Leading Streak Today
Your Streak Today
Leading Streak Today
Your Streak Today
...we rumbled on in the nasty train...
The Woman in Black - Illustrating and Supporting Points
This GCSE English Literature quiz asks questions on illustrating and supporting points in Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. When you write essays for English literature, you are expected to support your points with convincing evidence. This evidence can be provided either by making specific reference to moments in the text, or it can appear in the form of direct quotations. Using the text to back up your argument is what makes your writing persuasive. Quoting and paraphrasing are techniques which also show how well you understand the text. While these skills are essential, they are by no means easy! You can, however, improve with practice. As well as choosing the most effective evidence, you will also need to pay attention to detail and punctuate accurately. Taking this challenging quiz will help you practise these important literary skills.
Read the text from The Woman in Black and then choose the answer which best uses evidence in support of a point. The right answer will also be grammatically correct.
1 .
"It was nine-thirty on Christmas Eve. As I crossed the long entrance hall of Monk's Piece on my way from the dining room, where we had just enjoyed the first of the happy, festive meals, towards the drawing room and the fire around which my family were now assembled, I paused and then, as I often do in the course of an evening, went to the front door, opened it and stepped outside"
The opening of the novel shows Arthur to be somewhat separate from his family: he walks "towards the drawing room" where his family is gathered, but instead finds himself outside, alone
The opening of the novel shows Arthur to be somewhat separate from his "family": he walks "towards the drawing room" where his "family" is gathered, but instead finds himself outside, alone
The opening of the novel shows Arthur to be somewhat separate from his family: he walks towards the drawing room where his "family is gathered", but instead finds himself "outside", alone
The opening of the novel shows Arthur to be somewhat "separate" from his family: he walks towards the "drawing room" where his family is gathered, but instead finds himself "outside", alone
An ordinary word such as "family" should only be enclosed in quotation marks if the author's use of the word is especially significant
2 .
"It would be easy to look back and to believe that all that day I had had a sense of foreboding about my journey to come, that some sixth sense, some telepathic intuition that may lie dormant and submerged in most men, had stirred and become alert within me. But I was, in those days of my youth, a sturdy, commonsensical fellow, and I felt no uneasiness or apprehension whatsoever"
The narrator says that he was a commonsensical "fellow" who didn't believe in telepathic "intuition" or some "sixth" sense, nor trust in his "sense" of foreboding
The narrator says that he was a "commonsensical" fellow who didn't believe in telepathic intuition or some sixth sense, nor trust in his "sense" of foreboding
By speaking of his youth, when he was "a sturdy, commonsensical fellow", the narrator implies that he has matured and would now be less dismissive of warning signs
By speaking of his youth, when he was a sturdy, commonsensical "fellow", the narrator implies that he has matured and would now be less dismissive of warning signs
Remember to use quotation marks accurately, including the full quoted phrase, rather than just key words
3 .
"And then, not particularly wishing to discuss the nature of my business with him, I picked up my newspaper again and unfolded it with a certain ostentation, and so, for some little while, we rumbled on in the nasty train, in silence - save for the huffing of the engine, and the clanking of iron wheels upon iron rails, and the occasional whistle, and the bursts of rain, like sprays of light artillery fire, upon the windows"
Nature is presented as bearing "enmity" to humankind when "bursts of rain" are likened to "sprays of artillery fire"
Nature is presented as bearing enmity to humankind when "bursts" of rain are likened to "sprays" of artillery fire
Nature is presented as bearing enmity to humankind when bursts of rain are likened to "sprays of artillery fire"
Nature is presented as bearing enmity to humankind when "bursts of rain" are likened to "sprays of artillery fire"
The comparison here between the rain and a hail of bullets is an example of a simile, which could also be mentioned
4 .
