The lamp committee
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
Ruth Allen had been invited to the council meeting because she had organised a petition from the workers at Bell's factory. The chairman greeted her as “Miss Allen”, directed her to a chair and made certain that a glass of water was placed within reach. Everyone in the room knew that she worked at the factory; her occupation was written beneath her name on the petition lying before them.
The committee was deciding where to place three new street lamps. Ruth explained that one should stand at the entrance to Cooper's Court. Nearly two hundred workers used the narrow passage after the factory closed, yet the nearest of the proposed lamps would face an empty warehouse on the wider road.
“A most helpful account,” the chairman said before she had finished. He turned to the other committee members. “Miss Allen naturally feels anxious for her companions. However, we must choose each position according to practical need.”
Ruth tried to explain that two women had fallen where the stones were uneven, but the chairman raised one hand gently. He thanked her for attending and asked the clerk to record that the workers wished for better lighting. Her exact proposal was not mentioned.
The next speaker was Mr Pritchard, who owned several carts and rented the empty warehouse. He examined the plan for a moment before tapping the entrance to Cooper's Court.
“Put the lamp here,” he said. “It will serve the factory crowd and prevent my drivers from striking the wall when they turn.”
The chairman leaned forwards. “An excellent practical solution.” Two members immediately agreed, and the clerk dipped his pen into the ink.
Ruth did not protest that the idea was hers. Instead, she asked whether the clerk would read the first sentence of the petition aloud. The request was so calmly made that the chairman could hardly refuse it. The clerk read: “We ask that the lamp presently intended for the warehouse frontage be placed at the entrance to Cooper's Court.”
For a few seconds, the only sound was the clerk's pen rolling against its tray. Then the chairman asked him to alter the minutes so that the petition was recorded before Mr Pritchard's recommendation. He addressed Ruth with the same formal respect as before, although his smile had become less comfortable.
When Ruth left, the committee members stood aside to let her pass. The lamp would be placed where the workers needed it. Yet she wondered whether the committee had listened to her judgement, or had merely recognised it after the same idea returned in a more influential voice.
“The writer successfully shows that respectful language is not the same as taking someone seriously.”
Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.
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456 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE English Language 1.3 Content: prose fiction study requirements, covering 1.3.1 Read challenging prose fiction for the unseen 19th-century extract. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.