The broken jug
This extract is from an original work of fiction set in the nineteenth century.
Ellen had been trusted to carry the full jug from the dairy. As she crossed the kitchen threshold, her heel caught and the jug fell, breaking against the stone floor. Her mother looked up from kneading bread but did not speak. Ellen’s stomach tightened as she waited to hear what her punishment would be. At last, her mother fetched a broom and told her to stand away from the broken pieces.
Identify the sentence that makes Ellen’s fear of her mother’s reaction clear.
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.