Logo

English Literature Quiz - Never Let Me Go - Illustrating and Supporting Points (Questions)

This GCSE English Literature quiz is about illustrating and supporting points in the novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Test your skills in using evidence by trying this quiz. By pointing to some evidence you can strengthen the point you wish to make. When writing about a text don’t forget to follow up with an explanation, too!

How to use evidence to support a point:

There are three main ways to use evidence in support of a point when writing about a text: paraphrase, quoting single words or short phrases, and quoting longer sections of text.

[readmore]

Paraphrasing can be especially useful and is sometimes neglected. Even if you don’t use direct quotation, you can still demonstrate your knowledge of a text by paraphrasing.

In order to draw attention to a specific choice of language, however, you would be better choosing the second option, which is to quote single words or short phrases. It is also possible to mix paraphrase and quotation in the same sentence. This is usually better than writing long unwieldy sentences full of multiple quotations.

The final option is to quote a full sentence or more. If the full sentence is needed either because a phrase on its own won’t make sense or because you wish to discuss the longer quotation in close detail, this might well be the best choice.

Remember: if you are using a single word which is not especially significant in itself, you do not normally need to use quotation marks. If you are using an exact phrase or sentence from the text, remember to put quotation marks around it.

See how well you do illustrating and supporting points from Kazuo Ishiguro’s book Never Let Me Go.

[/readmore]
Read the text from Never Let Me Go and then choose the answer which best uses evidence in support of a point.
1. ''But these days, of course, there are very few donors left who I remember, and so in practice, I haven't been choosing that much."
[ ] Kathy doesn't "remember" many donors
[ ] Kathy's remark that there are "fewer and fewer" donors left whom she remembers leaves the reader wondering what has happened to them
[ ] "Fewer and fewer" donors are left for Kathy to "remember"
[ ] Kathy says "of course" there are not as many donors "these days"
2. "Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid of us. But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders. It had never occurred to us to wonder how we would feel, being seen like that, being the spiders."
[ ] Kathy compares the students to "spiders"
[ ] Madame compares the students to "spiders"
[ ] The students realise that Madame is "afraid" of them
[ ] Kathy explains that Madame is not afraid of what the students might do, but is instead instinctively afraid of them "in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders"
3. "All we could see was a dark fringe of trees, but I certainly wasn't the only one of my age to feel their presence day and night"
[ ] The students feel oppressed by the woods, even though they are barely visible as a "dark fringe"
[ ] "A dark fringe of trees" means that a forest surrounds Hailsham
[ ] By using the word "fringe", Kathy compares the woods to hair
[ ] Because they are a "dark fringe", the woods oppress the students
4. "I don't know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham the guardians were really strict about smoking"
[ ] "Smoking" was forbidden at Hailsham
[ ] Kathy reminds the audience that it was unusual for the guardians to be "strict"
[ ] Kathy assumes her audience to be clones too, often remarking, "I don't know how it was where you were"
[ ] Kathy's exaggeration with the word "really" indicates that she is being sarcastic about the "guardians"
5. "It's an object, like a brooch or a ring, and especially now Ruth has gone, it's become one of my most precious possessions"
[ ] The reader is meant to understand that Kathy cares more for "possessions" than she does for "people"
[ ] When Kathy says, now Ruth is gone, she means that Ruth has died
[ ] Kathy believes that "possessions" are more "precious" than friends are
[ ] The reader understands for the first time that Ruth is dead when Kathy says, "now Ruth is gone"
6. "I wasn't in the best of moods because my own donor had just completed the night before"
[ ] Rather than describing her grief or shock, Kathy underplays her feelings by saying she "wasn't in the best of moods"
[ ] The words "night" and "before" and "best" describe the shocking event
[ ] Using the word, just, makes the action feel recent
[ ] Kathy's donor completed, which means that he or she "died"
7. "Some students thought you should be looking for a person twenty to thirty years older than yourself — the sort of age a normal parent would be"
[ ] "Students" do not realise that their search for their "models" is doomed
[ ] The "clones" use the word "normal" because they are not "normal"
[ ] The clones' reference to parents hints that the search for their models is also a response to feeling orphaned
[ ] The students believe "possibles" should be "twenty" or thirty years older
8. "I was becoming genuinely drawn to these fantastical creatures in front of me. For all their busy, metallic features, there was something sweet, even vulnerable about each of them"
[ ] Kathy's emotional response to Tommy's drawings is demonstrated by her use of the words "sweet" and "vulnerable"
[ ] Kathy is genuinely drawn to Tommy's creations
[ ] Tommy's drawings are "fantastical" and "busy" and "metallic" and "sweet" and "vulnerable" and Kathy is "drawn" to them
[ ] Kathy ignores Tommy because she doesn't like his "fantastical creatures"
9. "Here was the world requiring the students to donate. While that remained the case, there would always be a barrier against seeing you as properly human"
[ ] The world "requires" "donations" from the "students"
[ ] The "barrier" to the world's "view" is mental
[ ] The world protects itself from seeing the students as "properly human"
[ ] The reason the world cannot see the students as human is because of a "barrier"
10. "And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment, it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us being swept away into the night"
[ ] The terrible force of the wind threatens to "sweep" Tommy and Kathy "away into the night"
[ ] The wind represents the terrible forces of the world which will soon cause Kathy and Tommy to be "swept away into the night"
[ ] The wind "blowing and blowing" will "sweep" Kathy and Tommy away into the "night"
[ ] The wind "blows" and "blows", "sweeping" Kathy and Tommy "away into the night"

