Reading and Comprehension (Prose) Set 8
Reading and Comprehension (Prose) Set 8 is further 13+ Common Entrance practice at reading a fiction extract and answering questions on meaning, inference, vocabulary and the writer's use of language and structure.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole extract once before answering, to establish what is happening, who the characters are, and the setting.
- Check how many marks each question carries and use this to decide how many points and how much detail your answer needs.
- Use any paragraph or line references given in the question to locate the exact part of the text you need.
- Base inference answers on evidence from the text, such as a character's words, actions or physical reactions, rather than on assumption.
- When explaining a writer's use of language, identify the technique, quote the relevant words, and explain the effect created.
- For questions on structure, consider how sentence length, paragraphing or the order of events affects the pace and mood of the extract.
Worked example
In an extract about a climber caught in a sudden storm, the writer describes the wind as 'a fist that shoved him sideways with every step.' Identify the technique used and explain its effect.
- Identify the technique: this is a metaphor, since the wind is directly described as a fist, not compared to one using 'like' or 'as'.
- Note the qualities of a fist being transferred to the wind: force, aggression and physical impact.
- Link this to the climber: the metaphor suggests the wind is powerful enough to physically push and unbalance him.
- Comment on the effect: it creates a sense of danger and struggle, making the reader feel the storm as a violent, almost deliberate attacker rather than simply bad weather.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1A climber notices 'his fingers had gone from cold to strangely warm.' What might this detail suggest to an alert reader?Show answer
Answer: That he may be developing frostbite or hypothermia, since numbness followed by a false sense of warmth can be a warning sign of extreme cold.
Q2Which word class is 'desperately' in 'He desperately searched for a handhold'?Show answer
Answer: An adverb - it describes how he searched.
Q3A character 'counted his steps instead of looking down.' What does this suggest about his feelings?Show answer
Answer: That he is anxious or afraid, and is using a distraction to control his fear.
Q4Find and copy one word from 'the mist swallowed the path ahead of him' that gives the mist a human or animal-like quality.Show answer
Answer: 'Swallowed' - personification.
Q5A question worth 4 marks asks you to explain the effect of a writer's description. Roughly how many separate points should your answer include?Show answer
Answer: About three to four separate, developed points, roughly one per mark.
Q6A climber 'gripped the rope until his knuckles turned white, then made himself let go, one finger at a time.' What does this suggest about the difficulty of what he is doing?Show answer
Answer: That he has to force himself to overcome fear or instinct, showing real determination and self-control.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
'The rain came sideways now, needling his face, and the path had vanished into a grey, shifting nothing.' Explain what the description suggests about the climber's situation and comment on its effect.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
'Sam's radio crackled, then fell silent. "Base, do you copy?" Nothing answered but the wind. He tried again, louder this time, though he already knew what the silence meant.' Explain how the writer creates a sense of isolation in this extract. Refer to at least two details or techniques.
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Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
'The ledge was barely wider than his boots. Below him, the mountain simply disappeared into cloud, as though the world ended a metre from his feet. He pressed his back against the rock and did not move, did not breathe, until the shaking in his legs finally stopped.' Explain how the writer builds tension in this extract. Refer to at least three techniques or details.
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 8 worksheet pack - 10 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 20 of 13+ English Workbook, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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