My Mother Said I Never Should - Extract 2
This GCSE English Literature quiz is the second of two extract questions for My Mother Said I Never Should by Charlotte Keatley. It takes place during Act Three, when Margaret and Jackie face the strong emotions caused by Rosie’s imminent departure from her childhood home to live with Jackie. Rosie is not present to see this emotional tug-of-war over her past and future, having left Margaret’s office.
How to answer an extract question in an exam:
Whenever you begin preparing to write an answer to an extract question, first be sure that you read the passage through more than once. This is a good habit to develop because re-reading gives you an opportunity to notice other details and aspects of the passage you might miss otherwise.
The first reading should focus on general understanding; spend some time considering how the details of the passage relate to the question you will be answering. The second reading gives you a chance to make detailed notes and annotations. After this initial preparation you can begin to plan exactly how you will use the passage to answer the question.
Think about the reasons behind the choice of extract. Can you describe its importance to the text as a whole? What is its role? Which themes are evident in the passage? Consider each of the characters and how their experiences might differ. What is the relationship between the passage and the events which come afterwards? Can you see evidence of foreshadowing? How might you relate the passage to earlier events? Is there a turning point? Have a think about the extract’s ending: is the final line significant? How does the extract’s end relate to the events or themes of the text?
Spend a moment to consider the exact wording of the question you have chosen to answer. What have you been asked to address? Extract questions come in many guises and you might be expected to focus on mood and atmosphere, character, dialogue, theme, or your own personal response. Start with explaining the passage’s immediate context: mention the events which precede the extract, explaining their relevance. Ensure that you refer to the passage in detail, rather than being too general in your discussion. How does the passage relate to the themes of the text? Try grouping related ideas together to give your answer some structure. Make sure that you plan carefully, so that you have enough time to discuss the entire passage.
Read the extract below carefully before answering the questions.
MARGARET (pause.): Rosie’s told me, Jackie.
JACKIE (terrified.): I wasn’t going to —
MARGARET: No, I expect you had another date planned when you were going to tell me that you’d like Rosie back. Or perhaps you were just going to tell me over the phone.
JACKIE: . . . You need time, to decide . . . in the summer —
MARGARET: It’s not my decision. It’s Rosie’s. And she’s made her mind up. (Pause.) I knew she’d say it one day. Like one of those fairy tales.
JACKIE: You haven’t told her!
MARGARET: Of course not. She still thinks you’re big sister, that’s why it’s so magical to her.
JACKIE: We were running along this dazzling beach. I thought, is that what I’ve missed?
MARGARET: Years and years and years you’ve lost, Jackie. Birthdays and first snowman and learning to ride a bicycle and new front teeth. You can’t pull them back.
JACKIE: I can make up for it — somehow —
MARGARET: You can’t. Those are my years.
JACKIE: She must remember — I visited!
MARGARET: Treats, she’s had with you. A day here and there. That never fooled her. But I let it fool you. I’m the woman who sat up all night with the sick child, who didn’t mind all her best crockery getting broken over the years.
JACKIE: Mummy . . .
MARGARET (long pause. Cool): What time’s your train?
JACKIE: 9:45 — no — I could get the 10:45.
MARGARET: You mustn’t miss your meeting.
JACKIE: It would give us another hour. I wish we weren’t in your office! (Panics.) Where’s Rosie gone?
MARGARET: Are you going to catch that train, or stay here? You can’t do both.
Pause. Jackie agonises.
MARGARET: I’ll phone you a taxi. (Margaret dials, waits, the line is engaged.)
JACKIE (quietly): You know Mummy, the Gallery and everything, I couldn’t have done it without you. You can’t be a mother and then cancel Christmas to be in New York.
MARGARET: (telephone connects) Taxi to East Croydon station please, immediately. British Microwaves, front entrance. (Puts receiver down.)
JACKIE: Come and stay, show me how you do things, how Rosie would like her room decorated.
MARGARET: No Jackie, I shall just put a label around Rosie’s neck, and send her Red Star. (Doesn’t look at Jackie any more, busies herself with papers.) It’s gone nine. I wonder where Mr Reece is?
Jackie runs out of the room.
Charlotte Keatley, My Mother Said I Never Should (Bloomsbury, 2014)
What does this line tell the audience about Jackie?
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