IGCSE extracts

Question 1

The Danger of a Single Story

Brief summary

Answer 1

The Danger of a Single Story

This non-fiction piece discusses the negative impact of society and stereotyping. Adichie discusses some of the issues that she faced when she left for America and how she came to terms with other people’s ignorance.

Question 2

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

Verbs

Answer 2

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

She uses lots of verbs including fleecing, sneaking, smoking, walking, laughing.

Question 3

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

Metaphor

Answer 3

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

The story is an extended metaphor for the cultural ignorance that she encountered in America. She understands that she has only one voice but the incidents that occur must happen to all: ‘when we reject the single story, when we realise that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.’

Question 4

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

Repetition

Answer 4

The Danger of a Single Story: Language

She continually mentions ‘African women’ and this emphasises her battle with the American society and the ignorance that she encounters.

Question 5

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

What is the context and what is the purpose?

Answer 5

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

It is important to recognise this as a speech, rather than a newspaper article. Adichie aims to inform the audience of her story and outlines that it is only one story and one voice.

Question 6

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

What type of narrative is this?

Answer 6

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

First Person narrative

Question 7

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

Describe the language.

Answer 7

The Danger of a Single Story: Structure

Very obvious language to reflect the tense that story is written in. For example, she uses present tense in the line (“I’m a story teller”) and past tense in the line (“I was also an early writer”).

Question 8

127 Hours

Brief summary

Answer 8

127 Hours

Ralston is describing one of the most important events in the autobiography: the falling stone, which leads to the amputation of his arm.

Question 9

127 Hours: Language

Discuss description within the extract.

Answer 9

127 Hours: Language

Ralston uses extensive description within his autobiography: ‘Stemming across the canyon at the lip of the drop-off, with one foot and one hand on.

Question 10

127 Hours: Language

Sentence length.

Answer 10

127 Hours: Language

It is worth noting how long some of the sentences become. He is remembering every moment extensively and fully. He wants us to remember it with him.

Question 11

127 Hours: Language

Verbs

Answer 11

127 Hours: Language

His use of verbs in particular are interesting: ‘confirming’, ‘traverse’ and ‘jammed’. There’s certainty - no doubt in his mind - as to what is occurring in the incident.

Question 12

127 Hours: Language

Jargon

Answer 12

127 Hours: Language

Jargon is technical language that only somebody within the field would understand. ‘traverse: cross teeters: balancing unsteadily. Torque: rotating force.

Question 13

127 Hours: Language

Verbs

Answer 13

127 Hours: Language

Verbs: ‘heaving’, ‘pushing’, ‘shove’, ‘thrust’, ‘brace’.

Question 14

127 Hours: Language

Imagery

Answer 14

127 Hours: Language

Strong imagery: Line 33 ‘fear shoots my hands over my head’. Line 35 ‘time dilates, as if I’m dreaming’.

Question 15

127 Hours: Structure

What tense is used and what is it’s effect?

Answer 15

127 Hours: Structure

Tense: The writer chooses to write in the present tense. This makes it seem as though the event is unfolding at this time and it creates a sense of tension; we know the writer survived because it is an autobiography.

Question 16

127 Hours: Structure

What type of narrative is used?

Answer 16

127 Hours: Structure

First person

Question 17

The Explorer’s Daughter

Brief summary

Answer 17

The Explorer’s Daughter

Herbert describes the hunt of a narwhal and her struggle to accept the hunt as acceptable. The piece is set amongst the Inuit people.

Question 18

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Imagery

Answer 18

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Imagery: ‘…glittering kingdom…’ - The scenery described seems beautiful and suggests a huge area. It is a positive image telling readers that Herbert feels strongly about it. The positive imagery in this paragraph often focuses on light.

Paragraph 3 - factual and informative - more matter-of-a-fact (contrasts with paragraph 1) - and ties in with structure in terms of the position of the imagery.

Question 19

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Triplet

Answer 19

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Triplet: ‘… to dive, to leave, to survive’ - uses simple but effective verbs to show what hunters have to do.

Question 20

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Emotive words

Emotive language

Answer 20

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Emotive words: ‘Kill’ and ‘sentimental’

Emotive language: Herbert describes the event empathetically. Despite the horror of the hunt. ‘picked up his harpoon and aimed — in that split second my heart leapt for both hunter and narwhal.’

Question 21

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Facts

Answer 21

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Facts: Herbert uses facts to justify the killing of the narwhal.

Question 22

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Local vocabulary

Answer 22

The Explorer’s Daughter: Language

Local vocabulary: Pods, fjords, mattak. Scurvy, tupilaks. Herbert does not explain the vocabulary. It is as though it is part of her own language.

Question 23

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

In media res

Answer 23

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

Readers are immersed straight into the story.

Question 24

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

Describe the paragraphs.

Answer 24

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

1: descriptive and emotive;
2 and 3: more focused on facts and information about narwhals;
4: people who hunt and their wives;
5: narwhal again (follows on from 3 and 4);
6: hunters;
7: summing up and conclusions.

Question 25

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

Narrative style

Answer 25

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

First and third person.

