Comparing Texts

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1864 by an invented farmer, John Ridley: 'The railway has come to Ashcombe, and with it every evil of the town. Our young men have taken the train to the city and not returned. The air is thick with smoke, and my cows, poor creatures, will not give milk for the screaming of the engines.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century blog by a small-town resident: 'Since the new station opened, my daughter can get to college in twenty minutes instead of two hours. The café on the high street has doubled its trade. Yes, the trains are noisy at rush hour, but I'd take the noise over the isolation we used to have.'

How do the two writers' views of the railway differ?

• ABoth writers see it as harmful but accept it as the price of progress
• BRidley welcomes the trains; the blogger mainly complains about the noise
• CRidley sees it as harming his community; the blogger sees it opening up chances✓
• DBoth writers object mainly to the way that the railway was built

Answer: Ridley blames it for 'every evil of the town', while the blogger lists benefits (quicker travel to college, more trade). The blogger mentions noise but says 'I'd take the noise over the isolation', so does not mainly complain.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1864 by an invented farmer, John Ridley: 'The railway has come to Ashcombe, and with it every evil of the town. Our young men have taken the train to the city and not returned. The air is thick with smoke, and my cows, poor creatures, will not give milk for the screaming of the engines.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century blog by a small-town resident: 'Since the new station opened, my daughter can get to college in twenty minutes instead of two hours. The café on the high street has doubled its trade. Yes, the trains are noisy at rush hour, but I'd take the noise over the isolation we used to have.'

Which detail do both writers mention?

• AThe smoke from the engines
• BThe trade of local high-street shops
• CYoung people leaving for good
• DThe noise that the trains make✓

Answer: Ridley refers to 'the screaming of the engines' and the blogger says 'the trains are noisy at rush hour'. Smoke and young men not returning appear only in Text A; the café's trade appears only in Text B.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a twenty-first-century news report: 'Temperatures reached 38°C in parts of the county yesterday. Rail operators imposed speed limits, and hospitals reported a 20% rise in admissions linked to the heat.' Text B, from a diary written in 1868 by an invented housemaid: 'So hot today that the butter ran in the dish and Cook fainted clean away by the range. I carried the coals up four flights with my dress stuck to my back like wet paper, and nobody so much as opened a window.'

How do the writers' methods of presenting the heat differ?

• AText A uses personal anecdote; Text B uses statistics and figures
• BText A uses facts and figures; Text B uses vivid sensory detail✓
• CBoth texts rely mainly on quotations from experts about the heat
• DText A uses vivid imagery; Text B relies on official records

Answer: Text A gives a temperature, speed limits and a percentage; Text B describes melting butter, a fainting cook and a dress 'stuck to my back like wet paper'. The simile and the personal experience belong to Text B, not Text A.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a twenty-first-century news report: 'Temperatures reached 38°C in parts of the county yesterday. Rail operators imposed speed limits, and hospitals reported a 20% rise in admissions linked to the heat.' Text B, from a diary written in 1868 by an invented housemaid: 'So hot today that the butter ran in the dish and Cook fainted clean away by the range. I carried the coals up four flights with my dress stuck to my back like wet paper, and nobody so much as opened a window.'

Which statement best compares the writers' perspectives on the heat?

• AText A complains about the heat; Text B celebrates the warm summer weather
• BText A reports its effect on public services; Text B shows its effect on one worker✓
• CBoth texts describe the heat from the point of view of hospital staff
• DText A focuses on one worker's day; Text B focuses on the whole country

Answer: Text A takes a wide, impersonal view (rail operators, hospitals), while Text B gives a servant's view of a hard day's work, ending with the resentful 'nobody so much as opened a window'. Text B is complaining, not celebrating.

Read Text A and Text B. (The museum is invented.) Text A, from a review in a family magazine: 'The Clockwork Museum is a delight. Children can wind, pull and press almost everything, and the staff are endlessly patient with sticky fingers. Allow a whole afternoon.' Text B, from an online review by a retired engineer: 'A missed opportunity. The machines are fascinating, but the labels are vague and half the exhibits were jammed by over-enthusiastic children. I left knowing little more than when I arrived.'

Which statement best compares the reviewers' views?

