Close Reading

1. Close Reading The Link Question and Sentence Structure/Punctuation

2. The Link Question These questions ask you to explain how a certain sentence or section reinforces the structure of the writer’s argument: e.g. ‘With reference to the text, explain the part played by the sentence at the beginning of line 31 in the structure of the writer’s argument.’ 2 marks

3. The Link Question It may even be more direct than this and ask: e.g. ‘With reference to the text, explain how sentence x acts as a link at this point in the writer’s argument.’ 2 marks

4. Breaking Down the Question ‘With reference to the text, explain the part played by the sentence at the beginning of line 31 in the structure of the writer’s argument.’ ‘With reference to the text, explain how sentence xacts as a link at this point in the writer’s argument.’ 2 MARKS

5. Think of a Bridge… Link Sentence/Section Paragraph X (starting point) Paragraph Y (new direction – way forward) How does the writer use the sentence/section to create a bridge or connection between the two paragraphs – how does it allow you to get from one to the other?

6. Think of a Link in a Chain… Link Sentence/Section Paragraph X (starting point) Paragraph Y (new direction – way forward) How does the writer use the sentence/section to hold or connect the two paragraphs together?

7. 4 Parts to the Answer A) Find and QUOTE the bit of the sentence (word or phrase) which LINKS BACK to previous paragraph - Could be something that doesn’t make sense without the previous paragraph - Could be an example or idea that was discussed in previous paragraph  This is all made worse by the frustrating English notion that kids are basically a nuisance. For example, try going into a pub with your kids and the landlord will dive across to snarl ‘GET THEM OUT’ as if you walked in with a flock of sneezing turkeys. Worst of all are those Wetherspoons pubs, where the policy seems to be that children are barred because they might ruin the atmosphere by giggling, which would spoil the carefully cultivated ambience of wretched misery. B) Explain, precisely, what it links back to – explain the idea or concept discussed in your own words NOT: ‘“X” links back to the previous paragraph’

8. Sometimes this panic about childcare makes you feel terrible. You hear your child suddenly scream in agony and your first thought is, ‘Oh my god, I hope they haven’t broken their leg, as I’ve no idea what I’d do with them all day.’ And now there’s added pressure as you’re expected to play a role in elaborate piles of homework. Even if your child is at junior school, they’ll come home with a note saying: ‘Please be aware that next Monday is the start of Sanskrit Week. As all our pupils will required to make a presentation during assembly in Sanskrit, please ensure your child has a working knowledge of this language, and two choices of South Asian costume for each day.’ This is all made worse by the frustrating English notion that kids are basically a nuisance. For example, try going into a pub with your kids and the landlord will dive across to snarl ‘GET THEM OUT’ as if you walked in with a flock of sneezing turkeys. Worst of all are those Wetherspoons pubs, where the policy seems to be that children are barred because they might ruin the atmosphere by giggling, which would spoil the carefully cultivated ambience of wretched misery. How does the underlined sentence act as a link at this point in the writer’s argument? – Part 1A and 1B of answer

9. Possible Answer Quotation ‘This is all made worse’ refers back to the writer’s discussion of the difficulties and pressures associated with working and having children. Explanation

10. 4 Parts to the Answer 2. A) Find and QUOTE the bit of the sentence (word or phrase) which REFERS FORWARD to rest of paragraph or next paragraph - Could be introduce a new idea – what the writer goes on to discuss/explain • B) Explain, precisely, what it refers on to/introduces • – explain the idea or concept in your own words • NOT: ‘“X” introduces the writer’s next point’

11. Sometimes this panic about childcare makes you feel terrible. You hear your child suddenly scream in agony and your first thought is, ‘Oh my god, I hope they haven’t broken their leg, as I’ve no idea what I’d do with them all day.’ And now there’s added pressure as you’re expected to play a role in elaborate piles of homework. Even if your child is at junior school, they’ll come home with a note saying: ‘Please be aware that next Monday is the start of Sanskrit Week. As all our pupils will required to make a presentation during assembly in Sanskrit, please ensure your child has a working knowledge of this language, and two choices of South Asian costume for each day.’ This is all made worse by the frustrating English notion that kids are basically a nuisance. For example, try going into a pub with your kids and the landlord will dive across to snarl ‘GET THEM OUT’ as if you walked in with a flock of sneezing turkeys. Worst of all are those Wetherspoons pubs, where the policy seems to be that children are barred because they might ruin the atmosphere by giggling, which would spoil the carefully cultivated ambience of wretched misery. How does the underlined sentence act as a link at this point in the writer’s argument? – Parts 2A and 2B of Answer

12. Possible Answer Quotation ‘kids are basically a nuisance’ introduces the writer’s next point about how children are viewed by general society, as exemplified through the attitude of pub landlords. Explanation

13. Complete Answer ‘This is all made worse’ refers back to the writer’s discussion of the difficulties and pressures associated with working and having children. ‘kids are basically a nuisance’ introduces the writer’s next point about how children are viewed by general society, as exemplified through the attitude of pub landlords.

