Question 1
plot tension · 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.
Which detail creates a clear time pressure?
- The bird is made of wood.
- The clock moves towards the train's six o'clock departure.
- The mat is blue.
- The note is on square paper.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 2
character through action · core
Use the text at Question 1.
Why does the writer repeat “the pockets” in the search?
- To show that there are three different coats.
- To explain how pockets are made.
- To suggest Niko is worried and checking the same place again.
- To make the parcel seem larger.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 3
sentence effect · core
Use the text at Question 1.
What is the effect of the short sentence “Behind him, something rattled”?
- It changes the story into a set of instructions.
- It explains why the beetle has six legs.
- It tells the reader the complete ending immediately.
- It delays the explanation and makes the reader wonder what caused the sound.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 4
motivation · core
Use the text at Question 1.
Which detail makes the parcel personally important?
- The paper is square.
- The station has a door.
- The beetle runs into a crack.
- Niko spent three evenings carving a gift for his grandmother.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 5
resolution · core
Use the text at Question 1.
How does the sister's arrival affect the plot?
- It resolves the problem of the missing key.
- It proves the wooden bird is broken.
- It introduces a new train timetable.
- It sends Niko back to carving.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 6
coherent continuation · core
Use the text at Question 1.
Which ending would best preserve the story's hopeful mood?
- A paragraph listed the prices of railway sleepers.
- The parcel was never mentioned again and a new story began.
- The narrator explained how beetles breathe.
- They reached the platform as their grandmother waved from the doorway.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 7
character development · 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.”
How does Suri's attitude change?
- She becomes certain that testing is unnecessary.
- She moves from enjoying reading to disliking books.
- She moves from competing alone to valuing cooperation.
- She stops caring whether a bridge works.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 8
language and relationships · core
Use the text at Question 7.
Which words most clearly signal the change in the relationship?
- “three” and “six”.
- “paper” and “sheet”.
- “books” and “counters”.
- “Mine” and “Our”.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 9
word choice · support
Use the text at Question 7.
What does “muttered” suggest about Suri's response?
- She is reading the instructions aloud.
- She cannot form any words.
- She is shouting happily to the whole hall.
- She is disappointed and speaks quietly.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 10
characterisation · core
Use the text at Question 7.
Which action shows Owen is cooperative?
- He hides Suri's sheet of paper.
- He declares the competition over.
- He suggests combining the strengths of both designs.
- He counts his counters out loud.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 11
ending effect · core
Use the text at Question 7.
Why is “Our first design” a satisfying final line?
- It means neither child has made anything before.
- It proves the bridge can never fail.
- It lists all the tools they need.
- It suggests both teamwork and more experimenting ahead.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 12
theme · core
Use the text at Question 7.
Which theme is best supported?
- Winning alone matters more than learning.
- The loudest person always has the best design.
- Combining ideas can improve a result.
- A mistake means you should stop trying.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 13
different perspectives · core
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.
What does Poppy misunderstand?
- Whether Eli has arrived.
- Why Eli stays near the doorway.
- Whether the train carries passengers.
- Where her games are stored.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 14
character motivation · core
Use the text at Question 13.
Why does Eli hesitate?
- He wants Poppy to throw her games away.
- He cannot recognise his cousin.
- The noise is tiring after a crowded journey.
- He has decided never to play games.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 15
comparing accounts · core
Use the text at Question 13.
What can readers understand by seeing both accounts?
- Poppy deliberately wants to upset Eli.
- Both cousins have good intentions, but they misread the situation.
- The train has not yet reached the station.
- Eli finds every game boring.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 16
narrative voice · core
Use the text at Question 13.
Which language feature makes each viewpoint personal?
- Instructions addressed to “you”.
- First-person words such as “I” and “my”.
- Only the use of capital letters.
- A list of dates in order.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 17
informed continuation · core
Use the text at Question 13.
Which continuation would respond to the problem revealed by both passages?
- They agree that crowded trains never make noise.
- Poppy asks how Eli is feeling and they sit quietly before choosing a game.
- Poppy turns every game's music up.
- Eli throws away all the games without speaking.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 18
structure and viewpoint · extension
Use the text at Question 13.