Question 26

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

conflict

Answer 26

The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure

Herbert is pleased about the narwhal surviving but also recognises that they need to be hunted

Question 27

Explorers or Boys Messing About

Brief summary

Answer 27

Explorers or Boys Messing About

The article discusses a helicopter crash that occurred by two highly experienced professionals, in an area that was unsuitable for such a mode of transport. The article outlines the incident but it also criticises the two men for the decisions that they have made.

Question 28

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

What does Morris appear to be criticising?

Answer 28

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

Morris appears to be criticising the the decisions of the men.

Question 29

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

Vocabulary

Answer 29

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

He uses informal vocabulary in the title: ‘Explorers or boys messing about?’ This verb suggests that the two men, who are experienced, were acting in an immature manner and should not have been behaving as they did.

Question 30

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

Facts vs Opinions

Answer 30

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language

Morris states the incident ‘ended in farce’. This criticises the men and the outcome of the incidents.

He also states that ‘experts questioned the wisdom’ of the men and this suggests that they knew all along that this was an unwise idea.

However, many of the paragraphs are purely factual: ‘The men were plucked from the icy water by a Chilean naval ship after a nine-hour rescue which began when Mr Brooks contacted his wife, Jo Vestey, on his satellite phone asking for assistance. The rescue involved the Royal Navy, the RAF and British coastguards.’

Question 31

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Structure

Comment on the structure

Answer 31

Explorers or Boys Messing About: Structure

Short paragraphs: Most of the paragraphs are short, due to the number of facts that are included in the piece.

Note the embedded clauses, such as: ‘The drama began at around 1am British time when Mr Brooks, 42, and 40-year-old Mr Smith, also known as Q, ditched into the sea 100 miles off Antarctica, about 36 miles 20 north of Smith Island, and scrambled into their life-raft.’

Question 32

A Passage to Africa

Brief description of text.

Answer 32

A Passage to Africa

George Alagiah wrote this text to describe how one man has changed his life. The text is about the contrast between the rich and the poor and the strong and the weak.

Question 33

A Passage to Africa: Language

Emotive language:

Answer 33

A Passage to Africa: Language

‘I saw a thousand hungry, lean, scared and betrayed faces’. It is the list of 3 adjectives that create the pity and empathy that we feel for the situation.

Another example is: ‘simple, frictionless, motionless deliverance’.

Note the contrast between the two quotes mentioned above. Whilst the first set of adjectives are harsh, the second contains much gentler and softer description.

Question 34

A Passage to Africa: Language

Simile:

Answer 34

A Passage to Africa: Language

‘The search for the shocking is like the craving for a drug: you require heavier and more frequent doses the longer you’re at it’.

He compares reporting to addiction. It is as though they are always wanting something more controversial and more repulsive. It also seems as though the profession is bad for him: much like a drug.

Question 35

A Passage to Africa: Language

Rhetorical question:

Answer 35

A Passage to Africa: Language

Alagiah is haunted by the question: ‘What was it about that smile?’

Question 36

A Passage to Africa: Structure

List 2 interesting points about the structure.

Answer 36

A Passage to Africa: Structure

1. It is interesting that the description of the place comes before we understand why Alagiah was in Africa. This creates a sense of disgust and repulsion.
2. Alagiah lists incidents that have remained strong in his mind. He finishes the piece with the haunting image of a man. Despite the fact the image is haunting, the man was ‘smiling’.. It is as though it is a contradiction to the emotion Alagiah was feeling.

Question 37

Chinese Cinderella

Brief description of the text.

Answer 37

Chinese Cinderella

Adeline Yen Mah is outlining her experiences of growing up in Hong Kong. She describes a moment when her father became proud of her and she made a life-changing decision to move to the UK.

Question 38

Chinese Cinderella: Language

Emotive language:

Answer 38

Chinese Cinderella: Language

‘My heart gave a giant lurch as it dawned on me that he was agreeing to let me go. How marvellous it was simply to be alive! Study? I thought. Going to England is like entering heaven. Does it matter what you do after you get to heaven?’.

Within this quote, there is usage of descriptive adjectives. However, most significantly is the use of different sentence types to create the emotion. There are rhetorical questions. She asks herself several questions. These reflect her excitement.

Question 39

Chinese Cinderella: Language

Dialogue:

Answer 39

Chinese Cinderella: Language

There is lots of dialogue in the text: ‘You can’t go now,’ Mary protested. ‘For once I’m winning. One, two, three, four. Good! You’ve landed on my property. Thirty-five dollars, please. Oh, good afternoon, Mother Valentino!’.

It almost appears as though this is a story. This conversation and time was obviously extremely important to the writer, as she remembers each word that was mentioned.

Question 40

Chinese Cinderella: Structure

Structure

Answer 40

Chinese Cinderella: Structure

It is interesting how we do not meet the family until part way through the extract. The focus suddenly becomes on her father. The conversation is clearly remembered. It impacted upon her greatly. She wants to see him but it is unusual for her to enter into his room. She then goes through a range of emotions when meeting her father. It is him who controls her actions, as represented by the ending.