Beside the lock gate
I had studied the printed instructions until I could recite the sequence, certain that preparation would make questions unnecessary. Then the iron handle refused to move. The people waiting in the boat looked up, and I felt heat rising into my face. I began explaining that I had only expected to observe that morning.
Mara stepped alongside me and placed her hands beside mine. She said that the handle often stuck in damp weather and that they always worked in pairs there. Her attention remained on the marker beside the gate, as though nothing embarrassing had happened. At the next gate, I asked where she wanted me to stand before reaching for the handle. The folded instructions stayed in my pocket.
In your own words, explain how and why the writer's attitude towards receiving help changes during this experience.
232 exam-style questions on Edexcel A IGCSE English Language 1.2 Section A: Non-fiction Texts, covering 1.2.1 Focus of Section A, 1.2.2 Reading challenging non-fiction in preparation for the unseen text, 1.2.3 Reading substantial and extended texts, 1.2.4 Skills of interpretation and analysis, 1.2.5 Range of non-fiction forms, 1.2.6 Literary non-fiction text types, 1.2.7 Transient texts excluded from assessment, 1.2.8 The anthology as a supporting resource, and 1.2.9 Digital location of texts. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.