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Grammar schools / Sutton SET English (multiple choice) / Mock 10

Sutton Selective Eligibility Test · Stage 1

Sutton SET English Mock Paper 10

Preparation for the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test, sat for admission to Wilson's School, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls. This is an original mock paper written by Revision Library. It is not a past paper and it is not an official specimen.

Print the paper (PDF)Paper and mark scheme (PDF)

Time allowed
50 minutes
Total marks
62
Questions
62
Level
Stretch
  • You have 50 minutes for this paper. There are 62 questions and every question is worth 1 mark.
  • The paper has four sections. The recommended times are 5 minutes for Section A, 25 minutes for Section B, 10 minutes for Section C and 10 minutes for Section D. These times are advice, not rules. You may spend longer on a section if you need to, and you may go back to earlier questions at any point.
  • Every question gives you five options, A to E. Mark your answers in pencil on the answer sheet supplied apart from the booklet. If you change your mind, rub the old mark out completely so that only one mark is left.
  • Most questions have one answer. Some ask you to choose exactly two options, and some ask you to choose all the options that apply. Those questions say so, so read each one carefully.
  • There is no negative marking, so a wrong answer costs you nothing. It is worth answering every question.

Section A: Spelling (about 5 minutes)

In each question, one of the five spellings is correct and the other four are not.

Choose the correct spelling and mark one answer for each question.

  1. 11 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    A locked gate proved a serious ____ to the delivery team.

    1. Ahinderance
    2. Bhinddrance
    3. Chindrence
    4. Dhindrance
    5. Ehindrense
  2. 21 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    Each ____ received a numbered badge at the entrance.

    1. Aindividuel
    2. Bindivdual
    3. Cindividual
    4. Dindivvidual
    5. Eindividuall
  3. 31 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    Please do not ____ while another speaker is answering.

    1. Ainterupt
    2. Bintterrupt
    3. Cinterrupt
    4. Dinterruppt
    5. Einterrept
  4. 41 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    The guide adjusted her ____ for the younger audience.

    1. Alangauge
    2. Blanguage
    3. Clangwage
    4. Dlanguge
    5. Elangguage
  5. 51 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    A tiny ____ beside her eye moved when she smiled.

    1. Amusscle
    2. Bmuscel
    3. Cmuscle
    4. Dmuscale
    5. Emucle
  6. 61 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    Her chosen ____ requires years of careful training.

    1. Aprofesion
    2. Bproffession
    3. Cprofession
    4. Dprofessoin
    5. Eprofessian
  7. 71 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    Include only details that are ____ to the question.

    1. Arelevent
    2. Brelevannt
    3. Crellevant
    4. Drevelant
    5. Erelevant
  8. 81 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    I ____ hope that your performance goes well.

    1. Asincerly
    2. Bsincerley
    3. Csincerelly
    4. Dsincirely
    5. Esincerely
  9. 91 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    The market sold a wide ____ of fresh bread.

    1. Avareity
    2. Bvarietty
    3. Cvarieity
    4. Dvariety
    5. Evarietey
  10. 101 mark

    Choose the correct spelling.

    The small ____ remained safely inside the harbour.

    1. Ayatch
    2. Byacht
    3. Cyact
    4. Dyaht
    5. Eyaccht

Section B: Text 1 (about 25 minutes)

Read Text 1 carefully, then answer questions 11 to 38.

Most questions have one answer. Where a question asks for exactly two answers, or for all the answers that apply, it says so.

After the Last Footstep

On Thursdays, while Mum worked late, I did my homework in Gallery Four. Dad collected me from chess club, bought us cheese rolls, and signed us in through the museum's staff door. He said this was only until I could go home alone. He had said it for three years. That evening, my homework was to describe a person at work. "Choose someone with a proper job," Dad advised, clipping on his radio.

At six, the public doors folded shut and the museum changed size. In daytime, voices and shoes filled every corner. At night, the marble stairs seemed wider and the glass cases floated in pools of light. The air smelt of floor polish and dust from old cloth. Above the painted ceiling, pipes knocked twice, paused, then knocked once more. Dad called that "the duke asking to be let out", although the duke's stone face was two galleries away.

His first round never varied. He tested the west fire door, counted the brass keys and touched the red seal on the Egyptian case. At each entrance, he stood still. "Listen first," he had taught me. A door can look closed from far away. A dripping pipe can hide behind a wall. A room tells you what has altered, if you give it a chance. He wrote square numbers on his clipboard and never ticked a box until he had looked up.

I worked beneath Case 47, home of a bronze lamp shaped like a fox. It was smaller than my pencil case and faced sideways, as if the famous gold cup behind it had offended him. Most visitors photographed the cup. Dad preferred the fox. He had shown me soot around its wick-hole and the smooth patch on its nose. "Someone rubbed that bit for luck," he said, then added, "Probably." Guards, according to Dad, were not supposed to invent stories.

While I planned my first sentence, he walked the gallery. At the fox he whispered, "provenance", breaking it into careful pieces. From his pocket he drew a card in his cramped writing: repousse, patina, provenance. When he saw me, he turned it over. "Emergency terms," he said. I asked what emergency required repousse. His mouth twitched, but his radio crackled before he answered.

A warning light had flashed in the costume room. Dad did not hurry, yet I had to trot. He checked the door frame, ceiling and floor before the display. A bead of water trembled beneath a skylight, above a silk coat. Dad moved the case cover, set a bucket under the drip and called the conservator, giving the room, object and distance in twelve calm words. Only after she replied did he breathe out. "Lucky," he said. It was not luck that made him look up first.

