What is Close Reading? Close Reading aims to test your understanding of language.

You will be given a passage to read You will be asked questions which will make you think about what you have read. In the questions, the story may be called ‘the passage’ or ‘the text’. You will then have to write down the answers to the questions.

 You should think about what the writer is saying in the story and how you feel about it.  The ideas might make you feel angry with someone, for example.  Or you might find the story funny or sad.

What are the numbers down the side of the story?  These are line numbers. They are numbered in 5’s.  They help you find something in the passages more easily.  Often questions will direct you to certain lines. Look at lines 1-14 How does the writer present the situation effectively?... 10

Is there a right way to answer the questions? YES!  The first and most important rule is to:  USE YOUR OWN WORDS.  Do not just copy out part of the text.  The only exception to this rule is if you are asked to ‘find a word in the passage’ or if you are asked to ‘quote’.

What will the questions in these tests be looking for?  Your understanding of the ideas.  Your appreciation of the writer’s expression.  Your thoughts on some of the issues.

Do I need to answer in sentences or will one word do?  Sometimes a question will simply ask you to pick out a word or expression and a sentence is not required.  If the question asks you to explain or discuss something, you should write in sentences, taking care with expression.  Avoid beginning you answer with the word ‘because’.

Will the questions be in any special order?  Usually, the answers will come in the order they are in the passage.  The first questions will deal with the opening paragraph, and so on  Often you will be directed to certain lines in the story to find the answer.

Why are the numbers of marks given after each question?  This is to help you.  If a question can be awarded just 2 or 0 marks, one simple answer is needed.  If the question can be awarded 2,1 or 0 marks, you will need to make two points, or answer in more detail.

Why do some questions have subsections, in the form of 1a and 1b, instead of being asked separately (1,2,3 etc)  When a question has subsections these will be on a related point,  or  will deal with the same part of the text.

What sort of things will the questions ask? The questions will deal with two main things? What the writer is saying – THE MEANING. How he/she says it – THE STYLE

What kind of things will be asked about in style questions? Style questions deal with how a writer tells a story. You will be expected to comment on the writer’s: WORD CHOICE and use of figures of speech such as SIMILES AND METAPHORS Things like sentence structure and paragraphing are also part of a writer’s style

You will need to know: 1. Figures of speech such as: Simile (a comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’) Metaphor (a comparison where one thing is said to be another) Alliteration (deliberate repetition of initial letters of words in a phrase) Personification (a comparison of an object to a person) 2.The term ‘tone’ Tone refers to the way writers reveal their attitude to a subject. For example, they might adopt a tone that is humorous, ironic, dramatic or chatty. Is there anything I need to know before I answer these questions?

3. The term ‘sentence structure’ This refers to a way a sentence is composed and the way words and phrases in a sentence are arranged. Sentences may be simple or complex, long or short. Punctuation is a good guide to sentence structure. A full stop, question mark or exclamation mark will indicate the type of sentence. Commas separate phrases and clauses or indicate a list. Colons introduce explanation, examples and lists. Semi-colons can be used to separate clauses.

What should I say in ‘word choice’ questions?  As the wording implies, you will be asked to explain the effect of the writer’s choice of words.  In the case of a question that directs you to a particular word or phrase, a good approach is to think of a simpler word or expression the writer could have chosen, and then consider what difference is made by the one he or she did choose.  If you are asked to comment on ‘word choice’ more generally, be sure to quote examples, and discuss each one individually. One example for every mark available is about right.

DO  Read the passage first  Re-read more carefully section by section  Keep your answers in proportion to the marks: write more for questions that are worth a lot more marks.  QUOTE examples in questions on style and word choice.  Discuss each of the examples you quote in style questions individually. DON’T  Read the passage through twice before answering the questions.  ‘Lift’ answers straight from the text unless you are asked to QUOTE.  Lump examples together with a vague general comment in your answers to word-choice questions.