"While I waited, I wrote a brief fond note to Stella, which I would post the next morning, and while I ate heartily, I mused about the type of small house we might afford to live in after our marriage, if Mr Bentley were to continue to give me so much responsibility in the firm, so that I might feel justified in asking for an increase in salary. All in all, and with the half-bottle of claret that accompanied my supper, I prepared to go up to bed in a warm glow of well-being and contentment"
Good food and drink, combined with thoughts of "Stella" and his future "home, give Arthur a "warm glow of well-being and contentment"
Good food and drink, combined with thoughts of Stella and his future home, give Arthur a warm glow of well-being and contentment
Good food and drink, combined with thoughts of Stella and his future home, give Arthur a "warm glow of well-being and contentment"
Good food and drink, combined with thoughts of Stella and his future home, give Arthur a "warm" "glow" of "well-being" and "contentment"
Try wherever possible to quote whole phrases or, if quoting single words, to use a list. Writing can become very unclear when cluttered with several quotations
5 .
"The ground sloped a little down to the estuary shore and, as I passed under one of the old arches, I startled a bird, which rose up and away over my head with loudly beating wings and a harsh croaking cry that echoed all around the old walls and was taken up by another, some distance away. It was an ugly, satanic-looking thing, like some species of sea-vulture - if such a thing existed - and I could not suppress a shudder as its shadow passed over me, and I watched its ungainly flight away towards the sea with relief"
By using "demonic" imagery to describe the startled "bird", Arthur demonstrates that he is already on edge before seeing the Woman in Black in the island "burial ground"
By using demonic imagery to describe the startled bird, Arthur demonstrates that he is already on edge before seeing the Woman in Black in the island burial ground
By referring to the vulture as "ugly" and satanic-looking, Arthur demonstrates that he is already thinking about the supernatural before he sees the Woman in Black for the second time
By referring to the "vulture" as ugly and "satanic-looking", Arthur demonstrates that he is already thinking about the "supernatural" before he sees the Woman in Black for the second time
Remember that paraphrasing is a useful way to support points and to demonstrate your knowledge of the text
6 .
"The noise of the pony trap grew fainter and then stopped abruptly and away on the marsh was a curious draining, sucking, churning sound, which went on, together with the shrill neighing and whinnying of a horse in panic, and then I heard another cry, a shout, a terrified sobbing - it was hard to decipher - but with horror I realised that it came from a child, a young child"
The distinction between the world of the senses and the supernatural is blurred by the use of onomatopoeia when Arthur hears the sounds of "draining", "sucking" and "churning"
The distinction between the world of the senses and the supernatural is blurred by the use of onomatopoeia when Arthur "hears" the sounds of "draining", "sucking" and "churning"
The distinction between the world of the senses and the supernatural is blurred by the use of onomatopoeia when Arthur hears a "curious draining, sucking, churning sound"
All of the above
There are multiple ways to quote correctly. Here, it is acceptable to use "scare quotes" to emphasise that what Arthur "hears" might be present in the physical world or only in his haunted imagination
7 .
"'I must face it out, Mr Jerome. Such things one must face.' and even as I spoke I felt a new determination arise within me.
"'So I said.' Mr Jerome was looking at me pityingly. 'So I said ... once.'
"But his fear was only serving to strengthen my resolve. He had been weakened and broken, by what? A woman? A few noises?"
"'So I said.' Mr Jerome was looking at me pityingly. 'So I said ... once.'
"But his fear was only serving to strengthen my resolve. He had been weakened and broken, by what? A woman? A few noises?"
Arthur takes a condescending view of Mr Jerome, pitying him for being "weakened and broken" by something as insignificant as a "woman" or a "few noises"
Arthur takes a condescending view of Mr Jerome, pitying him for being weakened and broken by something as insignificant as a woman or a few noises
Arthur takes a condescending view of Mr Jerome, pitying him for being "weakened" and "broken" by something as insignificant as a woman or a few noises
Arthur takes a condescending view of Mr Jerome, pitying him for being "weakened and broken" by something as insignificant as a "woman" or a few noises
In this case, "woman" should be enclosed in quotation marks because the narrator is emphasising just how non-scary and insignificant a woman is. A woman, just like a little noise, is diminished as a source of fear and therefore power, in these lines
8 .
