Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
An extract from a work first published in 1837.
This extract is taken from a Hans Christian Andersen fable that contrasts a boastful yard cock, a lofty weathercock, and a self-important cucumber during a storm. It explores vanity, status, and the question of who is truly “useful.”
Source A
1 THERE were once two cocks; one of them stood on a dunghill, the other on the roof. Both were conceited, but the question is, Which of the two was the more useful? A wooden partition divided the poultry yard from another yard, in which lay a
6 heap of manure sheltering a cucumber bed. In this bed grew a large cucumber, which was fully aware that it was a plant that should be reared in a hotbed. "It is the privilege of birth," said the Cucumber to itself. "All cannot be born cucumbers; there must be other kinds as well. The fowls, the ducks, and
11 the cattle in the next yard are all different creatures, and there is the yard cock--I can look up to him when he is on the wooden partition. He is certainly of much greater importance than the weathercock, who is so highly placed, and who can't even creak, much less crow--besides, he has neither hens nor chickens, and thinks only of himself, and perspires verdigris. But the yard
16 cock is something like a cock. His gait is like a dance, and his crowing is music, and wherever he goes it is instantly known. What a trumpeter he is! If he would only come in here! Even if he were to eat me up, stalk and all, it would be a pleasant death." So said the Cucumber.
21 During the night the weather became very bad; hens, chickens, and even the cock himself sought shelter. The wind blew down with a crash the partition between the two yards, and the tiles came tumbling from the roof, but the weathercock stood firm. He did not even turn round; in fact, he could not, although he was fresh and newly cast. He had been born full grown and did not
26 at all resemble the birds, such as the sparrows and swallows, that fly beneath the vault of heaven. He despised them and looked upon them as little twittering birds that were made only to sing. The pigeons, he admitted, were large and shone in the sun like mother-of-pearl. They somewhat resembled weathercocks, but were fat and stupid and thought only of stuffing themselves
31 with food. "Besides," said the weathercock, "they are very tiresome things to converse with." The birds of passage often paid a visit to the weathercock and told him tales of foreign lands, of large flocks passing through the air, and of encounters
36 with robbers and birds of prey. These were very interesting when heard for the first time, but the weathercock knew the birds always repeated themselves, and that made it tedious to listen. "They are tedious, and so is every one else," said he; "there is no one fit to
41 associate with. One and all of them are wearisome and stupid. The whole world is worth nothing--it is made up of stupidity." The weathercock was what is called "lofty," and that quality alone would have made him interesting in the eyes of the Cucumber, had she known it. But she
46 had eyes only for the yard cock, who had actually made his appearance in her yard; for the violence of the storm had passed, but the wind had blown down the wooden palings. "What do you think of that for crowing?" asked the yard cock of his hens and
51 chickens. It was rather rough, and wanted elegance, but they did not say so, as they stepped upon the dunghill while the cock strutted about as if he had been a knight. "Garden plant," he cried to the Cucumber. She heard the words with deep feeling, for they showed that he understood who she was, and she forgot that he was pecking at her and eating her up--a happy death!
56 Then the hens came running up, and the chickens followed, for where one runs the rest run also. They clucked and chirped and looked at the cock and were proud that they belonged to him. "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" crowed he; "the chickens in the poultry yard will grow to be large fowls if I make my voice heard in
61 the world." And the hens and chickens clucked and chirped, and the cock told them a great piece of news. "A cock can lay an egg," he said. "And what do you think is in that egg? In that egg lies a basilisk. No one can endure the sight of a
66 basilisk. Men know my power, and now you know what I am capable of, also, and what a renowned bird I am." And with this the yard cock flapped his wings, erected his comb, and crowed again, till all the hens and chickens trembled; but they were proud that one of their race should be of such renown in the world. They clucked and they chirped so that the weathercock heard it; he had
71 heard it all, but had not stirred. "It's all stupid stuff," said a voice within the weathercock. "The yard cock does not lay eggs any more than I do, and I am too lazy. I could lay a wind egg if I liked, but the world is not worth a wind egg. And now I don't intend
76 to sit here any longer." With that, the weathercock broke off and fell into the yard. He did not kill the yard cock, although the hens said he intended to do so.
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.
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 What does the narrator/speaker ask about the cocks?
- Which of the two was the more useful
- Which of the two stood on a dunghill
- Which of the two stood on the roof
[1 mark]
1.2 Where did one cock stand?
- In the poultry yard
- On a dunghill
- By the wooden partition
[1 mark]
1.3 Where did the other cock stand?
- In another yard
- By the wooden partition
- On the roof
[1 mark]
1.4 According to the narrator, what separates the poultry yard from another yard?
- A wooden partition
- A stone wall
- A thorn hedge
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 heap of manure sheltering a cucumber bed. In this bed grew a large cucumber, which was fully aware that it was a plant that should be reared in a hotbed. "It is the privilege of birth," said the Cucumber to itself. "All cannot be born cucumbers; there must be other kinds as well. The fowls, the ducks, and
11 the cattle in the next yard are all different creatures, and there is the yard cock--I can look up to him when he is on the wooden partition. He is certainly of much greater importance than the weathercock, who is so highly placed, and who can't even creak, much less crow--besides, he has neither hens nor chickens, and thinks only of himself, and perspires verdigris. But the yard
How does the writer use language here to present the Cucumber’s sense of status and its view of others? 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 start of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of irony?
You could write about:
- how irony develops throughout 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 21 to the end.
In this part of the source, where the yard cock boasts he can lay an egg with a basilisk in it, he appears foolish rather than powerful. The writer suggests that this kind of extreme pride is actually just ridiculous.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the yard cock and his extreme pride
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray the yard cock's ridiculous pride
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A national science blog is showcasing student creative writing on life with technology.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a robotics lab from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a digital mistake with real consequences.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]