Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
An extract from a work first published in 1843.
This extract is taken from a 19th-century short story by Edgar Allan Poe, in which a fisherman and his brother are drawn toward the Moskoe-Ström whirlpool; as noise and speed intensify, the narrator’s fear shifts to resigned calm and strange curiosity.
Source A
1 “I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother—but, in some manner which I could not understand, the din had so increased that I could not make him hear a single word, although I screamed at the top of my voice in his ear. Presently he shook his head, looking as pale as death, and held up one of his fingers, as if to say ‘listen! ‘
6 “At first I could not make out what he meant—but soon a hideous thought flashed upon me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was not going. I glanced at its face by the moonlight, and then burst into tears as I flung it far away into the ocean. _It had run down at seven o’clock! We were behind the time of
11 the slack, and the whirl of the Ström was in full fury!_ “When a boat is well built, properly trimmed, and not deep laden, the waves in a strong gale, when she is going large, seem always to slip from beneath her—which appears very strange to a landsman—and this is what is called
16 riding, in sea phrase. “Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea happened to take us right under the counter, and bore us with it as it rose—up—up—as if into the sky. I would not have believed that any wave could
21 rise so high. And then down we came with a sweep, a slide, and a plunge, that made me feel sick and dizzy, as if I was falling from some lofty mountain-top in a dream. But while we were up I had thrown a quick glance around—and that one glance was all sufficient. I saw our exact position in an instant. The Moskoe-Ström whirlpool was about a quarter of a mile dead ahead—but no more
26 like the every-day Moskoe-Ström than the whirl as you now see it, is like a mill-race. If I had not known where we were, and what we had to expect, I should not have recognised the place at all. As it was, I involuntarily closed my eyes in horror. The lids clenched themselves together as if in a spasm.
31 “It could not have been more than two minutes afterward until we suddenly felt the waves subside, and were enveloped in foam. The boat made a sharp half turn to larboard, and then shot off in its new direction like a thunderbolt. At the same moment the roaring noise of the water was completely drowned in a kind of shrill shriek—such a sound as you might imagine given out by the waste-pipes
36 of many thousand steam-vessels, letting off their steam all together. We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl; and I thought, of course, that another moment would plunge us into the abyss, down which we could only see indistinctly on account of the amazing velocity with which we wore borne along. The boat did not seem to sink into the water at all, but to
41 skim like an air-bubble upon the surface of the surge. Her starboard side was next the whirl, and on the larboard arose the world of ocean we had left. It stood like a huge writhing wall between us and the horizon. “It may appear strange, but now, when we were in the very jaws of the gulf, I
46 felt more composed than when we were only approaching it. Having made up my mind to hope no more, I got rid of a great deal of that terror which unmanned me at first. I suppose it was despair that strung my nerves. “It may look like boasting—but what I tell you is truth—I began to reflect how
51 magnificent a thing it was to die in such a manner, and how foolish it was in me to think of so paltry a consideration as my own individual life, in view of so wonderful a manifestation of God’s power. I do believe that I blushed with shame when this idea crossed my mind. After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself. I positively felt a wish
56 to explore its depths, even at the sacrifice I was going to make; and my principal grief was that I should never be able to tell my old companions on shore about the mysteries I should see. These, no doubt, were singular fancies to occupy a man’s mind in such extremity—and I have often thought since, that the revolutions of the boat around the pool might have rendered me a little
61 light-headed.”
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 How did the narrator's brother respond to the narrator's attempts to speak?
- The narrator's brother shook his head and raised a finger to signal 'listen'.
- The narrator's brother cupped a hand to one ear and leant closer to hear.
- The narrator's brother shouted a warning and pointed towards the sea.
[1 mark]
1.2 How does the narrator's brother signal to the narrator in response to the narrator's attempts to speak?
- By holding up one finger to indicate that the narrator should listen
- By cupping a hand to the ear to show that the narrator should speak louder
- By covering both ears to signal that the noise is unbearable
[1 mark]
1.3 What physical signal did the brother use to communicate with the narrator when the brother could not hear what the narrator was saying?
- The brother raised one finger to indicate that the narrator should listen
- The brother covered his ears and turned away from the narrator
- The brother waved both arms to attract the narrator's attention
[1 mark]
1.4 How does the narrator's brother indicate that the narrator should listen?
- The narrator's brother holds up one of his fingers
- The narrator's brother cups a hand to his ear
- The narrator's brother presses a finger to his lips
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 “At first I could not make out what he meant—but soon a hideous thought flashed upon me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was not going. I glanced at its face by the moonlight, and then burst into tears as I flung it far away into the ocean. _It had run down at seven o’clock! We were behind the time of
11 the slack, and the whirl of the Ström was in full fury!_ “When a boat is well built, properly trimmed, and not deep laden, the waves in a strong gale, when she is going large, seem always to slip from beneath her—which appears very strange to a landsman—and this is what is called
How does the writer use language here to show the narrator’s sudden understanding and the threat at sea? 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 middle of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of calm?
You could write about:
- how calm 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, the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool seems unbelievable. The writer suggests that once all hope is lost, fear can be replaced by a strange curiosity.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the narrator's strange feeling of calm
- comment on the methods the writer uses to suggest his shift from terror to curiosity
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A crime fiction journal is running a competition for new writers.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe a digital forensics lab from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a hidden message.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]