Higher Word-choice marking key
Mark as one mark each.
Please write in correct answer if missed out or
wrong.
Give a total at the end and two stars and a wish
Extract 1:
Real life:
1. ‘stress’ – D= an emotion. C=
anxiety, worry, unable to cope, fear, overwhelmed. E= suggests the strain and
anxiety real life conversations can cause (1)
2. ‘perilous’ – d= risky. D=
extremely dangerous, life-threatening E=suggests something extremely dangerous
and threatening (1)
Cyber world:
1. ‘chatting’ –d= a mode of
communication. C= comfortable talking, relaxed, friendly, without thought. E=implies
something warm and relaxing, a safe world (1)
2. ‘re-assuring’- D= something
that gives assurance. C= giving confidence, making someone feel better, feel
safe. E= connotes something calming, comforting and safe (1)
Extract 2:
1. ‘I’, ‘my’- personal pronouns.
Connotations of intimacy, self, reality E= suggests the personal impact on his
life
2. ‘desperate’. An emotion.
Connotations of need, anxiety, extreme desire causing upset. E= perhaps an exaggerated
sense of urgency, panic, distress
3. ‘loved’. An emotion. C= care,
affection, intimacy, connection. E= suggests strong/deep personal attachment
4. ‘descended’. To go down. C=
lower, worse, falling, failing. E= indicates the downward turn his life has
taken
5. ‘near-permanent depression’ D=
a state of mental-health that is almost impossible to recover from. C- illness,
life-threatening, difficult to cure, E= exaggerates dire consequences
6. ‘young (daughters)’. D=
youthful female child. C= vulnerability, innocence, easily hurt/influenced,
naievity. E= a slightly manipulative reference to the young as innocent /
vulnerable / perhaps unsuitable representatives of future generations
7. ‘abstinence’ D= to go without
C= sacrifice, strength, willpower. E= implies a sense of personal sacrifice
Extract 3:
The teacher:
1. The word
‘zealous’. D= having or showing zeal. C= fervent, ardent, fervid, fiery,
passionate, impassioned, devout, devoted. Suggests a fanatic, driven by a
personal agenda.
2. ‘ever
alert’- D- always watchful. C= constantly observing, overly aware, looking to
find fault, monitoring, obsession. E= is mocking, suggesting the teacher is
over keen to find fault.
3. The word
‘omnipresent’ D= widespread. C= ubiquitous, general, universal, worldwide,
global, all-pervasive, all-present, infinite, boundless. E= an example of
exaggeration that implies the teacher assumes evil is everywhere and always
present.
4. ‘one
look’- A single look. C= speed, hasty, quick to judge, lack of care. E= suggests
action taken without thinking situation through first.
5. The word
‘hissed’. A noise. C= sinister, animalistic, hatred, cruelty. E=suggests
someone spiteful, animal-like.
6 ‘clearly’
with clarity. C=intelligibly, plainly, distinctly, comprehensibly,
understandably, perspicuously- shows that there was no doubt in the teacher’s
mind; she was too ready to believe the worst.
The social worker:
1. The word
‘rushed’. With speed. C hurry,
dash, run, anxiety, lack of control, too fast E=speed suggests lack of thought
2. The word
‘quiz’- test. C= interrogation,
questioning, cross-examination, cross-questioning, interview, - suggests
interrogative style of questioning, very intrusive and suspicious
3. ‘Once
upon a time’ – the introduction to a story. C= fairytales, magic, fiction,
writing, mystical worlds. E= living in
fantasy world, tone mocking.
Extract 4:
The writer feels saddened / regretful that the elderly are no longer
valued in the same way.
1. ‘passing away’ – has connotations of death (1) suggests the writer
feels the loss of an important era/tradition (1)
2. ‘(whose council is) precious’ – emphasises how much emotional value
the writer places on the advice and wisdom of the elderly
3. ‘This debunking was underway’ implies a certain force (1), a
usurping of status and power that has taken place over a long period (1)
4. ‘no longer wanted’ – suggests rejection (1), the elderly cast aside,
made useless (1)
5. ‘Excommunicated’ – has religious connotations, suggests ‘exile’ (1)
of the elderly is almost sacrilegious, sinful (1)
Extract 5: (any two)1 ‘no doubt’ - brooks
no argument, emphatic, definite
2.’main cause’ / ‘principle risk’ / ‘heavily implicated’ – stresses
the significant role played by obesity in serious illnesses
3. ‘kills’ – murder, violence, intent, crime- emphasises that obesity
is lethal/fatal but could be cured.
4. ‘biggest public health risk’ – the use of the superlative ‘biggest’
has connotations of the worst, too large- stresses that obesity is the major cause of serious health
problems, affecting society at large
5. ‘heart disease’, ‘cancer’ – death, severe illness, fear- effect=
mention of illnesses that are known to be fatal/life-threatening emphasises the
impact
6. ‘epidemic’ –D= a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease. C=
outbreak, plague etc. E= emphasises that obesity is spreading rapidly, the
problem is worsening
Extract 6:
1.’away from the teacher’s eye’ and ‘traded’ – connotations of being
secretive, as if exchanging goods on the black-market, suggests the children
were quite defiant
2. ‘marks of rebellion’ / ‘statements of independence’ – implies the
children saw eating forbidden foods as a way to revolt against adult authority,
3. ‘ever more enticing’ / ‘food plus attitude’ – suggests that eating sweets was a means to
asserting self-determination
Extract 7:
1. ‘(too
great an) intrusion on liberty’ – emphasises that government intervention is an
imposition, an infringement upon peoples’ right to privacy, which is a step too
far
2 ‘(society) has a legitimate interest’ – suggests that people have a
perfectly valid right to make their own decisions without interference from the
state
2 ‘poking their nose in’ – dismisses the state as mere interfering
busy, bodies
