The sentence on the wall
Original non-fiction-style practice text.
The exhibition wall announces, 'I was never afraid.' The writer's notebook, displayed in the next case, continues the sentence: 'I was never afraid to begin, but often too afraid to finish.' It is an awkward neighbour for such a confident wall.
Short quotations can introduce visitors to a longer work. I do not expect a gallery to print a whole notebook above the entrance. Yet this selection does more than shorten. It changes a reflection on hesitation into a declaration of fearlessness, offering us a simpler personality than the evidence nearby allows.
Add the rest of the sentence. There is room. The fuller thought might be less useful on a souvenir bag, but it would make the person in the exhibition more interesting. Admiration should be able to survive a writer admitting difficulty.
Assess the writer’s attitude towards the shortened quotation in the exhibition. Use three details from the text to support your answer.
40 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE English Language 4.3.3 Question 2(b) attitudes and opinions. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.