Section I HSC English Paper one Section I is about two things: 1. Identifying techniques from creative texts 2. Explaining how these techniques achieve something It kind of goes without saying but if you only do step one (identifying the technique) you re not going to get marks. You have to say how the techniques work to achieve a certain purpose (the purpose outlined in the question). There s nothing else to it. NOTE: Some texts are missing due to copyright restrictions and so we have provided links to the texts in other locations when possible. Text 4 not available and so Question 4 is unanswered.
Read Text 1 Feature article here.
Read Text 3 Poem here.
Question 1. Text 1 Feature story extract Two marks = minimum two examples a) How is the pleasure of discovery revealed in the feature article? (2) Sample answer: The pleasure of discovery is revealed in the feature article using a variety of techniques. One is sarcastic humour. Wright sarcastically mentions the units his Humour is Nike FuelBand provides as NikeFuel which is humorous thanks to his use of often use in feature seemingly scientific terminology units with adjectives like imprecise and articles so arbitrary and the acknowledgement of their use as a marketing ploy, provide look out for it. me with the subsequent thrill of seeing the results graphed on my phone. It is by articles using sarcastic humour such a this (and the method described below) that Wright demonstrates his enjoyment at the discovery of walking. Another method of humour Wright uses is seen in the characterisation of people he encounters on his daily walks ( Strongman a triangular, broad-chested older man with a thick neck, a shiny bald head and a grey handlebar moustache ) as a way to indicate his pleasure, in this case, personal amusement, of discovery. Bring it back to the question by stating how the technique works to answer it. Other ways Wright reveals his pleasure at discovering the joys of walking is by his imagery of the body s response for example, my heart beats faster, pumping more blood to vital organs. This visceral response allows a reader to empathise and understand the exuberant feelings Wright experiences. Not everything is a metaphor. Strong imagery is a great technique to pick up.
Text 2 Fiction extract b) Explain how contrast is used in the text to highlight the child s discoveries in the museum. (3) Three marks = minimum three examples Sample answer: Contrast is used extensively in text two to highlight the child s discoveries in the museum. One example is the contrast between the feeling of lightness and air with heavier, weighted descriptions. The change between the opening statement, Again, not The Museum s entrance is airy and full of light, with phrases like, all my breath everything rushes out are particularly pertinent. This concept of air is used to highlight the has to be a metaphor. weight of what the child is learning; he never knew whales could be that big and the weight of this knowledge serves to change him and his perspective from full of light and air, to breathlessness. The latter half of the extract also contrasts with the first using the child s impression and perspective of water. During the first half of the extract (before he has drawn aka learned about the whale) water is used in a way which describes it as fear-inducing due to its vastness, I think of myself out in the deep water. And all my breath rushes out. The first paragraph, which describes the child almost drowning, panicked in a sea of people ( there are too many people in the way, standing in a big huddle, craning their necks ) and the simile, I feel as though I m. as small as a speck of phosphorescence support this. During the second half of the extract however, water is described as something more
positive and less oppressive. For example the imagery of the hollow feeling I ve been carrying starts to fill up with water melting into the current of calm and the child s assertion that the pressure of the ocean feels soothing. This contrast creates the idea that knowledge and the child s discoveries, while scary due to their vastness, are ultimately rewarding. It s important to bring everything back to the question being asked. Text 3 Poem c) Explore how imagery is used in the poem to convey the wonder of discovery (4) Sample answer: The use of planets and stars are used in Boy with a telescope as powerful, metaphoric imagery to highlight the wonder of discovery for the growing son. Beautiful, imaginative descriptions of Saturn s swirling rings or Jupiter trailing his brood of moons and similes/imagery like, Names like charms spin in his head, are used firstly, in their descriptive quality to convey the element of amazement within discovery but also, the infinite wonder of discovery; there is Quotations are used as literally a whole world out there for the young boy to discover. In addition, the ways use of dark imagery i.e. shadowy, silhouette and the immensity of the night imagery is used: they contrasted with imagery of light, these tiny sparks and burning with a cool are celestial fire are also used to convey the wonder of discovery by acting as evidence. metaphorical imagery for the spark and wonder of discovery. Show you understand the themes of the piece where applicable.
Try to explore multiple perspectives where possible. Boy with a telescope also discusses the wonder of discovering a new relationship between a mother and son. The son is growing (he begins as a shadowy Neanderthal but leaves as someone capable of delicate adjustments, steady care ) and learning new things, literally of the great, wide world (which we know thanks to the extended planet and stars metaphor). While the son is learning and growing, the mother must also learn and grow, leaving him to his burgeoning adulthood, I touch his arm and go. The use of the imagery in, the warm room of the family is also used to show this as the journey to discovery, knowledge and adulthood, is one that must be taken solo (or out in the cold ) and although the mother is saddened she can see the benefits of the son discovering the world, meet solitude and setbacks, just enough, to fine out his desires. Single quotation marks are best used when communicating a cliché of phrase outside of the text.