AO1-3 Select and synthesise evidence from different texts Quiz: AQA English Language, Unit 3

The 20 questions

1. What does AO1 'select and synthesise evidence from different texts' require?

   • Choosing relevant evidence from more than one text and combining it into one point
   • Copying the full text of both passages into the answer booklet to show effort
   • Writing a separate summary of each text, with no links drawn between them at all
   • Choosing only the text that is longest and ignoring the other one entirely

2. Two texts describe a mountain: one as 'a great silent guardian', the other as 'a danger to climbers'. What does synthesis allow?

   • Stating that both texts are the same because they both name the same mountain
   • Choosing one text and rewriting its view so that it agrees with the other text
   • Combining both views to show the mountain is seen as both protective and dangerous
   • Ignoring the second text because it contradicts the view given in the first text

3. Which is the best way to select evidence for a point linked to two texts?

   • Choose quotations that do not relate to the question at all
   • Choose a single word from one text and nothing from the second
   • Choose one short quotation from each that directly supports the point
   • Choose the whole first paragraph of each text regardless of relevance

4. What is the main risk of selecting evidence that is too long?

   • It removes the need for any explanation of the point
   • It guarantees full marks for technical accuracy in the response
   • It makes the response more accurate, so the examiner is always impressed
   • It dilutes focus and wastes time, so the point is less clear

5. A student writes 'Both texts show the sea as powerful, yet Text A uses the sea as a source of fear'. What skill does this show?

   • Spelling accuracy, through the use of a word with several letters
   • Proofreading, by checking for missing punctuation in the sentence
   • Synthesis, by linking a shared idea with a difference between texts
   • Summary, by retelling the plot of each text in full

6. Which phrase best shows synthesis across two texts?

   • Text one has ten paragraphs and text two has eleven paragraphs in total
   • The first text was written earlier and the second text was written later
   • Both writers present the issue as urgent, though they differ in their solutions
   • Text one is printed in a blue font and text two is printed in black

7. Why is evidence from two texts often more convincing than from one?

   • It shows a range of perspectives and supports a more secure judgement
   • It fills the answer with more quotations so the response looks longer
   • It means the examiner does not need to read the second text at all
   • It guarantees that the spelling in the response will be accurate

8. A student's evidence from Text B does not relate to the point made about Text A. What is the issue?

   • The evidence is not synthesised, so the two texts are not linked
   • The evidence is in the present tense, which is not allowed in the answer
   • The evidence is too short, and it should be a whole paragraph
   • The evidence is from the wrong century, so it should not be used

9. Which is a sign of effective synthesis in an answer?

   • The answer copies both texts in full and asks the examiner to decide
   • Each text is described in a separate paragraph with no mention of the other
   • Two quotations from different texts are used to build one developed point
   • The answer repeats one quotation several times across the response

10. Which phrase signals that a point draws on two texts?

    • Whereas the first text presents this as hopeful, the second presents it as grim
    • The first text ends with a question and the second ends with a full stop
    • The first text is written in blue ink and the second in pencil on the page
    • The first text has a title, and the second text has a long introduction

11. Which is the best definition of 'synthesise' in reading?

    • Break a text into separate sentences and list them one after another
    • Replace the writer's words with a set of numbers from the passage
    • Repeat a single idea from one text in every paragraph of the response
    • Bring together ideas or evidence from different sources to form a new point

12. Text A says a city is 'busy and exciting'. Text B says the city is 'crowded and noisy'. What is the best synthesis?

    • Both texts agree the city is quiet and calm and rarely has any visitors
    • Both texts agree the city is full of activity, though they judge it differently
    • Text A is about a quiet village and Text B is about a seaside town instead
    • The two texts disagree only because one was written in the morning

13. Which is the strongest way to introduce evidence from a second text?

    • This is the second text, and it has many paragraphs and several quotations in total
    • The second text is also in the exam paper, so it is relevant here
    • Here is a quotation from the second text, which I have chosen to use
    • In contrast, the second writer presents the same issue as a matter of loss

14. A student selects evidence from two texts but does not explain how they relate. What is missing?

    • The explicit link that shows how the evidence builds one point
    • A list of all the texts in the exam paper on the front page
    • A word count written at the bottom of each paragraph of the answer
    • A title for the response, which must always be in capital letters

15. Which two pieces of evidence best synthesise a point about freedom?

    • Two texts that both describe a kitchen table in a small flat, with its chairs and cups
    • A text describing a child running across an open field, and another describing a bird leaving its cage
    • A text listing the price of a bus ticket, and another listing the cost of a train fare for students
    • Two texts that both use the word 'the' many times in their openings and in their final paragraphs

16. Which best describes how selected evidence should be used?

    • Chosen at random from the start of each text in the exam paper
    • Repeated in every paragraph whatever the point being made
    • Relevant, short and explained so it clearly supports the point
    • Long, unexplained and placed in the response without any comment

17. Why is it important to synthesise rather than summarise two texts?

    • Summary is always worth more marks than synthesis in the reading paper
    • Synthesis removes the need to use any quotations or evidence in the response at all
    • Synthesis answers the question by linking the texts, while summary only retells them
    • Summary is forbidden in GCSE English exams, so students must never use it in any task

18. A text describes a storm as 'wild and merciless'; another describes the sea after the storm as 'calm and forgiving'. What is the best synthesis?

    • Both texts show the sea changing from violence to a gentler mood
    • The first text is about a lake and the second text is about an ocean far away
    • Both texts describe a storm that lasted for exactly the same length of time as the other
    • The two texts agree that the sea is always calm and never dangerous to anyone

19. Which pair of quotations would best support a point about loneliness?

    • 'He wore a blue jumper to the match on Saturday' and 'the team lost two games'
    • 'She ate supper alone' and 'the flat was silent all evening'
    • 'The bus was late again on Tuesday' and 'the timetable was printed in red'
    • 'The shop sold apples, pears and plums' and 'the price was fixed in pounds'

20. A student writes that both texts present the past as a source of comfort. What is this an example of?

    • A spelling error in the word 'comfort' that needs to be corrected
    • A summary of a single text, with the second text ignored entirely by the student
    • A synthesised point drawing shared evidence from both texts
    • An opinion of the examiner that the student has copied out of the mark scheme

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