Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 20th-century prose fiction
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
An extract from a work first published in 1915.
This extract is from The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, where Gregor’s family and the chief clerk respond in confusion and fear as he struggles to unlock his door, provoking horrified reactions and highlighting themes of alienation, miscommunication, responsibility, and mounting domestic panic.
Source A
1 “Did you understand a word of all that?” the chief clerk asked his parents, “surely he’s not trying to make fools of us”. “Oh, God!” called his mother, who was already in tears, “he could be seriously ill
6 and we’re making him suffer. Grete! Grete!” she then cried. “Mother?” his sister called from the other side. They communicated across Gregor’s room. “You’ll have to go for the
11 doctor straight away. Gregor is ill. Quick, get the doctor. Did you hear the way Gregor spoke just now?” “That was the voice of an animal”, said the chief clerk, with a
16 calmness that was in contrast with his mother’s screams. “Anna! Anna!” his father called into the kitchen through the entrance hall, clapping his hands, “get a locksmith here, now!” And the two girls, their skirts swishing, immediately ran out through the hall, wrenching open the
21 front door of the flat as they went. How had his sister managed to get dressed so quickly? There was no sound of the door banging shut again; they must have
26 left it open; people often do in homes where something awful has happened. Gregor, in contrast, had become much calmer. So they couldn’t understand his
31 words any more, although they seemed clear enough to him, clearer than before—perhaps his ears had become used to the sound. They had realised, though, that there was something wrong with him, and
36 were ready to help. The first response to his situation had been confident and wise, and that made him feel better. He felt that he had been drawn back in among people, and from the
41 doctor and the locksmith he expected great and surprising achievements—although he did not really distinguish one from the other. Whatever was said next would be
46 crucial, so, in order to make his voice as clear as possible, he coughed a little, but taking care to do this not too loudly as even this might well sound different from the way that a human
51 coughs and he was no longer sure he could judge this for himself. Meanwhile, it had become very quiet in the next room. Perhaps his parents were sat at the table whispering with the chief clerk, or perhaps they were all pressed
56 against the door and listening. Gregor slowly pushed his way over to the door with the chair. Once there he let go of it and threw himself onto the door, holding himself
61 upright against it using the adhesive on the tips of his legs. He rested there a little while to recover from the effort involved and then set himself to the task of
66 turning the key in the lock with his mouth. He seemed, unfortunately, to have no proper teeth—how was he, then, to grasp the key?—but the lack of teeth was, of course, made up
71 for with a very strong jaw; using the jaw, he really was able to start the key turning, ignoring the fact that he must have been causing some kind of damage as a brown fluid came from his mouth, flowed over
76 the key and dripped onto the floor. “Listen”, said the chief clerk in the next room, “he’s turning the key.” Gregor was greatly encouraged by this; but they
81 all should have been calling to him, his father and his mother too: “Well done, Gregor”, they should have cried, “keep at it, keep hold of the lock!” And with the idea that they were all excitedly
86 following his efforts, he bit on the key with all his strength, paying no attention to the pain he was causing himself. As the key turned round he turned around the lock with it,
91 only holding himself upright with his mouth, and hung onto the key or pushed it down again with the whole weight of his body as needed. The clear sound of the lock as it
96 snapped back was Gregor’s sign that he could break his concentration, and as he regained his breath he said to himself: “So, I didn’t need the locksmith after all”. Then he lay his head on the handle of the
101 door to open it completely. Because he had to open the door in this way, it was already wide open before
106 he could be seen. He had first to slowly turn himself around one of the double doors, and he had to do it very carefully if he did not want to fall flat on his back before entering the room. He was still
111 occupied with this difficult movement, unable to pay attention to anything else, when he heard the chief clerk exclaim a loud “Oh!”, which sounded like the soughing of the wind. Now
116 he also saw him—he was the nearest to the door—his hand pressed against his open mouth and slowly retreating as if driven by a steady and invisible force. Gregor’s mother, her hair still dishevelled from bed despite the chief
121 clerk’s being there, looked at his father. Then she unfolded her arms, took two steps forward towards Gregor and sank down onto the floor into her skirts that
126 spread themselves out around her as her head disappeared down onto her breast. His father looked hostile, and clenched his fists as if wanting to knock Gregor back into his room.
