These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Unless a source is credited, every passage and every figure was written by Marlbridge for this page and is invented for practice. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric to help you check your work; they are not an official scoring guideline. No calculator is needed.
Question 1 (multiple choice · foundation)
In the sentence “Libraries can improve results, particularly for pupils without a quiet space at home,” which words or phrases qualify the claim?
- (A) “Libraries” and “results” only
- (B) “can” and “particularly for pupils without a quiet space at home”
- (C) “improve” only
- (D) None; the sentence is unqualified
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Can” limits the certainty (a possibility, not a guarantee) and the phrase limits the group for whom the claim is strongest.
- (A) names the subject and object, which are what the claim is about, not what limits it.
- (C) “improve” is the main verb of the claim, not a limiter.
- (D) is wrong because two limiters are present.
Question 2 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which modifier limits a claim by condition?
- (A) “often”
- (B) “among teenagers”
- (C) “unless funding is cut”
- (D) “may”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). A condition says under what circumstances the claim holds, and “unless funding is cut” sets one.
- (A) “often” limits frequency.
- (B) “among teenagers” limits group.
- (D) “may” limits certainty.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
Which sentence keeps a clear position while qualifying the claim appropriately?
- (A) “It could possibly be suggested by some that perhaps there might be a reason to review the policy.”
- (B) “The policy should end.”
- (C) “The policy should be reviewed within a year, since early figures suggest it has not reduced waiting times.”
- (D) “Nobody can say whether the policy works.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). It takes a position (review within a year), limits it with a time frame and a reason, and uses “suggest” to match the early evidence.
- (A) piles up hedges until no position remains.
- (B) is unqualified.
- (D) refuses a position entirely and is also an absolute (“nobody”).
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
A writer has reviewed forty studies from eleven countries, all showing a small but consistent benefit from a reading programme. Which sentence uses a modifier whose strength best matches this evidence?
- (A) “The programme might possibly help some readers.”
- (B) “The programme generally brings a small gain in reading.”
- (C) “The programme always transforms every reader.”
- (D) “The programme cannot be shown to do anything.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Generally” fits many consistent studies, and “small gain” matches the size of the effect.
- (A) is too weak for forty consistent studies; it understates the evidence.
- (C) overstates in two ways: “always” and “transforms”.
- (D) contradicts the evidence.
Question 5 (multiple choice · core)
In “Although the trial was small, the results suggest that short walks after meals help some adults control blood sugar,” which part is a clause used as a modifier?
- (A) “Although the trial was small”
- (B) “suggest”
- (C) “some adults”
- (D) “after meals”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). It has its own subject (“the trial”) and verb (“was”), and it concedes a limitation on the evidence, so it modifies the main claim as a dependent clause.
- (B) is a single verb that modifies certainty, so it is a word-level qualifier, not a clause.
- (C) is a short phrase that limits the group.
- (D) is a prepositional phrase with no verb of its own.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Revise this overstated claim from a student’s draft, using at least three modifiers from different dimensions of scope: “Video games make teenagers aggressive.” (Written by Marlbridge.) Label each modifier with its dimension. (5 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. “Violent video games may raise short-term aggression in some teenagers during or shortly after play, though the evidence is mixed about lasting effects.” Modifiers: “may” (certainty), “in some teenagers” (group/amount), “during or shortly after play” (time), “though the evidence is mixed” (concession).
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | The revision keeps a position about video games and aggression |
| 1 | First modifier correct and labelled |
| 1 | Second modifier from a different dimension, labelled |
| 1 | Third modifier from a different dimension, labelled |
| 1 | The revised claim is arguable (not so hedged that it says nothing) |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
For the topic school uniforms, write the same claim at two different strengths to suit these pieces of evidence (invented for practice):
- Evidence X: one survey of 150 pupils at one school found that most felt uniforms reduced morning stress.
- Evidence Y: reviews of many studies find no consistent effect of uniforms on behaviour or results.
(a) Write one claim that suits Evidence X. (2 marks) (b) Write one claim that suits Evidence Y. (2 marks) (c) Explain, in one or two sentences, how your choice of modifiers matches the evidence in each. (2 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
(a) “Uniforms may reduce morning stress for some pupils, as one school’s survey suggests.” (b) “Uniforms generally do not appear to change behaviour or results, so schools should not rely on them to raise either.” (c) For X, “may”, “some” and “suggests” reflect a single small survey; for Y, “generally” and “do not appear” reflect many studies that agree on a null result, so the claim can be firmer.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | (a) states a claim with a position |
| 1 | (a) uses modifiers of possibility or limited scope |
| 1 | (b) states a claim with a position |
| 1 | (b) uses firmer modifiers matched to many studies |
| 1 | (c) explains the match for X |
| 1 | (c) explains the match for Y |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Read the passage below, written by Marlbridge.
“Rooftop gardens are often praised as a solution to urban heat. In some respects the praise is deserved: a planted roof can keep a top-floor flat several degrees cooler in summer. But the benefit is local, and it depends on the garden being watered in dry spells. Unless cities plan for the whole network of roofs, the cooling in any one street is likely to be modest.”
Explain how the writer’s modifiers shape the argument and the audience’s trust. Refer to at least three specific words, phrases or clauses. (6 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. The writer starts with “often praised”, which limits the view being discussed to a common opinion rather than a universal one. “In some respects” concedes that the praise is partly justified, and “several degrees cooler” gives a measured scale, not a promise. The phrases “the benefit is local” and “depends on the garden being watered” set limits of place and condition, and the clause “Unless cities plan for the whole network of roofs” states the condition under which the claim changes. “Likely” and “modest” keep the final claim in proportion. Because the writer concedes the benefit before qualifying it, the audience can trust that the limits are fair rather than a rejection of the idea.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies a frequency or concession modifier (“often”, “in some respects”) |
| 1 | Explains its effect on how the claim is framed |
| 1 | Identifies a condition or place limit (“depends on…”, “local”, “Unless…”) |
| 1 | Explains what it limits |
| 1 | Identifies a certainty or degree word (“likely”, “modest”) |
| 1 | Links the modifiers to the audience’s trust |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 5, reread “The dimensions of scope” and “Strength” in the study guide. If you lost marks in 6 to 8, check that you said what each modifier limits, not only that it exists.