ABC Education · 11+ Practice
Week 14 · English Practice Paper
Reading: 25 marks · Writing: 25 marks · Suggested time: 1 hour.
Reading Passage
In this extract, a young locksmith's apprentice named Perrin has spent months planning to break into a hidden vault beneath Mount Skarrow, said to hold a fire-drake's hoard and the legendary Ember Stone.
The Ember Vault
It was at the seventh bend in the tunnel that Perrin very nearly turned back. Everything that came after was, without question, the boldest thing he had ever done, though nothing that followed could quite compare to what waited at the tunnel's end. He had rehearsed this moment for months, alone in the locksmith's workshop, and still his legs would not entirely believe him when he finally reached the tunnel's mouth, an opening barely wider than his shoulders, and looked through it into the vault beyond. The chamber before him was carved from the mountain's own black rock, its ceiling lost somewhere above the reach of his lantern, and rising from the nearer edge of the floor came a low, steady glow. The glow of Old Cinder.
There she lay, a vast, scaled shape the colour of banked coals, curled nose to tail and fast asleep; a faint crackling came from somewhere deep in her chest, and threads of grey smoke rose lazily from the ridges along her back. Beneath her and all around, spilling away across the chamber floor further than Perrin's lantern could show him, lay heaped treasure beyond counting: crowns and chains, unset gemstones and gemstones already fixed into rings, plain bars of gold and gold hammered into ornament.
Old Cinder lay curled with her wings folded close against her sides, so that Perrin could just make out the pale, cracked scales of her underbelly where they showed between her forelegs. Long shelves cut into the rock behind her held row upon row of old armour and older weapons, shields stacked three deep and swords gone dull with age. To say that Perrin forgot to breathe would not quite capture it; there simply seemed to be no part of him left over for breathing. He had heard the old stories of dragon-hoards told round the forge fire a hundred times, but no story had prepared him for the way the sight of it seemed to reach inside his chest and squeeze.
He crept for what felt an age, drawn forward almost against his own better judgement, until he stood at the very edge of the nearest heap. Above him the sleeping guardian breathed on, a menace even in her stillness. Perrin closed his fingers around a single fist-sized ember, glowing softly orange even among the gold, and lifted it as carefully as he could manage. Old Cinder's nearer eyelid twitched, and one long claw scraped once against the stone.
Then Perrin ran. Old Cinder did not wake, not fully, but she stirred into some darker dream, a low growl rolling from her throat as the little apprentice scrambled back up the narrow tunnel he had come down. His heart hammered harder than it had at any point on the way in, and his legs shook more now than they had before, but he kept tight hold of the ember, and his only thought, over and over, was: I have actually done it.
Section A: Reading
Question 1
[1 marks]What is the boldest thing Perrin has ever done? (1 mark) a) Working in the locksmith's workshop b) Breaking into the vault c) Rehearsing for months d) Turning back at the seventh bend
Question 2
[1 marks]What type of creature is Old Cinder? (1 mark) a) A dragon b) A giant lizard c) A snake d) A bat
Question 3
[1 marks]Where is Old Cinder sleeping? (1 mark) a) In a tunnel b) In a vast chamber carved from the mountain c) In a cave by the sea d) On a mountain peak
Question 4
[1 marks]In paragraph 2, what sound does the word 'crackling' describe? (1 mark) a) Snoring b) Shouting c) A fire-like noise inside Old Cinder's chest d) Crying
Question 5
[1 marks]What does 'banked coals' mean when describing Old Cinder's colour (paragraph 2)? (1 mark) a) Bright orange flames b) Deep glowing red-black embers c) Cold grey ash d) Shining silver
Question 6
[1 marks]Which phrase in paragraph 2 tells you there is a huge amount of treasure? (1 mark) a) 'spilling' b) 'beyond counting' c) 'chamber' d) 'floor'
Question 7
[1 marks]What does 'gold hammered into ornament' mean (paragraph 2)? (1 mark) a) All the gold is exactly the same b) Some gold is plain bars, some has been shaped into decorative objects c) The gold has been stolen from elsewhere d) The gold is unusually heavy
Question 8
[1 marks]What does the phrase 'beyond counting' suggest about the treasure (paragraph 2)? (1 mark) a) It is impossible to count because there is so much of it b) It has already been carefully counted c) There is very little of it d) It is hidden somewhere else
Question 9
[1 marks]What do the details in paragraph 3 (old scars, ancient armour, dulled weapons) suggest about Old Cinder? (1 mark) a) She is young and inexperienced b) She is ancient and has lived through many battles c) She dislikes treasure d) She is friendly towards visitors
Question 10
[1 marks]In paragraph 3, what is stored on the shelves behind Old Cinder? (1 mark) a) Books b) Old armour and weapons c) Food d) Loose gold coins
Question 11
[1 marks]In paragraph 3, what does the description of Perrin forgetting to breathe suggest about how he feels? (1 mark) a) Bored b) Amazed and overwhelmed c) Sleepy d) Angry
Question 12
[1 marks]What technique is used in 'there simply seemed to be no part of him left over for breathing' (paragraph 3)? (1 mark) a) Simile b) Hyperbole (exaggeration) c) Onomatopoeia d) Rhyme
Question 13
[1 marks]Which word best describes how Perrin feels as he looks at the hoard (paragraph 3)? (1 mark) a) Amazed b) Annoyed c) Frightened d) Confused
Question 14
[1 marks]Who is the 'sleeping guardian' referred to in paragraph 4? (1 mark) a) Perrin b) The locksmith c) Old Cinder d) A different dragon
Question 15
[1 marks]Which word in paragraph 4 shows that Perrin moves carefully and quietly? (1 mark) a) 'crept' b) 'age' c) 'edge' d) 'heap'
Question 16
[1 marks]What does 'a menace even in her stillness' mean (paragraph 4)? (1 mark) a) Old Cinder is dangerous even while she isn't moving b) Old Cinder is not dangerous at all c) Old Cinder has already woken up d) Old Cinder is very calm and gentle
Question 17
[1 marks]What does Perrin take from the hoard? (1 mark) a) A crown b) A sword c) A single glowing ember d) A shield
Question 18
[1 marks]What does 'scrambled' mean in paragraph 5? (1 mark) a) Walked calmly b) Moved quickly and awkwardly, using hands and feet c) Crawled very slowly d) Flew
Question 19
[1 marks]Who is telling this story? (1 mark) a) Perrin b) Old Cinder c) A third-person narrator d) The locksmith
Question 20
[1 marks]Which word best describes how Perrin feels at the end of the passage? (1 mark) a) Disappointed b) Triumphant c) Bored d) Ashamed
Question 21
[5 marks]How does the writer make Old Cinder sound threatening? Try to use quotations from the passage to prove your points. (5 marks)
Section B: Writing
Choose ONE of the following:
- Complete the following writing task.
- Aim to write three well-developed paragraphs.
- Spend around 20 minutes on this section.
Option 1: Write a short descriptive story about a daring theft or rescue. You should aim to write 3 developed paragraphs.
- Use adventurous, precise vocabulary rather than simple, everyday words.
- Vary your sentence structures — mix short, punchy sentences with longer, flowing ones.
- Make sure your ideas are interesting and engaging for the reader.