Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
An extract from a work first published in 1899.
This extract is from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and depicts Edna Pontellier, at a seaside resort before dawn, quietly defying her husband Léonce’s insistence that she come inside, signaling her emerging independence amid the moonlit stillness and tension of their marriage.
Source A
1 When the voices of the bathers were heard approaching, Robert said good-night. She did not answer him. He thought she was asleep. Again she watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight as he
6 walked away. “What are you doing out here, Edna? I thought I should find you in bed,” said her husband, when he discovered her lying there. He had
11 walked up with Madame Lebrun and left her at the house. His wife did not reply. “Are you asleep?” he asked, bending down close to look at her.
16 “No.” Her eyes gleamed bright and intense, with no sleepy shadows, as they looked into his.
21 “Do you know it is past one o’clock? Come on,” and he mounted the steps and went into their room. “Edna!” called Mr. Pontellier from within, after a few moments had gone
26 by. “Don’t wait for me,” she answered. He thrust his head through the door. “You will take cold out there,” he said, irritably. “What folly is
31 this? Why don’t you come in?” “It isn’t cold; I have my shawl.”
36 “The mosquitoes will devour you.” “There are no mosquitoes.” She heard him moving about the room; every sound indicating impatience
41 and irritation. Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or
46 obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us.
51 “Edna, dear, are you not coming in soon?” he asked again, this time fondly, with a note of entreaty.
56 “No; I am going to stay out here.” “This is more than folly,” he blurted out. “I can’t permit you to stay out there all night. You must come in the house instantly.”
61 With a writhing motion she settled herself more securely in the hammock. She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not
66 at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had; she
71 remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how she should have yielded, feeling as she then did. “Léonce, go to bed,” she said, “I mean to stay out here. I don’t wish
76 to go in, and I don’t intend to. Don’t speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you.”
81 Mr. Pontellier had prepared for bed, but he slipped on an extra garment. He opened a bottle of wine, of which he kept a small and select supply in a buffet of his own. He drank a glass of the wine and
86 went out on the gallery and offered a glass to his wife. She did not wish any. He drew up the rocker, hoisted his slippered feet on the rail, and proceeded to smoke a cigar. He
91 smoked two cigars; then he went inside and drank another glass of wine. Mrs. Pontellier again declined to accept a glass when it was offered to her. Mr. Pontellier
96 once more seated himself with elevated feet, and after a reasonable interval of time smoked some more cigars. Edna began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious,
101 grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul. The physical need for sleep began to overtake her; the exuberance which had sustained and exalted her spirit left her
106 helpless and yielding to the conditions which crowded her in. The stillest hour of the night had come, the hour before dawn, when the world
111 seems to hold its breath. The moon hung low, and had turned from silver to copper in the sleeping sky. The old owl no longer hooted, and the water-oaks had ceased to moan as they bent their heads.
116 Edna arose, cramped from lying so long and still in the hammock. She tottered up the steps, clutching feebly at the post before passing into the house.
121 “Are you coming in, Léonce?” she asked, turning her face toward her husband. “Yes, dear,” he answered, with a glance following a misty puff of
126 smoke. “Just as soon as I have finished my cigar.”
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 did Robert say?
- good-night
- good morning
- good evening
[1 mark]
1.2 What was heard approaching?
- The voices of the bathers
- The footsteps of the bathers
- The laughter of the bathers
[1 mark]
1.3 What was thought about the person who did not answer?
- That the person was asleep
- That the person was awake
- That the person was unwell
[1 mark]
1.4 What did the person watch pass in and out of the strips of moonlight?
- Robert's figure
- Robert's shadow
- Robert's outline
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 10 of the source:
6 walked away. “What are you doing out here, Edna? I thought I should find you in bed,” said her husband, when he discovered her lying there. He had
How does the writer use language here to present Edna’s encounter with her husband? 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 novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of tranquility?
You could write about:
- how tranquility emerges by the end of 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, Mr Pontellier's changing ways of trying to get Edna inside make him seem weak, not strong. The writer suggests he is not used to being challenged and does not know how to handle it.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Mr Pontellier's behaviour during the confrontation
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray his ultimate weakness
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A local radio station is asking listeners to submit short creative pieces about objects that hold special memories.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a much-loved old armchair from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about an unexpected reminder of the past.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]