieval of facts from the passage. Which questions carry more
than 1 mark? Which questions tell you to use your own words?

Read the passage, ‘The Lost Lagoon’, which is an account of a visit to the Esteros
del Iberá in the north-east of Argentina, and then answer the questions that follow.

20

2.3  How to approach short-answer comprehension questions

The Lost Lagoon Philip Smith

Yellow and black, it was hiding among the bright red head feathers, as if it had been Due to their relatively small size, the
sun-bleached branches at the water’s edge. dunked headfirst in a pot of Day-Glo paint. yacaré are generally not considered to
Our boat nudged closer to the island. I lifted The birds barely noticed us; it was hard not be fatally dangerous to humans.
my camera and pulled the creature’s beady to trip over them as we rolled our luggage
eyes into focus. Then, in a quarter of a through the freshly cut grass. Later, at then there were the birds. Almost 400
second, measured by the camera’s rapid breakfast, I turned to see a pair of species call these marshes home. Some are
frame-burst, the anaconda snapped open its hummingbirds on the veranda. They would difficult to miss, such as the chaja, that
jaws, sprang forward, and hissed in my return every morning. resembles an ugly turkey and emits a
face. In the Esteros del Iberá, I learned, it’s gurgling scream. Others take a little
hard to avoid getting up close and personal We were staying in the small town of searching out: kingfishers, heron, ibis and
with nature. Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, an ideal base for eagles.
exploring the Esteros. The posada was built
Our guide, Maximo, was smiling. There in 1997, and in recent years a number of The lagoon system is so vast we rarely saw
was no danger, he told me. Anacondas other lodges that share its emphasis on another boat. The wildlife here works in
aren’t poisonous – they squeeze their conservation and tradition have opened shifts, so when the daytime gang clocks off,
victims to death. I can’t have looked nearby. But none has such a privileged many rarer creatures show their faces. Back
convinced because he quickly edged the position, right on the water. among the water lilies where we had spent
boat away from the bank, and soon we were our first afternoon, we continued our search
threading our way through the streams and Walking to the small jetty, it was difficult to for the elusive marsh deer. Here the islands
inlets that weave an unknowable pattern see where the posada’s four acres of had rearranged themselves so extravagantly
through the embalsados – hundreds of gardens ended and the water began, so that, for the first time, even Maximo looked
floating islands which bump and skitter dense was the covering of aguape and a little confused. As dusk turned to night
across the surface of this vast lagoon irupé: water hyacinths and lilies. As and the darkness became inky black, he
system, in a kind of slow-motion game of Maximo readied the boat, he told us that flicked on a powerful torch.
dodgems. these plants spread so quickly he has to
clear a new path through the water each There was a movement in the reeds. We
The Esteros del Iberá is the least known of morning. edged closer. The torch picked out a pair of
Argentina’s natural wonders. Its 63 lagoons eyes. And then, finally, there it was. A
are spread across an area the size of Wales We pushed away from the jetty, thrilled by a marsh deer standing glorious in the
and mark the former course of the Paraná glimpse of a basking yacaré. Soon, landscape, the furry tufts of its ears lit up
River. In these vast wetlands an improbably sightings of this South American alligator by the tungsten glow of the torch. It turned
rich ecosystem thrives, but until recently it would prompt little more than a nod of its gaze towards us for a moment and then,
received only a passing mention in many recognition. It seemed that every few with a twitch of the nose, disappeared into
guidebooks. Only now, with a flurry of metres you could spot a leathery snout and the darkness. It had been worth the wait.
low-rise, eco-friendly development, is the pair of prehistoric yellow eyes poking
Esteros finally opening up to tourism. through the water. Source: adapted from the Guardian,
29 November 2008
To reach the Esteros from Buenos Aires we The yacaré feast on the local fish. Fat and
took an overnight coach to the dusty town happy, they pose little threat to humans.
of Mercedes. After a further hour’s journey And some say it’s OK to swim, as long as
in a 4×4 truck down the dirt track otherwise you don’t mind the odd nibble from the
known as ‘provincial route 40’ and as a red palometas, a type of piranha found in these
sun crawled over the horizon, we parts. I decided that any swimming would
approached the makeshift bridge which be confined strictly to the hotel pool.
serves as a gateway to the Laguna Iberá.
Iberá means ‘bright water’ in Guarani, and When the Esteros became a natural reserve
as we rattled over the bridge, the in 1983, hunting was banned and
surroundings fell away as if we were driving indigenous Guaranis like Maximo retrained
across a gleaming ocean. as guides. Each day we explored a secluded
new site offering an uncanny array of river
The sweeping lawns of the Posada de la otters, bizarre spiders, carpinchos, yacarés,
Laguna were dotted with a selection of snakes, butterflies and howler monkeys. We
multicoloured birds. One had a shock of would hear rumours of a beautiful rare deer
that constantly seemed to elude us. And

21

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

Now answer the questions below using your own words wherever possible. Once
you have written your answers and not before, read through the commentary that
follows and which contains guidance as to what your answers should be.

Exercise 3

1 From paragraphs 1 and 2, give two facts that the writer gives about the
anaconda.

2 What made the lodge in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, in which the writer stayed,
different from other lodges in the region?

3 By referring closely to paragraph 9, explain, using your own words, what the
writer says about swimming in the Esteros.

4 Using your own words, explain what you learn about the life of Maximo from
paragraph 10.

5 Which word in paragraph 11 tells you that the marsh deer was difficult to find?
6 By referring to paragraphs 3 and 11:

(a) Give two reasons why the writer says that the Esteros del Iberá is ‘the least
known of Agentina’s natural wonders’.

(b) Explain, using your own words, what the Esteros del Iberá is and how it
was formed.

(c) Why do you think Maximo looked confused while searching for the marsh
deer?

7 Explain, using your own words, what the writer means by the words in
underlined in three of the following phrases:
(a) ‘hundreds of floating islands which bump and skitter across the surface’
(b) ‘One had a shock of bright red head feathers, as if it had been dunked
headfirst in a pot of Day-Glo paint.’
(c) ‘a secluded new site offering an uncanny array of river otters, bizarre
spiders, carpinchos, yacarés, snakes, butterflies and howler monkeys’
(d) ‘The wildlife here works in shifts, so when the daytime gang clocks off,
many rarer creatures show their faces.’

