CLOSE READING - some tips and hints

-



Without question, the best thing you can do to improve your close reading skills is to read widely, from a range of books, magazines, newspapers and websites.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtxpJRlKOf8

However, you should also be able to identify the different question types and answer them successfully. We have covered these ideas in class. Here is a summary:
Understanding Questions - This type of question is designed to check you understand the meaning, language and ideas of the passage.

 

OWN WORDS

• Find the correct lines.

• Check number of marks.

• Re-write in your own words.

• Check you haven’t copied key words from the passage.

 

QUOTE (word/phrase/expression)

• Find the correct lines.

• Check whether the question asks for a word or phrase.

• Write down exactly as it is in passage.

 

CONTEXT  

• Find two words or phrases from the surrounding sentence(s) that clarify the meaning.

• Explain what ‘clues’ they give you about the word’s meaning.

• Write down the word’s meaning

 

LINK

• Summarise what the previous section is about.

• Quote words from the link sentence which refer back to this.

• Summarise what is being said in the section following the link sentence.

• Quote a word or phrase from the link sentence which introduces the next section.

 

SUMMARISE

• Identify the key points / issues from the relevant section.

• Change these points into your own words.

• Bullet point if appropriate.

• Check the marks available as a guide to how many points you are required to summarise.

 

Analysis Questions - This type of question is designed to check that you can identify literary techniques being used. You must also analyse them (break them down) and evaluate how they add to the meaning of the passage.

 

WORD CHOICE

• Quote the word and give its basic meaning (denotation).

• Give the word’s associated ideas (connotations).

• Explain how the word’s connotations develop the reader’s understanding of the passage.

 

IMAGERY - (Simile, Metaphor, Personification)

• Identify the type of image.

• Quote it.

• Use “just as... so too…” to say what is compared to what and why.

• Say what the comparison adds to the reader’s understanding of the passage.

 

CONTRAST - (2 opposing ideas, words, images...)

• Pick out one side of the contrast, then summarise and explain it. Support with a quote.

• Pick out the other side of the contrast, then summarise and explain it. Support with a quote.

 

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

You may comment on:  

Punctuation (quotation marks, exclamation mark, parenthesis, ellipsis, etc.)

Sentence lengths (short for impact or longer – building up ideas)

Sentence types (statement, question, command, exclamation, minor)

Sentence patterns (list, climax, anti-climax, antithesis, etc.)

Sentence Structure questions

• Identify the feature of structure being used.

• Explain the effect on the reader’s understanding of the passage.

 

TONE of a passage or TYPE of language

• Identify the tone.

• Quote words or phrases that create this tone.

• Analyse how those words/phrases create the tone.

Tone Word Bank: informal – humorous - light hearted – whimsical – sarcastic – mocking – ironic – formal – questioning – outraged – angry – critical – sinister – nostalgic – reverential – reflective – awed – disappointed – uncertain – doubtful

 

TYPE of language could include: formal, informal, archaic (old-fashioned), dialect (Scots, American, jargon, etc.

 

EVALUATION  

This type of question can ask you to consider:

  • How well the paragraph or line acts as an introduction or conclusion.
  • How a title relates to a passage.
  • How an anecdote, image, illustration or other technique helps convey the writer’s overall argument or attitude.

The key to answering these questions is to identify an appropriate feature or technique and show how it relates to the writer’s purpose, attitude or overall line of argument.

Popular posts from this blog

Walt Kowalski - character development in 'Gran Torino' dir. Clint Eastwood

-
The following item gives an account of the development of the character of Walt Kowalski in 'Gran Torino'. Reading it may be useful in understanding the sorts of things you could explain in a critical essay. Also, the development of the character of Walt is important in the film, because it goes hand in hand with the development of his relationship with Thao and the development of the theme of respect. Clearly, since this is taken from the internet, it cannot be copied. This would be plagiarism.. A film in which there is a character who becomes a hero is ‘Gran Torino’, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. The story is set in modern day Detroit, where the central character, Walt Kowalski, a retired car plant worker and Korean War veteran, struggles to come to terms with the changes in his community. In particular, the plot revolves around his unlikely friendship with Thao, a teenage boy from a Hmong immigrant family. The first time we see Walt is a close up of h...
Read more

'Gran Torino' dir. Clint Eastwood - analysis of 'sacrifice' sequence

-
Image
Below is an example of how someone wrote about 'Gran Torino'. It is an old essay, it answers a specific question, it does not use the PEAR paragraph and it is also very long - you only have forty-five minutes - nonetheless, it may be useful to have a look at it, to get some ideas. Remember that, because this essay appears on the internet, copying it is plagiarism. . Choose a scene or sequence from a film which is particularly dramatic. Describe what happens in the scene or sequence, explaining how the film makers effectively use techniques to create drama. A film in which there is a particularly dramatic sequence is ‘Gran Torino’, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. The story is set in modern day Detroit, where the central character, Walt Kowalski, a retired car plant worker and Korean War veteran, struggles to come to terms with the changes in his community. In particular, the plot revolves around his unlikely friendship with Thao, a teenage ...
Read more

'Gran Torino' dir. Clint Eastwood - 'sacrifice' sequence 'screenplay'

-
Image
Evening – It is dark. Low level shot of gang’s flats. Virtually Walt’s point of view. Reverse shot of Walt approaching flats. Sound of crickets, dog barking and people within buildings. Closer shot of flats. Blind moves. Smokie exits door to top of steps, followed by Spider. Smokie and Spider’s point of view shot of Walt.             WALT            Any swamp rats in there? Long shot from behind Walt           SMOKIE           I didn’t think your ass would have came...           WALT           Shut up, gook!   Medium shot of Smokie and Spider Low angled long shot of Walt. Reverse shot – another door opens. Back to low angle reverse shot of Walt.         ...
Read more