Revision Library

revisionlibrary.co.uk

11+ · English - Reading (Poetry)

EP.E3B Comprehension: Poetry: Practice Set 2

GL ASSESSMENT / CSSE 11+ Entrance English (GL Assessment / CSSE style) · Calculators not allowed · about 80 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Smoke and Gold

Source written for Revision Library (original, copyright-free). Original poem created for 11+ comprehension practice.

My grandmother kept six hives by the wall,

with frames all blistered gold from rim to rim,

and every August brought the ache of stings

to fingers far too young and far too slim.

She'd light the smoker, calm as evening air,

and lift each frame as gently as a book,

her veiled face steady above a thousand wings

that rose and settled, no matter how it shook.

"They only sting," she'd say, "when they're afraid,

so keep your breathing low and stay quite still;

the hive's one creature, not a swarm of parts,

and fear is caught much faster than a chill."

I did not trust her then. I told myself

however hard I tried, I could not stay still,

and thought her calm was something like a trick,

too strange to learn, a lesson far uphill.

Now every summer when the clover blooms,

I light the smoker slow the way she taught,

and stand as still as she once stood, and feel

the calm that as a child I never caught.

The hive does not reward the loud or fast;

it only asks for patience we can make;

it gives its gold to those who hold themselves

as steady as a branch that will not shake.

Are the following statements about the poem True or False? Write True or False for each.

(a)The poem contains six stanzas, each with four lines.(1)

True
False

(b)The grandmother refuses to teach the speaker how to keep bees.(1)

True
False

(c)As a child, the speaker felt completely calm around the bees.(1)

True
False

(d)According to the grandmother, bees are more likely to sting when they sense fear.(1)

True
False

(e)The final stanza suggests the hive gives its rewards quickly to whoever arrives first.(1)

True
False

(Total for Question 1 is 5 marks)

Look at stanzas 2 and 3 of the poem. List four separate details the poem gives about the grandmother's actions or words.

(Total for Question 2 is 4 marks)

Choose the option closest in meaning to the word as it is used in the poem.

(a)'blistered' (stanza 1, describing the honeycomb) is closest in meaning to:(1)

A) completely melted and dripping
B) covered with small raised swellings or marks
C) painted a bright new colour
D) frozen solid and cracked

(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)

Look at stanza 3 of the poem. State two different things the grandmother says will help stop the bees from stinging.

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

Look at stanza 3, line 3: 'the hive's one creature, not a swarm of parts'. Explain what is meant by this line, including both its literal meaning and what it suggests about the poem's ideas.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Look at the rhymes at the end of each line across the poem's six stanzas.

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

Look at stanza 2, line 2: 'and lift each frame as gently as a book'. Explain the effect of this simile.

(Total for Question 7 is 4 marks)

Look at 'blistered gold' (stanza 1) and 'the hive's one creature' (stanza 3), both used to describe the honeycomb and the hive. Explain the effect of describing them using words that suggest a living body.

(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)

The word 'still' appears in stanza 3 ('stay quite still'), stanza 4 ('I could not stay still') and stanza 5 ('stand as still as she once stood'). Explain the effect of this repetition.

(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)

Explain how the poem's regular form (six four-line stanzas with a consistent ABCB rhyme scheme) contributes to its calm, patient tone.

(Total for Question 10 is 4 marks)

Stanza 4 begins 'I did not trust her then. I told myself...'. Explain how this moment marks a turning point in the poem, and how the shift in tense between stanzas 1 to 4 and stanzas 5 to 6 supports this.

(Total for Question 11 is 6 marks)

Compare how the bees and hive are presented in stanza 1 with how they are presented in stanza 6. Use evidence from both stanzas to support your ideas.

(Total for Question 12 is 6 marks)

In your own words, summarise the lesson the speaker learns from his grandmother over the course of the poem. Write no more than 40 words.

(Total for Question 13 is 4 marks)

Look at the final stanza, in particular the line 'it gives its gold to those who hold themselves / as steady as a branch that will not shake.' Explain what this final image suggests about the poem's message.

(Total for Question 14 is 6 marks)

Explain how the poet presents the speaker's changing point of view across the whole poem, from childhood to adulthood.

(Total for Question 15 is 8 marks)

The hive is used as an extended metaphor throughout the poem. Explore how the poet develops this metaphor from stanza 1 to stanza 6, and what it comes to represent by the end of the poem.

(Total for Question 16 is 8 marks)

Discuss how the poet presents the relationship between the speaker and his grandmother in 'Smoke and Gold'. Support your response with detailed reference to language, structure and form across the whole poem.

(Total for Question 17 is 10 marks)

A reader said, 'This poem is really about far more than beekeeping; it is a poem about learning to trust rather than fear.' To what extent do you agree? Support your response with detailed reference to the poem's language, structure and ideas.