• ABoth reviewers praise the museum's clear and detailed exhibit labels
• BText A criticises the staff; Text B praises the staff's great patience
• CBoth reviewers say the museum is unsuitable for young children
• DText A praises the hands-on fun; Text B is let down by the lack of information✓

Answer: Text A enjoys that children 'can wind, pull and press almost everything'; Text B finds the labels 'vague' and learnt 'little more'. Text A praises the staff, and Text B's complaint is about jammed exhibits, not that children should not visit.

A writer places a description of a lavish banquet directly beside a description of a starving beggar outside the window. Which technique is this?

• AForeshadowing
• BJuxtaposition✓
• CPathetic fallacy
• DOnomatopoeia

Answer: Juxtaposition places contrasting things side by side so that each makes the other more striking, here wealth and poverty. Nothing hints at future events.

Read Text A and Text B. (The museum is invented.) Text A, from a review in a family magazine: 'The Clockwork Museum is a delight. Children can wind, pull and press almost everything, and the staff are endlessly patient with sticky fingers. Allow a whole afternoon.' Text B, from an online review by a retired engineer: 'A missed opportunity. The machines are fascinating, but the labels are vague and half the exhibits were jammed by over-enthusiastic children. I left knowing little more than when I arrived.'

How might the reviewers' different audiences help explain their different views?

• AText A writes for engineers; Text B writes for parents with young children
• BText A targets families seeking fun; Text B, readers who want facts✓
• CBoth write for children, so both focus on the interactive machines
• DText A writes for museum staff; Text B writes for local councillors

Answer: A family magazine judges the museum on whether children enjoy it, so the hands-on exhibits count most; a retired engineer judges it on what it teaches, so vague labels matter. The audiences are the other way round from engineers and parents.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a sketch written in 1851 by an invented journalist, Arthur Vane: 'Ten thousand faces pass me on London Bridge each morning, and not one of them looks up. They hurry as if driven, each man shut inside himself like a tortoise in its shell.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century magazine column: 'I love the morning crush on the Tube. Nobody knows me, nobody needs anything from me, and for twenty minutes I can be no one at all. In a crowd, oddly, I feel free.'

How do the writers' attitudes to crowds differ?

• AVane enjoys the crowd's energy; the columnist finds it frightening
• BBoth writers find the crowd friendly and full of conversation
• CVane finds the crowd cold; the columnist finds it freeing✓
• DBoth writers find the crowd tiring and wish they could avoid it

Answer: Vane sees people 'shut inside himself like a tortoise', which he presents as cold; the columnist values the same anonymity: 'In a crowd, oddly, I feel free.' Both note that strangers ignore each other but judge it oppositely.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a sketch written in 1851 by an invented journalist, Arthur Vane: 'Ten thousand faces pass me on London Bridge each morning, and not one of them looks up. They hurry as if driven, each man shut inside himself like a tortoise in its shell.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century magazine column: 'I love the morning crush on the Tube. Nobody knows me, nobody needs anything from me, and for twenty minutes I can be no one at all. In a crowd, oddly, I feel free.'

Which comparison of the writers' methods is accurate?

• AVane uses statistics to praise; the columnist uses a simile to criticise
• BBoth writers use rhetorical questions to draw the reader into the scene
• CVane uses reported dialogue; the columnist uses a long list of places
• DVane uses a simile to criticise; the columnist uses a paradox to praise✓

Answer: Vane's 'like a tortoise in its shell' is a critical simile; the columnist's 'In a crowd, oddly, I feel free' is a paradox (being surrounded yet free) used positively. Vane's 'ten thousand' is not a statistic used in praise, and neither text asks a question.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a parent's email to a headteacher: 'I fully support the new phone ban. My son used to spend every break staring at a screen. Now he tells me he plays football again, and he actually talks to people.' Text B, from another parent's email to the same headteacher: 'I understand the reasons for the ban, but my daughter travels an hour each way on public transport. Without her phone, I have no way of knowing she is safe.'

What is the main difference between the two parents' viewpoints?

• AText A worries about safety; Text B welcomes the ban's social benefits
• BBoth parents oppose the ban because they think it is unfair to pupils
• CText A welcomes its social benefits; Text B fears for safety✓
• DBoth parents fully support the ban and give the same reasons for it

Answer: Text A supports the ban because the son 'plays football again' and 'talks to people'; Text B accepts the reasons but is concerned about knowing the daughter 'is safe' on a long journey.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a parent's email to a headteacher: 'I fully support the new phone ban. My son used to spend every break staring at a screen. Now he tells me he plays football again, and he actually talks to people.' Text B, from another parent's email to the same headteacher: 'I understand the reasons for the ban, but my daughter travels an hour each way on public transport. Without her phone, I have no way of knowing she is safe.'

