Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 20th-century prose fiction
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
An extract from a work first published in 1915.
This extract is taken from Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, early in the novella as Gregor’s chief clerk confronts him for missing work while he struggles behind a locked door. It highlights workplace pressure, family anxiety, and Gregor’s frantic attempts to appear normal despite alarming difficulties.
Source A
1 The chief clerk now raised his voice, “Mr. Samsa”, he called to him, “what is wrong? You barricade yourself in your room, give us no more than yes or no for an answer, you are causing serious and unnecessary
6 concern to your parents and you fail—and I mention this just by the way—you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite unheard of. I’m speaking here on behalf
11 of your parents and of your employer, and really must request a clear and immediate explanation. I am astonished, quite astonished. I thought I knew you as a calm and
16 sensible person, and now you suddenly seem to be showing off with peculiar whims. This morning, your employer did suggest a possible reason for your failure to appear, it’s true—it had to do with the
21 money that was recently entrusted to you—but I came near to giving him my word of honour that that could not be the right explanation. But now that I see your
26 incomprehensible stubbornness I no longer feel any wish whatsoever to intercede on your behalf. And nor is your position all that secure. I had originally intended to say all this to you in
31 private, but since you cause me to waste my time here for no good reason I don’t see why your parents should not also learn of it. Your turnover has been very unsatisfactory of late; I
36 grant you that it’s not the time of year to do especially good business, we recognise that; but there simply is no time of year to do no business at all, Mr.
41 Samsa, we cannot allow there to be.” “But Sir”, called Gregor, beside himself and forgetting all else in the excitement, “I’ll open up immediately, just a moment. I’m slightly unwell, an
46 attack of dizziness, I haven’t been able to get up. I’m still in bed now. I’m quite fresh again now, though. I’m just getting out of bed. Just a moment. Be patient! It’s not quite as easy as I’d
51 thought. I’m quite alright now, though. It’s shocking, what can suddenly happen to a person! I was quite alright last night, my parents know about it, perhaps better than me, I had a small symptom
56 of it last night already. They must have noticed it. I don’t know why I didn’t let you know at work! But you always think you can get over an illness without
61 staying at home. Please, don’t make my parents suffer! There’s no basis for any of the accusations you’re making; nobody’s ever said a word to me about any of these things. Maybe you haven’t read the latest
66 contracts I sent in. I’ll set off with the eight o’clock train, as well, these few hours of rest have given me strength. You don’t need to wait, sir; I’ll be in the office
71 soon after you, and please be so good as to tell that to the boss and recommend me to him!” And while Gregor gushed out these words, hardly knowing what he was
76 saying, he made his way over to the chest of drawers—this was easily done, probably because of the practise he had already had in bed—where he now tried to get
81 himself upright. He really did want to open the door, really did want to let them see him and to speak with the chief clerk; the others were being so insistent, and he was curious to learn
86 what they would say when they caught sight of him. If they were shocked then it would no longer be Gregor’s responsibility and he could rest. If, however, they took everything calmly he
91 would still have no reason to be upset, and if he hurried he really could be at the station for eight o’clock. The first few times he tried to climb up on the smooth
96 chest of drawers he just slid down again, but he finally gave himself one last swing and stood there upright; the lower part of his body was in serious pain but he no longer gave any attention to it. Now he let himself
101 fall against the back of a nearby chair and held tightly to the edges of it with his little legs. By now he had also calmed down, and kept quiet so that he could listen to what the chief clerk was saying.
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 chief clerk raise?
- hand
- tone
- voice
[1 mark]
1.2 What does the chief clerk ask after calling Mr. Samsa?
- where are you?
- what is wrong?
- who is there?
[1 mark]
1.3 According to the chief clerk, what does Mr. Samsa give for an answer?
- no more than yes or no
- no reply whatsoever
- a long explanation
[1 mark]
1.4 What does the chief clerk say Mr. Samsa does in his room?
- locks himself inside it
- barricades himself in it
- sits quietly within it
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 1 to 15 of the source:
1 The chief clerk now raised his voice, “Mr. Samsa”, he called to him, “what is wrong? You barricade yourself in your room, give us no more than yes or no for an answer, you are causing serious and unnecessary
6 concern to your parents and you fail—and I mention this just by the way—you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite unheard of. I’m speaking here on behalf
11 of your parents and of your employer, and really must request a clear and immediate explanation. I am astonished, quite astonished. I thought I knew you as a calm and
How does the writer use language here to present the chief clerk’s complaints and attitude towards Mr Samsa? 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 story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of momentum?
You could write about:
- how momentum 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 41 to the end.
In this part of the source, when Gregor is rushing his excuses to the chief clerk, he sounds panicked. The writer suggests that he is still more worried about his job than about what has happened to his body.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Gregor's panicked excuses to the chief clerk
- comment on the methods the writer uses to present his worry about his job
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A popular history podcast is asking for creative pieces about a single, treasured object from the past.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a much-loved childhood toy from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about an object that brings back a powerful memory.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]