Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Mark of the Beast by Rudyard Kipling
An extract from a work first published in 1890.
This extract is taken from a Rudyard Kipling short story set in colonial India, where Gobind entertains a child and the narrator with a Hindu fable about Shiv, Parbati and Ganesh, a mendicant, and a moneylender, exploring faith, morality, and greed.
Source A
1 ‘Now, this is a new one which thou hast not heard. Long and long ago when the Gods walked with men as they do to-day, but that we have not faith to see, Shiv, the greatest of Gods, and Parbati his wife, were walking in the garden of a temple.’
6 ‘Which temple? That in the Nandgaon ward?’ said the child. ‘Nay, very far away. Maybe at Trimbak or Hurdwar, whither thou must make pilgrimage when thou art a man. Now, there was sitting in the garden under the jujube trees, a mendicant that had worshipped Shiv for forty years, and he
11 lived on the offerings of the pious, and meditated holiness night and day.’ ‘Oh father, was it thou?’ said the child, looking up with large eyes. ‘Nay, I have said it was long ago, and, moreover, this mendicant was married.’
16 ‘Did they put him on a horse with flowers on his head, and forbid him to go to sleep all night long? Thus they did to me when they made my wedding,’ said the child, who had been married a few months before.
21 ‘And what didst thou do?’ said I. ‘I wept, and they called me evil names, and then I smote HER, and we wept together.’
26 ‘Thus did not the mendicant,’ said Gobind; ‘for he was a holy man, and very poor. Parbati perceived him sitting naked by the temple steps where all went up and down, and she said to Shiv, “What shall men think of the Gods when the Gods thus scorn their worshippers? For forty years yonder man has prayed to us, and yet there be only a few grains of rice and some broken cowries before
31 him after all. Men’s hearts will be hardened by this thing.” And Shiv said, “It shall be looked to,” and so he called to the temple which was the temple of his son, Ganesh of the elephant head, saying, “Son, there is a mendicant without who is very poor. What wilt thou do for him?” Then that great elephant-headed One awoke in the dark and answered, “In three days, if it be
36 thy will, he shall have one lakh of rupees.” Then Shiv and Parbati went away. ‘But there was a money-lender in the garden hidden among the marigolds’--the child looked at the ball of crumpled blossoms in its hands--‘ay, among the yellow marigolds, and he heard the Gods talking. He was a covetous man, and of
41 a black heart, and he desired that lakh of rupees for himself. So he went to the mendicant and said, “O brother, how much do the pious give thee daily?” The mendicant said, “I cannot tell. Sometimes a little rice, sometimes a little pulse, and a few cowries and, it has been, pickled mangoes, and dried fish.”’
46 ‘That is good,’ said the child, smacking its lips. ‘Then said the money-lender, “Because I have long watched thee, and learned to love thee and thy patience, I will give thee now five rupees for all thy
51 earnings of the three days to come. There is only a bond to sign on the matter.” But the mendicant said, “Thou art mad. In two months I do not receive the worth of five rupees,” and he told the thing to his wife that evening. She, being a woman, said, “When did money-lender ever make a bad bargain? The wolf runs through the corn for the sake of the fat deer. Our fate is in the
56 hands of the Gods. Pledge it not even for three days.” ‘So the mendicant returned to the money-lender, and would not sell. Then that wicked man sat all day before him offering more and more for those three days’ earnings. First, ten, fifty, and a hundred rupees; and then, for he did not
61 know when the Gods would pour down their gifts, rupees by the thousand, till he had offered half a lakh of rupees. Upon this sum the mendicant’s wife shifted her counsel, and the mendicant signed the bond, and the money was paid in silver; great white bullocks bringing it by the cartload. But saving only all that money, the mendicant received nothing from the Gods at all, and the
66 heart of the money-lender was uneasy on account of expectation. Therefore at noon of the third day the money-lender went into the temple to spy upon the councils of the Gods, and to learn in what manner that gift might arrive. Even as he was making his prayers, a crack between the stones of the floor gaped, and, closing, caught him by the heel. Then he heard the Gods walking in the
71 temple in the darkness of the columns, and Shiv called to his son Ganesh, saying, “Son, what hast thou done in regard to the lakh of rupees for the mendicant?” And Ganesh woke, for the money-lender heard the dry rustle of his trunk uncoiling, and he answered, “Father, one half of the money has been paid, and the debtor for the other half I hold here fast by the heel.”’
76 The child bubbled with laughter. ‘And the moneylender paid the mendicant?’ it said. ‘Surely, for he whom the Gods hold by the heel must pay to the uttermost. The
81 money was paid at evening, all silver, in great carts, and thus Ganesh did his work.’
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 narrator/speaker say about the tale at the start?
- It is a new one
- It is a true one
- It is a long one
[1 mark]
1.2 Why can people not see the Gods to-day?
- Because we have not faith
- Because the Gods no longer walk
- Because it is too dark to see
[1 mark]
1.3 Which place is mentioned as the setting for a walk?
- the garden of a temple
- the courtyard of a palace
- the market of a town
[1 mark]
1.4 Who is described as ‘the greatest of Gods’?
- Shiv
- Parbati
- men
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 66 to 75 of the source:
66 heart of the money-lender was uneasy on account of expectation. Therefore at noon of the third day the money-lender went into the temple to spy upon the councils of the Gods, and to learn in what manner that gift might arrive. Even as he was making his prayers, a crack between the stones of the floor gaped, and, closing, caught him by the heel. Then he heard the Gods walking in the
71 temple in the darkness of the columns, and Shiv called to his son Ganesh, saying, “Son, what hast thou done in regard to the lakh of rupees for the mendicant?” And Ganesh woke, for the money-lender heard the dry rustle of his trunk uncoiling, and he answered, “Father, one half of the money has been paid, and the debtor for the other half I hold here fast by the heel.”’
How does the writer use language here to describe what happens to the money-lender in the temple? 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 anticipation?
You could write about:
- how anticipation builds 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 26 to the end.
In this part of the source, where the money-lender is trapped by the heel, the ending feels clever and satisfying. The writer suggests that extreme greed makes people foolish and brings about their own punishment.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the greedy money-lender
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray his downfall
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A local history archive is collecting creative pieces about personal memories of the area.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe an abandoned playground from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about returning to a place from childhood.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]