These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Passages marked “Marlbridge passage” were written for this resource; quotations from historical texts are from public-domain sources with author, title and year. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric, not an official scoring guideline. Allow about 45 minutes.
Question 1 (multiple choice · foundation)
A writer wants to describe a child who asks many questions in a way that shows approval. Which word best does this?
- (A) nosy
- (B) prying
- (C) curious
- (D) meddlesome
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). All four words refer to a person who asks questions, but “curious” has a favourable connotation of eagerness to learn.
- (A) suggests unwelcome interest in others’ business.
- (B) suggests intrusion.
- (D) suggests interfering in matters that are not one’s concern.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage).
The protesters trickled in, a handful of tired neighbours holding hand-lettered signs.
Which statement best describes the effect of the word choice?
- (A) It alarms the reader by suggesting the protesters are a threat.
- (B) It makes the protesters seem small, modest and sympathetic, so the reader is likely to view them kindly.
- (C) It shows that the writer despises the protesters.
- (D) It presents the protesters in a purely neutral way.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Trickled”, “handful”, “tired” and “hand-lettered” suggest small numbers, weariness and homemade effort, which invites sympathy.
- (A) A threatening crowd would be “swarmed”, “stormed” or similar.
- (C) The words are gentle, not scornful.
- (D) The language is not neutral: a neutral version might read “Some protesters arrived with signs.”
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
In his Rochester address (1852), Frederick Douglass says of the enslaved person’s view of the nation: “your national greatness, swelling vanity”. What does the word “swelling” contribute?
- (A) It suggests healthy growth.
- (B) It suggests inflation or disease, so that the nation’s “greatness” is shown as puffed up and unhealthy.
- (C) It shows that Douglass agrees with the audience’s pride.
- (D) It introduces a new topic.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Applied to “vanity”, “swelling” connotes something inflated and unwholesome, which undermines the positive word “greatness”.
- (A) The word is attached to vanity, so it does not signal healthy growth.
- (C) The passage criticises the pride.
- (D) The phrase continues a list of contrasts rather than introducing a new topic.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
A student is writing a formal letter to a mayor and wants to report that the council refused a proposal. Which word is best suited to the audience and register?
- (A) trashed
- (B) shot down
- (C) declined
- (D) nixed
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). “Declined” is formal and neutral in tone, which suits a letter to a public official.
- (A) is informal and carries a dismissive connotation.
- (B) is a colloquial, violent metaphor.
- (D) is slang and informal.
Question 5 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which statement about connotation and denotation is most accurate?
- (A) A word’s denotation is its emotional associations, and its connotation is its dictionary meaning.
- (B) Words with the same denotation can carry different connotations, so a writer’s choice among them shapes the reader’s attitude.
- (C) Connotation is the same for every reader.
- (D) Connotation matters only in poetry.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Denotation is the literal meaning; connotation is the associations, and writers choose among synonyms for their connotations.
- (A) reverses the definitions.
- (C) Connotation varies with context, culture and audience.
- (D) Connotation matters in every kind of writing, including arguments.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Here is a plain statement (Marlbridge passage): “Mr Okoye has kept the same car for twenty years and repairs it himself.” Write two versions of the sentence, using the same facts: one that makes Mr Okoye seem admirable and one that makes him seem foolish. Underline or list the words that create each effect.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
Admiring: Mr Okoye is a loyal, resourceful owner who has cared for the same car for twenty years and keeps it running with his own skilled hands.
Critical: Mr Okoye clings to the same clapped-out car after twenty years and tinkers with it himself instead of admitting it should be replaced.
Words and effects: “loyal”, “resourceful”, “cared for” and “skilled” carry admiration; “clings to”, “clapped-out”, “tinkers” and “admitting” suggest stubbornness and neglect.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Keeps the facts the same in both versions (twenty years, same car, self-repair) |
| 1 | Uses clearly positive connotations in the first version |
| 1 | Uses clearly negative connotations in the second version |
| 1 | Identifies the words that create each effect |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage).
The headmaster shuffled to the podium, clutching his notes, and droned through the results. Nobody stirred. When he finally sat down, the applause was polite.
Explain how the writer’s word choice conveys an attitude toward the headmaster and the occasion.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The verbs “shuffled” and “clutching” suggest an uncertain, reluctant figure, not a confident speaker. “Droned” connotes a monotonous, tiresome delivery, and “Nobody stirred” implies that the audience is bored or numb. “Polite” applause is courteous but unenthusiastic, so the occasion ends without warmth. Together the words convey a gently critical, mildly satirical attitude: the writer sees the ceremony as dull and the headmaster as ineffectual, without being cruel.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Quotes at least two specific words |
| 1 | Names the connotation of each word accurately |
| 1 | Identifies the attitude toward the headmaster and the occasion |
| 1 | Explains how the choices create that attitude (not only lists them) |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Write a paragraph of four to six sentences for a sceptical town council arguing that the town should build a skate park. Choose words whose connotations will reassure the audience. Then explain two of your word choices and say how you avoided an overstated tone.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
A skate park would give the town’s young people a supervised, purpose-built place to practise a skill they already pursue on the high street. Rather than banning skaters from steps and car parks, the council can channel their energy into a safe, well-lit facility that residents can monitor. Neighbouring towns that have built similar parks report fewer complaints about skating in public spaces, which suggests the project is a sensible response to an existing problem, not a risk the town is inviting.
Word choices: “supervised, purpose-built” and “safe, well-lit” connote order and safety for a worried audience; “channel” suggests guiding energy, not suppressing it. I avoided an overstated tone by using “suggests” and “sensible”, so the claim does not rely on loaded words alone.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (5 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Uses connotations that suit the audience (reassuring, orderly, practical) |
| 1 | Avoids words that would alarm this audience |
| 1 | Supports the attitude with a reason or evidence |
| 1 | Explains at least two word choices accurately |
| 1 | Shows awareness of the limit of loaded words (a measured tone) |
How did you do?
- If you missed questions 1 or 5, revisit “Two layers of meaning” and “Same meaning, different attitude” in the study guide.
- If you missed questions 2, 3 or 7, review “How connotation builds tone and style” and Worked example 2.
- If you missed questions 4, 6 or 8, review “Choosing words strategically” and Worked example 1.
- Then tick off the checklist and revise with the revision notes.