Mock and Regional Test Papers 11+ English Worksheets, Questions and Revision

Source sentence: 'The lighthouse keeper's hands, roughened by forty years of salt and wind, moved over the great brass lens with the gentleness of someone handling something alive.' Comprehension-style question: What does this sentence suggest about the lighthouse keeper's feelings towards the lens? Support your answer with evidence from the sentence.

1. Identify the key contrast in the sentence: rough, weathered hands ('roughened by forty years of salt and wind') against a gentle action ('the gentleness of someone handling something alive').
2. Note that comparing the lens to 'something alive' suggests the keeper treats it with unusual care and respect, not just as a piece of equipment.
3. Connect this to feeling: the contrast between rough hands and a gentle touch suggests deep affection or reverence for the lens, built up over many years of work.
4. Support the point with the exact evidence: the phrase 'the gentleness of someone handling something alive' is the clearest piece of textual evidence for this feeling.
5. Final answer: the sentence suggests the keeper feels great affection and respect for the lens, shown by the contrast between his rough, work-worn hands and the gentle, careful way he touches it, 'as though handling something alive'.