Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
An extract from a work first published in 1842.
This extract is from The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, describing the life of Akaky Akakievich, a lowly clerk in St Petersburg, and highlighting his fragile dignity, the harsh bureaucracy he faces, and the symbolic importance of his overcoat.
Source A
1 Late in the night, when the moon was in mid-heaven, he came to my tent, and told me that something was the matter with Vixen. My adjutant and I hastened out, and there we beheld her in the agony of a brain fever. She was the most painfully magnificent animal I ever saw. Crouched on the ground, with her forelegs stretched out and wide apart, she was swaying to and fro, with hard
6 and stertorous breath,--every vein swollen and throbbing in the moonlight. De Grandèle, our quiet veterinary surgeon, had been called while it was yet time to apply the lancet. As the hot stream spurted from her neck she grew easier; her eye recovered its gentleness, and she laid her head against my breast with the old sigh, and seemed to know and to return all my love for her. I sat with
11 her until the first gray of dawn, when she had grown quite calm, and then I left her with De Grandèle and Rudolf while I went to my duties. We must march at five o'clock, and poor Vixen could not be moved. The thought of leaving her was very bitter, but I feared it must be done, and I asked De Grandèle how he could best end her sufferings,--or was there still some hope? He shook his
16 head mournfully, like a kind-hearted doctor as he was, and said that he feared not; but still, as I was so fond of her, if I would leave him six men, he would do his best to bring her on, and, if he could not, he would not leave her alive. I have had few harder duties than to march that morning. Four days after, De Grandèle sent a message to me at our station near Rolla, that he was
21 coming on nicely, and hoped to be in at nightfall. "Vixen seems to be better and stronger." At nightfall they came, the poor old creature stepping slowly and timidly over the rough road, all the old fire and force gone out of her, and with only a feeble whinny as she saw me walking to meet her. We built for her the best quarters we could under the mountain-side, and spread her a soft
26 bed of leaves. There was now hope that she would recover sufficiently to be sent to St. Louis to be nursed. That night, an infernal brute of a troop horse that had already killed Ludlow's charger, led by some fiendish spirit, broke into Vixen's enclosure,
31 and with one kick laid open her hock joint. In vain they told me that she was incurable. I could not let her die now, when she was just restored to me; and I forced from De Grandèle the confession that she might be slung up and so bound that the wound would heal, although the
36 joint must be stiff. She could never carry me again, but she could be my pet; and I would send her home, and make her happy for many a long year yet. We moved camp two miles, to the edge of the town, and she followed, painfully and slowly, the injured limb dragging behind her; I could not give her up. She was picketed near my tent, and for some days grew no worse.
41 Finally, one lovely Sunday morning, I found her sitting on her haunches like a dog, patient and gentle, and wondering at her pain. She remained in this position all day, refusing food. I stroked her velvet crest, and coaxed her with sugar. She rubbed her nose against my arm, and was evidently thankful for
46 my caresses, but she showed no disposition to rise. The adjutant led me into my tent as he would have led me from the bedside of a dying friend. I turned to look back at poor Vixen, and she gave me a little neigh of farewell. They told me then, and they told it very tenderly, that there was no
51 possibility that she could get well in camp, and that they wanted me to give her over to them. The adjutant sat by me, and talked of the old days when I had had her at home, and when he had known her well. We brought back all of her pleasant ways, and agreed that her trouble ought to be ended.
56 As we talked, a single shot was fired, and all was over. The setting sun was shining through the bare November branches, and lay warm in my open tent- front. The band, which had been brought out for the only funeral ceremony, breathed softly Kreutzer's touching "Die Kapelle," and the sun went down on one of the very sad days of my life.
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 was in mid-heaven?
- The moon
- The sun
- The stars
[1 mark]
1.2 What did the narrator and the adjutant do?
- Hastened out
- Stayed in the tent
- Walked slowly out
[1 mark]
1.3 How is Vixen described by the narrator?
- The most painfully magnificent animal
- An ordinary and unremarkable animal
- A lively and playful animal
[1 mark]
1.4 How are Vixen's forelegs positioned?
- Stretched out and wide apart
- Tucked under the chest
- Drawn up close together
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 and stertorous breath,--every vein swollen and throbbing in the moonlight. De Grandèle, our quiet veterinary surgeon, had been called while it was yet time to apply the lancet. As the hot stream spurted from her neck she grew easier; her eye recovered its gentleness, and she laid her head against my breast with the old sigh, and seemed to know and to return all my love for her. I sat with
11 her until the first gray of dawn, when she had grown quite calm, and then I left her with De Grandèle and Rudolf while I went to my duties. We must march at five o'clock, and poor Vixen could not be moved. The thought of leaving her was very bitter, but I feared it must be done, and I asked De Grandèle how he could best end her sufferings,--or was there still some hope? He shook his
How does the writer use language in this section to show Vixen’s pain and the narrator’s affection for her? 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 poignancy?
You could write about:
- how poignancy 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 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, where the narrator has to be led away from Vixen, this could be seen as an act of kindness from his friends. The writer suggests the narrator’s love for his horse is so strong that he is unable to face the moment of her death.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the narrator and his reaction to Vixen's death
- comment on the methods the writer uses to convey the narrator's intense grief
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Your grandparent has asked you to write a short piece to place in a time capsule being buried on the village green.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe an ancient oak beside a river from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about four seasons changing one place.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]