"And my manner that day must have indicated clearly that I would brook no opposition, heed no warning, even from within myself. I was by now almost pigheadedly bent upon following my course"
It is only in retrospect that Arthur can see how stubbornly he held to his plan to stay overnight in Eel Marsh House: he remembers himself as "almost" pigheadedly sticking to the plan
It is only in retrospect that Arthur can see how stubbornly he held to his plan to stay overnight in Eel Marsh House: he remembers himself as almost pigheadedly sticking to the plan
It is only in retrospect that Arthur can see how stubbornly he held to his plan to stay overnight in Eel Marsh House: he remembers himself as "almost pigheadedly" sticking to the plan
It is only in retrospect that Arthur can see how stubbornly he held to his plan to stay overnight in Eel Marsh House: he remembers himself as "almost pigheadedly bent upon following my course"
The last example is incorrect not because the quotation is inaccurate, but because the sentence is ungrammatical: He remembers himself as "almost pigheadedly bent upon following my course." Instead, replacing "my" with "[his]" would make this version correct: He remembers himself as "almost pigheadedly bent upon following [his] course"
9 .
"And then, from somewhere within the depths of the house - but somewhere not very far from the room in which I was - I heard a noise. It was a faint noise, and, strain my ears as I might, I could not make out exactly what it was. It was a sound like a regular yet intermittent bump or rumble. Nothing else happened"
Suspense is heightened by Arthur's lack of knowledge as he struggles to identify the source of the noise, which is faint, but also not "very" far from the room where he is
Suspense is heightened by Arthur's lack of knowledge as he struggles to identify the source of the noise, which is "faint", but also "not very far from the room" where he is
Suspense is heightened by Arthur's lack of knowledge as he struggles to identify the source of the noise, which is a regular yet intermittent bump or rumble
Suspense is heightened by Arthur's lack of knowledge as he struggles to identify the source of the noise, which is a "regular yet intermittent" bump or rumble
Remember to make a point as well as to support it with evidence from the text. Here the point concerns the way in which particular techniques help to build suspense
10 .
"My story is almost done. There is only the last thing left to tell. And that I can scarcely bring myself to write about. I have sat here at my desk, day after day, night after night, a blank sheet of paper before me, unable to lift my pen, trembling and weeping too"
The reader is reminded that the narrator still suffers from the events he is recalling when we have a sudden vision of "Arthur" sitting at his "desk" "trembling and weeping"
The reader is reminded that the narrator still suffers from the events he is recalling when we have a sudden vision of Arthur sitting at his "desk" "trembling" and "weeping"
The reader is reminded that the narrator still suffers from the events he is recalling when we have a sudden vision of Arthur sitting at his desk trembling and weeping
The reader is reminded that the narrator still suffers from the events he is recalling when we have a sudden vision of Arthur sitting at his desk "trembling and weeping"
It's important to choose the most relevant evidence which will best support the point you wish to make
**Unlimited Quizzes Await You! 🚀**
Hey there, quiz champ! 🌟 You've already tackled today's free questions.
Ready for more?
Ready for more?
🔓 Unlock UNLIMITED Quizzes and challenge yourself every day. But that's
not all...
not all...
🔥 As a Subscriber you can join our thrilling "Daily Streak" against other
quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
Don't miss out! Join us now and keep the fun rolling. 🎉
**Unlimited Quizzes Await You! 🚀**
Hey there, quiz champ! 🌟 You've already tackled today's free questions. Ready for more?
🔓 Unlock UNLIMITED Quizzes and challenge yourself every day. But that's not all...
🔥 As a Subscriber you can join our thrilling "Daily Streak" against other quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
Don't miss out! Join us now and keep the fun rolling. 🎉
Here To Help
Our Social Circles
© Copyright 2016-2024 - Education Quizzes
Work Innovate Ltd - Design | Development |
Marketing
