1. Understanding Questions
1.1 Identify a point
Typical question:
In lines 26–30 (“You often . . . show.”), what distinction does the writer make between video games and “most forms of popular entertainment”? (H 2011) 2 U
Trigger words: Give – State – Identify – Write down - What
METHOD : This is a Locate and Translate question
Locate: Find the part in the passage where the answer appears
Translate: as far as possible, turn this part into your own words, retaining the sense of what the writer was saying.
ONLY write the translate point: don’t waste time copying out a quote from the passage.
You often hear video games included in the list of the debased instant gratifications that abound in our culture. But compared with most forms of popular entertainment, games turn out to be all about delayed gratification, sometimes so long delayed that you wonder if the gratification is ever going to show.
Locate: debased instant gratifications … compared with most forms of popular entertainment, games turn out to be all about delayed gratification … you wonder if the gratification is ever going to show.
Translate:
Most forms of popular entertainment offer quick rewards (1)
Video games make you wait a long time for the reward (1)
Coping with the challenge
This type of question is easier if you have
· a good general knowledge
· good vocabulary
In addition to question type practice, you can improve by
· reading widely
· using a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words when you read
· learning the skill of working words out from context
1.2 Explain an idea / argument in your own words
Typical question:
According to the writer, why is “reward” so important to the learning process involved in playing video games? 3 U
Trigger words: Explain – Why
METHOD: This is a harder Locate and Translate question, because the answer draws on about nine points made between lines 33 and 45: one key point plus 8 optional points.
Locate: Find the part in the passage where the answer appears
Translate: as far as possible, turn this part into your own words, retaining the sense of what the writer was saying.
ONLY write the translate point: don’t waste time copying out a quote from the passage.
Key point:
Locate: “the power of games to captivate largely involves their ability to tap into the brain’s natural reward circuitry.”
Translate: people’s brains are created in such a way that they find rewards a great stimulus to action, learning etc
+ 1 / 2 more points
eg
Subsidiary point
Locate: “Most of the crucial work in game design focuses on keeping players notified of potential rewards available to them, and how much these rewards are currently needed.”
Translate: games constantly remind people that they can get rewards and how they will benefit.
Coping with the challenge
This type of question can be difficult because it often involves the ability to follow a complex line of thought which can extend over a good few lines.
You need to make an intelligent summary of the idea, not just pick out unrelated points.
Make sure that you reword the challenging / difficult vocabulary to reveal genuine understanding.
Where necessary, generalise from specific examples, eg in a list.
You will find it easier if you have lots of experience of reading this sort of article for pleasure and general understanding.
1.3 Explain how a sentence acts as a link
Typical question:
Show how the sentence in line 31 acts as a link in the writer’s argument. 2 U
So why does anyone bother playing these things?
The link question involves understanding how the identified sentence refers back to the topic of the previous paragraph and introduces the new topic to be discussed.
Trigger word: link
METHOD: You need to do FOUR things
1. From the link, quote the phrase which links back
2. From the previous section, say what it is linking back to
3. From the link, quote the phrase which introduces a new idea
4. From the following section, show that this new idea is discussed.
1. “Why does anyone bother” links back
2. to the idea that game playing can seem like hard work and take a long time to offer any sort of reward or pleasure
3. The question “Why” introduces the new idea
4. which is the reasons why people do play, ie the reward system
Coping with the challenge
The link question always requires the same 4 step method.
Take care: sometimes, the identified sentence links back / forward to ideas not immediately before or after.
In the example above, the “reward” idea doesn’t appear until line 35: the writer poses the question again and puts forward the answer that “no-one really knows” before offering his own solution.
Again, intelligent and attentive reading is required.
If you are reading the passage carefully enough, and following the line of thought, this type of question should be easy.
1.3 The meaning of key (difficult) words in the passage: the context question
Typical question:
Show how the context of the word “...” helps you to understand the meaning of the word. 2 U
SAMPLE TEXT
The context question involves understanding how the meaning of the word is revealed by the words around about it.
The word is likely to be one you don't know: you are meant to work it out, not know it already.
Trigger word: context
METHOD:
1. Give the meaning of the word
2. Explain how the words around it reveal the meaning, eg by:
giving an explanation; an example; an opposite etc
exemplar answer
Coping with the challenge
Take care to find the meaning of the word as it is used in the passage: this can be a different meaning to the common meaning.
Have you ever seen the headline round in “Have I Got News For You?” They give a headline with a word missing and ask the panel to guess what the word is. This is the way to approach this question: think of the word as a big blank, and work out what would fit the blank.
The context WILL provide the meaning: the challenge is in explaining how by understanding the relationship of the word to the rest of the sentence.
1.4 Explain the relevance of an anecdote or illustration
Typical question:
How does the example of algebra or of chess illustrate the point the
writer is making in lines 55-61?
2 U
We teach algebra to children knowing full well that the day they leave the classroom 99 per cent of those kids will never again directly employ their algebraic skills. Learning algebra isn’t about acquiring a specific tool; it’s about building up a mental muscle that will come in handy elsewhere.