Back at the desk, a folded sheet had slipped from his clipboard. It said EVENING GUIDE APPLICATION. The name and staff number were complete; Qualifications was empty. Beneath Why would you suit this role?, Dad had written about the lamp's soot, its rubbed nose and how children noticed small things when adults stopped steering them towards gold. His final sentence stopped halfway: I know this building, but...

I slid the paper back before he returned. He pressed down a loose corner of Case 47's label, then continued his round. At eight, he asked about my description. I said I had chosen someone with a proper job. He nodded and did not ask who. I crossed out my opening about uniforms and keys. Instead I wrote that some people learn a place so well that everyone mistakes their care for routine, including the person doing the caring. Across the gallery, Dad paused before the fox and silently shaped a difficult word. Nobody else was there to look, and I thought the lamp had been waiting for exactly him.

This passage was written for Revision Library.

  1. 111 mark

    According to the opening paragraph, what three things does Dad do after collecting the narrator from chess club?

    1. Abuys cheese rolls, signs them in and clips on his radio
    2. Bbuys cheese rolls, checks the west door and counts his keys
    3. Csigns them in, telephones Mum and opens Gallery Four
    4. Dcollects a guidebook, buys drinks and tests his radio
    5. Esigns them in, checks the Egyptian case and sets out homework
  2. 121 mark

    In the paragraph describing Dad's first round, which check does he make at the Egyptian case?

    1. AHe counts the objects inside it.
    2. BHe writes its number on his clipboard.
    3. CHe listens for a dripping pipe behind it.
    4. DHe touches its red seal.
    5. EHe tests whether its glass is locked.
  3. 131 mark

    Which two physical details does Dad point out on the fox lamp?

    1. Aa bent tail and a cracked base
    2. Ba gold rim and a missing handle
    3. Csoot by the wick-hole and a smooth patch on the nose
    4. Da repair on its side and dust beneath its feet
    5. Ea red seal and a loose label
  4. 141 mark

    Where is the bead of water when Dad finds it in the costume room?

    1. Aon the silk coat beneath the case cover
    2. Bon the floor below the warning light
    3. Cinside the door frame beside the bucket
    4. Dbeneath the skylight and above the silk coat
    5. Ebehind the wall and above the ceiling
  5. 151 mark

    Which parts of the guide application has Dad completed?

    1. Aonly his name and staff number
    2. Bhis qualifications and the whole final sentence
    3. Chis name, staff number and most of his reason for applying
    4. Donly the description of the gold cup
    5. Eevery box except his staff number
  6. 161 mark

    In the opening paragraph, Dad advises the narrator to choose someone with a 'proper job'.

    Which option best explains what this remark reveals about him?

    1. AHe knows a school description needs more visible action than a guard's quiet round provides.
    2. BHe takes his duties seriously but does not think others would consider his work important enough to describe.
    3. CHe knows Mum's pharmacy work offers the narrator a more obvious subject than his quiet duties.
    4. DHis interest in guiding may make that public role seem more worthy to him than guarding.
    5. EHe wants the narrator to complete the school task while he carries out his shift.
  7. 171 mark

    In the paragraph starting 'At six', the museum is said to have 'changed size'.

    Which option most precisely explains the effect?

    1. AThe missing crowd allows the narrator to notice the full width of the stairs and the spaces between lit cases.
    2. BDarkness leaves the galleries' edges less clear, adding to their apparent size.
    3. CThe closing doors divide the narrator from the public world and make the museum feel private.
    4. DFewer sounds make each distant pipe knock seem to come from a larger building.
    5. EThe newly prominent stairs and cases make the narrator's own size feel smaller by comparison.
  8. 181 mark

    Where Dad explains his rule 'Listen first', he says a room reveals what has altered if it is given a chance.

    Why is this the best explanation of his method?

    1. AStanding still lets him hear faults that may not be visible and notice the room before assumptions guide him.
    2. BA quiet entrance preserves small sounds that his own footsteps might cover.
    3. CHis repeated pauses make a fixed routine easier to carry out in the same order.
    4. DLooking from the doorway lets him check more of a gallery before walking through it.
    5. EListening helps him recognise the museum's familiar pipes and doors during a lonely shift.
  9. 191 mark

    The fox lamp faces sideways 'as if the famous gold cup behind it had offended him'.

    What does this comparison most clearly add?

    1. AThe actual sideways arrangement gives the narrator a pose on which to build an imagined quarrel.
    2. BIt shows that the narrator already prefers the lamp's small details to the cup's value.
    3. CIt turns the lamp's position into a comic protest against being overlooked beside a celebrated object.
    4. DIt prepares for Dad's idea that stories about objects should be stated cautiously.
    5. EIt gives the lamp a personality that fits the narrator's habit of imagining the museum at night.
  10. 201 mark

    When the narrator sees Dad's word card, he calls repousse, patina and provenance 'emergency terms'.

    Which option best explains his reply?

    1. AHe uses a joke linked to his guard duties to hide that he is preparing for the guide role.
    2. BThe words concern museum objects, so his joke lightly connects private study with his guard duties.
    3. CHe is self-conscious about being caught practising difficult words aloud from a card.
    4. DHe wants to keep the guide application private until he has finished its final sentence.
    5. EHe finds the words difficult but enjoys the narrator's question about how they might be used.
  11. 211 mark

    On the way to the costume room, Dad 'did not hurry', yet the narrator has to trot.

    What is the most precise reason for placing these details together?

