These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. The poems were written by Marlbridge for this practice. Mark points are a suggested Marlbridge rubric, not an official scoring guideline. Multiple-choice questions have four options.
Poem P (written by Marlbridge), “Reply to the Landlord”.
Dear Sir, the roof is mended, as you asked,
or mended enough. I have stood on the stair
and counted the drips, and where there were nine
there are three. I do not complain of three.
You wrote that the tenants have been “difficult.”
I am sorry to be a tenant. I have kept
the tin of paint you left, unopened, for the day
when I may have a wall I can call mine.
Question 1 (multiple choice · core)
The opening “Dear Sir” most directly establishes that the speaker is
- (A) writing formally to someone with power over her
- (B) writing a casual note to a friend
- (C) addressing the reader of a newspaper
- (D) speaking to herself
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). “Dear Sir” is a formal address that places the speaker as a tenant writing to a landlord.
- (B) is contradicted by the formality.
- (C) is not supported; the speaker later refers to what “you wrote”.
- (D) is wrong because the poem is directed at an addressee.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
“Where there were nine there are three. I do not complain of three.” The speaker’s decision not to complain most strongly suggests that she
- (A) is satisfied with the state of the roof
- (B) wants to be seen as reasonable while noting that the repair is incomplete
- (C) did not notice the three drips
- (D) has decided to leave the flat
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). She reports the count and says she does not “complain”, which makes the complaint indirectly while keeping the tone civil.
- (A) is contradicted by “or mended enough” and by the fact that she counts the drips.
- (C) is contradicted by the count.
- (D) is not stated; she keeps the paint “for the day when I may have a wall”.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
“You wrote that the tenants have been ‘difficult.’ / I am sorry to be a tenant.” The second sentence most likely conveys
- (A) sincere regret about her behaviour
- (B) controlled irony: she turns the landlord’s complaint back on his view of tenants
- (C) confusion about what the landlord meant
- (D) pride in being a tenant
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). She does not apologise for any act but for the status “tenant”, which implies that the landlord’s word treats the condition of renting as a fault.
- (A) would require her to name a particular behaviour.
- (C) is contradicted by her precise reply to the word.
- (D) misreads the tone; the line is restrained and ironic, not proud.
Question 4 (multiple choice · stretch)
The tin of paint, “unopened”, most directly conveys the speaker’s
- (A) wish to own a home in which she is free to make changes
- (B) intention to repaint the flat tomorrow
- (C) disrespect for the landlord’s property
- (D) indifference to the appearance of the flat
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). She is waiting for “a wall I can call mine”; the unopened tin signals restraint and aspiration.
- (B) contradicts “unopened, for the day when”.
- (C) is contradicted by her careful keeping of the tin.
- (D) is contradicted by her wish for a wall of her own.
Question 5 (multiple choice · core)
Which of the following best describes the speaker’s tone across the poem?
- (A) Openly angry
- (B) Cheerful and carefree
- (C) Restrained and formal, with an undercurrent of resentment
- (D) Confused and uncertain
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). The formal address, the counted drips and the apology that is not an apology combine politeness with pointed remarks.
- (A) overstates; the speaker never raises her voice.
- (B) contradicts the details of complaint.
- (D) is contradicted by the precision of her statements.
Question 6 (multiple choice · stretch)
Which statement about the speaker is best supported by the poem?
- (A) She is the poet describing a real flat.
- (B) She is a voice created by the poet, and her perspective is shown by her word choice and details.
- (C) She is the landlord, writing to himself.
- (D) She has no perspective because she reports facts.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). A speaker is a created voice, and what she chooses to report reveals perspective.
- (A) confuses speaker and poet; the poem does not tell us this.
- (C) contradicts “Dear Sir” and “You wrote”.
- (D) is wrong because selection of facts (“counted the drips”) is itself revealing.
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Write two to three sentences making a claim about the speaker’s perspective on her situation, and support it with two short quotations from Poem P.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The speaker’s perspective is that of a tenant who wants fair treatment but dares not demand it. She counts the drips, “where there were nine / there are three”, and then says “I do not complain of three”, which lets the evidence speak while avoiding open conflict.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (3 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | A claim about the speaker’s perspective, not a summary |
| 2 | Two accurate quotations or close paraphrases |
| 3 | An explanation of how the lines support the claim |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Explain how the speaker’s word choices and the organisation of her thoughts in Poem P reveal her attitude to the landlord. Refer to at least three details.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The speaker’s attitude is controlled resentment. The formal “Dear Sir” and the polite “mended enough” keep the surface civil. She builds her case with numbers (“nine … three”) and then withdraws the complaint, which lets the figures do the criticising. Her reply to the word “difficult”, “I am sorry to be a tenant”, turns the landlord’s insult into a statement about his view of tenants. The poem ends not with anger but with the unopened paint, which shows that her resentment is turned into a wish for a place of her own.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies an attitude (restrained resentment, irony, dignity) |
| 2 | Uses at least three accurate details |
| 3 | Explains at least one choice of word or order of thought (counting, withdrawal of complaint, reply to “difficult”) |
| 4 | Links the details to the speaker’s perspective as a whole |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 3, reread “Four questions for any speaker” in the study guide. If you missed Questions 4 to 6, reread Worked example 2 and the misconceptions. Then check the checklist.