How would the story change if only Poppy's account were included?
- Readers would know all of Eli's thoughts.
- The train journey would become the main setting of Poppy's passage.
- The story would contain no characters.
- Readers would have less direct evidence of Eli's reason for waiting.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 19
fantasy conventions · support
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.”
Which event first establishes the fantasy?
- A book has a corner.
- The shelf speaks about being tickled.
- Ada returns an atlas.
- The librarian is nearby.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 20
humour · core
Use the text at Question 19.
What effect does the shelf's politeness create?
- It makes the strange situation gently humorous.
- It makes Ada certain that books are dangerous.
- It turns the scene into a factual report.
- It proves the shelf is the school principal.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 21
connecting story elements · core
Use the text at Question 19.
How does the abandoned sailor story connect with the doorway?
- The sailor has asked to borrow Ada's atlas.
- The doorway leads to an atlas factory.
- The boat sound hints at a possible ending for Ada's unfinished story.
- The boat sound proves Ada has left the library building.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 22
reader interest · core
Use the text at Question 19.
Why is the label “LOST ENDINGS” intriguing?
- It gives the price of a replacement book.
- It explains every future event in order.
- It tells the reader the library is closing forever.
- It treats missing story endings as things that might be stored in a room.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 23
setting · core
Use the text at Question 19.
Which detail keeps Ada connected to the ordinary world?
- A room contains lost endings.
- The shelf says it is ticklish.
- She checks that the librarian is still nearby.
- The doorway opens between books.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 24
imaginative continuation · core
Use the text at Question 19.
Which sentence would best continue the established fantasy?
- The atlas became a real geography textbook with no changes.
- A paper boat drifted out, carrying the sailor's missing final sentence.
- Ada forgot every event and went to a different story.
- The next paragraph listed the library's monthly electricity bill.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 25
drama conventions · support
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.]
What do the words in square brackets mainly provide?
- Actions and setting information for a performance.
- The audience's written answers.
- A narrator's book review.
- Prices for hiring chairs.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 26
plot problem · support
Use the text at Question 25.
What is the central problem?
- The third chair may block access to the display.
- The bridge model has fallen apart.
- The audience has taken all the labels.
- The students have forgotten how to read.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 27
character action · support
Use the text at Question 25.
How does Luc help?
- By giving away the bridge.
- By cancelling the display.
- By removing every seat.
- By suggesting a different arrangement of the table.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 28
stage action and meaning · core
Use the text at Question 25.
What does Tara's sitting and standing check?
- Whether the arrangement lets people see the model.
- Whether the chair is made of gold.
- Whether the bridge can float.
- Whether the labels are alphabetical.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 29
humour and connection · core
Use the text at Question 25.
Why is Luc's final remark humorous?
- A bridge is about access, but their display almost blocked access.
- All the chairs have disappeared.
- The model is secretly a real bridge.
- The labels contain a hidden joke.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 30
text form · core
Use the text at Question 25.
Why might this scene work well as a performance?
- No character ever responds to another.
- Every important event happens far away offstage.
- The movement of chairs and the table makes the problem visible.
- It contains only a list of equipment.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 31
shared literary features · core
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.
What feature do the tales share?
- Non-human things speak or think like people.
- Both give exact measurements of plants.
- Both take place on a sailing ship.
- The same child narrates both stories.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 32
theme · core
Use the text at Question 31.
Which idea is most clearly explored in Tale A?
- Candles must never be protected.
- Doors should never be closed.
- Boasting can overlook an important weakness.
- Brightness always defeats wind.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 33
theme · core
Use the text at Question 31.
Which idea is most clearly explored in Tale B?
- Different things have different strengths and develop in different ways.
- A paper flower will eventually grow real roots.
- Nothing good ever takes time.
- Seeds should try to become paper.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 34
comparing structures · core
Use the text at Question 31.
How are the endings different?
- A has no outcome while B gives instructions.
- Both end with exactly the same sentence.
- A ends with a race; B ends with an argument.
- A gives spoken advice; B offers a balanced observation.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 35
cause in a plot · core
Use the text at Question 31.
Which detail creates a problem for the lantern?