    1. ADad's longer stride helps him cover ground faster than the narrator without breaking into a run.
    2. BHe responds quickly without appearing flustered, showing controlled urgency rather than delay.
    3. CHe knows the warning may concern a fragile object, yet does not let urgency disrupt his method.
    4. DThe narrator follows out of concern and curiosity, although Dad has not asked her to solve the fault.
    5. EMoving steadily protects the delicate surroundings while still bringing him to the warning promptly.
  12. 221 mark

    After protecting the silk coat, Dad says, 'Lucky.'

    Why does the narrator silently disagree?

    1. AThe warning system worked before the water reached the coat, so more than luck protected it.
    2. BDad's trained order of checking led him to the small leak and allowed him to act before damage occurred.
    3. CThe conservator answered promptly and confirmed that his temporary solution was suitable.
    4. DThe bead happened to be visible beneath the skylight when Dad entered the room.
    5. EDad remained calm enough to report the object and distance in very few words.
  13. 231 mark

    Dad leaves Qualifications blank and stops after 'I know this building, but...'

    Which option best explains the unfinished application?

    1. AHe respects the limits of what he knows and does not want to invent expertise he lacks.
    2. BHe has chosen a strong gallery example but has not yet shaped all his knowledge into a finished answer.
    3. CHe is still learning formal museum terms and cannot yet present all of that knowledge fluently.
    4. DHe has detailed knowledge to offer but doubts whether experience gained as a guard will be valued as a qualification.
    5. EHe has begun the form during a shift in which his duties can break his concentration.
  14. 241 mark

    In the final paragraph, the narrator thinks the lamp has been 'waiting for exactly him'.

    Which option best explains this thought?

    1. ADad remains after the public has gone, and his quiet round gives him time to study the lamp.
    2. BHis patient attention gives the neglected object the kind of seeing it has seemed to deserve.
    3. CThe lamp has supplied the example Dad needs to complete his application for guide work.
    4. DHis night round repeatedly brings him back to Case 47 after visitors have left.
    5. EThe narrator's hope for Dad colours the sympathetic personality she gives the lamp.
  15. 251 mark

    Dad's word card is covered in his 'cramped writing'.

    Select the TWO words that best match cramped in this context.

    Select TWO answers.

    1. Acompressed
    2. Bcrowded
    3. Cpainful
    4. Dcareless
    5. Efaint
  16. 261 mark

    Dad writes that adults stop 'steering' children towards gold.

    Select the TWO words closest to steering as it is used here.

    Select TWO answers.

    1. Adirecting
    2. Bguiding
    3. Ctransporting
    4. Dprotecting
    5. Edragging
  17. 271 mark

    Considering Dad's round and his response to the leak, select the TWO words that describe his working manner most accurately.

    Select TWO answers.

    1. Amethodical
    2. Bcomposed
    3. Churried
    4. Dshowy
    5. Erigid
  18. 281 mark

    Select the TWO words that best describe Dad's attitude towards his own knowledge.

    Select TWO answers.

    1. Aself-effacing
    2. Buncertain
    3. Cboastful
    4. Dindifferent
    5. Edismissive
  19. 291 mark

    Four details accurately describe the museum after closing. Which one does NOT?

    1. AThe marble stairs seem wider.
    2. BCases stand in distinct pools of light.
    3. CThe air smells of polish and old cloth.
    4. DPipes knock above the painted ceiling.
    5. EThe Egyptian gallery is completely dark.
  20. 301 mark

    Dad performs several actions on his first round. Which action is NOT part of the routine described?

    1. Atesting the west fire door
    2. Bcounting the brass keys
    3. Ctouching a red seal
    4. Dpausing at each gallery entrance
    5. Etelephoning the conservator from every room
  21. 311 mark

    Which claim about Case 47 is NOT supported by Text 1?

    1. AIt contains a lamp formed like a fox.
    2. BThe lamp is smaller than the narrator's pencil case.
    3. CA famous gold cup stands behind the lamp.
    4. DThe lamp's loose label is replaced with a new one.
    5. EDad presses down one corner of the label.
  22. 321 mark

    Four statements match the guide application the narrator sees. Which one does NOT?

    1. AIt is folded and has slipped from Dad's clipboard.
    2. BIt asks why Dad would suit the role.
    3. CIt mentions children noticing small things.
    4. DIts final sentence is incomplete.
    5. EIt confirms that Dad has already been appointed.
  23. 331 mark

    Dad's rule is to observe before merely completing a checklist. Which actions demonstrate that rule in practice?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AHe pauses at each entrance before walking in.
    2. BHe refuses to tick a box until he has looked up.
    3. CHe checks frame, ceiling and floor before the costume display.
    4. DHe writes each time in square numbers.
    5. EHe buys cheese rolls after chess club.
  24. 341 mark

    Which clues allow the narrator to work out that Dad is preparing to become an evening guide before he says so?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AHe practises museum words from a handwritten card.
    2. BHe hides the card behind an unlikely joke.
    3. CA partly completed guide application slips from his clipboard.
    4. DHe clips a radio to his belt at the start of work.
    5. EHis application explains how children look at small objects.
  25. 351 mark

    Dad often understates his own ability. Which contrasts make that pattern visible?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AHe recommends a 'proper job', yet his own work requires close judgement.
    2. BHe calls the discovery lucky, although his method led him to it.
    3. CHe leaves Qualifications empty despite knowing the building and objects well.
    4. DHe calls art words emergency terms because he uses them daily over the radio.
    5. EHe adds 'probably' because he has no interest in the lamp's history.
  26. 361 mark

