Vocabulary and Word Choice

From a twenty-first-century memoir: Gran's kitchen was a place of small, fierce economies. Nothing was thrown away. Margarine tubs became lunch boxes, bread bags were folded into neat triangles, and the string from every parcel was wound onto a ball the size of a grapefruit. She had lived through hard times, she said, and hard times had a habit of coming back when you least expected them.

In this context, what does the word 'economies' mean?

• ACareful ways of saving and avoiding waste✓
• BSystems of trade between countries
• CExpensive treats for special occasions
• DRules about where things are kept in a kitchen

Answer: The examples that follow (reusing tubs, folding bread bags, saving string) show that 'economies' here means thrifty savings. The national-trade meaning of 'economy' does not fit a kitchen.

From a twenty-first-century memoir: Gran's kitchen was a place of small, fierce economies. Nothing was thrown away. Margarine tubs became lunch boxes, bread bags were folded into neat triangles, and the string from every parcel was wound onto a ball the size of a grapefruit. She had lived through hard times, she said, and hard times had a habit of coming back when you least expected them.

What does the word 'fierce' suggest about Gran's attitude to saving?

• AShe is passionately determined to waste nothing✓
• BShe is angry with everyone who visits her kitchen
• CShe is frightened that her kitchen will be robbed
• DShe is careless and quick-tempered about money

Answer: 'Fierce' gives the small savings an intensity: Gran is fiercely committed to them, which 'Nothing was thrown away' confirms. The word describes her attitude to thrift, not anger at visitors.

From a report written in 1866 by an invented visitor to a workhouse, Mrs Eliza Grant. The dining hall was long, bare and cold as a vault. The inmates sat in silent rows, the men on one side and the women on the other, and ate their gruel without raising their eyes. The walls were whitewashed, the windows set too high to look from, and the only ornament was a board on which the rules of the house were painted in black letters a foot high.

In this context, what does the word 'inmates' mean?

• APrisoners serving sentences for crimes
• BStaff who cooked and served the meals
• CVisitors invited to inspect the hall
• DThe people who lived in the workhouse✓

Answer: In the nineteenth century 'inmates' meant the residents of an institution such as a workhouse; here they are the poor people eating gruel. Today the word usually means prisoners, which is the tempting but wrong reading.

A computer magazine says a laptop has '16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD'. What type of vocabulary is this?

• ASlang used by a particular group of friends
• BTechnical jargon for a specialist audience✓
• CColloquial language from everyday speech
• DArchaic language that is no longer used

Answer: 'RAM' and 'SSD' are specialist terms that readers of a computer magazine are expected to know, which makes them jargon. Slang is informal group language, not technical terminology.

From a report written in 1866 by an invented visitor to a workhouse, Mrs Eliza Grant. The dining hall was long, bare and cold as a vault. The inmates sat in silent rows, the men on one side and the women on the other, and ate their gruel without raising their eyes. The walls were whitewashed, the windows set too high to look from, and the only ornament was a board on which the rules of the house were painted in black letters a foot high.

What overall impression is created by the words 'bare', 'cold', 'silent' and 'whitewashed'?

• AA clean, cheerful place where the poor are well looked after
• BA busy, noisy place full of lively conversation at mealtimes
• CA harsh, joyless place with no comfort or individuality✓
• DA grand, richly decorated hall built to impress its visitors

Answer: Each word removes warmth, colour or sound, and the rows of people who do not raise their eyes add to the sense of a place without comfort or personality. 'Whitewashed' suggests blankness here, not cheerfulness, and the 'only ornament' is a board of rules.

From a twenty-first-century estate agent's advertisement: COSY two-bedroom cottage with BAGS OF CHARACTER. Compact kitchen. Garden offers huge potential for the keen gardener. Lively location close to all amenities. Some updating required. Perfect for first-time buyers or investors looking for a project with a difference. Early viewing is strongly advised, as properties like this rarely come to the market.

In this advertisement, what does 'Lively location' most likely suggest about the area?

• AIt has many parks and green spaces for quiet walks
• BIt is peaceful and set well away from the town centre
• CIt is known for its friendly and helpful neighbours
• DIt may be noisy, with busy roads or nightlife nearby✓

Answer: Estate agents use positive-sounding words for drawbacks; 'lively' together with 'close to all amenities' hints at noise and activity. 'Peaceful' is the opposite of lively, and nothing mentions parks or neighbours.

