GCSE English Language Reading Flashcards

Read the sentence: 'The wind clawed at the windows, desperate to get in.' Which language technique is being used?

Answer: Personification

The wind is given human qualities (clawing, being desperate), which is personification.

In a GCSE reading exam, what does the instruction 'Use evidence from the text to support your answer' mean you should do?

Answer: Include short, relevant quotations from the passage

Evidence means selecting short, precise quotations that directly support your point.

Which of the following is a simile?

Answer: Her voice was as sharp as broken glass.

A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as'.

A writer describes a house as 'gloomy, silent and cold' and then reveals 'a single light flickered in the attic'. What is the most likely effect of this structural choice on the reader?

Answer: It creates tension and curiosity about who or what is in the attic

The contrast between emptiness and a single sign of life builds suspense.

What is the purpose of a writer using a rhetorical question such as 'Who wouldn't want a cleaner planet?'

Answer: To engage the reader and make them agree with an obvious answer

Rhetorical questions involve the reader and suggest an answer they are expected to share.

A passage states: 'Rain hammered the roof all night. By morning, the river had burst its banks and the fields were lakes.' What can the reader infer?

Answer: The heavy rain caused flooding

The reader can infer that the intense overnight rain led to flooding.