Lesson P1-Q1

P1-Q1 Question 1: short form reading question (4 marks) Quiz: AQA English Language, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson P1-Q1, Question 1: short form reading question (4 marks): 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE English Language (8700), Unit 1: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which assessment objective does the 4-mark Question 1 mainly test?

    • AO2, analysing how the writer's language and structure create effects on readers
    • AO5, communicating clearly and imaginatively in a designated piece of writing
    • AO4, evaluating the text critically with appropriate references to its details
    • AO1, identifying explicit and implicit information

  2. How many marks is the short form reading question on Paper 1 worth?

    • 20 marks
    • 8 marks
    • 4 marks
    • 12 marks

  3. What task does Question 1 of Paper 1 set?

    • Comparing two linked texts across two centuries
    • Writing a 40-mark piece of narrative fiction
    • Identifying four true statements from the source text
    • Evaluating a statement about the whole text in 20 marks

  4. Which material should a Question 1 answer be based on?

    • Facts from a textbook not mentioned in the passage
    • General knowledge about the author's life and career
    • Personal opinions about the topic from outside the text
    • Information stated or implied in the source text

  5. A student copies a whole sentence from the text for a Question 1 answer. Why is this weaker than a short, accurate statement?

    • It always loses marks because copying from the text is forbidden in every single exam
    • It shows the student has read the whole text but has not yet worked out the main idea
    • It is accepted only when the copied sentence runs to more than fifty words in total
    • It shows less selection of information, so it may not show clear understanding

  6. Which skill does Question 1 most reward?

    • Selecting and identifying relevant information accurately from the text
    • Analysing the effects of punctuation in each sentence across the whole extract provided
    • Writing long essays with several paragraphs of argument supported by quotations from the text
    • Using complex sentence structures and dense vocabulary taken from the original passage

  7. Which is the best example of a true statement for a Question 1 answer about a text describing a harbour?

    • The fishing boats return to the harbour at dusk
    • The harbour was designed by an architect in 1850
    • The harbour should be closed to protect the fish
    • The harbour is the most beautiful in the entire country

  8. A question asks for four true statements, and a student offers five. What is most sensible?

    • Give all five answers, since offering more statements always earns more marks in the paper
    • Choose the strongest four, since the question asks for four statements
    • Give five answers and ask the examiner to decide which four should be kept for marking
    • Leave the answer blank because offering five statements is considered too many to mark

  9. Which phrase best shows understanding of implicit information?

    • The text says the room had three windows and a door on the far side of it
    • The character is named as Sarah in the second line of the opening paragraph of the text
    • The date printed at the top of the extract is clearly shown as the fourth of March
    • The character's silence suggests she is hiding her feelings

  10. Which of these is explicit information?

    • The narrator's tone hints that she is unwilling to speak
    • The letter was delivered on Monday morning
    • The character's silence suggests fear of the news
    • The setting seems to reflect the family's hidden sorrow

  11. What does 'select and synthesise evidence' mean for a Question 1 answer?

    • Invent details that the author might have intended but never actually wrote in the text
    • Pick the relevant details and combine them accurately into clear statements
    • Copy the entire first paragraph word for word so that the examiner sees the source clearly
    • Summarise the author's whole career and publishing history in order to show knowledge

  12. Which error most often costs marks in Question 1?

    • Using figures instead of words to describe quantities that appear in the source text
    • Using a single word in place of a full sentence when answering a question in the paper
    • Giving opinions in place of statements that are actually found in the text
    • Writing in the past tense rather than in the present tense when answering the question

  13. Harder: A student's four Q1 answers all refer to the same detail. What is the likely issue?

    • The answers are written as complete sentences only, which the mark scheme does not allow
    • The answers use the wrong verb tense for the question that has been set in the paper
    • The answers are too brief to be credited at all, however accurate each one may be
    • The answers repeat one piece of information, so they do not show four different points

  14. Which skill is shown when a student identifies an emotion from a character's actions?

    • Describing the layout of the page on which the extract is printed in the exam booklet
    • Comparing the extract to a different text that the class read earlier in the year
    • Recalling a fact from memory about the topic that was learned in an earlier lesson
    • Interpreting implicit information from evidence in the text

  15. What does 'explicit' mean when reading?

    • Printed in bold or italic type on the page
    • Written in a formal style with technical terms
    • Suggested only through the reader's own opinion
    • Stated clearly and directly in the text

  16. What does 'implicit' mean when reading?

    • Listed as a numbered fact at the end of the text
    • Suggested or implied rather than directly stated
    • Printed in a separate box beside the main text
    • Stated clearly in the first line of the extract

  17. A student writes 'He was angry, as shown by his clenched fists.' Which skill does this show?

    • Copying a fact from the title of the extract and placing it at the start of the answer
    • Making an inference from a physical detail, supported by evidence
    • Describing the typeface used in the printed book, rather than the words on the page
    • Recalling a date from outside the text entirely, which the examiner will not accept

  18. Which feature of a good Question 1 answer matters most?

    • Each statement is as long as possible, so the examiner can see how much effort was made
    • Each statement is accurate and clearly supported by the text
    • Each statement is written in capital letters throughout so that it is clearly visible
    • Each statement uses as many adjectives as possible to make the answer sound impressive

  19. Harder: Which judgement about a Question 1 answer is most balanced?

    • A short, accurate statement can score well, while a long vague one may not
    • Only direct quotations from the text can ever earn marks in Question 1 of the paper
    • Answers must always refer to the author's life story and publishing history to earn credit
    • Long answers always score higher than short ones in Question 1, whatever they say in them

  20. Harder: A student says 'the character must be lonely' with no textual support. Which weakness is most significant?

    • The claim is accurate in its wording but uses too many words for the mark on offer
    • The claim uses the wrong past tense for the question that was set on the paper today
    • The claim is too short to be understood by an examiner who is marking a large set of papers
    • The claim lacks evidence from the text, so it is not a supported reading

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