From a twenty-first-century estate agent's advertisement: COSY two-bedroom cottage with BAGS OF CHARACTER. Compact kitchen. Garden offers huge potential for the keen gardener. Lively location close to all amenities. Some updating required. Perfect for first-time buyers or investors looking for a project with a difference. Early viewing is strongly advised, as properties like this rarely come to the market.

Why might the writer have chosen the phrase 'huge potential' to describe the garden?

• ATo show that the garden is already well designed and planted
• BTo make a bare or neglected garden sound positive✓
• CTo warn buyers that the garden is much too small to be useful
• DTo suggest that the garden is the size of a small farm field

Answer: 'Potential' describes what something could become, not what it is, so it suggests the garden needs work; like 'Some updating required', it puts a positive spin on a weakness. A finished, well-planted garden would not be sold on its potential.

From a twenty-first-century thriller: Marcus did not enter the room; he prowled into it. He circled the long table once, trailing a finger along its polished edge, and paused behind each chair as if weighing the person who would sit there. When the board members finally arrived, he was already seated at the head, smiling a smile that stopped well short of his eyes.

What does the verb 'prowled' suggest about Marcus?

• AHe is nervous and moves quietly so as not to be noticed
• BHe is clumsy and moves slowly because he is very tired
• CHe is predatory, like an animal stalking prey✓
• DHe is playful and wanders around the room just for fun

Answer: 'Prowl' is used of hunting animals; with 'circled' and pausing 'as if weighing the person', it suggests Marcus is sizing up his victims. He is controlled and menacing, not nervous or clumsy.

From a twenty-first-century thriller: Marcus did not enter the room; he prowled into it. He circled the long table once, trailing a finger along its polished edge, and paused behind each chair as if weighing the person who would sit there. When the board members finally arrived, he was already seated at the head, smiling a smile that stopped well short of his eyes.

What does 'a smile that stopped well short of his eyes' imply?

• AHe is short-sighted and cannot see the board members
• BHe is genuinely delighted to see the board members
• CHis friendliness is false; he isn't truly pleased✓
• DHe is trying hard not to laugh at a private joke

Answer: A real smile reaches the eyes; one that 'stopped well short' is only on the mouth, so it is a performance. This fits his predatory behaviour before the meeting.

From a speech at a public meeting about a planned development: They call it 'development'. I call it destruction. Forty acres of meadow, home to skylarks, hares and orchids that have bloomed here since before any of us were born, are to be bulldozed for a car park and a drive-through. Once it is concreted over, it is gone. Not for a season. For ever. And we will have to explain to our grandchildren why we stood by and let it happen.

Why does the speaker replace the word 'development' with 'destruction'?

• ATo show that the speaker agrees the plan will improve the local area
• BTo explain the precise legal meaning of the word 'development'
• CTo reject the developers' positive word and call the plan harmful✓
• DTo suggest that the plan has already been cancelled by the council

Answer: 'Development' suggests progress; by swapping it for the alliterative 'destruction' the speaker exposes what the word hides. The rest of the speech argues against the plan, so agreement is ruled out.

From a speech at a public meeting about a planned development: They call it 'development'. I call it destruction. Forty acres of meadow, home to skylarks, hares and orchids that have bloomed here since before any of us were born, are to be bulldozed for a car park and a drive-through. Once it is concreted over, it is gone. Not for a season. For ever. And we will have to explain to our grandchildren why we stood by and let it happen.

What are the connotations of 'bulldozed' in this context?

• ACareful planning, as if each plant will be moved with skill and care
• BSpeed and efficiency, showing that the work will be done well
• CGentleness, as if the land is being prepared for new flowers
• DForce and carelessness, as if crushing the meadow without thought✓

Answer: A bulldozer flattens everything in its way, so the word suggests brute force and disregard for the 'skylarks, hares and orchids'. In a speech opposing the plan, it is not a compliment about efficiency.

From a twenty-first-century gardening blog: Every spring, I go to war. The enemy advances under cover of darkness, in their hundreds, leaving silvery trails across the patio like the tracks of tanks. By dawn my lettuces are casualties, my hostas are in ruins and my seedlings have been wiped out entirely. I have tried beer traps, copper tape and eggshell barricades. The slugs have survived them all.

Which semantic field does the writer use to describe the slugs?

• AWeather and seasons
• BCooking and food
• CSport and games
• DWarfare and battle✓

Answer: 'War', 'enemy', 'advances', 'tanks', 'casualties' and 'barricades' all belong to the language of war. Lettuces are food, but the words describing what happens to them are military.

