Effective Strategies for Close Reading Analysis

Close Reading Round-up What we (should) know so far .

In your own words Strategies: Read the question Locate the paragraph/lines Isolate the key words and phrases you need to change Translate the ideas into your own words Express things as simply as you can use bullet points Try expressing it in a different way (opposite) e.g. it was not warm becomes it was cold.

Example Like any self-respecting 2014 toddler, he can swipe, pat and jab at games on a smartphone or tablet, but smartphone games aren't real games. They're interactive dumbshows designed to sedate suicidal commuters. And they're not just basic but insulting, often introducing themselves as free-to-play simply so they can extort money from you later in exchange for more levels or less terrible gameplay. Either that or they fund themselves with pop-up adverts that defile the screen like streaks on a toilet bowl. In your own words, what are the writer s criticisms of smart phone games. (2)

Answer Games on smartphones are just created to pass the time They re not clever or intelligent They re so straightforward and simple They lie They appear to not charge you but later on there are hidden charges to access more content They are riddled with annoying advertisements

Word Choice Strategies: 1. Quote the key word or phrase and say what it means 2. Comment on the connotations of the key word or phrase 3. Explain how these create a particular effect by linking to question

Example Public service broadcasting means a network that produces a range of well- made programmes, particularly in less popular genres, which are financed according to their intrinsic needs and not the size of the audience. Chasing ratings is not what the BBC should be doing. Yet the BBC schedules are stuffed with cheap, populist rubbish, which can hardly be said to be needed since commercial producers make them with even greater enthusiasm and vulgarity. Intoxicated with the popularity of such genres, BBC1 and BBC2 have allowed them to run rampant like some nasty kind of pondlife and crowd out other programmes. Show how the writer s word choice in this paragraph makes clear her disapproval of the type of programme currently on the BBC schedules. (2)

Answer The word rubbish connotes totally valueless and therefore suggests that the programmes being aired are no better than scrap. (1 mark) The word stuffed connotes filled to overflowing, suggesting that BBC schedules are crammed full of low-cost, low brow programmes. (1 mark) Note, as in the exam, there are many other examples of word choice you could highlight can you identify any?

Summary Strategies: Locate and isolate the key ideas Write these in bullet points Use you own words as far as you can

The winter of 1542 was marked by tempestuous weather throughout the British Isles: in the north, on the borders of Scotland and England, there were heavy snow-falls in December and the frost so savage that by January the ships were frozen into the harbour at Newcastle. These stark conditions found a bleak parallel in the political climate which then prevailed between the two countries. Scotland as a nation groaned under the humiliation of a recent defeat at English hands at the battle of Solway Moss. As a result of the battle, the Scottish nobility which had barely recovered from the defeat of Flodden a generation before were stricken yet again by the deaths of many of their leaders in their prime; of those who survived, many prominent members were prisoners in English hands, while the rest met the experience of defeat by quarrelling among themselves, showing their strongest loyalty to the principle of self- aggrandisement, rather than to the troubled monarchy. The Scottish national Church, although still officially Catholic for the next seventeen years, was already torn between those who wished to reform its manifold abuses from within, and those who wished to follow England s example, by breaking away root and branch from the tree of Rome. The king of this divided country, James V, lay dying with his face to the wall. Summarise five key political problems facing Scotland (5marks)

Answer They were still embarrassed about being defeated by England recently They hadn t fully recovered from past defeats They were mourning the loss of those in power, particularly those who were young Those who did not die were in jail Everyone left was arguing There were still religious matters to be resolved Their king was on his death bed, ignoring the problems

Link Strategies: Quote the (small) part of the sentence that links back to the last idea/paragraph Say what it links back to Quote the (small) section of the sentence that links forward Say what new idea it introduces

Six million people visited the British Museum last year, from all over the world, free. They flock to blockbuster exhibitions; but they also come to explore, to fall into the unexpected conversations with distant, ancient, foreign peoples. And that, of course, was exactly what the museum s creators imagined when it was founded by the Act of Parliament in 1753: a great cornucopia of different civilisations, an encyclopaedic storehouse of universal knowledge, displaying the great cultures side by side, with equal veneration, to enlighten not just an elite, but the world. That simple, brilliant idea is now under assault from the concept of cultural property , a struggle over ownership of the past. In the past half-century, but gathering pace in recent years, so-called source countries have successfully begun to reclaim and repatriate artefacts from museums around the world. The governments of Italy, Greece, Egypt, China, Cambodia and other geographical homes of ancient civilisations argue that antiquities in foreign museums are national property, vital components of national identity that should be returned home as a matter of urgency. Show how the sentence That simple of the past acts a link between the writer s line of argument. (2)

Answer that simple, brilliant idea refers to the curator s scheme to exhibit a range of historical objects from around the world. (1 mark) now under assault introduces the idea that this practice is under attack by those who believe that all artefacts belong in their country of origin. (1 mark)

Imagery Strategies: Just as so too (explain the literal root and the figurative meaning) Or Identify the type of comparison, explain what is being compared and what this helps you to understand

Example It s time for the 2011 census and I would urge everyone to fill the forms in as best they can and understand that this is a really important exercise. The census is all about providing the state with key demographic data so that it can understand the nature of our communities much better than it does. It is a snapshot of the UK on one particular day in one particular year but the data gathered has profound ramifications for all communities and for some time to come. Q. Analyse how the writer s use of imagery clarifies what he is saying about the census.

Answer The writer uses a metaphor, comparing the census to a snapshot or photograph. Just as a snapshot captures a particular moment in time, providing a preserved image for the future, so too, a census provides a picture of the exact make-up of the country on one particular day. The effectively helps us to understand that while the census collects information from a particular point in time, it will immediately be out of date.

Sentence Structure Strategies Identify the aspect of sentence structure Explain how it is being used in the context of the passage Comment on the effect it creates (link to question)

Example At unequal distance all around the shores of the lake were nearly white-hot chimneys or hollow drums of lava, four or five feet high, and up through them were bursting gorgeous sprays of lava gouts and gem spangles, some white, some red and some golden a ceaseless bombardment, and one that fascinated the eye with its unapproachable splendour. Show how the author uses sentence structure to create a sense of drama in the description of the volcano erupting. (4)

Answer Repetition of some is used to emphasise the variety of colours and create a dramatic visual impression of the colourful explosions of lava. The writer has used a long and complex sentence to create the sense of action and convey everything that is happening all at once. The writer uses a dash to create a pause and introduce an further explanation of the lava, explaining how relentless the flow of lava is.

Tone Tone reflects the mood and attitude of the writer It is important to read the passage in an expressive way to pick up on tone Tip if stuck and unsure of the tone, 90% of the time it will be humorous

Tone To achieve full credit in these questions, you must: Say what the tone is Identify the language technique used to create it (e.g. word choice, sentence structure, imagery etc.) Explain how the technique creates this tone

Example