P1 telegram

Part 2

Read Passage B carefully, and then answer Question 3 on the Question Paper.

Passage B: Franklin and the North-West Passage

In this article, written for a newspaper, the writer describes the disastrous attempt to find the

North-West Passage, between the North Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

It remains one of the greatest mysteries of polar exploration. In 1845, a well-provisioned Royal

Navy expedition, commanded by Sir John Franklin, embarked to find the North-West Passage

between the North Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. A total of 129 men set sail on Franklin’s two

ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. No-one returned.

The disaster was the greatest single loss of life suffered by any polar expedition. Only a few scattered

remains – papers and bones – have since been found of Franklin’s men on Northern Canada’s

frozen islands. These testify to the dreadful hardships suffered by the men as they made a vain

attempt to reach safety.

In the intervening years, there have been many attempts to explain why Franklin’s well-provisioned

expedition failed, with one recent idea finding particular popularity. Analyses of the skeletons of

three Franklin crew members, whose graves were found on Beechey Island in Northern Canada,

showed they had suffered from severe lead poisoning that would have had ‘catastrophic’

consequences for themselves and for their fellow crewmen.

Lead poisoning causes abdominal pain, confusion, headache, anaemia and, in more serious cases,

seizures, coma and death; it could be traced to the ships’ canned food which was contaminated

by its lead containers. This theory has achieved widespread acceptance.

Not every scientist agrees, however, and several studies have since argued that the support for

the idea is poor. High levels of lead were common in men and women at the time of the expedition.

Drinking water and food were often contaminated and some medicines also contained lead. The

lead found in the men’s bones could easily have come from food eaten at home.

As to the real cause of the loss of the expedition, that remains open to speculation. ‘However, it

was probably ice, not lead, that killed them,’ one writer argues. Extreme cold trapped the expedition

for two winters near King William Island in Northern Canada. ‘By the following year, provisions

would have been running short. By then, Franklin and 23 others had died. We don’t know why. The
surviving men had no option but to desert the ships and trek south to the mainland. But they were

ill-equipped, and probably in poor health, so escape was beyond them. Their plight was desperate

and all died in the attempt.’

Read carefully Passage A, The Telegram, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions

1 and 2 on this Question Paper.

Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.

Question 1

Using your own words, explain the effects of the snow on the man on the pathway

(paragraph 2, ‘It was in ... ’).

(a)

...........................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... [2]

(b) What caused the man to notice the narrator (paragraph 3, ‘I laughed some ... ’)?

...........................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... [1]

Using your own words, explain the contrast the narrator describes in the final sentence of

paragraph 3 (lines 12–13).

(c)

...........................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... [2]

(d) What caused the narrator to think that everything around him had disappeared (lines 17–18)?

...........................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... [1]

Using your own words, explain why the narrator was relieved that the man had disappeared

(lines 17–20).

(e)

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... [2]
(f)

(i) how the mother responds to this

(ii) what this suggests about the mother’s state of mind.

................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................

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................................................................................................................................ [3]

(g) Complete parts (i) and (ii) to answer Question 1(g).

Re-read paragraphs 4 (‘The street was ... ’) and 9 (‘“Sorry”, she said ... ’). Using your

own words, explain what the writer means by the words underlined in each of the

following phrases:

(i)

• ‘The hill was white all the way to where it disappeared. Black sticks stuck out, here

and there: trees; a skeletal fence; telephone poles.’ (lines 14–15)

• ‘The tram tracks were black lines along the way, then they glazed over white, then

vanished.’ (lines 15–16)

• ‘The bell clanged, sounding very close in the woolly snow and the silence. The

tram disappeared towards town, its wheels growling against the tracks.’ (lines

34–36)

Word underlined: ...................................................................................................

Meaning of the word underlined: ...........................................................................

................................................................................................................................

Word underlined: ...................................................................................................

Meaning of the word underlined: ...........................................................................

................................................................................................................................

Word underlined: ...................................................................................................

Meaning of the word underlined: ...........................................................................

................................................................................................................................ [3]
(ii)

What were the weather conditions and how they affected the surrounding environment?

................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................

[2]

[Total: 16]

Question 2

(a) Read this extract from the text:

‘A man came up the pathway. Through the snow I heard him whistling. I laughed. Snow was

blowing in front, behind, around him.’ (line 2-3).

What does the writer want to suggest to us about the situation at this point in the story?

....................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Explain why the writer uses the phrase ‘as though pieces of him were being carved ‘(line 6).

....................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [1]

(c) What two impressions does the writer want to convey to the reader in the sentence:

‘The tram tracks were black lines along the way, then they glazed over white, then vanished’ (line15)?

....................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [2]

(d) Read this sentence from the text:

‘like a windshield wiper.’ (lines 21)

What effect does the writer suggest by using the simile ‘?

....................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [2]

(e) Identify one example from the text below of how the writer uses language effectively to convey the
writer’s feelings after Man has gone:
‘The man got into the tram. The bell clanged, sounding very close in the woolly snow and the silence.
The tram disappeared toward town, its wheels growling against the tracks. Mother held the envelope. I
had been forgotten. The button at my mouth was still undone.’ (lines 35)

Explain the impression the writer creates in the example you have identified.

example .....................................................................................................................................

explanation ................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [3]

[ 9]

[Total: 25]

Section B

Read Text B, Franklin and the North-West Passage, in the insert and answer Question 3.

Question 3

(a) Summarise what Passage B tells you about Franklin’s attempt to find the North-West Passage and
what may have happened to him and his crew.

You must use continuous writing (not note form).

Use your own words where appropriate.

Avoid copying long sections of the text.

Your summary should be 150 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the quality of your
writing. [20]

(b) Notes

You are interviewed by a local news programme about What do you learn from Passage B about
Franklin’s attempt to find the North-West Passage and what may have happened to him and his crew?

Write your answers using short notes.

Give your answer to the interviewer’s question, using information from the text.

Interviewer’s question: Are Information about Franklin's attempt to find the North-West Passage
true? and what may have happened to him and his crew:

What is your opinion and why?

.................................................................................................................................................... [5]

[Total: 25]