How does the writer of Text B make the argument seem reasonable?

• ABy using statistics about phone use in schools to prove a point
• BBy attacking the headteacher personally for introducing the ban
• CBy accepting the ban's reasons before raising a concern✓
• DBy describing how the ban has improved behaviour at break time

Answer: 'I understand the reasons for the ban, but…' acknowledges the school's view first, so the safety concern sounds measured rather than hostile. Text B gives no statistics, and the improved break times are Text A's point.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a journal written in 1857 by an invented climber, Charles Mercer: 'We stood at last upon the summit, and I own I trembled. Below us lay all the kingdoms of the earth, it seemed, white and silent and vast beyond any human measure.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century travel blog: 'We reached the summit at 11.20, after queuing behind a hen party for forty minutes. The view was spectacular, apparently. I mainly saw the back of a woman's inflatable crown.'

How do the writers present reaching the summit differently?

• AMercer is awed by its grandeur; the blogger finds it busy and comic✓
• BMercer is bored by the view; the blogger is overwhelmed by its beauty
• CBoth writers are overwhelmed by the silence and the space at the top
• DBoth writers complain that the summit was far too crowded to enjoy

Answer: Mercer 'trembled' at a view 'vast beyond any human measure'; the blogger queued 'behind a hen party' and saw only 'the back of a woman's inflatable crown'. Only the blogger mentions crowds.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a journal written in 1857 by an invented climber, Charles Mercer: 'We stood at last upon the summit, and I own I trembled. Below us lay all the kingdoms of the earth, it seemed, white and silent and vast beyond any human measure.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century travel blog: 'We reached the summit at 11.20, after queuing behind a hen party for forty minutes. The view was spectacular, apparently. I mainly saw the back of a woman's inflatable crown.'

What is the effect of the word 'apparently' in Text B, compared with Text A?

• AIt shows that the blogger is unsure whether they reached the summit
• BIt shows that the blogger shares Mercer's sense of wonder at the view
• CIt suggests that the blogger is quoting Mercer's account of the view
• DIt undercuts the view comically, unlike Mercer's solemnity✓

Answer: 'Apparently' implies the blogger only heard the view was spectacular because the crowd blocked it, creating comic anticlimax; Mercer's long, reverent sentence takes the view completely seriously. The blogger gives the exact time of reaching the summit, so there is no doubt about arriving.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a household guide written in 1882 by an invented writer, Mrs Agnes Pell: 'A good housewife wastes nothing. The heel of the loaf makes bread pudding; the bones of Sunday's joint make Monday's soup. Waste is not merely foolish; it is a sin against those who go without.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century food blog: 'I used to bin about a third of the food I bought. Think about that next time you scrape half a lasagne into the bin. Leftovers aren't sad. They're tomorrow's lunch, and they're free.'

Which statement best describes the writers' viewpoints?

• AText A argues against waste; Text B defends throwing food away
• BBoth writers argue that food waste is mainly the fault of shops
• CText A thinks waste is foolish; Text B thinks it cannot be avoided
• DBoth writers argue that leftovers should be reused✓

Answer: Mrs Pell turns bread heels and bones into new dishes; the blogger says leftovers are 'tomorrow's lunch'. Both oppose waste. The blogger admits to past waste but now argues against it.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a household guide written in 1882 by an invented writer, Mrs Agnes Pell: 'A good housewife wastes nothing. The heel of the loaf makes bread pudding; the bones of Sunday's joint make Monday's soup. Waste is not merely foolish; it is a sin against those who go without.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century food blog: 'I used to bin about a third of the food I bought. Think about that next time you scrape half a lasagne into the bin. Leftovers aren't sad. They're tomorrow's lunch, and they're free.'

How do the writers' tones differ?

• AText A is stern and moral; Text B is informal and upbeat✓
• BText A is light-hearted; Text B is stern and moral
• CBoth writers use a formal and scientific tone
• DText A is anxious; Text B is angry and bitter

Answer: Text A uses firm statements and calls waste 'a sin'; Text B uses contractions ('aren't', 'They're'), direct address and a cheerful twist ('and they're free').

