These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. The three sources below are fictional, written by Marlbridge for this resource. The quotation in question 1 is from a public-domain historical text, with author, title and year. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric, not an official scoring guideline. Allow about 45 minutes.
The issue: Should schools ban phones during lessons?
Source D (a secondary school teacher, fictional): “I support a ban. In my classes, a phone on the desk costs ten minutes of attention before the lesson has begun. Students concentrate better when the temptation is out of sight.”
Source E (a parent, fictional): “I also support a ban, but for a different reason. Phones follow children into school with whatever group chats and arguments they had last night. A school day without them is a break from that.”
Source F (a sixth-form student, fictional): “I oppose a blanket ban. I use my phone to translate words in lessons, and I know a student who needs hers to monitor a medical condition. Ban the games, not the tool.”
Question 1 (multiple choice · core)
Susan B. Anthony (1873), speaking after she was indicted for voting, said: “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.” Which statement best describes her perspective in this sentence?
- (A) She speaks as a neutral observer with no stake in the outcome.
- (B) She speaks as a woman excluded from voting, which shapes how she rejects each narrower definition of “the people”.
- (C) She speaks as a judge applying the law impartially.
- (D) She speaks as a foreign visitor commenting on American politics.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Her role (a woman indicted for voting) and her interest (the right to vote) shape the argument, and the repeated “not we…” clauses reject the categories used to exclude her.
- (A) She was a party to the case and the issue directly affected her.
- (C) She was the accused, not the judge.
- (D) She was an American citizen.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
Which statement about Sources D and E is accurate?
- (A) They have different positions and the same perspective.
- (B) They have the same position (for a ban) but different perspectives (a teacher’s concern for attention; a parent’s concern for social pressure).
- (C) They have the same position and the same perspective.
- (D) They have different positions and different perspectives.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Both support a ban, but they argue from different roles with different reasons.
- (A) Both support a ban, so their positions are the same.
- (C) The teacher’s and parent’s reasons differ, so their perspectives are different.
- (D) Both support a ban, so their positions are the same.
Question 3 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which statement correctly distinguishes position from perspective?
- (A) Position is the background a writer argues from; perspective is what the writer argues.
- (B) Position is what a source argues about an issue; perspective is the vantage point shaped by background, interests and expertise.
- (C) They mean the same thing.
- (D) Position applies only to sources that disagree.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). This is the distinction between “what” and “from where”.
- (A) reverses the definitions.
- (C) The two concepts are different, and sources can share one and not the other.
- (D) Every source has a position, whether or not it disagrees with another.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
How does Source F’s perspective shape its evidence?
- (A) It relies on statistics from a national survey.
- (B) It draws on a student’s own experience of translation and a classmate’s medical needs, which are practical uses a teacher or parent might not mention.
- (C) It repeats the teacher’s evidence about lost lesson time.
- (D) It cites a legal ruling on phone use.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The evidence is first-hand and practical, which is what a student user can offer.
- (A) No statistics appear in Source F.
- (C) Source F does not mention lost lesson time.
- (D) No legal ruling is mentioned.
Question 5 (multiple choice · core)
Which statement about perspective is most accurate?
- (A) A source with a perspective is unreliable.
- (B) Every source is written from some perspective; the writer should notice it and consider what evidence it favours and omits.
- (C) A source’s perspective is always stated openly.
- (D) Sources with the same position must have the same perspective.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Having a perspective is normal; the skill is to notice it and weigh its effects.
- (A) A perspective does not by itself make a source unreliable.
- (C) Perspective is often inferred from role, interests, evidence and tone.
- (D) Sources can share a position and differ in perspective.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Complete a table giving the position, perspective and one piece of evidence for each of Sources D, E and F. Use your own words.
Answer and explanation
Sample response.
| Source | Position | Perspective | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Supports a ban | A teacher, concerned with classroom attention | A phone on the desk costs ten minutes before the lesson begins |
| E | Supports a ban | A parent, concerned with social pressure and wellbeing | Phones bring group chats and arguments into school |
| F | Opposes a blanket ban | A student, concerned with practical and medical uses | A phone is used for translation and for monitoring a medical condition |
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (3 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | States the positions of all three sources correctly |
| 1 | States the perspectives of all three sources correctly |
| 1 | Gives accurate evidence for each, in the student’s own words |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Write one or two sentences that use Sources D and E together to strengthen an argument that schools should limit phones during lessons. Show how their different perspectives support your claim.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
Schools should limit phones in lessons, a conclusion reached independently by a teacher who sees ten minutes of attention lost before a lesson begins and by a parent who sees the school day as a break from group-chat pressure. That two people with different concerns, one for learning and one for wellbeing, arrive at the same position suggests that the case for limits does not depend on any single worry.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | States a clear claim |
| 1 | Accurately identifies each source’s perspective and reason |
| 1 | Explains why the difference in perspective strengthens the argument |
| 1 | Keeps the sources as support for the writer’s claim, not as summary |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Explain what Source D’s perspective leaves out, and say how a writer who used Source D as evidence for a ban should respond to that limitation.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. Source D comes from a classroom teacher, so its evidence concerns lesson time and concentration. It does not address students for whom a phone is a practical tool, such as the translation and medical monitoring described in Source F, or the social pressures that Source E raises. A writer who uses Source D should therefore treat it as strong evidence about attention but not as a complete case for a ban. The writer might acknowledge the practical needs raised by Source F and propose exceptions, so that the argument is credible to readers who hold those concerns.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies Source D’s perspective and the kind of evidence it gives |
| 1 | Identifies at least one thing that perspective leaves out |
| 1 | Links the limitation to the writer’s use of the source |
| 1 | Proposes a sensible response (qualify the claim, acknowledge another source) |
How did you do?
- If you missed questions 1 or 5, revisit “Clues to perspective” and “Perspective in a published text” in the study guide.
- If you missed questions 2 or 3, review “Two questions to ask of every source”.
- If you missed questions 4 or 8, review Worked example 2.
- If you missed questions 6 or 7, review Worked example 1.
- Then tick off the checklist and revise with the revision notes.