Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Ward No. 6 by Anton Chekhov
An extract from a work first published in 1892.
This extract is taken from Chekhov’s Ward No. 6. A man reflects on a lifetime of missed opportunities and the damage caused by malice as he walks by the river, weighing life’s 'losses' against the idea that death might offer relief.
Source A
1 Yakob walked past the common, and then along the outskirts of the town; and the street boys cried, "Bronza! Bronza!" With a piping note snipe flew around him, and ducks quacked. The sun baked everything, and from the water came scintillations so bright that it was painful to look at. Yakob walked along the path by the side of the river, and watched a stout, red-cheeked lady come
6 out of the bathing-place. Not far from the bathing-place sat a group of boys catching crabs with meat; and seeing him they cried maliciously, "Bronza! Bronza!" And at this moment before him rose a thick old willow with an immense hollow in it, and on it a raven's nest.... And suddenly in Yakob's mind awoke the memory of the child with the yellow hair of whom Marfa had spoken.... Yes,
11 it was the same willow, green, silent, sad.... How it had aged, poor thing! He sat underneath it, and began to remember. On the other bank, where was now a flooded meadow, there then stood a great birch forest, and farther away, where the now bare hill glimmered on the horizon, was an old pine wood. Up and
16 down the river went barges. But now everything was flat and smooth; on the opposite bank stood only a single birch, young and shapely, like a girl; and on the river were only ducks and geese where once had floated barges. It seemed that since those days even the geese had become smaller. Yakob closed his eyes, and in imagination saw flying towards him an immense flock of white
21 geese. He began to wonder how it was that in the last forty or fifty years of his life he had never been near the river, or if he had, had never noticed it. Yet it was a respectable river, and by no means contemptible; it would have been
26 possible to fish in it, and the fish might have been sold to tradesmen, officials, and the attendant at the railway station buffet, and the money could have been lodged in the bank; he might have used it for rowing from country-house to country-house and playing on the fiddle, and everyone would have paid him money; he might even have tried to act as bargee--it would have
31 been better than making coffins; he might have kept geese, killed them and sent them to Moscow in the winter-time--from the feathers alone he would have made as much as ten roubles a year. But he had yawned away his life, and done nothing. What losses! Akh, what losses! and if he hod done all together-- caught fish, played on the fiddle, acted as bargee, and kept geese--what a sum
36 he would have amassed! But he had never even dreamed of this; life had passed without profits, without any satisfaction; everything had passed away unnoticed; before him nothing remained. But look backward--nothing but losses, such losses that to think of them it makes the blood run cold. And why cannot a man live without these losses? Why had the birch wood and the pine forest
41 both been cut down? Why is the common pasture unused? Why do people do exactly what they ought not to do? Why did he all his life scream, roar, clench his fists, insult his wife? For what imaginable purpose did he frighten and insult the Jew? Why, indeed, do people prevent one another living in peace? All these are also losses! Terrible losses! If it were not for hatred and malice people
46 would draw from one another incalculable profits. Evening and night, twinkled in Yakob's brain the willow, the fish, the dead geese, Marfa with her profile like that of a bird about to drink, the pale, pitiable face of Rothschild, and an army of snouts thrusting themselves out of
51 the darkness and muttering about losses. He shifted from side to side, and five times in the night rose from his bed and played on the fiddle. In the morning he rose with an effort and went to the hospital. The same Maxim Nikolaitch ordered him to bind his head with a cold compress, and gave him
56 powders; and by the expression of his face and by his tone Yakob saw that it was a bad business, and that no powders would make it any better. But upon his way home he reflected that from death at least there would be one profit; it would no longer be necessary to eat, to drink, to pay taxes, or to injure others; and as a man lies in his grave not one year, but hundreds and
61 thousands of years, the profit was enormous. The life of man was, in short, a loss, and only his death a profit. Yet this consideration, though entirely just, was offensive and bitter; for why in this world is it so ordered that life, which is given to a man only once, passes by without profit?
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 Which birds are described as flying around Yakob?
- Snipe
- Ducks
- Geese
[1 mark]
1.2 After passing the common, where did Yakob walk next?
- Along the outskirts of the town
- Into the market square
- Through the churchyard
[1 mark]
1.3 From where did the scintillations come?
- the water
- the sun
- the path
[1 mark]
1.4 What makes it difficult for Yakob to look towards the river?
- Bright glare from the water
- Thick fog over the water
- Falling snow
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 6 to 15 of the source:
6 out of the bathing-place. Not far from the bathing-place sat a group of boys catching crabs with meat; and seeing him they cried maliciously, "Bronza! Bronza!" And at this moment before him rose a thick old willow with an immense hollow in it, and on it a raven's nest.... And suddenly in Yakob's mind awoke the memory of the child with the yellow hair of whom Marfa had spoken.... Yes,
11 it was the same willow, green, silent, sad.... How it had aged, poor thing! He sat underneath it, and began to remember. On the other bank, where was now a flooded meadow, there then stood a great birch forest, and farther away, where the now bare hill glimmered on the horizon, was an old pine wood. Up and
How does the writer use language here to present Yakob’s feelings and memories by the river? 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 end of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of melancholy?
You could write about:
- how melancholy deepens 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 21 to the end.
In this part of the source, when Yakob concludes that only death is a 'profit', his total misery is made clear. The writer suggests that a life spent obsessing over money has left Yakob feeling his existence was worthless.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Yakob's character and his miserable realisation
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray his obsession with money
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
A magazine for young athletes wants creative writing for its next edition.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Describe the atmosphere just before a race begins from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about pushing yourself to the limit.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]