Word Choice

• Other languages
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

How confident are you at answering word choice RUAE questions?

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Word Choice

Practice Questions!

How to answer...

“QUOTE” suggests EXPLANATION

Remember: You get 1 MARK for quoting a word, and 1 MARK for explaining/analysing it in relation to the question. 

Example

Q: ‘The man was a poisonous snake, just like his brother.'

How does the writer use word choice to show the man's character? 

A. "Snake" suggests that the man is sneaky and slimy and you cannot trust him. 

“He had a pale, flabby body and a big, round face with a large hooked nose. He wore very thick glasses and his hair, which waved as if tightly permed, was the colour of ox-blood shoe polish.”

How does the writer’s word choice emphasise the unattractive nature of the character? (4)

"                         " shows that the man's hair looked dirty and unkept.  

"                       " shows that the man had a nose like a witch making his face scary and intimidating. 

"                                " showed that the man was a strange, chubby shape. 

flabby

oxblood

hooked

“There was total anarchy in the dark cinema. There was continuous shouting and screaming and whistling and throwing of things, and the attendants couldn’t stop it, no matter how much they shone their torches trying to catch the culprits.”

How does the writer’s word choice emphasise the idea of chaos in the cinema? (4)

""                                " suggests that the noise and disruption never seemed to stop. 

"                                  " suggests that there was no control over the violence in the cinema.

"                                  " suggests that the people causing the disruptions were seen as criminals.

continuous

culprits

anarchy

 “My brother nagged and bullied me with sly punches and Chinese burns.”

What impression are we given of the brother and how does the writer’s word choice achieve this? (2)

"                  " suggests that the brother is sneaky, vindictive and cruel.

"nagged" suggests that the bother is                                                      

sly

burns

controlling and trying to manipulate his brother

cruel and violent towards his little brother

“I stood close to a great door, old and studded with large iron nails. Of bell and knocker there was no sign; through these frowning walls and dark window openings it was not likely that my voice could penetrate.”

How does the author’s word choice contribute to a forbidding or sinister tone? (2)

"                  " suggests that the                                                                                       

"                          " suggests that the house is alive and angry at the intrusion.                                              

frowned

studded

door was large, heavy and potentially violent. 

door was creepy, scary and no body wanted to enter through it. 

 “Will tugged at his mother’s hand but she hung back. ‘Come on,’ he said.

‘Are you sure?’ she asked, doubtfully.”

How does the writer’s word choice emphasise the boy’s determination and the mother’s uncertainty? (4)

"                  "    suggests that the                                                                                       

"                          " suggests that the.                                                                                              

doubtfully

tugged

The mother is not sure what she should do. 

the boy was desperate for his mother's attention

4. “The building towered over the city, its countless windows gleaming in the bright sunlight and its marble walls giving it an imposing, impregnable look of invincibility.”

How does the writer’s word choice emphasise grand nature of the building? (4)

"                  "    suggests that the                                                                                       

"                          " suggests that the.                                                                                              

towered

invincibility

the building is indestructible and unmovable. 

the building leans over the people and vehicles below

marble

gleaming

“A gloomy entrance gave way to a dingy interior. Filth was smeared on the walls and a hideous stench rose from the grimy floor.”

What impression does the writer’s word choice give of the place and how does it do so? (2)

6. “An arrogant man, Smith was loathed by his colleagues and despised by his enemies.”

How does the writer’s word choice emphasise Smith’s unpleasantness? (3)

Now, once and for all, the rumours and suspicions influenced by tabloid stories can be seen for what they were: dreadful slurs on innocent people who had set out one Saturday morning hoping for nothing more than to see their team win an FA Cup semi-final.
How does the writer’s word choice give a critical tone to the tabloid coverage of Hillsborough? (4)

“A sudden dread swept through me about going to the new school in September. I brooded over the uncertainty ahead. What would it be like? Everybody kept telling me that it was a time of big changes and that I would have to be more grown up.”

How does the writer’s word choice in the paragraph above emphasise his worry over his new school? (4)

How confident do you feel at answering word choice questions?

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