Reading and Comprehension (Prose) Set 5
Reading and Comprehension (Prose) Set 5 is a further practice set of ISEB Common Entrance-style prose comprehension, using a new invented extract to test inference, vocabulary in context and understanding of a writer's language choices at Year 7-8 level.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole extract through once before answering any question, forming a general sense of who is involved, what is happening and where the scene is set.
- Underline or note the exact line reference given in each question so you return to the right part of the text rather than relying on memory.
- For inference questions, quote a short phrase as evidence, then explain what it suggests, rather than simply restating what the text says.
- For vocabulary-in-context questions, look at the words and clauses around the unfamiliar word, since a sentence's structure usually gives a strong clue to meaning.
- For questions on language or structure, name the technique precisely (metaphor, simile, personification, short sentence for pace) and explain its specific effect in this extract, not a general definition.
- Check the number of marks and give at least that many distinct, developed points, since a one-word answer to a three-mark question cannot score full marks.
Worked example
In an extract about an apprentice in an old workshop, the writer describes the workbench as 'scarred with decades of careful cuts, each groove a small, silent memory.' Explain what this description suggests about the workshop, and comment on its effect on the reader.
- Identify the technique: the grooves are described as 'memories', which is personification, giving the marks on the wood a human quality of remembering.
- Note what the detail suggests: the workbench has been used carefully, over many years, by someone skilled, since the cuts are 'careful' rather than careless.
- Link this to the workshop as a whole: it suggests a long tradition of skilled work carried out in this one place.
- Comment on the effect on the reader: it creates a sense of quiet respect and history, making the workshop feel meaningful rather than just an ordinary room full of tools. Final answer: the personified 'memories' in the grooves suggest decades of careful, skilled work, giving the workshop a sense of history and quiet dignity.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1In the sentence 'The old clock in the hallway ticked with the patience of a watchman,' which word gives the clock a human quality?Show answer
Answer: 'patience' (or 'watchman') - it compares the clock's ticking to a person's watchful patience, a form of personification.
Q2A question asks you to 'find and copy one word which shows that the workshop was untidy.' What kind of question is this, and how should you answer it?Show answer
Answer: A retrieval, or find-and-copy, question - you should copy the exact word from the text, not paraphrase it.
Q3An apprentice is described as 'chewing the inside of his cheek and avoiding his master's eye.' What does this suggest about how he feels?Show answer
Answer: That he is nervous, guilty or uncomfortable, shown through his body language rather than being stated directly.
Q4A writer describes sawdust as 'settling like a light snowfall over every surface.' Name the technique used.Show answer
Answer: Simile (the sawdust is compared to snowfall using 'like').
Q5A four-mark question asks you to explain the effect of the writer's language in one paragraph. Roughly how many separate points should your answer include?Show answer
Answer: About three to four separate, well-explained points, roughly one per mark.
Q6In an extract, a character 'set down his tools without a word and walked out into the rain.' What might this action suggest about his state of mind?Show answer
Answer: That he is upset, frustrated or overwhelmed, shown through the abrupt, silent action rather than any spoken explanation.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Look at this sentence from an extract about a river in flood: 'The water no longer flowed; it shoved and snarled at the banks like something starving.' Explain what this description suggests about the river and comment on its effect on the reader.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
A story extract describes an abandoned greenhouse: 'Ivy had forced its way through every gap in the glass, and the paths between the beds had vanished beneath a tangle of bramble and nettle.' Explain how the writer uses language and detail here to suggest that the greenhouse has been neglected for a long time. Support your answer with reference to at least two details.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Read this extract: 'The attic door groaned open, releasing a breath of stale, dusty air. Something skittered in the far corner, and Amara's torch beam trembled as she swept it across the rafters. She told herself it was only a mouse, but her feet would not move any further into the dark.' Explain how the writer creates a sense of tension in this extract. Refer to at least three details or techniques in your answer.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the reading and comprehension (prose) set 5 worksheet pack - 11 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 11 of 13+ English Workbook, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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