Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
An extract from a work first published in 1843.
This extract is from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, where the storm-driven duckling shelters in a tumbledown cottage and is belittled by the house cat and hen, who demand he conform to their ways, intensifying his isolation and longing to swim.
Source A
1 Towards evening he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall, and only seemed to remain standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first. The storm continued so violent that the duckling could go no farther. He sat down by the cottage, and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed, in consequence of one of the hinges having given way. There was,
6 therefore, a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through, which he did very quietly, and got a shelter for the night. Here, in this cottage, lived a woman, a cat, and a hen. The cat, whom his mistress called "My little son," was a great favorite; he could raise his back, and purr, and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the
11 wrong way. The hen had very short legs, so she was called "Chickie Short- legs." She laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child. In the morning the strange visitor was discovered; the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.
16 "What is that noise about?" said the old woman, looking around the room. But her sight was not very good; therefore when she saw the duckling she thought it must be a fat duck that had strayed from home. "Oh, what a prize!" she exclaimed. "I hope it is not a drake, for then I shall have some ducks' eggs. I must wait and see."
21 So the duckling was allowed to remain on trial for three weeks; but there were no eggs. Now the cat was the master of the house, and the hen was the mistress; and
26 they always said, "We and the world," for they believed themselves to be half the world, and by far the better half, too. The duckling thought that others might hold a different opinion on the subject, but the hen would not listen to such doubts.
31 "Can you lay eggs?" she asked. "No." "Then have the goodness to cease talking." "Can you raise your back, or purr, or throw out sparks?" said the cat. "No." "Then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking." So the duckling sat in a corner, feeling very low-spirited; but when the sunshine and the fresh air came into the room through the open door,
36 he began to feel such a great longing for a swim that he could not help speaking of it. "What an absurd idea!" said the hen. "You have nothing else to do; therefore you have foolish fancies. If you could purr or lay eggs, they would pass
41 away." "But it is so delightful to swim about on the water," said the duckling, "and so refreshing to feel it close over your head while you dive down to the bottom."
46 "Delightful, indeed! it must be a queer sort of pleasure," said the hen. "Why, you must be crazy! Ask the cat--he is the cleverest animal I know; ask him how he would like to swim about on the water, or to dive under it, for I will not speak of my own opinion. Ask our mistress, the old woman; there is no one in
51 the world more clever than she is. Do you think she would relish swimming and letting the water close over her head?" "I see you don't understand me," said the duckling.
56 "We don't understand you? Who can understand you, I wonder? Do you consider yourself more clever than the cat or the old woman?--I will say nothing of myself. Don't imagine such nonsense, child, and thank your good fortune that you have been so well received here. Are you not in a warm room and in society from which you may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and your company
61 is not very agreeable. Believe me, I speak only for your good. I may tell you unpleasant truths, but that is a proof of my friendship. I advise you, therefore, to lay eggs and learn to purr as quickly as possible." "I believe I must go out into the world again," said the duckling.
66 "Yes, do," said the hen. So the duckling left the cottage and soon found water on which it could swim and dive, but he was avoided by all other animals because of his ugly appearance.
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 When did the duckling reach the cottage?
- Towards evening
- Around midday
- Before dawn
[1 mark]
1.2 Which description accurately reflects what the duckling finds at the cottage on arrival?
- Late in the day; the cottage looks ready to collapse; the door is partly open because a hinge is broken.
- Early morning; the cottage looks newly built; the door is wide open to let in fresh air.
- Midnight; the cottage appears sturdy; the door is shut and bolted.
[1 mark]
1.3 What could the cottage not decide?
- On which side to fall first
- Whether to open its door
- If its roof would hold
[1 mark]
1.4 Why was the door not quite closed?
- Because one of the hinges had given way
- Because the latch was stuck in place
- Because a log was propped against it
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 1 to 15 of the source:
1 Towards evening he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall, and only seemed to remain standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first. The storm continued so violent that the duckling could go no farther. He sat down by the cottage, and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed, in consequence of one of the hinges having given way. There was,
6 therefore, a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through, which he did very quietly, and got a shelter for the night. Here, in this cottage, lived a woman, a cat, and a hen. The cat, whom his mistress called "My little son," was a great favorite; he could raise his back, and purr, and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the
11 wrong way. The hen had very short legs, so she was called "Chickie Short- legs." She laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child. In the morning the strange visitor was discovered; the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.
How does the writer use language here to describe the duckling’s arrival and the cottage’s inhabitants? 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 story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of detachment?
You could write about:
- how detachment 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 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, where the hen tells the duckling to lay eggs, her advice sounds completely ridiculous. The writer suggests it is cruel to expect someone to be something they are not.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the hen and her ridiculous advice
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray the hen's cruelty
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A national radio show about modern working life is looking for creative pieces from listeners.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a busy logistics control room from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about spotting a flaw in a perfect system.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]