- Its door is loose when the wind rises.
- Its cover is stronger than the jar.
- It has never seen a candle.
- It stands on the windowsill beside the seed.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 36
source awareness · core
Use the text at Question 31.
Why does the passage label these stories “original”?
- Every story about an object is a historical document.
- They are newly written classroom tales, not attributed cultural or traditional stories.
- They are copied from the same named author.
- They must both be true events.
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03 · VC2E4LE04
Question 37
explaining author choices · core
Use the text at Question 1.
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:
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 38
responding to perspectives · extension
Use the text at Question 13.
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:
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 39
setting and genre · core
Use the text at Question 19.
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:
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 40
drama and performance · core
Use the text at Question 25.
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:
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 41
comparing themes · extension
Use the text at Question 31.
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:
VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Question 42
settings and illustrations · extension
Before you start: Book access required: Little Bird's Day; The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The books are not reproduced here. Arrange library/class copies before beginning this task.
Read both whole books or teacher-selected complete sections with an adult before answering. A school or public library copy is suitable. Discuss the particular authors' works; do not generalise one story to all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Published texts for this comparison:
Little Bird's Day — Sally Morgan; illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit — Beatrix Potter.
Compare the way words and illustrations establish the natural setting in each book. Explain which detail most helped you imagine each place.
What to aim for- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Response or adult observation notes:
VC2E4LE01 · VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Text references: Little Bird's Day — publisher/author information; The Tale of Peter Rabbit — publisher/author information
Question 43
openings across contexts · extension
Before you start: Book access required: Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag; Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia. The books are not reproduced here. Arrange library/class copies before beginning this task.
Read both whole books or teacher-selected complete sections with an adult before answering. A school or public library copy is suitable. Discuss the particular authors' works; do not generalise one story to all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Published texts for this comparison:
Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag — Bernard Namok Jnr and Thomas Mayo; illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey.
Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia — Alison Lester.
Compare the openings. How does each invite a reader into a personal story, and what does it make you expect?
What to aim for- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Response or adult observation notes:
VC2E4LE01 · VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Text references: Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag — publisher/author information; Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia — publisher/author information
Question 44
important moments · extension
Before you start: Book access required: Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag; The Peasant Prince. The books are not reproduced here. Arrange library/class copies before beginning this task.
Read both whole books or teacher-selected complete sections with an adult before answering. A school or public library copy is suitable. Discuss the particular authors' works; do not generalise one story to all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Published texts for this comparison:
Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag — Bernard Namok Jnr and Thomas Mayo; illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey.
The Peasant Prince — Li Cunxin; illustrated by Anne Spudvilas.
Choose a turning point or important moment from each book. Compare how words or pictures make those moments stand out.
What to aim for- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Response or adult observation notes:
VC2E4LE01 · VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Text references: Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag — publisher/author information; The Peasant Prince — publisher/author information
Question 45
illustrators and meaning · extension
Before you start: Book access required: Little Bird's Day; Our Island. The books are not reproduced here. Arrange library/class copies before beginning this task.
Read both whole books or teacher-selected complete sections with an adult before answering. A school or public library copy is suitable. Discuss the particular authors' works; do not generalise one story to all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Published texts for this comparison:
Little Bird's Day — Sally Morgan; illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr.
Our Island — The Children of Gununa, with Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey.
Choose an illustration from each book. Compare how placement, colour or scale helps communicate an idea also developed by the words.
What to aim for- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Response or adult observation notes:
VC2E4LE01 · VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Text references: Little Bird's Day — publisher/author information; Our Island — publisher/author information
Question 46
emotional effects · extension
Before you start: Book access required: Alfred's War; The Peasant Prince. The books are not reproduced here. Arrange library/class copies before beginning this task.
Read both whole books or teacher-selected complete sections with an adult before answering. A school or public library copy is suitable. Discuss the particular authors' works; do not generalise one story to all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Published texts for this comparison:
Alfred's War — Rachel Bin Salleh; illustrated by Samantha Campbell (published as Samantha Fry).
The Peasant Prince — Li Cunxin; illustrated by Anne Spudvilas.
