Use this diagnostic to find which Unit 6 topics to revisit: one question per topic, then a short written task.
These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. All passages and sources are fictional and written by Marlbridge for this resource. The diagnostic is not calibrated and gives no predicted score. Rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric.
How to take it. Allow 30 minutes. Answer everything before opening any answers. No calculator is needed.
Sources for questions 1 to 3 and 7 (fictional).
Source A (a transport charity’s report): “A survey of 400 commuters found that 55% would cycle to work if there were a protected cycle lane on their route.”
Source B (a letter from a taxi-company owner): “Cycle lanes take road space from vehicles that serve the town every day. Cyclists do not pay for the roads they use.”
Source C (an article by a local doctor): “Regular cycling lowers the risk of heart disease, and a cycle lane would make it possible for people who are afraid of traffic.”
Question 1 (multiple choice · 6.1)
Which sentence is a synthesis rather than a summary?
- (A) Source A is a report, Source B is a letter and Source C is an article.
- (B) A survey suggests that many commuters would cycle if it felt safe, and a doctor adds a health reason to build a lane, although a taxi owner reasonably asks who will use the road space.
- (C) Source B says cycle lanes take road space.
- (D) I think cycle lanes are good.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It combines the sources around a claim and shows how they relate (support, extension, objection).
- (A) merely labels the sources.
- (C) reports one source.
- (D) states an opinion with no use of the sources.
If you missed this: 6.1 study guide.
Question 2 (multiple choice · 6.2)
How do Sources A and C differ, if both support building a cycle lane?
- (A) They have different positions but the same perspective.
- (B) They have the same position, but they argue from different perspectives (a charity reporting commuter demand; a doctor concerned with health).
- (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 lane, but the charity argues from commuter demand and the doctor from medical expertise.
- (A) The positions are the same.
- (C) The perspectives differ.
- (D) The positions are the same.
If you missed this: 6.2 study guide.
Question 3 (multiple choice · 6.3)
Which statement most usefully comments on the reliability of Source B?
- (A) A letter cannot be reliable.
- (B) The owner has first-hand knowledge of road use but also a financial interest in keeping road space for vehicles, and offers no figures, so the claim should be treated as informed but not neutral.
- (C) Taxi owners are always right.
- (D) Reliability is irrelevant to a synthesis.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It identifies both what the source offers and its possible limits (an interest, no data).
- (A) A letter can be useful evidence.
- (C) No group is always right.
- (D) Reliability matters in choosing and using sources.
If you missed this: 6.3 study guide.
Question 4 (multiple choice · 6.4)
A writer’s first thesis is “The town should build a cycle lane on Station Road.” The writer then learns that Station Road is the only route for ambulances to the hospital. Which revised thesis best fits the new evidence?
- (A) The town should build a cycle lane on Station Road regardless.
- (B) The town should never build a cycle lane.
- (C) The town should build a cycle lane on a parallel road, or on Station Road only if ambulance access is kept clear.
- (D) Cycle lanes are complicated.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). It keeps the direction of the original claim and adds a condition or alternative that responds to the new evidence.
- (A) ignores the evidence.
- (B) overreacts and reverses the claim without justification.
- (D) is not a defensible, specific claim.
If you missed this: 6.4 study guide.
Question 5 (multiple choice · 6.5)
Read this sentence (Marlbridge passage): “The minister delivered his statement with the confidence of a man who has never been asked to prove anything.” Which phrase best describes the tone?
- (A) Admiring
- (B) Detached and objective
- (C) Sardonic and critical
- (D) Tender
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). The sentence mocks the minister’s confidence by suggesting it comes from never being challenged.
- (A) The sentence is not admiring; the “confidence” is ironic.
- (B) The attitude is clear and not detached.
- (D) Nothing in the sentence is tender.
If you missed this: 6.5 study guide.
Question 6 (multiple choice · 6.6)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage): “The house was lovely: sunlit rooms, a garden full of roses, a view of the hills. We bought it within a week. Then the first winter came, and we learned what a draught could do.” Which description of the shift is best?
- (A) From admiring to wryly regretful, marked by “Then” and a plain, short statement after the lyrical description
- (B) From angry to calm, marked by “Then”
- (C) There is no shift.
- (D) From sad to joyful, marked by “bought”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). The lyrical description of the house gives way, at “Then”, to a dry understatement about draughts.
- (B) The passage begins admiringly, not angrily.
- (C) The change of attitude is clear.
- (D) The shift is from joy to regret, not the reverse.
If you missed this: 6.6 study guide.
Question 7 (constructed response · 6.1, 6.3)
Write two or three sentences that use Sources A and B to argue that the town should consult both commuters and road users before deciding on a cycle lane. Acknowledge one limitation or bias.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
A transport charity reports that 55% of 400 surveyed commuters would cycle if a protected lane existed, which suggests real demand, although a charity that promotes cycling may have framed the question favourably. A taxi owner, who has a financial interest in road space, objects that a lane would take room from vehicles, and the objection deserves an answer even if his letter offers no figures. Because the two sources reflect different interests, the council should consult both groups before deciding.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Uses Source A accurately |
| 1 | Uses Source B accurately |
| 1 | Acknowledges a bias or limitation (interest, sample, no data) |
| 1 | Reaches a claim that follows from combining the sources |
If you missed this: 6.1 study guide and 6.3 study guide.
Reading your result
| If you missed | Read next |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 6.1 Synthesising sources |
| Question 2 | 6.2 Position and perspective |
| Question 3 | 6.3 Bias and limitations |
| Question 4 | 6.4 Revising a thesis |
| Question 5 | 6.5 Tone and connotation |
| Question 6 | 6.6 Shifts in tone |
| Question 7 | 6.1 and 6.3 |
When you have closed the gaps, try the Unit 6 mixed review.