Read Text A and Text B. (The town is invented.) Text A, from a tourist leaflet: 'Discover Larkford! Stroll our cobbled lanes, browse independent shops and enjoy a cream tea in the shadow of our 900-year-old abbey. There's a warm welcome waiting.' Text B, from a resident's letter to a local newspaper: 'Every weekend from May to September, my street becomes a car park. Coaches block the lanes, visitors peer into my windows, and the ‘independent shops’ now sell nothing but fudge and fridge magnets.'

How does the purpose of Text A differ from that of Text B?

• AText A complains about visitors; Text B aims to attract more of them
• BBoth texts aim to persuade visitors to come at quieter times of year
• CText A informs residents about parking; Text B advertises the shops
• DText A attracts visitors; Text B complains of their impact✓

Answer: The leaflet's imperatives ('Discover', 'Stroll', 'browse') invite tourists; the letter describes coaches blocking lanes and visitors peering into windows. Neither suggests visiting at quieter times.

Read Text A and Text B. (The town is invented.) Text A, from a tourist leaflet: 'Discover Larkford! Stroll our cobbled lanes, browse independent shops and enjoy a cream tea in the shadow of our 900-year-old abbey. There's a warm welcome waiting.' Text B, from a resident's letter to a local newspaper: 'Every weekend from May to September, my street becomes a car park. Coaches block the lanes, visitors peer into my windows, and the "independent shops" now sell nothing but fudge and fridge magnets.'

What is the effect of the inverted commas around 'independent shops' in Text B, compared with Text A?

• AThey show the resident approvingly quoting owners
• BThey mock a phrase that Text A uses as a selling point✓
• CThey show the resident finds the shops a highlight
• DThey show that the shops have recently changed their names

Answer: Text A lists 'browse independent shops' as an attraction; the resident's scare quotes suggest the phrase is no longer true, since the shops 'sell nothing but fudge and fridge magnets'. The punctuation signals doubt, not approval.

Which phrase would best introduce a DIFFERENCE between two texts in a comparison answer?

• A'Similarly,'
• B'Likewise,'
• C'In the same way,'
• D'In contrast,'✓

Answer: 'In contrast' is a discourse marker that signals a difference. The other three all signal a similarity.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a councillor's speech at a town meeting: 'This council has a duty to provide safe, supervised spaces for young people. A skate park would reduce antisocial behaviour and cost less than repairing the vandalised bus shelters.' Text B, from a sixteen-year-old's speech at the same meeting: 'We're not trying to cause trouble. We just want somewhere to go that isn't a car park. Give us a skate park and you'll see us there every night, not outside your shops.'

What do the two speakers agree about?

• AThe council cannot afford to build a new skate park this year
• BA skate park would give young people somewhere better to go✓
• CYoung people are to blame for the vandalised bus shelters
• DThe car park should become a supervised play area for children

Answer: Both speakers support a skate park: the councillor as a 'safe, supervised' space, the teenager as 'somewhere to go that isn't a car park'. The councillor argues it would cost less than repairs, the opposite of being unaffordable.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a councillor's speech at a town meeting: 'This council has a duty to provide safe, supervised spaces for young people. A skate park would reduce antisocial behaviour and cost less than repairing the vandalised bus shelters.' Text B, from a sixteen-year-old's speech at the same meeting: 'We're not trying to cause trouble. We just want somewhere to go that isn't a car park. Give us a skate park and you'll see us there every night, not outside your shops.'

How do the speakers' methods of persuasion differ?

• AThe councillor argues formally about cost; the teenager appeals personally✓
• BThe councillor tells a personal story; the teenager quotes statistics about local crime
• CBoth speakers use jokes to make the councillors laugh and relax
• DThe councillor threatens the audience; the teenager apologises to them

Answer: The councillor speaks of the council's 'duty' and compares costs; the teenager uses 'We', speaks casually ('We're not trying to cause trouble') and addresses listeners directly with 'Give us' and 'your shops'. Neither uses statistics or jokes.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1891 by an invented English governess, Lucy Hart, working in Russia: 'The snow has not stopped for eleven days. The children are kind, but I have not heard an English voice since October, and some nights I would give a year's wages for one cup of my mother's tea.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century student's social media post: 'Week three in Madrid and I have officially stopped missing home. Tapas at midnight, lectures in Spanish, new friends from six countries. Mum, if you're reading this, I'm fine. Better than fine.'

