Unseen Prose
Overview
The last thirty marks of Paper 2A come from a prose passage you have never read, printed with a single sentence of context above it. There is no set text, no author to have revised, and often no way of telling from the passage itself whether the book it came from is a hundred years old or five. What is being measured is exactly what the specification says: your ability to closely analyse the variety of ways writers create meanings and influence the reader.
This section is the closest thing in the qualification to a pure reading test, and it is also the one candidates most often answer as though it were a comprehension exercise. This lesson shows the difference. You will see a practice passage written for the purpose taken apart in full, learn which prose methods are always available whatever the passage is about, and see the same observation written at three different levels of the mark scheme so that the gap between them stops being mysterious.
Objectives
- In preparing for the unseen prose section of the examination students should experience a wide range of prose texts in order to develop their ability to closely analyse the variety of ways writers create meanings and influence the reader.
Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Unseen Prose. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Which route includes the unseen prose section? A. Both routes B. Neither route C. Route A only D. Route B only Answer: C
- What does the headnote above an unseen prose passage supply? A. A model answer B. The characters, the situation and the place in the larger work C. The mark scheme D. The writer's biography Answer: B
- What is free indirect style? A. A first person narrator who addresses the reader B. Dialogue written without quotation marks C. Third person narration carrying a character's own thoughts and idiom D. Writing with no punctuation Answer: C
- Which is named in the mark scheme's AO2 indicative content for the unseen prose question on the paper studied? A. Historical context B. Rhyme scheme C. The writer's other novels D. Use of sentence lengths and structure Answer: D
- In the practice passage, how many words does Ilesanmi actually speak? A. None B. Two C. Seventeen D. Twenty Answer: B
Work through these questions in the app
Work through these questions in the app
Recommended Books
Practice Mock Questions
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