Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation Higher English: Close Reading

Skills
Levels of Close Reading Sequence

Explanation:
Genre Knowledge,
Comprehension:
List
Re-state a Context: Define
Understanding problem, in one’s Content Plot, Character, Setting Situation Narrative
Distinguish
own words Translate
Discuss
Summary:
Skeleton Outline

Schemes Meaning Tone/Mood

Arrangement Content Attitude
Standard Non-standard
Formal Informal
Repetitions Word choice Regular Irregular
Application,
Adjectives Connotations Direct: Analysis:
Separates a whole
punctuation Register Relate
case study into straightforward
Sentence structure Juxtaposition Purpose Examine
Analysis component parts Structure factual/fictional
Links Imagery – Theme Complete
so that issues can Compare
paragraphs Metaphor/Simile Implicit:
be uncovered Infer
Senses – Personification Indirect, embedded
Analyse
Onomatopoeia Irony, Cliché
factual/fictional
Alliteration Paradox
Irony, pathos: emotive
Hyperbole Emotive Lang
exaggerated, tragic,
humorous, imaginative

Appraising, Specific Evaluation Synthesis,

assessing, Assess Details
Evaluation:
judging. Select Formulate
General Evaluation Compose
Evaluation the most effective Style Effectiveness Audience
Assess Whole
solution. Create Design
a view of the Conclude
Comparison/Contrast Convince
whole text Compare to Other Texts
The Text Produces Evidence Which Forms Your Argument And When Your Argument Is Formed, It Is Supported By
Evidence From The Text
Understanding
Generally of four types.
1. Questions in which the understanding of the meaning of particular items of vocabulary -
generally “high level” vocabulary - has to be demonstrated. This is often expressed in
Marking Instructions as a “gloss” of the item or items of vocabulary. Sometimes these are
framed as “context” questions.
2. Questions which ask for one or more reasons for/attitudes to/explanations of particular
aspects/ideas/arguments in the text. The isolation of the correct number of reasons, and the
recasting or paraphrasing of the words of the passage are the main requirements in this type.
3. Questions in which the understanding of the “argument” of a sentence or paragraph is
required. Here answers need to demonstrate an understanding of the way in which parts of
the sentence or paragraph relate/are linked to each other.
4. Questions which require summary or selection of main points throughout. The passage or part
of the passage. These questions require similar skills to those above. Often paraphrase of
topic sentences provides an adequate answer. Sometimes recognition of the appropriate
linkage is necessary.
Analysis
Questions generally encompass a number (but not necessarily all) of the following types.
1. Connotations of particular word or phrases - generally signalled by the use of “word choice” in
the question.
2. Deconstruction of imagery - metaphor/simile/personification - generally signalled by a
question on the function or effectiveness of examples.
3. Structure questions - often sentence structure, but could be smaller in scope as in word order
of a phrase, or larger as in the structure of the passage as a whole.
4. Identification of tone/mood, generally with a requirement to justify the tone/mood chosen by
reference and comment.
5. As appropriate to the passage being questioned other aspects could occur such as:

• the recognition of parallels

• the effect of illustration

• the place of dialogue

• the recognition of register

• the place of sound/cadence

• the use of rhetorical devices.

Evaluation
These questions tend to come in three types:
1. Questions relating to the effectiveness of a detailed aspect of the text - the effectiveness of
an image/structure etc. These questions are often inextricably related to the analysis of the
image/structure etc, and are sometimes coded E, sometimes coded A and sometimes coded
A/E. The answers are not usually assessed as two separate processes.
2. Questions relating to the overall effect of the passage on the reader.
3. Questions relating to the passage’s fulfilment of particular aims/objectives.
UNDERSTANDING:

Explain: Put into your own words

Context: Give the meaning of the word or phrase

Specify items of context that give clues to the meaning
Say how these items help you work out the meaning

Summary Identify the main point (using topic sentences of passage)

Identify the unifying factor (the topic sentence of your summary)
Write the points in a paragraph of your own sentences

ANALYSIS:
Structure of passage/link:
Say what has gone before
Say what comes after
Specify the technique that links them

Comment on/show how an idea is highlighted:

Specify the feature (word choice, technique, sentence structure)
Identify how it relates to meaning
Say how it helps bring out the idea

Show how a feature is developed:

Specify other/related examples of feature (wdchoice, technique, s/s)
Say how these help strengthen/change the effect

Comment on the tone of:

Identify the tone (the way it might be said)
Specify how the tone is gained (wdchoice, technique, s/s)
Say how the tone affects what is being said

EVALUATION:
1. Specific Evaluation:
how well a particular aspect of CONTENT, STRUCTURE, SYLE fits in with the
purpose, structure or style of the rest of the passage.

