Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
An extract from a work first published in 1845.
This extract is taken from Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes, where a vain ruler inspects invisible cloth and, anxious to appear worthy, allows himself to be dressed for a grand procession while courtiers and townsfolk praise garments none dare admit they cannot see.
Source A
1 And now the Emperor himself wished to see the costly manufacture, while it was still in the loom. Accompanied by a select number of officers of the court, among whom were the two honest men who had already admired
6 the cloth, he went to the crafty impostors, who, as soon as they were aware of the Emperor's approach, went on working more diligently than ever; although they still did
11 not pass a single thread through the looms. “Is not the work absolutely magnificent?” said the two officers of the crown,
16 already mentioned. “If your Majesty will only be pleased to look at it! What a splendid design! What glorious colors!” and at the same time they pointed to the empty frames; for they imagined that everyone
21 else could see this exquisite piece of workmanship. “How is this?” said the Emperor to himself. “I can see nothing! This is indeed
26 a terrible affair! Am I a simpleton, or am I unfit to be an Emperor? That would be the worst thing that could happen--Oh! the cloth is charming,” said he, aloud. “It has my complete approbation.” And he
31 smiled most graciously, and looked closely at the empty looms; for on no account would he say that he could not see what two of the officers of his court had praised so much. All
36 his retinue now strained their eyes, hoping to discover something on the looms, but they could see no more than the others; nevertheless, they all exclaimed, “Oh, how beautiful!”
41 and advised his majesty to have some new clothes made from this splendid material, for the approaching procession. “Magnificent! Charming! Excellent!” resounded on all sides; and everyone was
46 uncommonly gay. The Emperor shared in the general satisfaction; and presented the impostors with the riband of an order of knighthood, to be worn in their button-holes, and the title of “Gentlemen Weavers.”
51 The rogues sat up the whole of the night before the day on which the procession was to take place, and had sixteen lights burning, so that everyone might see how anxious they were to finish the Emperor's new
56 suit. They pretended to roll the cloth off the looms; cut the air with their scissors; and sewed with needles without any thread in them. “See!” cried they, at last.
61 “The Emperor's new clothes are ready!” And now the Emperor, with all the grandees of his court, came to the weavers; and the rogues raised their arms, as if in the act of holding
66 something up, saying, “Here are your Majesty's trousers! Here is the scarf! Here is the mantle! The whole suit is as light as a cobweb; one might fancy one has
71 nothing at all on, when dressed in it; that, however, is the great virtue of this delicate cloth.” “Yes indeed!” said all the courtiers, although not one of them could see
76 anything of this exquisite manufacture. “If your Imperial Majesty will be graciously pleased to take off your clothes, we will fit on the new suit, in front of the looking glass.”
81 The Emperor was accordingly undressed, and the rogues pretended to array him in his new suit; the Emperor turning round, from side to side, before the
86 looking glass. “How splendid his Majesty looks in his new clothes, and how well they fit!” everyone cried out. “What a design! What colors! These are indeed
91 royal robes!” “The canopy which is to be borne over your Majesty, in the procession, is
96 waiting,” announced the chief master of the ceremonies. “I am quite ready,” answered the Emperor. “Do my new clothes fit well?” asked he, turning himself round again before the looking glass, in order
101 that he might appear to be examining his handsome suit. The lords of the bedchamber, who were to carry his Majesty's train felt about
106 on the ground, as if they were lifting up the ends of the mantle; and pretended to be carrying something; for they would by no means betray anything like simplicity, or unfitness for their office.
111 So now the Emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the procession, through the streets of his capital; and all the people standing by, and those at the windows, cried out, “Oh! How beautiful
116 are our Emperor's new clothes! What a magnificent train there is to the mantle; and how gracefully the scarf hangs!” in short, no one would allow that he could not
121 see these much-admired clothes; because, in doing so, he would have declared himself either a simpleton or unfit for his office. Certainly, none of the Emperor's various suits, had ever
126 made so great an impression, as these invisible ones. “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” said a little child.
131 “Listen to the voice of innocence!” exclaimed his father; and what the child had said was whispered from one to another. “But he has nothing at all on!” at last cried out all the people.
136 The Emperor was vexed, for he knew that the people were right; but he thought the procession must go on now! And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains
141 than ever, to appear holding up a train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold.
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 Who wished to see the costly manufacture?
- The Emperor himself
- The two honest men
- The crafty impostors
[1 mark]
1.2 Who had already admired the cloth?
- The two honest men
- The crafty impostors
- The Emperor himself
[1 mark]
1.3 Whom did the Emperor go to?
- The crafty impostors
- The officers of the court
- The two honest men
[1 mark]
1.4 What was still not passed through the looms?
- A single thread
- The costly manufacture
- The cloth
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 61 to 80 of the source:
61 “The Emperor's new clothes are ready!” And now the Emperor, with all the grandees of his court, came to the weavers; and the rogues raised their arms, as if in the act of holding
66 something up, saying, “Here are your Majesty's trousers! Here is the scarf! Here is the mantle! The whole suit is as light as a cobweb; one might fancy one has
71 nothing at all on, when dressed in it; that, however, is the great virtue of this delicate cloth.” “Yes indeed!” said all the courtiers, although not one of them could see
76 anything of this exquisite manufacture. “If your Imperial Majesty will be graciously pleased to take off your clothes, we will fit on the new suit, in front of the looking glass.”
How does the writer use language here to present the weavers’ trick and the courtiers’ eagerness to agree? 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 end of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of irony?
You could write about:
- how irony 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, when the Emperor first pretends to see the clothes, his internal panic feels both serious and slightly funny. The writer suggests that the Emperor is more afraid of looking foolish than he is of being lied to.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the Emperor and his internal panic
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest his fear of looking foolish
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A food programme is inviting viewers to send in creative writing for a competition.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe the frantic energy of a kitchen during service from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about preparing for an important guest.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]