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Using Your Own Words. One of the most important things which you have to remember to do in Close Reading is to USE YOUR OWN WORDS . Students frequently lose marks by not doing this.
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One of the most important things which you have to remember to do in Close Reading is to USE YOUR OWN WORDS. Students frequently lose marks by not doing this. You must use your own words in your answers as far as possible to show that you understand what you are writing. Merely copying down the words of the passage does not show that you actually understand them.
clever ask distorted brave instant conduct cruel friendly typical afraid quick easy crowd curious evasive Task 1 - Provide as many alternatives for each of the following words as you can:
Task 2: Rewrite the following sentences using your own words: 1.I found the sum too complicated to solve. 2. The holiday was prohibitively costly – we remained here. 3. That parcel is too bulky to transport by car. 4. The man was afraid to leave. 5. She replied instantly.
So, how do we put these skills into practice to answer In Your Own Words Questions?
Using Your Own Words - Strategy When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.Lord of the Rings In your own words, explain what kind of party Bilbo intended to hold. Look at the following question:
Using Your Own Words - Strategy When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. Second, come up with a word / phrase / expression which is as close as possible to the meaning of the word(s) in the passage: Splendour? Extravagance? Unusual? Particularly? Bilbo’s party was going to be unusually splendid. Third, write your answer: First, read through the sentence until you see the phrase which describes the party:
Now do this one yourself: When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. 1 Identify the relevant part of the passage. 2 Translate each part in your own words. a lot of conversation enthusiasm, eager anticipation The announcement resulted in a lot of conversation as people eagerly anticipated the party. 3 Write your answer Explain, in your own words, what effect the party’s announcement had in Hobbiton.
Using Your Own Words questions Strategy 1 Identify the relevant part of the passage 2 Translate each part in your own words 3 Write your answer
Now we are going to look at a worked example of how to answer an In Your Own Words Questions.
‘At the Eiffel Tower you get the excitement of the lift and an incredible view.’ The answer is the phrase ‘an incredible view’, but how could you put this in your own words? In your answer you should not repeat this phrase exactly. Instead, you could say: ‘a wonderful panorama’or ‘you can see a long way from the top’. You do not need to repeat the words of the question in your answer – this wastes time. For example: A question asks you what made the Eiffel Tower a worthwhile tourist attraction. The answer is in the following sentence:
Look at the following question: The answer is in the following sentence: ‘It was the only possible way of encountering a great river at close quarters.’ If you simply copied out this sentence you would gain no marks. The following answers to this question would gain 2,1 or 0 marks. Decide what marks you think each would get and why. • He wanted to see the river at close quarters. • He could get to know the river well by seeing it from up close. • The writer wandered down the Mississippi in his boat as it was the only possible way to go. Explain clearly why the writer ‘wandered down the Mississippi’ in his boat. 2 U
Explain clearly why the writer ‘wandered down the Mississippi’ in his boat. 2U ‘It was the only possible way of encountering a great river at close quarters.’ a) This answer gets 1 mark. The first part of the answer is correct and put into the candidate’s own words, and thus gains 1 mark, but the second part of the answer is ‘lifted’ from the text and is worth 0 marks. • He wanted to see the river at close quarters. • He could get to know the river well by seeing it from up close. • The writer wandered down the Mississippi in his boat as it was the only possible way to go.
Explain clearly why the writer ‘wandered down the Mississippi’ in his boat. 2U ‘It was the only possible way of encountering a great river at close quarters.’ • This answer gains 2 marks, since both the idea of ‘encounter’ and ‘at close quarters’ are put into the candidate’s own words. • He wanted to see the river at close quarters. • He could get to know the river well by seeing it from up close. • The writer wandered down the Mississippi in his boat as it was the only possible way to go.
Explain clearly why the writer ‘wandered down the Mississippi’ in his boat. 2U ‘It was the only possible way of encountering a great river at close quarters.’ c) This answer gains 0 marks, as it does not contain either of the ideas of ‘encounter’ or ‘at close quarters’. There is no need to repeat the words of the question. • He wanted to see the river at close quarters. • He could get to know the river well by seeing it from up close. • The writer wandered down the Mississippi in his boat as it was the only possible way to go.
Now try the following questions, using the ‘How to answer’ advice to help you.
