Reading and Comprehension (Prose): Practice Set 2
Reading and Comprehension (Prose): Practice Set 2 is a second full set of ISEB Common Entrance style prose questions, giving further practice at reading an unfamiliar extract from a story and answering questions on understanding, inference, vocabulary and the writer's use of language.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole extract through once without stopping, to get a general sense of the setting, characters and what is happening.
- Check how many marks each question is worth before you answer, since this tells you how many separate points or pieces of evidence you need.
- Use any paragraph or line numbers given in the question to find the exact part of the extract you need, rather than searching the whole passage again.
- For "find a word or phrase" questions, copy the exact wording from the extract rather than paraphrasing it.
- For inference and language questions, quote a short phrase and then explain what it suggests, rather than simply repeating the quotation.
- Leave time to check that every part of a multi-part question has been answered, since it is easy to miss the final part under time pressure.
Worked example
In an extract about an old bookshop, the writer describes the shelves as "sagging under decades of forgotten stories, like old men bent by years of carrying too much." Explain what this simile suggests about the shop and comment on its effect on the reader. (3 marks)
- Identify the technique: this is a simile, since the shelves are compared to old men using the word "like".
- Note what is being compared: the shelves' sagging under the weight of books is compared to old men bent by carrying heavy loads for years.
- Link this to meaning: the simile suggests the shop is very old, cluttered and has held its books for a long time, giving a sense of history and neglect.
- Comment on the effect on the reader: it creates a warm, slightly melancholy atmosphere, making the shop feel tired but full of stories waiting to be found. Final answer: the simile suggests the bookshop is old and overloaded with history, and creates a nostalgic, slightly weary atmosphere for the reader.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Which word means the same as "cluttered" in a sentence describing a messy attic: "crammed", "empty", "tidy" or "spacious"?Show answer
Answer: Crammed.
Q2A question asks you to "find and copy one word" meaning "silent." Which of these fits: "hushed", "loud", "busy" or "bright"?Show answer
Answer: Hushed.
Q3A writer describes a clock as "ticking its patient warning through the empty hall." Name the poetic technique used here.Show answer
Answer: Personification (the clock is given the human quality of patience and the ability to warn).
Q4In an extract, a character "kept glancing at the door and twisting the strap of her bag." What does this suggest about the character's feelings?Show answer
Answer: That she is nervous, anxious or expecting someone; her repeated glancing and fidgeting show unease.
Q5A question is worth 5 marks and asks you to explain how a writer builds atmosphere across a paragraph. Roughly how many separate, developed points should your answer include?Show answer
Answer: About four to five separate, well-explained points, roughly one per mark.
Q6A character mutters "It's nothing" while quickly hiding a letter in his pocket. Explain what the contrast between his words and actions suggests.Show answer
Answer: It suggests the letter is important and that he is not telling the truth; the mismatch between the dismissive words and the secretive action hints at something he wants to hide.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Look at this sentence from a description of a fairground at closing time: "The last lights flickered out one by one, like candles pinched between careful fingers." Explain what this simile suggests about the fairground 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 a deserted lighthouse cottage: "Dust lay thick as fresh snow across every surface, and a single teacup sat untouched on the table, its contents long since turned to dust." Explain how the writer uses language and detail here to suggest that the cottage has been empty 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 short extract: "The corridor stretched away into darkness. Somewhere ahead, water dripped in slow, uneven beats. Marcus pressed his palm flat against the cold stone wall and made himself breathe." 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): practice set 2 worksheet pack - 9 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 4 of 13+ English Workbook, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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