131 Then he looked uncertainly round the living room, covered his eyes with his hands and wept so that his powerful chest shook.
Questions
Instructions
- Answer all questions.
- Use black ink or black ball point pen.
- Fill in the boxes on this page.
- You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
- Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
- Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
- You must refer to the insert booklet provided.
- You must not use a dictionary.
Information
- The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
- Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
- The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
- There are 40 marks for Section A and 40 marks for Section B.
- You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Advice
- You are advised to spend about 15 minutes reading through the source and all five questions you have to answer.
- You should make sure you leave sufficient time to check your answers.
Section A: Reading
Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Read the following questions about Source A, an early scene in which Gregor tries to unlock his door while his family and a visiting chief clerk wait outside.
Question 1
Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 5.
Answer all parts of this question.
Choose one answer for each question.
1.1 How do Gregor's mother and Grete communicate at this moment?
- Gregor's mother and Grete call from different sides of Gregor's room.
- Gregor's mother and Grete speak quietly together inside Gregor's room.
- Gregor's mother and Grete exchange written notes at the door.
[1 mark]
1.2 How do Gregor's mother and Grete communicate at this moment?
- Gregor's mother and Grete call across from opposite sides of Gregor's room
- Gregor's mother and Grete speak together inside Gregor's room
- Gregor's mother and Grete pass messages through the chief clerk
[1 mark]
1.3 Which character voices suspicion that Gregor might be deceiving the family?
- the chief clerk
- Gregor's mother
- Grete (Gregor's sister)
[1 mark]
1.4 Which character suggests that Gregor may be trying to deceive those present?
- the chief clerk
- Gregor's mother
- Grete (Gregor's sister)
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 56 to 100 of the source.
56 against the door and listening. Gregor slowly pushed his way over to the door with the chair. Once there he let go of it and threw himself onto the door, holding himself
61 upright against it using the adhesive on the tips of his legs. He rested there a little while to recover from the effort involved and then set himself to the task of
66 turning the key in the lock with his mouth. He seemed, unfortunately, to have no proper teeth—how was he, then, to grasp the key?—but the lack of teeth was, of course, made up
71 for with a very strong jaw; using the jaw, he really was able to start the key turning, ignoring the fact that he must have been causing some kind of damage as a brown fluid came from his mouth, flowed over
76 the key and dripped onto the floor. “Listen”, said the chief clerk in the next room, “he’s turning the key.” Gregor was greatly encouraged by this; but they
81 all should have been calling to him, his father and his mother too: “Well done, Gregor”, they should have cried, “keep at it, keep hold of the lock!” And with the idea that they were all excitedly
86 following his efforts, he bit on the key with all his strength, paying no attention to the pain he was causing himself. As the key turned round he turned around the lock with it,
91 only holding himself upright with his mouth, and hung onto the key or pushed it down again with the whole weight of his body as needed. The clear sound of the lock as it
96 snapped back was Gregor’s sign that he could break his concentration, and as he regained his breath he said to himself: “So, I didn’t need the locksmith after all”. Then he lay his head on the handle of the
How does the writer use language here to show Gregor’s effort to open the door and the effect on those outside? You could include the writer’s choice of:
- words and phrases
- language features and techniques
- sentence forms.
[8 marks]
Question 3
You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole. This text is from the start of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of urgency?
You could write about:
- how urgency intensifies from beginning to end
- how the writer uses structure to create an effect
- the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.
[8 marks]
Question 4
For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 101 to the end.
In this part of the source, the father’s reaction is to look hostile before he starts to weep. The writer suggests that his initial anger is quickly replaced by a sense of shock and deep sadness.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the father's reaction
- comment on the methods the writer uses to present the father's conflict and despair
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
For the programme of a local music festival, organisers are inviting creative writing submissions.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a festival stage being set up from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a performance that does not go as planned.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]