From a twenty-first-century gardening blog: Every spring, I go to war. The enemy advances under cover of darkness, in their hundreds, leaving silvery trails across the patio like the tracks of tanks. By dawn my lettuces are casualties, my hostas are in ruins and my seedlings have been wiped out entirely. I have tried beer traps, copper tape and eggshell barricades. The slugs have survived them all.

What is the effect of this semantic field?

• AIt warns readers that slugs are dangerous to people and pets
• BIt shows that the writer has given up gardening after losing to slugs
• CIt presents the slugs as weak and easy to defeat
• DIt treats a garden nuisance as a military campaign for laughs✓

Answer: Describing slugs eating lettuces as a war is comically out of proportion, and the reader enjoys the exaggeration. The final line, 'The slugs have survived them all', shows they are hard to defeat.

Which phrase is a cliché?

• A'the moon was a bruised peach'
• B'the rain stitched the sea to the sky'
• C'his laugh was a rusty gate'
• D'as old as the hills'✓

Answer: A cliché is an expression used so often it has lost its impact; 'as old as the hills' is a stock phrase. The other three are fresh, original images.

From a twenty-first-century theatre review. (The play is invented.) The new production of 'The Glass Orchard' is handsome to look at and utterly inert. The set is gorgeous, a forest of hanging bottles that catch the light like ice. But the actors drift across it as if sleepwalking, delivering lines that should crackle with anger in the flat tones of someone reading a bus timetable.

In this context, what does the word 'inert' mean?

• ALacking energy or life✓
• BBeautifully designed
• CToo loud and too fast
• DHard to follow or understand

Answer: 'Inert' means without movement or life; the review explains it with actors who 'drift... as if sleepwalking'. The beautiful design is what the review contrasts with inertness, using 'and utterly inert' as a twist.

From a twenty-first-century theatre review. (The play is invented.) The new production of 'The Glass Orchard' is handsome to look at and utterly inert. The set is gorgeous, a forest of hanging bottles that catch the light like ice. But the actors drift across it as if sleepwalking, delivering lines that should crackle with anger in the flat tones of someone reading a bus timetable.

What does the comparison to 'someone reading a bus timetable' suggest about the acting?

• AIt is dull and monotonous, lacking the emotion needed✓
• BIt is rushed, as if the actors are hurrying to finish on time
• CIt is confusing, as if the actors forgot the script
• DIt is clear and lively, making every line exciting

Answer: A timetable is read in a 'flat' voice with no feeling, which contrasts with lines that 'should crackle with anger'. The comparison is about lack of emotion, not speed or forgotten lines.

From a letter to a newspaper written in 1874 by an invented mill owner, Josiah Brand. I am informed that certain agitators have been spreading discontent among my workers, filling their heads with talk of shorter hours and higher wages. I treat my people fairly. They are housed, they are fed, and they are spared the idleness that ruins the working man. I will not have my mill thrown into disorder by meddlers who have never done an honest day's work in their lives.

What do the words 'agitators' and 'meddlers' suggest about Brand's view of the campaigners?

• AHe sees them as honest workers who are raising fair complaints
• BHe sees them as wealthy businessmen trying to buy his mill
• CHe sees them as troublemakers meddling in his affairs✓
• DHe sees them as friends who have offered him useful advice

Answer: Both words are insults: an 'agitator' stirs up trouble and a 'meddler' interferes in others' business. He adds that they 'have never done an honest day's work', which rules out seeing them as honest workers.

From a letter to a newspaper written in 1874 by an invented mill owner, Josiah Brand. I am informed that certain agitators have been spreading discontent among my workers, filling their heads with talk of shorter hours and higher wages. I treat my people fairly. They are housed, they are fed, and they are spared the idleness that ruins the working man. I will not have my mill thrown into disorder by meddlers who have never done an honest day's work in their lives.

What does Brand's repeated use of 'my workers', 'my people' and 'my mill' reveal?

• AA warm friendship with workers he regards as his equals
• BA wish to hand control of the mill over to the workers
• CA possessive, controlling attitude towards the people he employs✓
• DA fear that his workers are about to leave for another mill

Answer: The possessive 'my' treats the workers as belonging to him, like the mill, and his claim that they are 'housed' and 'fed' sounds like keeping property. Nothing suggests friendship between equals or giving up control.

