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 3I (written by Marlbridge), from an invented play.
INEZ: (packing) The boat leaves at six.
HAL: (not moving from the door) There is a boat every day.
INEZ: Not to where they are paying me.
HAL: Then take the money to where I am.
INEZ: (stopping) You are asking me to choose between a place and a person.
HAL: No. I am asking you to notice that you have already chosen the way to phrase it.
(INEZ goes on packing, more slowly.)
Extract 3J (written by Marlbridge), from an invented novel.
The inspector found nothing wrong with the bridge, which was exactly the trouble. For eleven years the village had told itself that the bridge was unsafe and so could not be crossed, and in that time no one had been obliged to visit the farms on the far side, or to be visited by them. Now Mr. Doyle stood in the middle of it, stamping his heels on the planks to show how sound it was, and the villagers watched him from the bank as if he were doing something indecent.
Question 1 (multiple choice · core)
Which statement best describes the external conflict in Extract 3I?
- (A) Inez wants to leave for a job, and Hal wants her to stay
- (B) Inez and Hal disagree about which boat to take
- (C) Hal wants to leave, and Inez wants to stay
- (D) Inez and Hal agree about everything
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). Inez is packing to take the boat “to where they are paying me”; Hal stands at the door and says “take the money to where I am”.
- (B) misreads: the argument is about leaving, not which boat.
- (C) reverses the positions.
- (D) is contradicted by their exchange.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
The stage direction “(INEZ goes on packing, more slowly.)” most directly suggests that
- (A) Inez is experiencing an internal conflict she does not state
- (B) Inez has decided to stay
- (C) Inez has forgotten what she was packing
- (D) Inez is unaffected by Hal’s words
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). She continues, so she has not given in, but “more slowly” shows that Hal’s point has had an effect. The internal conflict is shown in action, not speech.
- (B) is not shown; she keeps packing.
- (C) is unsupported.
- (D) is contradicted by the slowing.
Question 3 (multiple choice · stretch)
Hal’s line “I am asking you to notice that you have already chosen the way to phrase it” most directly
- (A) heightens the conflict by suggesting that Inez’s own wording shows her leaning
- (B) ends the conflict
- (C) shows that Hal has changed his mind
- (D) introduces a new character
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). Hal turns her framing (“a place and a person”) into evidence about her values, which puts pressure on her internal conflict.
- (B) is wrong because she is still packing.
- (C) is contradicted by his continued stance at the door.
- (D) is wrong because no other character appears.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
“The inspector found nothing wrong with the bridge, which was exactly the trouble.” The phrase “exactly the trouble” most directly shows that
- (A) the bridge is dangerous
- (B) the inspector’s finding removes the villagers’ reason for staying apart
- (C) the villagers wanted a new bridge
- (D) the inspector is disliked for being late
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). A sound bridge removes the excuse that has kept the village from the farms, so a good finding creates a problem.
- (A) is contradicted by “nothing wrong”.
- (C) is not supported.
- (D) is not mentioned.
Question 5 (multiple choice · stretch)
“In that time no one had been obliged to visit the farms on the far side, or to be visited by them.” This detail most directly shows that the village’s belief about the bridge
- (A) serves a purpose by sparing the villagers an obligation
- (B) is based on an engineer’s report
- (C) is a mistake they would like to correct
- (D) is held only by the inspector
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). The belief has a benefit: it frees people from contact. The villagers hold a convenient belief, which sets comfort against truth.
- (B) is contradicted by “told itself”.
- (C) is contradicted by their reaction to the inspector.
- (D) is wrong because the village holds the belief.
Question 6 (multiple choice · stretch)
The villagers watching “as if he were doing something indecent” most directly conveys that they
- (A) treat an act of truth-telling as an offence against their shared habit
- (B) are impressed by the inspector’s skill
- (C) are afraid that the bridge will fall
- (D) want to join the inspector on the bridge
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). “Indecent” is the language of social offence, so the inspector’s demonstration disrupts a comfortable agreement.
- (B) misreads the tone.
- (C) is contradicted by the planks that are sound.
- (D) is not suggested.
Question 7 (constructed response · stretch)
Explain how an internal conflict and an external conflict intersect in Extract 3I. Name the values in tension and use at least two details.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The external conflict is between Inez, who is leaving for better pay, and Hal, who stands “at the door” and asks her to stay. The internal conflict is Inez’s tension between a job elsewhere (ambition or money) and attachment to Hal and the place. Hal’s last line, “you have already chosen the way to phrase it”, intersects with her internal conflict by turning her own words (“a place and a person”) into evidence of where her loyalty lies. Her slower packing at the end shows that the external pressure has intensified her internal doubt.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies the external conflict (Inez against Hal) |
| 2 | Identifies the internal conflict and names the values in tension (opportunity against attachment) |
| 3 | Uses at least two accurate details from dialogue or stage directions |
| 4 | Explains how the conflicts intersect (Hal’s pressure heightens Inez’s doubt) |
Question 8 (constructed response · core)
Explain the conflict of values in Extract 3J. Use at least two details.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The conflict is between a comfortable belief and a plain fact, or between truth and belonging. The village has “told itself” for eleven years that the bridge is unsafe, which spares them from visiting or being visited. Mr. Doyle’s stamping on the planks “to show how sound it was” threatens that arrangement, and the villagers watch him “as if he were doing something indecent”, treating the truth as a breach of manners.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (3 points).
| Point | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| 1 | Names the competing values (truth against comfort or custom) |
| 2 | Uses at least two accurate details |
| 3 | Explains how the details show the conflict (belief serves a purpose, truth is treated as an offence) |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 3, reread “Conflict is competing values under pressure” and “Several conflicts at once” in the study guide. If you missed Questions 4 to 6, reread “Inconsistency as evidence of conflict”. Then check the checklist.