Mood & Technique
What is the mood of the writer? Tick () one box.
optimistic
fearful
nostalgic
suspenseful
nostalgic
Look at lines 7-10
What is unusual about the way the lion eats the bun?
It nibbled like a mouse (whereas you’d expect a lion to eat in a savage way not the boy).
Look t lines 1-4
What is unusual about the short sentences in this paragraph?
• There are no verbs.
• They are incomplete sentences.
• Each sentence after the first sentence starts with an ‘A’ / an (indefinite) article.
• They are all / They all contain noun phrases.
Line 12
What does the asterisk tell the reader to do?
Look for a footnote or glossary item.
Lines 7 - 10
Find one word that means 'greedy'.
rapacious
Look at lines 5–6.
What two literary techniques does the writer use? Tick two boxes.
simile
hyperbole
alliteration
onomatopoeia
personification
alliteration
personification.
Look at lines 31–36.
The writer uses But to contrast two ideas.
What are they?
Award 1 mark for an answer that recognises that boys’ actions are in vain as the girls were ready first:
• Even though the boys rushed to get ready, their sisters were quicker / were ready first. / The boys got up late whereas the girls got up early. / The boys were rushed whereas the girls were calm.
Lines 5-14
How has the writer structured the text here?
The writer begins the paragraph each time with ‘I remember’/ repeats the phrase ‘I remember’.
• The writer uses a new/different paragraph to describe three different events/memories.
Why are there no exclamation marks in the entire text?
Exclamation marks are not literary,
Lines 21-24 Give one phrase that tells us the narrator stayed until the end of the event.
from the rising of the sun […] to (the husky) hushing of the (roundabout) music’
• (from bubble-and-squeak) to the last of (the sandy sandwiches).
Look at lines 15–20.
What is the difference between the attitudes of the children and the parents?
The children are care-free / excited / lively / having fun.
• whereas the mothers are watchful/anxious. OR, The fathers are indifferent/relaxed.
Look t lines 37-40
The neighbour’s mother is doing something which the mother doesn’t agree with.
Which one word tells the reader this?
insisted
Lines 25-30 What is the effect of this long sentence?
to emphasise the boys’ hurried actions / how excited the boys are / the number of things they are doing to get ready quickly
• it speeds up the (pace of the) text.
Lines 47-60
Why has the writer used ellipsis (. . .) ?
• The conversations are interrupted / not finished.
• It shows parts of conversations (by different people).
Look at lines 41–44.
How does the reader know that the weather is hot? Give one quotation.
• when the sun declared war on the butter, (and the butter ran).
Look at lines 31–36.
What literary technique does the writer use with the words scramble and clamour?
assonance
Explain how you think the day was less than perfect. Give one piece of evidence to support your answer
see marking sheet
What kind of community do you think the is describing?
Give one idea. Explain your answer using evidence from the text.
Award up to 2 marks for one of the following ideas with supporting evidence:
• Friendly: ‘I remember sharing the last of my moist buns with a boy’
• Close / Small / Everyone knows each other: ‘And if you could have listened at’ / ‘And the woman who lived next door’
• Safe: ‘the open doors’
• Happy: ‘Children all day capered or squealed’.
Accept any suitable response based on information from the text.
Line 56
Why has the writer used italics and repeated the phrase?
• to emphasise the urgency of the command / to show the speaker was impatient to leave.
The writer shows that the August Bank Holiday is a noisy occasion.
How does the writer show this? Give two phrases.
See marking sheet