Pearson Edexcel IGCSE · English Language A

From H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald: Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 4 written questions with worked solutions. All on From H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald.

9 questions22 marksFree, no account

Question 1

1 mark

What is the primary purpose of the short, punchy sentences Macdonald uses when the first hawk emerges, such as 'Everything sudden. Everything strikes.'?

Question 2

1 mark

Towards the end of the extract, Macdonald writes: 'There was a moment of total silence.' Why is this structural pause significant in the context of the narrative?

Question 3

1 mark

In the text, Macdonald describes the second hawk as 'a smoking mental blank'. What does this suggest about the bird's character or appearance?

Question 4

1 mark

When Macdonald first sees the hawk she actually wants (the second hawk), she describes it as a 'Victorian melodrama'. What tone is she establishing here?

Question 5

1 mark

What does the narrator mean when she describes the first hawk as a 'griffin from the pages of an illuminated manuscript'?

Question 6

2 marks

According to the text, what physical action does the man perform to indicate that the first hawk is ready to be handled by the narrator?

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Question 7

4 marks

How does the writer use structure and pacing in the passage to transition from the initial excitement of seeing the first hawk to the realization that it is the 'wrong' bird?

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Question 8

6 marks

In From H is for Hawk, Macdonald describes the second hawk as 'a Victorian melodrama' and 'a Madwoman in the Attack'. Analyze how these literary allusions convey the narrator's shifting psychological state.

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Question 9

5 marks

In From H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald describes the moment she meets the two hawks she has travelled to see.

(a) Identify two words or phrases from the text that suggest the first hawk is powerful or overwhelming. (2 points)

(b) Explain how the writer’s use of sentence structure in the paragraph beginning 'The last few seconds...' creates a sense of anticipation and tension. (3 points)

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