14. "If you're logged into Facebook and go to Pandora [an internet radio station] for the first time, now it can immediately start playing songs from bands you've liked across the web. And as you're playing music, it can show you friends who also like the same songs as you, and then you can click to see other music they like." It's a nice enough idea, in its limited way, though it misses one of the great points of radio, which is to expose you to music that you and your friends don't know already: there wouldn't be a place for someone like John Peel in Zuckerberg's universe. Of course, the model that Zuckerberg is hoping to replace isn't the Peel show but the search engine. If Zuckerberg gets his way, Facebook recommendations will replace Google searches as the main route by which we navigate to websites. This would hardly be a paradigm shift; more a tidying up, combining what are currently two steps into one. With a search engine, you have to know more or less what you're looking for before you begin: there's an implied recommendation preceding most things we type into Google. What Zuckerberg's betting on is that those recommendations will increasingly be made online, with a direct link, so the work you now ask Google to do will already have been done. How does the underlined sentence act as a link at this point in the writer’s argument?

15. Suggested Answer ‘the Peel show’ refers back to the writer’s discussion of how Facebook has become like your own personalised radio station. ‘the search engine’ introduces the writer’s next point about how Facebook is aiming to replace Google and the theory behind this

16. Like its predecessors, One Direction has been compared to the Beatles, mostly owing to its remarkable chart success. But the comparison is misleading. In a way that was not possible fifteen years ago, let alone 50, tweens had access, via the Internet, to the fresh faces of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne for months before their band’s album release. ‘We have to laugh it off because the Beatles were iconic,’ Payne demurred once, slightly to accurately, when asked by Australia’s Sunday Telegraph about the resemblance. The Internet isn’t the only change. The nineties cohort of boy bands performed music that was rooted in American R&B. In contrast, One Direction and other chart-topping bands are evenly split between guitar-heavy pop rock and club beats. This makes for a dramatic stylistic shift. ‘We’re five lads in a band,’ Payne said. ‘Boy bands aren’t all about dancing and being structured and wearing the same clothes.’ With reference to the text, explain the part played by the underlined sentence in the structure of the writer’s argument. 2 Marks

17. Suggested Answer ‘The Internet’ refers back to the writer’s discussion of how the Internet has helped boost One Direction’s publicity in a way that was not possible for the Beatles. ‘change’ introduces the writer’s next point about the change in musical styles which has also contributed to the band’s rapid success.

18. Transitional Markers Additionally, you could comment on the effect of any transitional markers that are present – BUT you must do the previous 4 parts as well - Identify marker and explain what ‘transition’ is indicated A CHANGE A CONTINUATION or ADDITION

19. ‘However, the kouros had a problem’ With reference to the text, explain the part played by this sentence in the structure of the writer’s argument. (2 marks) The Getty was satisfied. Fourteen months after their investigation of the kouros began, they agreed to buy the statue. In the autumn of 1986, it went on display for the first time. The New York Times marked the occasion. However, the kouros had a problem. It didn’t look right. The first to point this out was an Italian art historian named Federico Zeri. When Zeri was taken down to the museum’s restoration studio to see the kouros in December of 1983, he stared at the sculpture’s fingernails […]

20. Suggested Answer ‘However, the kouros’ refers back to the previous paragraph by suggesting a change from the acceptance of the statue which was discussed. (1) ‘problem’ introduces the idea that the statue was not ‘right’ which is developed in the rest of paragraph 5. (1)

21. Q. ‘Therein lies the problem, though’ With reference to the text, explain the part played by this sentence in the structure of the writer’s argument. 2 Marks Back in Glasgow it’s only the grey tower blocks on the skyline and the cranes of the Clyde shipyards that remind you this isn’t a Paris backstreet or downtown New York. Parkour, says its practitioners, transgresses physical, mental, cultural and geographical boundaries. It is unique, operates off the radar and involves risk with a sense of danger. Just as city kids of the late 1970s and early 1980s found creativity in skate parks and hip-hop, it isn’t difficult to see why, for some, parkour is now synonymous with freedom and cool. Therein lies the problem, though. The glamourisation of parkour has been a catalyst for its growth but has also communicated mixed messages. The explosion in popularity has caused a schism to develop the parkour community over the movement’s philosphy. Is it, for example, about dangerous jumps across tenements, and the sort of flips and tricks which have seen brand-name executives reaching for their cheque books? Or is it, as many argue, about fine-tuning the mind and body to overcome obstacles and fear?

22. Suggested Answer ‘Therein’ refers back to the previous paragraph which discussed why Parkour is so popular (1) ‘the problem’ introduces paragraph 8’s explanation of why its popularity has created certain issues (1)

23. Q. ‘Many of you will think this business queasy or sinister’ With reference to the text, explain the part played by this sentence in the structure of the writer’s argument. 2 Marks Cryonics isn’t the science of weeping but, rather, the idea that you can preserve folk at shiveringly low temperatures and defrost them in the future. Mr DJ Maclennan, 36, of Skye, is making £40-a-month insurance payments to cover the £40,000 cost of having his brain bunged into a flask and frozen in the desert. For £70,000, you can have your whole body done, but I suppose that depends if you like the thing or not. Personally, I’d rather have a new one. One that does what it’s telt. And DJ reckons they might be able to regenerate something for you. Many of you will think this business queasy or sinister. The fear is that your brain comes alive in the future, but has to be permanently attached to machines, or housed in a Dalek-like structure. But Mr Maclennan has thought carefully about all this, and I like the cut of his jib. He’s a Mac, has a beard and lives in a wonderful place. It might be handier if he lived near Phoenix, Arizona, right enough, since that’s where they do the freezing.

