6. Practising writing concisely

Prose

1) Outline two ways in which Pilkington gives you a sense of perspective in the first 8 lines of the text? [2 marks]

The use of "I" in the extract tells us that we are being presented, Pilkington's perspective of his journey to China. Another way he gives us a sense of perspective is when he provides his own opinions about the events he is experiencing.

2) Identify two ways in which the author makes the description of the toad killings memorable. [2 marks]

The use of diction,"toad massacre", to describe the scene is what makes the toad killings memorable since you sympathise with the toads. The author also talks about the tool used to kill the toads which is a daily-life tool, a pair of scissors. This makes the scene relatable for the readers and thus, intriguing.

3) Select two examples of humour from the text and analyse the effect of each on the reader. [4 marks]

One of the examples of humour from the text is when the author says "People had told me about street food in China, but I didn't think it meant making food out of stuff that normally crawls the streets". This is statement puts emphasis on his oblivion to the Chinese culture making him seem opinionated and silly. Another example would be when he says 'I've always thought that the Chinese don't age very well that they look healthy and good-looking until the age of 35, and then they just look old." This statement also adds an element of humour to the text since his opinions and reasoning are based on his imagination that makes him look silly and unreasonable.

Video

1) Outline two ways in which sound plays a role in this scene. (Do not include comments on the use of voice-over here). [2 marks]

The diegetic and asynchronous sounds of the market place i.e the hustle of the crowd tells us how busy the market place is. Also the absence of background music makes the scene more authentic and real and helps us understand his experiences better.

2) What is the overall effect of the voice-over in this extract? Select two examples of voice over commentary and analyse their effect on the viewer. [4 marks]

The voice-overs in this extract helps us to understand the context for example when he says "It smells more Chinese", which makes it easier for us to imagine the smell of the place as well as the fact that this is a Chinese market.

3) Outline two ways in which Pilkington makes the scorpion eating scene humorous through his spoken language in the scene. Give an example of each. [4 marks]

Pilkington's phrasing of words makes the scorpion eating scene humorous for example when he says "Oh which bit should I have first, the head or the arse" when he talks about the woman eating the scorpion. This shows his disgust and how his opinion is based on it which makes it funny.

Time given: 15 mins