Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the key ...



In January 2015, I spent the longest, queasiest week of my life on a cruise ship filled with conspiracy theorists. As our boat rattled toward Mexico and back, I heard about every wild plot, secret plan and dark cover-up imaginable. It was mostly fascinating, occasionally exasperating and the cause of a headache that took months to fade. To my surprise, given that I was a reporter travelling among a group of deeply suspicious people, I was accused of working for the FBI only once.Evaluate the effectiveness of these lines as an introduction to the passage on conspiracy theories. (2)Binge drinking is what otherpeople do. They are always in documentaries about cheap package holidays, where teenagers share goldfish bowls of spirits masked with something sickeningly sugary. Binge drinkers are the young people staggering, brawling, yelping incoherently though our city centres late on Saturday night. They are the after-office pub crowd of giggling ladettes.Show how the writer’s use of language conveys her contempt for people who binge drinking. (4)John was furtive. He turned off the lights. He hid behind the wall. He put on a mask and a camouflage jacket.How does the context in which it is used help you to understand the meaning of ‘furtive’? (2)By 6 pm, several 16-year-olds are standing in the magisterial surroundings of the Pavilion Suite at Orsett Hall. The unceasing rain hasn't dampened the excitement as the teenagers flood in to inspect the formally laid tables, helium balloons and glittery fairy lights. The prevailing smell is of hairspray and scent. Friends who normally wear shapeless uniforms and dirty trainers are transformed into exotic peacocks in huge-skirted ballgowns, teetering heels and heavy makeup.Show how the writer’s language makes clear this junior prom. (4)The reason I was able to deal with that terrifying opening scene was because the men on screen looked kind, because the city they were in looked so familiar and because they said things that made me laugh until I wet myself a little.Answering in your own words, why was the writer able to deal with that “opening scene”? (3)As fuel costs escalate, and they inevitably will, there will be more and more discontent. The public in this country have been the victims for too long, with the oil companies holding a gun to our heads, and callously robbing us. Unfortunately, there is no-one to protect us from this crime as our government is just as bad and they get their cut through increased tax revenues. Explain fully why the phrase “the oil companies holding a gun to our heads” is an effective image here. (2)Far from it, as I do my work almost entirely through email. And if it means that more people are now using the written word to communicate, thus confounding those who told us that children wouldn’t learn to write if they all had phones in their pockets, it certainly has a plus side.But not many technological advances come without the odd regret. And with the continuing decline in the use of the landline, with over 85 per cent of the adult population now owning a mobile, an era has almost gone for good.Explain how the lines in bold and underlined help provide an appropriate link at this point in the writer’s argument. (2)But the need to save time and energy is by no means the whole story of texting. When we look at some texts, they are linguistically quite complex. There are an extraordinary number of ways in which people play with language - creating riddles, solving crosswords, playing Scrabble, inventing new words – a lot of which has been enabled by the internet. Professional writers do the same - providing catchy copy for advertising slogans, thinking up puns in newspaper headlines, and writing poems, novels and plays. Children quickly learn that one of the most enjoyable things you can do with language is to play with its sounds, words, grammar, and spelling. How does the writer’s word choice and sentence structure convey that saving time and energy is “by no means the whole story of texting”? (4)Therein lies the polar points of Scottish tourism. On the one hand, there is the attitude of those who couldn’t care less, who regard service as a synonym for servility, who treat customers as if they are something smelly stuck to their shoe. Meanwhile, there are those who take satisfaction from other people’s pleasure, who embrace the ‘Welcome to Scotland’ slogan, who are enthusiastic ambassadors for their country and will attempt to kill you with kindness.Answering in your own words, what are the two polar points of Scottish tourism? (4)The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism. Trump’s shocking victory, his ascension to the Presidency, is a sickening event in the history of the United States and liberal democracy. On January 20, 2017, we will bid farewell to the first African-American President—a man of integrity, dignity, and generous spirit— and witness the inauguration of a con who did little to spurn endorsement by forces of xenophobia and white supremacy. It is impossible to react to this moment with anything less than revulsion and profound anxiety. Through reference to their use of language, explain how in these lines the writer creates a tone of disgust. (4)The first is the relative ease of divorce, which, particularly for low income families – removes the ancient pressure on women to put up with bad marriages for the sake of respectability. Unhappy wives are now free to leave with their children, a freedom which some men deeply resent. The second is the growing number of society, and collapse of traditional communities, which often leaves the children of broken marriages without asupport system of neighbours and relatives to cushion the blow. And the third is the workplace culture within which British parents