H is for Hawk

Question 1

“carefully tied string” suggests

Accepted Answer

That care was needed to keep the bird in captivity

Question 2

“enormous, enormous hawk”, why is "enormous" repeated?

Accepted Answer

To accentuate the size of the bird

Question 3

"feathers raised like the scattered quills of a fretful porpentine.” What type of imagery?

Accepted Answer

Visual

Question 4

What is the main effect of the long sentence beginning on line 14?

Accepted Answer

It's literally "all happening at once" excitement is created, It increases the tempo

Question 5

“A broken marionette of wings, legs and light-splashed feathers.” suggests...

Accepted Answer

she moves quickly, hard to distinguish her features, That she is not uniform in shape, and erratic in movement, That she cannot be controlled

Question 6

What does the simile "like a Victorian melodrama" mean?

Accepted Answer

She came out of the box very dramatically

Question 7

In which person is the text written?

Accepted Answer

First

Question 8

Which words are used to create a semantic field of intangibility/madness?

Accepted Answer

crazy/madness/distant

Question 9

"a desperate, crazy barrage of incoherent appeals" suggest that she...

Accepted Answer

was emotional, really wanted the first bird

Question 10

"white-faced woman with wind-wrecked hair and exhausted eyes was pleading with him..."

Accepted Answer

this shows her vulnerability, and we feel sympathy for her, we hope that she gets the bird she wants, the emotive language shows how desperate she is

Question 11

What is the format of the text?

Accepted Answer

Extract from a book

Question 12

“and a high-pitched twittering” , what is the technique and effect?

Accepted Answer

Onomatopoeia/more vivid description of the bird

Question 13

"thump" is an example of...

Accepted Answer

Onomatopoeia

Question 14

“The hawk’s wings, barred and beating”, is effective because...

Accepted Answer

plosive language "barred...beating" echoes forceful action, it shows the bird is dangerous

Question 15

What does the word "whirring" suggest?

Accepted Answer

That the bird is moving quickly, That the bird is not animate, it's like a machine

Question 16

Why does Macdonald give so much detail about what she said to the man?

Accepted Answer

To create a relationship with the reader, We can see how she was feeling, We can empathise with her, It brings us closer to her thoughts

Question 17

"'We'll check the ring numbers against the Article 10s'"

Accepted Answer

Direct speech

Question 18

"chaotic clatter" is an example of...

Accepted Answer

Consonance

Question 19

What is the purpose of this text?

Accepted Answer

Describe, Inform

Question 20

“She is a conjouring trick.” suggests that she is...

Accepted Answer

An illusion, almost not real

Question 21

“A griffon from the pages of an illuminated bestiary” is an effective reference because it...

Accepted Answer

accentuates the idea of her being like a mythical creature

Question 22

Why use the phrase “The last few seconds before a battle.”?

Accepted Answer

Because "battle" has connotations of conflict and a struggle

Question 23

What does “everything is brilliance and fury.” suggest?

Accepted Answer

That the bird is both awe-inspiring and dangerous

Question 24

Why is it significant, or what is advantageous, about a text written in the first person?

Accepted Answer

A relationship with the reader is created more easily, We are brought closer to the action, so it is more engaging, It is easier to develop empathy

Question 25

“punched it, hard” is significant because...

Accepted Answer

it suggests that the bird is dangerous, it strengthens the presentation of the bird as violent

Question 26

"thump of feathers" is interesting because...

Accepted Answer

The soft, fricative language juxtaposes the violent action, Ambiguity enhances the presentation of the bird as enigmatic

Question 27

“Concentration. Infinite caution" is significant because...

Accepted Answer

The consonant sounds accentuate how careful they need to be, it creates suspense and tension through short sentences

Question 28

"All at once I loved this man, and fiercely." (paragraph 4) Why?

Accepted Answer

Because he raised and cared for the bird she loves

Question 29

“Something bright and distant” suggests that...

Accepted Answer

The bird is so special, yet cannot be fully understood

Question 30

Why give a literal "bird's eye view", "Her world was an aviary..." "she can see everything"?

Accepted Answer

To understand the bird's character, this is all new to her, To show that Macdonald empathises with the bird

H is for Hawk

Questions 30

H is for Hawk

Questions 30