Section B: Narrative Text
The text below describes a visit by Lucy and her sister Clara to their aunt’s house on the island of Guernsey.
1
On the second day of January, the city holds a road race in the centre of town and all of the city’s schools and businesses compete against each other. This year it was the fifteenth Race for Spring. Two weeks before the race, the Head of the college, knowing that I had been a member of an athletics club back home, asked if I would run on their team.
2
He was obviously nervous about how I would take his suggestion. ‘You must understand,’ he said, smiling uncomfortably, ‘they’ll be mainly inexperienced runners. They run for fun and care little for rules or sportsmanship, and perhaps some of them will be rough to a newcomer. They won’t mind you participating, but I think it will be very different from what you’re used to.
3
There was no scheduled time for the race to start. The runners assembled in a disorderly crowd at the starting area, and at nine o’clock the local officials began their speeches. The race would begin whenever the speeches finished, but the officials droned on and on. The starting line broke and surged as small sections repeatedly made a false start, the rest of the line followed, and then was called back. I jogged in place to keep warm, using my elbows to keep my position.
4
Five minutes passed, then ten. Either one of the speakers was going to start the race or it was going to start itself. Finally, one of them must have realised this and fired the starting pistol.
5
We were off! Excitement and surprise and a chaotic mass of bodies; everybody yelling, legs pumping, dashing, sprinting. I had seen it all before – everyone trying to avoid being tripped, runners shouting as they stumbled – nothing that unusual. The seconds flew past unnoticed, each moment full of concentration and effort as we raced down the street.
6
All runners recognise that transition when the initial feeling of being swept along by a collective wave of energy gives way to the moment of disengagement when you realise that you have your own race to run.
7
As the pace slowed, I felt my legs come back to me. The mindless excitement was replaced by the familiar rhythm of a long run – steady, steady, steady, steady – up on my toes as the slope steepened.
8
The entire first half was uphill, and by the time I took the lead, perhaps two minutes into the race, I could see that the others were tiring. It was a varied field – college students, workers and a few athletes who clearly would have been good runners with more training – but all of them were dropping back.
9
People speak of the loneliness of running, and it’s even lonelier when you are new in a field of more than two thousand locals. And then, near the finishing line, I saw a small group of my students cheering me on. And it was then that I finally felt completely at home.
Questions
Qn4. In Paragraph 1, which one word tells the reader that the race has become a tradition in the city? [1]
Qn5. (a) Which phrase in Paragraph 2 supports the idea that the Head of the college ‘was obviously nervous’ (line 5)? [1]
Qn5. (b) Why was the Head of college nervous about inviting the writer to take part in the race? [1]
1
The writer preferred running in races for fun
2
The writer would feel under pressure to do well
3
The writer might be mistreated by other athletes
4
The writer would be competing against experienced runners
Input the phrase number:
Qn6. ‘There was no scheduled time for the race to start. The runners assembled in a disorderly crowd at the starting area, and at nine o’clock the local officials began their speeches. The race would begin whenever the speeches finished, but the officials droned on and on. The starting line broke and surged as small sections repeatedly made a false start, the rest of the line followed, and then was called back. I jogged in place to keep warm, using my elbows to keep my position.’ (lines 9-14)
Identify the words or phrases from the sentences given above that correspond with the following descriptions of what people did before the race. [4]
Descriptions
Matching word or phrase
exercised on the spot
gathered together
suddenly moved forward
spoke continuously
Qn7. Which two of the following lines from Paragraph 4 and 5 suggest that the event was getting out of control? Pick two phrases. [2]
1
‘…it was going to start itself.’
2
‘…fired the starting pistol.’
3
‘We were off!’
4
”…a chaotic mass of bodies…’
5
‘…legs pumping, dashing, sprinting.’
Input the two phrase numbers:
Qn8. Which phrase in Paragraph 5 suggests that the writer lost his sense of time? [1]
Qn9. What do the following words in italics from Paragraph 6 suggest about how a runner’s experience changes during a race? [2]
Based on the following word/phrase in italics,
a runner experiences…
‘being swept along by a collective wave of energy‘ (line 22-23)
‘the moment of disengagement‘ (line 23)
Qn10. (a) In Paragraph 7, why does the writer repeat the word ‘steady’ (line 26)? [1]
Qn10. (b) Which phrase in the same paragraph suggests that the athletes were ‘climbing’? [1]
Qn11. In Paragraph 8, what made the writer think that the other runners could no longer beat him? [2]
(i)
(ii)
Qn12.
Student A -The writer didn’t enjoy running the race
Student B – On the contrary, once the race started, I think he enjoyed it.
Which student do you agree with? Give four pieces of evidence from the text to support your opinion.
I agree with Student
because…