These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Unless a source is credited, every passage was written by Marlbridge for this page. 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)
Which of the following best defines a writer’s style?
- (A) The topic the writer chooses
- (B) The mix of word choice, syntax and conventions the writer uses
- (C) The number of pages in a text
- (D) The writer’s opinions
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Style is made up of diction, sentence structure and conventions.
- (A) is subject matter, not style.
- (C) is a length, not a manner.
- (D) Opinions are content; style is how they are expressed.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
Which statement about style and tone is most accurate?
- (A) They are identical.
- (B) Style is the manner created by the writer’s choices; tone is the attitude that style conveys.
- (C) Tone is created only by punctuation.
- (D) Style has no connection to tone.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The choices that make up style produce the tone the reader senses.
- (A) They are linked but not the same.
- (C) Tone arises from word choice and syntax as well as punctuation.
- (D) Style and tone are closely connected.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
A writer describes a school closure to the board in a formal report and to pupils in a short, informal message. What does this show?
- (A) The writer has no style.
- (B) Style can be chosen to suit different purposes and audiences.
- (C) The facts must have changed.
- (D) Informal style is always incorrect.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The facts are the same, but the writer selects style to suit each audience.
- (A) The writer has two deliberate styles.
- (C) Nothing suggests that the facts changed.
- (D) Informal style is appropriate to some audiences.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
Read: “We tried. We failed. We will try again.” Which description best fits the style?
- (A) Ornate and elaborate
- (B) Plain and resolute, built from short parallel sentences
- (C) Technical and abstract
- (D) Rambling and conversational
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The words are simple, the sentences are short and share a pattern (subject plus verb), and the final sentence turns from failure to determination.
- (A) There are no elaborate words or long sentences.
- (C) There is no technical vocabulary.
- (D) The passage is compact, not rambling.
Question 5 (multiple choice · stretch)
Which of the following is a feature of conventions rather than of word choice or syntax?
- (A) Using the word “colossal” instead of “big”
- (B) Writing in the first person and using contractions
- (C) Placing the main clause at the end of the sentence
- (D) Repeating a sentence pattern three times
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Person and the use of contractions are conventions of how a writer handles grammar and mechanics in a text.
- (A) is word choice.
- (C) is sentence arrangement (syntax).
- (D) is parallelism, a syntactic feature.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Read the passage below, written by Marlbridge.
“The house stood at the end of the lane. It had been empty for years. Nobody went there. Nobody asked. In the evenings the windows took the last of the light and kept it, as if for later.”
Describe the style of the passage and explain how it contributes to the tone. Use label, evidence and effect. (5 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. The style is spare and quiet. The first four sentences are short, simple statements in plain words, and two of them repeat the same pattern (“Nobody went there. Nobody asked.”), which creates a hush. The last sentence is longer and uses a figure of speech, personifying the windows as keeping the light “as if for later”, which adds a hint of mystery. The contrast between the flat, short sentences and the slightly longer, imaginative last one produces a tone of eerie stillness with a touch of wistfulness.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | A precise label for the style (for example spare, plain, quiet) |
| 1 | Evidence from word choice (plain words) |
| 1 | Evidence from syntax (short sentences, repetition) |
| 1 | Identifies the final sentence’s longer structure or figurative language |
| 1 | Explains the effect on tone |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Rewrite the sentence below in two styles: (a) a formal notice for a school website, and (b) a friendly note to a group of parents. Then explain two differences. (6 marks)
“The concert is moved to Friday because the hall is flooded.” (Written by Marlbridge.)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
(a) “The school concert has been rescheduled to Friday, owing to flooding in the main hall. The school apologises for any inconvenience.” (b) “Quick change: the concert is now on Friday, because our hall has flooded. Thank you for bearing with us!”
Differences. (a) uses formal diction (“rescheduled”, “owing to”, “apologises for any inconvenience”), third person and no contractions, giving an official tone. (b) uses informal words (“Quick change”), the first-person plural (“our”, “us”) and an exclamation, giving a warm and personal tone.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | (a) keeps the facts and uses formal diction |
| 1 | (a) uses formal syntax or conventions (third person, no contractions) |
| 1 | (b) keeps the facts and uses informal diction |
| 1 | (b) uses informal conventions (first person, exclamation) |
| 1 | Explains one difference and its effect on tone |
| 1 | Explains a second difference and its effect |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Francis Bacon wrote in “Of Studies” (1625, public domain): “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”
Describe the style of the sentence and explain how its features suit its purpose. (6 marks)
Answer and suggested rubric
Sample. The style is aphoristic: compressed, balanced and maxim-like. The sentence has three parallel parts, each following the pattern activity, result, man, so the reader sees that reading, conference (conversation) and writing are being weighed as equals. The second and third parts omit the verb “maketh”, which the reader supplies, so the sentence is compact and memorable. The semicolons separate the three equal claims without clutter. The diction is plain and abstract (“full”, “ready”, “exact”), and each adjective names a distinct quality that the activity produces. The purpose is to give counsel on how to study in a form that is easy to remember, and the aphoristic style makes the advice feel authoritative and quotable.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | A precise label (aphoristic, balanced, compressed) |
| 1 | Identifies the parallel structure |
| 1 | Identifies the omitted verb and its effect |
| 1 | Comments on the diction (“full”, “ready”, “exact”) |
| 1 | Links the style to the writer’s purpose (advice, memorability) |
| 1 | Explains the effect on the reader or tone |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 5, reread “What style is” and the label table. If you lost marks in 6 to 8, check that you gave a label, evidence from the text and an effect.