Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
An extract from a work first published in 1900.
This extract is taken from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, depicting the Patna's departure with hundreds of pilgrims, the leader's prayer, and the voyage under a merciless sun, stressing the crowd's quiet devotion and the crew's detachment amid an oppressive, still sea.
Source A
1 They streamed aboard over three gangways, they streamed in urged by faith and the hope of paradise, they streamed in with a continuous tramp and shuffle of bare feet, without a word, a murmur, or a look back; and when clear of confining rails spread on all sides over the deck, flowed forward and aft, overflowed down the yawning hatchways, filled the inner recesses of the ship--
6 like water filling a cistern, like water flowing into crevices and crannies, like water rising silently even with the rim. Eight hundred men and women with faith and hopes, with affections and memories, they had collected there, coming from north and south and from the outskirts of the East, after treading the jungle paths, descending the rivers, coasting in praus along the shallows,
11 crossing in small canoes from island to island, passing through suffering, meeting strange sights, beset by strange fears, upheld by one desire. They came from solitary huts in the wilderness, from populous campongs, from villages by the sea. At the call of an idea they had left their forests, their clearings, the protection of their rulers, their prosperity, their poverty,
16 the surroundings of their youth and the graves of their fathers. They came covered with dust, with sweat, with grime, with rags--the strong men at the head of family parties, the lean old men pressing forward without hope of return; young boys with fearless eyes glancing curiously, shy little girls with tumbled long hair; the timid women muffled up and clasping to their
21 breasts, wrapped in loose ends of soiled head-cloths, their sleeping babies, the unconscious pilgrims of an exacting belief. ‘Look at dese cattle,’ said the German skipper to his new chief mate.
26 An Arab, the leader of that pious voyage, came last. He walked slowly aboard, handsome and grave in his white gown and large turban. A string of servants followed, loaded with his luggage; the Patna cast off and backed away from the wharf.
31 She was headed between two small islets, crossed obliquely the anchoring- ground of sailing-ships, swung through half a circle in the shadow of a hill, then ranged close to a ledge of foaming reefs. The Arab, standing up aft, recited aloud the prayer of travellers by sea. He invoked the favour of the Most High upon that journey, implored His blessing on men’s toil and on the
36 secret purposes of their hearts; the steamer pounded in the dusk the calm water of the Strait; and far astern of the pilgrim ship a screw-pile lighthouse, planted by unbelievers on a treacherous shoal, seemed to wink at her its eye of flame, as if in derision of her errand of faith.
41 She cleared the Strait, crossed the bay, continued on her way through the ‘One-degree’ passage. She held on straight for the Red Sea under a serene sky, under a sky scorching and unclouded, enveloped in a fulgor of sunshine that killed all thought, oppressed the heart, withered all impulses of strength and energy. And under the sinister splendour of that sky the sea, blue and
46 profound, remained still, without a stir, without a ripple, without a wrinkle --viscous, stagnant, dead. The Patna, with a slight hiss, passed over that plain, luminous and smooth, unrolled a black ribbon of smoke across the sky, left behind her on the water a white ribbon of foam that vanished at once, like the phantom of a track drawn upon a lifeless sea by the phantom of a
51 steamer. Every morning the sun, as if keeping pace in his revolutions with the progress of the pilgrimage, emerged with a silent burst of light exactly at the same distance astern of the ship, caught up with her at noon, pouring the
56 concentrated fire of his rays on the pious purposes of the men, glided past on his descent, and sank mysteriously into the sea evening after evening, preserving the same distance ahead of her advancing bows. The five whites on board lived amidships, isolated from the human cargo. The awnings covered the deck with a white roof from stem to stern, and a faint hum, a low murmur of
61 sad voices, alone revealed the presence of a crowd of people upon the great blaze of the ocean. Such were the days, still, hot, heavy, disappearing one by one into the past, as if falling into an abyss for ever open in the wake of the ship; and the ship, lonely under a wisp of smoke, held on her steadfast way black and smouldering in a luminous immensity, as if scorched by a flame
66 flicked at her from a heaven without pity. The nights descended on her like a benediction.
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 According to the narrator, which description best matches the sound of the boarding crowd?
- A steady shuffle of bare feet
- Loud singing and shouted prayers
- The clatter of boots and luggage
[1 mark]
1.2 According to the narrator, how does the crowd move and settle on the ship after boarding?
- The crowd spreads across the deck and goes below into the ship in a silent, steady flow
- The crowd clusters at the stern, makes noise, and refuses to enter the spaces below
- The crowd stays by the gangways, forms neat queues, and waits for crew instructions
[1 mark]
1.3 Which action does the narrator explicitly say the crowd avoids while boarding the ship?
- Speaking or looking back
- Carrying luggage onto the deck
- Removing head coverings before stepping aboard
[1 mark]
1.4 According to the narrator, how many gangways do the people use to board the ship?
- Two
- Three
- Four
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 like water filling a cistern, like water flowing into crevices and crannies, like water rising silently even with the rim. Eight hundred men and women with faith and hopes, with affections and memories, they had collected there, coming from north and south and from the outskirts of the East, after treading the jungle paths, descending the rivers, coasting in praus along the shallows,
11 crossing in small canoes from island to island, passing through suffering, meeting strange sights, beset by strange fears, upheld by one desire. They came from solitary huts in the wilderness, from populous campongs, from villages by the sea. At the call of an idea they had left their forests, their clearings, the protection of their rulers, their prosperity, their poverty,
How does the writer use language here to describe the crowd and the journeys they have made? 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 melancholy?
You could write about:
- how melancholy deepens 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 41 to the end.
In this part of the source, the description of the sea as ‘stagnant, dead’ makes the journey feel unnatural and threatening. The writer suggests that even nature itself is hostile to the pilgrims’ voyage.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the hostility of nature during the journey
- comment on the methods the writer uses to convey the hostility of nature
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Your school's PE department is creating the programme for the end-of-term sports awards and would like student creative pieces to feature alongside the results.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a rowing club practice on a cold morning from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a comeback after injury.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]