    Which details show that Dad handles the warning in the costume room effectively?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AHe reaches the room promptly without losing control.
    2. BHe examines the surrounding structure before the display.
    3. CHe protects the coat from the path of the drip.
    4. DHe gives the conservator a brief, exact report.
    5. EHe waits for the water to land before deciding its source.
  27. 371 mark

    The narrator gives parts of the museum imagined human behaviour. Which examples use that technique?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AThe public doors fold shut.
    2. BThe duke asks to be let out through pipe knocks.
    3. CA room tells Dad what has altered.
    4. DThe fox lamp appears offended by the cup.
    5. EThe water bead trembles beneath the skylight.
  28. 381 mark

    By the end, how has the narrator's homework idea changed after watching Dad?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AShe chooses Dad as the person at work.
    2. BShe removes an opening focused on his visible equipment.
    3. CShe centres the description on care that can be mistaken for routine.
    4. DShe decides a guide's work matters but a guard's does not.
    5. EShe tells Dad straight away that the application will succeed.

Section C: Text 2 (about 10 minutes)

Read Text 2 carefully, then answer questions 39 to 50.

Text 2 is shorter than Text 1, but its speaker rewards exact attention.

Catalogue Object 47 Makes a Statement

I am described as a bronze lamp in the form of a fox, although no fox has a hole through its back for oil. Accuracy, it seems, is demanded chiefly of objects.

People look at me all day. Do not confuse this with attention. Most aim cameras at the gold cup behind me. I appear later as a dark smudge beneath somebody's holiday. Others use my glass as a mirror. A surprising number read my label aloud, as if I missed it.

Those who inspect me admire my "charming expression". It is not an expression. My mouth held the wick. Its black rim is soot, evidence that I once made light rather than merely receiving it. My nose shines because hands rubbed it smooth. The label says only "signs of wear". I consider that cautious to the point of rudeness.

Children sometimes notice the repair along my side. Adults call them away to see the gold. One guard notices too. He checks my seal, label and ceiling, then looks again when none requires it. He once told a child about the soot and added "probably" to his best idea. I respected the probably.

At night the cup and I occupy distinct circles of light. It remains famous without effort. I continue to face sideways. Call that an accident of display if you wish. Labels favour safe conclusions. I spent centuries being useful and decades being viewed. Being seen has occurred less often.

This passage was written for Revision Library.

  1. 391 mark

    In the opening paragraph, the lamp says accuracy is 'demanded chiefly of objects'.

    Which option best explains its complaint?

    1. AIts catalogue description expects the object to fit a neat animal shape even though that comparison is imperfect.
    2. BHumans label the lamp confidently while excusing their own careless or incomplete ways of looking.
    3. CThe oil hole exposes a limit in the neat fox description, although it is only one example of human inaccuracy.
    4. DMuseum labels speak with authority because objects normally have no voice with which to challenge them.
    5. EThe animal description draws attention to appearance while the oil hole points towards forgotten use.
  2. 401 mark

    The lamp warns, 'Do not confuse this with attention', after saying people look at it all day.

    Which option most precisely explains the distinction?

    1. AA person's eyes may point towards the case while their real interest is the cup, their own reflection or the label.
    2. BVisitors spend time beside the lamp but often fail to understand its former purpose.
    3. CCameras record the lamp accidentally without their owners studying the resulting image.
    4. DReading a museum label aloud can replace examining the physical object beside it.
    5. EThe glass attracts notice because it reflects visitors more clearly than the bronze does.
  3. 411 mark

    The lamp says it appears as 'a dark smudge beneath somebody's holiday'.

    What is the most important effect of this description?

    1. AIt suggests the photograph is poorly focused because the camera is aimed towards the brighter cup.
    2. BIt reduces the lamp to an accidental mark in a visitor's memory of the trip, sharpening its sense of neglect.
    3. CIt uses the lamp's small place in the photograph as the basis for a larger complaint about status.
    4. DThe visitor keeps a holiday memory while the lamp's own long history remains unexamined.
    5. EIt allows the lamp to mock the quality of pictures taken through display glass.
  4. 421 mark

    The label's phrase 'signs of wear' is called 'cautious to the point of rudeness'.

    Why does the lamp object to this caution?

    1. AThe phrase avoids a firm claim about who rubbed the nose and why they did so.
    2. BThe label records physical change but removes the repeated human contact that gives the polished nose meaning.
    3. CThe wording is less lively than visitors' description of the lamp's charming expression.
    4. DA brief catalogue label cannot include every stage of the lamp's long useful life.
    5. EThe speaker would prefer an uncertain story about luck to a safe statement about damage.
  5. 431 mark

    After recalling the guard's explanation of the soot, the lamp says, 'I respected the probably.'

    Which option best explains its approval?

    1. AThe guard notices physical evidence but marks the boundary between what it shows and what he can only infer.
    2. BThe guard does not turn the rubbed nose into certainty merely because its surface invites a story.
    3. CThe added word makes his account more accurate than the charming expression praised by visitors.
    4. DThe lamp prefers an interested guess to the label's cautious silence about human use.
    5. EThe guard's uncertainty leaves room for more than one explanation of the same evidence.
  6. 441 mark

    Four details accurately describe the lamp's physical features or former use. Which one does NOT?

    1. AOil entered through a hole in its back.
    2. BA wick once rested in its mouth.
    3. CSoot remains around the wick opening.
    4. DIts nose has been rubbed smooth.
    5. EIts side has never required repair.
  7. 451 mark

    Visitors respond to Object 47 in several ways. Which response is NOT described?

    1. Aaiming cameras past it at the gold cup
    2. Busing the case glass as a mirror
    3. Creading its label aloud
    4. Dcalling its expression charming
    5. Easking the guard to remove it from the case
  8. 461 mark

    Which claim about the final paragraph is NOT supported by the speaker's words?

