Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
An extract from a work first published in 1861.
This extract is taken from early in Great Expectations, when Pip is led through the dark passages of Satis House to meet Miss Havisham in her faded bridal dress, surrounded by stopped clocks, and is commanded to play.
Source A
1 We went into the house by a side door, the great front entrance had two chains across it outside,—and the first thing I noticed was, that the passages were all dark, and that she had left a candle burning there. She took it up, and we went through more passages and up a staircase, and still it was all dark, and only the candle lighted us.
6 At last we came to the door of a room, and she said, “Go in.” I answered, more in shyness than politeness, “After you, miss.”
11 To this she returned: “Don’t be ridiculous, boy; I am not going in.” And scornfully walked away, and—what was worse—took the candle with her. This was very uncomfortable, and I was half afraid. However, the only thing to be done being to knock at the door, I knocked, and was told from within to
16 enter. I entered, therefore, and found myself in a pretty large room, well lighted with wax candles. No glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it. It was a dressing-room, as I supposed from the furniture, though much of it was of forms and uses then quite unknown to me. But prominent in it was a draped table with a gilded looking-glass, and that I made out at first sight to be a
21 fine lady’s dressing-table. Whether I should have made out this object so soon if there had been no fine lady sitting at it, I cannot say. In an arm-chair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have
26 ever seen, or shall ever see. She was dressed in rich materials,—satins, and lace, and silks,—all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright
31 jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on,—the other was on the table near her hand,—her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace
36 for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a Prayer-Book all confusedly heaped about the looking- glass. It was not in the first few moments that I saw all these things, though I saw
41 more of them in the first moments than might be supposed. But I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress
46 had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose had shrunk to skin and bone. Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress that had been
51 dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could. “Who is it?” said the lady at the table.
56 “Pip, ma’am.” “Pip?”
61 “Mr. Pumblechook’s boy, ma’am. Come—to play.” “Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close.” It was when I stood before her, avoiding her eyes, that I took note of the
66 surrounding objects in detail, and saw that her watch had stopped at twenty minutes to nine, and that a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine. “Look at me,” said Miss Havisham. “You are not afraid of a woman who has never
71 seen the sun since you were born?” I regret to state that I was not afraid of telling the enormous lie comprehended in the answer “No.”
76 “Do you know what I touch here?” she said, laying her hands, one upon the other, on her left side. “Yes, ma’am.” (It made me think of the young man.)
81 “What do I touch?” “Your heart.” “Broken!”
86 She uttered the word with an eager look, and with strong emphasis, and with a weird smile that had a kind of boast in it. Afterwards she kept her hands there for a little while, and slowly took them away as if they were heavy.
91 “I am tired,” said Miss Havisham. “I want diversion, and I have done with men and women. Play.”
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 How did the narrator enter the house?
- by a side door
- by the great front entrance
- by a back door
[1 mark]
1.2 What was across the great front entrance?
- two chains
- an iron bar
- a padlocked gate
[1 mark]
1.3 What were the passages like?
- all dark
- well lit
- full of pictures
[1 mark]
1.4 What happened to the candle that had been left burning in the passages?
- the candle was taken up
- the candle was blown out
- the candle was left where it was
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 At last we came to the door of a room, and she said, “Go in.” I answered, more in shyness than politeness, “After you, miss.”
11 To this she returned: “Don’t be ridiculous, boy; I am not going in.” And scornfully walked away, and—what was worse—took the candle with her. This was very uncomfortable, and I was half afraid. However, the only thing to be done being to knock at the door, I knocked, and was told from within to
How does the writer use language here to build tension and show the narrator’s unease? 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 extract is from the beginning of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of claustrophobia?
You could write about:
- how claustrophobia builds 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 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, where Miss Havisham declares her heart is 'Broken!', she seems strangely proud rather than just sad. The writer suggests that she is performing her suffering for the boy and takes a boastful pleasure in it.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Miss Havisham's strange pride in her suffering
- comment on the methods the writer uses to convey her boastful pleasure
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Your local leisure centre is creating a new display about personal achievement and invites creative contributions.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a solitary athlete from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about perseverance.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]