Writers often use anecdotes (or “wee stories”) to illustrate a point. In fact, I did this in class myself one day …
This type of question asks you to spot the similarity between the specific example / anecdote and the writer's wider argument.
Trigger words: example - anecdote - illustrate
METHOD:
1. Work out and explain the main point of the anecdote
2. Work out and explain the link to the overall argument
eg
The writer makes the point that algebra is useful more for the skills it develops than for the knowledge of algebra;
this is the same as video games, which he believes develop the brain regardless of what they are about.
Coping with the challenge
This is a good question for testing whether you are following the writer's general points.
The “wee stories” can sometimes act as light relief in a serious passage, and you can enjoy the story for itself, but an attentive reader will see how it fits into the writer's general point and how it helped you to understand a key idea.
2 Analysis
The three question types which follow – Word Choice, Imagery and Sentence Structure – are all subdivisions of the Language question.
They can be asked separately or as part of a Language question.
2.1 Word Choice
Typical question:
Show how the writer’s word choice in lines 1–4 emphasises the “conventional wisdom” that reading books is better than playing video games.
2 U
Reading books enriches the mind; playing video games deadens it—you can’t get much
more conventional than the conventional wisdom that kids today would be better off
spending more time reading books, and less time zoning out in front of their video
games.
This is one of the easier questions to learn how to do, focusing on the impact of specific words.
You are asked to connect the word chosen to the writer's attitude / tone / mood / point
Trigger words: word choice
METHOD: Quote and analyse
You need to understand three concepts:
Denotation : the dictionary meaning of the word
Connotation: the emotional associations of the word, eg the attitude it displays
Effect: the reason for the writer choosing this word
Focus on single words, or, at most, very short phrases.
eg
“ enriches”
Denotation : improves
Connotation: suggests the idea of a wealth of benefits, as if the mind is stuffed with good things
Effect: this emphasises that the “conventional wisdom” is that reading is improving.
You can lay out your answer like this: it isn’t required, but it is very helpful in making sure you are following the method and, therefore, getting the marks.
Coping with the challenge
Clearly, a good vocabulary helps you to cope with word choice questions: both a knowledge of difficult words and an awareness of the connotation of words.
As you read for pleasure, you should become aware of the emotional resonances of words used by the writer and how you subtly pick up the writer's attitude through the words chosen.
You learn a lot about this when studying literature, especially poetry.
Adverts are very good at using words with effective connotations: do you fall into their trap or can you spot their tricks?
2.2 Imagery
Typical question:
Show how, in lines 15-22, the writer conveys the difficulty of playing video games by his use of imagery. 2 U
But when you put the game down and move back into the real world, you may find yourself mentally working through the problem you have been wrestling with, as though you were worrying a loose tooth.
In close reading, the word imagery refers to the techniques involving comparison: similes and metaphors.
You are expected to recognise what the comparison helps you to understand about the writer's main point.
Trigger word: imagery
METHOD:
You need to recognise three things:
The literal root of the image: ie, what comparison is being used
What this is being used to describe
Why the two things are similar
You might find this formula useful:
Just as … (characteristics of the root)
so too … (characteristics of the thing being described)
eg
“ worrying a loose tooth”
Just as a loose tooth is something you can't leave alone and keep going back to without thinking about it
so too do we continually try to work out how to get past the problem in the game.
Coping with the challenge
You can sometimes find that the simile / metaphor is something you don't recognise: one year, the Higher paper talked about children being like “battery hens”, and many pupils thought these were toy hens, not caged ones! Similarly, a recent paper used a reference to King Canute: do you know who he was?
Again, a good general knowledge helps: the writer is aiming the passage at an educated general reader with some cultural awareness.
2.3 Sentence structure
Typical question:
Show how, in lines 15-22, the writer conveys the difficulty of playing video games by his use of sentence structure. 2A
The most powerful example of this trend is found in the world of video games. And the first and last thing that should be said about the experience of playing today’s video games, the thing you almost never hear, is that games are fiendishly, sometimes maddeningly, hard. The dirty little secret of gaming is how much time you spend not having fun. You may be frustrated; you may be confused or disorientated; you may be stuck. But when you put the game down and move back into the real world, you may find yourself mentally working through the problem you have been wrestling with, as though you were worrying a loose tooth.
This is one of the hardest question types to do really well, and a good sentence structure answer is the marker of a high-scoring candidate.
Sentence structure is about the way the writer organises words into sentences to highlight key points using Punctuation and Pattern.
Among many other techniques, you will need to be able to recognise and discuss:
· Sentence length (especially short / minor / (anti)climactic sentences)
· Repetition
· Parenthesis
· Listing
· Balance
Trigger word: sentence structure
METHOD:
Identify the technique being used
Point out where it is used: you don’t need to quote along chunk, but you need to show you’re not just guessing.
Explain the impact of the technique.
eg
“You may be frustrated; you may be confused or disorientated; you may be stuck.”
Just as a loose tooth is something you can't leave alone and keep going back to without thinking about it