Climate Change: The Facts

Question 1

Why do we trust this article?

Answer 1

It is from a reliable source - The Guardian newspaper

Question 2

“Majority of scientists”

Answer 2

This is appealing because it is referring to collective expertise

Question 3

What is the title?

Answer 3

An opinion

Question 4

“A political hot potato”

Answer 4

An idiomatic expression - something that you don’t want to deal with it or be responsible for.

Question 5

What do the subheadings do?

Answer 5

They pinpoint the topics that you will read.

Question 6

In paragraph 3 what is used to make us agree with the article?

Answer 6

Facts and scientific language

Question 7

In paragraph 4 what gives the piece credibility?

Answer 7

It refers to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, where there are professionals that the reader can trust.

Question 8

Who could be the audience to this article?

Answer 8

It is very easy to read, So it is aimed at a general audience or it could possibly be aimed at children but is definitely mean to include them.

Question 9

What is the general style of the piece?

Answer 9

It is written as an FAQ article where the questions are usually responded to using simple facts.

Question 10

“Greenhouse effect”

Answer 10

Complex words and concepts are glossed.

Question 11

What is the second half of paragraph 5 and paragraph 6 made up of?

Answer 11

Statistics, to show the reader the problems and they have been adapted to exaggerate this.

Question 12

“Fossil fuel addiction”

Answer 12

Addiction - associated with something bad

Question 13

“Most people now agree”

Answer 13

This means if the person does not agree they are in the minority or they are wrong. This puts pressure on the people that disagree to change their minds.

Question 14

“Our actions”

Answer 14

Makes it personal to the reader, means that they are involved ad need to do something about it.

Question 15

“World’s best climate scientists - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)”

Answer 15

They are experts and because they are a trustworthy source, this persuades u to agree with what they say.

Question 16

“Trees are helping to mop up some of the heat”

Answer 16

Metaphor
Idiom
Personification

Question 17

“Sky high”

Answer 17

This is an idiom used to make the piece more informal (suggests a general audience)

Question 18

“No”

Answer 18

Anti-climax - very emphatic

Question 19

“(Farting cows)” and “(rotting vegetation)”

Answer 19

1) This language appeals to a younger audience and is quite humorous
2) It provides cohesion in the text when it mentions “burping vast quantities of methane” because burping and farting are similar

Question 20

“Nasty sting in its tail”

Answer 20

Personification and metaphor

Question 21

“20 times as much heat as carbon dioxide”

Answer 21

Stats

Question 22

“Scientists fear”

Answer 22

Means we should fear because they know what they are talking about.

Question 23

“Sitting in our deck chairs”

Answer 23

Informal and relatable

Question 24

“Lasting for at least the next 500 years”

Answer 24

Dramatic ending

Question 25

“What is global warming?”

Answer 25

A title completely focused on the topic

Question 26

Diagram - “what determines the temperature of the earth?”

Answer 26

Vocab used in this diagram is that of a semantic field

Question 27

Title of the diagram - “the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere”

Answer 27

So you know what is happening and what is being explained

Question 28

What are 4 reasons that suggest the diagram is aimed at children?

Answer 28

1) The diagrams are brightly coloured
2) Simple pictures
3) Short, to the point captions (bold letters in white)
4) There are steps to follow

Question 29

“SOURCE:HADLEY CENTRE”

Answer 29

Makes the piece more reliable

Question 30

Bottom left diagram

Answer 30

1) statistics

2) lots of facts

Question 31

“Projection of global average temperature 2100”

Answer 31

Info about the future, telling us what could happen if we don’t change (there to make us do something about the problems)

Question 32

What is the purpose of the graph?

Answer 32

To display more information than if the facts were written, easy to understand and a good visual representation so everyone can see the effects of greenhouse gases.

Its purpose is to alarm, predicting 3 different scenarios

Question 33

“the majority of scientists agree” (p1)

Answer 33

appealing to expertise - persuasive technique

Question 34

“Although it only hangs around” (p1)

Answer 34

metaphor + idiom

Question 35

“trigger a dramatic change”

Answer 35

metaphor

Question 36

“burping …”

Answer 36

Metaphor that links with the earlier “farting cows”

Question 37

Possible exam question

Answer 37

How does the author use language to convey the seriousness of the situation ?