ABC Education

ABC Education · 11+ Practice

Week 11 · English Practice Paper

Reading: 40 marks · Writing: 30 marks · Suggested time: 1 hour 10 minutes (includes 10 minutes' reading time).

Reading Passage

In this extract, set on the English coast in the 1750s, a woman is suspected of harbouring a fugitive, a crime punishable by transportation or worse. Worried that he might be found, she has hidden a shipwrecked boy in a hollow beneath the floorboards of her cottage.

The Excise Men

'OPEN THIS DOOR, WOMAN!'

Again, the frame of the little cottage shook.

Agnes sighed. 'Woman?' she murmured to herself, tucking a loose braid of grey-streaked hair back under her cap. 'I have a name, same as anybody.'

She stood up straight, smoothed down her apron and tightened the ties at her waist. Her appearance would count for little once she had opened the door to her visitors, but she wasn't about to make their errand any easier for them. She glanced at the loose flagstone by the hearth, and a shadow passed over her face.

I hope he remembers to keep still.

More pounding. The door rattled fit to come off its hinges.

I hope they don't find him.

Agnes took a slow breath, and went to open it. Grey daylight and salt-thick air flooded the cottage, carrying with it the smell of wet rope and the sea.

The sight that greeted her gave her a jolt of surprise more than fear. The man in front of her had a strikingly handsome face: a sharp jaw, arched brows and a neat dark beard that gave him a determinedly wicked look Agnes found almost appealing despite herself. Those features were framed by a fine tricorn hat, its edge trimmed with silver braid, worn at an angle that suggested he knew exactly how well it suited him. And at the centre of it all were his eyes — pale, quick eyes that seemed to weigh up everything they landed on, including her.

'Good morning to you,' said Agnes calmly. At the shoulder of the handsome man stood a taller, thinner companion, silent, a ledger tucked under one arm and a coil of rope looped over the other. Behind them both crowded the dull, curious faces of half the village, pressed in around her gate.

The handsome man cleared his throat and spoke. His voice came out flat and hard, like a slab of iron dropped onto stone.

'Agnes Coldwell. By the authority of His Majesty's Customs, you stand suspected of harbouring a survivor of the wreck of the Marigold, a vessel known to this office as a smuggling lugger, and of concealing goods and persons from lawful search.'

There were low murmurs of agreement from the onlookers. Agnes did her best to look unimpressed, and smiled back at the man.

'Forgive me, sir, but I fear you've had a wasted walk. I am a poor widow, no more. I mend nets. I keep hens.'

She gestured to a torn fishing net that lay draped over the garden wall. The handsome man laughed.

'I don't doubt it. It is nets of quite another sort you have been mending, and mending most cunningly too.'

His confidence showed so plainly on his face that Agnes half expected him to bow. A few villagers took courage from his reply and called out their own accusations.

'She's never once come to church since her husband drowned!'

'Her hens lay black eggs, I've seen it myself!'

Agnes sighed, and answered over the handsome man's shoulder. 'That's a matter for you and your hens to settle, Mrs Trewin, not for me.' There was a snort of laughter from one of the younger boys in the crowd. The handsome man kept his smile fixed, although one eye twitched with impatience. He waited for the crowd's muttering to die down.

'You'll be glad to hear it isn't eggs we've come about.'

Agnes's face hardened.

'If it's evidence of smuggling you're looking for, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.'

His eyes travelled slowly around the cottage, as though searching for something. 'A clever widow finds clever hiding places, I'm told.' Agnes let out a short, cold laugh. 'So if you find nothing, I am hiding something too well, and if you find something, I am careless. How very fair.' She smiled back at him, eyes narrowed, though in her mind, over and over, ran a very different thought.

Remember, hold still. Please, just hold still — even if they get me.

Section A: Reading

Question 1

[5 marks]

This is a comprehension question. Only short answers are required. a) Why does the cottage door shake? (1 mark) b) During what season does the passage most likely take place? (1 mark) c) Why does a 'shadow' pass over Agnes's face when she looks at the flagstone by the hearth? (1 mark) d) 'I hope he remembers to keep still' is written in italics. Why do you think this is? (1 mark) e) Why do you think Agnes tidies herself before opening the door? Choose the best answer: i) to prepare for her visitors ii) to make sure her appearance gives them no excuse to accuse her iii) to make herself more attractive to the handsome man. (1 mark)

Question 2

[12 marks]

This question tests your ability to discuss language. The following quotations are from the passage. Explain how the writer conveys a sense of danger and tension in each of them. Your ability to discuss the meanings of individual words and to identify literary techniques (such as metaphors or similes) will be rewarded. a) 'a sharp jaw, arched brows and a neat dark beard that gave him a determinedly wicked look Agnes found almost appealing despite herself' (3 marks) b) 'his eyes — pale, quick eyes that seemed to weigh up everything they landed on, including her' (3 marks) c) 'His voice came out flat and hard, like a slab of iron dropped onto stone.' (3 marks) d) Look back at the whole extract. What is your OVERALL impression of the handsome man? Using adjectives and any quotation not used so far, write your answer below. (3 marks; 12 marks total for this question)

Question 3

[6 marks]

This question tests your understanding of character. Think about the character of the handsome man AFTER he mentions the eggs. In your own words, explain what the following two quotations say about his character: a) 'His confidence showed so plainly on his face that Agnes half expected him to bow.' (3 marks) b) 'His eyes travelled slowly around the cottage, as though searching for something.' (3 marks)

Question 4

[5 marks]

This question tests your ability to explain the meanings of words as they appear in the passage. Work out the meaning of the following words based on their meaning in the passage: a) harbouring b) suspected c) concealing d) lawful e) muttering

Question 5

[4 marks]

This question tests your ability to find a quotation and explain its meaning. a) There is a 'companion' with the handsome man. Using quotation to support your view, what do you think his job is? (3 marks) b) For one further mark, how has the writer created a sense of unease with this description of the companion? (1 mark; 4 marks total)

Question 6

[8 marks]

This question tests your ability to explain the meanings of quotations. In your own words, and based on the context of the passage, explain why the writer has written the following: a) 'There was a snort of laughter from one of the younger boys in the crowd.' (2 marks) b) 'So if you find nothing, I am hiding something too well, and if you find something, I am careless. How very fair.' (3 marks) c) 'Remember, hold still. Please, just hold still — even if they get me.' (3 marks)

Section B: Writing

Choose ONE of the following:

  • This question tests your creative writing ability.
  • Now imagine the boy, hidden in a hollow beneath the floorboards, as the handsome man arrives. Writing in the third person ('he...' etc.) and in the past tense, write about: his thoughts and feelings; his surroundings; what he can see and hear, and sense above him.
  • 20 marks will be given for your ability to use sensory language as well as similes, metaphor and personification. An expressive vocabulary, varied sentence types and clear paragraphing will also be rewarded.
  • 10 marks are for accuracy, so make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are as accurate as possible.
  • Begin after the following sentence: 'Hidden beneath the floorboards, the boy could just make out the...'

Option 1: Hidden beneath the floorboards, the boy could just make out the...

  • Write in the third person and the past tense throughout.
  • Use sensory language, similes, metaphor and personification to build atmosphere.
  • Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar carefully before you finish.