2. General Evaluation:
how well does the passage achieve its purpose: focus on those aspects of CONTENT,
STRUCTURE, STYLE which you feel enhance or detract from the purpose.

10. Comparison of two passages (Exam only):

focus on similar and contrasting aspects of CONTENT, STRUCTURE, STYLE and
how well they are successful in achieving the purposes of each passage.

In all evaluations: Make points first, back up points with specific references to content,
structure, style. Comment on how well the specifics – the details – are used in relation to the
focus of the question and the general ideas – the overview - about the text.
Higher Close Reading Question Types

Questions in Higher Close Reading will focus on the following 5 areas.

1. MEANING (U – Understanding):
- Use the context to find the meaning of a word
- Explain a difficulty or paradox in your own words
- Explain an inference (hinted meaning)
- Show how an idea is developed
- Summarise the main points of a section

2. STRUCTURE: (A – Analysis)
- Explain the function of a sentence or paragraph (the “link question”)
- Explain a sequence of points (the summary question)
- Comment on juxtaposition (gaining effect by putting two things together)
- Comment on recurrence of or development of ideas or forms

3. SENTENCE STRUCTURE: (A – Analysis)

- Comment on the use of minor sentence or unusual sentence structure
- Comment on the use of commands/questions (including rhetorical questions)
- Comment on the use of colon/semi-colon/dash/brackets/commas
- Comment on the use of listing/ repetition/ inversion/parenthesis

4. IMAGERY: (A – Analysis)
- Clarify and comment on the use of simile
- Clarify and comment on the use of metaphor
- Clarify and comment on the use of analogy
- Clarify and comment on the use of anecdote
- Clarify and comment on the metaphorical use of words

5. TONE: (A – Analysis)
- Identify different tones (anger, humour, etc)
- Identify and comment on the use of tonal words, expressions
- Identify and comment on the use of irony
- (Identify and comment on the use of paradox)
- Comment on techniques to involve the reader

In all areas, just identifying a point or technique will not gain marks. You will have to explain, clarify,
evaluate (E – Evaluation) and/or respond.

All of these are related to the writer’s PURPOSE and to the reader’s RESPONSE. In comparing
passages, you are required to show how some of these aspects are similar, some different, and how
that relates to both the purpose of and response to each passage.
Higher and Standard Grade English Tips

Robert King , an English tutor in Glasgow , offers the following advice for students doing
Standard Grade and Higher English.

Taken from his website with kind permision.

Close Reading Round Up
In the close reading section of the higher exam paper, you will be given a piece of writing
you will not have seen before and asked to answer a set of questions.

Understanding Questions

Typical U questions ask you to find out a piece of information from a particular paragraph or
line. It may ask you to interpret what the author has said; suggest why they had said it or put
it into your own words.

Context

Decide on the meaning of in terrorem by the words before it:

Early one morning the sub-inspector at a police station the other end of the town rang
me up on the phone and said that an elephant was ravaging the bazaar. Would I please
come and do something about it? I did not know what I could do, but I wanted to see
what was happening and I got on to a pony and started out. I took my rifle, an old .44
Winchester and much too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might be
useful in terrorem.

The narrator is going to kill the elephant but his gun is too small. If the noise might be useful
‘in terrorem’ means ‘to scare’.

Link

Show how the underlined sentence acts as a link between paragraph 1 and paragraph 2.

George Orwell said that sport was 'war minus the shooting' - presumably before shooting
became an Olympic event. Orwell's famous phrase captures well the passion and hatred
that animates the great football rivalries - Rangers and Celtic, Barcelona and Real
Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United. Remove the hostility between these rivals and
the sporting contest is diminished.