    1. AThe lamp and cup stand in different patches of light.
    2. BThe cup's fame seems effortless to the lamp.
    3. CThe lamp may be interpreting its sideways position as a choice.
    4. DThe lamp regards being viewed and being seen as identical.
    5. EThe lamp contrasts a useful past with later display.
  9. 471 mark

    Which details prove that the lamp was once a working object rather than made only for display?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. Aa hole for oil
    2. Ba mouth that held a wick
    3. Csoot at the wick opening
    4. Da charming expression
    5. Ea circle of gallery light
  10. 481 mark

    The speaker sounds dryly amused and quietly hurt at the same time. Which remarks create that mixed tone?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. Aaccuracy is demanded chiefly of objects
    2. Bthe label may be read aloud in case the lamp missed it
    3. Cthe gold cup remains famous without effort
    4. Dthe lamp made light before it received gallery light
    5. Ethe repair lies along the lamp's side
  11. 491 mark

    According to the lamp, which observers give it more than a passing glance?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. Achildren who notice the side repair
    2. Bthe guard who checks and then looks again
    3. Cvisitors who use the glass to arrange their hair
    4. Dphotographers aiming at the cup
    5. Epeople who inspect the lamp's expression
  12. 501 mark

    The lamp says that labels favour 'safe conclusions'.

    Select the TWO words closest to safe as it is used here.

    Select TWO answers.

    1. Acautious
    2. Bnoncommittal
    3. Cprotected
    4. Dcorrect
    5. Ecomforting

Section D: Comparing Text 1 and Text 2 (about 10 minutes)

Use both Text 1 and Text 2 to answer questions 51 to 62.

Most questions in this section ask for all the answers that apply. Read each wording closely.

  1. 511 mark

    The two accounts overlap on precise facts about Case 47. Which details appear in BOTH texts?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. Asoot around the place where the wick rested
    2. Ba nose made smooth by repeated rubbing
    3. Ca famous gold cup displayed behind the lamp
    4. Da repair along the lamp's side
    5. Ethe guard adding 'probably' to an idea about its history
  2. 521 mark

    Read the daughter's observations beside the lamp's observations of the guard. Which conclusions about Dad are supported by the two viewpoints together?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AHe notices details that the public commonly passes over.
    2. BHe distinguishes evidence from an idea that is not proved.
    3. CHis attention continues after required checks are complete.
    4. DHe is already employed to lead public tours.
    5. EHe values the lamp only because it may help his application.
  3. 531 mark

    Each narrator separates merely looking from fully noticing. Which statements trace that shared concern accurately?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AText 1 contrasts ticking a box with looking up first.
    2. BText 1 contrasts photographing the cup with studying the lamp.
    3. CText 2 separates eyes directed at the case from real attention.
    4. DText 2 separates decades of being viewed from rarer moments of being seen.
    5. EBoth texts claim that close observation always produces certainty.
  4. 541 mark

    The gold cup never speaks or acts, yet it influences both passages. Which roles does it play across the pair?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AIt draws cameras away from the smaller lamp.
    2. BIt represents the obvious value adults are directed towards.
    3. CIt gives Dad a contrast for his idea about how children look.
    4. DIt causes the warning light in the costume room.
    5. EIts effortless fame sharpens the lamp's wounded humour.
  5. 551 mark

    Physical traces help both narrators reason about the lamp's past. Which comparisons are supported?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. ABoth connect soot with the lamp's former use.
    2. BBoth connect the smooth nose with repeated touch.
    3. CText 2 adds a repair that Text 1 does not record.
    4. DText 1 proves that the nose was rubbed specifically for luck.
    5. EBoth treat marks as evidence while leaving some causes uncertain.
  6. 561 mark

    Both passages question what counts as expertise. Which details contribute to that idea?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. ADad leaves an official qualifications box empty despite knowing the collection closely.
    2. BThe daughter recognises skill in actions Dad calls routine or luck.
    3. CThe lamp values the guard's qualified idea more than confident but shallow labels.
    4. DThe gold cup is famous, which proves its visitors are expert observers.
    5. EThe lamp demands that every guess about an object be removed from museum talk.
  7. 571 mark

    Which storytelling features belong to the daughter's account in Text 1 but not to the lamp's statement in Text 2?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. Aevents unfolding across one evening
    2. Bquoted conversation between family members
    3. Ca practical problem that the guard solves
    4. Da narrator who revises a piece of homework
    5. Ea first-person speaker with access to Gallery Four
  8. 581 mark

    The writers handle personification differently. Which comparisons describe that difference accurately?

    Select ALL that apply.

    Select ALL the answers that are correct.

    1. AText 1 briefly imagines rooms and objects speaking or feeling.
    2. BText 2 makes an object's viewpoint the basis of the whole passage.
    3. CText 1's personification helps the daughter express sympathy for overlooked things.
    4. DText 2's personification lets the overlooked object criticise its observers.
    5. EBoth texts require the reader to accept that the lamp literally talks to Dad.
  9. 591 mark

    Which option most accurately contrasts the tones of the two narrators?

    1. AThe daughter reports the night without judging it, while the lamp gives a neutral catalogue description.
    2. BThe daughter is embarrassed by Dad's low-status work, while the lamp is furious with every museum visitor.
    3. CThe daughter is observant and quietly affectionate towards Dad, while the lamp is dryly witty and faintly wounded by neglect.
    4. DThe daughter treats the museum as frightening, while the lamp treats its display as entirely comic.
    5. EThe daughter speaks with adult authority, while the lamp speaks like a confused young child.
  10. 601 mark

    How does Text 2 most importantly change the meaning of Text 1's final thought that the lamp had been waiting for Dad?

