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 · core)
A columnist writes: “The council has announced its so-called plan for the harbour.” What does “so-called” convey?
- (A) That the plan has a nickname
- (B) That the writer doubts the plan deserves the name
- (C) That the plan is very popular
- (D) That the writer is certain the plan will succeed
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “So-called” suggests that the label is not earned, which signals doubt.
- (A) The word is not used to mention a nickname here.
- (C) Popularity is not suggested.
- (D) The modifier signals scepticism, not confidence.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
A student’s sentence is: “The new library is really nice and has lots of good things.” Which revision is most precise?
- (A) The new library is very nice and has many good things.
- (B) The new library has bright reading rooms, forty computers and a quiet study floor.
- (C) The new library is great and has a lot of stuff.
- (D) The new library is excellent in every way.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It replaces vague words with specific features the reader can picture and check.
- (A) keeps the same vague words and adds “very”.
- (C) swaps one set of vague words for another.
- (D) is a general judgement with no detail.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (1865) includes: “Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.” What do the adverbs “fondly” and “fervently” convey?
- (A) The speaker is unsure whether the war will end.
- (B) The speaker expresses a hope that is affectionate and intensely felt.
- (C) The speaker is criticising those who pray.
- (D) The speaker is describing the speed of the war.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Fondly” suggests tenderness and “fervently” intensity, so the wish is warm and passionate.
- (A) The adverbs strengthen the hope, they do not express doubt.
- (C) Nothing in the sentence criticises prayer.
- (D) “Speedily” describes how soon the war should end, not “fondly” or “fervently”.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
A report says: “The meeting did not go well.” Which statement best explains why this sentence is weak and how precise word choice could help?
- (A) It is too short; adding more adjectives would make it better.
- (B) It leaves the reader to guess what “not well” means; saying that the meeting ran two hours and ended without a decision would reduce confusion.
- (C) It is too formal; a slang word would be clearer.
- (D) It is too precise already.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Precision reduces confusion by replacing a vague judgement with facts.
- (A) More adjectives would not necessarily add information.
- (C) Slang would not make the meaning more exact.
- (D) The sentence is vague, not precise.
Question 5 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which revision best improves “She said quietly that she was tired”?
- (A) She said very quietly that she was really tired.
- (B) She whispered that she was tired.
- (C) She spoke in a quiet way that she was tired.
- (D) She said, quietly and softly, that she was tired.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). A single strong verb, “whispered”, replaces “said quietly”.
- (A) adds filler words (“very”, “really”).
- (C) is wordier and no more precise.
- (D) uses two near-synonymous adverbs and adds nothing.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Revise this paragraph (Marlbridge passage) by replacing the vague words with precise ones. You may invent plausible details. Then explain two changes.
The playground is in a bad condition. Some of the equipment is broken and it is not safe. A lot of children have had problems. Something should be done soon.
Answer and explanation
Sample revision (Marlbridge; the details are invented).
The playground is rusting and neglected. The swing seats are cracked, the climbing frame has a missing rung and the surface under the slide has worn through to concrete. Since September, four children have been treated for cuts and bruises after falls. The council should repair the equipment before the end of term.
Two changes. (1) “bad condition” became “rusting and neglected”, and the equipment was described in specific terms (cracked swing seats, a missing rung), so the reader can picture the danger. (2) “A lot of children have had problems” became “four children have been treated for cuts and bruises”, which gives a number and names the problem. “Soon” became “before the end of term”, which gives a deadline.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Replaces “bad condition” and “broken” with specific descriptions |
| 1 | Replaces “a lot of children” and “problems” with quantity and detail |
| 1 | Replaces “soon” with a precise request |
| 1 | Explains at least two changes with reference to vagueness and precision |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage).
The mayor’s polished speech conveniently skipped the closure of the ferry. Instead, he spoke at length about a gleaming new car park, which will open in “early next year” and which will cost £3.2 million.
Explain how the writer’s choice of descriptive words and precise details contributes to the writer’s perspective.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. “Polished” suggests a speech that is smooth and rehearsed, with a hint of insincerity. “Conveniently” is a sceptical adverb: it implies the omission was deliberate, not accidental. “Gleaming” repeats the surface imagery, suggesting glossy appearances over substance. These modifiers tell the reader how to read the mayor’s speech: as a performance that avoids awkward facts. The precise details, “the closure of the ferry” and “£3.2 million”, give the criticism a factual basis, while the quotation marks around “early next year” signal that the writer finds the date vague. The combination of sceptical modifiers and exact details supports a critical perspective that the reader can check.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies at least two modifiers and names what each conveys |
| 1 | Identifies at least one precise detail |
| 1 | Describes the writer’s perspective (sceptical, critical) |
| 1 | Explains how modifiers and details work together |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Write a paragraph of four to six sentences that argues a town’s market square should be closed to cars on Saturdays. Use at least two descriptive words that convey your perspective and at least two exact details (numbers or specific nouns). Then underline or list the modifiers and the details, and explain what the modifiers convey.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge; the details are invented).
On Saturdays, the market square is cramped and noisy, with 31 stalls squeezed between parked cars and double-decker buses. A shopper with a pushchair must edge past wing mirrors, and the fumes from idling engines settle over the fruit and flowers. Closing the square to traffic between nine and four would give pedestrians safe, open space and give the stallholders room to breathe. A trial for three Saturdays would be a modest step, easily reversed if it did not work.
Modifiers and details: “cramped”, “noisy”, “safe”, “open”, “modest” convey the writer’s view of the present (unpleasant) and the proposal (reasonable). The details are “31 stalls”, “double-decker buses”, “nine and four” and “three Saturdays”.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (5 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Uses at least two modifiers that convey perspective |
| 1 | Uses at least two exact details |
| 1 | The details support the perspective (not decoration) |
| 1 | Avoids vague filler words |
| 1 | Explains what the modifiers convey |
How did you do?
- If you missed questions 1, 3 or 7, revisit “Two jobs for descriptive words” and Worked example 2 in the study guide.
- If you missed questions 2, 4 or 6, review “Precision” and Worked example 1.
- If you missed questions 5 or 8, review “Precision” and “Common misconceptions”.
- Then tick off the checklist and revise with the revision notes.