Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
An extract from a work first published in 1900.
This extract is from Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, showing Carrie and Drouet dining and attending The Mikado in bustling Chicago. Carrie is dazzled by urban glamour yet unsettled by a fleeting encounter with a former co-worker, while the narrator reflects on habit and conscience.
Source A
1 They went to see “The Mikado” one evening, an opera which was hilariously popular at that time. Before going, they made off for the Windsor dining-room, which was in Dearborn Street, a considerable distance from Carrie’s room. It was blowing up cold, and out of her window Carrie could see the western sky, still pink with the fading light, but steely blue at the top where it met the
6 darkness. A long, thin cloud of pink hung in midair, shaped like some island in a far-off sea. Somehow the swaying of some dead branches of trees across the way brought back the picture with which she was familiar when she looked from their front window in December days at home. She paused and wrung her little hands.
11 “What’s the matter?” said Drouet. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said, her lip trembling.
16 He sensed something, and slipped his arm over her shoulder, patting her arm. “Come on,” he said gently, “you’re all right.” She turned to slip on her jacket.
21 “Better wear that boa about your throat to-night.” They walked north on Wabash to Adams Street and then west. The lights in the stores were already shining out in gushes of golden hue. The arc lights were
26 sputtering overhead, and high up were the lighted windows of the tall office buildings. The chill wind whipped in and out in gusty breaths. Homeward bound, the six o’clock throng bumped and jostled. Light overcoats were turned up about the ears, hats were pulled down. Little shop-girls went fluttering by in pairs and fours, chattering, laughing. It was a spectacle of warm-blooded
31 humanity. Suddenly a pair of eyes met Carrie’s in recognition. They were looking out from a group of poorly dressed girls. Their clothes were faded and loose- hanging, their jackets old, their general make-up shabby.
36 Carrie recognised the glance and the girl. She was one of those who worked at the machines in the shoe factory. The latter looked, not quite sure, and then turned her head and looked. Carrie felt as if some great tide had rolled between them. The old dress and the old machine came back. She actually
41 started. Drouet didn’t notice until Carrie bumped into a pedestrian. “You must be thinking,” he said. They dined and went to the theatre. That spectacle pleased Carrie immensely.
46 The colour and grace of it caught her eye. She had vain imaginings about place and power, about far-off lands and magnificent people. When it was over, the clatter of coaches and the throng of fine ladies made her stare. “Wait a minute,” said Drouet, holding her back in the showy foyer where ladies
51 and gentlemen were moving in a social crush, skirts rustling, lace-covered heads nodding, white teeth showing through parted lips. “Let’s see.” “Sixty-seven,” the coach-caller was saying, his voice lifted in a sort of euphonious cry. “Sixty-seven.”
56 “Isn’t it fine?” said Carrie. “Great,” said Drouet. He was as much affected by this show of finery and gayety as she. He pressed her arm warmly. Once she looked up, her even teeth
61 glistening through her smiling lips, her eyes alight. As they were moving out he whispered down to her, “You look lovely!” They were right where the coach- caller was swinging open a coach-door and ushering in two ladies. “You stick to me and we’ll have a coach,” laughed Drouet.
66 Carrie scarcely heard, her head was so full of the swirl of life. They stopped in at a restaurant for a little after-theatre lunch. Just a shade of a thought of the hour entered Carrie’s head, but there was no household law
71 to govern her now. If any habits ever had time to fix upon her, they would have operated here. Habits are peculiar things. They will drive the really non-religious mind out of bed to say prayers that are only a custom and not a devotion. The victim of habit, when he has neglected the thing which it was his custom to do, feels a little scratching in the brain, a little irritating
76 something which comes of being out of the rut, and imagines it to be the prick of conscience, the still, small voice that is urging him ever to righteousness. If the digression is unusual enough, the drag of habit will be heavy enough to cause the unreasoning victim to return and perform the perfunctory thing. “Now, bless me,” says such a mind, “I have done my duty,”
81 when, as a matter of fact, it has merely done its old, unbreakable trick once again.
Questions
Instructions
- Answer all questions.
- Use black ink or black ball point pen.
- Fill in the boxes on this page.
- You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
- Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
- Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
- You must refer to the insert booklet provided.
- You must not use a dictionary.
Information
- The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
- Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
- The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
- There are 40 marks for Section A and 40 marks for Section B.
- You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Advice
- You are advised to spend about 15 minutes reading through the source and all five questions you have to answer.
- You should make sure you leave sufficient time to check your answers.
Section A: Reading
Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Answer all questions on this extract from Source A about Carrie and Drouet’s evening in the city.
Question 1
Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 5.
Answer all parts of this question.
Choose one answer for each question.
1.1 According to the narrator, in which street was the Windsor dining-room?
- Dearborn Street
- State Street
- Clark Street
[1 mark]
1.2 In which street was the Windsor dining-room?
- in State Street
- in Clark Street
- in Dearborn Street
[1 mark]
1.3 How was the weather described?
- blowing up cold
- calm and mild
- drizzling with rain
[1 mark]
1.4 What could Carrie see out of her window?
- the theatre entrance
- the western sky
- the busy roadway
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 darkness. A long, thin cloud of pink hung in midair, shaped like some island in a far-off sea. Somehow the swaying of some dead branches of trees across the way brought back the picture with which she was familiar when she looked from their front window in December days at home. She paused and wrung her little hands.
11 “What’s the matter?” said Drouet. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said, her lip trembling.
How does the writer use language here to present Carrie’s mood and the scene she is looking at? You could include the writer’s choice of:
- words and phrases
- language features and techniques
- sentence forms.
[8 marks]
Question 3
You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole. This text is from the beginning of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of detachment?
You could write about:
- how detachment deepens by the end of the source
- how the writer uses structure to create an effect
- the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.
[8 marks]
Question 4
For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 31 to the end.
In this part of the source, when Carrie sees the girl from the factory, she is clearly shocked and embarrassed. The writer suggests that Carrie now sees her old life as something terrible to escape from.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Carrie when she sees the factory girl
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest Carrie's feelings about her past
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Your college tech society is publishing a page of creative writing about places where technology quietly does the heavy lifting.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Write a description of a hidden data centre from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a sudden systems outage.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]