8 Explain how the words and language used by the writer in each of the phrases
you have chosen help to suggest the particular fascination of the Esteros region
and the creatures that live there.

Exercise 3: Guidance on the questions

1 This is a question requiring straightforward interpretation and you are told exactly
where to find the answer so you won’t need to include information from anywhere
else. A correct answer would be something similar to: ‘Anacondas have “beady
eyes”; they are not poisonous; they squeeze their victims to death’. Note: Saying
that anacondas are snakes would not be correct as this fact is not mentioned in
the first two paragraphs. As is often the case in a structured question paper, this
first question is a ‘settling in’ question.

2 Again, this is a straightforward question; the answer is that the lodge is the only
one in the region that is on the water’s edge.

3 This question requires simple interpretation, although you need to reword the
original statement to demonstrate your understanding. A good answer would
contain the following details:
• The writer is not fully convinced that the creatures living in the water would
not do him any harm.

22

2.3  How to approach short-answer comprehension questions

• He would much prefer to swim in the safety of the lodge’s swimming pool.
4 Notice that this question is clearly focused on the life of Maximo and is,

therefore, testing specifically your understanding of not just what he does,
but also what the word ‘indigenous’ tells you about him. A good answer would
contain the following points:
• He is a native/original inhabitant of the area.
• After the Esteros became a natural reserve in the 1980s, he trained as a guide

for visitors.
5 This is a straightforward question requiring you to identify the single word

‘elusive’. It is important that you quote only the actual word and not the whole
sentence which contains it (unless you make it clear by underlining which word
you have chosen).
6 This is a straightforward question requiring you to explain some details from the
passage in your own words.
(a) The Esteros consists of 63 lagoons. It covers a very large area of land.
(b) It was originally part of the Paraná River, which has now changed its course

but has left the lagoons behind.
(c) The islands in the Esteros are floating vegetation and are in continual

movement which makes navigation difficult.
7 This question requires some response to the language the writer uses. It is likely

that marks will be awarded both for your explanation of the meaning of the
underlined words and also for an explanation of how the writer’s choice of words/
imagery in the whole phrase helps to convey the fascination of the region and the
creatures that inhabit it. For example:
(a) The word skitter means to skim or glide across a surface (in this case, water).

The choice of the verbs bump and skitter, with their associations with
fairground rides, suggests the unpredictability and frequency with which the
islands are changing shape and position.
(b) The word dunked means to dip something into a liquid (such as a biscuit
into a cup of tea). The choice of the word dunked suggests something done
without a great deal of care and effectively conveys the almost haphazard
arrangement of the brightly coloured feathers in the bird’s crest. The reference
to Day-Glo paint also suggests a cartoon-like quality of the brightly coloured
bird.
(c) The word bizarre means unusual, freakish and incongruous. The choice of the
words uncanny and bizarre suggests that the creatures living in the region
are unlike anything found anywhere else on Earth, and that they are highly
unusual and unexpected. Also, these creatures are found in a secluded area
which their appearance contrasts with and so emphasises their unusual
appearance. The use of the word array suggests that they are deliberately
putting themselves on show for the visitors.
(d) The phrase in shifts means that each member of the wildlife in the region
has its own scheduled period when it performs in front of the visitors. The
comparison of the wildlife to the workforce in a factory gives the creatures
human characteristics. It suggests that their lives are organised into a
carefully planned pattern of appearances so that the most persistent of
visitors are rewarded with an entertaining variety show.

23

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

2.4  Practise answering reading
comprehension questions

In this section you will practise your comprehension skills by looking at one of each
of these text types:
» factual
» narrative
» descriptive or
» argumentative writing.

Factual text

You will probably find the following extract easier to understand than some of the
more informative writing you have already looked at. Be careful, therefore, that you
do not fall into the trap of reading it passively. It is important that you continue to
concentrate on extracting the meaning as fully as possible.

With this type of writing you are looking to:
» identify relevant facts
» indicate an understanding of the motives and personalities of the characters

described.
Think about this as you answer the questions which follow the passage.

The passage that follows gives information about an exotic bird, the cock-of-the-
rock, that is native to Peru.

Before reading the passage carefully in order to answer the questions that follow
it, scan the passage and make notes of the facts the writer gives about the birds
themselves and what he says about his feelings about his experience.

The numbers in the text give some indication of where the answers can be found.

Cock-of-the-rock

Stephen Moss Cocks-of-the-rock (note the pedantic scientific research and runs wildlife
plural) (2) are very striking birds tours in Manu. Having driven across
Our guide unlocked the wooden indeed. About the size of a collared the Andes from Cuzco just the day
door. “Here” he announced to his dove, though much plumper, they before, this was our first experience
still sleepy audience “are the keys to sport a prominent crest, which they of this incredible place.
paradise.” (1) José Antonio has use to intimidate their fellow males,
probably used this line before, but and attract females, in the avian We were just in time: even as our
none of us was complaining. For as equivalent of the red deer rut. eyes became accustomed to the
dawn broke over the Manu cloud darkness (4) we could hear a series of
forest, in the heart of Peru, we were But their most obvious feature is harsh squeals and grunts echoing
assembling on a wooden platform their incredible colour: luminous from the foliage. Moments later, the
perched on the edge of the orange on the head and body, with first cock (these were all male birds)
mountainside. We had come to see black wings and a pearl-grey back, melted out of the gloom, as if
one of the greatest bird spectacles in making them look like a tricolored someone had switched on a very
the world: the courtship display of rugby ball (3). bright light.
the Andean cock-of-the-rock
(Rupicola peruvianus). I was in Peru with the Crees Within seconds, a second and a third
Foundation, which carries out appeared; then more, until by the