Insects are an occupational hazard at a dig, and for some reason there are more flies higher up the mountain where she is working than at the main excavation site lower down. 1. “Insects are an occupational hazard . . . ” Explain in your own words what this means. (2) How to answer: Translate “hazard”: ___________________________________ Translate “occupational”: ______________________________ Danger / problem / difficulty (1) Linked to job (1)
Alice clutches desperately at the bushes and scrub to stop herself slipping any further. For a moment she lies sprawled in the dirt, dizzy and disorientated. As it sinks in how very close she came to being crushed, she turns cold. Takes a deep breath. Waits for the world to stop spinning. 2. In your own words, explain why Alice “turns cold”. (2) How to answer: Highlight the answer in the text. Write both parts of it below: a) _____________ b) ___________________________________ Now translate the answer into your own words: a) ____________________________________________________ b) ____________________________________________________ “it sinks in” “how very close she came to being crushed” Realises (or similar) (1) She nearly died (or similar) (1)
Feeling nervous and slightly guilty, Alice wraps the buckle in a handkerchief and pushes it into her pocket, then cautiously steps forward. • As Alice steps into the tunnel, she experiences two feelings. • In your own words, explain what these two feelings are. How to answer: Highlight the answer in the text. Write both parts of it below: a) _____________ b) _____________ Now translate the answer into your own words: a) ____________________________________________________ b) ____________________________________________________ “guilty” “nervous” Anxious / scared (or similar) (1) Feels she is doing something wrong (or similar) (1)
It’s so easy when they’re puppies. You stroll down the street and they come home exhausted. People stop and have conversations. “Aren’t you gorgeous?” (That can be disappointing, of course: it’s the dog who is being addressed, not you). Then they get bigger. They want proper walks. They want sticks thrown. We got a mongrel terrier pup from a rescue centre. And when Wilf reached full size, I started looking to take him for a decent walk in deep countryside—a rite of passage for a young hound, somewhere beyond the realm of the dreaded poo bin. There were two teenage sons too, Con and Niall, and they seemed surprisingly enthusiastic—there’s one tip for getting your kids to walk: buy or borrow a dog. 4. Why is it more difficult to care for an older, bigger dog? Use your own words in your answer. How to answer: Highlight the answer in the text. Write both parts of it below: • _______________________ b) ________________________ Now translate the answer into your own words: • _______________________ b) ________________________ ‘want proper walks’ ‘want sticks thrown’ need more exercise (1) need to be entertained (1)
I have this fond vision of dogs in hotels and pubs. It’s an affable labrador-type creature laid out under the table, snoozing. At the hotel, Wilf isn’t like that. He runs riot. He loves hotels. He loves the way people drop crisps in the bar. He sneaks into a neighbour’s room and sniffs their luggage for food. Curiously, they laugh indulgently and say things like, “You’re a lovable chap, aren’t you?” A dog’s life doesn’t seem so bad, really. Wilf soon settles down on his dedicated luxury bed and sleeps like a baby. I spend the night half-awake, stirring at every doggy snort, worrying that he’ll get up and cock his leg on the four-poster. Mercifully that doesn’t happen. 5. Describe the writer’s “vision” of how dogs should behave in pubs and hotels. Use your own words in your answer. (2) How to answer: Highlight the answer in the text. Write both parts of it below: a) _____________________ b) ___________________________________ Now translate the answer into your own words: a) __________________________ b) ______________________________ ‘affable’ ‘laid out under the table, snoozing’ eg friendly/relaxed (1) eg (lying down) asleep / unobtrusive / no trouble (1)
The following questions are taken from the 2014 National 5 RUAE paper
So we are not here to examine our children. What we should do is try to find out where we have gone so terribly wrong. Before we come to the wretchedly indulgent state of modern parenting, though, I suppose I’d better set out my stall. Inevitably, when one becomes a parent, one can’t help revisiting one’s own childhood to make comparisons. 6. Look at line 9, where the writer gives the view that, nowadays, parents “have gone…terribly wrong”. Explain in your own words what the writer goes on to say has gone wrong. (2) How to answer: Highlight the answer in the text. Write both parts of it below: a) _______________________ b) _______________________ Now translate the answer into your own words: a) _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ b) _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ “wretchedly” “indulgent” eg appallingly / dreadfully / extremely / shamefully – ie appreciation of the intensifying function of “wretchedly” (1) eg (over-) tolerant / libertarian / lenient / non-disciplinarian (accept colloquial “soft”)(1) • Award 1 mark for reference to “revisiting one’s own childhood” (eg comparing one’s own childhood)
The next question was regarded as being quite controversial, but let’s look at how you would work out the answer: Question: 2. Look at lines 45 – 47. Explain what is meant by the expression “benign neglect”, and explain what is surprising about this expression. (3) Where might you have heard the term ‘benign’ before? When a tumour is analysed for signs of cancer it is described as being either ‘malignant’ i.e. cancerous and therefore dangerous or ‘benign’ i.e. not cancerous and therefore usually not dangerous.