How do the writers' feelings about being away from home differ?

• ALucy Hart is enjoying independence; the student is lonely and homesick
• BBoth writers are homesick and are planning to return home very soon
• CBoth writers mainly complain about the weather where they are living
• DLucy Hart is homesick; the student enjoys independence✓

Answer: Lucy Hart misses English voices and would 'give a year's wages' for her mother's tea; the student has 'stopped missing home' and lists new pleasures. Only Lucy Hart mentions the weather.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1891 by an invented English governess, Lucy Hart, working in Russia: 'The snow has not stopped for eleven days. The children are kind, but I have not heard an English voice since October, and some nights I would give a year's wages for one cup of my mother's tea.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century student's social media post: 'Week three in Madrid and I have officially stopped missing home. Tapas at midnight, lectures in Spanish, new friends from six countries. Mum, if you're reading this, I'm fine. Better than fine.'

Which of these do both writers mention?

• ATheir mother back at home✓
• BFriends from other countries
• CSnow and freezing weather
• DLectures in a new language

Answer: Lucy Hart longs for 'my mother's tea' and the student addresses 'Mum'. The friends and lectures appear only in Text B; the snow only in Text A.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1872 by an invented visitor to a zoo, George Kemble: 'We went to see the new lion house, and a finer sight I never saw. The great beast paced his cage not six feet from my nose, and the ladies shrieked most agreeably whenever he roared.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century campaign leaflet: 'A lion's territory in the wild can stretch for many square miles. In some zoos, its enclosure is little bigger than a tennis court. Pacing is not a sign of energy. It is a sign of stress.'

How do the writers interpret the lion's pacing differently?

• AKemble sees it as a sign of illness; the leaflet sees it as healthy energy
• BKemble sees thrilling entertainment; the leaflet sees distress✓
• CBoth writers see the pacing as proof the lion is well looked after
• DBoth writers see the pacing as a sign that the lion is hungry

Answer: Kemble presents the pacing lion as 'a finer sight I never saw', part of an exciting show; the leaflet states 'Pacing is not a sign of energy. It is a sign of stress.' The leaflet rejects the 'energy' reading rather than holding it.

Read Text A and Text B. Text A, from a letter written in 1872 by an invented visitor to a zoo, George Kemble: 'We went to see the new lion house, and a finer sight I never saw. The great beast paced his cage not six feet from my nose, and the ladies shrieked most agreeably whenever he roared.' Text B, from a twenty-first-century campaign leaflet: 'A lion's territory in the wild can stretch for many square miles. In some zoos, its enclosure is little bigger than a tennis court. Pacing is not a sign of energy. It is a sign of stress.'

Which statement best explains why the writers' perspectives might differ?

• AAttitudes to animal welfare have changed a great deal since Kemble's time✓
• BThe leaflet writer has visited a far larger and better-run zoo than Kemble
• CKemble was writing on behalf of a campaign group that supports zoos
• DLions in the 1870s did not pace in their cages as lions do today

Answer: Kemble writes as a Victorian visitor enjoying the animal as a spectacle, while the leaflet reflects a modern concern with animals' needs, comparing wild territory with enclosure size. The other options are not supported: Kemble's lion paces too, and his letter is personal, not a campaign.

Read Text A and Text B. (The teams and players are invented.) Text A, from a match report in a regional newspaper: 'Harton United won 2–1 after a late penalty, awarded when Davies went down under a challenge from Okoro. The decision was disputed by the visiting players.' Text B, from a blog by a fan of the losing side: 'Davies dived. Everyone in the ground saw it except the one man who mattered. We were robbed, plain and simple, by a referee who should be ashamed.'

Which statement best compares how the two texts present the penalty?

• AText A reports it neutrally; Text B presents it as a dive and an injustice✓
• BText A blames the referee; Text B accepts the decision as a fair one
• CBoth texts agree that Davies dived in order to win the penalty
• DBoth texts present the penalty as fair but unlucky for Okoro

Answer: Text A describes events without judging them ('went down under a challenge', 'disputed'); Text B states 'Davies dived' and 'We were robbed'. Only Text B blames the referee.