For this reason, Spurs fans were not only justified but duty-bound to give Sol Campbell a
torrid reception on his return to White Hart Lane in enemy colours. Supporters held up
balloons and posters bearing the word 'Judas', booed Campbell's every touch, and
pelted Arsenal's team bus with beer cans and bottles.

‘Enemy colours’ refers to paragraph one, which is about people treating sports like a ‘war’.
‘torrid reception’ refers to paragraph two, which is about Sol Campbell returning to White
Hart Lane. The phrase ‘For this reason’ shows that the second paragraph will continue the
subject of the first, about fanatical football supporters.

Analysis Questions

A questions ask you about the author’s style or techniques, including:

• Word choice

• Figures of speech – imagery or sound

• Sentence Structure

Word Choice

Quote words from the text and explain their connotations; show how they might affect the
reader.

The tone of a passage comes from the emotion created by the words. If a paragraph
contains the words ‘sunny’, ‘beach’ and ‘laughter’ it will probably have a happy tone. Try
entering these words on a Google search and you may get:

From Sunny Beach , it is a forty-minute cruise by boat to the deserted bay beach of
Robinson Crusoe and his Man Friday. The two castaways can be found there,
welcoming. Games are held on land and in the water throughout the day, with a free
show for children and adults. Expect plenty of laughter and ice-cream.

Explain how the word choice creates the tone of this passage:

Sunny Beach was a place where fun and laughter felt out of place. We felt as if we had
turned up too early for the party – or too late. For half a year the intended function of
Sunny Beach is temporarily out of use.

The expressions ‘out of place’, ‘too late’ and ‘out of use’ are associated with failure and age,
and create a tone of bitterness or sadness.

Other possible tones:

ironic – when the writer means the opposite of what they say
tongue-in-cheek – when irony is used for humour
satirical – when a writer uses irony and sometimes humour to attack or ridicule something
argumentative – when the writer is making a serious point
flippant – when the writer is dismissive or disrespectful of a subject or thing
effusive – enthusiastic or excited
Sentence structure

Show how the author’s use of punctuation; parenthesis; long and short sentences; and list /
repetition / climax enable them to get a point across.

To answer a sentence structure question, explain what the author’s choice of structure
emphasises, suggests or implies.

Comment on the following sentence structure:

‘He doesn’t know what to do. He looks around. He’s been seen!’

The writer uses repetition of the word ‘He’ at the start of each sentence.

Each sentence is short as it describes the person’s thoughts and actions. This suggests the
person is worried and thinking quickly.

Sentences

A sentence can be simple: ‘The boy kicks a ball.’

Or complex: ‘The boy kicks the ball, runs across the pitch, passes, trips, gets back up,
charges forward, intercepts, dummies… scores!’

…this example contains a list…

A complex sentence often contains a list, repetition or a climax: ‘I came, I saw, I

conquered’.

A sentence may be incomplete: ‘That damn boy!’

Or contain a parenthesis: ‘The boy (Sid, I think) kicks the ball’ – this adds extra information.

Or use inversion: ‘The ball was kicked by the boy’.

You can gain marks by describing how the punctuation works: this sentence has been split
up into two halves using a colon.
Imagery

An image can be a simile, a metaphor or personification. In each case, something is being

compared to something else.

‘He was a tiger in battle’

‘It was as cold as a polar bear’s nose’

When answering questions about imagery:

a) See / feel: what picture does the image create in your mind?

b) Good / bad: Show the associations of the image:

• Is it kind or unkind to compare someone to a tiger? Or both?

• Is the writer trying to make you admire something, feel pity towards it, hate it, fear it, laugh at
it?

Explain how the following image is effective:

‘The man with his face in his hands

Sat slumped like a half-filled sack’

The writer uses a metaphor to describe the man’s face: ‘face in his hands’. This suggests the
man is sad, possibly, and this evokes a feeling of pity towards him.

Or…

A simile is used to describe how the man is sitting: ‘like a half-filled sack’. This shows that
the man’s posture is poor and might indicate that he is unable to sit in any other way

And…

It might also suggest that he felt sad. The associations of a ‘half-filled sack’ are of something
missing, because a sack which is not full might have had something taken from it.