    1. AIt confirms that the lamp literally knows the guide application is unfinished.
    2. BIt suggests the lamp needs Dad to move it away from the gold cup before it can be seen.
    3. CIt shows that Dad has visited the lamp only once, at the exact moment the narrator sees him.
    4. DIt turns the daughter's imaginative praise into an object's matching claim that Dad's attention is rare and valuable.
    5. EIt proves that Dad understands every detail of the lamp's history more fully than its label does.
  11. 611 mark

    Text 1 calls Dad's work less than a 'proper job'; Text 2 says the lamp once made light rather than merely receiving it.

    What is the strongest connection between these ideas?

    1. AEach speaker believes practical work matters only when the public watches it happening.
    2. BBoth Dad and the lamp want to return to exactly the jobs they performed in the past.
    3. CThe lamp's former use proves that museum guiding is more useful than guarding.
    4. DDad's current work and the lamp's old work both involve producing light at night.
    5. EBoth a person and an object have useful work overlooked when others notice only title, display or status.
  12. 621 mark

    Why is the lamp's own statement an effective companion to the daughter's account of that Thursday evening?

    1. AThe daughter recognises care that Dad will not claim for himself, and the lamp, from the other side of the glass, values exactly the kind of attention he gives.
    2. BThe lamp's statement corrects the daughter's account, since it shows that her father's interest in Case 47 was more ordinary than she believed.
    3. CBoth texts argue that museum labels should be rewritten to include everything a visitor might want to know.
    4. DBoth narrators are chiefly concerned with the gold cup, which each of them resents for taking attention that belongs elsewhere.
    5. EThe lamp confirms that Dad will be given the evening guide role, because it recognises the expert knowledge his application could not express.
Answers, mark scheme and worked explanations
  1. 11 mark

    D

    Hindrance keeps hinder's first syllable but drops the second e before -ance: hind-rance.

    A keeps an extra e, B doubles d, C changes a to e, and E replaces c with s.

  2. 21 mark

    C

    Individual contains the full middle syllable -vidu- and ends -ual.

    A changes the final a to e, B drops an i, D doubles v, and E doubles the final l.

  3. 31 mark

    C

    Interrupt has a double r after inte- and one p before the final t.

    A loses an r, B doubles the first t, D doubles p, and E substitutes e for u.

  4. 41 mark

    B

    Language has the sequence lang-u-age.

    A reverses u and a, C replaces u with w, D drops a, and E doubles g.

  5. 51 mark

    C

    Muscle is spelled mus-cle, with one s and the letters c and l before the final e.

    A doubles s, B swaps l and e, D adds a, and E drops s.

  6. 61 mark

    C

    Profession has one f, a double s and the ending -ion.

    A loses an s, B doubles f, D reverses i and o, and E changes the final o to a.

  7. 71 mark

    E

    Relevant has one l, the middle sequence -eva-, and one final t.

    A changes a to e, B doubles the final n, C doubles l, and D swaps l and v.

  8. 81 mark

    E

    Sincerely keeps sincere complete before -ly: sincere-ly.

    A drops the final e of sincere, B reverses the final e and l, C doubles l, and D substitutes i for e.

  9. 91 mark

    D

    Variety has the sequence vari-e-ty and only one t.

    A reverses i and e, B doubles t, C adds an i, and E adds an e before y.

  10. 101 mark

    B

    Yacht is spelled y-a-c-h-t, even though the middle letters are not all heard.

    A swaps c and t, C drops h, D drops c, and E doubles c.

  11. 111 mark

    A

    After chess club, Dad buys cheese rolls, uses the staff entrance and clips on his radio.

    B and E mix in later parts of his round. C and D add actions the passage never gives.

  12. 121 mark

    D

    The passage states that he touches the red seal on the Egyptian case.

    The keys, listening and clipboard also belong to his round, but none is described as the check at that case. Counting objects and testing its glass are not stated.

  13. 131 mark

    C

    Dad has shown the narrator the soot at the wick-hole and the smooth nose.

    D contains a detail mentioned only by Text 2. E belongs to Dad's checks, while A and B are not described.

  14. 141 mark

    D

    The water trembles beneath a skylight, with the silk coat below it.

    Dad acts before it reaches the coat or floor. The door frame, wall and warning light are nearby ideas, not the bead's stated position.

  15. 151 mark

    C

    His name and staff number are filled in, and he has written most of a response about why he suits the role.

    Qualifications is blank and the last sentence is unfinished, so A understates his work while B and E contradict the page. D names the wrong object.

  16. 161 mark

    B

    B holds together the contrast developed by the passage: Dad's conduct shows serious knowledge and care, yet his wording reduces the status of his own work.

    A, D and E fit parts of the situation but give practical reasons instead of his low opinion of his standing. C uses Mum's real job, but Dad never proposes her.

  17. 171 mark

    A

    The next images settle it: without people filling every corner, the wide stairs and distinct pools of light become clear.

    B, C, D and E each catch darkness, privacy, sound or scale, all present in the mood. They do not explain the stated visual change as fully as A.

  18. 181 mark

    A

    A combines the hidden drip example with Dad's habit of observing before ticking a box. He is making space for unexpected evidence.

    B, C, D and E are real benefits involving sound, order, range and familiarity, but each is narrower than Dad's full method.

  19. 191 mark

    C

    The imagined offence comes from the contrast between the photographed cup and the neglected lamp, turning its sideways pose into wounded protest.

