Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
An extract from a work first published in 1843.
This extract is taken from The Black Cat (1843) by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator addresses the reader as he reflects on his deteriorating mind and the unsettling behaviour of his pet, creating a tense Gothic atmosphere.
Source A
1 It wanted about five minutes of eight when, taking the patient’s hand, I begged him to state, as distinctly as he could, to Mr. L—l, whether he (M. Valdemar) was entirely willing that I should make the experiment of mesmerizing him in his then condition.
6 He replied feebly, yet quite audibly, “Yes, I wish to be. I fear you have mesmerized”—adding immediately afterwards: “I fear you have deferred it too long.” While he spoke thus, I commenced the passes which I had already found most
11 effectual in subduing him. He was evidently influenced with the first lateral stroke of my hand across his forehead; but although I exerted all my powers, no further perceptible effect was induced until some minutes after ten o’clock, when Doctors D—— and F—— called, according to appointment. I explained to them, in a few words, what I designed, and as they opposed no
16 objection, saying that the patient was already in the death agony, I proceeded without hesitation—exchanging, however, the lateral passes for downward ones, and directing my gaze entirely into the right eye of the sufferer. By this time his pulse was imperceptible and his breathing was stertorous, and
21 at intervals of half a minute. This condition was nearly unaltered for a quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this period, however, a natural although a very deep sigh escaped the bosom of the dying man, and the stertorous breathing ceased—that
26 is to say, its stertorousness was no longer apparent; the intervals were undiminished. The patient’s extremities were of an icy coldness. At five minutes before eleven I perceived unequivocal signs of the mesmeric influence. The glassy roll of the eye was changed for that expression of
31 uneasy inward examination which is never seen except in cases of sleep-waking, and which it is quite impossible to mistake. With a few rapid lateral passes I made the lids quiver, as in incipient sleep, and with a few more I closed them altogether. I was not satisfied, however, with this, but continued the manipulations vigorously, and with the fullest exertion of the will, until I
36 had completely stiffened the limbs of the slumberer, after placing them in a seemingly easy position. The legs were at full length; the arms were nearly so, and reposed on the bed at a moderate distance from the loin. The head was very slightly elevated.
41 When I had accomplished this, it was fully midnight, and I requested the gentlemen present to examine M. Valdemar’s condition. After a few experiments, they admitted him to be an unusually perfect state of mesmeric trance. The curiosity of both the physicians was greatly excited. Dr. D—— resolved at once to remain with the patient all night, while Dr. F—— took leave with a promise
46 to return at daybreak. Mr. L—l and the nurses remained. We left M. Valdemar entirely undisturbed until about three o’clock in the morning, when I approached him and found him in precisely the same condition as when Dr. F—— went away—that is to say, he lay in the same position; the
51 pulse was imperceptible; the breathing was gentle (scarcely noticeable, unless through the application of a mirror to the lips); the eyes were closed naturally; and the limbs were as rigid and as cold as marble. Still, the general appearance was certainly not that of death.
56 As I approached M. Valdemar I made a kind of half effort to influence his right arm into pursuit of my own, as I passed the latter gently to and fro above his person. In such experiments with this patient, I had never perfectly succeeded before, and assuredly I had little thought of succeeding now; but to my astonishment, his arm very readily, although feebly, followed every
61 direction I assigned it with mine. I determined to hazard a few words of conversation. “M. Valdemar,” I said, “are you asleep?” He made no answer, but I perceived a tremor about the lips, and was thus induced to repeat the question, again and
66 again. At its third repetition, his whole frame was agitated by a very slight shivering; the eyelids unclosed themselves so far as to display a white line of the ball; the lips moved sluggishly, and from between them, in a barely audible whisper, issued the words:
71 “Yes;—asleep now. Do not wake me!—let me die so!”
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 did the narrator ask the patient to state to Mr. L—l?
- Whether M. Valdemar was entirely willing that the narrator should make the experiment of mesmerising him in his then condition
- Whether M. Valdemar preferred that the narrator should defer any attempt until the following day
- Whether M. Valdemar consented that the narrator should perform a different treatment instead
[1 mark]
1.2 At the start, what does the narrator say about the time?
- It wanted about five minutes of eight
- It was about five minutes past eight
- It wanted about five minutes of nine
[1 mark]
1.3 What did the narrator do while making the request?
- Took the patient’s hand
- Led Mr. L—l to the bedside
- Recorded the response in writing
[1 mark]
1.4 Which name is given in brackets to clarify the pronoun ‘he’?
- M. Valdemar
- Mr. L—l
- Dr. D——
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 He replied feebly, yet quite audibly, “Yes, I wish to be. I fear you have mesmerized”—adding immediately afterwards: “I fear you have deferred it too long.” While he spoke thus, I commenced the passes which I had already found most
11 effectual in subduing him. He was evidently influenced with the first lateral stroke of my hand across his forehead; but although I exerted all my powers, no further perceptible effect was induced until some minutes after ten o’clock, when Doctors D—— and F—— called, according to appointment. I explained to them, in a few words, what I designed, and as they opposed no
How does the writer use language here to show the mesmeric process and the patient’s weakness? 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 ambiguity?
You could write about:
- how ambiguity deepens by the end of 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 Valdemar finally speaks at the end, his words are very disturbing. The writer suggests that the narrator has trapped him in a state that is worse than dying.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Valdemar's final plea to be left to die
- comment on the methods the writer uses to convey the narrator's disturbing power over Valdemar
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A local radio show is seeking creative writing for its weekly travel feature.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe an ancient temple overrun by monkeys from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about transporting a precious animal.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]