Compare how the creators help you understand a difficult experience. Choose one language or illustration detail from each.
What to aim for- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Response or adult observation notes:
VC2E4LE01 · VC2E4LE02 · VC2E4LE03
Text references: Alfred's War — publisher/author information; The Peasant Prince — publisher/author information
Answers and review guidance
Open responses, handwriting and spoken tasks need adult review. The models are examples; different responses may meet the criteria.
Question 1
Answer: The clock moves towards the train's six o'clock departure.
The approaching departure makes every delay matter and creates plot tension.
Question 2
Answer: To suggest Niko is worried and checking the same place again.
Rechecking a place already searched reveals urgency through action.
Question 3
Answer: It delays the explanation and makes the reader wonder what caused the sound.
The unknown source briefly increases suspense before the sister appears.
Question 4
Answer: Niko spent three evenings carving a gift for his grandmother.
His effort and intended recipient give the parcel emotional value.
Question 5
Answer: It resolves the problem of the missing key.
She has the key, so the obstacle to leaving is removed.
Question 6
Answer: They reached the platform as their grandmother waved from the doorway.
This continues the established goal and lets the gift reach its intended audience.
Question 7
Answer: She moves from competing alone to valuing cooperation.
“Mine” at the start contrasts with “Our” on the final label.
Question 8
Answer: “Mine” and “Our”.
The pronouns shift the project from individual ownership to shared work.
Question 9
Answer: She is disappointed and speaks quietly.
Her failed bridge and the quiet speaking verb support disappointment.
Question 10
Answer: He suggests combining the strengths of both designs.
He notices a useful part of Suri's attempt and invites a shared improvement.
Question 11
Answer: It suggests both teamwork and more experimenting ahead.
“Our” signals cooperation and “first” leaves room for further designs.
Question 12
Answer: Combining ideas can improve a result.
The strongest bridge uses a contribution from each child.
Question 13
Answer: Why Eli stays near the doorway.
She suspects boredom, while Eli's account reveals a need for quiet.
Question 14
Answer: The noise is tiring after a crowded journey.
His passage describes lingering train noise and difficulty thinking beside the game.
Question 15
Answer: Both cousins have good intentions, but they misread the situation.
Poppy prepares games to welcome him; Eli wants to thank her but needs a pause.
Question 16
Answer: First-person words such as “I” and “my”.
Each narrator tells their own thoughts and perceptions directly.
Question 17
Answer: Poppy asks how Eli is feeling and they sit quietly before choosing a game.
A conversation can correct the misunderstanding and allow both needs to be met.
Question 18
Answer: Readers would have less direct evidence of Eli's reason for waiting.
Eli's own narration supplies information Poppy does not yet have.
Question 19
Answer: The shelf speaks about being tickled.
Giving a shelf speech and sensation moves beyond an ordinary library setting.
Question 20
Answer: It makes the strange situation gently humorous.
The comparison with borrowers treats an impossible talking shelf as if it were an everyday library user.
Question 21
Answer: The boat sound hints at a possible ending for Ada's unfinished story.
A boat could solve the stranded sailor's problem, linking the two pieces of information.
Question 22
Answer: It treats missing story endings as things that might be stored in a room.
This unusual idea raises a question the reader wants answered.
Question 23
Answer: She checks that the librarian is still nearby.
The familiar adult anchors the fantasy in an everyday setting.
Question 24
Answer: A paper boat drifted out, carrying the sailor's missing final sentence.
It develops the existing links among books, a boat and the unfinished story.
Question 25
Answer: Actions and setting information for a performance.
Stage directions show movement, expression and the physical setting.
Question 26
Answer: The third chair may block access to the display.
Ben points out that the suggested position prevents people reaching the model.
Question 27
Answer: By suggesting a different arrangement of the table.
Moving the table makes room for both the chair and a path.
Question 28
Answer: Whether the arrangement lets people see the model.
Her next line confirms that everyone can see after the rearrangement.
Question 29
Answer: A bridge is about access, but their display almost blocked access.
The remark links the purpose of the model with the problem they have just solved.
Question 30
Answer: The movement of chairs and the table makes the problem visible.
The stage directions let an audience see how the space changes.