24

2.4  Practise answering reading comprehension questions

time the display was over, some wrapped in feathers it appeared language of neighbouring Brazil,
twenty minutes later, at least virtually non-existent. (6) and they certainly got that right. José
half-a-dozen birds were snorting, Antonio told us that the cock-of-the-
squeaking, and showing off their Cocks-of-the-rock (there are two rock is Peru’s national bird; not just
wares to the females, somewhere out species, the other living further thanks to that amazing display, but
of sight. north) are members of a diverse also because its deep orange-red
Neotropical family known as the plumage matches the nation’s flag. (7)
Unseen they may be, but the females cotingas. The name means “bright Just before light finally filled the
are far from bit-players in this forest bird” in the now extinct Tupi forest, we watched two males having
extraordinary event. For as usually a standoff: flicking their wings, and
happens in nature, they will do the turning up the volume and intensity
choosing, picking out the lucky male of their calls. Then, in unison, they
as their partner in this winner-takes- paused and turned, as if admiring
all contest. For now, though, the each other’s performance.
males were alone: sidling up and With the morning sunlight filtering
down the branches like tiny orange down through the canopy, the show
monkeys, emitting those strange, was over. And, as with all great
gurgling calls. (5) theatrical events, (8) we were left
wanting just a little bit more.
As the light improved, I got a better
view of a splendid male perched Source: www.theguardian.com/
against a dark backdrop of leaves, environment/2017/may/21/cock-of-the-
making jerky, almost mechanical rock-peru-manu-cloud-forest-birdwatch
movements. The small, beady eye
was odd enough for a bird that lives
in this sylvan darkness, but even
more peculiar was the tiny bill: so

The following questions are not intended to reflect those that will be asked in an
examination, but to help you to read the passage carefully so that you gain a full
understanding of it.

Before you start the questions, take note of the following point. When actively
reading a comprehension passage, it is important that you try as hard as you can
to ensure that you have a clear understanding of what the words used by the writer
mean in the context in which they are used. Some words and phrases in the passage
have been underlined – as you read through the article, stop and think about
exactly what is meant by these underlined words and phrases.

Exercise 4

1 Why do you think José Antonio uses these words to the writer and his
companions? How does it influence your thoughts about the passage that you
have just started to read?

2 What does the writer mean by this – in what way is he being pedantic?
3 How does this description help you to understand the appearance of the bird?
4 At what time of the day does this event take place? Are there any other clues in

the passage?
5 What does this paragraph tell you about the different behaviour of the male and

female birds?
6 Why does the writer think that the bird’s ‘beady eye’ and beak are odd?
7 What more information do you learn about the cock-of-the-rock from this paragraph?
8 Why does the writer describe this experience as a ‘theatrical event’?

25

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

Narrative text

Exercise 5

Before reading the whole passage carefully, ask yourself the following questions:
1 This is an extract from a longer story; what important information can I learn

about what has happened before the extract begins?
2 When and where do the events in the extract take place? Do I know anything

about the geography and history that may help my understanding? Does it
matter if I don’t?
3 How do the pictures accompanying the text help me to understand it more fully?
4 The story is written as a first person narrative from the viewpoint of a child.
What do I learn about the thoughts and feelings of other characters who feature
in the extract?
5 Do I gain any further understanding of the overall account by knowing that the
narrator is actually describing his experience as a child from an adult viewpoint?

Now read the extract. The writer describes the effect of severe weather conditions
on her father’s farm in Australia.

The Road from Coorain:
An Australian Memoir

After the great rain of 1939, the rainfall conversations he would be Suddenly I noticed that there were no birds to
declined noticeably in each successive year. In silent. As we looked at sheep, be seen or heard. All had taken shelter. I called
1940, the slight fall was of no consequence or tried to assess the pasture my mother. We watched helplessly. Always one
because our major worry was that the left in a particular paddock, for action, she turned swiftly, went indoors
accumulation of growth on the land would he would swear softly, and began to close windows. Outside I
produce serious bushfires. These did occur on looking over the fence to a collected the buckets, rakes, shovels and other
land quite close to us, but my father’s foresight neighbour’s property, already implements that could blow away or smash a
in getting cattle to eat down the high grass eaten out and beginning to window if hurled against one by the boiling
preserved Coorain from that danger. blow sand. wind. Within the hour, my father arrived home.
He and my mother sat on the back step not in
In 1941, the only rain of the year was a Each time he said, ‘If it their usual restful contemplation, but silenced
damp cold rain with high wind which came doesn’t rain, it will bury this feed in a few instead by dread.
during the lambing season in May and June weeks.’ It was true and I could think of nothing
and carried off many ewes and their newborn consoling to say. A dust storm usually lasts days, blotting out
lambs. After that there were no significant the sun, launching banshee winds day and
rainfalls for five years. The unfolding of a His usual high spirits declined with the state night. It is dangerous to stray far from shelter,
drought of these dimensions has a slow and of the land, until the terrible day when many of because the sand and grit lodge in one’s eyes,
inexorable quality. The weather perpetually our own sheep were lost because of a sudden and a visibility often reduced to a few feet can
holds out hope. Storm clouds gather. Thunder cold rain and wind when they had too little make one completely disorientated. Animals
rolls by. But nothing happens. Each year as the food in their stomachs. By 1942 it was which become exhausted and lie down are
season for rain approaches, people begin to apparent that the drought could be serious. often sanded over and smothered. There is
look hopefully up at the sky. It mocks them
with a few showers, barely enough to lay the Shortly afterwards, the first terrible dust
dust. That is all. storm arrived boiling out of the central
Australian desert. One sweltering late
It takes a long time for a carefully managed afternoon in March, I walked out to collect
grazing property to decline, but three years wood for the stove. Glancing towards the
without rain will do it. Once the disaster west, I saw a terrifying sight. A vast boiling
begins, it unfolds swiftly. So it was with us. cloud was mounting in the sky, black and
sulphurous yellow at the heart, varying shades
My father and I would set out to work on of ochre red at the edges. Where I stood, the
horseback as usual, but instead of our air was utterly still, but the writhing cloud was
customary cheerful and wide-ranging approaching silently and with great speed.