    B, D and E are supported effects, while A uses the actual display. Only C includes both the humour and the precise cause of the invented grievance.

  20. 201 mark

    A

    The later application shows why art terms are on his card. Calling them emergencies borrows the language of his current job and lets him avoid admitting his ambition.

    B, C, D and E all fit the museum setting, his self-conscious practice, secrecy and amusement. A alone explains both the specific joke and the concealed purpose.

  21. 211 mark

    B

    His pace is fast enough to make the child trot, but his manner stays calm. That contrast prepares for his measured response to the leak.

    A, C, D and E identify stride, method, the narrator's interest and care around displays. Each is supported, but none explains the wording's whole contrast as precisely as B.

  22. 221 mark

    B

    The narrator has just watched Dad check frame, ceiling and floor before the display. His careful method, not chance alone, found the danger in time.

    A, C, D and E all helped the good outcome, so they are partly true. B most precisely answers why the narrator credits Dad rather than luck.

  23. 231 mark

    D

    His strong example shows knowledge, while the empty box and hesitant 'but' show that he does not count this lived expertise as an official qualification.

    A, B, C and E all supply genuine pressures on him, but none joins ability with the exact self-doubt displayed by the two unfinished parts.

  24. 241 mark

    B

    Throughout the passage, crowds aim past the lamp while Dad notices soot, wear and even its loose label. The final thought rewards that sustained attention.

    A, C, D and E are all partly involved in the image, but B most precisely explains why this particular object seems to have waited for this particular observer.

  25. 251 mark

    A and B

    Compressed and crowded both suggest letters fitted tightly into a small space.

    Painful could describe a cramped muscle, but not handwriting here. Careless concerns accuracy and faint concerns darkness, neither of which is stated.

  26. 261 mark

    A and B

    Directing and guiding both describe influencing what children look at.

    Transporting uses the literal travel sense. Protecting does not show control of attention, while dragging suggests physical force not present here.

  27. 271 mark

    A and B

    He follows a careful order and reports the leak calmly, so methodical and composed are exact.

    He moves promptly but not hurriedly. His competence is quiet rather than showy, and he adapts to an unexpected leak, so rigid goes too far.

  28. 281 mark

    A and B

    He hides his study, calls his job less than proper and leaves his qualifications blank, making him self-effacing and uncertain about his worth.

    He is neither boastful nor indifferent because he quietly works and learns. He is cautious about stories, but he does not dismiss the objects or knowledge themselves.

  29. 291 mark

    E

    The passage never says the Egyptian gallery is dark; Dad can check the red seal there.

    The wider stairs, lit cases, smell and pipe knocks all appear in the description after the doors close.

  30. 301 mark

    E

    He calls the conservator only when the leak is found, not from every room on his round.

    A to D are the exact checks and habits listed in the routine paragraph.

  31. 311 mark

    D

    Dad presses a loose corner down, but the label is not replaced.

    The lamp's form and size, the cup's position and Dad's small repair are all stated.

  32. 321 mark

    E

    It is an application, not an appointment notice, so no new role is confirmed.

    Its folded state, question, example about children and unfinished final sentence all appear directly.

  33. 331 mark

    A and B and C

    A, B and C all place attention before paperwork or the obvious object, and that method leads him to the leak.

    Square handwriting concerns how he records, not whether he observes first. Buying food belongs to the evening but not his inspection method.

  34. 341 mark

    A and B and C and E

    The word practice, embarrassed cover, application and drafted teaching idea all point towards preparation for guiding.

    The radio belongs to his current guard role and does not by itself suggest a change.

  35. 351 mark

    A and B and C

    A, B and C each place Dad's modest claim beside evidence of real competence or knowledge.

    D misreads his joke: he is hiding private study. E mistakes careful uncertainty for lack of interest.

  36. 361 mark

    A and B and C and D

    His controlled pace, broad check, protective action and concise call all reduce the risk efficiently.

    He acts while the water is still above the coat, so E reverses the timing that makes his response effective.

  37. 371 mark

    B and C and D

    A duke asking, a room telling and a lamp taking offence give speech or feeling to stone, space and metal.

    Doors can literally fold, and a hanging drop can literally tremble, so A and E create vivid movement without giving human thought.

  38. 381 mark

    A and B and C

    Her reply about a proper job identifies Dad, she crosses out uniforms and keys, and her new sentence explains his quiet care.

    D repeats the false division she has rejected. E never happens; she protects what she has learned by not confronting him.

  39. 391 mark

    B

    The lamp points out a wider unfairness: people demand an exact identity from it, then look past evidence, use the glass as a mirror and accept vague labels.

    A, C, D and E each arise from the imperfect fox description, but B most fully explains why the speaker turns accuracy back against human observers.

  40. 401 mark

    A

    A gathers all three examples that follow: looking past the lamp, at oneself or only at words. Physical direction is not the same as mental attention.

    B, C, D and E are each true of one part of the paragraph, but each is narrower than the contrast the warning introduces.

  41. 411 mark

    B

    The lamp is not the subject of the photograph or the remembered visit; it becomes a mere blemish beneath the wanted object. That is why the joke sounds wounded.

    A, C, D and E all contribute focus, position, contrast or mockery, but B best explains the emotional force of being reduced to a smudge in someone else's story.

  42. 421 mark

    B

    'Wear' names the result while making the many hands vanish. To an object wounded by not being seen, that safe wording erases evidence of past attention.

    A, C, D and E are partly true about certainty, style, space and the possible luck story. B most precisely explains why caution feels personally rude to this speaker.