From a twenty-first-century magazine profile: Dr Amara Osei is meticulous. Every morning she logs the water temperature at six points along the estuary, photographs the same three rocks at low tide and records, in pencil, the number of crabs she finds beneath them. It is painstaking, unglamorous work. But her twelve years of notebooks now form one of the most complete records of coastal change anywhere in the country.

In this context, what does the word 'meticulous' mean?

• AVery quick and impatient with others
• BVery curious about visiting new places
• CVery careful and precise about details✓
• DVery proud of her scientific reputation

Answer: The examples that follow (six exact points, the same three rocks, counting crabs) show close attention to detail, which is what 'meticulous' means. Repeating the same routine is the opposite of seeking new places.

From a twenty-first-century magazine profile: Dr Amara Osei is meticulous. Every morning she logs the water temperature at six points along the estuary, photographs the same three rocks at low tide and records, in pencil, the number of crabs she finds beneath them. It is painstaking, unglamorous work. But her twelve years of notebooks now form one of the most complete records of coastal change anywhere in the country.

Why does the writer describe the work as 'painstaking, unglamorous'?

• ATo criticise Dr Osei for wasting twelve years on pointless, boring work
• BTo suggest that the work is exciting and often shown on television
• CTo show that the work is physically painful and has injured her
• DTo admit the work is slow and dull, which makes her achievement more impressive✓

Answer: 'Painstaking' means needing great care and effort and 'unglamorous' means unexciting; the next sentence begins 'But' and praises the result, so the admission sets up the achievement. 'Painstaking' does not mean literally painful.

A student writes a formal letter of complaint to a headteacher that begins 'Hiya, hope you're good!' Which aspect of writing has the student misjudged?

• ATense
• BParagraphing
• CSpelling
• DRegister✓

Answer: Register is the level of formality chosen for an audience and purpose; a chatty greeting does not suit a formal letter to a headteacher. The tense and spelling of the greeting are correct.

From a twenty-first-century food blog: Okay, so I finally tried the 'viral' cinnamon rolls everyone's been raving about, and honestly? Mid. Like, they're fine. The icing is basically sugar soup and the dough tastes a bit like a sofa cushion. But the bakery itself is a total vibe: fairy lights, mismatched teacups, a cat called Biscuit. I'd go back for the cat.

What does the slang word 'Mid' mean in this context?

• ADelicious and worth the long wait
• BToo small for the high price that was charged
• CAverage and disappointing, not special✓
• DServed halfway through the morning

Answer: The writer explains it straight away: 'Like, they're fine', and then criticises the icing and dough. 'Mid' is slang for mediocre; it has nothing to do with the time of day.

Which headline uses the most emotive, loaded language?

• A'Greedy bosses rob workers of pay rise'✓
• B'Company and staff fail to agree on pay'
• C'Pay talks between both sides to continue'
• D'Workers are offered a 2% pay rise'

Answer: 'Greedy' and 'rob' carry strong negative judgements designed to provoke anger, which makes them loaded. The other headlines report the dispute in neutral terms.

From a twenty-first-century food blog: Okay, so I finally tried the 'viral' cinnamon rolls everyone's been raving about, and honestly? Mid. Like, they're fine. The icing is basically sugar soup and the dough tastes a bit like a sofa cushion. But the bakery itself is a total vibe: fairy lights, mismatched teacups, a cat called Biscuit. I'd go back for the cat.

What is the effect of the informal vocabulary in the blog?

• AIt creates a chatty, honest voice for young online readers✓
• BIt makes the review sound formal and expert like a newspaper critic
• CIt shows the writer knows too little about baking to review it
• DIt confuses readers so that they visit the bakery to find out more

Answer: Words such as 'Okay, so', 'honestly?', 'Mid' and 'a total vibe' sound like natural speech, which builds a friendly, trustworthy voice for social-media readers. This register is the opposite of a formal critic's.

From a story written in a nineteenth-century style. (Invented for this question.) 'The doctor will be here presently,' said Mrs Hale, smoothing the counterpane over the sleeping child. 'Go down and set the kettle on, Martha, and mind you do not wake him.' The maid curtseyed and went out, and for a long while there was no sound in the room but the ticking of the clock and the soft, uneven breathing from the bed.

In this nineteenth-century-style extract, what does the word 'presently' mean?

• AAt this very moment
• BSoon, in a short while✓
• CEvery morning at dawn
• DOnce the child wakes

Answer: In older English 'presently' meant 'soon'; Mrs Hale is saying the doctor is on his way. The modern sense 'now' does not fit, because the doctor has not arrived and there is a long wait.