26

2.4  Practise answering reading comprehension questions

nothing anyone can do but stay inside, waiting against our roof and the sharp roar as a nearly question that there were also many more bare
for the calm after the storm. Inside, it is stifling. empty rainwater tank blew off its stand and patches where the remains of dry grass and
Every window must be closed against the dust, rolled away, triggered my father’s recurring herbage had lifted and blown away.
which seeps relentlessly through the slightest nightmares of France during World War I, so
crack. Meals are gritty and sleep elusive. Rising that when he did fall into a fitful slumber it It was always a miracle to me that animals
in the morning, one sees a perfect outline of would be to awake screaming. It was usually I could endure so much. As we checked the
one’s body, an after image of white where the who woke him from his nightmares. I, the child property, there were dead sheep in every
dust has not collected on the sheets. in the family, would waken and attempt to paddock to be sure, but fewer than I’d feared.
soothe a frantic adult. My spirits began to rise and I kept telling my
As the winds seared our land, they took father the damage was not too bad. ‘That was
away the dry herbage, piled it against the When we emerged, there were several feet only the first storm,’ he said bleakly. He had
fences, and then slowly began to silt over the of sand piled up against the windbreak to my seen it all before and knew what was to come.
debris. It was three days before we could mother’s garden; the contours of new sandhills
venture out, days of almost unendurable were beginning to form in places where the Source The Road from Coorain: An Australian
tension. The crashing of the boughs of trees dust eddied and collected. There was no Memoir by Jill Ker Conway, Vintage, 1992

Exercise 6 increase in the dirty clothes at the bottom
of her suitcase.
1 What do we learn about the rainfalls in this (b) The teacher’s requirement that the
part of Australia in the years 1939, 1940 and coursework had to be completed by Monday
1941? was inescapable.
(c) The snake’s movements were sinuous and
2 Which one word does the writer use in convoluted.
paragraph 6 to describe the results of the lack (d) The sense of the politician’s reply to my
of rain? question was difficult to pin down.
11 U sing your own words, explain what the writer
3 Explain, using your own words, why the writer’s means by each of the words underlined:
father was worried about the lack of rain ‘It was three days before we could venture
(paragraphs 5–6). out, days of almost unendurable tension. The
crashing of the boughs of trees against our roof
4 What two things led to the deaths of many and the sharp roar as a nearly empty rainwater
sheep on ‘the terrible day’? tank blew off its stand and rolled away, triggered
my father’s recurring nightmares of France during
5 Re-read paragraph 7 (‘Shortly afterwards …‘ World War I, so that when he did fall into a fitful
to ‘We watched helplessly.’) and explain, using slumber it would be to awake screaming.’
your own words, what were the main signs of (a) unendurable
the approaching dust storm. (b) triggered
(c) slumber
6 Re-read paragraphs 7–9 (‘Always one for action 12 U sing your own words, explain how the
…‘ to ‘to awake screaming.’) and give five phrases underlined are used by the writer to
dangers or problems caused by a dust storm. suggest her and her father’s feelings at this
point in the story.
7 Re-read the end of paragraph 9 (‘The crashing …’ ‘It was three days before we could venture out,
to ‘a frantic adult.’) and explain what you think days of almost unendurable tension. The crashing
the writer means by this section of the passage. of the boughs of trees against our roof and the
sharp roar as a nearly empty rainwater tank blew
8 In the second to last line of the passage, why off its stand and rolled away, triggered my father’s
do you think the writer uses the word ‘bleakly’ recurring nightmares of France during World War
to describe how her father spoke? I, so that when he did fall into a fitful slumber
it would be to awake screaming.’
9 Re-read paragraphs 4–7. Give three words or
phrases which describe the father’s thoughts,
and explain what each of them tells you about
his state of mind during this period.

10 Identify a word or phrase from paragraphs
1–8 (‘After the great rain … on the sheets.’)
which suggests the same idea as the words
underlined:
(a) When she returned from her holiday, Maria
realised that there had been a considerable

27

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

Descriptive text

Exercise 7

1 Remember that you should read not just the passage but also the introductory
paragraphs and the questions. What details contained in the two introductory
paragraphs help you to prepare for reading the passage itself?

2 As you skim the passage, look at the opening sentences of each paragraph. Does
this help you to break the passage down into different segments when reading
it? How might this help you to gain a detailed understanding of what the writer
is describing?

3 In what ways do the length and structure of the sentences help to suggest to
you the experience of riding on the trams?

Tickets, Please

The passage that follows is the opening paragraphs of a the terminus, the last little ugly place of industry, the
short story, ‘Tickets, Please’ written in 1919 by D.H. cold little town that shivers on the edge of the wild,
Lawrence. The story is set in a town in the industrial gloomy country beyond. There the green and creamy
Midlands of England during the First World War and coloured tram-car seems to pause and purr with
focuses on the lives of the girls who sold tickets on the curious satisfaction. But in a few minutes — the clock
town’s tram system. The opening provides an account on the turret of the Co-operative Wholesale Society’s
of the excitement and dangers of travelling on a tram in Shops gives the time — away it starts once more on the
the days before health and safety laws were introduced. adventure. Again there are the reckless swoops
downhill, bouncing the loops: again the chilly wait in
This extract is vividly descriptive, not just of the tram the hill-top market-place: again the breathless slithering
ride itself, but also of the night-time townscape through round the precipitous drop under the church: again the
which the tram travels and of the characters and
attitudes of both the passengers and those who work on
the trams. Before answering the questions that follow
the passage, read through it carefully and write down
words and phrases which you think bring alive to the
reader the experience of travelling on the tram and the
characters of the people who work on it.

There is in the Midlands a single-line tramway system
which boldly leaves the county town and plunges off
into the black, industrial countryside, up hill and down
dale, through the long ugly villages of workmen’s
houses, over canals and railways, past churches
perched high and nobly over the smoke and shadows,
through stark, grimy cold little market-places, tilting
away in a rush past cinemas and shops down to the
hollow where the collieries are, then up again, past a
little rural church, under the ash trees, on in a rush to