The next question was regarded as being quite controversial, but let’s look at how you would work out the answer: Question: 2. Look at lines 45 – 47. Explain what is meant by the expression “benign neglect”, and explain what is surprising about this expression. (3) What about “neglect”? If someone neglects something then they don’t look after it as well as they should. Bear these ideas in mind as we find the phrase in the passage and then look at the paragraphs before it to see if they can help us to work out its meaning in this context.
We never had friends round for “playdates”. Keeping children busy and happy was not a parental priority. If we were bored, that was our own fault. In fact, there was nothing to do for weeks on end except rake leaves (my father once made us spend a whole half-term raking leaves) and read on our beds. Occasionally my mother would shout up the stairs: “Stop reading!” Imagine that now, when children are on their laptops in their rooms, looking at . . . I don’t even want to imagine. As for school, well, reports were read, not dwelt upon, as they were not parents’ business, but ours. As for parental involvement, all I can tell you is that my father’s proudest boast as a parent is that he never, once, attended a parent-teacher meeting at any one of our schools. It never did me any harm, but still, I can’t repeat this sensible, caring regime of character-building, toughening, benign neglect for my own children . . . and nor, it appears, can anyone else. Now examples of “wet parenting” abound. 7. Explain what is meant by the expression “benign neglect”, and explain what is surprising about this expression. (3) So, is there anything here that can help us?
So, is there anything here that can help us? • “Keeping children busy and happy was not a parental priority. If we were bored, that was our own fault.” • “Occasionally my mother would shout up the stairs: “Stop reading!” • “…school…reports were read, not dwelt upon, as they were not parents’ business, but ours.” • “As for parental involvement…my father’s proudest boast as a parent is that he never, once, attended a parent-teacher meeting at any one of our schools.” • “It never did me any harm…this sensible, caring regime of character-building, toughening, benign neglect for my own children” “benign neglect”translatedinto your own words: a) _______________________________________________________ b) _______________________________________________________ “benign” (eg kind / caring / compassionate / well-meant) (1) “neglect” (eg ignoring / leaving alone / not paying attention to, but synonym should not have critical connotation) (1);
“benign neglect”translatedinto your own words: a) _______________________________________________________ b) _______________________________________________________ “benign” (eg kind / caring / compassionate / well-meant) (1) “neglect” (eg ignoring / leaving alone / not paying attention to, but synonym should not have critical connotation) (1); The question asks you to: Explain what is meant by the expression “benign neglect”, and explain what is surprising about this expression. (3) To get the third mark you would have to comment on: (idea of) paradox /oxymoron / contrast (1) Also: You could give “tough love” as a condensed answer paraphrasing both adjectives (2) Refer to the contrast in the writer’s life (1)
In my lifetime, parenthood has undergone a terrifying transition. Becoming a mother or father is no longer something you just are. It is something you do, like becoming a vet—complete with training courses, parenting vouchers, government targets and guidelines, and a host of academics and caring professionals (as well as their websites, and telephone helplines) on hand 24/7 to guide you through what to expect when your twentysomethings return home. 8. Explain as far as possible in your own words what similarities the writer sees between “Becoming a mother or father” and “becoming a vet”. (2) How to answer: Highlight two answers in the text. Write both of them down: Now translate both answers into your own words: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ • undergoing training / going on courses / taking classes in it • aims imposed by government / rules • childcare vouchers • professional advice / support eg online sources of advice • idea of multiplicity of activities • idea of constantly being on duty • idea of diversity of activities • idea of bureaucratic vigilance Note that “job” alone is too vague/loose
The final question in the 2014 paper is worth 5 points: 9. In this article, the writer points out several differences between parenting and childhood when she was little and parenting and childhood now (she refers to “a terrifying transition”, line 61). As far as possible in your own words, summarise what some main differences are. (5) ‘Summarise’ means that you have to sum up / write a shorter version of the points in your own words.
How to answer: a) Read through the whole article b) Highlight features of parenting / childhood when the author was little in one colour. c) Highlight features of parenting / childhood nowin a different colour.
Hey, parents, leave those kids alone. In many ways, nothing changes. We love our children. We want our children to grow up to be competent, decent human beings fit for adult purpose. These are the main things, and in these we have, I think we are all agreed, not done too badly. Our children, and I’ll generalise here, are not serial axe murderers or kitten drowners. Our children do makean effort — at least on special occasions anyway — to repay the enormous investment of time, energy, money and emotion we have poured into them. Children are programmed to please, to be loved, and to love us back.
So we are not here to examine our children. What we should do is try to find out where we have gone so terribly wrong. Before we come to the wretchedly indulgent state of modern parenting, though, I suppose I’d better set out my stall. Inevitably, when onebecomes a parent, one can’t help revisiting one’s own childhood to make comparisons. When I was little, we were given no choices — about what we ate, what we wore, what we did, where we went to school, when we went to bed etc. I could only choose what to read. There was not so much stuff (many of my son’s 15-year-old friends have iPods, iPads, MacBooks, unlimited access to their parents’ credit cards, Pay Pal, eBay and iTunes accounts — and not just iPhones, but BlackBerrys too), so we made our own fun.
