My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt – sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka. In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead. It was to Forks that I now exiled myself – an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks. I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. "Bella," my mom said to me – the last of a thousand times – before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this." My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still... "I want to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now. "Tell Charlie I said hi." "I will." "I'll see you soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me." But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise. "Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom." She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone. It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about. Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car. But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless. I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision – like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks. When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen – just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun. Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop. Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane. "It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?" "Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face.
Glossary
Parka – winter coat Verbose – outspoken/wordy
Section A: Reading Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
1. Read again the first part of the source, lines 1-12.
List four things from this part of the source about the girl. (4 marks)
- her name is Bella - She has a stepdad named Phil - She has a dad named Charlie - She is going to stay with her dad - 2. Look in detail at this extract from lines 5 to 23 of the source. wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka. In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead. It was to Forks that I now exiled myself – an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks. I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. How does the writer use language here to describe the character's thoughts and feelings about her move?
You could include the writer's choice of:
• words and phrases • language features and techniques • sentence form (8 marks)
The writer uses language to describe the character's thoughts and feelings about the move by creating a mood with their description of the weather. First of all, the writer explains where the narrator lived, describing it as "gloomy" and "omnipresent". The technique used here is
3. You now need to think about the whole of the source.
This text is taken from the beginning of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?
You could write about:
• what the writer focuses your attention on at the beginning • how and why the writer changes focus as the source develops • any other structural features that interest you. (8 marks)
4. Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source line 33 to the end. A reviewer wrote: 'The writer has successfully portrayed Bella as a quiet and reserved character who has trouble relating to others.' To what extent do you agree? In your response, you could: • Consider your own impressions of the character's attitude • Evaluate how the writer creates a quiet and reserved tone • Support your response with references to the text.
I agree with this statement and think that the writer shows that Bella is a quiet character by focusing her attention away from people. Bella often talks about places in this extract instead of people, portraying her feelings about certain characters through her description instead. For example, when Bella says she "hates Forks" it is highlighted later on that she also hates Charlie, her father who lives in Forks. Furthermore, she "loves Phoenix" and also loves her mother more than her father, worrying about her constantly through the extract. Bella is also portrayed as a reserved character as she talks about awkwardness a lot. She is awkward around people, especially her father, saying that he gave her an "awkward, one armed hug" which conveys her obvious discomfort. In conclusion, I agree that Bella feels uncomfortable around people and has trouble relating to others.
(20 marks)
Section B: Writing You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section. Write in full sentences You are reminded of the need to plan your answer. You should leave enough time to check your work at the end.
5. You have been invited to produce a piece of creative writing for a competition.
Either: Write a story which features this character
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Or: Write a story about a difficult journey. (24 marks for content and organisation) (16 marks for technical accuracy) (40 marks)
I stared at the whitewashed wall. It's patterns seemed to move in synchronised chaos, sending shocks down my spine as I remembered this was all a trick. Everything in here was fake, from the musky table in the centre of the room to the swinging light protruding from the high ceiling. I unconsciously took a shaky breath, my hands clenching. This couldn't be possible. This couldn't happen. I stuck my fists into my eyes, screaming. Hopefully someone would hear me and rescue me from this mess. My screaming was followed by a sharp intake of breath as I felt something stab into my back. No, no, no. I fell to my knees. My eyes were heavy and they watered with the effort to keep them open. I felt like screaming again but no words came out of my mouth. I felt someone staring at me and looked to my side. Standing there was a girl, like the one I had seen before I was stuck in this room. Tears were cascading down her face and, in the last seconds of my consciousness, I heard her whisper a pained "sorry" through chapped lips.