(Total for Question 18 is 10 marks)

Mark scheme · EP.E3B Comprehension: Poetry: Practice Set 2

Question 1

(a) B1 True
(a) Answer: True
(b) B1 False
(b) Answer: False
(c) B1 False
(c) Answer: False
(d) B1 True
(d) Answer: True
(e) B1 False
(e) Answer: False

Question 2

B1 she lights the smoker calmly / slowly, as calm as evening air
B1 she lifts each frame as gently as if it were a book
B1 she says bees only sting when they are afraid
B1 she says the hive is 'one creature, not a swarm of parts'
Answer: Any four of: she lights the smoker calmly, as calm as evening air; she lifts each frame as gently as a book; she says bees only sting when they are afraid; she says the hive is one creature, not a swarm of parts.

Question 3

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) covered with small raised swellings or marks

Question 4

B1 keep your breathing low
B1 stay quite still
Answer: Any two of: keep your breathing low; stay quite still.

Question 5

B1 literal meaning: the many individual bees act together as one single, unified whole rather than as lots of separate insects
B1 wider connection: this suggests that understanding something as a whole, rather than fearing its individual parts, helps overcome fear, which links to the poem's wider ideas about patience and trust
Answer: Literally, the line means the many bees in the hive behave as a single unified creature rather than as separate, threatening insects; it also suggests that seeing something as a whole, rather than fearing its separate parts, is what allows fear to be replaced by trust, connecting to the poem's wider message.

Question 6

Level 1 (1): Identifies that the poem rhymes but does not name the pattern accurately or give a supporting example.
Level 2 (2): Correctly identifies the ABCB rhyme scheme (the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme) and supports this with an accurate quotation.
Indicative content:
- The poem is written in rhyming quatrains with an ABCB rhyme scheme: in each stanza the second and fourth lines rhyme, while the first and third do not
- Examples include 'rim' / 'slim' in stanza 1, 'book' / 'shook' in stanza 2, 'still' / 'chill' in stanza 3, or 'make' / 'shake' in stanza 6
- This regular pattern is used consistently across all six stanzas

Question 7

Level 1 (1-2): Simple identification that the grandmother is careful or gentle, with limited or no explanation of the simile's effect.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear, detailed explanation of how the simile suggests precision, care and respect, with precise reference to the language used.
Indicative content:
- The simile compares the heavy, living frame of bees directly to a book, an object usually handled with care and quiet attention
- It suggests the grandmother treats the frame as something precious and worth close attention, rather than as a threatening object
- The comparison hints at her deep familiarity and expertise, as though reading the frame the way she might read a page
- This connection prepares the reader for the poem's wider theme of patient, respectful handling replacing fear

Question 8

Level 1 (1-2): Simple comment that the comb and hive are described like a living thing, with limited explanation of effect.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear, detailed explanation of how these words personify the comb and hive, connecting to the poem's ideas about respect and trust.
Indicative content:
- 'Blistered' is a word usually used to describe skin, so applying it to the honeycomb subtly personifies the wax and honey
- Describing the hive as 'one creature' rather than many separate insects makes the reader see it as a single living body rather than a swarm to fear
- Both choices make the natural world feel alive and worthy of care, rather than distant or purely useful
- This prepares the reader for the grandmother's calm, almost tender treatment of the bees and the poem's wider message about trust

Question 9

Level 1 (1-2): Simple comment that the word is repeated, with limited explanation of effect.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear, detailed explanation of how the repetition of 'still' tracks the speaker's changing ability to stay calm, from instruction to failure to success.
Indicative content:
- In stanza 3 the grandmother instructs the child to 'stay quite still', introducing calmness as something that must be learned
- In stanza 4 the young speaker admits he 'could not stay still', showing his failure to follow her instruction and his continuing fear
- In stanza 5 the adult speaker finally manages to 'stand as still' as his grandmother once did, directly echoing her earlier instruction and showing he has now mastered it
- The repeated word traces the speaker's journey from being told to stay calm, to failing at it, to finally achieving it himself

Question 10

Level 1 (1-2): Simple comment that the poem has a regular form, with limited explanation of its effect.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear, detailed explanation of how the steady rhythm and rhyme scheme reflect the poem's patient, calm mood.
Indicative content:
- The consistent quatrain form and steady ABCB rhyme create a controlled, measured rhythm rather than an anxious or chaotic one
- This regularity mirrors the patient, repeated nature of the seasonal task being described, tending the hives each summer
- Containing each idea or memory within a single stanza suggests careful, considered reflection rather than rushed emotion
- The steady form suits the poem's quiet, thoughtful tone as the speaker looks back on his grandmother with growing understanding rather than sudden realisation