28

2.4  Practise answering reading comprehension questions

patient halts at the loops, waiting for the outcoming nights are howlingly cold, black, and windswept, and a
car: so on and on, for two long hours, till at last the city car is a haven of refuge. From village to village the
looms beyond the fat gas-works, the narrow factories miners travel, for a change of cinema, of girl, of pub.
draw near, we are in the sordid streets of the great The trams are desperately packed. Who is going to risk
town, once more we sidle to a standstill at our himself in the black gulf outside, to wait perhaps an
terminus, abashed by the great crimson and cream- hour for another tram, then to see the forlorn notice
coloured city cars, but still perky, jaunty, somewhat ‘Depot Only’, because there is something wrong! Or to
dare-devil, green as a jaunty sprig of parsley out of a greet a unit of three bright cars all so tight with people
black colliery garden. that they sail past with a howl of derision. Trams that
pass in the night.
To ride on these cars is always an adventure. Since we
are in war-time, the drivers are men unfit for active This, the most dangerous tram-service in England, as
service: many disabled or physically infirm. So they the authorities themselves declare, with pride, is
have the spirit of the devil in them. The ride becomes a entirely conducted by girls, and driven by rash young
steeple-chase. Hurray! we have leapt in a clear jump men, a little crippled, or by delicate young men, who
over the canal bridges — now for the four-lane corner. creep forward in terror. The girls are fearless young
With a shriek and a trail of sparks we are clear again. hussies. In their ugly blue uniform, skirts up to their
To be sure, a tram often leaps the rails — but what knees, shapeless old peaked caps on their heads, they
matter! It sits in a ditch till other trams come to haul it have all the sang-froid of an old non-commissioned
out. It is quite common for a car, packed with one solid officer. With a tram packed with howling colliers,
mass of living people, to come to a dead halt in the roaring hymns downstairs and a sort of antiphony of
midst of unbroken blackness, the heart of nowhere on a obscenities upstairs, the lasses are perfectly at their
dark night, and for the driver and the girl conductor to ease. They pounce on the youths who try to evade their
call, ‘All get off — car’s on fire!’ Instead, however, of ticket-machine. They push off the men at the end of
rushing out in a panic, the passengers stolidly reply: their distance. They are not going to be done in the eye
‘Get on – get on! We’re not coming out. We’re stopping — not they. They fear nobody — and everybody fears
where we are. Push on, George.’ So till flames actually them.
appear.
  Source: ‘Tickets, Please’, D.H. Lawrence
The reason for this reluctance to dismount is that the  https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/l/lawrence/dh/l41en/chapter2.html

Exercise 8

1 Explain, using your own words, why the tram ‘halts at the loops’. Which phrase
used earlier in the same paragraph gives you the reason?

2 Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
(a) ‘we sidle to a standstill at our terminus’
(b) ‘abashed by the great crimson and cream-coloured city cars’

3 Re-read paragraph 2 (‘To ride on these cars … flames actually appear.’). Using
your own words, explain how the passengers behave when there is a problem
with the tram.

4 Re-read paragraphs 3 and 4 (‘The reason for … everybody fears them.’).
(a) Identify two reasons why the passengers behave in the way they do.
(b) Explain why, according to the passage, everybody fears the girl conductors.

5 By referring to the final paragraph of the passage, state, using your own words,
what the writer says about the girls who work on the trams.

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2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

6 Using your own words, explain what makes riding on the tram at night such an
exciting and dangerous experience.

7 Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the
words underlined.
(a) As Lee looked over the edge of the cliff, his stomach churned at the sight
of the steep and dangerous drop below him.
(b) My grandfather’s straw hat and bow tie gave him a perky and carefree
appearance.
(c) Vashti showed great unwillingness to take on the role of Form Captain.
(d) The referee’s decision to award a penalty was greeted with contempt and
mockery by many of the crowd.

8 Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words
underlined:

Again there are the reckless swoops downhill, bouncing the loops: again the
chilly wait in the hill-top market-place: again the breathless slithering round the
precipitous drop under the church: again the patient halts at the loops, waiting
for the outcoming car: so on and on, for two long hours, till at last the city looms
beyond the fat gas-works, the narrow factories draw near, we are in the sordid
streets of the great town.
9 Using your own words, explain how the phrases underlined are used by the

writer to suggest the experience of riding on the tram and the impressions of
the town it travels through.
Again there are the reckless swoops downhill, bouncing the loops: again the
chilly wait in the hill-top market-place: again the breathless slithering round the
precipitous drop under the church: again the patient halts at the loops, waiting
for the outcoming car: so on and on, for two long hours, till at last the city looms
beyond the fat gas-works, the narrow factories draw near, we are in the sordid
streets of the great town.

Argumentative text

In this argumentative essay, the writer is putting forward points for both sides of
the argument.

Exercise 9

1 How do the opening words of many of the paragraphs signal to the reader that
the writer is changing the direction of the argument?

2 Does the writer use both fact and opinion in this essay? Identify at least two of
each.

3 How effective is the writer’s use of examples in supporting the points made?

30

2.4  Practise answering reading comprehension questions

STAYCATIONS V VACATIONS
At a recent family gathering, your aunt mentioned to you that she and her family
couldn’t make up their minds whether to spend their next holiday in their own
country or to travel abroad. You are studying Travel and Tourism and said that
you would write down some ideas for her to consider.

