Transcript Close Reading strategies overview nat 5

National 5 Close Reading
Brief overview of question
types and strategies to use
Main question types
1. Own words.
2. Summary.
3. Context.
4. Linking.
5. Word Choice.
6. Imagery.
7. Tone.
8. Sentence Structure.
9. “Language”.
10.Effective opening paragraph.
11.Effective conclusion.
1. Own words
These questions are asking you to show that
you understand and can explain the author’s
ideas/arguments.
1. Find the information that you need to
answer the question.
2. Put the information into your own words.
You get no marks for quoting.
Use bullet points for each idea you put into
your own words. 1 mark per correct idea.
2. Summary
Similar to own words questions. You are
being asked to summarise the main
ideas/arguments in the article.
1. Find the information that you need to
answer the question.
2. Put the information into your own words.
You get no marks for quoting.
Use bullet points for each idea you put into
your own words. 1 mark per correct idea.
3. Context
In context questions, you are being
asked to explain the meaning of a
word or phrase and then explain
how you worked out the meaning by
looking at the words and phrases
around it.
Context
You must do the following steps (in any
order):

Explain what the word/phrase means.

Quote the words in the text which give you
clues

and explain how they helped you work out
the meaning.
4. Linking
In these questions, you are being asked to
show how a certain sentence acts as a link
between two paragraphs at a particular point
in the passage.
You must use the four-step-method.
Remember! Four-step-method:
Step 1:
• Quote from the linking sentence.
Step 2:
• Show how that quote makes a link back to earlier
in the passage, using your own words.
Step 3:
• Quote again from the linking sentence.
Step 4:
• Show how that second quotation makes a link
forward to what is to come in the passage, using
your own words.
You should also identify any linking words
that have been used, for example:
•
•
•
•
•
However.
Furthermore.
Nonetheless.
In addition.
Moreover.
Etc…
5. “Language”
If you are asked to write about the author’s
use of language, you must keep your
W.I.T.S about you!
You may be able to write about:
• Word choice.
• Imagery.
• Tone.
• Sentence structure.
6. Word choice
In word choice questions you are being
asked to identify individual words and
then explain how they convey the
author’s ideas and the effect they had
in the passage.
You should focus on individual words.
Analysing Word Choice
1. Identify the most important words (Quote)
2.
• State the connotations of the word.
• Explain why the word is effective and
how the word helps you to understand
the writer’s ideas/opinion. (Comment)
7. Imagery
Imagery refers to:
• Simile.
• Metaphor.
• Personification.
You should analyse imagery using the threestep-method.
Three-step-method
1. Quote the example of imagery and then state
which technique has been used.
2. Think about what is being described (x) and
what it is being compared to (y).
3. Explain the relevant connotations of y (Just
as...)
Then explain how the connotations of y are
transferred on to x (So too...)
Important
For some questions you are required to
provide evaluation of the imagery.
In these instances, you must do the threestep-method and then explain why the
image is effective.
8. Tone
If you are asked about tone, you are being asked
to think about the attitude of the writer.
Ask yourself this: what would the writer’s tone of
voice be if she read her article aloud?
There are lots of different tones that can be
used by an author, but you have to be able to
identify the correct one.
How to answer:
1. State the tone.
2. Provide a quote for evidence.
3. Explain how the author creates the tone in the
quote you have chosen.
Think about Word Choice; Imagery; Sentence
Structure; specific features etc…
9. Sentence Structure
For sentence structure questions you will
have to do two things when you
answer:
• 1) Identify which feature has been used (and
quote where relevant)
• 2) Explain the purpose and effect of the feature
in the passage. Make sure that you fully answer
the question.
Sentence structure
See separate handout on different
types of sentence structure.
10. Effective opening
In these questions you are being asked
to explain how the writer creates an
effective opening paragraph to the
passage.
There are a number of features to look
out for.
• Interesting use of language or technique.
• Use of questions.
• Use of rhetorical questions.
• Examples or anecdotes.
• The writer outlines his/her key points.
How to answer
1.Identify the feature that has been used to
make the opening paragraph effective.
(You may have to quote, depending on
which technique you choose).
2. Explain how the feature makes the
opening paragraph effective in relation to
the passage.
11. Effective conclusion
These questions are asking you to explain
how the final paragraph of the passage is
an effective conclusion.
In other words, you have to explain why the
paragraph is a good way to end the
passage.
• Does the conclusion summarise any ideas
that have been mentioned earlier in the
passage?
• Does the conclusion include any ideas that
link to earlier in the passage?
• Does the conclusion include any examples
of language which links to earlier in the
passage?
How to answer- key idea
1. Identify a key idea from the conclusion and
explain it in your own words (you should also
provide a quote as extra evidence)
2. Explain how this idea links to somewhere else
in the passage, using your own words (you
should also provide a quote as extra
evidence)
How to answer- use of
language
1. Identify an example of language from the
conclusion and analyse it. (you should also
provide a quote as extra evidence)
2. Explain how this example of language links to
somewhere else in the passage, using your
own words (you should also provide a quote
as extra evidence)