Question 11

Level 1 (1-2): Simple comment that the speaker's attitude changes, with limited or no reference to tense or structure.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear explanation of the shift in attitude, with some reference to the change in tense across the poem.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed, well-supported explanation of how the turning point in stanza 4 and the shift from past to present tense together mark the speaker's growth and change of attitude.
Indicative content:
- Stanzas 1 to 4 describe the grandmother and the child's early experience of beekeeping in the past tense, recalling them as childhood memories
- Stanza 4 marks a clear turning point, with the speaker admitting directly, 'I did not trust her then', showing distance between his childhood self and his present self
- The shift to present tense in stanza 5 ('Now every summer... I light... I stand... and feel') shows that calm has been achieved in the present, after years have passed
- This structural movement from past memory, to admitted fear, to present-day calm, mirrors the process of maturing and learning to trust only after time has passed
- The final stanza returns to a more general, timeless present, suggesting the lesson now belongs to anyone who keeps bees, not only to the speaker's memory

Question 12

Level 1 (1-2): A simple comparison identifying that the hive is presented differently, with limited or no supporting reference.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear comparison supported by relevant evidence from both stanza 1 and stanza 6.
Level 3 (5-6): A perceptive, well-developed comparison that selects precise evidence from both stanzas and explores the shift in presentation in a nuanced way.
Indicative content:
- In stanza 1 the bees are presented mainly as a source of pain and difficulty for a child, causing 'the ache of stings' to 'fingers far too young and far too slim'
- The honeycomb is described as 'blistered gold', an image that is rich but also faintly uncomfortable, suggesting something not yet safe to approach
- In stanza 6 the hive is presented very differently, as calm and generous, personified as something that 'does not reward the loud or fast' but freely 'gives its gold' to those who are patient
- Stanza 6 resolves the discomfort of stanza 1, showing that the same 'gold' once associated with pain becomes a reward once fear is replaced with patience
- The strongest answers will select precise, well-chosen quotations from both stanzas and explore how this shift reflects the poem's message about overcoming fear through patience

Question 13

Level 1 (1-2): A simple summary, largely lifted from the poem, with limited sense of the overall lesson learned.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear summary in the student's own words, capturing both the grandmother's original attitude and the speaker's eventual understanding of it.
Indicative content:
- The grandmother believed that bees only sting out of fear, and that staying calm and patient keeps both the beekeeper and the bees safe
- As a child the speaker could not manage this calm and thought his grandmother's confidence was some kind of trick
- As an adult the speaker now repeats his grandmother's calm, patient approach and finally understands and feels it himself
- The wider lesson is that patience and trust, not fear, are rewarded over time
- Good answers will be expressed in the student's own words rather than copied directly from the poem, and will stay within the word limit

Question 14

Level 1 (1-2): A simple comment on the final image, with limited or no reference to the wider poem.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear explanation of the final image's meaning, with some reference to the poem's wider ideas about calm and trust.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed, perceptive explanation of how the final image draws together the poem's ideas about patience, fear and trust, supported by precise textual reference.
Indicative content:
- The image presents the hive's 'gold' as something earned through steadiness rather than given freely to everyone
- The simile 'as steady as a branch that will not shake' compares human patience to the stillness of a tree, suggesting calm is natural and achievable rather than forced
- The image draws together the poem's recurring ideas of stillness established in earlier stanzas (stanza 3's instruction, stanza 4's admitted failure, stanza 5's eventual success)
- It suggests a wider message beyond beekeeping: that anyone willing to remain calm and patient, rather than fearful or hurried, can earn trust and reward
- The calm, resolved tone of the final image contrasts with the anxious, painful tone of the opening stanza, bringing the poem's argument full circle

Question 15

Level 1 (1-2): A simple comment that the speaker's view changes, with limited or no reference to the text.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear explanation of the speaker's changing viewpoint, supported by relevant reference to at least two stanzas.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed explanation exploring the speaker's viewpoint at several points across the poem, supported by well-chosen quotation.
Level 4 (7-8): A perceptive, well-structured explanation that traces the speaker's viewpoint across the whole poem in a nuanced way, with precise and effectively integrated textual support.
Indicative content:
- The poem opens by establishing the grandmother's beekeeping and the physical discomfort it caused the child (stanza 1), before showing her calm expertise in contrast (stanzas 2 to 3)
- As a child, the speaker's viewpoint is fearful and doubtful, unable to 'stay still' and viewing his grandmother's calm as 'something like a trick' (stanza 4)
- The direct admission 'I did not trust her then' marks a clear, honest shift in perspective, distancing the adult narrator from his younger, frightened self
- In stanza 5 the speaker's present-day viewpoint has changed completely: he now repeats his grandmother's actions and explicitly claims to 'feel' the calm he once lacked
- By stanza 6 the speaker's personal viewpoint has broadened into a more universal statement about the hive and, by extension, about how anyone might overcome fear through patience
- The overall structure moves the reader through three viewpoints in sequence: childhood fear, honest adult admission of past failure, and mature calm, giving the poem a clear emotional and structural journey