Staycations v Vacations

There are many things to consider when it does look as if it’s going to much more in the UK than overseas.
when deciding where to take your be sunny, competition for rooms When we’re abroad most of us
holiday as it often doesn’t just depend is high, especially in the more tend to spend more on eating out,
on where you go, but when you go. popular holiday areas such as the unless you are in half- or full-board
Whether you stay or go, with your West Country where the weather is accommodation which is likely to
family of two quite young children, warmer.  save money. Holidaying in the UK is
school holidays are always likely to likely to be closer to normal life, with
be more expensive. Costs vary from Another factor to consider is the cost supermarkets, familiar restaurants
country to country, and the pound and convenience of travel. Although and the odd hotel breakfast.
doesn’t go as far as it did a year many flights abroad can look really
ago. Popular western Mediterranean cheap, there are often hidden costs These are the main points to consider
islands like Mallorca and Ibiza are that you won’t find if you decide to when deciding whether to spend your
also becoming premium destinations stay at home and not fly anywhere; holiday abroad or at home and I’m not
now, with good hotel rooms hard to for example, extra charges for intending to make your decision for
come by, as security fears make many baggage, preferred seat, cancellation you; however, I hope that by thinking
holidaymakers avoid certain hotspots and priority boarding. If you choose about my comments, you will be able
that are now considered to be danger a more leisurely trip by land or sea, to come to a conclusion that suits the
zones. Also, if you are travelling to however, you can usually take much whole family.
a tourist resort in a country where more luggage for no added cost.
sunshine is pretty much guaranteed, Again, if you’re travelling by car It’s also worth bearing in mind that
don’t forget that there could be the with children it’s a lot easier to load for some people there is some value
cost of daily use of private beaches, everything that you might need and in going abroad that can’t always
parasols, sunbeds, endless cold drinks not worry about baggage allowances. have a cost put on it – travelling to
and so on to take into account. somewhere different can be ‘good for
Remember that, if you are staying in the soul’, and sometimes it’s good to
On the other hand, you’ll always be the UK and you don’t want to drive, go somewhere that is different from
taking a chance with weather in the travelling by train can be really your usual life. However, it’s also true
UK but the traditional British holiday expensive too. However, if you get that there are plenty of places in the
resort has had a makeover in recent advance ‘exact train’ tickets (just UK that can provide that experience
years, and a recent survey found as you would with a plane) – and, as well – especially if you spend your
that more than half of all Britons are even better, get them with railcards daily life in a city and don’t get to see
planning a seaside break this summer. if you’re travelling with family or the countryside or the coast as much
If the weather holds, the British friends – it can save you a lot of as you would like.
countryside and coastline can be money.
beautiful – and if you’re familiar with Source: adapted from www.experitan.co.uk/
how to get around, you’re arguably Another cost factor to consider blogs/consumer-advice/staycation-going-
less likely to spend too much. relates to the cost of food and drink. abroad
The average price of a meal for two
Hotel prices at home are often higher in England is £50, which is almost
than for comparable hotels abroad – double that in Spain (£26) and higher
there are fewer of them, plus there’s than France and Italy (£41). It’s also
competition from overseas visitors fair to assume that eating out and
and people on business. In addition, experiencing the food could be a
good weather is unpredictable so major part of the attraction of being
abroad. Most drinks generally cost

31

2 Reading comprehension: short-answer questions

Exercise 10

1 By referring to paragraph 1, using your own words, state three points made by the writer about the
cost considerations of taking a holiday with a family.

2 What does the writer mean by ‘Popular western Mediterranean islands like Mallorca and Ibiza are also
becoming premium destinations now’?

3 From paragraph 2, explain, using your own words, why the writer says that you are ‘arguably less likely
to spend too much’ if you holiday at home.

4 According to the writer, what are the advantages of travelling by land or sea? (paragraph 4)
5 What suggestion does the writer make for saving money if you take your holiday in the UK? (paragraph 5)
6 Re-read the final paragraph and explain, using your own words, the ways in which travelling both

abroad and at home can be ‘good for the soul’.
7 Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words underlined:

(a) The miser decided that to ensure the safety of his money, he would hide it under his mattress.
(b) After lunch, we took a comfortably relaxed stroll around the lake.
(c) The needs of my infirm grandmother were given precedence over those of other travellers.
(d) The main consideration in making my decision was how much the holiday would cost.
8 Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:
The average price of a meal for two in England costs £50, which is almost double that in Spain (£26) and
higher than France and Italy (£41). It’s also fair to assume that eating out and experiencing the food could
be a major part of the attraction of being abroad. Most drinks generally cost much more in the UK than
overseas. When we’re abroad most of us tend to spend more on eating out, unless you are in half- or full-
board accommodation which is likely to save money. Holidaying in the UK is likely to be closer to normal life,
with supermarkets, familiar restaurants and the odd hotel breakfast.
9 Using your own words, explain how the phrases underlined are used by the writer to help to persuade
readers to agree with his arguments.
The average price of a meal for two in England costs £50, which is almost double that in Spain (£26) and
higher than France and Italy (£41). It’s also fair to assume that eating out and experiencing the food
could be a major part of the attraction of being abroad. Most drinks generally cost much more in the UK
than overseas. When we’re abroad most of us tend to spend more on eating out, unless you are in half- or
full-board accommodation which is likely to save money. Holidaying in the UK is likely to be closer to
normal life, with supermarkets, familiar restaurants and the odd hotel breakfast.

Unit summary

In this unit you have reviewed the objectives:
• demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
• demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
• select and use information for specific purposes
• organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
• use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
• make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

32

3 Summary questions

In this unit you will:
H demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
H demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
H select and use information for specific purposes
H organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
H use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
H make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
This unit will focus on the following skills:

Reading

H demonstrate understanding of written texts, and of the words and phrases
within them

H summarise and use material for a specific context
H select appropriate information for specific purposes.

Writing

H organise and convey facts, ideas and opinions effectively
H demonstrate a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context
H demonstrate an effective use of sentence structures
H demonstrate accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

33

3 Summary questions

Key terms Introduction

Summary writing: Summary writing is useful to make sure you have understood the passage you
A summary is a have just read, and to help explain what the passage is about to someone else.
restatement of Summaries should be a piece of continuous writing and no more than 250 words in
the main points of length.
a passage using
your own and fewer 3.1  Summary writing
words than the
original. Summary writing tests both your Reading and Writing skills. You will be assessed
Explicit meaning: on how well your answers demonstrate the following skills and you will also be
This is the obvious assessed on how well your answers meet the following Assessment Objectives:
(or surface)
meaning of a word Reading
or phrase. » demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
Implicit meaning: » demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
This is the meaning » select for specific purposes.
of a word or phrase
that is suggested Writing
but not stated » organise facts, ideas and opinions
openly. » use a range of appropriate vocabulary
» make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Remember
Although the task involves writing, it is your reading skills that will really determine
You will never be your success in a summary question. It is also important that you keep a clear head
asked to summarise when attempting the task.
a passage unless it
is possible to do so Summaries come in different forms. You may have to:
using fewer words
than were in the » read one lengthy passage and summarise only the points contained in one or two
original! paragraphs of it

» read one lengthy passage and summarise points related to a particular aspect or
aspects of it which occur throughout the passage

» read two lengthy passages and summarise all the points relating to a particular
aspect or aspects of them.

No matter what form the question takes, the basic principles of summary writing
remain the same. What is important is that you show evidence that you:

» have understood what you have read
» can select relevant information
» can show your understanding of what you have read through using your own

words where possible and in a shorter form than in the original.

