These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. The extracts 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.
Extract 3A (written by Marlbridge), from an invented novel.
Everyone at Hallam Court agreed that Miss Verrall was a lady of excellent character, and said so frequently, in the hall, within her hearing. She was seen at church on every occasion and was never seen to hurry. She kept a small notebook in which, it was supposed, she recorded the failings of the household, though nobody had ever seen her write in it. When the new housemaid dropped a tureen, Miss Verrall said nothing, bent, and gathered the pieces into her own apron; and the housemaid, who had been told what to expect, stood a long time afterwards at the kitchen door with her hands open, as if she had been given something and could not see what it was.
Extract 3B (written by Marlbridge), from an invented play.
MARGUERITE: (not looking up from the script) You’ve learned the lines.
DANIEL: Every one. (He sits.) Every one of yours too, in case.
MARGUERITE: In case of what?
DANIEL: In case you decide, one night, that you’re tired. (Pause.) Of the part.
MARGUERITE: (closing the script) That is a very polite way of saying a rude thing.
DANIEL: I was brought up to be polite.
MARGUERITE: And I was brought up to notice.
Question 1 (multiple choice · core)
“Everyone at Hallam Court agreed that Miss Verrall was a lady of excellent character, and said so frequently, in the hall, within her hearing.” The phrase “within her hearing” most directly suggests that
- (A) the household sincerely loves Miss Verrall
- (B) the household’s praise may be directed at her as a performance
- (C) Miss Verrall is deaf to what is said
- (D) the praise is a private joke
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Saying a thing “frequently” where the person can hear suggests it is meant to be heard. The description therefore reveals the household’s perspective (wanting to be seen as respectful) as much as Miss Verrall’s character.
- (A) is not supported; the detail points to display, not feeling.
- (C) contradicts “within her hearing”.
- (D) is unsupported by anything in the passage.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
The sentence about the notebook (“it was supposed … though nobody had ever seen her write in it”) most directly creates an expectation that Miss Verrall is
- (A) watchful and likely to judge others
- (B) forgetful
- (C) generous
- (D) uninterested in the household
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). The household supposes that she records “failings”, so she is expected to be a watcher who judges. The key word is “supposed”: the expectation rests on rumour.
- (B) and (C) are not suggested by the supposition.
- (D) is contradicted by the idea that she watches the household.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
When Miss Verrall “said nothing, bent, and gathered the pieces into her own apron”, her action most directly
- (A) meets the expectation created by the household’s rumours
- (B) breaks that expectation and suggests the household’s view is incomplete
- (C) shows that she is angry
- (D) shows that she has not noticed the accident
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). A watcher with a notebook of failings is expected to reprove. Her silence and kindness contradict this, so the reader must revise the picture.
- (A) is the opposite of what happens.
- (C) is not supported; her action is gentle.
- (D) is contradicted by her bending to gather the pieces.
Question 4 (multiple choice · stretch)
“The housemaid, who had been told what to expect” most directly shows that
- (A) the housemaid is lazy
- (B) a character’s behaviour can be shaped by what others have told her about someone
- (C) the housemaid knows Miss Verrall personally
- (D) the housemaid expects a reward
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The housemaid’s expectation comes from the household’s talk, and her later bewilderment (“as if she had been given something and could not see what it was”) shows how the expectation fails.
- (A) has no support.
- (C) is contradicted by “been told”.
- (D) is not stated.
Question 5 (multiple choice · stretch)
Which best describes how the narrator’s perspective affects the reader’s understanding of Miss Verrall in Extract 3A?
- (A) The narrator reports reputation and rumour first, so the reader sees the gap between what is said about her and what she does
- (B) The narrator states plainly that Miss Verrall is kind
- (C) The narrator hides the actions of the housemaid
- (D) The narrator tells the story from Miss Verrall’s own thoughts
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). The passage reports what everyone “agreed” and “supposed”, then reports a plain action. The order creates the gap.
- (B) is wrong because the narrator never says so directly.
- (C) is wrong because the housemaid’s reaction is described.
- (D) is wrong because the passage does not enter her thoughts.
Question 6 (multiple choice · core)
In Extract 3B, Daniel’s statement that he has learned Marguerite’s lines “in case” most directly suggests that he
- (A) is preparing to take over her part
- (B) dislikes her
- (C) has forgotten his own lines
- (D) wants to leave the production
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). Learning her lines “in case you decide … that you’re tired” shows that he has prepared for a chance to replace her, while keeping his manner polite.
- (B) goes beyond the evidence.
- (C) contradicts “Every one” of his lines.
- (D) is not suggested.
Question 7 (multiple choice · stretch)
Marguerite’s reply “And I was brought up to notice” most directly reveals that she
- (A) has understood Daniel’s real motive and will not be fooled by his politeness
- (B) is unaware of what Daniel means
- (C) is grateful to Daniel
- (D) intends to give up the part
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). She has already called his words “a very polite way of saying a rude thing”, and “brought up to notice” gives her perceptiveness a history.
- (B) is contradicted by her earlier line.
- (C) and (D) have no support.
Question 8 (constructed response · core)
Explain what Daniel’s lines and the stage direction “(Pause.)” reveal about his motive in Extract 3B. Use at least two details.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. Daniel’s motive appears to be ambition covered by courtesy. He has learned “Every one of yours too, in case”, and when Marguerite asks “In case of what?” he answers with a prepared phrase, “In case you decide, one night, that you’re tired”. The stage direction “(Pause.)” before “Of the part” suggests that he hesitates over making his aim explicit, which shows that he knows his words are close to rude.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (3 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | A claim about Daniel’s motive (to replace her, supported by politeness) |
| 2 | Two accurate details from dialogue or stage directions |
| 3 | An explanation of how the details show the motive (preparation, hesitation, politeness as cover) |
Question 9 (constructed response · stretch)
Explain how the description of Miss Verrall in the first half of Extract 3A creates an expectation, and how her action with the tureen affects the reader’s interpretation of her.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The household’s repeated praise “within her hearing” and the rumour of the “small notebook” create the expectation of a watchful woman who judges. The detail that she is “never seen to hurry” adds an impression of control. When the housemaid drops the tureen, however, Miss Verrall “said nothing, bent, and gathered the pieces into her own apron”, an act of kindness that breaks the expectation. The reader is led to see that the household’s view rests on supposition (“it was supposed”) and that her character is more generous than reputation suggests.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies the expectation created (watchful, judging) |
| 2 | Uses at least two accurate details from the opening description |
| 3 | Identifies the action that breaks the expectation |
| 4 | Explains the effect on interpretation (reputation based on supposition; a different view of her) |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 5, reread “Description sets up expectations” and “Whose perspective shapes the description?” in the study guide. If you missed Questions 6 and 7, reread “Motives from actions and inactions”. Then check the checklist.