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 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900), where Carrie, flattered by Drouet’s praise, daydreams about the stage as he secures her a part in a lodge production and even supplies a glamorous stage name, boosting her tentative hopes.
Source A
1 On several occasions, when Drouet had caught her admiring herself, as he imagined, in the mirror, she was doing nothing more than recalling some little grace of the mouth or the eyes which she had witnessed in another. Under his
6 airy accusation she mistook this for vanity and accepted the blame with a faint sense of error, though, as a matter of fact, it was nothing more than the first subtle outcroppings of an artistic nature,
11 endeavouring to re-create the perfect likeness of some phase of beauty which appealed to her. In such feeble tendencies, be it known, such outworking of desire to reproduce life,
16 lies the basis of all dramatic art. Now, when Carrie heard Drouet’s laudatory opinion of her dramatic ability, her body tingled with satisfaction. Like the flame which welds
21 the loosened particles into a solid mass, his words united those floating wisps of feeling which she had felt, but never believed, concerning her possible ability, and made them into a gaudy shred of hope.
26 Like all human beings, she had a touch of vanity. She felt that she could do things if she only had a chance. How often had she looked at the well-dressed actresses on the stage and wondered how she would
31 look, how delightful she would feel if only she were in their place. The glamour, the tense situation, the fine clothes, the applause, these had lured her until she felt that she, too, could act—that she, too,
36 could compel acknowledgment of power. Now she was told that she really could—that little things she had done about the house had made even him feel her power. It was a delightful sensation while it
41 lasted. When Drouet was gone, she sat down in her rocking-chair by the window to think about it. As usual, imagination exaggerated the possibilities for her. It was as if he had put fifty cents in her hand and she had exercised the
46 thoughts of a thousand dollars. She saw herself in a score of pathetic situations in which she assumed a tremulous voice and suffering manner. Her mind delighted itself with scenes of luxury and
51 refinement, situations in which she was the cynosure of all eyes, the arbiter of all fates. As she rocked to and fro she felt the tensity of woe in abandonment, the magnificence
56 of wrath after deception, the languour of sorrow after defeat. Thoughts of all the charming women she had seen in plays—every fancy, every illusion which she had concerning
61 the stage—now came back as a returning tide after the ebb. She built up feelings and a determination which the occasion did not warrant. Drouet dropped in at the lodge when he went down town, and swashed around with
66 a great air, as Quincel met him. “Where is that young lady you were going to get for us?” asked the latter. “I’ve got her,” said Drouet. “Have you?” said Quincel, rather surprised by his promptness; “that’s good. What’s her
71 address?” and he pulled out his notebook in order to be able to send her part to her. “You want to send her her part?” asked the drummer. “Yes.” “Well, I’ll take it. I’m going right by her house in the morning. “What did
76 you say her address was? We only want it in case we have any information to send her.” “Twenty-nine Ogden Place.”
81 “And her name?” “Carrie Madenda,” said the drummer, firing at random. The lodge members knew
86 him to be single. “That sounds like somebody that can act, doesn’t it?” said Quincel. “Yes, it does.” He took the part home to Carrie and handed it to her with the manner of one
91 who does a favour. “He says that’s the best part. Do you think you can do it?” “I don’t know until I look it over. You know I’m afraid, now that I’ve said I would.”
96 “Oh, go on. What have you got to be afraid of? It’s a cheap company. The rest of them aren’t as good as you are.” “Well, I’ll see,” said Carrie, pleased to have the part, for all her
101 misgivings. He sidled around, dressing and fidgeting before he arranged to make his next remark. “They were getting ready to print the programmes,” he said, “and I gave them the name of Carrie Madenda.
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, how often did this occur?
- On one occasion
- On several occasions
- On two occasions
[1 mark]
1.2 According to the narrator, what was Carrie actually doing when Drouet believed Carrie was admiring Carrie's appearance?
- Remembering a small detail of another person's facial expression
- Studying features Carrie liked in Carrie's face
- Watching for Drouet's reaction to Carrie's appearance
[1 mark]
1.3 At those moments when Drouet misreads Carrie’s behaviour, what is Carrie actually doing?
- Carrie is remembering a small feature from another person's expression.
- Carrie is practising dance steps for a performance.
- Carrie is adjusting clothing to look smarter.
[1 mark]
1.4 What was Carrie actually doing when Drouet assumed Carrie was admiring herself at a mirror?
- Remembering a small facial detail Carrie had noticed on someone else
- Practising lines for a stage role
- Checking how a new hat looked on Carrie
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 16 to 25 of the source:
16 lies the basis of all dramatic art. Now, when Carrie heard Drouet’s laudatory opinion of her dramatic ability, her body tingled with satisfaction. Like the flame which welds
21 the loosened particles into a solid mass, his words united those floating wisps of feeling which she had felt, but never believed, concerning her possible ability, and made them into a gaudy shred of hope.
How does the writer use language here to present Carrie’s reaction to Drouet’s praise? 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 yearning?
You could write about:
- how yearning intensifies 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 Carrie daydreams about being a famous actress, it seems to show how ambitious she is. The writer suggests that her dreams are unrealistic and she might be easily disappointed.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Carrie's ambitious daydreams about being an actress
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest her potential disappointment
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Your college coding club is inviting short creative pieces for its website showcase next month.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a community makerspace from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a rumour spreading through a group chat.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]