Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
An extract from a work first published in 1838.
This extract is taken from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, where Oliver witnesses a pickpocketing, panics and runs, and is mistakenly pursued by a swelling crowd shouting 'Stop thief!' before being seized by a policeman as he protests his innocence.
Source A
1 What was Oliver’s horror and alarm as he stood a few paces off, looking on with his eyelids as wide open as they would possibly go, to see the Dodger plunge his hand into the old gentleman’s pocket, and draw from thence a handkerchief! To see him hand the same to Charley Bates; and finally to behold them, both running away round the corner at full speed!
6 In an instant the whole mystery of the hankerchiefs, and the watches, and the jewels, and the Jew, rushed upon the boy’s mind. He stood, for a moment, with the blood so tingling through all his veins from
11 terror, that he felt as if he were in a burning fire; then, confused and frightened, he took to his heels; and, not knowing what he did, made off as fast as he could lay his feet to the ground. This was all done in a minute’s space. In the very instant when Oliver began
16 to run, the old gentleman, putting his hand to his pocket, and missing his handkerchief, turned sharp round. Seeing the boy scudding away at such a rapid pace, he very naturally concluded him to be the depredator; and shouting “Stop thief!” with all his might, made off after him, book in hand.
21 But the old gentleman was not the only person who raised the hue-and-cry. The Dodger and Master Bates, unwilling to attract public attention by running down the open street, had merely retired into the very first doorway round the corner. They no sooner heard the cry, and saw Oliver running, than, guessing exactly how the matter stood, they issued forth with great promptitude; and,
26 shouting “Stop thief!” too, joined in the pursuit like good citizens. Although Oliver had been brought up by philosophers, he was not theoretically acquainted with the beautiful axiom that self-preservation is the first law of nature. If he had been, perhaps he would have been prepared for this. Not
31 being prepared, however, it alarmed him the more; so away he went like the wind, with the old gentleman and the two boys roaring and shouting behind him. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” There is a magic in the sound. The tradesman leaves his counter, and the car-man his waggon; the butcher throws down his tray; the
36 baker his basket; the milkman his pail; the errand-boy his parcels; the school-boy his marbles; the paviour his pickaxe; the child his battledore. Away they run, pell-mell, helter-skelter, slap-dash: tearing, yelling, screaming, knocking down the passengers as they turn the corners, rousing up the dogs, and astonishing the fowls: and streets, squares, and courts, re-echo
41 with the sound. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” The cry is taken up by a hundred voices, and the crowd accumulate at every turning. Away they fly, splashing through the mud, and rattling along the pavements: up go the windows, out run the people,
46 onward bear the mob, a whole audience desert Punch in the very thickest of the plot, and, joining the rushing throng, swell the shout, and lend fresh vigour to the cry, “Stop thief! Stop thief!” “Stop thief! Stop thief!” There is a passion for hunting something deeply
51 implanted in the human breast. One wretched breathless child, panting with exhaustion; terror in his looks; agony in his eyes; large drops of perspiration streaming down his face; strains every nerve to make head upon his pursuers; and as they follow on his track, and gain upon him every instant, they hail his decreasing strength with joy. “Stop thief!” Ay, stop
56 him for God’s sake, were it only in mercy! Stopped at last! A clever blow. He is down upon the pavement; and the crowd eagerly gather round him: each new comer, jostling and struggling with the others to catch a glimpse. “Stand aside!” “Give him a little air!” “Nonsense!
61 he don’t deserve it.” “Where’s the gentleman?” “Here he is, coming down the street.” “Make room there for the gentleman!” “Is this the boy, sir!” “Yes.” Oliver lay, covered with mud and dust, and bleeding from the mouth, looking wildly round upon the heap of faces that surrounded him, when the old
66 gentleman was officiously dragged and pushed into the circle by the foremost of the pursuers. “Yes,” said the gentleman, “I am afraid it is the boy.”
71 “Afraid!” murmured the crowd. “That’s a good ’un!” “Poor fellow!” said the gentleman, “he has hurt himself.” “I did that, sir,” said a great lubberly fellow, stepping forward; “and
76 preciously I cut my knuckle agin’ his mouth. I stopped him, sir.” The fellow touched his hat with a grin, expecting something for his pains; but, the old gentleman, eyeing him with an expression of dislike, look anxiously round, as if he contemplated running away himself: which it is very
81 possible he might have attempted to do, and thus have afforded another chase, had not a police officer (who is generally the last person to arrive in such cases) at that moment made his way through the crowd, and seized Oliver by the collar.
86 “Come, get up,” said the man, roughly. “It wasn’t me indeed, sir. Indeed, indeed, it was two other boys,” said Oliver, clasping his hands passionately, and looking round. “They are here somewhere.”
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 After the Dodger gives an item to Charley Bates, which pair runs away together?
- The Dodger and Charley Bates
- Oliver and the Dodger
- Oliver and Charley Bates
[1 mark]
1.2 Who drew the handkerchief from the old gentleman’s pocket?
- the Dodger
- the old gentleman
- Oliver
[1 mark]
1.3 What does the Dodger take from the old gentleman and pass to Charley Bates?
- A handkerchief
- A watch
- A wallet
[1 mark]
1.4 Who ran away round the corner at full speed?
- the Dodger and Charley Bates
- Oliver and the old gentleman
- Oliver and Charley Bates
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 In an instant the whole mystery of the hankerchiefs, and the watches, and the jewels, and the Jew, rushed upon the boy’s mind. He stood, for a moment, with the blood so tingling through all his veins from
11 terror, that he felt as if he were in a burning fire; then, confused and frightened, he took to his heels; and, not knowing what he did, made off as fast as he could lay his feet to the ground. This was all done in a minute’s space. In the very instant when Oliver began
How does the writer use language here to show Oliver’s shock and fear? 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 anticipation?
You could write about:
- how anticipation builds from beginning to end
- 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 31 to the end.
In this part of the source, the way the whole crowd joins the chase after Oliver could be seen as exciting. The writer suggests that this is actually showing how easily ordinary people can turn into a cruel and mindless mob.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the crowd of people chasing Oliver
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray the crowd as a mob
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A science journal for young people is collecting creative pieces about what future cities might be like.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a vertical farm inside a skyscraper from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a memory that technology says is false.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]