Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
An extract from a work first published in 1874.
This extract is from early in the novel, where farmer Gabriel Oak observes a young woman atop a furniture-laden waggon and intervenes in a twopence toll dispute, establishing Hardy’s vivid rural setting and suggesting themes of self-consciousness, independence, and telling first impressions.
Source A
1 The sensible horses stood—perfectly still, and the waggoner’s steps sank fainter and fainter in the distance. The girl on the summit of the load sat motionless, surrounded by tables and chairs with their legs upwards, backed by an oak settle, and ornamented in
6 front by pots of geraniums, myrtles, and cactuses, together with a caged canary—all probably from the windows of the house just vacated. There was also a cat in a willow basket, from the partly-opened lid of which she gazed with half-closed eyes, and affectionately surveyed the small birds around.
11 The handsome girl waited for some time idly in her place, and the only sound heard in the stillness was the hopping of the canary up and down the perches of its prison. Then she looked attentively downwards. It was not at the bird, nor at the cat; it was at an oblong package tied in paper, and lying between them. She turned her head to learn if the waggoner were coming. He was not yet
16 in sight; and her eyes crept back to the package, her thoughts seeming to run upon what was inside it. At length she drew the article into her lap, and untied the paper covering; a small swing looking-glass was disclosed, in which she proceeded to survey herself attentively. She parted her lips and smiled.
21 It was a fine morning, and the sun lighted up to a scarlet glow the crimson jacket she wore, and painted a soft lustre upon her bright face and dark hair. The myrtles, geraniums, and cactuses packed around her were fresh and green, and at such a leafless season they invested the whole concern of horses, waggon, furniture, and girl with a peculiar vernal charm. What possessed her
26 to indulge in such a performance in the sight of the sparrows, blackbirds, and unperceived farmer who were alone its spectators,—whether the smile began as a factitious one, to test her capacity in that art,—nobody knows; it ended certainly in a real smile. She blushed at herself, and seeing her reflection blush, blushed the more.
31 The change from the customary spot and necessary occasion of such an act—from the dressing hour in a bedroom to a time of travelling out of doors—lent to the idle deed a novelty it did not intrinsically possess. The picture was a delicate one. Woman’s prescriptive infirmity had stalked into the sunlight,
36 which had clothed it in the freshness of an originality. A cynical inference was irresistible by Gabriel Oak as he regarded the scene, generous though he fain would have been. There was no necessity whatever for her looking in the glass. She did not adjust her hat, or pat her hair, or press a dimple into shape, or do one thing to signify that any such intention had been her motive
41 in taking up the glass. She simply observed herself as a fair product of Nature in the feminine kind, her thoughts seeming to glide into far-off though likely dramas in which men would play a part—vistas of probable triumphs—the smiles being of a phase suggesting that hearts were imagined as lost and won. Still, this was but conjecture, and the whole series of actions was so idly
46 put forth as to make it rash to assert that intention had any part in them at all. The waggoner’s steps were heard returning. She put the glass in the paper, and the whole again into its place.
51 When the waggon had passed on, Gabriel withdrew from his point of espial, and descending into the road, followed the vehicle to the turnpike-gate some way beyond the bottom of the hill, where the object of his contemplation now halted for the payment of toll. About twenty steps still remained between him
56 and the gate, when he heard a dispute. It was a difference concerning twopence between the persons with the waggon and the man at the toll-bar. “Mis’ess’s niece is upon the top of the things, and she says that’s enough that I’ve offered ye, you great miser, and she won’t pay any more.” These were
61 the waggoner’s words. “Very well; then mis’ess’s niece can’t pass,” said the turnpike-keeper, closing the gate.
66 Oak looked from one to the other of the disputants, and fell into a reverie. There was something in the tone of twopence remarkably insignificant. Threepence had a definite value as money—it was an appreciable infringement on a day’s wages, and, as such, a higgling matter; but twopence—“Here,” he said, stepping forward and handing twopence to the gatekeeper; “let the young woman
71 pass.” He looked up at her then; she heard his words, and looked down. Gabriel’s features adhered throughout their form so exactly to the middle line between the beauty of St. John and the ugliness of Judas Iscariot, as represented in a window of the church he attended, that not a single lineament
76 could be selected and called worthy either of distinction or notoriety. The red-jacketed and dark-haired maiden seemed to think so too, for she carelessly glanced over him, and told her man to drive on. She might have looked her thanks to Gabriel on a minute scale, but she did not speak them; more probably she felt none, for in gaining her a passage he had lost her her point, and we
81 know how women take a favour of that kind.
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 What were the horses doing?
- stood perfectly still
- moved restlessly about
- trotted slowly along
[1 mark]
1.2 What happened to the waggoner’s steps?
- sank fainter and fainter
- grew louder and louder
- stopped all at once
[1 mark]
1.3 Which container held the cat?
- a willow basket
- a wooden crate
- an iron cage
[1 mark]
1.4 Which plants are mentioned in pots?
- geraniums, myrtles, and cactuses
- roses, lilies, and daisies
- ivy, ferns, and heather
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 21 to 30 of the source:
21 It was a fine morning, and the sun lighted up to a scarlet glow the crimson jacket she wore, and painted a soft lustre upon her bright face and dark hair. The myrtles, geraniums, and cactuses packed around her were fresh and green, and at such a leafless season they invested the whole concern of horses, waggon, furniture, and girl with a peculiar vernal charm. What possessed her
26 to indulge in such a performance in the sight of the sparrows, blackbirds, and unperceived farmer who were alone its spectators,—whether the smile began as a factitious one, to test her capacity in that art,—nobody knows; it ended certainly in a real smile. She blushed at herself, and seeing her reflection blush, blushed the more.
How does the writer use language here to present the brightness of the scene and the girl’s changing feelings? 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 beginning of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create curiosity?
You could write about:
- how curiosity develops 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, where the girl argues about the twopence, she might seem stubborn and mean. The writer suggests that she is actually more interested in winning the argument than saving the money.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the girl's behaviour during the argument over twopence
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest her interest in winning
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
An international travel magazine is collecting creative pieces about memorable wildlife encounters.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe an encounter with a powerful animal from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a difficult journey with an important purpose.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]