Question 31
Answer: Non-human things speak or think like people.
The lantern boasts, the candle speaks and the seed feels envy.
Question 32
Answer: Boasting can overlook an important weakness.
The lantern focuses on brightness but fails because of its loose door.
Question 33
Answer: Different things have different strengths and develop in different ways.
The ending explicitly recognises that neither can do everything the other can.
Question 34
Answer: A gives spoken advice; B offers a balanced observation.
The candle states a lesson, whereas Tale B's narrator compares capabilities.
Question 35
Answer: Its door is loose when the wind rises.
The weak door allows the wind to extinguish the flame.
Question 36
Answer: They are newly written classroom tales, not attributed cultural or traditional stories.
The label explains their source and avoids suggesting they come from an unnamed tradition.
Question 37
Example response / review guidance: The six o'clock departure creates a deadline. “Something rattled” withholds the source of a sound, making readers wait for an explanation.
The model is an example, not the only valid response. Review how well the chosen evidence or original writing meets the stated criteria.
Review criteria- Names two specific details.
- Explains each detail's effect.
- Connects the effects to suspense.
Question 38
Example response / review guidance: At first I might think Eli dislikes the games, as Poppy fears. His description of the noisy train shows that he needs quiet, so I understand that she has misread his silence.
The model is an example, not the only valid response. Review how well the chosen evidence or original writing meets the stated criteria.
Review criteria- Uses details from both accounts.
- Explains a change in understanding.
- Avoids claiming either cousin is deliberately unkind.
Question 39
Example response / review guidance: The atlas and nearby librarian are familiar library details. A talking shelf and a room of lost story endings introduce fantasy into that familiar world.
The model is an example, not the only valid response. Review how well the chosen evidence or original writing meets the stated criteria.
Review criteria- Identifies ordinary features.
- Identifies fantasy features.
- Explains the effect of combining them.
Question 40
Example response / review guidance: Luc moving the table shows how the blocked path can be opened. Without seeing that movement, the audience might not understand why Ben can carry the chair around.
The model is an example, not the only valid response. Review how well the chosen evidence or original writing meets the stated criteria.
Review criteria- Selects a stage direction.
- Explains its contribution to meaning.
- Considers its absence.
Question 41
Example response / review guidance: Both encourage readers to look beyond an obvious strength. The lantern overlooks protection and fails, while the seed discovers that slow growth gives it different strengths from a paper flower.
The model is an example, not the only valid response. Review how well the chosen evidence or original writing meets the stated criteria.
Review criteria- States a supported similarity.
- States a supported difference.
- Uses an event from each original tale.
Question 42
Example response / review guidance: Refer to one visible feature and one relevant word choice in each book. Explain how their effects are similar or different.
This task assesses a response to the actual published books. There is no single fixed interpretation: a teacher or adult should check the cited events, comparisons and reasoning against the books.
Review criteria- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Question 43
Example response / review guidance: Describe what each opening presents, explain a language or illustration choice, and compare the expectations those choices create.
This task assesses a response to the actual published books. There is no single fixed interpretation: a teacher or adult should check the cited events, comparisons and reasoning against the books.
Review criteria- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Question 44
Example response / review guidance: Describe each moment accurately, identify a language or visual choice, and explain its effect before comparing the two.
This task assesses a response to the actual published books. There is no single fixed interpretation: a teacher or adult should check the cited events, comparisons and reasoning against the books.
Review criteria- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Question 45
Example response / review guidance: Describe a feature of each chosen illustration, connect it to its accompanying text and explain a similarity or difference in effect.
This task assesses a response to the actual published books. There is no single fixed interpretation: a teacher or adult should check the cited events, comparisons and reasoning against the books.
Review criteria- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.
Question 46
Example response / review guidance: Explain what each selected detail makes visible or understandable, then compare the effects. Personal responses may differ when grounded in evidence.
This task assesses a response to the actual published books. There is no single fixed interpretation: a teacher or adult should check the cited events, comparisons and reasoning against the books.
Review criteria- Refers accurately to both named books and their creators.
- Uses a specific event, word choice or illustration detail from each book.
- Explains a meaningful connection and respects differences of context.