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Never Let Me Go

Logo
English Literature Quiz - Never Let Me Go - Illustrating and Supporting Points (Answers)
1. ''But these days, of course, there are very few donors left who I remember, and so in practice, I haven't been choosing that much."
[ ] Kathy doesn't "remember" many donors
[x] Kathy's remark that there are "fewer and fewer" donors left whom she remembers leaves the reader wondering what has happened to them
[ ] "Fewer and fewer" donors are left for Kathy to "remember"
[ ] Kathy says "of course" there are not as many donors "these days"
Make sure to quote the words, phrase or sentence that illustrates the point you are making
2. "Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid of us. But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders. It had never occurred to us to wonder how we would feel, being seen like that, being the spiders."
[ ] Kathy compares the students to "spiders"
[ ] Madame compares the students to "spiders"
[ ] The students realise that Madame is "afraid" of them
[x] Kathy explains that Madame is not afraid of what the students might do, but is instead instinctively afraid of them "in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders"
Remember that the aim of using a quotation is to give evidence in support of a point. Quoting ''spiders'' or ''afraid'' in this case does not support any point
3. "All we could see was a dark fringe of trees, but I certainly wasn't the only one of my age to feel their presence day and night"
[x] The students feel oppressed by the woods, even though they are barely visible as a "dark fringe"
[ ] "A dark fringe of trees" means that a forest surrounds Hailsham
[ ] By using the word "fringe", Kathy compares the woods to hair
[ ] Because they are a "dark fringe", the woods oppress the students
The woods become more oppressive in the imagination of the students
4. "I don't know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham the guardians were really strict about smoking"
[ ] "Smoking" was forbidden at Hailsham
[ ] Kathy reminds the audience that it was unusual for the guardians to be "strict"
[x] Kathy assumes her audience to be clones too, often remarking, "I don't know how it was where you were"
[ ] Kathy's exaggeration with the word "really" indicates that she is being sarcastic about the "guardians"
Kathy speaks directly to her audience, using second person pronouns. She imagines that her audience might be from a worse place than Hailsham
5. "It's an object, like a brooch or a ring, and especially now Ruth has gone, it's become one of my most precious possessions"
[ ] The reader is meant to understand that Kathy cares more for "possessions" than she does for "people"
[ ] When Kathy says, now Ruth is gone, she means that Ruth has died
[ ] Kathy believes that "possessions" are more "precious" than friends are
[x] The reader understands for the first time that Ruth is dead when Kathy says, "now Ruth is gone"
Kathy's phrasing is important because ''gone'' is a euphemistic way of describing death; she is also describing yet another loss she has suffered
6. "I wasn't in the best of moods because my own donor had just completed the night before"
[x] Rather than describing her grief or shock, Kathy underplays her feelings by saying she "wasn't in the best of moods"
[ ] The words "night" and "before" and "best" describe the shocking event
[ ] Using the word, just, makes the action feel recent
[ ] Kathy's donor completed, which means that he or she "died"
Remember to place quotation marks around the key words or phrasing being quoted from the text
7. "Some students thought you should be looking for a person twenty to thirty years older than yourself — the sort of age a normal parent would be"
[ ] "Students" do not realise that their search for their "models" is doomed
[ ] The "clones" use the word "normal" because they are not "normal"
[x] The clones' reference to parents hints that the search for their models is also a response to feeling orphaned
[ ] The students believe "possibles" should be "twenty" or thirty years older
Sometimes the best way to use evidence from a text is by referring to specific details without directly quoting
8. "I was becoming genuinely drawn to these fantastical creatures in front of me. For all their busy, metallic features, there was something sweet, even vulnerable about each of them"
[x] Kathy's emotional response to Tommy's drawings is demonstrated by her use of the words "sweet" and "vulnerable"
[ ] Kathy is genuinely drawn to Tommy's creations
[ ] Tommy's drawings are "fantastical" and "busy" and "metallic" and "sweet" and "vulnerable" and Kathy is "drawn" to them
[ ] Kathy ignores Tommy because she doesn't like his "fantastical creatures"
Don't forget to use quotation marks if directly quoting a phrase. ''Genuinely drawn'', for example, should have quotation marks
9. "Here was the world requiring the students to donate. While that remained the case, there would always be a barrier against seeing you as properly human"
[ ] The world "requires" "donations" from the "students"
[ ] The "barrier" to the world's "view" is mental
[x] The world protects itself from seeing the students as "properly human"
[ ] The reason the world cannot see the students as human is because of a "barrier"
Quotations should be used for a good reason. Single words should have quotation marks if they are very unusual or if the specific word choice is significant
10. "And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment, it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us being swept away into the night"
[ ] The terrible force of the wind threatens to "sweep" Tommy and Kathy "away into the night"
[x] The wind represents the terrible forces of the world which will soon cause Kathy and Tommy to be "swept away into the night"
[ ] The wind "blowing and blowing" will "sweep" Kathy and Tommy away into the "night"
[ ] The wind "blows" and "blows", "sweeping" Kathy and Tommy "away into the night"
Be sure to quote accurately