Question 16

Level 1 (1-2): A simple identification that the hive represents something beyond itself, with limited or no supporting reference.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear explanation of the hive as a metaphor, supported by relevant reference to more than one stanza.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed exploration of how the metaphor develops across the poem, supported by well-chosen quotation from several stanzas.
Level 4 (7-8): A perceptive, well-structured exploration that traces the metaphor's development across the whole poem and considers precisely what it comes to represent, with skilfully integrated textual support.
Indicative content:
- In stanza 1 the hive is introduced through physical discomfort, 'the ache of stings', suggesting something intimidating and not yet understood
- In stanzas 2 and 3 the grandmother's calm handling of the hive and her spoken advice begin to suggest that the hive represents a set of values: calmness, trust and control over fear
- In stanza 4 the young speaker's admission that he 'could not stay still' shows he has not yet grasped what the hive represents
- By stanza 5 the hive's lesson is directly connected to the speaker's own achievement of calm, shown through his physical repetition of his grandmother's actions
- In stanza 6 the hive becomes a metaphor for patience and trust more broadly, applicable beyond beekeeping to how people might earn reward or overcome fear in any area of life
- The strongest responses will trace this development precisely stanza by stanza and offer a clear, well-supported view of what the hive ultimately represents

Question 17

Level 1 (1-2): A simple, general comment on the relationship, with little or no textual support.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear response identifying aspects of the relationship, with some relevant reference to language or structure.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed, well-supported discussion exploring more than one aspect of the relationship (for example the grandmother's words, the speaker's changing attitude), with well-chosen quotation.
Level 4 (7-8): A perceptive discussion considering how language, structure and form together shape the presentation of the relationship, with precise, well-integrated textual support.
Level 5 (9-10): A sophisticated, convincing discussion that explores the relationship in a nuanced way across the whole poem, evaluating how the poet's choices of language, structure and form work together, with skilfully selected and embedded evidence throughout.
Indicative content:
- The grandmother is presented through calm, controlled action and direct, quoted speech (stanza 3), giving her an authoritative but reassuring voice within the poem
- The simile 'as gently as a book' (stanza 2) suggests her deep familiarity and quiet respect for the bees, presenting her as skilled and patient
- The relationship is presented as one of inherited skill and confidence passed down across time: the child does not initially trust or understand his grandmother's calm (stanza 4), but comes to repeat her exact actions as an adult (stanza 5)
- The repetition of 'still' across stanzas 3 to 5 structurally embodies the passing on of calmness from grandmother to grandchild
- The regular quatrain form and steady ABCB rhyme scheme give the whole poem a controlled, measured tone appropriate to a considered adult looking back with gratitude
- The grandmother is not directly present in stanzas 5 and 6 (referred to only through the speaker's memory of her actions), suggesting she may no longer be alive, deepening the sense of a skill or legacy carried forward after her
- Strong responses will consider the relationship as one of quiet, inherited confidence that deepens with time and distance rather than one that is straightforwardly close throughout

Question 18

Level 1 (1-2): A simple statement of agreement or disagreement, with little or no textual support.
Level 2 (3-4): A clear response with some relevant reference to language or ideas, showing basic understanding of the poem's wider meaning.
Level 3 (5-6): A detailed, well-supported evaluation exploring more than one aspect of the poem's wider meaning, with well-chosen quotation.
Level 4 (7-8): A perceptive evaluation that considers different aspects of the poem's ideas in a balanced way, with precise textual support and a considered personal judgement.
Level 5 (9-10): A sophisticated, convincing evaluation that engages closely with the reader's statement, weighing evidence for and against it across the whole poem, and reaches a well-supported, nuanced personal judgement.
Indicative content:
- Consideration of evidence supporting the statement: the personification of the comb and hive using body-like or living language ('blistered gold', 'the hive's one creature'), the grandmother's insistence that bees only sting 'when they're afraid', and the final stanza's generalised claim that the hive rewards steadiness all point beyond a literal account of beekeeping towards ideas about trust and fear
- Consideration of the poem's structural journey, from childhood fear to adult calm, as itself modelling the process of learning to trust rather than fear
- A more balanced or challenging response might argue the poem stays rooted in specific, concrete, personal memory (a particular grandmother, particular hives, a particular garden wall) and that its wider meaning is suggested rather than stated outright, so readers should be cautious about treating it purely as an abstract lesson
- Discussion of the ambiguous final phrase 'those who hold themselves' rather than a named person, which does support a reading of the poem as reaching beyond this one family towards a universal audience
- Reward well-supported personal judgements in either direction, or nuanced positions that partly agree, provided they are backed by precise, relevant textual evidence from across the whole poem

Comprehension: Poetry: Practice Set 2 - Worksheets, Questions and Revision