Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Silas Marner by George Eliot
An extract from a work first published in 1861.
This extract is from George Eliot’s Silas Marner, as Dunstan Cass intrudes into Silas’s deserted cottage, assumes the weaver may be dead, and searches for his hidden money. The scene builds tension and reveals Dunstan’s greed through his calculating thoughts and the cottage’s telling details.
Source A
1 He knocked loudly, rather enjoying the idea that the old fellow would be frightened at the sudden noise. He heard no movement in reply: all was silence in the
6 cottage. Was the weaver gone to bed, then? If so, why had he left a light? That was a strange forgetfulness in a miser. Dunstan knocked still more loudly, and, without pausing for a reply, pushed his fingers through the
11 latch-hole, intending to shake the door and pull the latch-string up and down, not doubting that the door was fastened. But, to his surprise, at this double motion the door opened, and he found
16 himself in front of a bright fire which lit up every corner of the cottage—the bed, the loom, the three chairs, and the table—and showed him that Marner was not there. Nothing at that moment
21 could be much more inviting to Dunsey than the bright fire on the brick hearth: he walked in and seated himself by it at once. There was something in front of the fire, too, that would have
26 been inviting to a hungry man, if it had been in a different stage of cooking. It was a small bit of pork suspended from the kettle-hanger by a string passed through a large door-key, in a way
31 known to primitive housekeepers unpossessed of jacks. But the pork had been hung at the farthest extremity of the hanger, apparently to prevent the roasting
36 from proceeding too rapidly during the owner’s absence. The old staring simpleton had hot meat for his supper, then? thought Dunstan. People had always said he lived on mouldy bread, on purpose to check his appetite.
41 But where could he be at this time, and on such an evening, leaving his supper in this stage of preparation, and his door unfastened? Dunstan’s own recent difficulty in making his way suggested
46 to him that the weaver had perhaps gone outside his cottage to fetch in fuel, or for some such brief purpose, and had slipped into the Stone-pit. That was an interesting idea to Dunstan, carrying
51 consequences of entire novelty. If the weaver was dead, who had a right to his money? Who would know where his money was hidden? Who would know that anybody had come to take it away? He went no farther into
56 the subtleties of evidence: the pressing question, “Where is the money?” now took such entire possession of him as to make him quite forget that the weaver’s death was not a
61 certainty. A dull mind, once arriving at an inference that flatters a desire, is rarely able to retain the impression that the notion from which the inference started
66 was purely problematic. And Dunstan’s mind was as dull as the mind of a possible felon usually is. There were only three hiding-places where he had ever heard of cottagers’ hoards being found: the thatch, the bed,
71 and a hole in the floor. Marner’s cottage had no thatch; and Dunstan’s first act, after a train of thought made rapid by the stimulus of cupidity, was to go up to the bed; but while he did so, his eyes
76 travelled eagerly over the floor, where the bricks, distinct in the fire-light, were discernible under the sprinkling of sand. But not everywhere; for there was one spot, and one
81 only, which was quite covered with sand, and sand showing the marks of fingers, which had apparently been careful to spread it over a given space. It was near
86 the treddles of the loom. In an instant Dunstan darted to that spot, swept away the sand with his whip, and, inserting the thin end of the hook between the bricks, found that they were loose. In haste he lifted up two
91 bricks, and saw what he had no doubt was the object of his search; for what could there be but money in those two leathern bags? And, from their weight, they must be filled with guineas. Dunstan felt round the hole, to be certain
96 that it held no more; then hastily replaced the bricks, and spread the sand over them. Hardly more than five minutes had passed since he entered the cottage, but it seemed to
101 Dunstan like a long while; and though he was without any distinct recognition of the possibility that Marner might be alive, and might re-enter the cottage at any moment, he felt an undefinable dread laying
106 hold on him, as he rose to his feet with the bags in his hand.
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.
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 Which statement best describes Dunstan Cass's feelings and the immediate outcome after Dunstan Cass knocks?
- Dunstan Cass is pleased by the idea of frightening the old fellow, and Dunstan Cass hears no movement in reply.
- Dunstan Cass is worried about disturbing the old fellow, and Dunstan Cass hears footsteps approaching.
- Dunstan Cass is indifferent to the old fellow's reaction, and Dunstan Cass hears a voice inviting Dunstan Cass in.
[1 mark]
1.2 What reaction is linked to the words ‘the old fellow’?
- would be frightened
- heard no movement
- all was silence
[1 mark]
1.3 After Dunstan knocks loudly, what does Dunstan hear in reply?
- No movement; only silence
- Footsteps approaching
- A voice telling Dunstan to enter
[1 mark]
1.4 After Dunstan Cass knocked loudly, what immediate response followed?
- No movement and complete silence
- An immediate spoken reply
- Footsteps approaching from inside
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 cottage. Was the weaver gone to bed, then? If so, why had he left a light? That was a strange forgetfulness in a miser. Dunstan knocked still more loudly, and, without pausing for a reply, pushed his fingers through the
11 latch-hole, intending to shake the door and pull the latch-string up and down, not doubting that the door was fastened. But, to his surprise, at this double motion the door opened, and he found
How does the writer use language here to build tension and show Dunstan’s expectations?
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 middle of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create suspense?
You could write about:
- how suspense intensifies throughout the source
- 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 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, Dunstan gets completely focused on finding the hidden money. The writer suggests his greed is so powerful that it makes him forget the obvious danger that the weaver could return.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Dunstan's focused search for the money
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest his powerful greed
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A city aquarium's youth newsletter is inviting short creative pieces for its next issue.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe an underwater tunnel at an aquarium from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a sudden act of bravery.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]