  43. 431 mark

    A

    He sees the soot and rubbed surface, offers an idea, then honestly signals that the idea is not proved. This combines attention with accuracy.

    B, C, D and E are valuable effects of his caution, so each is partly true. A alone states the exact reasoning habit the lamp respects.

  44. 441 mark

    E

    The lamp says children sometimes notice a small repair along its side, so E is false.

    The oil hole, wick, soot and smooth nose are all explicitly described as parts of its form or history.

  45. 451 mark

    E

    No visitor asks for the lamp to be removed.

    A to D each comes from the lamp's list of ways people look, speak or judge without fully attending.

  46. 461 mark

    D

    The ending insists that the lamp has been viewed far more often than it has been seen, so it treats the experiences as different.

    Distinct lighting, effortless fame, the debatable sideways pose and the contrast between use and display are all present.

  47. 471 mark

    A and B and C

    The oil hole, wick place and soot are physical evidence of the lamp's original task of making light.

    The expression is a visitor's interpretation, and gallery lighting belongs to its current display rather than its former use.

  48. 481 mark

    A and B and C and D

    A to D are witty reversals or pointed complaints, and each joke carries the lamp's grievance about neglect or lost usefulness.

    The repair is a revealing fact, but its plain statement alone does not create the mixed comic and wounded tone.

  49. 491 mark

    A and B and E

    The children, guard and inspecting visitors attend to a feature of the lamp itself, even though the visitors misread its mouth as an expression.

    Mirror users attend to themselves, and photographers aim beyond the lamp, so C and D look in its direction without studying it.

  50. 501 mark

    A and B

    Cautious and noncommittal describe claims designed not to go beyond firm evidence.

    Protected is the ordinary physical sense. A safe claim may be correct, but correct does not carry its reluctance, and comforting concerns emotion rather than certainty.

  51. 511 mark

    A and B and C and E

    Both narrators mention soot, the polished nose, the gold cup and Dad's careful 'probably'.

    Only Text 2 mentions the side repair, so D cannot be selected even though it fits the same object.

  52. 521 mark

    A and B and C

    Text 1 shows his interest in soot and wear, and Text 2 independently notes that he looks again and qualifies his idea. Together they support A to C.

    He is applying, not already guiding. His interest exists before the form is found, so E makes the application his only motive without support.

  53. 531 mark

    A and B and C and D

    A and B show Text 1's versions of shallow and close looking; C and D state the lamp's matching complaint.

    Both texts value 'probably', so they show that careful observation may end in honest uncertainty. E therefore overstates their shared concern.

  54. 541 mark

    A and B and C and E

    The crowd's cameras, the attraction of gold, Dad's application example and the lamp's remark about effortless fame all give the cup a role without making it act.

    The warning concerns water over a silk coat in another room, so D does not connect to the cup.

  55. 551 mark

    A and B and C and E

    The soot, nose and uncertain interpretation appear across both texts, while Text 2 supplies the extra repair. These make A, B, C and E accurate.

    Dad says 'probably', so Text 1 offers luck as a careful possibility rather than proof. D removes the uncertainty both passages preserve.

  56. 561 mark

    A and B and C

    A and B contrast official status with demonstrated skill, while C values the guard's honest method over the authority of labels.

    Fame does not make the public expert, and the lamp respects a marked guess, so D and E oppose the passages' point.

  57. 571 mark

    A and B and C and D

    Only Text 1 follows a timed evening, includes human dialogue, presents the leak and shows homework being rewritten.

    Both narrators speak as 'I' from Gallery Four, so E does not distinguish the daughter's account.

  58. 581 mark

    A and B and C and D

    Text 1 uses short imaginative touches, while Text 2 sustains the lamp's mind and lets it make the complaint itself. A to D describe those linked effects.

    Neither passage presents a spoken exchange between Dad and the lamp, so E treats a literary device as a literal event.

  59. 591 mark

    C

    The daughter notices and protects Dad's unspoken hope; the lamp's sharp jokes about mirrors, labels and fame carry a restrained hurt.

    A removes both voices' judgements, B and D overstate one emotion, and E reverses the mature, self-aware quality of the lamp's speech.

  60. 601 mark

    D

    Text 1 imagines the neglected lamp finding its ideal observer. Text 2 independently values the guard who looks again, so it deepens that praise without making the waiting literal.

    A and B turn imagination into fact, C contradicts his repeated interest, and E removes the honest limits signalled by 'probably'.

  61. 611 mark

    E

    Dad's careful guarding is hidden by a modest job label, while the displayed object's past usefulness is hidden by fame and appearance. Both recover value through exact attention.

    A reverses both texts' respect for useful work done without an audience, B invents a shared wish, C ranks the jobs, and D makes light only literal.

  62. 621 mark

    A

    Text 1 shows a daughter learning to see her father's work as care rather than routine: he looks up before ticking any box, gives the conservator the room, object and distance in twelve calm words, and writes an application he cannot finish. Text 2 sets out the object's own standard for being properly attended to, and by that standard the guard is the one person who meets it, because he looks again when nothing requires it and adds 'probably' to his best idea. Each text supplies the recognition the other's speaker is denied.

    B misreads the lamp's precision as correction, when it confirms rather than reduces what the daughter sees. C notices that both texts distrust labels but turns that into a proposal neither makes. D is true of the cup's role in each text but wrong about the daughter, who is not resentful and barely mentions it. E takes the lamp's respect as a promise about the job, which nothing in either text supports.

Sutton Selective Eligibility Test, Stage 1, English (multiple choice). Written by Revision Library on 2026-08-29, independent check pending.

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