24. Suggested Answer ‘This business’ refers back to the previous paragraph which outlined the idea of having your body frozen after death (1) ‘queasy or sinister’ introduces paragraph 4’s discussion of the worries associated with this practice (1)

25. Word Classes

26. Sentence Structure • What must a sentence contain, in its most basic form, to be grammatically correct? (Not punctuation or capitals) SUBJECT (Noun Phrase) + VERB (Verb Phrase)

27. ‘I ran’ ‘The boy ran’ ‘The sporty boy ran’

29. Adding Extra Detail to a Simple Sentence • Add an Object: ‘The cat sat on the mat’ ‘I skipped down the street’ • Add Adjectives: ‘The black cat sat on the tartan mat’ ‘I skipped down the long street’ • Add Adverbs: ‘The cat sat quietly on the mat’ ‘I skipped merrily down the street’

30. Being Aware of Word Classes What might the effect of the writer using a lot of verbs be? ‘The dog barked, the children wailed, the toaster popped, all while dad rushed out the door leaving mum to juggle the breakfast dishes.’ ‘The dog barked and the children wailed and the toaster popped, all while dad rushed out the door leaving mum to juggle the breakfast dishes.’

31. Being Aware of Word Classes What might the effect of the writer using a lot of adjectives or adverbs be? ‘As he sat, he imagined the long, golden, sandy beaches, the calm blue ocean and the elegant palm trees swaying carelessly in the gentle breeze. He imagined aimlessly strolling along the beach and lazily stretching his arms above his head as he slowly and deliberately breathed in the sweet air. Bliss. Then, he reluctantly opened his eyes only to be confronted by the drab, dreary, dusty, cold, grey surroundings of his bedsit.’

32. Word Order Why do writers sometimes alter the order of words in a sentence? i.e. Switching the order of the SUBJECT and the OBJECT • EXAMPLES: • ‘On the mat, sat the cat’ • ‘ ‘Skipping, I made my way down the street’ This is called INVERSION • EFFECTS: • Variation in expression – keep reader engaged • Avoid repetition • Highlight/focus the reader’s attention on a certain word/phrase/idea

33. Adidas Advert

34. Sentence Types

35. Study the following paragraph and pick out an example of each sentence type and explain the effect of each within the context of the passage Well, what a mess! Somehow I had managed to lock myself out and the kids in! Could things get any worse? Of course they could! It was a complete disaster. Why had I ever thought that looking after three children under the age of ten, two Jack Russels and a budgie was ever a good idea? Piece of cake. All bravado! You should always listen to your instincts. If there is a feeling of dread at the pit of your stomach, then it’s probably a bad idea. Don’t ever do this to yourself. Never agree to babysit, no matter how much money they offer you. It’s not worth the stress. Unless you want to go mad!

36. Other Techniques to Look Out for • Listing – commas, semi-colons, use of ‘and’ • Rhetorical Questions – Used to involve the reader, suggest writer/character considering an idea/reflecting – highlighting absurdity or obvious nature of answer • Parenthesis – commas, dashes, brackets (used to add extra information, offer an explanation, elaborate on an idea) • Parallelism – Repeated structural pattern [NOTE: if it is a word that is repeated then the technique is REPETITION] • Formality/informality of language – presence/absence of jargon, contractions, 2nd person ‘you’, chatty style • Climax and Anti-climax – Accumulation of ideas building up to an important moment/point OR an apparent build up only to end on something less dramatic You need to be able to recognise and identify the technique then explain why the writer has used it – what effect does it have in the context?

37. Parallelism – Parallel Structure/Construction A balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure He may be married.  He may be a father.  He may have a job.  He may be kind and considerate.  He may be rotten and deceitful.  He may have shoplifted.  He may have sold drugs.  It does not matter, for we are not interested in him; we are interested in the little boy who terrified us with his malice all those years ago…  "When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."(Martin Luther King, Jr.) “I don’t want to live on in my work. I want to live on in my apartment.”(Woody Allen)

39. Conclusion to a Passage Question This question asks you to comment on whether or not the conclusion is an effective conclusion to the passage as a whole. • You Should: • Usually try to be positive i.e. it is effective • Identify something from the conclusion – technique, idea, style • Explain how it relates back to rest of passage – how it sums up ideas, or something that links to an idea/technique used before

40. Effectiveness of the Title This question asks you to comment on why the title is a good title for the passage • You Should: • Look for techniques used in the title (e.g. puns) or double meanings of the title • Explain how these relate to the passage – the ideas contained within it