3.2  Some practical guidelines

Your summary writing can be improved if you keep the following points clearly in
your mind:

1 Summary writing needs good planning and cannot be rushed.
2 Most examination questions will give a clear indication of the number of words

that you should aim to write; for example, ‘You should write between 200 and 250
words’, although sometimes this might be expressed as something like ‘about one
side of the answer booklet’.

34

3.2  Some practical guidelines

Key term 3 As you can see, the writing itself will not take very long; the most important part
of the process is deciding what to include and what should not be included –
Note-making: that’s why your active reading skills are essential.
Writing down very
brief summaries 4 It is important to organise your time efficiently when answering a summary task
of key points in a and, as part of your preparation for an examination, you should look closely at
passage relating past papers and decide how long you have available to answer the question.
to the summary Remember that this time allowance includes:
question. » reading the original passage(s)
» making notes of the relevant points
» planning your answer.

Make sure that you spend most of the time available on these aspects of answering
the question: if you have a clear understanding of what you are going to write for
your final version, the actual writing of it will not take very long at all.

Once you have this basic approach clearly in mind, you can begin the task with
confidence.

Don’t panic: Remember, all the information you need to include will be in the
original passage(s), so all you have to do is identify the really important points.

Note

Note-making is particularly important. It may also help in your planning if you give
your summary a title – it is not necessary to include this title as a heading for your
final written summary but it’s a good way to help you keep focused on relevant details
when making your preliminary notes. In the examination some questions require you to
write a list of the main points, which will be marked along with your final version of the
summary.

Exercise 1

Read the following passage and then note down 10 points that it tells you about
the appearance and behaviour of unicorns and of the qualities they possessed.
(N.B. The key words in the question have been highlighted.)

Unicorns

One of the oldest mythical creatures is the Unicorn. It has been in Chinese
folk lore for thousands of years. Its most familiar form is a beast with the
body of a deer, tail of an ox, horses’ hooves, and a single horn growing
from the centre of its forehead. To the Chinese the Unicorn was
a symbol of good, but to the Japanese it was fear. It was said
that the Unicorn could recognize guilt, and would carry out the
execution by spearing the guilty party with its horn. Kardadann, an
Arabian Unicorn, supposedly had magical qualities. Its horn was a
good-luck charm against scorpions, and demons could be got rid of
by eating its meat.

Ctesias, a Greek physician and historian, gave an account of stories from India about a
creature the size of a horse with a white body, red head, blue eyes, and a horn on its forehead

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3 Summary questions

45 cm long. Ctesias portrayed the Unicorn as very swift, untameable and almost impossible to capture. Leonardo da
Vinci wrote that the Unicorn’s lack of self-control, and its love for beautiful young women, caused it to forget its fear of
humans. It would go up to a seated girl, go to sleep in her lap, and then it could be captured.
This beast was said to have special attributes. Ground Unicorn horn was claimed to cure fever, plague, epilepsy, rabies,
gout, and many other ailments. Unicorn leather made into shoes would assure healthy feet and legs, and as a belt warded
off plague and fever. Jewellery made from the horn would protect the wearer from evil. Belief in the Unicorn’s power was
widely accepted in England until the mid-1700s.
The Unicorn’s horn was so expensive that only royalty or the very rich could afford it. Needless to say, many such horns
were actually made from bull, goat, or exotic animal horns. Complete Unicorn horns often turned out to be the long,
spirally twisted tusks of the male narwhal (a large marine animal). The only known land animal to have a single horn is the
rhinoceros, so some presume that the legend comes from European explorers of the African continent. Another theory
is that the oryx, an antelope with two long thin horns on its forehead, when seen from the side appears to have only one
horn.

  Source: https://unsolvedmysteries.wikispaces.com/Jersey+Devils+%26amp%3B+other+monsters 

Exercise 2

1 The 10 points listed below comprise an answer made by a student in response
to Exercise 1, which the teacher has given 6 marks for making six correct points.
With a partner, mark this answer yourself and discuss which points should be
credited and which are not correct, and decide why marks should be awarded or
why they should not.

Remember
It is important that you have a very clear understanding of the precise requirements of the
question (contained in the key words) before you start to mark, as this will help you in your
discussion.

1 The Chinese saw it as a symbol of good.
2 To the Japanese it represented fear.
3 Its horn was a good luck charm against scorpions.
4 It had a single horn growing from the centre of its forehead.
5 The horn was claimed to cure many ailments and protect from evil.
6 Very swift, untameable and almost impossible to capture.
7 Its love for beautiful women caused it to forget its natural fear of humans.
8 Its leather can be made into belts to prevent plague and fever.
9 Jewellery made from the horn protected the wearer from evil.
10 Explorers of the African Continent may have mistaken an oryx for a

unicorn.
2 Now make your own notes under the headings ‘Appearance and Behaviour’ and

‘Qualities’. When you have finished compare your notes with your partner’s and
discuss your answers. (N.B. There are nine points that can be made under the
‘Appearance and Behaviour’ heading and six points that can be made about
‘Qualities’.)

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3.3  A guide to writing a successful summary

Key terms 3.3  A guide to writing a successful summary

Paraphrase: For your future reference, here is a step-by-step guide to writing a successful
Rewording a piece summary.
of writing with the
intention of making Step 1: Read the question carefully
the meaning more
clear. This is very important, as it is unlikely that you will be required to summarise
Synonym: A word the whole of the original passage(s). The wording of the question will direct you
with a similar towards the points you should include. For example, the whole passage may be
meaning to another about everyday life in Japan, but you may be asked to summarise only what it tells
word, e.g. sad, you about going to school in that country.
gloomy.
You must, therefore, keep the wording of the question clearly in mind when
reading the passage(s).

Step 2: Read right through the passage(s) once

This will allow you to gain a good, overall understanding of what the material is
about.

Remember that it is important that your summary shows you have a clear
overview of your subject matter.

Step 3: Identify the information that is relevant

Refresh your memory of what the question asks you to do and then read through the
passage(s) again very carefully.

At this stage you should underline or highlight on the question paper all the
information that is relevant to the question. You must be ruthless. Ignore anything
that is not relevant, no matter how interesting you may find it.

