This GCSE English Literature quiz asks questions on illustrating and supporting points in Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. When you write essays for English literature, you are expected to support your points with convincing evidence. This evidence can be provided either by making specific reference to moments in the text, or it can appear in the form of direct quotations. Using the text to back up your argument is what makes your writing persuasive. Quoting and paraphrasing are techniques which also show how well you understand the text. While these skills are essential, they are by no means easy! You can, however, improve with practice. As well as choosing the most effective evidence, you will also need to pay attention to detail and punctuate accurately. Taking this challenging quiz will help you practise these important literary skills.
See whether you can identify the answers which have managed to use evidence correctly. In your own writing, don’t forget to follow up your quotation with explanation and analysis, too!
You should know these three key methods of using evidence from a text: paraphrasing, quoting single words or short phrases, and quoting longer sections of text. It takes some practice to master each of these methods. Paraphrasing is one of the easiest ways to use evidence from a text, since it involves rephrasing short sections in your own words. This is an essential skill for all kinds of writing, and, rather handily, also demonstrates your knowledge of the text. This skill is especially useful for closed-book exams.
The second method is to quote individual words or short phrases from the text. Memorising short, relevant quotations can be impressive. When you use these memorised quotations in an essay, be sure to show how they are related to your point. This is an especially effective method to use when you wish to discuss the details of language choice. It does take some practice to incorporate quotations well. As you improve this skill, you should consider combining methods. For example, your writing becomes more flexible when you can mix paraphrase with short quotations in the same sentence. Practising combinations of methods will ensure that you avoid writing awkward sentences cluttered with multiple quotations.
The third method is to quote a full sentence or more. If quoting a short phrase does not make sense in the way that you wish, or is difficult to include in the sentence grammatically, this might be the best method to use. Longer quotations can be a good choice when you would like to write about the quotation in close detail.
Here is a useful tip for writing well: try not to quote single, ordinary words in the hopes of showing that you have actually read the text. This habit really only demonstrates that a word has been copied from one place to another. On certain occasions an ordinary word might be used in a significant way, in which case it should have quotation marks. In all other instances, exact phrases or sentences from the text should be enclosed in quotation marks.
Try this quiz on the best way to use evidence from The Woman in Black. The aim of this quiz is to test your ability to quote and to paraphrase; your knowledge of the text is not being tested here. One helpful tip is that it might be easier to eliminate the incorrect answers first!