Question 61 explaining author choices · core
The key beneath the mat
The clock above the station door clicked towards six. Niko pressed the parcel against his chest. Inside was the little wooden bird he had spent three evenings carving for his grandmother. Her train would leave at six.
He needed to lock the workshop before leaving, but the key was not on its hook. He searched his pockets, the bench, the pockets again. A square of paper lay beside the door: “If you borrow the spare key, leave it beneath the blue mat.”
Niko lifted the mat. A beetle scurried into a crack. Nothing else.
Behind him, something rattled.
“Looking for this?” his sister asked. The key swung from her finger. “I was locking the back gate.”
Niko let out the breath he had been holding. Together, they ran towards the station.
Choose two details that build suspense and explain how each affects the reader.
What to aim for Names two specific details. Explains each detail's effect. Connects the effects to suspense. Response or adult observation notes
Question 62 supported literary opinion · core
The bridge that bent
“Mine will hold the most,” declared Suri, rolling her sheet of paper into a narrow tube. Across the table, Owen folded a wide sheet into a concertina.
Suri's paper bridge held three counters, then drooped between the two books. She pushed the counters aside. Owen's bridge held six.
“You win,” she muttered.
“We haven't finished testing,” Owen said. “Your rolled edges are strong. My middle is strong. What if we put them together?”
Suri studied the fallen bridge, then unrolled a fresh sheet. The next bridge had a folded middle and rolled edges. It held eight counters.
Suri reached for a label. Instead of writing her name, she wrote, “Our first design.”
Is the final label an effective ending? Give your opinion and support it with one earlier detail and the label itself.
What to aim for States an opinion. Links an earlier detail to the ending. Explains the effect on the reader. Response or adult observation notes
Question 63 responding to perspectives · extension
The same arrival, two viewpoints
A — Poppy: At last, my cousin arrived. I dragged my box of games into the hall and opened the loudest one first. He stayed by the doorway with his backpack on. Perhaps he thought my games were boring. I pushed another box towards him.
B — Eli: The train had been crowded, and my ears still rang with its rattle. Poppy had lined up games for us. I wanted to thank her, but the flashing game and its music made it hard to think. I stayed near the door, hoping for a quiet minute before I joined in.
Describe how reading Eli's account changes your response to Poppy's account. Use a detail from each.
What to aim for Uses details from both accounts. Explains a change in understanding. Avoids claiming either cousin is deliberately unkind. Response or adult observation notes
Question 64 setting and genre · core
The overnight shelf
When Ada returned the atlas, the library shelf sighed. “A little to the left,” it whispered. “That corner has been tickling me for weeks.”
Ada stared. The shelf had never spoken during opening hours.
“Please,” it added, more politely than most of the borrowers.
She slid the atlas along. The shelf relaxed with a soft wooden creak. Beyond it, a narrow gap widened into a doorway. A sign swung into view: LOST ENDINGS.
Ada thought of the story she had abandoned the night before, with a sailor stranded on an island and no way home. From beyond the doorway came the gentle knock of a boat against a jetty.
She checked that the librarian was still nearby, then called, “I think one of these belongs to me.”
Explain how the writer blends an ordinary setting with fantasy. Give two ordinary details and two impossible ones.
What to aim for Identifies ordinary features. Identifies fantasy features. Explains the effect of combining them. Response or adult observation notes
Question 65 poetic sound · core
Perform aloud for a teacher or adult, then discuss the effect.
Roof orchestra
Tick, tick, tip:
Rain tries the roof with a fingertip.
Tap, tap, tum:
Now every drain is a silver drum.
Hush, hush, hum:
The storm packs up; the stars will come.
What to aim for Performs both versions. Links voice changes to words in the poem. Explains an effect on the listener. Complete this task aloud with an adult or partner.
Response or adult observation notes
Question 66 responding to imagery · core
One glove
On the fence,
one small glove waves
at everyone who passes.
Yesterday it held a hand.
Today it holds
the shape of a hand,
and a little rain.
I turn it over
so the thumb points home.
Choose an image that affects you. Explain your response using the words of that image rather than just saying the poem is nice or sad.
What to aim for Selects a specific image. Names a response or feeling. Explains how the language creates it. Response or adult observation notes
Question 67 drama and performance · core
The last chair — a short play
[Three students are setting up a display. Two chairs stand beside the table. A third chair is in the doorway.]
TARA: Put it here. We need another seat.
BEN: [Lifts the chair, then stops.] But if I put it there, nobody can reach the model.
TARA: We promised three seats.
LUC: [Moves the table slightly.] What if the table turns this way?
BEN: [Carries the chair around the table.] Now there's a path!
TARA: [Sits, then stands quickly.] And we can all see the model.
LUC: Good. We built a bridge model. It would be a pity if nobody could get to it.
[They laugh and begin putting out the labels.]
Explain how one stage direction helps an audience understand the problem or solution. Describe what would be less clear without it.
What to aim for Selects a stage direction. Explains its contribution to meaning. Considers its absence. Response or adult observation notes
Question 68 comparing themes · extension
Two original tiny tales
A — The boastful lantern: A lantern boasted that its light reached farther than any candle. When the wind rose, its loose door swung open and its flame went out. A candle inside a jar kept burning. “A strong cover matters too,” said the candle.
B — The patient seed: A seed watched a paper flower being admired on the windowsill. “You bloom so quickly,” it sighed. Day after day the seed pushed a root into the soil. When the paper flower faded in the sun, the seedling opened its first living leaf. Neither could do what the other could do.
Compare the lessons of the two tales. Explain one similarity and one difference using events as evidence.
What to aim for States a supported similarity. States a supported difference. Uses an event from each original tale. Response or adult observation notes
Question 69 title and effect · core
Read the shared text above ↑
Suggest a different title that would make a reader curious without giving away the solution. Explain your choice.
What to aim for Suggests a relevant title. Keeps the solution unrevealed. Explains a likely effect on a reader. Response or adult observation notes
Question 70 illustration and response · core
Read the shared text above ↑
Plan an illustration for the poem using words or a sketch. Explain how framing and empty space could reinforce your response to the glove.
What to aim for Describes a relevant composition. Links a visual choice to the poem. Explains its effect. Response or adult observation notes