Step 4: Make notes in your own words

Now is the time to put pen to paper. You should make rough notes of the points you
have identified, using your own words as far as possible.

Remember, the use of your own words is important, as this is a way of showing
that you have understood the passage(s). Try to:

» paraphrase (rephrase) parts of the text to which you refer
» use synonyms – words with the same meaning – instead of the exact words from

the text.

This will make it very clear that you understand what you have read.

Step 5: Count the main points

Once you have noted all the main points, count how many you have identified.
If you have identified 15 points and you are aiming to write a summary of about

150 words, then, as a rough guide, try to write about ten words for each point.

Step 6: Write the summary

Once you have written rough notes in your own words, you should write them up as
a piece of continuous prose, trying to keep your expression as concise as possible. If
your notes are sufficiently detailed, this may only be a fine-tuning job.

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3 Summary questions

Step 7: Final check

Once you have written your summary, read it through to check that it makes sense.
You may not have to count the number of words you wrote. If, for example, you
know that you usually write about eight words per line, then a quick count up of
the number of lines you have filled will give some indication of how many words you
have written in total.

Exercise 3

Using the final notes that you made on the passage about unicorns earlier, write
a summary of the appearance and behaviour of unicorns and of the qualities they
possessed.
You should follow the advice in steps 5–7 and try to use your own words as far as
possible. Write two paragraphs (one for each heading) and use between 150 and
180 words.

3.4  Example of a summary question

Here is an example of a typical summary question to use for practice.

Exercise 4

Read the passage ‘Balloon Flight’ carefully and then write a summary of what
the writer saw from his balloon flight and his thoughts and feelings about the
experience.
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as
possible. Your summary should not be more than 180 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for
the quality of your writing.

Teacher tip
Read the question carefully and identify the focus of your summary. There are two key pieces of
information required: what the writer saw and what he thought and felt during his flight.
In preparation for writing your summary you should make notes of the relevant points under each
heading.
The key points have been highlighted (what was seen in yellow and thoughts and feelings
in pink).

In the following passage the writer describes his experience of a hot-air balloon
flight over southern Turkey.

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3.4  Example of a summary question

Balloon
Flight

The pilot of my balloon is a Swede
called Lars and his co-pilot is his
English wife Kali. They have flown
all over the world but are almost as
excited about today’s flight as we are.
The air will be both clear and cool. Visibility
should be near-perfect.
We’re up in the sky about the same
time as the sun, and for a while it is
uncomfortably cold. The ride, though,
is magnificent. The strange and unique
landscape all begins to make sense as
we rise above it. The eastern horizon is
broken by the 4000 metre peak of Erciyes
Dagi, its summit partly ripped away by the
eruption that helped shape everything we
can see. Long, flat tables of rock mark
the height of the plateau created by the
vast lake of lava, most of it now cracked,
fissured and fashioned into the bluffs,
cones and tall pillars that cover the
ground like sentinels of some petrified army.
With the hard, bright sun at a low angle and a fresh-fallen blanket of snow on the ground, it’s not only the rocks that stand
out. We can see the fine detail of fields and orchards and vineyards. Though the volcanic rock makes for fertile soil, the climate
has changed over the last few years and, according to Kali, the combination of warmer winters and late frosts has ruined
harvests. Vines and apricot trees have been worst affected and certainly the apricot orchards look especially vulnerable
under the snow. Many farmers are turning to tourism instead, or leaving the area altogether.
Lars seems less interested in what’s happening on the ground than what’s happening in the air. He reads the air currents with
obsessive delight, alert to all the subtle shifts and patterns, such as the emptying of the cold air from the valleys as the land
warms up. He takes us up to 2,400 metres. From here the detail is less distinct. The rock forests of Cappadocia have given way
to a wider view. From the Taurus Mountains in the south and to the rising Anatolian plateau to the east.
Source: http://palinstravels.co.uk/book-4253

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3 Summary questions

Remember Now that you’ve read the passage you should have a good idea of the main points
that you need to make for your summary. Before starting to write anything, however,
Although the read through the following study tips and think if any of these can help you focus
instruction is to more clearly on the topic.
write a summary,
reading the Study tips
passage and the
question are equally 1 Some points in the passage may be harder to find than others – this may be because they are
important. implied by the writer, rather than being explicitly stated. Your final summary will be more
successful if you are able to identify and include these implied points. This may apply especially
Key terms to understanding the writer’s feelings. You can safely ignore: illustrations such as similes,
quotations, long descriptions and strings of adjectives.
Simile: A descriptive
comparison 2 Check that you have made each point only once: it’s an easy mistake to include three examples
introduced by like of the same point. The writer of the original passage is allowed to repeat ideas; you don’t have
or as, in which one the space to do so. For example, how many details of the rock formations should be included?
thing is compared
directly to another. 3 One of the main mistakes in summary writing is to use up too many words writing the early
Quotation: A group points, so the summary becomes top-heavy and unbalanced. Remember that all points should
of words taken from be given equal weighting. There are at least two relevant points in the final paragraph of the
a text or speech passage – they should be given as much importance as the points that occur earlier.
and repeated in an
answer to support a 4 An important word of warning – do not include:
point being made.
Adjective: A word • personal opinions
used to describe a
noun, e.g. the angry • any introduction such as ‘In this passage the writer says…’
teacher.
Equal weighting: • extra information or explanations
Of the same
importance. • your own comments or opinions on the points made in the original text(s)

• lengthy quotations from the original passage(s).

The readers of your summary do not want to know your personal opinions about the topic;
instead, they want to know how well you have understood the original writer’s viewpoint.

Example response: Notes

What the writer saw:

1 The mountain/peak of Erciyes Dagi
2 (Long,) flat tables of rock
3 Bluffs, cones and tall pillars (Note: You should not include the simile used to

describe this feature)
4 Bright sun
5 (Blanket of) snow
6 Fields and orchards
7 Less distinct details/wider view when higher up
8 Taurus Mountains/Anatolian Plateau

The writer’s thoughts and feelings about the experience:

1 He was excited.
2 He was initially feeling cold.
3 He found the ride magnificent.
4 He began to understand the landscape.
5 He thought the apricot orchards were under threat from the change in climate.

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