Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 20th-century prose fiction
- The Open Window by Saki
An extract from a work first published in 1911.
This extract is taken from the short story The Open Window by Saki (1911), where Vera’s mischievous imagination embroils a flustered guest in farcical country-house chaos with a piglet and a gamecock, revealing Saki’s sharp wit and themes of deception, social pretence and comic unease.
Source A
1 “You’ll take every care of Hartlepool’s Wonder, won’t you?” said Vera. “His mother took three firsts at Birmingham, and he was second in the cockerel class last year at Gloucester. He’ll probably roost on the rail at the bottom of your bed. I wonder if he’d feel more at home if some of his wives were up here with him? The hens are all in the pantry, and I think I could pick out
6 Hartlepool Helen; she’s his favourite.” Latimer showed a belated firmness on the subject of Hartlepool Helen, and Vera withdrew without pressing the point, having first settled the gamecock on his extemporised perch and taken an affectionate farewell of the pigling. Latimer
11 undressed and got into bed with all due speed, judging that the pig would abate its inquisitorial restlessness once the light was turned out. As a substitute for a cosy, straw-bedded sty the room offered, at first inspection, few attractions, but the disconsolate animal suddenly discovered an appliance in which the most luxuriously contrived piggeries were notably deficient. The
16 sharp edge of the underneath part of the bed was pitched at exactly the right elevation to permit the pigling to scrape himself ecstatically backwards and forwards, with an artistic humping of the back at the crucial moment and an accompanying gurgle of long-drawn delight. The gamecock, who may have fancied that he was being rocked in the branches of a pine-tree, bore the motion with
21 greater fortitude than Latimer was able to command. A series of slaps directed at the pig’s body were accepted more as an additional and pleasing irritant than as a criticism of conduct or a hint to desist; evidently something more than a man’s firm hand was needed to deal with the case. Latimer slipped out of bed in search of a weapon of dissuasion. There was
26 sufficient light in the room to enable the pig to detect this manœuvre, and the vile temper, inherited from the drowned mother, found full play. Latimer bounded back into bed, and his conqueror, after a few threatening snorts and champings of its jaws, resumed its massage operations with renewed zeal. During the long wakeful hours which ensued Latimer tried to distract his mind
31 from his own immediate troubles by dwelling with decent sympathy on the second housemaid’s bereavement, but he found himself more often wondering how many Boy Scouts were sharing his Melton overcoat. The rôle of Saint Martin malgré lui was not one which appealed to him.
36 Towards dawn the pigling fell into a happy slumber, and Latimer might have followed its example, but at about the same time Stupor Hartlepooli gave a rousing crow, clattered down to the floor and forthwith commenced
41 a spirited combat with his reflection in the wardrobe mirror. Remembering that the bird was more or less under his care Latimer performed Hague Tribunal offices by
46 draping a bath-towel over the provocative mirror, but the ensuing peace was local and short-lived. The deflected energies of the gamecock found new outlet in a sudden and sustained attack on the
51 sleeping and temporarily inoffensive pigling, and the duel which followed was desperate and embittered beyond any possibility of effective intervention. The feathered combatant had
56 the advantage of being able, when hard pressed, to take refuge on the bed, and freely availed himself of this circumstance; the pigling never quite succeeded in hurling
61 himself on to the same eminence, but it was not from want of trying. Neither side could claim any decisive success, and the struggle had been practically fought to a standstill by the time that the maid appeared
66 with the early morning tea. “Lor, sir,” she exclaimed in undisguised astonishment, “do you want those animals in your room?”
71 Want! The pigling, as though aware that it might have outstayed its welcome, dashed
76 out at the door, and the gamecock followed it at a more dignified pace. “If Miss Vera’s dog sees that pig—!” exclaimed the maid, and hurried off to
81 avert such a catastrophe. A cold suspicion was stealing over Latimer’s mind; he went to the window and drew up the blind. A light, drizzling rain was falling, but there
86 was not the faintest trace of any inundation. Some half-hour later he met Vera on the way to the breakfast-room.
91 “I should not like to think of you as a deliberate liar,” he observed coldly, “but one occasionally has to do things one does not like.” “At any rate I kept your mind from dwelling on politics all the night,”
96 said Vera. Which was, of course, perfectly true.
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 Where did Hartlepool’s Wonder’s mother take three firsts?
- at Birmingham
- at Gloucester
- in the pantry
[1 mark]
1.2 Where was Hartlepool’s Wonder second in the cockerel class last year?
- at Gloucester
- at Birmingham
- in the pantry
[1 mark]
1.3 According to Vera, where are the hens?
- in the pantry
- in the scullery
- in the kitchen
[1 mark]
1.4 According to Vera, what placing did Hartlepool’s Wonder achieve last year at Gloucester?
- Second place in the cockerel class
- First place in the cockerel class
- Third place in the cockerel class
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 11 to 25 of the source:
11 undressed and got into bed with all due speed, judging that the pig would abate its inquisitorial restlessness once the light was turned out. As a substitute for a cosy, straw-bedded sty the room offered, at first inspection, few attractions, but the disconsolate animal suddenly discovered an appliance in which the most luxuriously contrived piggeries were notably deficient. The
16 sharp edge of the underneath part of the bed was pitched at exactly the right elevation to permit the pigling to scrape himself ecstatically backwards and forwards, with an artistic humping of the back at the crucial moment and an accompanying gurgle of long-drawn delight. The gamecock, who may have fancied that he was being rocked in the branches of a pine-tree, bore the motion with
21 greater fortitude than Latimer was able to command. A series of slaps directed at the pig’s body were accepted more as an additional and pleasing irritant than as a criticism of conduct or a hint to desist; evidently something more than a man’s firm hand was needed to deal with the case. Latimer slipped out of bed in search of a weapon of dissuasion. There was
How does the writer use language here to present the pigling’s behaviour and the effect on Latimer? 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 chaos?
You could write about:
- how chaos intensifies 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 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, where the pig and the rooster start to fight, the scene is completely chaotic and funny. The writer suggests that Latimer is now totally powerless in his own bedroom.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Latimer and his complete powerlessness
- comment on the methods the writer uses to present the chaotic fight
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
For your school's local history exhibition, you are writing a creative piece about working life in the past.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Write a description of a railway signal box from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about starting a job in another era.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]