Our parents provided us with the essentials, then got on with their own lives. Which makes me realise that my parents were brilliant, not for what they did, but more for what they didn’t do. So we were fed, we were clothed, we were loved, and we had all the books we could read. But there was not the expectation of having every wish granted, as there is now, and that is the best thing that my parents could ever have given us. I remember only once going to a restaurant in the UK. It was a motorway café on the A303. My father told us, wincing as he looked at the laminated text, with its stomach-churning pictograms, that we could have the spag bol. From the children’s menu. We had a TV, but as we lived in Belgium there was nothing to watch apart from two American sitcoms, which came on only once a week.
My parents were so hard up that when we went to England for holidays on the family farm on Exmoor — mainly spent “wooding” for winter fuel on rainswept hillsides — my father would invariably book cheap overnight ferry crossings from the Continent. He would never shell out for a cabin, despite the 1am or 3am departure slots. Instead, he would tell us to go to sleep in the back of the car, parked in the lower deck, where we wouldeventually pass out from suffocation or diesel fumes. We never had friends round for “playdates”. Keeping children busy and happy was not a parental priority. If we were bored, that was our own fault. In fact, there was nothing to do for weeks on end except rake leaves (my father once made us spend a whole half-term raking leaves) and read on our beds. Occasionally my mother would shout up the stairs: “Stop reading!” Imagine that now, when children are on their laptops in their rooms,looking at . . . I don’t even want to imagine.
As for school, well, reports were read, not dwelt upon, as they were not parents’ business, but ours. As for parental involvement, all I can tell you is that my father’s proudest boast as a parent is that he never, once, attended a parent-teacher meeting at any one of our schools. It never did me any harm, but still, I can’t repeat this sensible, caring regime of character-building, toughening, benign neglect for my own children . . . and nor, it appears, can anyone else. Now examples of “wet parenting” abound. We also live in a world where a manic mum calls herself a Tiger Mother and writes abestselling book by the same name about how to produce straight-A, violin-playing, tennis-champ, superkids, and where pushy, anxious helicopter parents hover over every school. A friend reports that when her son was due to visit the Brecon Beacons on a school camping trip this summer, three mothers pulled out their sons because the weatherforecast was “rainy”.
University dons are also complaining of a traumatic level of parental over-involvement just at the exact moment that mummies and daddies are supposed to be letting go. It was the complete opposite in my day. When I was on my gap year, I called my father from Israel in September and told him I’d decided not to take up my place at university. I announced that I wanted to stay in Galilee with a handsome local shepherd. For ever. My father didn’t miss a beat. “Great scheme!” he cried, astutely divining that if he approved the plan, I would never carry it out.
In my lifetime, parenthood has undergone a terrifying transition. Becoming a mother or father is no longer something you just are. It is something you do, like becoming a vet—complete with training courses, parenting vouchers, government targets and guidelines, and a host of academics and caring professionals (as well as their websites,and telephone helplines) on hand 24/7 to guide you through what to expect when your twentysomethings return home. Parenting has become subsidised and professionalised, even though anyone can (and, frankly, does) have a baby, after which they become parents. I love being a parent, most of the time anyway, but we should immediately de-professionalise it, on the grounds that: one, it’s unpaid; and two, thanks to the economy, lack of housing and jobs etc, you never get to retire.
In order to get 5 marks you have to recognise and restatefive key points with at least one from each side (i.e. then and now). You can repeat points made in previous answers. Summarise 5 of the key points which you have highlighted, using your own words.
Possible Answers: THEN: children were not given options / consulted children had fewer possessions children entertained themselves care was basic, parents were not so generous parents were more remote / hands-off
Possible Answers: THEN: children did not anticipate being given everything they wanted reference to spartan holiday travel and activities parents’ first concern was not their children’s pleasure little attention paid to reports, non-attendance at meetings
Possible Answers: THEN: Lack of involvement in life post school / at university People discovered what to do as they went along
Possible Answers: NOW: parents are excessively lenient / lax / soft children have many / a variety of modern devices children are given a great deal of / excessive financial extravagance parents are unable to be as removed as hers were
Possible Answers: NOW: there are many instances of excessive / over-indulgent / over-protective behaviour parents are too concerned / interfering / hands-on when their children are older parents now are more rule-bound / have more people telling them what to do
NB allow inferable opposites where appropriate, but do not give credit twice for repetition of comment on the same aspect of parenthood
