The unopened telegram
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
The telegram lay beside Mr Finch’s cup. He recognised the office stamp and knew that his son’s ship had been due that morning. Still, he stirred the tea until it had cooled. The envelope was scarcely larger than his palm, yet he could not bring himself to lift it. He asked his wife whether the postman had said anything.
She shook her head and moved the cup aside. Mr Finch opened the paper carefully, preserving every edge as though neatness might improve its contents. His eyes passed over the first line twice. SAFE ARRIVAL. He read the words aloud. Only then did he unfold the remainder and ask his wife to bring another cup, because this one was cold.
Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show how fear delays Mr Finch’s response to news. Support your answer with references to the passage.
120 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.