The unopened parcel
The parcel arrived three days after Theo’s birthday. He recognised his brother’s untidy writing and carried it to the kitchen without removing his coat. Their last conversation had ended with Theo putting the phone down. He cut the tape along one edge, then stopped to boil the kettle. After the tea had gone cold, he opened the box. Inside was the compass they had shared on childhood camping trips, its cracked lid carefully repaired. Theo turned it over, looking for a note. There was none. He took his phone from his pocket and deleted the first sentence of a message twice.
What can you infer about Theo’s response to his brother’s gift? Support your answer with evidence.
40 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE English Language 3.1 Critical reading and comprehension, covering 3.1.1 Identify and interpret themes, ideas and information, 3.1.2 Read in different ways for different purposes, 3.1.3 Draw inferences and justify with evidence, 3.1.4 Support a point of view using textual evidence, 3.1.5 Identify bias and misuse of evidence, 3.1.6 Reflect critically and evaluatively using context, 3.1.7 Recognise different responses to a text, 3.1.8 Identify the main theme or themes, 3.1.9 Summarise ideas and information from a single text, 3.1.10 Synthesise from more than one text, 3.1.11 Explain how vocabulary and grammar create impact, 3.1.12 Analyse and evaluate form and structure, and 3.1.13 Compare texts critically. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.