still have to function, tolerating chromic loss of earnings and status if they make family life a priority, and often having to work unacceptably long hours if they want to remain in employment at all. Summarise the factors which the writer identifies as possible causes of the breakdown of family life. (3) In between those two points we, and Harry, are constantly ambiguous about Snape’s loyalties, never letting go of the idea that he might be the viper in the nest. Hogwarts is a comforting retreat for readers, but Snape keeps us on our toes – he’s the villain, then he isn’t; then he’s pointlessly cruel, then he’s a victim; then a murderer and a traitor; and, ultimately, a tragic hero.Show how the writer’s sentence structure and imagery makes clear the different characteristics of Snape. (4)If it had not been for a benevolent old lady, Oliver would most certainly have fallen dead on the highway. But the old lady, who had a grandson wandering in some distant part of the world, took pity on Oliver, and gave him what little she could afford and more, with kind and gentle words.How does the context in which it is used help you to understand the meaning of “benevolent”? (2)She embraced veterans and military families, and became their listening advocate. She threw open the White House doors to people on the margins of the USA. She was working class, and she was Princeton, and so she could speak of opportunity as a tangible thing. Her program Reach Higher pushed high schoolers to go further, to want more. She jumped rope with children on the White House grounds as part of her initiative to combat childhood obesity. She grew a vegetable garden and campaigned for healthier food in schools. She reached across borders and cast her light on the education of girls all over the world. She danced on television shows. She hugged more people than any first lady ever has, and she made “first lady” mean a person warmly accessible, a person both normal and inspirational and a person many degrees of cool. When she spoke, she was relaxed, emotional, sentimental. How does the writer’s word choice make clear the positive characteristics of Michelle Obama? (6)The policesurrounded the house of Max Clifford, accused of various assault claims against women back as far as the 1970s. His house is now his prison. Explain fully why the image “his house is now his prison” is an effective image here. (2)One of the major issues with an ageing population is their wellbeing. People over 65 consume three times as many prescription items as other age groups. Nearly half of those with some measure of disability are over 70.But meeting the health needs of the old and elderly is only half the story. The real problem lies elsewhere – in the imagination. What are the old for? Who are they? When do the old start to become the old? Explain how the lines in bold and underlined help provide an appropriate link at this point in the writer’s argument. (2)In Berlin, the adventurous spirit has been taken to the extreme in the form of Kolle 37, a mini-metropolis of tree forts, walkways and dens, built entirely by children, withlittle grownup supervision. Made with a plentiful supply of basic materials like hammers, saws, nails and wood, the area also has within it pottery kilns, a blacksmith’s forge and a bike rental shop where older kids can work, making it not only the city’s most fun playground, but its most industrious.How does the writer’s word choice and sentence structure make clear the characteristics of this new playground? (4)Another health risk comes from the salt, sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate which are added to bacon. These last two chemicals stop bacteria and keep the meat bright red so it looks fresh. However, nitrites and nitrates have also been show to increase the risk of cancer in animals. Amid such health fears, the British pig industry says it cut down the level of potentially harmful additives. But there is a limit to how much can be reduced. If you go too far it stops becoming a cured meat” said a spokesman for the British Pig Association. Instead it’s fresh meat and it doesn’t keep so long. Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the key points that have been made in this extract. (4) Pick up any dictionary and check the definition of honesty. There will be references to integrity, loyalty, right-mindedness, authenticity. All of these describe the Andy Murray, the best tennis player these islands have had – and the freshly crowned No1 in the world. That is at the core of his genius. There is nothing fake about what Murray does on court or, as far as evidence suggests, off it. The sweary, chuntering, foot-dragging sufferer will not change just because he now looks down from the mountain instead of up. He will not change because he is now beating Federer, Djokovic and Nadal – traditionally the best three players in the world. There have been troubles along the way, and there will probably continue to be some, too. In 2004, he had spent six months out with a knee injury. After he joined the Tour the following year, he was out for three months with the first signs of the back problems that would plague him until he went under the knife eight years later, and continues to do so even now. But one thing we cannot argue with is the state of his mental fortitude. Now he is at the peak of his powers. There will be twinges and grimaces, but the superstructure he has constructed is as strong as it could be. So is his mind. Murray is 29. Those around him are starting to falter, even Djokovic. The next few years may see a more dramatic flowering of one of the most remarkable athletes in the history of the UK. Evaluate the effectiveness of the finish paragraph as a conclusion to the article. (2) ................
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