Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
An extract from a work first published in 1845.
This extract is from The Count of Monte Cristo, where the enigmatic Count negotiates with banker Danglars for unlimited credit, calmly displaying immense wealth to silence doubts and tip the balance of power in a tense, formal exchange about trust, reputation, and money.
Source A
1 Danglars have their limits; he is a wise man, according to his own showing.” “Monsieur,” replied the banker, drawing himself up with a haughty air, “the
6 extent of my resources has never yet been questioned.” “It seems, then, reserved for me,” said Monte Cristo coldly, “to be the first to do so.”
11 “By what right, sir?” “By right of the objections you have raised, and the explanations you have
16 demanded, which certainly must have some motive.” Once more Danglars bit his lips. It was the second time he had been worsted, and this time on his own ground. His forced politeness sat
21 awkwardly upon him, and approached almost to impertinence. Monte Cristo on the contrary, preserved a graceful suavity of demeanor, aided by a certain degree of simplicity he
26 could assume at pleasure, and thus possessed the advantage. “Well, sir,” resumed Danglars, after a brief silence, “I will endeavor to make myself understood, by requesting you to inform me for what sum
31 you propose to draw upon me?” “Why, truly,” replied Monte Cristo, determined not to lose an inch of the
36 ground he had gained, “my reason for desiring an ‘unlimited’ credit was precisely because I did not know how much money I might need.” The banker thought the time had come for him to take the upper hand. So
41 throwing himself back in his armchair, he said, with an arrogant and purse- proud air: “Let me beg of you not to hesitate in naming your wishes; you will then
46 be convinced that the resources of the house of Danglars, however limited, are still equal to meeting the largest demands; and were you even to require a
51 million——” “I beg your pardon,” interposed Monte Cristo. “I said a million,” replied Danglars, with the confidence of ignorance. “But could I do with a million?” retorted the count. “My dear sir, if a
56 trifle like that could suffice me, I should never have given myself the trouble of opening an account. A million? Excuse my smiling when you speak of a sum I am in the habit of carrying in my
61 pocket-book or dressing-case.” And with these words Monte Cristo took from his pocket a small case containing
66 his visiting-cards, and drew forth two orders on the treasury for 500,000 francs each, payable at sight to the bearer. A man like Danglars was wholly inaccessible to any gentler method of
71 correction. The effect of the present revelation was stunning; he trembled and was on the verge of apoplexy. The pupils of his eyes, as he gazed at Monte Cristo dilated horribly. “Come,
76 come,” said Monte Cristo, “confess honestly that you have not perfect confidence in Thomson & French. I understand, and foreseeing that such might be the case, I took, in spite of my ignorance of
81 affairs, certain precautions. See, here are two similar letters to that you have yourself received; one from the house of Arstein & Eskeles of Vienna, to Baron Rothschild, the other drawn
86 by Baring of London, upon M. Lafitte. Now, sir, you have but to say the word, and I will spare you all uneasiness by presenting my letter of credit to one or other of
91 these two firms.” The blow had struck home, and Danglars was entirely vanquished; with a trembling hand he took the two letters from the count, who held them carelessly between finger and thumb, and proceeded to scrutinize the
96 signatures, with a minuteness that the count might have regarded as insulting, had it not suited his present purpose to mislead the banker. “Oh, sir,” said Danglars, after he had convinced himself of the authenticity of the documents
101 he held, and rising as if to salute the power of gold personified in the man before him,—“three letters of unlimited credit! I can be no longer mistrustful, but you must pardon
106 me, my dear count, for confessing to some degree of astonishment.” “Nay,” answered Monte Cristo, with the most gentlemanly air, “’tis not for
111 such trifling sums as these that your banking house is to be incommoded. Then, you can let me have some money, can you not?” “Whatever you say, my dear count; I am at your orders.”
116 “Why,” replied Monte Cristo, “since we mutually understand each other—for such I presume is the case?” Danglars bowed assentingly.
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 does the banker claim about his finances when addressing Monte Cristo?
- That nobody has ever doubted the scale of his financial resources
- That he refuses to discuss his finances with Monte Cristo
- That his funds are currently limited and under scrutiny
[1 mark]
1.2 What is said to have not been questioned?
- the extent of the banker's resources
- the banker's right to decide terms
- the aim of the current conversation
[1 mark]
1.3 In the sentence containing "It seems, then, reserved for me," which adverb is used to describe how the words are said?
- coldly
- calmly
- politely
[1 mark]
1.4 What punctuation mark ends the final sentence?
- with a question mark
- with an exclamation mark
- with a full stop
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 16 to 40 of the source:
16 demanded, which certainly must have some motive.” Once more Danglars bit his lips. It was the second time he had been worsted, and this time on his own ground. His forced politeness sat
21 awkwardly upon him, and approached almost to impertinence. Monte Cristo on the contrary, preserved a graceful suavity of demeanor, aided by a certain degree of simplicity he
26 could assume at pleasure, and thus possessed the advantage. “Well, sir,” resumed Danglars, after a brief silence, “I will endeavor to make myself understood, by requesting you to inform me for what sum
31 you propose to draw upon me?” “Why, truly,” replied Monte Cristo, determined not to lose an inch of the
36 ground he had gained, “my reason for desiring an ‘unlimited’ credit was precisely because I did not know how much money I might need.” The banker thought the time had come for him to take the upper hand. So
How does the writer use language here to show Danglars’s discomfort and Monte Cristo’s calm assurance? 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 a sense of drama?
You could write about:
- how drama intensifies 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 36 to the end.
In this part of the source, Danglars's reaction where he trembles and almost collapses is very dramatic. The writer suggests his earlier arrogance was just an act and he is not as powerful as he pretends to be.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Danglars's reaction to Monte Cristo's power
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray Danglars's defeat
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A weekend travel blog is inviting sixth-form writers to submit short creative pieces about setting off and arriving.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a motorway service area at night from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a last-minute change of destination.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]